Memorial Day Weekend

At the last minute Coop, me and my mom went to visit Jo in Baltimore for the weekend. I was a little nervous about the car ride mostly b/c it's hard to get Coop to sit for 5 minutes let alone 4 hours but he did well. The one problem I did not think about was potty training. We started "intensive" potty training about a month or so ago and it's gone pretty well. He definitely has had his moments when he refuses to go on the potty and I have decided I won't push him or force him to do it. So when he started frantically screaming "I pee on potty" about an hour into our car ride I was a little caught off guard. He was wearing a diaper and I had honestly assumed he would just go in that since I didn't even tell him that he needed to tell me when he had to pee. So we quickly found a walmart and he held it all the way until we got to the potty. And then he peed, and peed and peed and peed and peed. I was shocked and quite pleased. So we left walmart with Coop proudly yelling "I pee on potty!" and with three new toys. That ended up not being a one time deal as he woke up 20 minutes into a nap obviously having to pee immediately so on that one we had to pull over and he peed on the side of the interstate. That became the norm. But I'm proud of him and I think we are well on our way to being completely potty trained. And I'm certain by saying that I just jinxed it!

Anyway, we had a great time with Jo this weekend on what is likely our last visit to Baltimore until she leaves for her move to Boston at the end of this month. Congratulations Aunt Jo and soon-to-be Uncle Brandon!

We spent Sunday at the aquarium and then the afternoon at the park and Coop got his fill of Aunt Jo, or at least close to it. Here are some pictures from our weekend.

Pool fun...

Cooper's Playset.....

So our nice neighbors gave us their playset. Their kids had out grown it. So I spent a couple days moving it from their backyard to our backyard. This was no easy task....seeing I did it by myself with the help of a come-a-long and a dolly.

The move.

Here it is completed....bad picture because I took it through a screened window.

So Coop had it for about 1 week.....and then Steph sends me this picture.

Yes...That's right....a huge cherry tree fell on it and totalled it.

So now I am in the process of cutting up a HUGE tree and trying to figure out what to do with the wood.  Hopefully I will begin rebuilding Cooper's playhouse soon.

Easter and Aunt Jo

I could probably do an entire post on Aunt Jo and Coop and their funny little relationship/connection. You will see that the pictures tell the story for you though. Cooper had a good Easter. We didn't really make a big deal of the easter bunny b/c I thought he was a little young to grasp the concept and I didn't want him to think that the Easter bunny was anything like Santa and would bring him lots of gifts. He got a basket of books, markers, and a yoyo and when he saw it his reactions was "ooooooh wooooow!" so I think it was a hit. He also had a good time coloring eggs with Nana and looking for eggs at the farm. He even made it through church which was no small feat! We are preparing for his 2nd birthday now and it's just hard to believe that he is turning 2 already!

Here are some easter pics:

Listening carefully to Nana's easter egg instructions....

I think his face in this pic says it all as to what we were dealing with in church....Here is a typical interaction between Cooper and his Aunt Jo:

We Friends?

Coop is such a sweety. Last night when Steve was putting Coop to bed he said "hey Daddy - we friends?" How can you not melt at that one?

Video was added to the bottom of yesterdays post - check it out!

The Weekend

Aunt Jo was in again this weekend and thank goodness because Coop had resorted to chasing strange women at the park screaming "Joooooooooooo"! As soon as he woke up on Friday he asked for Jo so it was a good thing she was sleeping downstairs on our couch :). Daddy and Cooper left Jo alone for a few hours so she could work like she was supposed to and went to the park. He had a great time watching the ducks, climbing rocks and gigantic slides. We had beautiful weather and Cooper can't get enough of the outside. On an even funnier note, Cooper is really big into constantly either calling for "Mommy" or "Daddy" but last night when Steve wasn't responding to "Daddy" he switched to calling him "honey" which is obviously what I call him. Unfortunately Coop has a better chance of Steve responding to "Daddy" :).

Coop thought it would be appropriate to wear his helmet while playing in the park....you can tell he's my kid....

What happens when Aunt Jo babysits......Grrrr....it's a jungle out there (in the front yard)

Playing at Alison's birthday party wore him out......he looks ginormous in the this pic...a ginormous kid drinking out of a bottle...kinda weird...but he really is only 2.....

****Additions by Dad****

So Coop did something pretty funny Friday...he actually sat me up for a joke. We were playing in the sandbox on the back deck...and he points to a bush and says "B". I look and no bee. He repeats it over and over while pointing. So I get up and squat down beside him to see what he is looking at. Then all of a sudden it points, says "B"...then goes "Bzzzzzz....Sting"......and pokes me. Totally set me up for that one! I got video of it, I didn't get the camera out in time for the truely funny parts.
Here is Coop being extremely proud of himself climbing a rock...."I did it"

Catch up

I think the last post was the end of January so we have a bit of updating to do. We were lucky with the huge snowstorm in that we didn't lose our power for more than 5 minutes and we didn't sustain damage to the house. We didn't really get to enjoy it though with Coop b/c he had pneumonia and was stuck inside for quite a few days recovering. Then we had a healthy couple of weeks and he caught a couple of nasty viruses within days of each other and it's been another crazy couple of weeks. He's definitely feeling better and we are definitely looking forward to the end of the cold/flu season.

I'm not so great at technology, that's why I married Steve. So when he teaches me or he does it himself, we will have quite a few videos to post up here. Coop's growth is definitely video worthy these days b/c the boy moves at the speed of light (no surprises there). His sentences are pretty much hilarious all the time, lots of "Momma me more milk" and he definitely has a case of the "gimme's". He is like a sponge and it's amazing to see. Steve was determined to teach him his colors and for every color he showed Coop his answer was "blue" until last week. Something connected and holy moly he even says "purple" now when he sees it. The best color is "orange" b/c he scrunches up his nose to say it clearly and correctly and it's so stinking cute you just want to nibble his little nose.

On another note, and more picture related, the other day a friend of mine and I were talking about how I had said that if it was affordable (which it is not :) ) Steve would be a stay at home Dad and I would continue to work. She asked if I really thought I could be ok with that and I said yes and I will tell you all, or whoever reads this, absolutely yes. And this is why. There is a reason why nearly every picture on this blog is of something that Cooper is doing with his Daddy, he is an incredible Dad. He adores his Daddy and I know he loves his Momma too but there is something that Daddy has that I don't. He has the ability to forget about all the silly "chores" and daily humdrum that I constantly am trying to get done. And I don't mean that in a bad way, I mean he really knows how to live his life. He works to live, he doesn't live to work. This is a value that you don't find so much these days amidst all the workaholics and it is something that I want desperately instilled into our son. Because at the end of the day we all know life is short and it is not to be taken for granted. When I look at these pictures I see the joy that Coop finds in his Daddy and I see the joy that Cooper brings Steve and I work harder everyday to remember that I need to work on living.....

Coop didn't want to wear this hat when he turn one but he loves it now, and the sunglasses, just in time for his 2nd Birthday

Coop wasn't in a great mood so Daddy thought finger painting would be fun...meaning Coop could paint Daddy and Daddy could paint Coop......awesomeA Cooper and Daddy classic.....