The Tignors

Boy toys

2012-02-18T11:38:00.000-08:00

My mom and dad were here this weekend working on Levi's nursery. My dad was installing chair rail in the room which required him to use a lot of tools. Coop kept wanting to play with Poppy's "toys". Of course he couldn't play with any of them without hurting himself, so what did Poppy do? He went straight to Walmart and bought his boy some tools. Coop sat forever screwing and unscrewing, hammering, sawing, and more. I think Poppy is motivated to teach him about tools as he grows. Poppy was showing him what a nut, bolt, hacksaw, etc. do and how to use them. Of course Coop was all in to it! I think a big workbench is probably in Cooper's future!

I've been tagged...

2012-02-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

First Things First, The Rules:

You must post the rules.
Post eleven facts about yourself on the blog post.
Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you've tagged.
Tag eleven people and link them on your post.
Let them know you've tagged them!

My Eleven Facts:

1. I hate talking on the phone. If you know me well, you are already well aware of this. I just hate it! Since I've gotten my Blackberry, texting has made communication so much better. So, if you call and I don't say too much, don't take it personally!

2. Another hate (but one Matt loves about me! :) ) - I hate to shop! Hate it!! My mom and sister wish badly that I weren't this way. And I don't know where I inherited this. Because my dad likes to shop as well. I don't know if it has anything to do with me not liking to spend money, but girls, don't ask me to go shopping with you. I may say yes, but I will be miserable the whole time!!

3. I love to scrapbook, but I never do it any more. I dream of one day having a scrapbooking room at another house. It would be awesome!

4. In college, I took a test to tell me what career path I should go down since I had no idea. Some of the top choices were construction worker and landscape architect. Being a teacher was no where on the list. When I took my personality test, it also said that teaching would not suit my personality! :) But alas, that is what I chose to do!

5. I've always wanted to own a Hummer and a Ford Mustang. Neither of these will ever happen unless I win the lottery which I don't play...

6. I don't like the ocean or lakes. I do prefer creeks or rivers. Whitewater rafting and tubing are my adventure sports. :)

7. My favorite candy is Resees cups or Snickers. My favorite drink is Diet Dr. Pepper. Frosty's from Wendy's make everything better. I always have a box of brownies in my pantries for emergency chocolate needs.

8. In high school I decided that I wanted to marry a youth minister. Not really thinking this would ever happen until I fell for Matt.

9. Each morning before work (I only work one day a week), I go to Chick Fil A and get a buttered biscuit and hashbrowns.

10. I take WAY too much Tylenol and Ibuprofen (when I'm not preggo). My heating pad is also my best friend.

11. I hate cooking, baking, and grocery shopping. I do it only to survive and because I like to eat!

Erin's Eleven Questions:

1. What would your dream vacation be?

- to go back to Italy. I studied abroad in college without Matt, and I've always wanted to take him back over. It will definitely happen, just not anytime soon!
2. If you had a whole day with no electronics… what would you do?

- READ!!! I LOVE to read. I can read for hours if it is a good book.

3. What is your favorite meal… what you would ask for on your birthday?

- I love chicken parm from Olive Garden. And then top it off with cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory.
4. What makes you feel closest to God?

- when I am struggling as a mother. I feel as though I have prayed more since becoming pregnant with Cooper than at any other time in my life. I have never felt more helpless and rely on HIM for guidance. I seriously do not know how people do parenthood without HIM!
5. What do you do to keep your feet warm at night? (Mine are ALWAYS freezing!)

- mine are always hot! :)

6. Pepsi or Coke? Why?

- Diet Dr. Pepper or Coke Zero. I can't stand the taste of regular! (Sorry Erin! :) )
7. Name one thing in nature that makes you happy every time you see it.

- flowers or butterflies. I know that's two, but I couldn't choose.
8. What’s the most physically challenging thing you have ever done?

- well if we aren't counting labor (come on, you know we should get a medal for that!), then I guess it would be training and running a half-marathon. I did this in college my junior year. I wish I had kept up with it!
9. What is the best gift you have ever received?

- my engagement ring. It is so perfect for me. And oddly enough, I would have never picked it out, but as soon as Matt slipped it on my finger, it was perfect. I can't imagine having a different ring. It suits my personality so well. My husband really knows me!!
10. What’s your idea of a great date?

- right now, anywhere without Cooper! It doesn't take much to make me and Matt happy on a date these days. And it is even better if we can stay over-night in a hotel. That really makes me happy!!
11. Warm or cold weather? Why?

- definitely cold weather. If I lived up north, this would not be the answer. But since I live in Alabama, winter is not really winter. We can still get out and do things. And the warm weather in Alabama is sweltering! Unless you are in the water, you don't go outside in the heat of the summer.

11 Questions I want answered:

1. Cat or dog person and why?

2. If you could talk to any person, who would it be?

3. Favorite book and movie?

4. If you could live anywhere, where would you live?

5. Do you hit the snooze button in the morning?

6. Favorite article of clothing in your closet?

7. Favorite Bible verse and why?

8. Dream vacation?

9. Are you on time or late when you go places?

10. What is your thermostat set on at home?

11. Favorite dessert?

My people I'm tagging:

1. Brandy
2. Sha
3. Trisha
4. Kathryn
5. Sarah D.
6. Holly
7. Amy
8. Sara R.
9. Kristin B.
10. Jamie
11. Brooke

Baby Shower for 2

2012-01-28T18:17:00.001-08:00

Today I hosted a baby shower for two of my girlfriends from church. Amy is due February 16th and April is due March 15th. They are both having little girls, so we decided to do a joint shower. It was a blast!

Jamie and Katie with little Maclain

Lauren, Jessica, and Abbie

Jessica and Maclain

me and my sweet friend Katie – miss you!!

we had a packed house! And this isn’t even everyone!

Amy’s on the left in brown and April is on the right in white

These girls racked up!

All the preggo ladies who were there!

From left to right:

Becca due in March, Amy due in February, April due in March, Jamie due in March, and me due in June

DON’T MISS THE NEW POST BELOW!!

Sweet boy

2012-01-28T18:03:00.001-08:00

Here are just a couple of pictures of my sweet boy over the past couple of days.

This boy loves to read! I stepped out of the room for a couple of minutes and came in to find him like this. :)

above: I was getting the groceries out of the car and this little guy climbed into the front seat. Thankfully the real driving is far away!

below: My mom always let us lick the beaters when she was done with them. This was Cooper’s first time to try. I had just made mashed potatoes. Yum!

Weeks 20 and 21

2012-01-22T19:04:00.001-08:00

20 weeks – notice the little hand grabbing my shirt. We couldn’t get him to get out of the picture. :)

21 weeks – taken today before church. Ignore the wet hair!

So far I have been feeling ok. The main problems I have been having is pelvic, hip, back, and leg pain. I know that sounds like alot, but usually it’s not all at the same time! It gets really bad when I go grocery shopping with Cooper. I guess because I have to lug him and the groceries? And then push the cart and all the walking? Not really sure, but it does seem to flare up after a trip to Walmart. I was almost in tears the other day when I got home, and then I still had to make Coop lunch and get him to bed before I could sit down. Needless to say I didn’t do much the rest of the day. It also flares up if I do any heavy cleaning. Any type of vacuuming makes it hurt. My sweet husband vacuumed for me the other night! Thanks Matt! The bad part is that once the pain flares up, it is really hard to get it to go away. I’ve tried really hard not to take medicine this pregnancy, and let’s be honest, tylenol is pretty much the only thing I can take and it doesn’t do jack squat. So I try to take it easy most of the time. I try to limit picking up Cooper and heavy objects. This seems to be helping.

My doctor’s appointments are going well. Levi’s heart rate has been around 150. I got measured for the first time at my last appointment. They didn’t tell me the measurement, but the nurse did mention that all of my baby was below my belly button. She said I looked like I have a basketball under my shirt. :)

Anyways, that’s about it for now!

Can we rent Daily?

2012-01-20T18:06:00.001-08:00

Thursday my sister came and brought her middle girl Daily. I was really excited because I knew that Cooper and Daily would have a blast. Any time they are together, they love on each other. Brandy was here for less than 24 hours, but we are already missing them! Cooper keeps asking for “Day”. She is such a good babysitter. They just played and played together, and we didn’t have to worry about them. At one point, Matt turned to Brandy and said “Can we rent Daily?”. Hopefully maybe one day it will be like that with Cooper and Levi. One can only hope!

Lots of fun playing inside

2012-01-16T14:38:00.001-08:00

When the cold weather hits, I never really noticed how much time I spend inside… until I had a toddler. Cooper LOVES being outside. This past summer, I would leave our back door open and just let him play in the backyard by himself since it is fenced off. Well we can’t really do that during the winter. So I’ve tried to be creative with how we spend our time inside. I know he gets bored, because I do. I’m trying to think like an Early Childhood teacher who is stuck inside her classroom during Hurricane season with no recess in the near future. Ok, maybe it’s not that bad. But still, we need some fun things to do.

Lots and lots of reading. Not that this is new, but as you can see, we have brought “friends” in to the mix. He has recently been wanting to read with or to his friends. I’m hoping when Levi comes, Cooper will doing a lot of reading to his brother.

Nana and Poppa Tom got Coop a tent and tunnel for Christmas. I brought them out the other day, and seriously he played non-stop in it for an hour. TOTALLY WORTH IT! I even brought out one of my tunnels from teaching and attached it to the opening of the tent. So he had two tunnels to play in. When he started calming down, I put his cup and snack in the tent and let him have a picnic. He sat in his tent till he ate his whole snack and drank his juice. I love the picture to the right. I’m thinking I’m going to be getting a lot more of those looks in the coming years. :)

Cooper has never been a fan of sleeping with anything in his crib. Ever since he was 6 months old, we have tried a variety of items to help him like to be in his crib. Just recently he has started asking for toys to join him. He usually throws them out the second he gets in his crib, but this particular night, he was so exhausted that when Matt laid him down, the toys stayed right there. At one point, Matt when in to check on him and saw all the toys on his face. Well he freaked out because Cooper never does this. So Matt moved the toys off his face and Cooper started laughing. :) Matt quickly replaced the toys, and Cooper fell right to sleep. Before Matt went to bed, he removed the toys from Cooper’s face. Crazy kid!

We bought him an easel for Christmas, and to be honest, I was very nervous to use it. But so far, he has done excellent. I stay by his side the whole time he uses it, but he hasn’t tried to write on anything even then. He does get distracted and want to walk off with a marker, and I have to remind him to go put it back on the tray, but other than that, he really enjoys it. Usually coloring will last about 30 minutes. These pictures are from today when he is trying his hand at markers. My sister gave me some great advice – I was going to get dry erase markers for the white board, but she told me that those don’t come out of clothes. She said that she uses washable Crayola markers on the white board and then wash it off. Great advice! Now I don’t have to worry about him going back and forth from the paper to the white board. It’s all the same marker! And I just wiped it off with a baby wipe. And by the way – don’t you love his apron. I had forgotten he had gotten this at VBS one year. What a perfect art apron!

Another fun activity we discovered this afternoon was Play-Doh. He really did not understand at first. But he quickly got the hang off it. I did have to stay right there beside him, because he kept wanting to put it in his mouth. He knew it wasn’t food, but he puts everything in his mouth, so I just had to keep reminding him not to do it.

I’m sure I will be using these ideas and many more in the coming months! If you have any other ideas, please share!

19 weeks

2012-01-08T19:49:00.001-08:00

On the left I am 19 weeks with Levi, on the right 19 weeks with Cooper. Definitely bigger with Levi! Hopefully I won’t have to push out a bigger baby this time, because I don’t know if I can handle that!!! :)

Levi Matthew

2012-01-07T19:02:00.001-08:00

Here is a pretty good picture of our little Levi! He looks like he has Cooper and Matt’s nose! Hopefully he will look at least a little like me. :)

The ultrasound tec said that everything looked good. She measured all the bones and looked at the organs and everything looked wonderful! We got a good shot of Levi’s male parts, so we are 99.9% sure that we are getting another little boy. :) Can’t wait to see his cute face!

Christmas with the Carpenters

2012-01-05T14:13:00.001-08:00

Don’t miss the 2 other posts below!

Christmas in Nashville

2012-01-05T14:00:00.001-08:00

Don’t miss the other NEW post below!!! Yes 2 in one day! There will be more following this one. Check them out!

These are the pictures from our Christmas in Nashville with Matt’s family. Since I already blogged all the details, here are the pictures to follow. The first set is with his extended family, and then our little family Christmas follows!

Thanks Erin!!

2012-01-05T13:46:00.001-08:00

So a friend of mine read my last post and gave me a little tip. She suggested I download Windows Live Writer and see if it makes my picture uploading go any faster. Well if this actually uploads, the pictures only took about 30 seconds to appear!!! What a miracle! :) These are all the pictures that I took at Opryland Hotel over Christmas. If this posts, I’ll add even more. So thanks bunches Erin for the wonderful tip!

I give up!

2012-01-03T18:17:00.000-08:00

So, for the past several weeks, I have been trying and failing to upload pictures to Blogger. Well I don't know if it is our computer, my camera, our internet, or what, but I can't get them to upload. So I give up! I had several posts all planned for your enjoyment, but it looks like it won't be happening. :( If you are here for pictures then you need to friend me on Facebook. If you are a grandparent who doesn't have Facebook, then it looks like you need to get one, because NO MORE PICTURES!! Seriously I was spending HOURS trying to get them uploaded. It's just not worth it! I will try again later on, but right now, you are going to just have to read. Yep that's right. We don't do that a whole lot on my blog because I hate writing. I guess this is one way to bring out the writer in me!

So here is a recap of everything that has been going on lately!

Tuesday December 20, 2011 - We went in for our BIG ultrasound! We didn't tell anyone we were going in because we wanted to surprise our families during Christmas. Since we didn't tell anyone, we took Cooper with us. We got there right before appointment time to shorten our wait. Surprisingly he did wonderful out in the waiting room. There is a fish tank and he basically ran around the whole thing while we waited. When the ultrasound tec called us back, I thought he would do so well. And it's not as if he did awful, but I thought he would love looking at the screen to see the baby. Well the room was dark, so he couldn't really see to color or play, and he just wasn't all the interested. Poor Matt. He wrestled with him long enough to hear that the baby is healthy and that it's a BOY!! I'm sure most of you know that by now through Facebook, but for those of you who might have missed it, there it is! :) We are super excited! I had a very strong feeling that it was going to be a boy, but Matt really thought it was a girl. I know Cooper will love having a little brother to play with and at least I don't have to learn new things this time! The baby's name is Levi Matthew. I'm already so in love with little Levi! He is constantly moving inside of me which I don't remember feeling with Cooper this early. Feels like he is going to be just as active as Coop!

Also on this day, we celebrated our family Christmas. I've already posted about this (with pictures!), so you can read more. But it was so much fun! I will remember it for a while!

December 21, 2011 - We had our first VBS 2012 meeting!! Yes, I know it is early, but 3 of the 4 directors are pregnant and due before VBS, so we decided we needed to get an early start. It sounds like it is going to be awesome again this year. Now, I just have to get my tail in gear and get everything prepared before Levi gets here. Since Levi is due June 1st and VBS starts June 13th, there won't be any VBS planning once Levi makes his arrival!!

December 22, 2011 - Headed to Lebanon, TN to start our Christmas vacation. Cooper started to get snotty, but otherwise acted ok.

December 23, 2011 - Matt, Cooper, and I went to Opryland Hotel in Nashville to see their Christmas lights. If you ever have the opportunity to go to the Opryland Hotel, you should take it up! It is an amazing place. Hopefully one day I can go stay there overnight! Cooper loved seeing all the lights and people. I do think he was overwhelmed when we first walked in though. It was really loud because they were putting on a Shrek musical performance in that part of the hotel. He didn't want to get down and run. But eventually when we made it to other parts of the hotel, he got out of his stroller and ran around. I gave him his goldfish container to snack on, and he carried it the whole way around the hotel until we got in the car! I thought he wouldn't eat dinner from the amount of goldfish he consumed! When we got back to Nana and Poppa Tom's house, we headed to see some more Christmas lights at a house in Lebanon. There were a line of cars waiting to get in to the person's house. You drive through the person's yard and look at a ton of lights. There is a charge, so you know it's gonna be good. We got Cooper out of his car seat and put him in Nana's lap to see better. He talked the whole time about everything he was seeing. They had a nativity scene that had real animals, and they had a "real" Santa and Mrs. Claus rocking on one of their porches. It took about 20 or 30 minutes to go through, so it was worth it! After the lights we made our way to Chili's. I thought we were going to have a hard time with Cooper since he ate his weight in goldfish, but he did surprisingly well. He ate the whole time we were eating and was in a great mood! Yay!

December 24, 2011 - We had the BIG Tignor Christmas at Nana and Poppa Tom's house. All the cousins and kids and grandparents came to eat and open presents. Cooper really enjoyed playing with his little cousin Ean. Ean is not that much younger than Cooper, so they did great playing together. Of course Cooper always wanted every toy that Ean had, but it was a great place to learn to share. We had a ton of food! I was stuffed!! Then it was present time! We were so blessed with presents this year. We weren't sure we were going to get them all home! Coop got some building cups, a book, Weebles car, race cars, balls, and much more from Matt's extended family. He was so excited to play with all of those toys. They kept him occupied for quite some time. After all the family left, we had our Christmas with Nana and Poppa Tom. Daniel and Julie couldn't be with us this year! We really missed them, but they are doing God's work so that's what's most important! Once again Cooper got so much from Nana and Poppa. I know I'm going to miss some of the toys that he got, but here are the ones that are on my brain right now: a Toy Story tent and tunnel, a Radio Flyer tricycle, lots of movies, finger paints, play dough and much more! Coop loved climbing through his tent and played hard on his tricycle. His legs are still too short to reach the pedals, but that didn't keep him from playing on it!

December 25, 2011 - We had to leave Lebanon and head to the Memphis area to party with my family. Cooper was not the best on this car ride because he didn't get the best sleep, so I was nervous to see how he would do the rest of the day. I knew that once we got to my parents house, he would not be interested in napping. He would rather play with his cousins than sleep! So I knew that if he didn't nap on the car ride to Memphis, we would be in big trouble. Well, praise God (and believe me I did a lot of praying to get that boy to go to sleep!!), he fell asleep 30 minutes before we got there. I know that doesn't sound like a long time, but that's about all he sleeps normally in the car, so I knew that was as good as it was gonna get! But it didn't matter because Cooper did beautifully! He was so excited to see his cousins! They played so well together. There was no biting this time, and only one pushing incident the whole time. We had lunch around 1:00 which was delish! Mom really outdid herself this time! When lunch was over, the kids were so excited to open presents. But before we opened presents, we sang a song. Yes, we sang a song. This used to be a tradition at my Grandma Rose's house every Christmas. We would sing the "12 Days of Christmas" and each day would be designated to a different family. Well since our family is much smaller, it was a little interesting, but I thought it was a lot of fun! Only Remle really understood that she was supposed to say her line when it came her turn, but the other kids had fun dancing to our singing! We the song was done, Santa (Matt!!) passed out all the presents. We voted just to get presents for the kids this year which was fine by me! So we had the kids go one-by-one to open presents. Cooper opened his first present and was good for the rest of the time! :) It just so happened that his first present was a set of Wheelie cars which he loved!! I had a hard time getting him to open anything else. Now that doesn't mean he didn't like his other presents, it was just hard for him to realize there was more good stuff to open! Here is what I can remember right off the top of my head what Cooper got: a kitchen and play food, a basketball goal, a four-wheeler, clothes, cars, books, movies, a drum set, a doctor's kit, and much more! Levi also got a couple of presents! Oh I forgot to tell you that we surprised our parents with the news that we were having another boy! They were surprised and excited! And I think they really loved the name too! They couldn't believe that we kept the ultrasound a secret. :)

The next couple of days were spent playing with cousins, shopping with mom, making Daily's birthday cake, and lots of food! Cooper misses his cousins SO MUCH!! I think he came home and forgot how to play by himself! But thankfully he has plenty of new toys to keep him occupied!

That about sums up things for 2011!! I know 2012 is going to be crazy with adding another boy to the mix, but I have loved crazy so far! :)

16 weeks

2011-12-20T19:28:00.000-08:00

Here is my 16 week picture before church on Sunday. I have started wearing maternity shirts, but I'm still wearing my regular pants with a belly band. I am much smaller this pregnancy than with Cooper. I'm sure that has a lot to do with chasing Cooper around and not being able to eat all the time. Hopefully, I will put on some pounds over the holidays - I know that sounds weird to say, but since I lost so much weight after Cooper, I'm afraid that if I don't gain enough this time, I will lose WAY too much after. Anyways, I'm sure it will be fine, but just thinking ahead. I started feeling the baby move around 14 weeks. Now I feel the baby alot! I know this sounds really early, but I've heard this is normal the second time around. I think that Matt would even be able to feel if Matt was patient! :)

Don't miss the new post below!

Christmas #1

2011-12-20T19:03:00.000-08:00

Since we are not going to be at home for Christmas, Matt and I decided to do our family Christmas tonight. I was so excited to see how Cooper would react this year. He had already gotten a couple of presents from some church friends and Uncle Daniel and Aunt Julie, and let me tell you, he tore in to those! So I knew he would really enjoy having a lot to open.

So when Matt got home from work at 4:15, he distracted Cooper, and I got everything set up, then set him loose. Santa brought him an easel and a stocking full of goodies! Cooper wasn't really sure what to do with the stocking, but once he figured out that presents were inside, he had no problem sticking his hand in. He got some shoes, books, Baby Einstein movies, and an Cookie Monster and Ernie.

From me and Matt, he got some cookie cutters, big plastic animals, more DVDs and books.

Then my sister sent her present for Cooper to our house since we weren't sure if we would have enough room to bring it back in our car. So he got his Cozy Coupe a little early, but he sure didn't mind! Once he got in his car, he didn't get out for a long time! And this Cozy Coupe has a wagon attached, so he liked to go around putting all his Christmas presents in and out. Then he would get his sippy cup and put it in the cup holder. He would drive around for a little bit, stop and take a drink, then start driving again, and repeat the process over and over. He just talked and talked and played with his car!

After a little while, we put on one of his new Baby Einstein's (this is a VERY special treat for him - we don't watch TV in our house) and ate pizza in the living room. He was so funny! He danced and ate pizza and was so content. It was probably one of the funnest nights we have had in a long time. I can't wait to see how the rest of our Christmases go! Sure is going to be chaotic and fun!

The past few days

2011-12-04T19:45:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving, we headed to Nashville to spend some time with Matt's family. Unfortunately, Cooper was sick the whole time. :( But we made the best of it. He ended up entertaining when it was important, so that was good!

He loves Elmo!

smiling at Bert

Daddy and Coop eating Thanksgiving dinner

enjoying his ham

On Saturday night, we went to the Montgomery Zoo for the lights. Cooper really seemed to enjoy all the lights and the people.

This morning before church, I got a couple of pictures by the Christmas tree.

rocking the sweater vest

And last, my last two belly shots!

13 weeks

14 weeks

Cooper's 1st Auburn football game

2011-11-20T11:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had the opportunity to go to the Auburn game. Since we don't have season tickets, we rarely get to go. One of our friends offered us her parent's season tickets, and we took them! We thought it would be a great time to take Cooper to a game. It was the Homecoming game, so we knew it wouldn't be as crowded as normal games, which would be better for Cooper.

Well let me tell you, it was A LOT of work just getting to and from the game. We have to park at our church and walk to the stadium. For adults, this would be a 20 minute brisk walk. Well try doing that with a toddler!! And unfortunately you can't take strollers into the stadium, so we basically had to let him walk/carry him the entire way. It took us about 45 minutes to get there! Matt and I were both sweating and already stressed. Cooper does not like to be carried, but since it was such a far walk, we had to wrestle with him just to get to the game on time. But I do have to say, that once we got into the stadium, he calmed WAY down! He loves to watch people. Even as we were climbed and climbed and climbed, he LOVED it! When we sat in our seats, I was expecting him to want to climb up and down the bleachers, but he sat in our laps the entire time. He loved watching the jumbo-tron, band, and he even would watch the ball when it was kicked! He was totally fascinated by all the cheering and hoopla going on around him. Thankfully since it was Homecoming, we didn't have any foul mouths or drunks near us. Lots of families were near us which made it that much more enjoyable.

We only stayed till right before half-time. Cooper had to go to his friend Ella Kate's birthday party! Poor fellow had missed his nap and fell asleep as we drove to the party. He only got a 30 minute nap, but did so well at the party and the rest of the day!

Even though we had so much fun at the game, I don't see us doing it again any time soon! I was exhausted when we got home! But it does make for good memories!

10 and 11 weeks

2011-11-15T19:09:00.000-08:00

A little late, but here are my 10 and 11 week pictures. I'm already showing a lot more than I did with Cooper, but that's to be expected. I'll be 12 weeks on Friday, and I'm looking forward to the 2nd trimester!

10 weeks

11 weeks

Remle and Daily's Birthday Party

2011-11-11T15:08:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, we got to go to my parents house to celebrate Remle and Daily's birthdays. As usual, my sister went above and beyond! She had a petting zoo/farm come to my parents house. The farm is super close to where my parents live, so the owners brought everything. And my parents have the perfect place. It is out in the boonies on a rarely traveled street. We didn't have to worry about the kids and cars.

There were so many fun things for the kids to do. There was a four car train that went up and down the street. There were goats, cows, a donkey, a llama, chickens, a duck, a pig, a horse and rabbits. The kids pretty much got to touch all the animals. They got to ride on the pony and get in the pen with the rabbits. They even got feed the calf a bottle! So much fun!

Daily babysitting Cooper on the train. Notice she's holding his hand!

touching the bunny

Coop's first time on the ATV

just chillin

just barely touching a goat

Remle riding the pony

I love this picture! Daily is so excited!

Sha and Helen Grace came!

feeding the calf a bottle

Frankie brushing the llama

Cooper taking a ride

Remle in the rabbit pen

This is pretty much how Daily always looks at Cooper. They are BFFs.

Frankie going for a ride

Coop petting a chicken

petting the pig

Don't miss the new post below!!

Lions and Tigers and Bear Bryant Oh My!

2011-11-11T14:51:00.000-08:00

So, I know that it is already the middle of November, and I'm just now blogging about Halloween. But between being in my first trimester and the computer taking forever to upload my pictures, I just haven't gotten around to it until now. I have learned a little trick to make my picture loading much faster! It is a pain, but it cuts out literally hours! I first upload them to Facebook, then resave them by clicking on them in my Facebook. I guess it saves it as a much lower resolution which makes it faster for me to upload. It took me about 2 minutes to upload 11 pictures this time! So yay!

Anyways, for Halloween this year Cooper went as a lion. Since we have done Trunk or Treat the past couple of years, I tried to think of some way to incorporate me and Matt to go along with Cooper's costume. I decided to do "Lions and Tigers and Bear Bryant Oh My!". Cooper was the Lion, Matt was the (Auburn) Tiger and I was the (Alabama fan) Bear Bryant. I thought it turned out cute!

I thought he would hate wearing his costume, but as soon as we got him ready, he ran outside and jumped in the car!

The best family picture we got. Cooper had gotten scared earlier and didn't want to look at anyone!

Me and my little lion. So cute!

Daddy and the Lion

starting to get into it

Me and my momma friends and our boys. We are all expecting our second in the Spring!

putting some candy in his bucket

digging through our bowl

our trunk!

this was taken at the very beginning. He saw a kid dressed up like a wolf and got scared. It took him about an hour to get to where we could put him down!

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas

2011-11-06T18:50:00.000-08:00

I have seen this promotion on several other blogs and thought I would check it out. Shutterfly is giving away 25 FREE cards just in time for Christmas. I have been sending out picture Christmas cards for a couple of years now, so this would be a wonderful help! Anyways, check out the website below!

http://www.shutterflycards.com/2011/10/bloggers-25-free-christmas-cards-from-shutterfly/68/

For those who haven't heard...

2011-11-02T07:32:00.001-07:00

We are having another baby!!

We are so excited about this second baby! Cooper doesn't really get it yet, but I'm sure the bigger I get, the more he will understand.

Yesterday we went in for a check-up and got to have an ultrasound. Sorry this isn't the best picture, but they were having a hard time getting the baby in the middle of the screen.

Good news is that everything looks great! The heart beat was 170. If I remember correctly, Cooper's was 168 the first time we heard it. We could see the baby kicking and waving its arms and legs (so cool!). The nurse kept saying what an active baby it is - reminds me of Coop in the womb!

We are so blessed to be pregnant a second time. We have such a hard time getting pregnant, so it makes it so special. This time around it took us 9 months of trying and 5 rounds of Clomid. Much better than it was with Coop, but we were still very frustrated. I guess we just thought it was going to happen quickly, but it was all in God's time. HE definitely knows us much better than we do!

Anyways, I will be 10 weeks on Friday, which puts my due date on June 1st. I'm expecting a May baby since Cooper was so early, but that's another thing that God controls! I will try to be good with pictures, but I'm not promising anything!

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Happy Halloween!!

2011-10-31T07:56:00.000-07:00

Last weekend when my parents were here, we went to try Cheeburger Cheeburger. Matt and my dad had eaten there before, but it was a new experience for the rest of us. Dad was really looking forward to the onion rings. And it was a good thing he got some, because Cooper loved them! He was so cute trying to get that onion ring in his mouth. We will definitely going to back!

On a side note, Happy Halloween! Cooper is sporting one of his Halloween shirts just for the occasion. Tonight is our church's Trunk or Treat, so hopefully I will get some cute pictures. Cooper has been sick with strep, but woke up in a great mood, so he should be ready to go tonight! Enjoy Halloween!!

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First picture with new phone

2011-10-29T08:21:00.000-07:00

So, for some reason every time I try to upload pictures from my nice camera, blogger won't let me. So I haven't been blogging in a while. I guess I'm just gonna have to blog from my phone for a while. Speaking of phones - I dropped my Blackberry in a glass of Koolaid a couple of weeks ago. I about cried! I was so upset and immediately did everything I could to fix it. Unfortunately it was a loss. So after several days of searching, I ordered an used Blackberry off E-Bay. I was so happy when my new phone came in! It really is the only thing I splurge on, and it is so worth it. If I want to capture a quick picture of Coop without pulling out the big camera, it is the perfect size. Anyways, here is a picture of my Dad and Coop eating breakfast last weekend. I'll try to be better at uploading stuff, but it is just so frustrating!
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Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-10-08T13:33:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Jack O Lantern Lane Pumpkin Patch in Lafeyette, AL. It was only about a 40 minute drive and well worth it! The people were so friendly and there was so much to do!

He was so excited to see these pumpkins on stage

Matt and Cooper on the hay ride

My men in blue

We've arrived at the pumpkin patch!

First things first - we go see the animals

Cooper was scared of the horses!

But he warmed up to the bunnies

He even got to feed a goat and cow!

Cooper's pumpkin!

Heading back to the car!

This was such a fun place to go! We will definitely make it an annual trip!

WiCkEd!!!

2011-09-23T20:32:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Matt treated me to the musical "Wicked". If you've never heard of it or seen it, you are missing out! It is based on the Wicked Witch of the West from "The Wizard of Oz". It is funny, and the songs are so catchy. You've probably heard a couple on "Glee"!

Anyways, this was my third time to see the musical, but it was my first time to see it at the Fox in Atlanta. We are blessed to live relatively close to so many big cities, so it's not too bad of a drive to make.

Nana and Papa Tom watched Coop while we had our little date. We got updates throughout the night, and it sounded like everything was going well! It was so good to be with my main man for a while!!
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Labor Day 2011

2011-09-12T13:34:00.000-07:00

For Labor Day, we headed to Memphis to spend some time with my family. Friday, we went to the Children's Museum. It was awesome! Cooper had such a fun time. I wish we had something in Auburn like that!

flying the plane

Playing in the "Mississippi River"

Doing a little fishing

Lolly helping Coop reach the water

Grocery shopping

He was so excited to be able to put all those things in the cart!

He really likes cereal!

Checking out

Dancing in front of the green screen

Lolly dancing with Justin

He loved turning the steering wheeling and saying "car" over and over

After the Children's Museum, we went to Chick Fil A then headed over to a splash park in Collierville. I knew Cooper wouldn't like it, but we decided to give it a try anyways.

Running away from the sprinklers

stepping in a puddle of water

there was this awesome playground next to the splash park that was just his size

He is so BIG! He can do all of this by himself.

We also got to feed some ducks!

Football Saturdays

2011-09-10T17:21:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know that we do not have satellite, cable, or even local channels. That's right - no TV!! I am totally ok with that. Matt is totally ok with it during the winter, spring, and summer. But when fall comes around, it is really hard on him. Thankfully we have DSL, so he is able to keep up with almost every game. But I know that he would really rather be watching Auburn score on our flat-screen tv than on our little laptop. Matt, just keep reminding yourself that Dave Ramsey would be proud! :)

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My little monkey

2011-09-10T17:13:00.000-07:00

Cooper has really gotten into climbing! He can pretty much climb onto anything in our house. He has climbed on the coffee table before, but it was only one time and then he stopped. Well today he rediscovered it. He has been up and down all day. He looks so big standing up there. And he is so proud of himself when he gets up there! I know pretty soon he will start jumping from the table to the couch. I'm not looking forward to those days!

And I know he looks crazy in just a diaper and Crocs, but I was having him try on the new shoes and he threw a fit when I took them off. Some things are just not worth fighting about!

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Starting him out young

2011-08-30T17:50:00.000-07:00

Cooper has really started noticing girls recently. I don't know how or why, but when he sees a little girl close to his age, he tries to go kiss them. Yesterday we were at the ball fields watching Matt play, when Cooper leaned in to baby Jessie (the little girl in the picture) for a hug and kiss. He didn't even ask! He just went straight for first base! And then tonight we were at the ball fields again, and he was all over a different little girl! He is very friendly and never meets a stranger. I know that it's cute right now, but later on, we are going to have to have a talk! :)
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MOM-cation

2011-08-22T12:08:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, my mom, sister, and I headed to Orange Beach, AL for some quality time away from our kiddos. We left Thursday morning and didn't get back until Sunday afternoon. It was nice to be able to lay on the beach, swim in the pool, and read whenever I wanted! We did some shopping, lots of eating, and went to see a movie (The Help - so good!). My favorite part of the whole trip actually happened about an hour out of the beach. On Friday, we drove to Fairhope, AL. It is a quaint little town with all sorts of cute shops. We probably could have spent all weekend there if we had known what it was going to be like. The picture is of me in the "French Quarter" in downtown Fairhope. Such a neat place! As we were leaving, we drove by the pier to have a look. While we were there, some people were throwing nets out in the water. At first we thought they were fishermen, but then this lady with her child showed up and started doing it. They were catching shrimp and putting it in a bucket. We jumped out to get a look and almost stepped on several crabs as they were scurrying about. It was so weird to just see these people walk up and fish like that! Definitely not something you see in Auburn! It was a good weekend, but I was ready to be home to see Matt and Cooper. Matt did such an awesome job taking care of Cooper. It is not easy doing it all by yourself without any relief. He is the BEST!!
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First Day of School - sort of

2011-08-15T11:11:00.000-07:00

Today, we took Cooper to a Mother's Day Out program at a local Methodist church. The program allows you to pay per day and is first come first serve. We got there at 8:40 even though it didn't start until 9:00 because we weren't sure of how many people would be there. Well I'm glad we got there when we did, because when I signed in, he was 8 out of the 10 they allow in his class! The program is very popular and was packed by 9:00! We took Cooper in and I wasn't surprised when he just walked in to his classroom and started playing. No crying or anything! That helped my nerves because I was already anxious about not knowing anyone there. We stuck around just a minute or two to introduce ourselves to the teacher, and then we left. Cooper didn't even seem to care that we weren't there. He was too busy playing with a dog that he found.

The program lasts from 9 till 12, so I was able to get a lot accomplished. I went to a doctor's appointment, and then went home to clean. I was able to dust all 4 of our fans which probably hadn't been dusted in years! And then I vacuumed and swept. I know that doesn't sound like much, but I put off vacuuming as long as I can, so we I get around to doing it, it is a major task!

After I was done cleaning, I went and picked Cooper up. His teacher said he was such a well natured child. She said that he went around kissing all his classmates. Cooper was so happy to see me and looked like he had a great time! We will definitely be using that program again!

After "school", we went to eat lunch and then headed home. Poor baby was so exhausted that he fell asleep as soon as he got in the car. That is what I call a good day at school! :)
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That's what little boys are made of

2011-08-12T12:32:00.000-07:00

Today I took Cooper to an awesome park in town. It is so awesome that it is called Hickory Dickory Park. They have a great playground that is divided for small children and older children. It is decked out in playground equipment. Since school just started for Auburn on Wednesday, we had the park to ourselves. Cooper could literally play on anything he wanted. But what did he choose to play with? The mulch! What is it about little boys? They LOVE to play with sticks, dirt, rocks, grass, insects, etc. when they have all these toys to play with! Oh well! I guess that's one of the reasons boys are cheaper? :)
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Do you like hotdogs?

2011-08-04T19:10:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago, I made hotdogs for Cooper and let him dip the hotdog into ketchup and mustard all by himself. As you can see, he definitely had fun! It was hard for me to sit back and let him make such a mess, but that is the cost of making him independent. :)

Katie's Baby Shower

2011-07-31T14:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we had a baby shower for one of my BFFs Katie. She isn't due until December 2nd, but they are moving to Florida on Thursday, so we wanted to send her off well! She is having a little girl this time, so it was so exciting to pick out pink things!

Katie

Katie and the hostesses: me, Katie, Jamie Bird, April, and Jami May

Jan, Jami, April, and Ms. Jenny

Katie, Krista, Jan, Jami, and Abby

A cute giraffe our friend Brooke made. You should check out her etsy shop.

We are going to miss you Katie!!

Friends

2011-07-29T16:54:00.000-07:00

Thursday, Coop and I headed to a swim play date. Cooper had never been in the pool before, so I was kind of nervous at how he would do. He did great! He loved the water, and I think would have been content to stay out there all day. After the pool, we went inside for a little fun before we had to leave. Cooper and Maddox are such good buddies. They play really well together. Too bad Maddox is moving away in 6 days!! Katie and I have already planned to get together sometime, so they will stay friends. But I will definitely miss our regular play dates.

DON'T MISS THE TWO NEW POSTS BELOW!!!

Weekend O Fun

2011-07-29T16:44:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, several of my mommy friends and I went to Atlanta to get away. I was so excited about the trip. It was going to be so good to have a break! Friday we left around 1:00 and headed to Buckhead for a mani and pedi! I haven't had a pedicure since my wedding!!! So it was long overdue. After the nail salon, we headed to Cheesecake Factory to eat. It was so good! We were all so stuffed from our meal that we had to get our cheesecake to go. That's ok though because when we got to April's parents house, we managed to eat some while watching a classic - Dirty Dancing. Such a girl movie, right?!? On Saturday we took it easy in the morning and hung out by the pool. I had not been swimming this summer, so that was nice to relax with my girlfriends. After swimming we made our way to IKEA. If you have never been to IKEA, you should go! Unfortunately they don't have very many around. :( After many hours of shopping, we went to California Pizza Kitchen. So good. And it was packed! To end the night, we went back to the house to play games and have some more girl talk. We went back home on Sunday, and I just felt like the weekend flew by! Of course I missed Matt and Coop, but I really did need a vacation. I feel like I've been a much more relaxed mommy since the trip. It will definitely be an annual thing!

DON'T MISS THE POST BELOW!!!!
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15 months

2011-07-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

Cooper turned 15 months July 13th and I'm just now getting around to writing this! Oh well! At his doctor's appointment he weighed 25.2 pounds which is 75th percentile. I think he was 32 inches long. I can't really remember but I do know that is also 75th percentile. He is definitely a growing boy! He eats us out of house and home. I'm not looking forward to the teenage years. :) At the doctor's he told us to transition Cooper to a toddler bed. But that is definitely out of the question! He is now falling asleep without screaming! Yay! It is so nice to be able to put him in his crib and walk away. Even though he doesn't fall asleep right away, at least he is content to be in there until he falls asleep. Last night he actually laid in his bed for an hour before falling asleep. But he just talked to himself and played until falling asleep. He has really started talking a lot! We can understand some of what he is saying and it sounds like he is saying sentences. He loves to sing "The Lord's Army" and "If You're Happy and You Know It". It is so cute to watch him march around, clap his hands, and yell "Amen!". Cooper is such a joy! Of course we are entering tantrum times, but overall he is so sweet!
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Pictures from the Phone

2011-07-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

Before I start on this post, make sure you read all my new posts. This will be my fourth post this weekend, so don't miss any!

Here are a couple pictures and videos from my phone that I needed to share. All random, so enjoy!

Riding in his wagon that Lolly and Poppy got him for his birthday

I was trying to clean out the guest bedroom and didn't have a baby gate. So I used this tub to block his way. He wasn't very happy with me!

While I was cleaning the guest bedroom, he was sitting in his room tearing up his pop-up book!

I think this may have been on the way home from a zoo trip. He was worn out!

Maddox and Cooper at one of our Share Group get togethers

Van and Cooper watching the diggers

Sweet boy hiding under the end table

playing in his pool on Memorial Day

Date Night for me and the hubs. We went to Ariccia which was yummy!

He got in this position and kept saying "stuck" over and over again.

Drinking pool water

I think this may have been when I took him to the splash park without a change of clothes! So he got to ride home naked!

Playing in the pool at Nana's and Papa Tom's

This was on Father's Day. I sent this to my dad to wish him a happy one.

We were taking a walk around the neighborhood, and a random cat came up to Coop. Of course he wanted to play with it!

On our vacation in Gatlinburg and the Log Cabin Pancake House with Daily

Remle and Frankie

eating more pancakes at The Pancake Pantry

This is a common occurrence whenever Coop gets around Poppy. Giving him sweet tea!

I got to babysit the two youngest. Mom swore that they would both take naps, but nope! They were crazy. :)

This was right after our Gatlinburg vacation. Cooper had a stomach bug and did not feel well at all! I think he was watching 101 Dalmations with his daddy.

Playing in the Rain

2011-07-15T19:48:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had a nice summer rain. So to keep Cooper occupied until bedtime, we let him go outside to play. He LOVES the rain. He hates showers and sprinklers, but he loves the rain. I know, doesn't make sense. But whatever makes him happy is good with me!

**Don't miss the new post below!**

VBS - Friendship Style

2011-07-15T18:12:00.000-07:00

While I was in Memphis, we got to attend Friendship Church of Christ's VBS. My sister was director this year, so I was anxious to get to experience it with Cooper. Their theme was "Armor of God", and they had the church decorated like the army. Cooper really enjoyed it, especially the ending with all the singing and skits.

Daily and Cooper in the nursery on Sunday morning

First night of VBS. He's decked out in his army gear!

Lolly and her soldiers

** Don't miss the new post below**

Visit with old friends

2011-07-15T18:02:00.000-07:00

This past week I took a trip to Memphis since Matt was in Honduras on his youth group mission trip. While I was there, Caroline and Michelle (my college roommates) came to see me! Our other roommate Trish couldn't be there :( but we tried to have fun anyway! Here are a couple pictures from our time together.

Caroline at 16 weeks and Michelle at 30 weeks

Trying to get a good group picture, but Cooper was having none of it!

We had a mini-shower for Caroline and Michelle

I LOVE these girls!

Playing with his stick

And a ball - we have to play with balls!

Gatlinburg

2011-07-01T06:41:00.000-07:00

This past week, Cooper and I took a trip to Gatlinburg with my family. My parents came and picked us up in Nashville, and then my mom rode along with me and Coop. We all stayed in a cabin between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. It was very convenient and allowed us to get every day. One of the days, we all headed to the aquarium. I knew Coop would love this. He is always talking about "ish" (fish for all those who don't speak toddler). When you first walk in there is a huge tank of fish. He kept saying "ish, ish, ish" over and over again. So cute! I didn't keep him in his stroller long because it was so hard to see anything. So I lugged that boy around the entire aquarium! But it was SO WORTH IT! He LOVED it! I need to take him to the Atlanta aquarium when it isn't so crowded.

"Ish"

Lolly and Coop - Lolly gave me a break from holding him

Leaning way back to see all the fish coming over his head

Poppy wanted to see if he would touch the crabs. He literally DOVE in after them! No fear!

His whole sleeve was wet when he came out

These girls have no fear either

Watching the river

Sweet Frankie

On Wednesday, Dad, Mom, Coop, Frankie, and I headed to Bass Pro Shop. My friend Erin is always taking her little boy to Bass Pro and he loves it. Since we don't have a Bass Pro in Auburn, I wanted to try it out. Of course Cooper loved it! He loved seeing all the animals on the wall. I'm pretty sure he didn't know they were dead. He touched all the ones he could reach!

This was right by the entrance. He stood like this for several minutes looking at the moose on the wall.

Looking at all the "ish"

They have a waterfall in the middle of the store that he wanted to get in!

Poppy was very excited to get him on the ATV. No too much longer Poppy and Coop will need one! :)

I took this picture because he was so fascinated with the glass elevators. We decided that he could probably ride on these all day and be very content.

Looking at all the animals below

This isn't a very good picture, but I had to put it in here because he ran right up to the gate and started saying "Bear, Bear!"

Nashville Zoo

2011-06-23T18:45:00.000-07:00

Today Tom, Coop, and I went to the Nashville Zoo. I had never been before, so we decided to try it out. We got there as soon as it opened, and good thing we did because it was hot! Cooper had so much fun. He loves animals, and he especially loved being able to pet them! We don't have a petting area at our zoo, so this was a new experience for us. He was not afraid of them! We didn't make it through the whole zoo, so I can't wait to go back when he gets older and experience some more of it.

VBS 2011 - Day One

2011-06-13T20:05:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in a while because of VBS! I am one of four VBS directors this year. Well tonight was our first night, so the past two weeks have been crazy! Work, work , work. It was so nice to see everything come together tonight. Such a rewarding experience! The kids had a blast! I look forward to the rest of the week.

Cooper's 12 Month Pictures

2011-05-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

Here are just a couple of my favorites from Cooper's 12 month pictures. Click on each collage to make it bigger!

Must-Haves for Baby

2011-05-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

So, this is not my typical sort of blog. Most revolve around Cooper, and while Cooper did dictate what is going to go in this blog, there will be no pictures of him! So if you are here for pictures - move on. I have several friends who are expecting and decided I needed to share some of my favorite items that I used all the time when Cooper was a baby. I tried uploading pictures of them, but for some reason, the server is rejecting them. Anyways, use your imagination! In no particular order, here are some of my favorite baby things!

Miracle Blanket: This is a swaddling blanket that is fool-proof. There is no guessing about how to swaddle your baby. It comes with "pockets" for their arms and legs, and then Velcros closed. I didn't actually have an official Miracle Blanket, but Target carries a swaddling blanket very similar. We did not have one of these the first night we were home with Cooper, but we went out the next day and got one. What a HUGE difference it made! Cooper was much more content wrapped up as tightly as we could get him. It just seemed like we couldn't figured out the regular blankets. Like I said, these are fool-proof!
Boppy: I nursed Cooper for 12 months, but never once used the Boppy for nursing. So I'm sure you are wondering why it is on my list. Well first off, I have many people who used it for nursing and loved it! But also, even though I did not use it for it's intended purpose, I used it on a regular basis for so many other things. I would lay the Boppy on the floor and put Cooper in it. It kept him elevated which helped greatly with his acid reflux. When he was tiny, he did not like to lay down flat to sleep (I think his reflux just hurt too much!), so he would nap in his Boppy. Also, just simply holding him was much easier with the Boppy. Definitely a must-have!
Travel System: A travel system is a car seat, base, and stroller that comes together. The base goes permanently into your car, where all you have to do is snap the car seat in and out very easily. The car seat will also snap into the stroller. I used the stroller/car seat combination all the time when Cooper was little. Anytime I went shopping, I would take my stroller instead of putting him in the shopping cart. My stroller had a huge basket on the bottom, so I would even do small grocery shopping. I never had to worry about whether he was safe, and the stroller is so much easier to push around than the shopping cart.
Breast Pump: This one for me is a love-hate relationship. I hated pumping. Not because it hurt, but because it was just one more thing I had to do. I LOVED nursing. It was so easy and convenient. Once Coop got the hang of it (it takes about 6 weeks for them to get it), I could just sit there and take a moment. But pumping is handy for allowing me to get out of the house and let Matt or someone else watch Coop. If you are working and want to continue breastfeeding, I recommend getting a good pump. Don't skimp in this area! The better the pump, the easier it will be and not such a hassle.
Activity Mat: There are so many activity mats to choose from now. I LOVE them! And babies LOVE them! Cooper would lay on his mat and just stare at all the colors. His activity mat had a mirror, and he would just talk to the baby in the mirror forever. So cute! I was able to get so many things done while he was on that mat, but then they start moving which leads me to my next two.
Jumper and Exersaucer: Coop was fortunate to have both of these. My sister graciously loaned them to us, and I'm so glad she did! The jumper was the stationary Rainforest Jumperoo. He would jump, and jump, and jump in that thing. It has toys all around so he would turn as he jumped to play. His exersaucer was made by Baby Einstein. He loved spinning and figuring out each different toy. Both of these kept him occupied to let me clean or get dinner prepared. Definitely life-savers!
Booster Seat: This is more of a recommendation than a must-have. Cooper has a highchair. I hate it! It is very cute and sturdy and does it's thing. But it is huge and takes up so much space! I so wish I had saved LOTS of money and had gotten a nice booster seat instead. One of my friends had given me that advice, but I selfishly wanted the new, cute matchy matchy high chair, so that's what I got, and now I'm stuck with it. I think a space-saver high chair or just a plain ole booster seat would be perfect!
Pack N Play: We used his pack n play as a changing table when he was a baby. I didn't want to invest in a changing table, and since most pack n plays come with changing table accessories, we went that route. We had it set up in the living room, and literally used it 9 times a day for the first couple of months. Now that we don't use a changing table any more, I take it on trips with me. It is so handy to have and use as a portable crib.
Baby Swing: I was hesitant to put this one on here. Cooper did not use his swing very much - at all! And it was a very expensive swing. But, when he did use it, he would just sit and swing, and swing, and swing. And I had a friend whose baby slept in his swing for months! So, I do believe they work for most babies, and will probably work for our next one. If they do work, it will be a relief for you. Sometimes swings are the ONLY thing that works, and you will be glad you got one.

So these are just a couple of suggestions for you first-time moms out there. Anyone else have anything that they think is a "must-have"? Please share to give us some insight!

Reading Master

2011-05-15T15:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Matt was busy getting ready for Senior Banquet, so I had Coop to myself. I was really worried that we would have a bad afternoon since he only took an hour nap. But thankfully he entertained himself. This boy LOVES to read. He goes into his room and "reads" all of his books. I know it looks like chaos, but he will down a book and flip through it. Usually he will make the sounds of the animal he sees or babble in his own language. He also LOVES to be read to. It is not unusual for Matt or me to spend an hour reading to him - book after book. This is NO EXAGGERATION! As I was typing this, he brought me "Goodnight Gorilla" and threw it on my lap and said "book"! So now we are reading!
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Touch A Truck

2011-05-15T13:56:00.000-07:00

Saturday we headed to Touch A Truck in Opelika. It is a really neat event for kids. They have all different vehicles downtown for the kids to climb in and check out. Of course Cooper was still a little young to enjoy the event, but I sure did have fun taking pictures! He really just wanted to walk around pushing the stroller and staring at the other little kids. We were having a fun time until the trucks started blowing their horns. He has never been a fan of loud noises, so the tears started coming! We decided to head home at that point. Maybe next year he will be more excited about it!

Inside the front of a helicopter

checking it out

mmm... this is kind of cool

I think Dad wants to get in and play too!

Walking beside the race car.

Standing in front of the digger

Daddy trying to get a cute picture, but Coop wasn't having any of it!

Look at the digger!

Getting into the semi

He look so little up there!

Can I get down now?

Touching the claw

Once again, not enjoying it!

Get me off of this!

In the back of the police car with Mommy. This was the last photo op before the horns started blowing!

Haircut and Easter Egg Hunt

2011-05-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

So both of these posts are way overdue, but better late than never!

On Cooper's official birthday, I decided he needed a haircut! I had been waiting forever to give him one. I was determined not to do anything until his first birthday. So, when April 13th rolled around, I got out the clippers. I was a little nervous about it simply because he is afraid of loud noises (blender, vacuum cleaner, dust buster, etc.), so I thought he would scream and cry as soon as I started on his head. But he actually did great! We took him outside to see Roxie. This dog is a GREAT distraction. I put Cooper in Matt's lap and worked just as fast as I could! I did his back and sides on the highest guard setting. I wasn't sure how it would look since his hair is so fine. It really turned out ok. The top part was the hardest. I got out my scissors and went to work! I've been cutting Matt's hair ever since we got married, so I'm used to cutting, but this little person was very wiggly! I ended up quitting not very satisfied with the top, but overall it looked good. I took him out several days later and trimmed it up again. Anyways enjoy the BEFORE and AFTER pictures!

BEFORE - the back and sides

BEFORE - see how long it is over his ears!

AFTER - much shorter, makes him look like a little boy and not a baby

These videos are taken during Easter. I didn't have my normal video camera, so I had to use my phone. Of course this makes for faster loading but bad quality. Cooper had so much fun hunting for eggs. He definitely did not understand the concept. In some of the videos you will see him take the eggs OUT of his basket instead of putting them in! This hunt was in front of my parent's house. Enjoy!

I wish I could be there!

2011-05-04T07:43:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love this picture? I do because I was at the beach this past weekend! Yes, be jealous! Matt took me away for 2 days as part of my birthday present. It was nice to be able to get away for a while. I had only been away from Cooper for one night prior to this, so it was much needed! We didn't do a whole lot. Just stayed on the beach the majority of the time. We read and walked along the beach taking in the sights. Thankfully we don't live too far away (about 4 hours), so when I started missing Cooper, we just packed up and came home. My mom and sister watched him for the weekend, and they said he did great! We will definitely have to do this more often. Very good for the marriage!
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Forward Facing

2011-05-02T18:43:00.000-07:00

Did I mention that my child is now forward facing? And I was not there to witness this momentous occasion. This past weekend Matt and I headed to the beach for some much needed away time. My mom and sister came to Auburn to babysit while we were gone. So, we transferred Coop's carseat to my Mom's car and left thinking all was well. Later that night I was talking to my sister and she informed me that they had turned Coop around. I of course got all upset because I thought they just took it into their own hands to make this adjustment. What really happened was that every time they turned a corner with his carseat rear-facing, it would fall over! My sister got in the back and tried to tighten it down, but nothing would work! So they turned him around. And once you turn around, there is no going back! I sure do love this new phase. He is such a big boy! I love being able to look back there and see him smiling at me. Definitely makes car rides much more fun!
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Peter Cottontail

2011-04-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

For Easter, we got to go to my parents house for a little visit. I know my mom was so excited for all her family to be there at one time. We had a blast, but it was such a short trip!

We got there Friday afternoon, just in time for Cooper to get to enjoy Poppy and Lolly's yard. Now that Coop is walking, he really got to see how much fun living in the country can be! He was a filthy mess, but that only means he is having fun. I know that he will really enjoy getting to go to their house and play outside. Lots of exciting things to see. That night, Matt babysat, while I went up to the church to help decorate for the Easter party. My sister and I were there until about 9:30 at night and then headed to the movies. Now this may not seem like a big deal to most of you, but to me, it was huge! First, I rarely stay up past 10:00. Even when I was in high school and college, I wanted to be in bed. I LOVE to sleep. So for me to go to a late movie is a BIG DEAL. Second, I haven't been to a movie in ages. I used to go to movies all the time, but lately, that hasn't happened. It's ok. Since we don't have TV, I really don't know what is out anyway. The only ones I keep up with are Harry Potter and Twilight. So we went to see Water for Elephants. I had not read the book, but mom and Brandy wanted to go. So we had a girl date and I enjoyed it! I was SO TIRED though. I fidgeted through the whole movie trying to stay awake! But, if you haven't seen the movie, I do suggest you go. Very good!

Saturday morning, we headed to Friendship Church of Christ for their Breakfast with the Easter Bunny. Since I had helped decorate, I was anxious to enjoy the party! They had the church looking so cute and had many fun activities to do besides Easter Egg hunting. Cooper was TERRIFIED of the Easter Bunny. He was fine until I tried to set him on his lap. I thought the child was going to die! So, I ended up sitting on the bunny's lap to get a picture. Oh me! On a side note (and rather scary note), we tried to get a cousin picture with the Easter Bunny. So we sat Frankie on the Easter Bunny's lap. Now Frankie is not quite 7 months old, and guess what happened, the Easter Bunny dropped her! Literally! It was like watching something in slow motion. None of us could get to her fast enough. And she fell right on her head and neck. We all screamed, and I almost started crying, but Brandy reassured us that Frankie was ok. And Frankie was fine once Brandy picked her up! But my heart was racing for awhile after that!

Coop and Lolly eating breakfast

Lolly with 3 of her 4 grandkids

First Easter Egg hunt

Matt had to show him how to put the eggs in the basket. Coop kept throwing them OUT of the basket!

Hmm... let's stop for a moment and look inside this egg.

Coop and Lolly

Trying to get a good family picture - This is why I have professional pictures taken!

Looking at our loot!

The eggs sure are fun to put in my mouth!

Ooh, a real bunny! I like this one much better!

After the church egg hunt, we went back to my parents house to celebrate Easter. We had to leave Sunday morning before church, so we had Easter dinner and the egg hunt on Saturday! I know Cooper didn't mind.

Lolly pointing out the egg

Sweet boy

Playing with Remle and Daily's scooter

Sweet boy

Easter morning, checking out the baskets

holding his duck. one of his favorite things he talks about ALL the time. "du, du, du" over and over

Lolly and Poppy before church

Visit with Poppa Tom and Nana

2011-04-15T15:48:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago, Matt's parents came down for a visit. It was a great visit except for the wreck! Which is why I haven't gotten around to posting these pictures! After they left, I was in birthday planning mode. Anyways, here are a couple of pictures of us before Sunday morning church!

One Year Check-Up

2011-04-14T09:57:00.000-07:00

Cooper had his one year check-up today. He had a runny nose, so I was afraid he wouldn't be able to get his shots, but thankfully he got them. Only two and he did great! Usually I nurse him afterwards, but since he is almost weaned, that wasn't an option. I was nervous about how he would calm himself, but like I said, he did great!

He weighs 24 pounds which is 75th percentile and 31 inches long which is 90th percentile.

Here are some things Cooper is up to these days:
He is walking like a champ! Nothing can stop him now.
He got his first haircut yesterday (pictures will come later). I was nervous that the clippers would scare him, but our dog kept him distracted.
He can say: dada, momma, dog, duck, quack, meow, thank you, bye bye, baby
He is only nursing twice a day though not for much longer! Hopefully by 13 months he will be totally weaned.
He eats all table food and will pretty much eat anything we give him. His favorites are pizza, pasta, carrots, potatoes, green beans.

We have totally enjoyed this first year with Cooper. I am looking forward to many more years with our wonderful boy. Thank you God for blessing us with Cooper!
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Ice Cream and Cake and Cake

2011-04-13T08:09:00.000-07:00

Saturday was Cooper's First Birthday party! We had such a blast celebrating with him! Today is his actual birthday, but I think we will just have a low key celebration today. Enjoy the pictures! They are in reverse order, but since it took several hours to upload them, I'm not going to change it!

Waiting patiently for his cake

Playing with his cake. He was much too fascinated with it being on his hands. He likes for his hands to be clean!

Don't you love his shirt?! My friend Katie made it for him!

Opening presents. I think Cooper was a little overwhelmed. He just didn't seem too interested in opening them. He kept looking around at everyone.

Sweet Maddox. Such a good friend!

Cooper was so blessed to have tons of presents!

Isn't she precious? This is the only little girl in our Share Group! She is surrounded by boys! Sweet Ella Kate!

A living room full

Lolly and Frankie

Trying to get a good picture with all the kiddos

Left to right:
Ella Kate, Maddox, Cooper, Frankie, Walker, Remle, and Daily

The babies!

Enjoying the outside

Cooper loves to walk around his backyard! One of his favorite places to be!

Maddox enjoying the new slide that Poppa Tom and Nana got for Cooper

Daily always babysitting. She did not want Cooper to get dirty!

Trying to get a good picture with Maddox. Don't you just love those cheeks?!

Sweet boy

Remle also loves to babysit

I LOVED the cake! I thought it turned out so great. And the best part was that it tasted awesome too!

Frankie and Poppy

Waiting for the party to start!

O No You Never Let Go

2011-04-08T07:13:00.000-07:00

This is what I can be sure to find when I look down nowadays. Since Cooper start walking, he has been attached to my legs. His days consist of following me around as I do my work. Half of the time I feel so blessed to have him right there at my feet. The other half wishes he would just leave me alone for five minutes so I can get some stuff done. I try to remember that this will pass SOO quickly and then I will be wanting it back.
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Thank God for seat belts

2011-04-02T12:31:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, my in-laws came into town. So for dinner, we decided to head to McAlister's to eat. We all piled into my Rav-4 (with me in the driver's seat) and took off. About halfway to our destination, we were stopped at a red light. When the light turned green, it took a while for all the cars to start moving again. Well about that time, we got slammed from behind. Since I was driving, I didn't even register the impact because I was so focused on not hitting the car in front of me. After we stopped moving (only a couple of seconds passed), I started screaming because I realized what had happened. Well my screaming set off Cooper which made me think he was hurt. So of course I start bawling. Cooper was fine though as soon as I got him out of his car seat. I kept crying and didn't stop until a couple hours later. Thank goodness Matt and my in-laws were there. I was a wreck, and don't know what I would have done if I had been by myself. Oh did I mention that I got whiplash? Yep, as soon as I got out of the car, I started rubbing my neck. Well all the emergency personnel started arriving and asked if anyone was hurt. I said that my neck was hurting. Well I probably would not have said anything if I had known what would happen next. They put a neck brace on me and then laid me on a back board and strapped me down. Then I was put in an ambulance an taken to the hospital. My very first ride in an ambulance. And while I didn't want to have a first ride ever, I am grateful that my injuries were so minor. Anyways, I was at the hospital for about 2 hours. They did some x-rays and everything was fine. Just whiplash. I'm definitely feeling the effects of it, but I'm very thankful to God for keeping my family safe. I don't know how many of you saw the new car seat regulations. Well you used to be able to turn a child forward-facing when they turned one. A couple of weeks ago they changed the regulations. They are now saying to keep your child rear-facing until he is 2. At first I did not like this. I was so ready to be able to turn Coop around at one. But after last night's accident, I have decided to leave him the way he is. Matt was sitting in the back by Cooper when the accident happened, and he said that Cooper didn't move at all. If he had been forward-facing, his head probably would have come forward. So, he will now stay rear-facing. He may not like it, but I'd rather put up with a fussy baby than an injured baby. Oh and when the police showed up, they looked in our car to make sure his car seat was facing the correct way! Points for us! I will keep you updated on the car front. It is a lot of damage. It will need a whole new backside and probably work on the right and left sides as well. We have to wait until Monday to pick up our accident report, so I guess we will find out more then from the insurance company. I'm also hoping that the insurance will cover my hospital visit as well. The hospital was wanting me to pay last night before I left, but thankfully I was able to leave without paying right away. So, that's about all right now. More to come later!
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Are they twins?

2011-03-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

Any time Katie and I go out with our boys, people always ask if Cooper and Maddox are twins. They are so close in age and are such good friends, that they really do seem like twins. Well tonight, Matt and I got to babysit Maddox for a little while. It was like having twins for a time. Matt took care of Cooper while I took care of Maddox. It was so much fun! Maddox was so sweet and such a good boy! Can't wait for many more of these nights!

Please don't tell me...

2011-03-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

That we are entering the phase of one nap a day. I just don't think I could handle that! Cooper has never been a good napper, so when he does go down for a nap, I rejoice! Well today, he has only taken a one-hour nap. (The picture is of me trying to rock him to sleep. He doesn't look too happy about it either!). So basically all the things I usually get done during his second nap, have not gotten done today. Needless to say, he will be going to bed early! Anyways, for those experienced Moms out there, when did your child transition from two naps to one?
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We've Got a Walker!

2011-03-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

Cooper has now officially entered the world of walking! He is by no means ready to hit the road by himself. But he can take several steps without assistance. He first started taking steps at our Small Group Sunday night, and ever since then, he has gotten better and better! It is really amazing at how fast they catch on once they figure things out!

I decided to take you through Cooper's walking process. He first started with pushing objects around. This first video is of him pushing his highchair across the kitchen.

He also has a toy lion that plays music whenever you push it. He LOVES this lion. He would literally push this lion for an hour if we had the stamina to keep up with him! And he can go so fast with it now! Practically runs with it these days!

This video is of him "cruising" from the fireplace, to the recliner, to his activity table which he then pushes around like a walker.

This video was taken last weekend when we were at the zoo. He loves to push his stroller around. We did this for about 20 minutes while we were there!

Matt had the great idea of taking his lion out to the road in our neighborhood. At first I was kind of nervous. Number one, he had to wear shoes since he was walking on the road, and he has never done that before. I thought for sure he would fall alot. And number two, I thought that the lion would get away from him, which would cause him to fall and skin his knees. Neither one happened. He had very good control of the lion!

Here he is taking his first steps. As you can see he can't go very far without falling. This was taken on Monday. Already, he can go so much farther! It's scary to think what he will be able to do by his first birthday! He might be running. :) Sorry for the bad lighting!

The youth group comes over every other Wednesday night, so last night several of them were at our house. Cooper decided to show off for them. He was so excited to have visitors to walk to! He gets really excited in some of these and tries to run to them! So cute!

I took these last two videos today. He is already improving so much! If he can't keep walking, he will slowly sit down. He still hasn't just stood up and started walking. I always have to pick him up or he has to pull up and then walk. But I know it's not far off!

Hope you enjoyed the videos! I know it is a lot for just a kid walking, but it is so weird to see him doing it! It just seems like he is ready to be a little boy and not a baby!

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Why is it...

2011-03-23T17:53:00.001-07:00

That babies love things that aren't toys? As you can see, Cooper has a ton of toys in his bath. Yet what does he LOVE to play with? The faucet. He loves to play with the knob that turns the shower on and off. He also loves to play with the bathtub stopper. Why do I even invest in toys!?!

A funny story that involves bath time occurred Monday night. I decided to make bath time a little more fun, and added some bubbles as I was running his water. Now I have put bubbles in his bath before, but for some reason this time was different. He FLIPPED out! He grabbed hold of my neck and would not let go. He wouldn't put his feet in the water. I was halfway laughing and halfway frustrated. I just never know how he is going to react to things these days! Oh well! This too shall pass!
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Mobile Blogging

2011-03-19T19:04:00.001-07:00

Did you know that you can blog from your phone? I had been wondering ever since I got my Blackberry. I thought surely there had to be a way. I looked at different apps, but never found one that worked for me. Well tonight I was fooling around with my blog and found a " mobile device" option. I clicked on it and here I am! You can update via email or texting. Interested in setting yours up? Go to your Dashboard and scroll to the very bottom. On the bottom left there will be an option for "Mobile Devices". Click on it and follow the instructions. You have to set up your account using your computer first. I kept trying to use my phone, but it wasn't working. It will send you a new blog URL, but if you follow the instructions till the end, there will be an option to switch the URL to your current blog. If you have any questions, just ask!

DON'T MISS THE POSTS BELOW!
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11 months old

2011-03-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

Cooper turned 11 months old on Sunday. Only one more month until Cooper is a year old! Man how time flies! I was looking at some of his videos from when he was a newborn and have a hard time remembering when he was that little. It just seems that he is always in the "right" stage for me. I always think that he is so much fun, and have a hard time picturing him any older. But it happens, and I've turned around and he is 11 months!

I've been slacking lately on picture taking. Don't know why, but it just seems that I don't ever think to get it out. Really need to improve on that! I know it will be so much worse when we have another baby, so I need to get in the habit now of trying to take pictures every week.

Here are some things Cooper is doing:

He is wearing 12 - 18 month clothes and size 4 diapers.

Nurses 4 times a day. Eats majority table food. Can now drink independently from a sippy cup, but likes to throw it off his highchair, so we monitor his use! :)

Still waking up after 10 hours to nurse and then going back to sleep for 2 more hours. - There were two nights where he slept all night, and I thought that was going to be a trend, but no go. Overall, I think 10 hours is pretty good!

Takes 2 naps. Still an awful napper! Kicks and screams going down and is not consistent with how long he'll nap.

Loves to push the garage door button.

One of the highlights of his day is checking the mail. He likes to sit on the living room floor and throw the mail around and chase after it.

Can say "dog", "duck", "quack", "meow", "woof", and of course momma, dadda, and bye-bye. Of course you have to know what he's saying, but they are very close to the real thing!

Is SO CLOSE to walking. He can stand by himself without holding on to anything for as long as he wants. And if he wants to sit down, he will squat down now, instead of falling back on his bottom. Sometimes he will even take a few steps, but nothing that would be considered walking. He does walk all around the house using furniture and any other item he comes across.

He can clap, wave bye-bye, blow a kiss, shake head "no", give a kiss, play peek-a-boo, all on command

You Got a Friend in Me

2011-03-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

Today Cooper and I went to play with Katie and Maddox. We always love going to hang out with them. Since the boys are so close in age, they have a blast together. They are both crawling and getting in to everything. We met at Katie's house and headed over to Monkey Park. When we got there, we went over to the slides to let the boys slide down. Cooper decided to do a new trick. I had him sitting on the bottom of the slide, and he took off climbing up the slide the wrong way. He looked like a little monkey. I didn't get a picture, because I was following behind him in case he slipped. He made it up to the top several times! I can see this being a part of our future! After sliding, we headed over to a shady spot to let the boys crawl around. I'm so thankful I have such good friends here in Auburn. It really helps when I have to stay at home all day to go out and get a break!

Showing us those teeth!

Cooper kept giving Katie kisses over and over again. He is definitely going to have to learn that he can't just kiss anyone. At least he's loving!

I think the picture below is funny. Cooper is making the funniest face as Maddox tries to grab his sippy cup.

Both boys drinking their water. It was a hot day!

Picture Post

2011-02-27T18:38:00.000-08:00

In "jail" under the chair
Playing with his BFF

Gross!

At the zoo with Frankie's lovie and doll

Kissin' Cousins

Poor Frankie!

Getting some Frankie love

look at all of those teeth!

leaves are so much fun

"helping" unload the dishwasher

the 3 amigos - Walker, Cooper, and Maddox

Oh dear, more kissin'

now Maddox goes in for the kiss

crazy hair on the sides

Video Post

2011-02-27T18:00:00.000-08:00

Here are some videos of Cooper that I have taken recently. He is getting to be so much fun! He loves to play with us. Too much sometimes to where he doesn't want to play by himself! That's ok though because we really enjoy him. He is crawling so fast now. Sometimes so fast that we don't get there in time. He stands by himself for really long periods of time. Not too much longer and he'll figure out how to walk.

Chasing Daddy and Daddy chasing Cooper

Head butting. For some reason he thinks that's fun!

Crawling around Keisel Park. He was filthy when he was through!

More crawling. Trying to put everything in his mouth.

Going to get the dogs!

Such a beautiful day. Outside playing with leaves! Trying not to let Mommy see me putting them in my mouth!

Cooper's first time in a bucket swing. He didn't really know what to think of it. I think it scared him a little bit. :(

We went to the Montgomery Zoo when my mom and sister were in last weekend, and I think one of his favorites things to play with were these leaves!

Here is another game Cooper likes to play. I think it is a good triceps workout for Matt!

This is Cooper's absolute favorite game to play. I call it "Stand Up. Fall Down." Don't know why he likes it so much, but whatever entertains the boy is fine with me!

Whenever Cooper is hungry, he lets us know! He kicks his legs and makes a loud noise to make sure we are paying attention!