2 months is a long time

So many new words this little guy is saying:
apple, called Grandpa Jim-papa, book, gorilla (our absolute favorite word because he says lallila and the tongue is the best!), color, no and nope, yes.
Hugs and kisses a plenty. The best is when he grabs your face for a kiss! Now how to get him to learn to pucker....
Blows kisses to EVERYONE when you say bye. Bye is "dye" and then kisses follow. The best is when he does it to strange men when we are out and about

He'll point to some things and demonstrate what it does to show what he wants. Okay, it's just his brush that he does that for, but he still shows us!
Listening very well to instructions: come here, go downstairs, go upstairs, go to Cooper's room, go to Mommy and Daddy's room, he'll get things we ask him to get, hand us things that we ask him to hand us.
When we ask where the baby is he lifts my shirt and kisses my belly. He also pokes the heck out of my belly button. The baby is going to get him back for that!!
At night when we get him ready for bed, Cooper will crawl up into his recliner to get a book read. He loves books!
Cooper and Steve have been taking swim lessons and they love it! Steve loves to tell me all about the things that Cooper did and how much fun he was at the pool. He's certainly grown to love the water and some of the activities they do they show me during tubby time.

Word World was introduced by Zion and Cooper LOVES it! He'll come to the tv room and say "Word World". He just started saying the word sheep because sheep is in the show. He laughs at funny parts.

This is my favorite stage right now. Cooper throws his tantrums and definitely gets mad about things, but it's not for long. The best was when he was mad at me for taking the dustbuster and putting it away. He was crying and mad but came up to hug my legs while he was so mad! He get over being mad pretty quickly, so that's good.

Santa Visit...almost

Well, you'd think Coop is off and driving with as long as it's taken to post...

We took Cooper to see Santa Friday night hoping it would be less busy. While the line was not bad, the set up was a disaster for us! The line was right next to the merry go round, and cars for the little kids. One look at that and Cooper was trying everything in his power to escape his stroller. We tried to turn the stroller to keep him from looking at the rides and he was too smart for that. The decision was to go ahead and eat dinner then do Santa after dinner. After walking the whole rest of the mall looking for the Chick-Fil-A that I promised was at this mall (turns out it was at another mall, but I could see it in my mind) we ate and did a little shopping.
We wanted to get some duffel bags, so we hit Sports Authority. Cooper was out of his stroller so he could walk a little...well he found a really nice bag he proceeded to carry all around the store. It was hysterical....one of those times we wished that we carried the Flip Cam with us. Sorry, it's a vision only we can see. But he just kept walking up and down the aisle with this bag. Anyway, we finished up and decided to head back to Santa. In the meantime, the crankiness set in (it was getting late and we were pushing our luck, we know). We tried to get Cooper in his stroller, but he wasn't having it. Then we tried walking with him and he proceeded to throw himself down on the floor (I forgot to mention that we passed the little kid ride area again). Poor Steve had to carry Coop all the way from one end of the mall to the other with the little angel yelling the whole way and fighing being held. We were those parents who had the screaming kid and all we could do was laugh! We got to the exit point where there were more kiddie rides (seriously, who designed this mall with all these rides everywhere???) and let Cooper sit on the rides while we got his coat on. He was the happiest kid on earth!!!
Needless to say, we decided that Sunday morning would be a better time to visit Santa.
At dinner tonight, Cooper did have his first dinner sitting in a booster seat instead of a highchair!

Letter to Cooper

Dear Cooper,
I am sorry that I don't keep up with the blog the way I should and want to. Everyday you do something that just makes your Daddy and I laugh and so proud of the way you are changing each day. We are taking many mental images, I just wish we were better and keeping track of it on your blog. The blog is not only for you family and friends that live far away, but serves as your "baby book" of tracking what you are doing as you grow.
I can't promise I'll do better at writing it down on your blog, but I'll sure try!

We love you so very much and the favorite part of our day is watching the world through your eyes.

It wasn't like this last time!

Cooper has been an angel the past few weeks. I've had morning sickness that's lasting all day long and am exhausted. Fortunately Cooper is like me in the afternoon and just likes the quiet time on the drive home. Once we get home he plays and then we eat, then after we play a little more I tell him "time to brusha, brusha" and he walks right up the stairs to his bathroom. He sits in my lap and just lets me read a book to him or will play right in my lap. I LOVE when he is across the room and then comes and sits in my lap. I guess I better enjoy it now because in a few months I won't have much of a lap for him to sit in!
I truly think Cooper knows I'm lacking in the energy department and is being extra good to Mommy. I'll have to keep this all in mind when the new baby comes and he's wanting extra attention. I love him!!!

We love visits!!

Mimi and Pop Pop came to visit for a week. While the weather was absolutely terrible and the grandkids all had colds so they couldn't all be together it was a good visit. They stayed for 2 weekends and we got to play a lot! I learned to say Pop Pop and called Mimi "bubbles". While it's a silly nickname, it could have been a lot worse! Cooper kept us all in stiches from his little quirks:
walking with his hands behind his back. Either he's being formal or is being sneaky!
walking to his highchair, pulling the tray down to show he's ready to eat-now he goes to the drawer where his bibs are kept and gets one!
playing with all the things he shouldn't play with when he's got a TON of toys and watching PopPop and Mimi try to distract him
sitting under the dining room table with Mimi and Pop Pop
handing all the pieces of his elephant train so that someone puts it together for him
trying to climb up on the couch and watching tv with Mimi and Pop Pop. They got 3 nights of cuddle time with Cooper.
he takes keys and tries to unlock doors with them
saying fishy, fishy
amazing PopPop at how much fun he has playing with the cans in the grocery cart
calling Mimi bubbles and looking for bubbles in the closet. Even after they left Cooper looked up at the front door because PopPop would come help us in the afternoon after school and said PopPop. Then we got in the house and he said Bubbles. It's hysterical!!
Coming downstairs wearing a tshirt that told Mimi and PopPop that Cooper was going to be a big brother

Visits are the best...I wish they never had to end

The past few days

Some new things for Cooper that just make us laugh and also make me realize I am not as neurotic as I was when he was first born:
1. For 2 days in a row all Cooper ate for dinner was cereal. I gave him meat and veggies and all he wanted was cereal. Then the next night he had chicken, rice, and kiwi. All he ate was the kiwi. Oh well, the kid is surely not lacking in the food department!
2. When Cooper wants you to sit down or he wants to sit on a chair he pats it.
3. He LOVES his belly and everyone elses. One of our friends has a 2nd grader who adores Cooper. We were all out one night and Cooper has the little girl's shirt pulled up and is grabbing her belly. Poor kid is wearing onsies under his shirt now that it's cooler out and he can't get to his belly! He does love his Mama's belly button. He finds it and pokes his finger in it hard! I laugh hysterically everytime which is probably why he does it!
4. New words: Ball-he can find a ball and also says ball when he sees it in a book
Ding when he hears the microwave beep
We think he is saying Daddy now instead of Dada
Counts ..., two, three
5. Hats. He loves hats! They don't really stay on because he is always putting them on and taking them off, but he can play with a hat for hours. Steve always has hats laying around and Cooper will find them and put them on. Many times he can't see where he is going which is funny to watch!!
6. When we are in the car if I don't have my hands on the steering wheel where he sees them, then I get yelled at to put them back up. Cooper takes his hands and pretends to drive. Sometimes I even don't have my hands where he can see them just so he'll yell at me :) I think it all started the day let him crawl into the car (because I didn't think he could) and of course he did!! He found the steering wheel and all the buttons and had the best time! Now everytime we go toward the car he squirms out of my arms to get into the front seat! Oh, and does the drive thing with his arms.
7. Morning routines. Poor guy is up early with us 5:30 or so. It goes like this: I get him out of his crib, give him a hug and kiss then put him down on the floor and tell him to go find Daddy. Steve calls out from our room and Cooper goes wandering down the hall looking for Steve. All the time Cooper is calling out for Daddy and Steve is calling for Cooper. Once Cooper gets in the room he looks all over for Steve. It's the perfect way to start the morning!
8. Our new outlook is to just let Cooper explore and so long as he can't get hurt just let him do what he wants. For those who know me know I can't stand a mess. I've spent many months running after him cleaning up as he plays OR I would move him from a situation that could be a potential mess. I'm proud to say I've eased up on that greatly. It's fun to see where he'll go and what he'll get into. We've got a cabinet that's just for him then a lazy susan cabinet that's not his to play in, but he does anyway. There is nothing that can hurt him, so it's okay. When it spins around Cooper says "weeeeee". He likes to take things out of the cabinet and play with them. The coolest part, he often puts it back!! Now onto the part that makes me happy about my not being so neurotic anymore: The other night he went to the pantry to get a box of cereal. He was having trouble getting into the bag where the cereal was, so I helped him out. Within a few seconds all I hear is the cereal pouring out onto the floor. Cooper was so tickled with himself that he could now easiely eat the cereal . He sat there grabbing handfulls of food and shoveling it into his mouth. I just laughed and laughed at the mess-this huge pile of Cheerios and how darn innocent he looked just sitting there in the pile of O's eating to his hearts content.

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Mimi and PopPop. Showing Cooper off is our favorite thing to do!! Watching him play with his grandparents who all live so far away is such fun for us.

First Hugs!

I got my first hug earlier this week. I went to pick up Cooper at the sitter's house and he met me at the stairs saying Mama. Then he hugged my legs which was sweet....but then I sat down on the floor to watch him play. He came over and wrapped his arms around my neck and hugged me! The kicker was that he patted my back as he hugged me. It was the sweetest thing and melts my heart everytime I think about it.

Dinner

Little man is definitely becoming more and more independent.....it makes me sad, but the personality that is emerging is absolutely wonderful!!

Tonight at dinner I was making a dish for Steve and I while Cooper ate his dinner. He ate everything by himself out of a bowl (and the bowl never hit the floor). Green beans, chicken tenders and kiwi. We've taught him the sign for drink, more, and eat.....when he wants more we remind him to show us more. Usually he's really good about showing us. Tonight he saw that there was more chicken cut up for him on a separate plate. He made his piercing sound telling me he wanted more, but I kindly gave a reminder about showing me more not yelling about it. He still yelled and proceeded to stretch far enough to grab the plate of chicken and help himself. A few minutes later he finished and again wanted more (this child loves to eat!!). Again with the yelling...again with the more reminder. I walked over to the high chair and showed him more with his hands. He just looked at me with this look I can't even explain, shook his head no, and proceeded to eat all the crumbs off his tray and bib. It was as if he was telling me: I'm not going to do the more sign and I'll just show you by eating these measley crumbs!

Also today, he climbed up and down the stairs all by himself without anyone knowing where he was. We went looking for him and there he was downstairs already (heading towards his snack cabinet!!)

It's been a looooong time

Cooper is growing and changing so much and doing a ton of new things each day. He makes us laugh and we just sit and watch him. He is definitely opening up our eyes to the world around us and teaching us to appreciate the little things!!

Here are some updates. I promise to keep a better log. To write more of his stories and the experiences that bring smiles to our faces. We want to share them with you all and hope you enjoy living the joys of Cooper through our eyes.

The things he likes:
1. the trash can-he will pull trash out it. On the flip side...he did find some paper the other day and put the paper in the recycle bin (the proceeded to pick it out).
2. greeen beans-probably because he can pick them up and eat them
3. getting up the stairs a little bit and waiting for us to chase him-the sneaky laugh he gets when he sees that we see him and are about to go chasing after him gets us laughing hysterically!
4. his belly and other people's bellies-He struggles to see his own belly and works so hard to find his belly button. There have been times that Cooper tries to explore his and our bellies in public!! The mischevious little look he gets when he realizes you are in a good position for him to poke in your belly button is the best!!
5. dancing
6. closing the door. We've actually asked him to go close the door and he does.
7. hugging his animals. At the sitters, there is a baby doll that the little girl plays with. When I give him the doll he just throws it to the ground. It's like he knows not to play with dolls (not that there is anything wrong with boys and dolls at this age)

8. trying to get up on things and climbing down things. He was trying to climb up Steve's leg the other day. Mainly to get at his belly button, but still he was trying. He is very good at getting down on his belly and sliding down. Now we just wonder how long until he climbs out of the crib!
9. watching sid the science kid-it's a cute show and he'll stay entertained with it for a few minutes and then it'll catch his eye again. Sometimes he'll just come sit down on the pillows on the floor put his hands behind his head and is ready to relax with some tv.
10. blowing his nose-not that he can blow his nose, we use the suction thing. But he had a runny nose for a few days and we were constantly wiping it. Now he'll grab anything that resembles a Kleenex and blow. Very cute!
11. eat-still loves to eat! Cooper will go to his part of the pantry and pull out his snacks. Sometimes he'll just sit down on the floor and open the container. Has never spat his food out at us. He has a handful of times just opened his mouth and food comes out, but never spat it. He also does the sign for eat. When we go down the stairs in the morning he makes the eat sign.
12. mum mum is his word for food.
13. nana-at the sitters he will walk over to the fruit bowl and say nana for banana. His first real word and item association
14. all done-when he's finished eating he puts his hand out "all done" style. We think the other day he said the words, too.
15. dada-while I try not to get a complex, he does not say mama near as much. If he sees me he calls me dada. The smile I get is worth him not knowing my name
16. getting dressed-he can take off his pants and shirt and we are working on him putting his clothes on. He knows where the articles of clothing go, though. He's also been trying to put his shoes on...or anyone's shoes who are around.
17. animal sounds: monkey-when he goes in his bathroom of monkey-central he says EEEE. He also has a shirt with monkeys all over it....you can only imagine what he does when he sees the shirt. Bumble bee-Steve taught him the buzzing sound of a bee stuffed animal he has. It's cute to hear that buzzz sound. We are working on snake and elephant
18. He still loves to see the buses and trucks. I must laugh 10 times on our commute each morning just because he gets so excited! you can only imagine how he is when I am parked behind the bus/truck!!
19. mr. personality-when he's not getting his way he definitely lets you know by making this face and a whiney noise. He's mastered the art of the fake cry. HOWEVER, he is very easy to distract and get him focused on something new.

I know I have left things out and will do so much better about writing the funny episodes. More to come soon..........

summer vacation is coming to an end

I guess I shouldn't whine that summer vacation is coming to an end. We are blessed to have jobs that give us the summer off. Steve always starts back a few weeks early as the fall sports teams start back for practice and today was the first day back.
It was just Cooper and me today. We had fun, but we missed Daddy.

I haven't updated on the new things Cooper is doing:
Knows his head, nose and belly. He also points to other people's noses and grabs them.
Gives the best kisses. Wide open mouth and and says "ahhhh" when he wants one
plays with his Little People bus and tries to get the right shaped pieces in the bus
Has a few toys that require him to get the pieces in and he is very persistant when doing it
Makes the cutest scrunchy nose
Gives hugs and cuddles up to you when he isn't busy playing
Knows his section of the pantry and will get his own snack
Can sign for drink and can tell us when he wants a drink
When you say bye bye he waves says "die die" and blows kisses
When he hears "yeah" he immediately starts clapping and cheering
Goes up and down the stairs. When going down he backs so that he can slide down on his belly. He is trying to walk up the stairs when we are holding his hands
and lastly is letting us know when he does not want to do something. I've had 2 instances at home where he throws himself down on the floor because I am making him do stop doing something he wants to keep doing or won't give him something he wants. I can't help but laugh because he's so darn cute when he does it!!

Florida trip-part 2

We drove back up with Mimi and Pop to Leesburg. It's Cooper's 2nd visit there. He was perfect in the car and kept everyone laughing with the adorable things he does.
It was hot, hot, hot in Florida. A HUGE change from our visit to Wisconsin. Needless to say, we spent lots of time at the pool. I think Cooper had flashbacks of the cold water of the lake and was a little hesitant, but once in he loved it. The first day he napped at the pool for about 2 hours which I loved so I could get some sun time in. I think everyone else was getting restless. Our morning ritual was to head to the pool for a few hours. The little heartbreaker was a hit with all the old people at the retirement community. The grandparents loved showing him off!!

Cooper really started walking during this visit. And you know that each time he did it it was a bunch of grown ups cheering him on like crazy!! We'd laugh and get so excited for him. We have a few videos of him cheering himself on after he'd fall. Round of applause and all. So cute!!

The ceiling fans were a big hit. Cooper loves ceiling fans. He'd wake up in the morning pointing up at the ceiling and start jabbering away. I don't think they get turned on that often as Pop Pop is always cold, but he was okay with Cooper wanting them on.

We had a great time with Mimi and Pop Pop. It's always fun to watch your own parents play with your child. The plane ride home was perfect-we got the back row of the plane and no one sat next to us. Coop fell asleep the moment the plane took off and didn't wake up until we landed-literally!! While we do love to play with him, it's easier at times for him to sleep especially when he's as mobile as he is. THE BEST:: Steve changed Cooper 2 times in the airplane bathroom changing table. Did I mention how much I loved Jet Blue???? I should get paid for pushing this airline.

Florida trip-part 1

We were on the move after a week at home-again working on the house. Cooper did go to Ms. Ragaa a few days and Steve and I came home to work. Don't worry, we did do some fun things-saw Harry Potter and had lots of people come by to look at our airconditioning! But I'm giving you boring dribble. More about Cooper:

We flew to Florida first to Ft. Lauderdale to see Great Grandma Roz and Papa Phil. Cooper was an angel on the plane. We had a big guy sitting next to us, but he slept the whole way. Jet Blue is the airline to fly on-tvs in every seat and LOTS of legroom.
We spent a few days with the great grandparents. Steve and I have commented numerous times this summer about how incredibly lucky we are that our grandparents are still a part of our lives and see them with Cooper makes our heart melt. Cooper loved playing with the organ at Grandma's and started walking a little more as the floors are all tile and his poor knees were getting sore!
Mimi and Pop came a few days later to take us up to Orlando......more on this later.

I need to comment on mine and Steve's favorite part of the trip: Bru's Room. It's a restaurant that has the BEST wings. I'm not a big fan of wings but since Steve introducted me to them a few years back we have always made sure we eat there when in town. We told Grandma not to get anything for dinner that we wanted to eat there everynight we were there. And we almost did. I only wish everyone could try their wings because they are.......mmmm, I can't talk about them anymore because I want to get on the plane and go back.

Fun with Grammy

Grandma Judy came with us from Wisconsin home. She got to have a whole week of Cooper time as Steve and I were busy working on the house. Cooper was spoiled with daily walks-the weather was perfect most of the week. We spent some time exploring our new city and neighborhood. It's always fun to watch the grandparents play with Cooper. Grammy played cars and built with the blocks. Cooper misses his Grammy, but we'll keep in touch with the webcam.

During Grammy's visit we got word from Ms. Ragaa that Cooper was taking more steps on his own. He would walk from the table to the couch on his own. We're on our way!!!

Updates and the First Part of Summer Vacation

The first part of summer vacation and some other updates: (be warned, it's a long post!)

School finished up for us late in June and we headed out a few days later for Wisconsin to spend some time with Steve’s side of the family. For some, it has been a year since they’ve seen Cooper. We are spending 2 weeks at the Upty cabin and some good quality time with Great Grandpa Upty. Lucky for us Grandpa Jim has been puttering around the cabin as well. We’ve made a few visits into town to see Grandma Judy. But for the most part we’ve been relaxing and getting to spend lots of Cooper time- which we absolutely love!

Travel
Cooper was an angel in the car. Sometimes one of us would sit in the back with him while the other one drove. Cooper played with a few toys, but would often be found playing with his feet-swinging them, putting them in his mouth, tugging on his toes. We did break out the movie player, but some well-given advice from my sister is to explain that the movie player only works for long trips. We watched some Veggie Tales, Finding Nemo (a staple on all car trips even before Cooper was born), Jungle Book, and Friends (my favorite when on a car trip). We find it cute when we get in the car and Cooper points to the movie player in the roof…..we’ll just continue to follow the new rule to avoid the video player becoming a bad habit .
Mealtimes consisted of picnics where we stopped along the way at parks or nice rest areas. We’d spread out a blanket and let the little guy crawl around. The trip each day lasted about 11-12 hours day and the only fussing was when we had to change his diaper! We are incredibly lucky for this!! I do realize we still have a return trip and surely hope I am not jumping the gun on what an angel he was. Grandma Judy is coming home with us for a week, so she’ll keep him entertained.

No More Bottle
We decided that the 2 weeks with Cooper would be a good time to teach him how to use a straw cup and to drink his milk during meal times instead of having a bottle 3 separate times a day. We truly expected it to take the 2 weeks. Well as is natural for Cooper, he adjusted to it all with ease. He doesn’t even miss his bottle and has mastered the straw cup. My sister also suggested (funny how much of her advice I follow nowadays-certainly wouldn’t have happened 15 years ago!!) a cool thing that attaches to a regular ol’ water bottle for Cooper to drink out of.

PS----If you look at the pictures you will also see that he has enjoys drinking out of a can, too!

Teeth
The molars have arrived along with his final 4^th tooth on the bottom. We have been anxiously waiting the arrival of the 4^th tooth on the bottom since April! The molars started a few weeks ago and not a fuss from the little guy. We only noticed one time when he was laughing and caught a glimpse of some jagged white on the far back of his mouth. I still don’t know what Steve and I have done to deserve such an easy child!!

Talking
Cooper is a jibber jabbering away. He definitely has some stories to tell. He is saying Dada much more than Mama. When he drops something we truly think he is saying “Uh Oh” which is cute as can be. He can “woof” when he sees a dog. Today when watching the news he saw the bulls in Pampalona and said “woof” over and over. Weeeee is the word of choice when closing a door or playing in the lazy susan kitchen cabinet. Cooper can pat his head when we ask him where his head is and immediately breaks out into a rousing round of applause for himself.
The funniest thing about Cooper is how he seems to know the right time to laugh. There will be a conversation going on where we’ll start laughing and immediately he’ll throw a laugh in. He’s also earned the nickname “Chuckles” as it’s a laugh that completely gives it away he is up to no good! A sneaky chuckle if you will-too cute because this son of ours is not sneaky.
When we go out somewhere-stores, restaurants...he is definitely the charmer. He spent the entire dinner the other night flirting with 3 tables of people. One of the tables was on a different floor than our table and he still managed to get their attention. Needless to say, he does not pay much attention to his mom and dad at dinner.

Cousins
Gage and Taylor are Shelley’s kids (Steve’s older sister). Gage is 5 and Taylor is 10. Taylor just finished up a babysitting certification and will make a great babysitter! She cleverly came up with a way to distract Cooper from the electronics and the tv by covering up the stand with a blanket. It worked perfectly. Cooper was completely enamored by Gage. He’d follow wherever Gage went and would watch every move that Gage made. Gage played with Cooper and definitely kept him entertained! The cousins spent a few nights at the cabin and really got to spend some good quality time with Cooper. We watched Gage’s tee ball game and Cooper had a good time watching all the kids playing around. For the 4^th of July we saw Taylor perform with her dance team in the Lake Nebagamon parade.

Grandma Upty
Gram is having the best time watching Cooper. He is a total ham!! He’ll play peek-a-boo. He works hard to get the attention of anyone not paying attention to him. He’s chuckling at everything and gets us laughing everytime. In the middle of dinner one night he just breaks out clapping which got us all clapping and laughing hysterically. Gram gets to give Cooper his naps most days and puts him to sleep every night. She loves the cuddle time and getting him to relax when he’d rather be playing is sometimes a challenge. I believe Gram’s favorite part of the trip was that she witnessed Cooper taking his first steps. She was watching him play at the back door and all of a sudden he turned around and started walking. I had my back turned and heard her say “Hey, hey”, but thought that he was getting into something he shouldn’t and saw him take a step or two. He has only done it a time or two since then but seeing those steps made Gram very happy!

Weather
The weather in Wisconsin is truly magnificent. We spent a few days where it was only 55 degrees with an abundance of clouds and wind….but since then it’s been glorious! 75 and breezy and not a single bit of humidity. It’s going to be tough going back to DC with the 100% humidity and 90 degree days. The cold days (and yes it’s cold because those days were typical winter days at home!) we had a fire going in the morning. I can see my dad shuddering right now as he reads this!!
The craziest weather patterns occur being so close to the “Big Lake” as everyone calls it. The weather can be 75 and with one switch of the wind come down to 60! When we’d go into Superior or Duluth, we’d have to bring a set of warm clothes! Still have not dipped my feet in Lake Superior…..

Deep Lake
Deep Lake is the lake that the cabin is on. This is my 5^th summer on the lake and I’ve managed to avoid getting into the lake each time (except for once and I jumped right back out-so that does not really count). Growing up a beach girl lake water is very different than the salty, roughness of the ocean. While the lake is fresh water and smooth as can be there are bushes (okay, not bushes but very thick grass) that grow beneath the waters that when my feet touch it I don’t like it at all. Not to mention the fish that are in the lake. Well, when I mention this those who are not as fond of the ocean say to me “what about the fish and crabs in the ocean??” To me, the ocean is always in motion so the sea life in the ocean is not as evident as it is in the lake.
Either way, as the story goes…..If I didn’t like the cabin I wouldn’t have lasted as that was a stipulation for Steve and I to have made it this far. Nowhere in his plan did I have to like the lake, too. Eventually I am sure Cooper will give me that smile that says he wants me to play in the lake with him and I’ll oblige with my water shoes and squealing aplenty. For now, I will enjoy the lake along the beach working on my tan, in the pontoon, or in the boat when pulling the tubers!

Food
Never in my life have I met a family that is more dessert oriented than the Upthegroves! Every night there is a freshly made dessert ready and dinner is no more finished than dessert is being dished out. I think for this family dinner is served just as a reason to have dessert.
Some of the favorites when visiting Gram are: strawberry shortcake with homemade shortcake and whipped cream (I never knew homemade whipped cream existed-I thought Cool Whip was all there was! And the homemade shortcake far outweighs the angelfood cups in the grocery, homemeade apple pie-all the way down to the crust, rhubarb bars (I never knew what those red stalks in the grocery store was used for-granted this rhubarb is homegrown). There are a variety of other pies that Gram is always making. She also makes wonderful cookies. Her kids grew up everynight having dessert, thankfully for our waistlines we only have it when we come to visit!

Brats from Jim’s meat market are a must for a few dinners as well as to take home. The final favorite of mine is ham loaf. It’s just as I said-ham loaf-a meat loaf made of ham. It’s delicious and if you can finagle the end piece which is crusty on the outside it’s even better! One has to drive about 40 minutes to a town called Washburn to get the ham loaf, but it’s worth the drive!

We are on our way home and get to have Grandma Judy along for the ride. She'll spend a week with Cooper in our new home where we'll give her plenty of Cooper-time as Steve and I will spend time unpacking and trying to get organized on some bigger projects. 2 weeks after that, we will be heading to Florida to see my side of the family....ohhhh, it's going to be HOT!!!

School's out for summer!!!

It's been a long school year, but my best year yet. My class was my favorite and I miss them terribly. If ever I had a chance to keep a class, this would have been the one. Steve had his first year teaching high school and he really enjoyed his time as well.

BUT it's time to enjoy summer and the time we get to spend as a family!
We have a few days at home and then we're off to Wisconsin to relax at the lake with Steve's side of the family. We are driving and it will take 2 days to get there so that is an adventure in itself. Cooper has always done well on car trips...so I think that it's me that I worry about getting cranky in the car. While in Wisconsin, Cooper gets to play with his cousins and aunts and uncles and of course Grandma Upty, Grandma Judy, and Grandpa Jim! We get to spend a weekend with some of Steve's friends from college who all have kids. We can't wait to get them all together......there are 2 girls who are a few months older than Cooper. We plan on making arrangements for one of them to marry Cooper some day.
We'll also be heading out to Florida to see Mimi and Pop Pop and Grandma Roz and Papa Phil in August. It promises to be a summer full of fun. I just hope it doesn't go by too fast!!

Where has the time gone?

Cooper's first birthday came much too quickly. Because of the timing of his birthday Steve and I also equate it with the end of the school year which has also gone by very quickly. This year has been a hectic one, but full of wonderful memories. Steve started at a new school. Not just a new school, but a whole new age of students to teach. We went from just the 2 of us to having this new little person that just stole our hearts. And finally we bought a new house in the neighborhood Steve and I dreamed of Cooper growing up in.

Our little Bud is pretty darn close to the perfect baby (I know I am shooting myself in the foot for our next one won't be such an angel, but I have to give Cooper the credit he's due!). He's slept through the night since 2 months old. Anyone he meets he smiles and just charms them into submission. Seldom does he cry and it's usually only because he's hurt or really tired. Mealtime is a real joy for this guy as he loves all food and eats it rather than spitting it out. I spent many months before and after his birth reading all kinds of books on how to take care of him and all the "problems" the authors labeled were not true for Cooper. Believe me, I realize that he's going to give us a run for our money at some point, but let us relish in this glory for now before giving us the bad news.

Cooper enjoys crawling and crusing along. He does not seem to have much of a desire for walking on his own yet. Heck, why would he...he knows that once he starts walking he won't be carried as much! He's started giving kisses and makes kissy faces. We are hoping to get it on video this weekend. He loves being outside and eating grass and leaves. Watching him watch older kids play always peaks my interest because I wonder what he's thinking about as he whips his head around following their every move and laughing at them. Lisa and I can't wait for the cousins to really start playing. Cooper will go right up to Zion and steal a toy from him (don't worry we'll start teaching him sharing real soon). We are also looking forward to the relationship that develops between the 3 cousins as they grow up.

Steve and I are looking forward summer vacation. The 3 of us will be spending it with family in Wisconsin and Florida with a little bit of time at home. Stay tuned.......

It's been a while...

The idea of blogging is new to me and I need to get into a groove of posting regularly-or as long as fun things are happening!

We are settling into the new house and are loving every minute of it. There have been many days Steve and I come downstairs and are doing something and still feel like we are not at "our" house. We've wanted a single family home with a large kitchen and yard to play in for so long that it still is hard to believe it's happened!

Cooper is growing quicker than ever. He talks like crazy and we pretend to make sense of it all. He's cruising around and crawls with an intensity I've never seen. And he makes us laugh constantly. We are so in love!!!!!!!!

Moving Day is Near....

We are happy to announce that we will be moving to our new house on April 24. A home where Cooper can run around in the yard...well for now he can crawl around and eat all the leaves he wants!! It's been a whirlwind the past few weeks with finding the perfect home then getting nervous about finding a renter to finding a renter but her dragging her feet to finding another renter who is ready to move in in 2 weeks. Needless to say we are in major pack mode and while it's not the easiest thing to do with a very mobile (almost) 11month old THANK GOODNESS (over and over and over again) that Cooper is content with sitting in his playpen with all of his toys (shoes) to play with or just standing up pacing in circles around the playpen. I will admit I've tried to entertain him here and there with a little Sesame Street. And his Daddy and I are constantly making faces at him or doing whatever we can to make him laugh. I think we'd get a lot more done if we weren't distracted by Cooper and his incredible charm!

We are very excited to have visitors to our new home and hope to have you visit soon (the sooner you visit, the better chance you'll have to help us paint or unpack :) )

10 months and finally starting a blog

Cooper is 10 months old and we've just now started a blog about his day to day doings. I think we've realized just how much he's changing and that it's flying by. He starts something new each day, but will learn something new within a few days. We are constantly laughing at Cooper and love every minute of being with him.

Some new things:
1. He's laughing like crazy. Steve and I might be in the car and will be laughing at something and we hear a little chuckle in the background. It makes us laugh harder....which gets him laughing. It's a cycle...
2. Cruising around like crazy. A friend recently told me to move everything up high. Boy, was she right! He gets up on his tippy toes to reach things he finds interesting.
3. Some of his favorite toys are the remote, the phone, a basket of snacks we keep in the kitchen. He enjoys his toys, but certainly is attracted to the "grownup" things.
4. Crawling. While Coop is great at cruising around, he favors crawling. He was doing this "army man" crawl, but is doing the "normal" crawl now.
5. Not new, but he is a smiler! He charms everyone he meets. We hardly go anywhere that someone doesn't comment on how sweet he is (and of course those eyes....)
6. Peekaboo. He learned this this past weekend. We have the most fun playing it with him. It's incredible to watch his little mind working on playing it and then the smile he gives us when we say-no yell- peekaboo and laugh with him.

Life doesn't get any better than this. We are not quite ready for the walking, but can't wait to see those chubby little legs carry him to his destination and then the smiles he'll give us when it happens.