Let's Play in the Snow

Two Saturdays ago we had our first real snow of the year. I was so excited to take Cooper out to play in it. He was way too little last year to be able to go out in the snow. We all got bundled up and headed out. I did not like snow or dirt or anything on me when I was little. If any snow even got on my boot I would freak out. I was hoping that Cooper didn't get that from me. Luckily he is ALL boy!!!

He was so funny all dressed in his snow gear. He loves having his gloves on and shoes on so I knew those wouldn't be a problem.


Here is a hilarious video of how he walked in his get up. Sorry it's sideways. I will try to fix it but wanted to get this posted.



When we got out there Indiana started going nuts. He LOVES to run and pounce in the snow. He always has. He gets this big burst of energy when he gets out in the snow. It was funny watching Cooper just take in Indiana's craziness.


Here you can see Indiana being a spaz!



He couldn't really walk around by himself because one the snow was too deep and two he could barely move in his snowsuit ha ha.


I was surprised at how much he loved being out in the snow. We made snow balls and threw them, we ate the snow, and we sat in the snow.


I am so excited for our next big snow storm. They are more enjoyable when I am not having to leave and drive in them if I don't want to :)

After we came inside Cooper got donuts and milk. What a treat after playing hard.

Bring on the snow!!!!!

Halloween Adventures 2011

We had a lot of fun Halloween adventures this year. It all started out with my family Halloween party. The party was Sunday the 24th, so the day after we got back from Washington. I had planned on being a witch and was going to make my costume. I had made my skirt before I left and had bought the stuff to make my hat. But I hadn't thought about how to do it or anything until the day of the party. I gave Brad the job of coming up with his costume while I was in Washington. But needless to say both of our costumes didn't come together until the day of the party. Cooper's however I had found about a month 1/2 ago. I knew I wanted one of the 2-piece suits like his monkey costume last year. I came across this monster outfit at Old Navy and just knew I had to get it. I even kept looking for costumes incase I found something cuter and I never did! We had a good time at the party. We never did get a picture of everyone in their costume.....oh well!

Here are the pics of costumes I did get
Our next Halloween adventure was carving pumpkins. Of course things never go as planned. I wanted to carve them with Cooper this year because I thought he would enjoy the guts. We went to dinner with our friends Nikki and Tim and that just took longer than expected. After dinner we got our pumpkins and headed back to our place. Cooper was exhausted so he went to bed before we even started. It was nice carving a pumpkin this year because last year I was dealing with Cooper so wasn't able to carve mine. We bought a smaller pumpkin to carve something for Cooper but we never ended up carving anything. Now that I think about it I should have had him color it. Maybe next year :)

Cooper's favorite part of the night was picking pumpkins. We just got them at Harmons because it was so late. To prevent him from being grouchy or running in the road we put him in this. Saying he loved it is a complete understatement. This cart would make grocery shopping enjoyable for both of us!

Our finished pumpkins

Then there was Halloween day. Brad had been sick with the flu all weekend and Cooper was teething and had a cold. So I wasn't exactly sure how the whole day would go. But I wasn't going to let it stop me from at least trying to do stuff on Halloween. Cooper and I started out by going to lunch and then the zoo with Amy and Emmett. It was the perfect day for the zoo. Not only was it dead but the weather was amazing. We wanted something where the boys could dress up in their costumes for the day. So the zoo was the perfect thing. Cooper was very mellow for most of the time. Which was lucky otherwise he would have wanted to be out of the stroller running around and being his crazy self.


At one point I let him out of the stroller to run around. He was loving it but when I would try to direct him in a particular direction he would lay on the ground kicking and screaming. These new fits that he has started throwing are so much fun :) I didn't catch any of his faces from his fit but I still got him laying on the nasty ground.


I just love being able to go do things like this with my little monster.
I really am so grateful to be a stay at home mom to this little guy!


I bought Cooper's costume and a few day's after Amy's mom bought Emmett his costume. Turns out it was the same thing. So both of them were monsters for Halloween.

Cooper's favorite part of the zoo was still the water globe however.

After the zoo we headed home and Cooper went down for a much needed nap. Once he woke up we decided to head out to my grandma's, aunts, and my parents house. Brad still wasn't feeling great so he wasn't in the mood to dress up so I didn't either. Cooper has the wrong idea of trick or treating because every house we went to the second the door opened he walked right on in. He ate his candy about as fast as he got it however. I forgot to take my camera in when we went to the houses. I was so bummed!!!! Well we got to my parents to surprise them and they weren't home. They were up at the hospital with Chase. He had gone in a few days before with what they thought was a perforated intestine. So we decided to head up to the hospital to see them.

Cooper loves my parents!

The best part was right as we were leaving. My dad was helping Cooper walk up on our car and he thought it was the greatest thing ever! He was giggling so hard.


All in all I would call it a very successful Halloween! Next year is going to
be even more fun and exciting! We can't wait!!!

WASHINGTON TRIP

Well a couple of weeks ago Cooper and I took off and flew to Washington to visit Brad's sister Julie. October was super busy for Brad and he was going to have to work late nights so we figured it was a perfect week to go since he wouldn't be home much anyways. Turns out he wasn't as busy as we thought and was home on time and even early some days that week but oh well it was still fun to get away. It was kind of an adventure packing and getting ready for our trip. I had been on a girls weekend with Amy and was in St. George and Vegas the weekend before. We didn't get home until after 8:00 pm Sunday and I still had to pack for both me and Cooper. We had to leave at 7:30 Monday morning so it was a late night and an early morning for me! Thankfully Brad had done the laundry so I didn't have to worry about that when I got home on Sunday.

I was most nervous for the plane rides. The last time he was on a plane he was 4 months old. Luckily he did pretty good on both flights. I had a grandma sit next to us both times so they were very understanding. And there was an extra seat on both flights so Cooper got his own seat which made it SO MUCH easier! Cooper was crazy though! He has so much energy and NEVER holds still. This didn't change on the airplane. He touched everything, was up and down, tried climbing over the seats, loved the windows, opened and shut the windows hundreds of times, flirted with people behind us, talk to kids in front of us, made lots of messes, colored with his crayons, watched a little of the Cars movie on the iPad, spilled my drink, stole ice from the cup of the lady next to us, BUT he wasn't the kid on the plane SCREAMING so I was happy!

He made friends with the grandma next to us. She was so sweet to him even amongst his craziness! I couldn't believe it but he even sat on her lap and wasn't scared of her.

Here is Cooper and the window :)


Julie will hate me but I had to share this. I was dying laughing when it happened!
Here is Julie putting in Cooper's car seat and the boys at Target.
I let Cooper down for a bit since we had been flying for so long and he touched everything. Julie couldn't believe how fast and how much energy he had and how much he could touch!

I was so excited for Cooper to get to play with his 3 cousins (Michael-6, Jack 4, and Bennett-20 months). The last time we saw them was the week of Cooper's birthday. Now that he is a little older he is way more interactive and independent so loves to play with the big kids. He absolutely LOVED the Richey's house. There was so much room to explore inside and out and soooo many new things to get into.

Here is Cooper adjusting to the Chaos:

Here is trying to lift this big rock. He even asks for help. But I gave him a smaller one that he could handle and he was just as happy.

Walking around like a big boy:

He found everything he wasn't supposed to have just like everywhere else we go. My little mischevious boy. Here you can see his favorites...the vacuum, mop, and broom :)

My child is very odd and his favorite toys are brooms and vacuums. He is obsessed! He spots them anywhere we go and freaks out if you don't let him play with it. He was in heaven because he got to play with the vacuum and broom the whole time we were up there.

He was constantly entertained. Michael was his best buddy. It was so cute to watch them interact. Michael would talk to him and lead him around. He really was so sweet with Cooper. Jack was cute with Cooper too. But he wasn't as in to Cooper.

Cooper loved the ledge on the fireplace. He played on it constantly.
He felt so big doing it because the big boys did it too!

I asked Michael if he wanted a picture with Cooper and he posed like this....

ha ha such a funny kid!

I couldn't hear Cooper so I went looking for him and this is what I found. Sweetest thing ever!!!!

Then there was Bennett. You have to understand that Bennett is almost twice as big as Cooper and is always wrestling and being tough with his older brothers. Cooper however terrified Bennett. Cooper kept trying to hug and kiss Bennett and he would run away screaming. This continued all week until the day we left, Bennett finally gave in and hugged Cooper back. But honestly it was the funniest thing to watch. Cooper could literally tackle Bennett even though he ways a good 10 pounds less than Bennett. I was impressed considering how much Bennett rough houses it with his brothers and Cooper doesn't really rough house at all.

One night we discovered that Cooper and Bennett had matching pajamas. It was so funny to watch them run around like this!

Bennett being fine with Cooper as long as he isn't being attacked:

Finally Bennett hugged Cooper back and wasn't so scared.
This is right before we headed to the airport to leave.

We had so much fun while we were there. We went to the Columbia store (a must when in Washington), crafted a little, went shopping, celebrated Jack's birthday, had a Halloween themed dinner, and just hung out and had a good time.

Here is some of the fun from our Halloween dinner. The boys all dressed up which made it even more fun.
(Candy Corn cookies, spider web 7-layer dip, witches brew, spider deviled eggs, monster puddings)

After the Halloween dinner we did the pinata from Jack's birthday. Michael and Jack got way into it! Every time Michael hit it, it went flying across the room. It was so solid that Tyler had to put it on the ground and hit it to crack it open. Here you can see Cooper with his broom watching all of the excitement.

The Richey's live on like 10 acres of land so it is a little boys heaven. We were able to "4-wheel" in the car around the property and do tractor rides. I wish Cooper was able to experience these kinds of things all the time like his cousins do!





We had a great time at the park. I discovered Cooper has no fear of slides. He would crawl up the jungle jim turned around and go right down the slide without even thinking twice.


Here is Cooper going down the slide:




Cooper was constantly going the whole time we were there. It wore him out!

I was ready to come home at the end of the week. Cooper didn't do so great at nights up there. I think he was teething and getting sick so that didn't make for a great combo. One night he screamed for like 3 hours, then others he was up and just wanted to play. Twice I just let him crawl around my bed and after about an hour and a half he would finally fall asleep with me. We missed Brad and were so excited to come home and see him.

Thanks Richeys for having us! It was a blast!!!!

Cooper : 15 Months

15 Months

I know I say this every milestone but I honestly can't believe my baby is 15 months old. He is seeming more and more like a little boy every day. There isn't too much about him these days that is real baby. He knows what he wants and he knows how to get it! Cooper is growing at the rate and around the same percentiles that he has been at his other appointments. He is perfectly healthy and developing right on track. This check-up was a little traumatic seeing as how he needed to get FIVE shots!!!! My poor baby was not happy. His lips turned blue from him screaming and not breathing while he was getting them. It made me feel even worse because right when we got home from the doctor I left to go out of town for the weekend. Luckily daddy was going to be home with him so I knew he was in good hands!

At 15 months Cooper is:

Weight: 22 lbs 14 oz (25%)
Height: 31 in. (40 %)
Head: 47 cm (45 %)

• Signing a TON!!! He can sign eat, drink, water, milk, sleep, shoes, bye, please, thank you, more, help, dog, fish, daddy, mommy, grandma, grandpa, shoes, socks, banana, finished
  
• Is constantly jabbering in his own little language
• Loves taking medicine and playing with the syringe
  
• Loves shoes and socks......so cute watching him try to put them on himself
  

He was getting ready for bed and he brought me his socks to put on him then he ran around and played all giddy.

• Can say mom, dad, what's this, shoes, baby, ball, please, pup (puppy)
• The only animal sound he knows so far is ruff
  
• Please and help are by far the cutest thing I have every seen him sign!
• Loves that he understands when you ask him questions. I love being able to communicate with him.
  
• When he wants to eat he go and tries to climb in his highchair

• Gives Indiana his treat to go in the kennel every time we leave
• Still is obsessed with balls, cars/trucks and watching Baby Signing Time
• Every time he hears a plane or helicopter he holds his hands up to let you know and says "PA" which is plane to him
• Has 12 teeth
• Dances anytime he hears music

He let me wrap him and just laid there.....I could pretend he was still a baby for a few seconds!

• Gets into every drawer or cabinet he knows he isn't supposed to be in
  
• Still loves drinking his milk and water (haven't given him to much juice so that he will still want water)
• Loves chicken nuggets, fries, and chocolate milk when we eat out. I never give him chocolate milk otherwise.

• Loves marshmallows, suckers, candy, really anything sweet that is bad for you.
• Still downs his weight in fruit
  
• Vegetables are hard to get him to eat
• Has started throwing tantrums....the full body throwing laying on the ground flailing and screaming ones
• Can generate crocodile tears in a matter of seconds
• All boy in everything he does!
• Is such a busy body....he NEVER holds still.....EVER!!!!
• Loves his binky and blanky. If we are upstairs he goes in his room and gets them out of his crib. Then proceeds to throw a fit when I takes them away!
  
• Obsessed with vacuums! He can spot them anywhere and freaks when you don't let him play with them.
  
• Loves my parents and his Aunt Aspen....sometimes more then me! :(
  
• Doesn't like riding in the shopping cart he just wants to help push it

• Doesn't go upstairs without getting my blow dryer out, dad's alarm clock down and my phone charger unplugged and drags them all around
• Goes down slides all by himself
• Builds towers with building blocks
• LOVES to play with mom's Tupperware. Putting lids on things is a fav!
  
• Insists on feeding himself and wants to use spoons and forks

I can't believe how independent our little guy is getting. It's amazing how much he changes even on a daily basis. We are still enjoying everything new and Cooper makes every day exciting and fun!!!

Pumpkin Patch Pictures

Last week I took Cooper to the pumpkin patch and had his pictures taken. I never made it to the pumpkin patch last year with Cooper so I knew I had to make it there for pictures this year. It was perfect too now that he is walking. My friend Amy did his pictures for me. We went to the Pumpkin Point Farms on 11900 South 3600 West. It was PERFECT! It had everything I wanted. There were so many good places for taking pictures. Tractors, trucks, wheel barrels, horse trailers, bales of hay, cornstalks, and of course lots of pumpkins (orange and white). I wanted to get his pictures done before it got too cold and too busy. We chose the perfect day. All week was supposed to be rainy and cold. But we tried for Tuesday because it looked the best. Tuesday started off stormy, then got sunny, then as we were eating lunch right before the pumpkin patch it started to pour. I was so disappointed. But as we got to the pumpkin patch it got sunny and actually really hot. It wasn't even muddy. The weather was perfect the whole time we took pictures. And the best part was that it was dead. There was barely anyone there so we could take our time doing pictures and not have to deal with other people.

Cooper had so much fun at the pumpkin patch. He wasn't a fan of the dirt.....definitely my child! But he was in heaven with all the pumpkins. The entire time we were there he just kept saying "Ball, ball, ball, ball". He was surrounded by balls (pumpkins) and couldn't have been happier. He was so distracted by all the pumpkins that it was hard to get him to smile but we still got some amazing pictures.

We didn't buy any pumpkins because I want Brad to be able to be with us when we do that. I will go back to this pumpkin patch though because it really was so cute and fun. And they let us do our pictures which was awesome!

ENJOY!!!
I couldn't choose so I did a lot but I had hundreds to choose from so it was hard to even narrow down to these!