He didn't cry, he just looked around like, "what is going on?" He looks very concerned in the picture! He kept looking at me instead of the camera. I think it helped that Santa held him up like that so that Cooper didn't see his face. Santa told Lee "He'll cry if he sees my face" haha :)
December 23, 2010
Cooper and Santa
We took Cooper to Bass Pro to see Santa on Wednesday. I woke him up from a nap to go, so I was a little worried that he'd be out of sorts, but he was fine
He didn't cry, he just looked around like, "what is going on?" He looks very concerned in the picture! He kept looking at me instead of the camera. I think it helped that Santa held him up like that so that Cooper didn't see his face. Santa told Lee "He'll cry if he sees my face" haha :)
He didn't cry, he just looked around like, "what is going on?" He looks very concerned in the picture! He kept looking at me instead of the camera. I think it helped that Santa held him up like that so that Cooper didn't see his face. Santa told Lee "He'll cry if he sees my face" haha :)
December 22, 2010
Tradition
I've always looked forward to celebrating holidays throughout the year, but something about having a baby makes you even more excited. It's so much fun to see things for the first time again, through their eyes. I know that Cooper won't really know anything that's going on this year, but there are still some traditions that I want to continue, as well as some that I want to start with him.
We didn't really have many traditions growing up, but one thing that my parents did every year was get us a Hallmark ornament. Now, Hallmark is HUGE with my parents, and their tree is probably 98% Hallmark, and they have a huge tree. When we were little, my parents picked out a series for us. I have two for some reason. The first is the Crayola series. I get one of these each year. My parents gave me all of them when I moved out, so now they're on my tree :) I tried to get a shot with most of them. I hang them in clusters so you can see them all together. (this is not most of them, I couldn't get them all in!)
Here they are closer up
So, this is something that I wanted to start with Cooper. We decided to start getting him the Fire Brigade series, so each year, he will get some sort of fire truck. Here is this years :)
We didn't really have many traditions growing up, but one thing that my parents did every year was get us a Hallmark ornament. Now, Hallmark is HUGE with my parents, and their tree is probably 98% Hallmark, and they have a huge tree. When we were little, my parents picked out a series for us. I have two for some reason. The first is the Crayola series. I get one of these each year. My parents gave me all of them when I moved out, so now they're on my tree :) I tried to get a shot with most of them. I hang them in clusters so you can see them all together. (this is not most of them, I couldn't get them all in!)
Here they are closer upMy other series is Mary's Angels. I have SO many of these, more than Crayola, I feel.
A couple closer up
So, this is something that I wanted to start with Cooper. We decided to start getting him the Fire Brigade series, so each year, he will get some sort of fire truck. Here is this years :)I guess you could also say that Christmas baking was a family tradition. We always made lots of treats when I was growing up, and I still do that every year. I look forward to when Cooper can help!
Some other things that are not family traditions, but that I want to start with Cooper are:
Letting him open a gift of Christmas PJ's on Christmas Eve. I know that this isn't original, but I like it, and who doesn't want new PJ's?
Annnd, I'm pretty sure that the rest have to do with food :)
I want to start having some kind of Christmas Eve dinner tradition. Last year I made chicken parmesan and I am this year too, so that might become the tradition.
I also want to have a Christmas day breakfast and lunch/dinner tradition, but that's also TBD. This year we're having monkey bread for breakfast and pork tenderloin for lunch/dinner. I wanted to try to make a beef wellington but I think I'll save that for a later year when we can have Christmas at our house :)
What are some traditions that you guys do every year, or that you want to start? I'd love to get some more ideas!
December 19, 2010
Our halls are decked
This guy greets you as you walk through the front door:
And here's the table behind the smowman:
"Cooper's Tree" Not really, we just had this little tree and nowhere else to put it, so it's in his room! It is an "OU" tree, consisting of red ornaments and little OU figurines, haha. Coop may have a tree in his room again next year, but it will be a different tree with different ornaments :)
And last, but not least, the piece de resistance:
And yep, all gifts are purchased and wrapped! Don't think that's ever happened this early before!
And here's the table behind the smowman:
"Cooper's Tree" Not really, we just had this little tree and nowhere else to put it, so it's in his room! It is an "OU" tree, consisting of red ornaments and little OU figurines, haha. Coop may have a tree in his room again next year, but it will be a different tree with different ornaments :)
And last, but not least, the piece de resistance:And yep, all gifts are purchased and wrapped! Don't think that's ever happened this early before!
December 15, 2010
Chewy Sugar Cookie Recipe
The other night I tweeted about these wonderfully chewy, melt in your mouth snickerdoodles I made, and there were MANY requests for the recipe, so I thought I’d put it up here for all to see! Let it be known, that if you make these, you MIGHT consume half of them before they are even cooled. And the other half you might have consumed in raw cookie dough. Oh, you don’t eat the raw dough as you’re rolling cookies? Yeah, me neither…
I have searched a LONG TIME for the best sugar cookie recipe, and I think I finally found it!
I originally found this on a blog, but I cannot for the life of me find it again! So, don’t send the blog police if this is your recipe, okay? :)
Chewy Sugar Cookies
(yes, this is a sugar cookie, I just rolled mine in cinnamon sugar, and voila! Snickerdoodles!)
What you need:
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
sugar for rolling cookies (or cinnamon sugar for snickerdoodles)
What to do:
1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Mix in egg and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and slowly add to the butter mixture.
4. Form into balls and roll in [cinnamon] sugar.
5. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.
This made 24 cookies last night.Only 3 are left right now, we must have a rodent problem....
A couple of things I did that I feel I should note:
- When creaming butter and sugar, I use a stand electric mixer with the paddle attachment and just let ‘er go for a long time. Like, long enough that it looks white and like whipped cream. I don’t know if that matters or not, but that’s how I always beat butter and sugar for cookies.
- I have made this recipe a few times. The first couple, the dough was really dry. And they tasted a little too much like flour. I mean, they were good, but just too flour-y. The last time I made them, I only used 2 cups of flour. They were a little more difficult to roll, but buttery enough that they didn’t stick too much, and they were AMAZING! I will continue to only use 2 cups of flour.
- I bake mine for 9 minutes. They will NOT look done when you pull them out. Don’t let them brown at all, or they will not be chewy. They will look very under-done and still kinda jiggle-y. But, trust me on this one. Just make sure to let them cool for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet before moving them to a wire rack (or whatever you use) to cool so that they’re firm enough to move.
Then, eat one, and die from the chewy goodness. You're welcome :)
I have searched a LONG TIME for the best sugar cookie recipe, and I think I finally found it!
I originally found this on a blog, but I cannot for the life of me find it again! So, don’t send the blog police if this is your recipe, okay? :)
Chewy Sugar Cookies
(yes, this is a sugar cookie, I just rolled mine in cinnamon sugar, and voila! Snickerdoodles!)
What you need:
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
sugar for rolling cookies (or cinnamon sugar for snickerdoodles)
What to do:
1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Mix in egg and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and slowly add to the butter mixture.
4. Form into balls and roll in [cinnamon] sugar.
5. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.
This made 24 cookies last night.
A couple of things I did that I feel I should note:
- When creaming butter and sugar, I use a stand electric mixer with the paddle attachment and just let ‘er go for a long time. Like, long enough that it looks white and like whipped cream. I don’t know if that matters or not, but that’s how I always beat butter and sugar for cookies.
- I have made this recipe a few times. The first couple, the dough was really dry. And they tasted a little too much like flour. I mean, they were good, but just too flour-y. The last time I made them, I only used 2 cups of flour. They were a little more difficult to roll, but buttery enough that they didn’t stick too much, and they were AMAZING! I will continue to only use 2 cups of flour.
- I bake mine for 9 minutes. They will NOT look done when you pull them out. Don’t let them brown at all, or they will not be chewy. They will look very under-done and still kinda jiggle-y. But, trust me on this one. Just make sure to let them cool for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet before moving them to a wire rack (or whatever you use) to cool so that they’re firm enough to move.
Then, eat one, and die from the chewy goodness. You're welcome :)
December 8, 2010
6 months
Dear Cooper,
Today you are six months old!
You’re little personality shows more and more each day, and if I had to use only one word to describe you right now, it would be sweet. You’re (almost!) always happy and smiley. You are definitely happiest in the mornings, always greeting me with that huge smile of yours and talking while I change you and get you dressed for the day.
You also love cell phones. You always reach for our phones if we are looking at them.
You’re still working on sitting. At this point, you don’t really like laying on your back much. You do still like your playmat, but you only last a few minutes before rolling onto your belly. You really prefer to sit on someone’s lap (or sometimes on the couch with a pillow over your legs to ‘lean’ on) or “stand” in your jumperoo. You can sit for very short periods of time by yourself, VERY short, like 5ish seconds. A couple of times, you have caught yourself before falling over, so that’s a step!
When you see Isabelle or Zoe, you smile HUGE and hold your arms out and lunge for them! We are working on petting them. Mostly you just grab their hair and hold onto it, which they do tolerate pretty well. Your relationship with them is one I’m interested in seeing develop, I wonder what they will think of you once you are mobile!
The dogs’ isn’t the only hair you grab. Anyone with long hair will do! You love to touch faces and pull hair. Especially mine ;)
You are such a good eater! You have liked everything you’ve tried so far: peaches, apples, bananas, green beans, peas, squash, carrots. I think that’s it so far. We did give you some mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving, and you did not like them at all! After your morning nap, you get oatmeal and a fruit, and in the late afternoon, you get a veggie and rice. I think we’re going to have to add in a meal in the middle soon. You also take about 4 bottles a day. You don’t always finish your last bottle. You have recognized your bottle for a while now, but when you are really hungry, and you see us shake it up, you open your mouth so wide! You’re so cute :)
You’re taking 3 naps a day right now. One in the morning, around 8, a little catnap around 11, and then another one around 2. You sleep anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. We still start your bedtime routine at 5:30, but a couple of times we have been able to push it to 6, so hopefully we can get you to stay up just a little later so we can hang out with you during the week! We have been swaddling you this month, because your dad had been holding your arms down to get you to sleep! You really like the swaddle, which is so weird because you never did before.
You have always loved attention and that has not changed at all. You love any interaction you get with us. You love being thrown into the air and being held upside down. You are so ticklish under your arms, and you laugh so loud when we blow on your stomach or your cheeks. I often sing songs to you, recently Christmas carols, and you love to be sung to (even with my really terrible voice) Your most recent thing is when your dad crunches ice. You stare at him for a minute and then let out a big giggle when he does that. I have no idea why, but it is hilarious to watch you! You even love it when we just talk to you. You listen to what we say and then just give us a big grin! You still love to be read to. You have started touching some of the books that have things for you to feel on them, and you’re very interested in them. You also, of course, love to try and get the book into your mouth :)
You are such a joy to us every day, Cooper!
Love love love,
Mama
Today you are six months old!
You’re little personality shows more and more each day, and if I had to use only one word to describe you right now, it would be sweet. You’re (almost!) always happy and smiley. You are definitely happiest in the mornings, always greeting me with that huge smile of yours and talking while I change you and get you dressed for the day. You are still so observant. When you’re out in public, you’re so quiet! You sit and just look around at everything. When you meet someone new, or see some of mama and daddy’s friends, you look at them so intently, trying to figure them out. And after a few minutes, you will finally smile at them. You really make them work for that first smile!
Your newest obsession is paper. I was reading some ads in the newspaper the other day, while you were in my lap, and you became completely obsessed with the ad I was looking at! I had to give you another part of the paper to “play” with! And by play, I mean put in your mouth. EVERYTHING goes in your mouth these days. When we were at the doctor's office for your 6 month appointment, you noticed the paper on the table and played with it the entire time:
Your newest obsession is paper. I was reading some ads in the newspaper the other day, while you were in my lap, and you became completely obsessed with the ad I was looking at! I had to give you another part of the paper to “play” with! And by play, I mean put in your mouth. EVERYTHING goes in your mouth these days. When we were at the doctor's office for your 6 month appointment, you noticed the paper on the table and played with it the entire time:
You also love cell phones. You always reach for our phones if we are looking at them.
You’re still working on sitting. At this point, you don’t really like laying on your back much. You do still like your playmat, but you only last a few minutes before rolling onto your belly. You really prefer to sit on someone’s lap (or sometimes on the couch with a pillow over your legs to ‘lean’ on) or “stand” in your jumperoo. You can sit for very short periods of time by yourself, VERY short, like 5ish seconds. A couple of times, you have caught yourself before falling over, so that’s a step!
When you see Isabelle or Zoe, you smile HUGE and hold your arms out and lunge for them! We are working on petting them. Mostly you just grab their hair and hold onto it, which they do tolerate pretty well. Your relationship with them is one I’m interested in seeing develop, I wonder what they will think of you once you are mobile!
The dogs’ isn’t the only hair you grab. Anyone with long hair will do! You love to touch faces and pull hair. Especially mine ;)
You are such a good eater! You have liked everything you’ve tried so far: peaches, apples, bananas, green beans, peas, squash, carrots. I think that’s it so far. We did give you some mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving, and you did not like them at all! After your morning nap, you get oatmeal and a fruit, and in the late afternoon, you get a veggie and rice. I think we’re going to have to add in a meal in the middle soon. You also take about 4 bottles a day. You don’t always finish your last bottle. You have recognized your bottle for a while now, but when you are really hungry, and you see us shake it up, you open your mouth so wide! You’re so cute :)
You’re taking 3 naps a day right now. One in the morning, around 8, a little catnap around 11, and then another one around 2. You sleep anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. We still start your bedtime routine at 5:30, but a couple of times we have been able to push it to 6, so hopefully we can get you to stay up just a little later so we can hang out with you during the week! We have been swaddling you this month, because your dad had been holding your arms down to get you to sleep! You really like the swaddle, which is so weird because you never did before.
You have always loved attention and that has not changed at all. You love any interaction you get with us. You love being thrown into the air and being held upside down. You are so ticklish under your arms, and you laugh so loud when we blow on your stomach or your cheeks. I often sing songs to you, recently Christmas carols, and you love to be sung to (even with my really terrible voice) Your most recent thing is when your dad crunches ice. You stare at him for a minute and then let out a big giggle when he does that. I have no idea why, but it is hilarious to watch you! You even love it when we just talk to you. You listen to what we say and then just give us a big grin! You still love to be read to. You have started touching some of the books that have things for you to feel on them, and you’re very interested in them. You also, of course, love to try and get the book into your mouth :)
You are such a joy to us every day, Cooper!Love love love,
Mama
So much to say, so little time!
Remember me? I used to blog here. Occasionally. Eeek!
Usually when I don’t blog it’s because I have a lack of things to blog about.
NOT the case this time!
TONS to blog about!
NO time! (There’s no time! There’s never any time!! Love me some Jessie Spano breakdowns)
Like the awesome Bloggirls Christmas Party I went to on Friday. And I decided, that’s our official group name. Thanks for coining it Jessica!
Like my Christmas décor I finally got up this weekend.
Like some Christmas traditions we do and some that I want to start.
Like the fact that my baby boy is 6 months old today!
Yeah, all of that plus more I have to tell you about, but it’s gonna have to wait. Until tonight at least.
Or tomorrow…
December 2, 2010
Okay, Okay
CLEARLY, from the content of my last post, I have very little experience when it comes to daycare policies. As it turns out, the fines for being late to pick up your kid are totally NORMAL! Who knew?! (uh, you all did) It made sense when it was pointed out to me that many (MANY) parents are often chronically late if not for this policy. You see, I am chronically EARLY, (even when I try to be late!) so this concept often escapes me. I still stand firm in my opinion that they did not word it very nicely in the handbook. Humph.
That wasn’t even my main concern. Instead of going on and on about the fines, I should have gone on and on about how I didn’t like his teacher much. Maybe I should have told you about how she acted like it was weird that we wanted to meet her before committing to sending our child there. Maybe I should have told you that, while she was talking with us, a baby was crying in her room. For a while. Long enough that I was uncomfortable enough to ask if she needed to go in and check on the crying baby. Her response? “Oh, no, that baby has always been held by her family, we’re trying to break her of it” Wha-What?! That is NOT okay with me. Hold the freaking baby. She is, after all, a BABY. I see the point of not being able to hold the baby all the time, but seriously people, it sounded like something was wrong. At least go in and check on her. Or, pretend like you care in front of prospective parents. There were a couple of other small things too that were just a little off-putting to me.
Whatever, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that I didn’t like it much, right? Who cares why. We found several other places we liked, but that’s about as far as we got. After talking with my dad, we (he) decided that we should wait until Spring to find a place. So, no more daycare drama for now. I’m sure we’ll have the same problems in 6 months though, so don’t you worry, this won’t be the last time you hear me freak out about it J
November 30, 2010
Unsure
A few weeks ago, we decided that Cooper would start going to a mother's day out program a couple days a week. My dad wants a little break during the day and I don't blame him one bit. I have no problem sending Coop to 'school' but (obviously) I want to find a place that we are comfortable with.
We live about 20 minutes away from my parents' house, and we work about 30 minutes away. And, since MDO's are usually 9-2ish, we need to find a place out where my parents live, since my dad will be taking him and picking him up.
Today, we went to look at a pretty highly recommended program at a church I'm familiar with. But, I don't know, I didn't get a GREAT feeling about it for some reason. Cooper was really happy while we were there, and he was laughing with one of the women who works in the office. But the teacher we met with from his would-be classroom..I didn't love her. I want to love his teachers.
And, they have a strange thing about picking up the kids. It starts at 9:30am, and they don't open the doors until 9:25, okay, very specific, a little weird, but fine (And i'm always early so maybe it's just me thinking that's weird). THEN, it ends at 2, and if you are late, you have to pay them a fine right then and there. If you arrive between 2:05 and 2:15, you have to pay $5, and if you arrive between 2:15 and 2:30, you have to pay $10. I think that's weird, right? It makes me feel like they don't really care enough about the children to stay a few minutes or something.
Also, I filled out an enrollment form about 2 weeks ago because there were limited spots available and I wanted to have the option, and I never heard anything back from them. Well, come to find out today, they had just enrolled him and never said anything to us! The lady was like "oh, yeah, we were out all last week for Thanksgiving break". That's not a good reason to me not to let someone know you've enrolled their child.
BUT, I'm also super picky about things like that. If someone doesn't runt heir office like I think they "should" (i.e., how I would do it) then I get annoyed, which I know is ridiculous. So, maybe I'm being overly critical? I don't know. All I know is that the more I've thought about it today, the more unsure I am :(
I'm frustrated with myself for not being more proactive about this because I've known for almost a month and sort of just assumed I'd be okay with this place because it was recommended by several people, so I didn't even look at other options. We were planning on him starting in January, so I need to figure this out soon!
We live about 20 minutes away from my parents' house, and we work about 30 minutes away. And, since MDO's are usually 9-2ish, we need to find a place out where my parents live, since my dad will be taking him and picking him up.
Today, we went to look at a pretty highly recommended program at a church I'm familiar with. But, I don't know, I didn't get a GREAT feeling about it for some reason. Cooper was really happy while we were there, and he was laughing with one of the women who works in the office. But the teacher we met with from his would-be classroom..I didn't love her. I want to love his teachers.
And, they have a strange thing about picking up the kids. It starts at 9:30am, and they don't open the doors until 9:25, okay, very specific, a little weird, but fine (And i'm always early so maybe it's just me thinking that's weird). THEN, it ends at 2, and if you are late, you have to pay them a fine right then and there. If you arrive between 2:05 and 2:15, you have to pay $5, and if you arrive between 2:15 and 2:30, you have to pay $10. I think that's weird, right? It makes me feel like they don't really care enough about the children to stay a few minutes or something.
Also, I filled out an enrollment form about 2 weeks ago because there were limited spots available and I wanted to have the option, and I never heard anything back from them. Well, come to find out today, they had just enrolled him and never said anything to us! The lady was like "oh, yeah, we were out all last week for Thanksgiving break". That's not a good reason to me not to let someone know you've enrolled their child.
BUT, I'm also super picky about things like that. If someone doesn't runt heir office like I think they "should" (i.e., how I would do it) then I get annoyed, which I know is ridiculous. So, maybe I'm being overly critical? I don't know. All I know is that the more I've thought about it today, the more unsure I am :(
I'm frustrated with myself for not being more proactive about this because I've known for almost a month and sort of just assumed I'd be okay with this place because it was recommended by several people, so I didn't even look at other options. We were planning on him starting in January, so I need to figure this out soon!
November 29, 2010
Catching up!
Heeeyy!! I feel like I've been living under a rock for the past week. I haven't gotten on blogger ONE TIME!! I've been mostly enjoying my time off with my sweet boy :)
We had a pretty low key Thanksgiving. Nothing too exciting. Lee's parents came up and we ate at my parents' house. We don't have a lot of family so it's just me, my brother, and my parents around the holidays. And lee of course. And his parents, when they come up. They usually alternate with his sister, so they'll be going to spend Christmas with her and her family. I've never met her, did you know that? Weird I know. Long story short, she lived in Alaska until a month before Cooper was born, so that's pretty much why.
Anywho, we just hung around at my parents' house eating way too much and taking about a million pictures of Cooper. I wanted to get a cute one of him but he has been so cranky lately that he wasn't interested in smiling for the camera. We managed to get these two:
And then he took a nap and cuddled with me on the couch :) He never lays with me anymore so I was loving it!
Later in the weekend, I took a couple of him while we were playing around in his room. I made him wear this stocking cap! Haha, he will probably hate me for it, but he's so cute!
:)
Lee and I took off today, and we ran several errands that we'd been putting off because of the crowds. Then Cooper helped us put the lights on the house. It was a little windy so we put a hat on him. Please also notice that he is wearing gloves (heehee, so little and cute!) but we didn't feel the need to put SHOES on the kid? Because that makes sense :)
Those cheeks. Love them.
Okay enough about me, I'm off to catch up on all your blogs! I can't believe I'm so far behind :(
We had a pretty low key Thanksgiving. Nothing too exciting. Lee's parents came up and we ate at my parents' house. We don't have a lot of family so it's just me, my brother, and my parents around the holidays. And lee of course. And his parents, when they come up. They usually alternate with his sister, so they'll be going to spend Christmas with her and her family. I've never met her, did you know that? Weird I know. Long story short, she lived in Alaska until a month before Cooper was born, so that's pretty much why.
Anywho, we just hung around at my parents' house eating way too much and taking about a million pictures of Cooper. I wanted to get a cute one of him but he has been so cranky lately that he wasn't interested in smiling for the camera. We managed to get these two:
And then he took a nap and cuddled with me on the couch :) He never lays with me anymore so I was loving it!
Later in the weekend, I took a couple of him while we were playing around in his room. I made him wear this stocking cap! Haha, he will probably hate me for it, but he's so cute!
:)
Lee and I took off today, and we ran several errands that we'd been putting off because of the crowds. Then Cooper helped us put the lights on the house. It was a little windy so we put a hat on him. Please also notice that he is wearing gloves (heehee, so little and cute!) but we didn't feel the need to put SHOES on the kid? Because that makes sense :)
Those cheeks. Love them.
Okay enough about me, I'm off to catch up on all your blogs! I can't believe I'm so far behind :(November 22, 2010
Weekend Recap!
I didn’t do too much this weekend. The one thing I really had myself psyched up to do was to paint a bedroom, but, uh, that didn’t actually happen. Surprise! Maybe over Thanksgiving weekend? We’ll see.
Friday I took the day off work to go to a meeting about a potential new job opportunity that has been in the works for a little while. I was interested, but not sure I wanted to go for it, so I went to this meeting to see what they had to say about it. And, I LOVED it! So, now begins a fairly involved process and a lot of work on my end, but I’m really excited about the potential this has to offer! No details for now, but I’ll let y’all in if/when the time comes. It’s far from a done deal at this point. J
Friday night Lee came home from a long week away for work and we were very happy to have him back! Aside from the obvious reasons of it being good to have your husband back, I was really excited to get a good night’s sleep. I slept horribly the nights that he was away. You know, because I’m scared. Of ghosts. I know, it’s stupid. Whatever. Cooper was so excited he was home, that he slept in until SIX FORTY FIVE Saturday morning!! That’s over 2 hours later than normal! It was awesome.
Saturday morning, Jackie and I went to a giant craft fair, Affair of the Heart. I love things like that so I was so happy that she also wanted to go. We wanted to get there early to beat the crowd, and it’s a good thing we did. We arrived 30 minutes after it started and it was so nice to leisurely walk around and get to see everything we wanted with no pushing or shoving. And then about 45 minutes after we arrived, we realized what a MAD HOUSE the place had become. We were determined to see everything so we pushed our way through (sometimes, quite literally, pushed!). I left with one thing; a Christmas gift for my mom. And it’s a good thing that I don’t have, or know anyone that has, a little girl. OMGeee. The girl clothes they had were A-freaking-dorable! The Christmas outfits alone were incredible. Of course, a MINIMAL amount of boy items were available. And the ones that were, well, uh, I could have made them. Except for this cute turkey shirt that Cooper NEEDED, but was only available in 18 months, and clearly, that would not work. The lady working that booth did not appreciate me asking if she had any other sizes. Probably because, while in her booth, she heard me say the following:
“These socks are really cute, I’d buy them if they weren’t $6”, and, while holding up a Christmas t-shirt and realizing that it was a college football team that my husband would not approve of “OH, this says OSU, we CAN’T get that”, and “ohh look at this cute guitar bib! Wow, not for $10.50 thought!”.
Haha, sorry but I thought things were a little pricey at her booth! She didn’t like me. That’s okay. J
So after about 3 hours there, we left and I took a nap. Then Lee went over to a friend’s house for the evening to watch the OU game and I stayed home and did laundry and caught up on DVR shows. And got annoyed when I realized that Lee took all the beer with him.
On Sunday, Jenny ran her first marathon!!!! Yayyy!!! So we all went out to support her. We made fun signs too, but I don’t have a picture. I bet that Jackie will when she posts about it. So we went out to cheer for her at the 6 mile mark, the 19ish mile mark, and at the finish! It was really so much fun to see not only her (obviously), but also all of the other runners. I got a little teary eyed several times, mostly at the 19ish mile mark when we saw her and then again at the finish when we were waiting for her to run over the hill. It really was a great experience, from a spectator standpoint, so I can’t even imagine the emotions of the runners. So proud of you Jenny!
After the race, I picked up Cooper and we went to Target and the grocery store. He likes shopping J And, while at the grocery store, someone, YET AGAIN, made the comment “he sure doesn’t miss a meal”, and I’d had enough. You people who have kids, do people say this to you all.the.time? They do to us and I get so annoyed. I mean, no, he does NOT miss a meal, but it’s not like he’s some giant baby. And if he was, that would be fine, but he’s not. People just don’t know what else to say, so they say THAT and it really annoys me. So I said “actually he is pretty average size”. Take that, grocery store employee.
That’s about all we did this weekend. I’m hoping to be super productive around the house next weekend, since I will have a 5-day one! I’m only working today and tomorrow, and I’m off next Monday J
November 18, 2010
What a week
I started to write a post about how strange and annoying this week has been, but it didn't make any sense at all. So instead, I'll say this:
It's been a WEEK.
And I'm not sure why, exactly. It just has. Maybe I'm dramatic? No, surely not me.
Lee has been out of town and I've been having to work later than normal so I haven't been getting Cooper at the normal time, which means I basically get to spend zero time with him in the evenings because he goes to bed at 6. And even that's been pushed back a couple of days because we just haven't gotten home in time.
I've been going to bed super late. Think 11, when I normally hit the hay at 9. And I don't sleep well when I'm home alone because I get scared. And then the dogs wake up at 4 to go to the bathroom, and then Cooper wakes up at 4:30. WTH? Is he trying to make me go crazy?
I've had a million things to do at work, and each one of them just reminds me of how much I don't like what I do (sorry to beat a dead horse on this one). To be perfectly honest, I do NOT know what I'm doing at work. It's over my head. And I don't even TRY to learn it, because I simply do.not.care. This is 100% unlike me and it is so frustrating. It's not like me to not try and excel at things and it just makes me feel...blah. And defeated and I don't like feeling like that. It's draining. I know I preached on and on last week about how I've let this go and am trusting that I will find something else when the time is right, but sometimes it's more difficult to do that.
Some college friends and I planned a girls weekend for January, and now I'm not sure if I can even go because of something work-related that I didn't even think of. Some of the girls have already bought their plane tickets so the date is a done deal and I'm bummed about it. I'm going to see if it's a problem if I'm gone for a Friday but I don't know if it will be alright.
Ummmm, oops. I think I went ahead and actually DID the post about why my week has been crappy. Ha.
Oh well. I feel better now.
Thanks for listening :)
And don't worry about me (because I know you were worried). This is going to be a fun weekend, and then it'll be a short Thanksgiving week at work!
My pity party is officially over :)
It's been a WEEK.
And I'm not sure why, exactly. It just has. Maybe I'm dramatic? No, surely not me.
Lee has been out of town and I've been having to work later than normal so I haven't been getting Cooper at the normal time, which means I basically get to spend zero time with him in the evenings because he goes to bed at 6. And even that's been pushed back a couple of days because we just haven't gotten home in time.
I've been going to bed super late. Think 11, when I normally hit the hay at 9. And I don't sleep well when I'm home alone because I get scared. And then the dogs wake up at 4 to go to the bathroom, and then Cooper wakes up at 4:30. WTH? Is he trying to make me go crazy?
I've had a million things to do at work, and each one of them just reminds me of how much I don't like what I do (sorry to beat a dead horse on this one). To be perfectly honest, I do NOT know what I'm doing at work. It's over my head. And I don't even TRY to learn it, because I simply do.not.care. This is 100% unlike me and it is so frustrating. It's not like me to not try and excel at things and it just makes me feel...blah. And defeated and I don't like feeling like that. It's draining. I know I preached on and on last week about how I've let this go and am trusting that I will find something else when the time is right, but sometimes it's more difficult to do that.
Some college friends and I planned a girls weekend for January, and now I'm not sure if I can even go because of something work-related that I didn't even think of. Some of the girls have already bought their plane tickets so the date is a done deal and I'm bummed about it. I'm going to see if it's a problem if I'm gone for a Friday but I don't know if it will be alright.
Ummmm, oops. I think I went ahead and actually DID the post about why my week has been crappy. Ha.
Oh well. I feel better now.
Thanks for listening :)
And don't worry about me (because I know you were worried). This is going to be a fun weekend, and then it'll be a short Thanksgiving week at work!
My pity party is officially over :)
November 15, 2010
The weekend I didn't intend to have
Most Fridays, I finish up my work week with a pretty good sized list of to-dos, and this weekend was no different. But, with everything that I DID have on my list, something else seemed to happen.
I had every intention of painting over the weekend. I intended to paint the extra room so that we can move Coop's room. Instead, I ended up painting our bookcases and touching up not only the living room around that, but also some places in the kitchen that needed some attention.
I planned on picking up around the house, but I did NOT plan to give our entire living room and kitchen a huge scrub down, including cleaning the blinds. which is exactly what happened.
I knew that we would spend Friday evening with my in-laws, since they were in town to help out with watching Cooper wile my parents went on a weekend trip. I did not know that Lee was going to invite them to come over Saturday to watch the OU game, which they did. They also ended up staying all evening too.
I wanted to try working with Cooper on going down for naps better, which I did. I just laid him down in his crib and let him whine until he fell asleep, going in as few times as possible :) By his 3rd nap the first day, he didn't fuss much at all. I did not think that I would go ahead and start trying to let him cry it out at night, but naptime went so well, I tried it Saturday night. It wasn't too bad, he whined for 20 minutes, cried for 10, and then fell asleep. Sunday, was not good, and Lee was here(he had been out getting dinner Saturday night so he didn't hear the crying), so he put a stop to my unplanned plan that night.
Also, I was supposed to go by Sams and pick up a cake for my mom's birthday dinner on Sunday. I was just running in since Lee and Cooper were in the car. I wasn't supposed to get anything other than a cake, bu I left with a cake AND an outfit for Cooper :)
So, there were lots of unintended happenings around here over the weekend. Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. I have a clean house and a cute new outfit for my kid :)
I had every intention of painting over the weekend. I intended to paint the extra room so that we can move Coop's room. Instead, I ended up painting our bookcases and touching up not only the living room around that, but also some places in the kitchen that needed some attention.
I planned on picking up around the house, but I did NOT plan to give our entire living room and kitchen a huge scrub down, including cleaning the blinds. which is exactly what happened.
I knew that we would spend Friday evening with my in-laws, since they were in town to help out with watching Cooper wile my parents went on a weekend trip. I did not know that Lee was going to invite them to come over Saturday to watch the OU game, which they did. They also ended up staying all evening too.
I wanted to try working with Cooper on going down for naps better, which I did. I just laid him down in his crib and let him whine until he fell asleep, going in as few times as possible :) By his 3rd nap the first day, he didn't fuss much at all. I did not think that I would go ahead and start trying to let him cry it out at night, but naptime went so well, I tried it Saturday night. It wasn't too bad, he whined for 20 minutes, cried for 10, and then fell asleep. Sunday, was not good, and Lee was here(he had been out getting dinner Saturday night so he didn't hear the crying), so he put a stop to my unplanned plan that night.
Also, I was supposed to go by Sams and pick up a cake for my mom's birthday dinner on Sunday. I was just running in since Lee and Cooper were in the car. I wasn't supposed to get anything other than a cake, bu I left with a cake AND an outfit for Cooper :)
So, there were lots of unintended happenings around here over the weekend. Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. I have a clean house and a cute new outfit for my kid :)
November 12, 2010
Phone Photo Friday
One of the awesome things about having my dad watch Cooper is all of the pictures he sends me throughout the day. Some days he's better about sending them, and some days I have to ask. And I do ask :) And I think he gets annoyed sometimes, haha.
This is a series of pictures that I received on Wednesday and Thursday from him, and what he said with each one underneath the picture.
{Sleeping on his side}
{All gone}
{I had a very long nap and poppa tried to get me to say 'hi daddy' for a pic}
{Yes he's fine. Playing in his saucer now}
{OUT. He had pulled the burp cloth over his face.}
{I just ate a big bowl of rice and carrots.}
This is a series of pictures that I received on Wednesday and Thursday from him, and what he said with each one underneath the picture.
{Sleeping on his side}
{All gone} {I had a very long nap and poppa tried to get me to say 'hi daddy' for a pic}
{Yes he's fine. Playing in his saucer now}
{OUT. He had pulled the burp cloth over his face.}
{I just ate a big bowl of rice and carrots.}Picture messaging is the best invention ever!
Happy weekend!
November 10, 2010
Patience
I don’t talk about faith or religion much on here. No reason really, it is a part of my life and who I am, I just haven’t spoken (written?) about it. But I did want to share this.
I’ve heard a lot of people say that they hear God talk to them. And I’m always jealous. Like, why doesn’t He talk to ME? I ask Him questions all the time. I need some answers/guidance/direction too!
A couple of weeks ago, I was driving to work and thinking. Thinking about how I can’t wait for this or that to happen. Specifically, I was thinking about how I can’t WAIT to move into a new house and how happy I’ll be and yada yada. This is not a new thought, I think about this daily (or I did before this happened). But this particular morning, as I was driving and picking out paint colors in my head, I heard a very distinct voice say “Patience”. And I was stunned. Did I just hear what I thought I heard? God? Talking to ME?!
And I just knew that’s what I heard. I still remember it clear as day. And since that day, that word, “patience”, has resonated with me a LOT.
I don’t exercise enough patience in , well, anything I do. When dealing with people, situations, the current season of my life, I am never patient about any of it. This is not a surprise to any of those who know me, and I know this about myself. I DO try and work on it. But it’s hard for me! Why doesn’t someone understand things I think are simple? When will I find a new job? When will we get to move? I’m the worst about appreciating where I’m at in life. I’m always thinking to the next step instead of being content where I am.
I know that there is a plan for my life, and I try to trust that. Being the Type A person that I am, it IS difficult to not know what’s going to happen in 5 days, let alone 5 years. I get better about it every day, and I have already learned to trust that I will find a new job when the time is right. I just need to have patience in wondering when that time will be. And that goes for every area of my life.
So, I’ve been working on my patience. And I’ve been working on trust, because I think the two go hand in hand. And you know what? It feels really good to let go and have that weight lifted, and know that really, it’s not in my control. And, surprisingly, I’m just fine with that! Maybe I have even learned to prefer it that way J
November 8, 2010
5 Months!
Dear Cooper,
Today you are 5 months old!
This month you have become so active! You have also become aware of so many things in the past month. I can't tell you how much fun it is to watch you become aware of all the things you can do.
You started rolling over and every time we lay you down, you flip right over onto your belly. This would be okay with us, but you have never really cared for being on your belly and that hasn't changed too much :) We have to flip you back over pretty soon!
You LOVE to stand! Your little legs are so strong and you love for us to let you stand on our laps. We do this all the time!
You are also trying to pull your body up into a sitting position. Whenever you are reclined, you often arch your back and lunge your head forward, as if you're trying to sit up! I still think that's a little way off, but you're sure working on it!
You discovered your feet a few days ago and you are in love! You're always grabbing them now, and when we get you up from your crib, your pajama feet or your socks are always wet, because you've had your feet in your mouth!
You also discovered your arms and you have been flapping them up and down like crazy! There is a lot of force behind those flaps and your dad and I crack up at you!
You have really started to fight sleep in the past month or so. You flail around and kick and groan. At night, you cry like something is wrong. After lots and lots of googling and calling the dr's office, we have finally settled with the fact that you just don't want to go to sleep! At night, there might be a little reflux issue, but you're on medicine for that now that seems to be helping out. Usually the only way you will calm down at night is for us to put you in your car seat. That calms you down immediately and you fall right to sleep. I transfer you to your crib a few hours later. I love transferring you because I get to hold you heavy little sleeping body for a few minutes :)
You are starting to get a little curious and a little more brave about checking things out. As you can see by your photo shoot pictures, you were really into your dog this time! You've never paid attention to him before, but this time we couldn't keep you away from him :)
You have really been paying attention to Isabelle and Zoe this month. When they walk by you, you smile your big open mouth smile! They have been warming up to you a little and give you the occasional kiss. Last night, you pulled her ear hair petted Isabelle for the first time!
You now recognize your bottle and open your mouth when you see it! So cute :) You also try to hold it by yourself, which makes it difficult to feed you because you grab onto it tight and move it all around. I've let you try it out on your own a few times though.
You started eating rice cereal, which you didn't care for much at first, but we found out that you like it really thick and since we started making it thicker, you have loved it! You have also tried peas and carrots. You liked the peas right away, but the first bite of carrots you had, you made a funny face at first! You ended up loving them though. Right now, you only eat it once a day, in the late afternoon, but we are considering starting a morning meal also, since you seem to really like it. If only I could get your dad to let you try a fruit! He is worried it will cause you to have a sweet tooth like me!
It is so easy to get you to laugh and smile! You love to be bounced, play airplane, be tickled, and to be sung to. You also love when I say "Boo!", you always burst out in a giggle! You have really started talking more and more, and I love to have conversations with you. You also squeal so loud all the time! You do this most often when you are on your changing pad, it is so funny! Sometimes you try to let out such a loud squeal that you can't even get it out! Haha :)
We went to the dr a week ago, and you weighed 16.5 lbs. You have outgrown most of your 3-6 month footy pajamas. The legs are just too short! It's funny, because the top of those pj's are a little big. I got you a few 9 month jammies and those seem to fit your legs so much better. Other than that, you are still fitting perfectly into 3-6 month clothes.
It seems like this month has been big for you in terms of you becoming aware of so many things and really starting to develop your sweet little personality. Your dad and I feel so lucky that we were chosen to be your parents! You bring so much joy to us every day!
We love you so much, Buddy!
Today you are 5 months old!
This month you have become so active! You have also become aware of so many things in the past month. I can't tell you how much fun it is to watch you become aware of all the things you can do.You started rolling over and every time we lay you down, you flip right over onto your belly. This would be okay with us, but you have never really cared for being on your belly and that hasn't changed too much :) We have to flip you back over pretty soon!
You LOVE to stand! Your little legs are so strong and you love for us to let you stand on our laps. We do this all the time!
You are also trying to pull your body up into a sitting position. Whenever you are reclined, you often arch your back and lunge your head forward, as if you're trying to sit up! I still think that's a little way off, but you're sure working on it!
You discovered your feet a few days ago and you are in love! You're always grabbing them now, and when we get you up from your crib, your pajama feet or your socks are always wet, because you've had your feet in your mouth!
You also discovered your arms and you have been flapping them up and down like crazy! There is a lot of force behind those flaps and your dad and I crack up at you!
You have really started to fight sleep in the past month or so. You flail around and kick and groan. At night, you cry like something is wrong. After lots and lots of googling and calling the dr's office, we have finally settled with the fact that you just don't want to go to sleep! At night, there might be a little reflux issue, but you're on medicine for that now that seems to be helping out. Usually the only way you will calm down at night is for us to put you in your car seat. That calms you down immediately and you fall right to sleep. I transfer you to your crib a few hours later. I love transferring you because I get to hold you heavy little sleeping body for a few minutes :)
You are starting to get a little curious and a little more brave about checking things out. As you can see by your photo shoot pictures, you were really into your dog this time! You've never paid attention to him before, but this time we couldn't keep you away from him :)
You have really been paying attention to Isabelle and Zoe this month. When they walk by you, you smile your big open mouth smile! They have been warming up to you a little and give you the occasional kiss. Last night, you You now recognize your bottle and open your mouth when you see it! So cute :) You also try to hold it by yourself, which makes it difficult to feed you because you grab onto it tight and move it all around. I've let you try it out on your own a few times though.
You started eating rice cereal, which you didn't care for much at first, but we found out that you like it really thick and since we started making it thicker, you have loved it! You have also tried peas and carrots. You liked the peas right away, but the first bite of carrots you had, you made a funny face at first! You ended up loving them though. Right now, you only eat it once a day, in the late afternoon, but we are considering starting a morning meal also, since you seem to really like it. If only I could get your dad to let you try a fruit! He is worried it will cause you to have a sweet tooth like me!
It is so easy to get you to laugh and smile! You love to be bounced, play airplane, be tickled, and to be sung to. You also love when I say "Boo!", you always burst out in a giggle! You have really started talking more and more, and I love to have conversations with you. You also squeal so loud all the time! You do this most often when you are on your changing pad, it is so funny! Sometimes you try to let out such a loud squeal that you can't even get it out! Haha :)
We went to the dr a week ago, and you weighed 16.5 lbs. You have outgrown most of your 3-6 month footy pajamas. The legs are just too short! It's funny, because the top of those pj's are a little big. I got you a few 9 month jammies and those seem to fit your legs so much better. Other than that, you are still fitting perfectly into 3-6 month clothes.
It seems like this month has been big for you in terms of you becoming aware of so many things and really starting to develop your sweet little personality. Your dad and I feel so lucky that we were chosen to be your parents! You bring so much joy to us every day!
We love you so much, Buddy!
November 5, 2010
Phone Photo Friday
This is not the best picture ever, because, well, I was DRIVING while taking it. And I use the word 'driving' loosely, because we were travelling slower than a snail's pace.
I'm not sure if you can tell how far traffic is backed up from the picture, but it was over 3 miles that we were stuck like this. The arrow is pointing to where the traffic was still stopped all the way up there, and then for about a mile after that. And there were NO reports of it on any radio stations.
I was en route to pick up Cooper after a long day at work so you can imagine how annoyed I was. I was also highly annoyed at that GMC Jimmy in front of me whose breaks squeaked so.freaking.loud every time she pressed the brakes. Which was a.lot.
When I eventually got to the end of this mess, I saw that a car had rolled over. There was an ambulance, fire truck, and cop car. Yes, very sad and I hope everyone was okay. But you know what? NONE of that was actually ON the highway. The car was on an embankment and the emergency vehicles were on the shoulder. WHY was traffic backed up so badly? Looky Loos? Or do you say Rubber Neckers? I suppose that's what it was, because I couldn't make sense of anything else.
Anyway, happy Friday! Here's to hoping that none of YOU get stuck in this on your way home on a fabulous Friday!!
I'm not sure if you can tell how far traffic is backed up from the picture, but it was over 3 miles that we were stuck like this. The arrow is pointing to where the traffic was still stopped all the way up there, and then for about a mile after that. And there were NO reports of it on any radio stations.
I was en route to pick up Cooper after a long day at work so you can imagine how annoyed I was. I was also highly annoyed at that GMC Jimmy in front of me whose breaks squeaked so.freaking.loud every time she pressed the brakes. Which was a.lot.
When I eventually got to the end of this mess, I saw that a car had rolled over. There was an ambulance, fire truck, and cop car. Yes, very sad and I hope everyone was okay. But you know what? NONE of that was actually ON the highway. The car was on an embankment and the emergency vehicles were on the shoulder. WHY was traffic backed up so badly? Looky Loos? Or do you say Rubber Neckers? I suppose that's what it was, because I couldn't make sense of anything else.Anyway, happy Friday! Here's to hoping that none of YOU get stuck in this on your way home on a fabulous Friday!!
November 3, 2010
So, I was thinking...
Those 4 little words? Lee hates hearing them! Haha. With good reason, sometimes, I suppose.
You see, I say those words a couple times a month, most often followed by some grand idea I have that is either time consuming or costs more money than he'd prefer :)
So, I was thinking, we should put in french doors on that wall.
So, I was thinking, we should make some built in cabinets on the back living room wall.
So, I was thinking, I should stop taking my birth control. (haha, surprise 8 weeks later!)
Last week, I said "So, I was thinking, I wish we would have made the office Cooper's room and made the guest room the office."
And it's TRUE! We should have. And I have good reasons.
Cooper's room houses the 1/2 bath. I never realized how important that 1/2 bath was to the longevity of our marriage.
Cooper's room shares a wall with both the living room and the kitchen. This is a problem because we make dinner after he goes to bed. And we hang out in the living room all evening. And while we don't HAVE to be super quiet, we don't want to wake him up with loud movies or tv either.
Cooper's room is right by the front door. So if anyone comes to the door. Like the pizza man the other night, I'm always worried he'll wake up. Not to mention what if someone broke into our house through the front door. He would be the first one they would get to :(
See?!
When we decides which room would be his, well it wasn't really much of a question or discussion, we both just assumed the guest room would go and it would become his room. I didn't even think about it.
We should totally move his room. All I would have to do is paint it, but ugh! I am so sick of painting that house, I'm not sure if/when I'll ever get up the energy to do it.
November 2, 2010
November 1, 2010
Halloween Weekend
Thanks for all the sweet comments on Cooper's costume Friday! I had such a difficult time deciding on a costume, but I was so pleased with this one!
How was everyone's Halloween? I have to say that holidays are much more fun for us this year, since we have Cooper. I'm sure that they will only get better as he gets older and actually gets excited. Although, I'm sure that he was excited to be a scarecrow this year ;)
We have an event here called "boohaha" that is put on each year. A portion of town is blocked off (or supposed to be blocked off :) ) and there is trick or treating for the kids, as well as cosutme contests for children AND pets, and they have a parade. I'd never been before, so I was to get together with some friends and our boys (we ALL have boys) and watch the parade. I wanted to go a little earlier and walk around a little to see what this thing was all about. There was a costume contest that I kinda wanted to enter Cooper in to, but it was being held much earlier than anything else so we didn't do it. Probably for the best because I'm a sore loser :)
After a little Twitter chat, Jessica, Sarah and I decided that we would meet up and take the kids trick or treating before the parade started. Weeeellllll that was a joke because the trick or treating like was RIdiculous. So, we opted to sit at a restaurant patio and eat pizza :) Whatever, it worked for us! After we ate and chatted for a bit, it was time to take our little scarecrow and head over and meet everyone else for the parade. I wish we would've gotten a picture with the bees and poodle!
Here we all are with our boys!
We waited....and waited.....and waited for the parade. Eventually Cooper got hungry, so we ducked behind the crowd to feed him. And at that point the 'parade' started. We couldn't see much, but we saw 2 limos and several minutes later, a pink fire truck. And then, nothing. By that time, Cooper had finished eating and we'd decided to leave. As did most other people there. Some guy beside us was yelling "I don't know why everyone's leaving! There's a TON of stuff still coming up!" Really dude? Because we'd been there for 30 minutes and had seen nothing. The parade was really disappointing. Next year, we won't even bother. It was worth it to get a picture with the boys together though :)
How was everyone's Halloween? I have to say that holidays are much more fun for us this year, since we have Cooper. I'm sure that they will only get better as he gets older and actually gets excited. Although, I'm sure that he was excited to be a scarecrow this year ;)
We have an event here called "boohaha" that is put on each year. A portion of town is blocked off (or supposed to be blocked off :) ) and there is trick or treating for the kids, as well as cosutme contests for children AND pets, and they have a parade. I'd never been before, so I was to get together with some friends and our boys (we ALL have boys) and watch the parade. I wanted to go a little earlier and walk around a little to see what this thing was all about. There was a costume contest that I kinda wanted to enter Cooper in to, but it was being held much earlier than anything else so we didn't do it. Probably for the best because I'm a sore loser :)
After a little Twitter chat, Jessica, Sarah and I decided that we would meet up and take the kids trick or treating before the parade started. Weeeellllll that was a joke because the trick or treating like was RIdiculous. So, we opted to sit at a restaurant patio and eat pizza :) Whatever, it worked for us! After we ate and chatted for a bit, it was time to take our little scarecrow and head over and meet everyone else for the parade. I wish we would've gotten a picture with the bees and poodle!
Here we all are with our boys!
We waited....and waited.....and waited for the parade. Eventually Cooper got hungry, so we ducked behind the crowd to feed him. And at that point the 'parade' started. We couldn't see much, but we saw 2 limos and several minutes later, a pink fire truck. And then, nothing. By that time, Cooper had finished eating and we'd decided to leave. As did most other people there. Some guy beside us was yelling "I don't know why everyone's leaving! There's a TON of stuff still coming up!" Really dude? Because we'd been there for 30 minutes and had seen nothing. The parade was really disappointing. Next year, we won't even bother. It was worth it to get a picture with the boys together though :)Sunday we took the scarecrow over to my parents house for a photo shoot.
He was such a good sport about wearing this costume, hat and all. The hat was really snug under his chin and he didn't even fuss! He's such an easy-going baby.
We don't really have any trick or treaters in our neighborhood, so we just hung around Sunday night. Maybe next year we'll try actually trick or treating? We'll see!
October 29, 2010
October 27, 2010
Carrie Underwood Concert!
On October 10 (yes a week and a half ago, I am so behind!), Lee and I went to the Carrie Underwood concert. My parents got us tickets as part of both our birthday presents. It was our first evening away from Cooper, but we had a very trusted friend that took great care of him (while he slept :) )! Thanks Jenny! We had floor seats, which I usually don't like in the arena here, but they ended up being really good for her concert! Usually (I hadn't really been for a concert, just other events) you can't see a thing, but this time we could see everything going on.
We (well, I) don't really go to many concerts, so I don't have a lot to compare it to, but her stage was amazing. I loved all of the scenes, which is the only reason there are so many pictures here. I had to take a picture of each one. Believe it or not, I DID leave out a lot of the pictures I took! The only thing was that I didn't really like her choice of outfits. I was surprised because I usually love her wardrobe, but I was puzzled by most of what she wore. I'm sure she cares a whole lot what I think :) I'll spare you my commentary on each picture (except maybe a couple!), but we had a really great time!
She got in this truck and we looked up and noticed the track went right over our seats! We were so close! We found out that our section was mostly her fan club seating, so I'm guessing that's why her truck stopped right there while she sang a song and chatted for a little while. She was so sweet to the crowd! 
We (well, I) don't really go to many concerts, so I don't have a lot to compare it to, but her stage was amazing. I loved all of the scenes, which is the only reason there are so many pictures here. I had to take a picture of each one. Believe it or not, I DID leave out a lot of the pictures I took! The only thing was that I didn't really like her choice of outfits. I was surprised because I usually love her wardrobe, but I was puzzled by most of what she wore. I'm sure she cares a whole lot what I think :) I'll spare you my commentary on each picture (except maybe a couple!), but we had a really great time!
She got in this truck and we looked up and noticed the track went right over our seats! We were so close! We found out that our section was mostly her fan club seating, so I'm guessing that's why her truck stopped right there while she sang a song and chatted for a little while. She was so sweet to the crowd! 
I don't have her latest album, so when she sat at the piano (bottom left above) and sang Mama's Song, I'd never heard it. It was so sweet and they had pictures of her and her mom showing throughout the song, and then at the end they showed her and her husband at their wedding. Her mom was sitting in front of some of my co-workers in the audience, about 10 rows back or so :) I've since heard the song several times on the radio and it's my new favorite of hers. I just love her!
October 26, 2010
Our weekend and the pumpkin patch!
The weather around here on Saturday was perfect for laying around all day. Rainy, cloudy and dark all day. Unfortunately we had several things we needed to do, including going to a wedding, so we didn't get to take much advantage of the weather.
Saturday morning Cooper and I ran a couple of errands. We went to Target and then to Ulta. We had to go to Ulta because I needed some hair products and it was the last day for my $5 off coupon and I didn't want it to go to waste. Well it must have been my lucky day, because when I went back to get my Bug Sexy Hair Root Pump, they were having a buy 2 get 2 FREE sale! It's never buy 2 get 2, so you can bet your behind I got 4 items! Hairspray, backcomb in a bottle, and 2 root pumps! Does anyone else use Big Sexy Hair stuff? I swear by their root boost, even though my hair isn't crazy voluminous when I use it, you should see it when I DON'T use it! I've never used the backcomb in a bottle, but I've heard from several people that they love it so I thought I'd give it a try. I also still got to use my coupon, so I got $80 worth of stuff for like $35, crazy :)
Saturday afternoon we went to a wedding. It was a friend of Lee's that I actually went to college with, so I knew several people in the wedding. Sadly, no alcohol was served at this wedding. If you had known this guy in college, you'd have been SHOCKED at that piece of news! There wasn't even dancing. It was the most low key wedding ever, I think we were there 2 hours total from the time we walked in. We had a sitter for Copper, but there were actually lots of babies at the wedding and we were sad that we didn't bring our little guy. I hate going places without him.
After the wedding, we DID get to take advantage of the gloomy weather. Well, I did at least! Lee went to a friend's house to watch football while I laid around the house. Cooper goes to bed really early (around 5:30) so after I put him down I did some laundry and caught up on my DVR'd shows. I stayed up until 10:30! Haha, I'm so old. Usually I don't make it much past 9, sometimes 10 on the weekends, but I guess I decided to get a little crazy on Saturday. In my defense, Coop wakes up at 5 every single morning, so we don't ever get to sleep in!
On Sunday, we went to the pumpkin patch!! Cooper had his cute Peek A Boo onesie with a ghost on it. Of course he threw up all over it the second we put him in his carseat. Awesome. We managed to salvage the outfit though. The place we went to is about a 20-30 minute drive so of course little buddy fell asleep. I was content to just wait in the car until he woke up. He doesn't take long naps, 45 minutes at the most. ButLee someone decided that we should just wake him up. Danger Batman! Bad idea! He was a total grump! I would have been too if you woke me up and took me in the bright sun with tons of people in an unfamiliar place!
When Cooper wasn'tscreaming his head off crying, he had his head buried in our shoulders. Poor buddy, I felt bad for him. We DID manage to get some pictures though, And I think he's cute even when he's not smiling, so I'm good with what we got :)
We also re-named him for the day. Behold:
I did get this cutie while Lee was holding him. You can't really tell but he was actually smiling in this one! His fist is always in his mouth these days.
And we managed to get a decent family picture, I think. He pretty much refused to look at the camera all day, so we'll take what we can get!
Saturday morning Cooper and I ran a couple of errands. We went to Target and then to Ulta. We had to go to Ulta because I needed some hair products and it was the last day for my $5 off coupon and I didn't want it to go to waste. Well it must have been my lucky day, because when I went back to get my Bug Sexy Hair Root Pump, they were having a buy 2 get 2 FREE sale! It's never buy 2 get 2, so you can bet your behind I got 4 items! Hairspray, backcomb in a bottle, and 2 root pumps! Does anyone else use Big Sexy Hair stuff? I swear by their root boost, even though my hair isn't crazy voluminous when I use it, you should see it when I DON'T use it! I've never used the backcomb in a bottle, but I've heard from several people that they love it so I thought I'd give it a try. I also still got to use my coupon, so I got $80 worth of stuff for like $35, crazy :)
Saturday afternoon we went to a wedding. It was a friend of Lee's that I actually went to college with, so I knew several people in the wedding. Sadly, no alcohol was served at this wedding. If you had known this guy in college, you'd have been SHOCKED at that piece of news! There wasn't even dancing. It was the most low key wedding ever, I think we were there 2 hours total from the time we walked in. We had a sitter for Copper, but there were actually lots of babies at the wedding and we were sad that we didn't bring our little guy. I hate going places without him.
After the wedding, we DID get to take advantage of the gloomy weather. Well, I did at least! Lee went to a friend's house to watch football while I laid around the house. Cooper goes to bed really early (around 5:30) so after I put him down I did some laundry and caught up on my DVR'd shows. I stayed up until 10:30! Haha, I'm so old. Usually I don't make it much past 9, sometimes 10 on the weekends, but I guess I decided to get a little crazy on Saturday. In my defense, Coop wakes up at 5 every single morning, so we don't ever get to sleep in!
On Sunday, we went to the pumpkin patch!! Cooper had his cute Peek A Boo onesie with a ghost on it. Of course he threw up all over it the second we put him in his carseat. Awesome. We managed to salvage the outfit though. The place we went to is about a 20-30 minute drive so of course little buddy fell asleep. I was content to just wait in the car until he woke up. He doesn't take long naps, 45 minutes at the most. But
When Cooper wasn't
We also re-named him for the day. Behold:
This series was taken right before we left. I figured if we were leaving anyway, I'd risk the possible screaming tears and take some pics. He wasn't having it!
I did get this cutie while Lee was holding him. You can't really tell but he was actually smiling in this one! His fist is always in his mouth these days.
And we managed to get a decent family picture, I think. He pretty much refused to look at the camera all day, so we'll take what we can get!
That was about it for Sunday! We got some fudge and hightailed it out of that nightmare place. Cooper was cranky for the rest of the day. I'm not trying to say anything, but I do want to reiterate that it was not my idea to wake him from his nap.... :)
We did nothing for the rest of Sunday. I didn't even go tot he grocery store. That is really NOT like us!
October 25, 2010
Giveaway!!!
Hey guys! I’m pretty excited to share this with you all!
CSN Stores recently contacted me about doing a giveaway! Now, I’ll go ahead and be honest. I’ve seen several CSN giveaways on a few other blogs, but I never actually knew what CSN Stores really was. When they contacted me, I immediately went to their site to check it out, and y’all, I’ve been missing out! It is one site that has over 200 online stores, selling everything from cookware, to bar furniture, to handbags. You can buy stuff from any of their stores and have only one checkout! I've already got a cart filled with a few things that I might not be able to live without, you know, some Le Creuset cookware, a toy chest for Cooper, only the essentials :)
CSN Stores is offering a $35 gift certificate to one of you lucky readers! You can use it at any of their stores.
Here’s how you can enter (one entry for each action):
1. Just leave me a comment!
2. Follow my blog
3. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter , linking to this post
4. Blog about this giveaway*- be sure to leave me a link to your blog if I can’t get to it via your profile!
Please leave me a separate comment for each entry.
*Important!* If at least 10 people blog about this giveaway and use the phrase “bar furniture”, and link it to www.allbarstools.com (like I’ve done above), then the gift certificate will be increased to $50! To encourage you to do this, leave me another comment that you’ve linked to the store and I will give you an additional entry, so that’s a possible 5 entries!
You have until Monday November 1st at 5pm central time to enter. I'll announce the winner that Tuesday.
Good luck friends!
CSN Stores recently contacted me about doing a giveaway! Now, I’ll go ahead and be honest. I’ve seen several CSN giveaways on a few other blogs, but I never actually knew what CSN Stores really was. When they contacted me, I immediately went to their site to check it out, and y’all, I’ve been missing out! It is one site that has over 200 online stores, selling everything from cookware, to bar furniture, to handbags. You can buy stuff from any of their stores and have only one checkout! I've already got a cart filled with a few things that I might not be able to live without, you know, some Le Creuset cookware, a toy chest for Cooper, only the essentials :)
CSN Stores is offering a $35 gift certificate to one of you lucky readers! You can use it at any of their stores.
Here’s how you can enter (one entry for each action):
1. Just leave me a comment!
2. Follow my blog
3. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter , linking to this post
4. Blog about this giveaway*- be sure to leave me a link to your blog if I can’t get to it via your profile!
Please leave me a separate comment for each entry.
*Important!* If at least 10 people blog about this giveaway and use the phrase “bar furniture”, and link it to www.allbarstools.com (like I’ve done above), then the gift certificate will be increased to $50! To encourage you to do this, leave me another comment that you’ve linked to the store and I will give you an additional entry, so that’s a possible 5 entries!
You have until Monday November 1st at 5pm central time to enter. I'll announce the winner that Tuesday.
Good luck friends!
October 19, 2010
Some Things
- Since I've been back at work, I have gotten some sort of coffee drink every morning. McDonalds has a McCafe line of coffee drinks and I actually really like it. Better than Starbucks I will admit. But, they NEVER get my order right. I get a large, sugar free nonfat vanilla latte. Well, sometimes it's iced, sometimes its a medium, sometimes it's whole milk, sometimes there's NO flavoring. Last time I went, there was a...questionable..hair in the lid. It was sick. I am not going there anymore. Then today I decided to try Braums, because they now have lattes. I got the same thing. When I got to work I had my first sip. It was a MOCHA!! I like a lot of chocolate things, but one thing I don't like is mochas. What the heck people? You have a MACHINE where you just press the buttons and it makes it for you! I just don't see how it's that hard. I think that this is an excellent argument for getting our own espresso maker, right? ;)
- The contractor that's working on our bookcases, well, we haven't seen him in a week and a half. Our house is in a constant state of disarray as we wait on him to return and finish. I think we're going to try and contact him tomorrow. He doesn't have a phone, remember? I know, it sounds like we were idiots for hiring this guy, but he has done work for us before so we sort of knew he was like this. That work wasn't as time consuming though.
- We/the dr thinks that Cooper might have acid reflux, thus causing his nighttime issues. He's on some medicine and we're not laying him down right after his last bottle. Sometimes he's fine and sometimes he's not. Last night, perfect angel, tonight, had some issues and we had to put him in his carseat. I'm just glad that we now know what to do to get him calmed down. I can handle the crying, but I can't handle him being in pain. Who knows what it really is. He's just fine otherwise so I'm not really worried.
- Oh, we DID find out that the 'gentle' version of the formula were were using made him constipated. Sorry if that's TMI, but just in case it would help someone else to know that. I think it was TOO gentle and didn't really get things moving, haha. I think that's why he was so "solemn" as my dad said last week. Because as soon as we switched the formula back, he pooped 4 times in one day and was a happy camper again! Sorry for all the poop talk!
- I never thought I'd say this, but I am having huge issues with keeping up with my tv shows! The evenings are just so busy that I don't have time to sit down and watch. Or if I do, I'm always doing something else and not really paying attention. Like right now, I'm trying to watch Gray's, but I'm also writing this so I'm really not paying attention!
- Work has been really busy for some reason. It's so weird to get used to. I don't have time to play around like usual. And by 'busy', I mean that I really just have work to do during the day, period. Haha :)
- Today I was so busy that I accidentally emailed a website link to HERE instead of to my personal email address, because they both pop up in my work email and I just didn't even look because I was in a hurry! So that's what the tablecloths thing was all about, and I think I even misspelled it! :)
- Um, that website may or may not have been some stuff for Cooper's first birthday party. I can't help it. I can't NOT be doing something creative at all times. And I really am not doing a lot of planning for the birthday. I just get the urge to look something up every once in a while. :)
- The contractor that's working on our bookcases, well, we haven't seen him in a week and a half. Our house is in a constant state of disarray as we wait on him to return and finish. I think we're going to try and contact him tomorrow. He doesn't have a phone, remember? I know, it sounds like we were idiots for hiring this guy, but he has done work for us before so we sort of knew he was like this. That work wasn't as time consuming though.
- We/the dr thinks that Cooper might have acid reflux, thus causing his nighttime issues. He's on some medicine and we're not laying him down right after his last bottle. Sometimes he's fine and sometimes he's not. Last night, perfect angel, tonight, had some issues and we had to put him in his carseat. I'm just glad that we now know what to do to get him calmed down. I can handle the crying, but I can't handle him being in pain. Who knows what it really is. He's just fine otherwise so I'm not really worried.
- Oh, we DID find out that the 'gentle' version of the formula were were using made him constipated. Sorry if that's TMI, but just in case it would help someone else to know that. I think it was TOO gentle and didn't really get things moving, haha. I think that's why he was so "solemn" as my dad said last week. Because as soon as we switched the formula back, he pooped 4 times in one day and was a happy camper again! Sorry for all the poop talk!
- I never thought I'd say this, but I am having huge issues with keeping up with my tv shows! The evenings are just so busy that I don't have time to sit down and watch. Or if I do, I'm always doing something else and not really paying attention. Like right now, I'm trying to watch Gray's, but I'm also writing this so I'm really not paying attention!
- Work has been really busy for some reason. It's so weird to get used to. I don't have time to play around like usual. And by 'busy', I mean that I really just have work to do during the day, period. Haha :)
- Today I was so busy that I accidentally emailed a website link to HERE instead of to my personal email address, because they both pop up in my work email and I just didn't even look because I was in a hurry! So that's what the tablecloths thing was all about, and I think I even misspelled it! :)
- Um, that website may or may not have been some stuff for Cooper's first birthday party. I can't help it. I can't NOT be doing something creative at all times. And I really am not doing a lot of planning for the birthday. I just get the urge to look something up every once in a while. :)
October 18, 2010
Weekend Wrap Up!
We had a pretty busy (but fun!) weekend. Sunday night was spent trying to catch up on laundry and housework, but I’ll admit that we just gave it up and went to bed at 8. We got 9 glooooorious hours of sleep!
This weekend was homecoming weekend for my alma mater. (I’ve never said or used the word alma mater, and now that I have, it makes me feel weird) Anywho, because of that, a bunch of friends that I rarely get to see were in town. And it was a good excuse to see friends that do live around here, too! I went to college in the town where I grew up and still live. Many of my friends moved away after graduation, so I love it when there is a reason for any of them to come into town.
Friday night, a group of us went to dinner at a local sushi place, and then headed over to a local bar for one of the homecoming activities. That activity would be drinking and talking. Fun! :) Our alumni committee reserved a part of the bar just for our alums, so we got to see and catch up with everyone. I went to a fairly small college so you pretty much know everyone. Since Lee and I are the old couple, we were the first ones to leave, around 11 I believe. I thought that was good for us, since I am usually a zombie by 9 or so.
This weekend was homecoming weekend for my alma mater. (I’ve never said or used the word alma mater, and now that I have, it makes me feel weird) Anywho, because of that, a bunch of friends that I rarely get to see were in town. And it was a good excuse to see friends that do live around here, too! I went to college in the town where I grew up and still live. Many of my friends moved away after graduation, so I love it when there is a reason for any of them to come into town.
Friday night, a group of us went to dinner at a local sushi place, and then headed over to a local bar for one of the homecoming activities. That activity would be drinking and talking. Fun! :) Our alumni committee reserved a part of the bar just for our alums, so we got to see and catch up with everyone. I went to a fairly small college so you pretty much know everyone. Since Lee and I are the old couple, we were the first ones to leave, around 11 I believe. I thought that was good for us, since I am usually a zombie by 9 or so.
This was also our first overnight away from Cooper :( He stayed with my parents. We went over to see him after work and gave him a bath. He was really good for them, and didn’t even wake up crying like he had been for us all week! I won’t lie, we tried to get them to come over to our house to watch him so that he could have stayed at our house, but that didn’t really fly with my parents. I don’t really blame them, it would be kind of ridiculous to bring him to our house when he could just stay at their house where he already was. And I’m pretty sure my parents don’t want to stay up until 11 pm waiting on us to get home.
On Saturday, my dad brought Coop home after he had woken up and eaten, so around 6am. That was the ‘compromise’ since they didn’t want to watch him at our house, my dad said he’d just bring him home early. Honestly, I could have done with sleeping in, but Lee was going to Norman for the OU game and wanted to see him for at least a little while. I also learned a valuable lesson Saturday morning. Apparently 2 glasses of wine and a martini over the course of 4.5 hours is way too much for a new mama who hasn’t had any alcohol in a while. I felt like I had gotten run over with a truck Saturday morning. So anyway, Lee left for the game and Coop and I went to have brunch with a group of my friends. That was fun because none of them had gotten to meet him yet :) Of course they loved him and took turns holding him, and he was a perfect angel. Seriously he was a trooper! He just hung out while we ate for a couple of hours and then walked around the shopping area for another hour and a half or so. Entertained himself with his favorite toy. He was exhausted by the time we left to go home and passed out in the car.
I opted not to go to the football game that night. The original plan was for me to go to brunch by myself then take Coop and Lee to the tailgate (still never going to the game because OU was playing that night and God forbid we miss an OU game). But, at the last minute, Lee decided to go to Norman, and I couldn’t (or didn’t want to) take Cooper to so many things that day. Plus, I think it worked out better this way. Everyone wanted to meet the buddy and it was better to do that over brunch than at a tailgate (that actually never happened!).
I *gasp* stayed alone Saturday night :( I HATE staying at home alone. I cannot sleep well at all, and I needed some sleep since I wasn’t feeling too hot from the night before. It’s not because I miss Lee so much or I think people will break in (which I do think that, but that’s not what really gets me). No, I’m scared of ghosts or made up things from movies. Samara, from The Ring? Yep, have visions of her standing in my doorway. Then I start thinking of every other scary movie I’ve seen and it’s just over. I need to get a grip! And once I had finally gotten to sleep, Cooper decided that it was fun time from about 1-3am. He NEVER does that. I think he was having, uh, gas issues. Haha. He wasn’t really that fussy though, just WIDE awake. He did sleep in until 6:30 as opposed to his usual 5 so that was nice of him.
Sunday we went to breakfast again to get one final goodbye before everyone hit the road. Then Lee got home and had some hang out time with Cooper while we did lots of housework. Or we layed on the couch. You decide whish is true.
It was a really fun weekend, but I was exhausted. The last 2 weekends have been busy, and I was looking forward to a quiet weekend next weekend. Until I realized that we have a wedding to go to. We are also going to the pumpkin patch!! Fun! :)
October 15, 2010
Phone Photo Friday - Fright Edition
So I was driving down a street in my neighborhood a few weeks ago, and I passed this. The house is right by a stop sign so I plenty of time to stare at it and completely FREAK myself out! What the heck?! This thing is freaking scary! The jason guy sitting down looks like he follows you with his head as you drive by! It's so scary. Does this freak y'all out? Lee said the red and white things remind him of dementors (my fellow Harry Potter fans might agree with him, becasue I do)
Have a great weekend!
Have a great weekend!
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