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.....

A good reason to dance......

Our weekend

Daddy had to work alllllllll weekend and was gone pretty much from 6am-8pm every night and it was the pits! By Sunday I was pretty much exhausted and Coop was quite obviously sick of me. We had some good times but we are glad Daddy's schedule is back to normal.

When Cooper meets a Bethel Bakery Brownie......'nuff said.....

Mommy got a break while Pap and Coop got serious with a book.....

Christmas and the New Year

We had a wonderful Christmas with Cooper. He is, of course, spoiled rotten by this point and his toy room is sufficient evidence. Unfortunately most of our pictures are in the form of video on our new Flip camera and the video is so long it likely won't post online. I'm sure the following description will give you an idea though, toys, toys, and more toys. The blowup climbing wall was a huge hit and now takes up the entire sitting room. Which is fine since that is one of those useless rooms anyway. His love for trains has become apparent since the only thing that trumps the climbing wall is the "choo choo". Nana and Pap were smart enough to get one that he can control perfectly with the kid friendly remote control. I'm certain he now has enough clothing to fit him for the next 6 months.

We spent our first night away from him on New Year's Eve. He stayed with Nana and Pap while Steve and I celebrated our 3rd Anniversary. He did well, although his sleeping habits are still awful even though the tubes in his ears have done wonders in every other aspect. By now it's obvious that Cooper is just not a good sleeper. He definitely got that from me....

Although these aren't very Christmas-y pictures they are one that I just got developed on my "old fashioned" non digital camera and they came out quite well.......

Personally I think this is one of the best photos EVER of Coop......

Cooper and Daddy playing inside the inflatable climbing wall....And this is what it looked like out our window when we were getting all that snow.....lots and lots of HUGE icicles

South Park ducks and a not so wild turkey.