The VP's

Been Way To Long

2011-11-29T23:40:00.001-08:00

So I thought I would just update everyone since its been wow already alone time since I have blogged. Honestly I am hoping I will be on top of it now as I have a new computer!

For a quick update:

Cooper will be 3 in 4 months which is crazy. He is changing all the time and especially these past few months. That boy never ever stops talking. I have no idea where he got that from ;) He loves to tell us everything he sees while in the car and ask us a million questions. My favorite saying right now of his is "mommy we be funny" and then he laughs real loud. The other thing Ryan and I have loved watching is how he is becoming such a great Big Brother. He loves to make noises at Jack and started to play with him on the floor a lot as well as if Jack is crying Cooper comes running and says "its okay baby jack I'm here" def melts this momma's heart. Something we are trying to work on with Cooper is sharing (very difficult) another big accomplishment is potty training. Its been a pretty challenging experience but at the same time rewarding cause were not having to buy diapers. He has been pretty good about it but sometimes he doesnt want to stop playing. Currently he is loving anything CARS- Mater is his favorite, loves matchbox cars, reading- especially his Cooper bear book, playing with his trains, coloring, loves watching sports on tv, and currently loves kicking the soccer ball.

Jack just turned 7 months and boy has time gone by way to fast. I cannot even imagine our lives without him as we seriously brightens me day. That boy has stolen my heart and man does he have the cutests smile. We started solids with him earlier since he wasnt gaining as much weight. Mainly cause this little guy never stops moving. He is loving food, napping great and currently is sort of crawling. He started moving forward the day before thanksgiving. He has been sitting up pretty good for about a month or so and is so proud of himself. Jack adores his brother. He watches Cooper as he runs by and loves when he will play with him. as of lately he has been chewing on anything he can put into his mouth. we are looking forward to him getting more mobile so him and Cooper will be able to play.

As for Ryan and myself we are staying busy with these two little boys. I am still working part time at Glassybaby and doing events/weddings. Ryan is currently still looking for a job and we are praying for the right timing of it all. We will continue to just enjoy this time together with daddy home as I know the boys love having him here. we are excited for this holiday season and to be able to share it with our family and friends. Mainly we are looking forward to seeing Cooper experience it all.

I put together a few of our favorite pictures not in order of the boys and promise to keep this updated now.

Jack Phillip

2011-06-23T22:18:00.000-07:00

I am sorry this post is two months late but I am finally feeling like life is normal (well how normal can it be). We are in a schedule and its def. getting easier.

As most of you know our sweet little guy was born on Wednesday April 20th 2011.

Its weird how different this pregnancy/birth was then Cooper but I think it was God's way of preparing us that even though these little boys are brothers they are also their own person and different.

The C-section went great this time as I was very much coherent and aware of my surrondings compared to Coopers birth. The doctors were great and hearing sweet Jacks first cry brought tears to my eyes and a big smile to my face.

Below are just a few pictures from the day of Jacks Birth. We were blessed to have our family there beforehand to pray for us and then waiting in our room when we came back.

Leading up to the birth of Jack I was nervous as how could I love another little guy as much as I love Cooper. But again God knows best and I felt an instant connection with Jack. He has the sweetest face and not once made a noise while we were in the hospital.

Ryan was very happy that our room had a TV as his favorite soccer team was playing that same morning. I love this picture as there will be plenty more of ones like this.

Cooper came later in the afternoon to meet his baby brother. We actually video taped it and I am so glad we did. I wasnt expecting really anything and we didnt know if he would actually understand that baby Jack wasnt in mommy's tummy anymore. Oma walked him into the room and he had a ballon in his hand. He walked straight over to Ryan who was holding Jack and said "Hi baby Jack" he then said HI mommy and looked straight outside our window cause there were tons of bulldozers and dumptrucks below. I think I was the most emotional when Ryan held both of the boys. My three favorite guys all together and I had never felt more blessed and honored to be in their lives.

Even though the recovery of the C-section was harder this time for me, we were thankful for the time we got to spend in the hospital just us three. WE LOVE YOU JACK PHILLIP.

Happy 2nd Birthday to first born!

2011-03-29T14:56:00.001-07:00

A week ago friday Cooper turned 2! Right in the morning he got out of bed came into our room so he could cuddle (thats his new thing he loves to do) and then we taught him how to say "I'm 2" His request for breakfast was pancakes which he ate on our family -You are special Plate. Cooper had been sick all week and I was actually sick so we didnt really have much planned. We went to a near by park and threw the ball for holland then we all took a nap and had a family dinner at his Oma and Opa's house to celebrate. We had pizza, ice cream cake (Ryan and I have decided to make this our family tradition and he liked it last year but this year Cooper loved it) but poor little buddy still wasnt feeling to great (he had somewhat of an accident in his clothes but luckily Auntie Kayleigh and Uncle James bought him clothes for his bday). Here is somewhat of a review of Cooper of the past year through some pictures!

He sure has changed. From walking, to running now jumping.

His vocabulary is out of this world and he continually makes Ryan and I laugh.

He loves to cuddle and lets us love on him as much as we want.

He is so curious about what objects are and starting to ask us "What is this"

He remembers peoples names and who they are better then his dad does

He loves to dance but his dancing is pretty funny

In the past month he has really started to learn to play with other kids and we love watching him interact with them.

Loves to be the center of attention (praying that he is okay when baby brother comes)

He loves to be with Ryan lately and do what he is doing

He helps me with things around the house (laundry, putting things away, cleaning his toys)

He went from sleeping in the nursery and crib to a brand new big boy room and loves it

Very good eater (usually)

Likes to repeat after us his prayers before bedtime

Went from crying when we would drop him off at church to now crying when its time for him to go home

I probably could go on and on about all the things Cooper does but these are just a few of the major ones.

ring bearer in his uncles wedding

First ride behind our tandem

Will always be our monkey boy

Loves to help around the house

Like father like son

Here he is on his Birthday eating his pancakes that he wanted for breakfast:)

To our sweet, loveable, laughing, crazy 2 year old baby boy. We love you and couldnt be more blessed by your presence in our life. You challenge us everyday to be the best parents we can be. Your smile and sound of your laughter brings so many people joy. We pray for you everyday and excited to see what this next year brings for you. We know your going to be an amazing big brother and excited to watch you grow and learn.

WE LOVE YOU COOPER JAMES- Daddy & Mommy

Happy 3rd Birthday

2011-03-23T17:39:00.000-07:00

Today is Hollands Birthday. No we didnt have a party or get him a cake. Cooper did tell him over and over again happy day happy day.
We are very grateful for our dog and have enjoyed having him in our family. He is Coopers best friend and they can play together for hours, well maybe I should say Holland tolerates Cooper climbing on him, laying on him and reading to him. Holland def. thinks sometimes he is a person. He loves our couch, likes to cuddle and constantly likes to give people air licks. He loves his orange ball and water. About two weeks ago we took him to the park and he found a huge mud puddle and decided to roll in it, Cooper tried to follow him in but luckily was stopped.

WE LOVE YOU HOLLAND

Its been far to long..UPDATE

2011-03-17T16:22:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe its almost been a year since I have done a post.

For an update of our lives.

Cooper

He is turning two a week from tomorrow
He keeps us on our toes as he is running and constantly going
LOVES to read. He will get stuck on a book and that's all he wants to keep reading- currently its -Go Dog Go- his big truck books- and thank you God
not only has a wide vocabulary already but he also repeats everything we say
remembers peoples names
sleeping in his big boy bed in his new big boy room (we moved him at the beginning of Feb)
makes us laugh all day long
even though he is all boy he still likes to have cuddle time- his new favorite thing in the morning is to cuddle in mommy and daddy's bed
starting to really play with kids his age and to watch them play is so fun
still a good eater but sometimes is picky( the other night he ate a plateful of broccoli and the night before Brussels sprouts)
LOVES Holland and always wants to play catch with him
likes to kiss mommy's belly and say hi to his baby brother (lets hope he is as excited now as when he actually comes)

Afton

Currently almost 34 weeks pregnant with baby boy. This pregnancy has been a lot different then when I was with Cooper. I was pretty sick at the beginning and now I am dealing with gesational diabetes as well as measuring 4 weeks ahead. As of right now we have a scheduled c-section for the 21st of April but we are just hoping to get to April 6th right now. Other then being pregnant I def. have been nesting and getting the house somewhat ready for the baby.

Ryan

At the end of January Ryan was let go from his Job. Even though its been difficult we are very blessed that he is with us right now to help me with Cooper and daily life but also just the time we all get to spend together. We have been very blessed and thankful for all the prayers during this time as Ryan is looking for another job.

So that is a quick little update about whats going on in the VP household. I am going to be better about this blog, I have to!

Here is a little peek at our little guy when he was 20 weeks. We cannot wait to meet him and to be a family of four.

Pictures.

2010-05-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

Easter 2010

Cooper playing in his thomas train

He loves to crawl on the dishwasher-I usually never open it when he is aroundFamily outing to the ballard locks

I love my family and so grateful for our times together.

MONKEY BIRTHDAY PICTURES

2010-05-14T11:19:00.000-07:00

I know this post is over a month late but I thought I could post some pictures from Coopers 1st birthday party. We had a great Saturday lunch with all our family and friends. Coopers Oma made an amazing spread of food {pulled pork sandwiches, salads, veggies,fruits} and we made an assortment of cupcakes.

Party Favor- Some yummy monkey munch

A very creative wrapped present

Cooper didnt dive right into his cake, his daddy did have to help him. But he loved to lick all the frosting off his hands.

Cooper helped us open his presents and wasnt always interesed in them all but he has played with most of them now.

On of our favorite gifts, was a handmade husky sweater from my "Aunt" Lynn. We are so excited for this fall and for Cooper to wear it. It will be an item passed down in our family.

Our Sweet little monkey boy. We hope you had a great first bday party!

Our little boy is 1

2010-04-07T21:06:00.000-07:00

Yes I know this post is 2weeks late, but with all the birthday's we had and family gatherings I completely forgot to finish it.

Ryan and I cannot believe that we have a 1 year old. Looking back at this year we both have no regrets but we can only say that it has been the best year of our life. Cooper has brought so much joy, happiness and more laughter then we could have imagined into our lives. I have learned so much about selfless love, compassion, patience, and to sleep when needed. God has given me this amazing time to be with Cooper at home as well and I am so thankful.

To our Cooper James, we hope you had a great birthday and even though we want to freeze time and enjoy every moment with you we also can't wait for the next year ahead. We are excited to watch you grow, learn and take off (once this little guy starts to fully walk we are in trouble). You are so curious, always wanting to know what is going on around you but also so sweet and caring for others especially for your doggy. Words cannot describe how much we Love you and so blessed by you everyday. Thank you for being our little boy.

He woke up on his birthday happy as can be. I made him pancakes and he ate them off our "you are special plate" (a new tradition for our family). We spent the day playing as normal & getting stuff ready for his big party. Later for dinner we had just our families over for pizza and of course an ice cream cake. Ryan and I both love ice cream cake and it will forever be a family tradition in this household. He really didnt care for the ice cream that much probably cause it was so cold. We only gave him a little bit since the big cake would be at the party.

What's up with Cooper lately

2010-03-10T17:51:00.000-08:00

I think I have said it before but our little chunky baby has become our little man. Just in the past few weeks he has learned so much. Sometimes I get worried that I wont remember all the little things that he does and I'm trying to document as much as we can. Luckily this day in age we have iphones, the flip, and digital camera's.

Some of Coopers most recent things:

He loves giving kisses. Usually we ask him to give us a kiss and he leans in with his mouth wide open. Lately he has just been doing it on his own and boy let me tell you he is such a cuddler!
Talking..talking..talking all the time. While driving in the car he is sitting back there blabbing away. His new word he is trying to say is Dog
Cooper loves to eat. Lately though he also knows that he can drop his food and Holland will eat it. So our new job is teaching Cooper not to feed the dog.
He isnt walking yet but man does that kid move. He crawls so fast sometimes I wonder if his knees are going to be sore later in life.
He loves to swing. We put up a swing in the backyard which is very nice and conveinent. So lately its been so nice outside we have been able to do yardwork, play with Holland and have Coop be outside with us.
Our son is such a sweetheart. I know he is young but I already can see him being someone who is very attentive to others feelings. He loves to share his toys with others and constantly is giving to Holland. They love to be together and honestly I find them back in Coopers room alone playing with his toys. Cooper with play with them then give them to Holland. It brings a big smile to my face.
I love all of his facial expressions. I cant even start to list them all. He has one for when he is trying to listen to what we are saying, or the way he looks at me when he knows he isnt suppose to touch that, or the smile he gets when he sees his Daddy come home from work. Two of my favorite looks is one when he knows he is being funny and I cant help but laugh at him and two when he is being shy and very lovey (watch out girls) I just want to capture every expression he makes or noise but I know that its impossible and I am excited to see these emotions become more of who he is.

I could go on forever about Cooper and who he is and how excited we are for his future but something I have learned this past year is to really live in the present. I may not be the perfect Mom or do what everyone else is doing, but I feel like I know my son and all I can do is love him, teach him and be with him {which I feel so blessed to wake up and get to spend all day with him}

Sometimes being a parent is really hard.

2010-02-22T11:26:00.000-08:00

This past week was probably the hardest week we have gone through as parents. A week ago Cooper just wasn't himself- he had a runny noise, was crying a lot at night and wanted to be held a lot. So Tuesday after he didn't eat anything for breakfast or lunch I called the doctor. They are so great there that they had me come in right away and what do you know he had two ear infections (luckily at the beginning stages). We got medicine and home we went. Later that night he wasn't acting to sick but at around 5 o'clock that was a different story. He slept on Ryan for two hours while having 104 temp. We got him to wake up around 8 and barely get any liquids in his little body. I grabbed my bathing suit and got into the tub with him hoping to bring the temperature down a bit. Luckily Cooper loves baths and he did enjoy it a tiny bit, laying on me and letting me pour water all over him, but quickly started to fall asleep. Ryan finally got him to bed around 10. The hardest part was he never really cried just moaned, whimpered and would give us this look like "help me". It broke my little heart and I cried a few times, but Ryan reminded me these times are what being a parent really is about, dropping everything and loving your child as much as you can but also not losing control or overreacting. I feel so lucky to have Ryan by my side, he is the best Dad and I couldn't have asked for a better teammate. So a week later thankfully the medicine has worked and our little monkey is back to normal. Were heading to the doctors today hoping that the ear infection has gone away.

Now I can't have a post without a few pictures. These of course were before he was sick.

{we had a few great days of sunshine and played in the backyard with holland, they were sorta playing catch}

{Cooper has always loved baths from the day he was born, usually he only cries when its time to get out. Lately he has really been into playing with his duckies and splashing a ton}

{I love seeing Cooper and Ryan together. Everytime my phone rings he will say "Dada" and when Ryan gets home from work all he wants to do is be with him. I cant wait for their bond to grow has Cooper gets older. The pictures below are of Coop in his husky gear one day when the basketball game was on and the other is his Arsenal jersey}

(I cannot believe my little guy is 11 months. This month he will turn 1 years old and I cannot believe it has gone by this fast. This month I probably will be posting about special moments over the past year}

{9 Month Pictures}

2010-02-07T09:28:00.000-08:00

We are very blessed to have such a great photographer who not only takes amazing pictures but also has become a friend of ours. It has been so fun to have her take our family photos for almost a year now and capture who Cooper and we are as a family. This last time around the weather wasnt coroporating with us so we decided to stay indoors and take them in our home. Thank you Kara so much and we love all of them especially the candid ones.

{Matching Shirts -well sort of}

{I Love this picture of Holland and Cooper}

{We always try to get a picture of Cooper with the soccer ball to show how much he is growing, but this time it was a bit difficult because he did not want to stop moving}

{This is a daily occurance, us sitting on the couch having family time and Cooper trying to find where Holland is}

{This was Ryans rocking chair when he was a toddler}

{My baby boy and I- he was pretty tired at this point}

{Cooper's Grandma was in town & was able to help us with the pictures as well as got a few of her own-Thanks mom for all your support and love for Cooper}

January..came and went

2010-02-06T09:21:00.000-08:00

This past month has gone by faster then any other month and I wasnt good at documenting.We celebrated a few birthdays, had time with family visiting and fun times with friends. I also began to PROM our house and suprisngly I have enjoyed it. I am hoping to have our whole house done by march.

Cooper turned 10 months on his Daddys bday and we cant believe he is almost one years old.

Our little guy is crawling everywhere, standing up-trying to reach for everything and for the past few weeks he is walking along the tables. He is defiently mobile and life has changed for us and probably will even more when he takes off walking!!!Yikes I am excited for that time but also sad cause my baby boy is growing up.
He loves to follow Holland around the house, crawl down the hall to play in his own room with his toys and if we do leave the bathroom door open he loves that toilet paper holder. Isnt it funny how much kids would rather play with things that arent their toys for example Cooper loves the tupperware lid drawer, laundry bag, coasters, and Holland's bones.
Cooper is one of the best nappers. Well okay sometimes he isnt the best but lately the past few weeks (besides the few days being sick) he totally lets you know that he is tired and wants to go to take a nap. All he needs is his lamby and he is good to go.
LOVES FOOD...all food but recently started to become a bit picky (hopefully not picking that up from his dad) He is loving feeding himself, string cheese, puffins, anything he can pick up and put in his mouth. (It is difficult because he only really has two bottom teeth and few upper are coming in so we are still grinding food up for him)
The noises he makes are precious but hilarious at the same time. Ryan and him have this grunting match back and forth and if it doesnt make you laugh your crazy.
Dada..nana..and sometimes mama are the words he is blabbing besides the crazy other noises.
Like I said before he adores Holland. If he is outside Cooper is standing up at the slider glass door either crying cause he wants to go out or making noises and banging on the door.
Ryan is teaching him high five and he has done it a few times.

Ryan and I got to enjoy a night completely alone a few weekends ago. It was such a relaxing & special time to spend with each other with no distractions. Our dinner at Seastar was fantastic {thanks to my father in law} and staying in a hotel, going to bed early and sleeping in well we tried to {thanks to my mom}. Cooper did great with his grandma and we were happy to miss him. We know that time away is what will make us better parents as we will also be a better husband and wife as well. It is very important to have that time alone & we are so blessed that we were able to.

A quick Video

2010-01-28T11:34:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Cooper's Auntie-here is a fun video of him talking.

You can clearly tell he loves his Daddy!!!

DECEMBER through pictures

2009-12-30T23:07:00.000-08:00

Christmas time is one of my favorite times of the year because it is a month full of wonderful times with family and friends. I love the warm homes, the lights and all the yummy food. This year was especially different because of Cooper. Even though he is still young and really didn't know what was going we enjoyed every bit of this season. We are also very blessed because he is such an amazing baby. We went to quite a few gatherings and he was a champ.

Probably one of my favorite moments from this Christmas was the Xmas eve service. We went to the 930 service after one of our many family Christmas gathering thinking Coop would be asleep. But we were wrong. As we sat in the church crying room that overlooked the whole congregation Cooper sat & listened to all the music and never once made a noise, just stared out. When it was time for us all to light our candles Coopers face lite up and my heart melted. As we sang those special words...

"Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin Mother & Child

Holy Infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace"

I felt so blessed to be standing in a packed room full of believers, holding my son & standing next to my husband on the eve of our Lord's birth. It was a feeling I don't know if I can express into words but I will remember it forever.

We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and Have a Happy New Year!!!

8.5 months and it begins...

2009-12-14T16:37:00.001-08:00

Just some fun pictures of us playing on the floor with Cooper.

Today marks the beginning of going non-stop.

We will be running around after our little monkey as he will start to get into everything!!!

Fall is already here and gone...

2009-11-29T20:33:00.000-08:00

Fall Time is by far my favorite holiday and its already been here and gone..But I am really starting to love Christmas time and everything that comes with it. This past weekend we worked hard on finishing the outside of the front of our house {we put new siding and shingles up} as well as started to decorate for Christmas. Cooper is already loving the lights on the garlands & I cant wait for him to see the tree.

I wanted to catch you all up on just how fast Cooper has been changing and is still my constant entertainment all day long {I catch myself cracking up just by the faces he makes}

He is now 8 months {I cant believe it}
Loves eating..Everything
Has started making these funny grunting noises when he gets mad {it is pretty hilarious}
Very ticklish
One tooth is cutting through
Started to wave goodbye
is almost crawling...he is getting so frustrated when he is on the ground
Still loves to cuddle {hoping that doesnt go away..well at least for a few years}
he gets very excited when he sees people he knows

All in all he is a very happy,good, loveable little guy and we are so very blessed to be his parents
Here are some most recent photo's

All grown up in his big boy car seat {still facing backwards }

Has a hard time focusing when others are around

Loves the Camera

So close to crawling...then I think were in trouble

LOVES his Johnny Jump up

Future Husky..GO DAWGS

Our little monkey on Halloween

Loves to put everything in his mouth...even pumpkins

One of his many funny faces

Love soccer just like his Dad

NEW Fall PICTURES

2009-11-15T20:23:00.000-08:00

PRECIOUS

Auntie Annie was so nice to come help us with the picture

OUR LITTLE MONKEY

A glimpse of what we did this whole summer...

2009-11-09T20:45:00.000-08:00

As many of you know we purchased a home in Redmond this past June and worked the entire summer during the weeks and some weekends transforming it into our home. We moved in beginning of September and its taken time to unload/organize and decorate {and were not done yet}. We cant thank my dad enough for all the hard work and creativity he put into this house for us and we feel so blessed to even call this place our home.

To give you a little idea of what we had to work with I have put some before/after pictures for you to see. Of course it looks better in person and we hope to one day have some open houses but for now I hope pictures will do. {The little old lady we bought it from took care of this house and kept it in pristine condition, it just was a bit dated}

{the veiw from the front door BEFORE}{AFTER}

{This is what the kitchen looked like before}

{Another view from the front door-we took down that wall and took out the bedroom}

{Our new dining room}{Before}{After}{Before- I used that wall divider as our headboard-pictures to come}
{AFTER- from a closet to our little bar area}

{Hall Way BEFORE-DARK}

{AFTER-All Bright}{Hall Bathrom BEFORE}{AFTER}{Coopers Bedroom Before-Luckily this was the only room with wallpaper}{AFTER-its not all done yet}{View BEFORE}

{AFTER}{BEFORE-in the deal I asked for those chairs}

{AFTER-made the closet into my little office/craft area and then the area for Cooper to play}

{We took out those walls and changed the kitchen just a bit}

{AFTER}

Where have I been??

2009-11-03T10:19:00.000-08:00

Forgot to Post these photos when I got them..but these are from Coopers 6month photo Shoot

Well this past month has flown by again. October is one of my favorite months, not only because it is my birthday but because I absolutely love Fall. I love the smell, the colors changing, the crisp air, the feeling of always wanting to cook, the feeling of being crafty and always wanting to snuggle up with my family. Besides the exciting season changes Cooper has been becoming this hilarious, adorable, entertaining little boy {not that he wasnt before} that Ryan and myself cant take our eyes off of him. Everyday I feel like he is learning something new and you can tell by the expression on his little face how he is so focused. His new thing that he loves to do is make this funny sweet noises and touch peoples faces, its like he is learning everything about us when we are all focused on him. He loves to sit and play by himself which has been a blessing to me at around 430 so I am able to get dinner ready, {I have recently found how much I love to cook and bake and this time of the year is so perfect to do all of that} Besides the everyday living our family was very busy in the month of October.

My parents were in town for a week which was fun for all especially Coop
Celebrated my bday with family and Ryan took me on a suprise day away to Wesport just the two of us {it was a great day to be together}
Cooper is eating and loving food {apples, pears, butternut squash, sweet potatoe, greenbeans, peas, zucchini, carrots, prunes, avacado, banana,} loves them all
I worked a wedding on October 17th at SODO park and it was by far the hardest but also one of the most gorgeous weddings I had done
Ryan and I have been playing on a co-ed flag football team with sister Annie
Went to the pumpkin patch and loved every sunny minute of it
Still working a bit on the house {will post pictures this week I promise}

November brings more of a family time month for us as we will be celebrating 3 years of marriage together, family thanksgivings and of course still UW football season. Will post pictures next...

Loves to Roll Over

2009-09-12T15:08:00.000-07:00

Pic will have to do.

2009-09-11T14:42:00.000-07:00

It has been almost a month again since I have blogged but I promise to be a better blogger now that we are all moved into our new house. Well we arent all moved in as I am taking my time to organzie and unpack (trying to get discard of stuff that we really dont need)

August was a busy month for us all working on the house all the time but we went to a wedding, went to the cabin with the family and then finally spent our first night as a family of four in our home on August 31st.

Cooper is growing and learning new things almost everday.

He is fully rolling over from his back to his tummy and almost back to his back.
He is eating rice cereal- well oatmeal and loving it
Talking all the time to us and making the funniest noises
Ryan has dicovered that Cooper likes to be tickled, espicially on his feet
He loves sleeping with his sheepy (a blanket his oma made him)
teething right now :(
Loves to be in his Johnny Jump up
Loves his Mommy and Daddy & of course Holland

*Family Picture taken at a family friends wedding 08/09

*Loves to play with his feet and put them in his mouth-diaper changing is always a fun time
*Cooper likes us to read to him-and I just love watching them together

*He really likes to go for rides and is constantly looking outside

*At the cabin

*Cabin time for Oma's bday

*First time eating rice cereal and he loved it

*Hard at work with his OG

*First bath in the new sink of the house

*He loves his Johnny Jump up

GO DAWGS!!!

*Husky Game with our friends-Cooper got to stay at home with his OG and Uncle James.

So I dont have many photos up of the house yet but here is just a two of them I had on my phone

*BEFORE

*After

I will post pictures of the house this week for everyone to see...even though its not completely done yet- Well the decorating isnt.

I found my feet!!!

2009-08-14T14:49:00.001-07:00

Cooper is just changing in front of our eyes. I am trying to capture as much as I can on camera, on paper, and remember it all in my mind. Its hard to think that 18 years from now I might not recall these special times when he likes to lay on the floor and giggle and smile at me. Here is just a tiny glimpse of how he is changing and what he is learning to do.

*Holland loves to be right by his side. Cooper is starting to watch holland and tug on his ears.

*He likes tummy time and is almost rolling over

*Look Mom I found my feet. It is so funny when we change him he grabs them right away.

*I know when he is older he is going to hate me for posting this picture but how cute is it?

Thanks to all who come to our blog to check on us and Cooper:)

Pictures...

2009-08-14T14:30:00.000-07:00

We went to Iowa in the middle of July to visit Ryan's Grandpa and have him meet Cooper. It was a special time and great to see all the family we got to see. We hope to make it out again next summer or soon so Cooper can meet everyone else.

*Second time flying and he was a champ
*Meeting his Great Grandpa Harvey

*A very Special Time

These pictures are from the 4th of July where we spent the weekend at Whibdey Island at the Family Cabin with a group of friends. Cooper had a great time and loved being held by everyone.

*We had to get an american family picture!!!

*He had to have a fourth of July outift

*It was a hot weekend and he wore mainly just his diaper and loved it

4 months

2009-07-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

I know I say this all the time but I cannot believe how fast time is going by. I feel extremly lucky to be able to stay at home right now with Cooper and watch his every move. I feel like in the past two weeks he has changed so much. He is def. showing more of his personality more and his likes and dislikes.

He is "chatting" more to us all the time especially after a feeding, in the bathtub or when he is getting his diaper changed. I catch him even when we put him down for bedtime chatting away to himself. It is the most precious sound. If he is my child I know he is only going to get more talkative
He loves playing with his feet. He hasnt started to put them in his mouth but he is always grabbing them when he is laying down.
He wants to put everything in his mouth. From his hands, to our fingers, his toys and he is using both his hands to grasp onto things.

These are just a few of the most recent things we have been enjoying watching cooper do. He is also recognizing people and voices and his eyes follow us everywhere.

We also has his 4 month check up and he is growing. I was nervous at first when they told me he only weighed 14 lbs because in the past he was gaining weight much faster, but the doctor told me that because he is so active (kicking his legs all the time) that he is 100% healthy. He also grew some inches and now is 24 3/4" long.

What a joy to be able to see this little baby turn into a fun exciting little man.

I have pictures to put up soon!!!

So grateful for our little boy

2009-06-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

I have loved children since before I can remember. Every where I would go I would gravitate towards them. They make me smile and I am truly facinated by their faces, their sounds and everything about them. But I never knew how much I would truly love a child until I had Cooper. Every morning when I go into his room to get him he smiles at me and my heart melts. When the world around us feels like its falling I take a moment to hold my son and Thank God for this amazing gift that he has given Ryan and myself. I say this all the time but we are so blessed beyond words for Cooper in ourlives. Sometimes its hard for me to find the right words to express what life is like being a parent but I do know its what I was put on this earth to do.

*Tummy time on froggy mat

*Cuddle time with his lamb blanket

*his shirt says it best

*In his soccer warmup outfit

*After his favorite time of the day-Bath time

*in his chair at the new house

*Family photo time

I pray daily that the Lord will help us to raise Cooper and to be a good parents to him. I pray for wisdown, support and health. I pray that Cooper will always know how much we love him and are always here for him. We are very thankful for eachother, our family and friends and the importance they are to our lives and impacting Cooper's.

Cousins

2009-06-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

We had a family get together this past week to celebrate my grandpa's birthday. Cooper got to meet his 2nd cousins Jensen who was born May 9th and Jane who is 22 months. We had a mini photo time with everyone taking pictures of them. I can't wait for the two of them to grow up together and always have a playmate at all the family functions.

Best Cousins:)

*So thankful for my Cousin and all her amazing advice and help she has given me

Need to do a better job of a blogger

2009-06-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

I am sorry I have not posted as regular as I would like to but I have been taking tons of pictures to show you how much our baby boy is growing into this adorable little guy. These past few weeks he has been smiling, make noises, and recognizing voices and people. He also has been showing us how active he is going to be, constantly kicking his legs and moving. He looks like he is already riding a bike and kicking the soccer ball!

I am defientetly enjoying being a mom and I feel so lucky to wake up everymorning to his smiling face. Cooper has been a blessing to Ryan and I from the beginning and we are so thankful for our healthy little monkey.

*at his 2month checkup he was 13lbs 5 oz. and 23" long

*one of his many funny facial expressions

*how sweet it he

*He Loves his Tummy Time

*loves his new little chair

*Every one has a pair of OshKosh B'gosh

Cooper's first trip

2009-06-04T10:09:00.001-07:00

Over the Memorial weekend we traveled to Colorado to see Coopers Grandma and Pops. He did such an amazing job on the plane ride, slept the whole time. While we were there cooper visited his grandma's work and mainly just hung out. It was a nice time to get away and spend some quality time relaxing.

*Grandma had special time with him in the morning so I could get some sleep:)

*family photo time

*Grandma got him a carebear- the same one I had when I was a little girl

*Grandma gave him a bath- he loves bath time

We had a great time and he misses his grandma and pops already.

Been a few weeks...

2009-05-20T23:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't been good on the blog lately. Life has been going way to fast for us. We actually made an offer on a house already had the inspection now waiting for the appraisal and then its ours. I can't wait to decorate Cooper's room!!! (pictures soon to come)

These past few weeks Cooper has just been growing so much, I am curious to see what his weight will be at his next check up. I already feel like its been forever since we were in the hospital and I cant remember what life was like without our amazing son. Cooper and I have been busy running errands, housework at home, hanging out with holland and going to visit friends. He is slowly starting to smile and making funny noises. Sometime I realize an hour has gone by and I have been just watching Cooper. He very much entertains me and brings a smile to my face all the time.

I got to celebrate my first ever Mothers day a few weeks ago. Coopers Grandma came to town also. I am really thankful for my mom and my mother in law as they have taught me so much about being a fantastic mom. I def. have realized how much work it is being a parent and what a privilege it is.

here are some pictures from the past few weeks.

*Our little man

*First Boat trip

Man's best friend

2009-05-01T09:58:00.000-07:00

Holland was our first little boy and we loved him from day one.

We were so blessed to have such a great dog, he really is so easy and loveable. When we first found out we were pregnant we had only had Holland for 2 months and already knew he would love the baby. Holland was very spolied with our love and attention for the next 8 months. I always told Ryan though I think he knew something was going on cause sometimes Holland would lay on my tummy with his head.

After being gone in the hospital for days we finally got to bring Cooper home. Holland got to meet him for the first time and of course all he wanted to do was lick and smell him.Right from the start Holland begin to protect Cooper. He slept by his bassinet and def. barked more when people came around. They are going to be best friends and we cant wait for Cooper to grow up with Holland by his side. And of course there will be tons of pictures of the two of them over the next years so here are a few of them already bonding

A month old

2009-04-28T11:38:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday Cooper turned one month,where has the time gone!!!

Yesterday we took him for his 1month checkup to find out how much our little monkey has been growing. He is now 11lbs and 21 inches!!! we are so happy & blessed that he is a healthy growing little man. Cooper also got a shot and did such a good job, but wanted to sleep all day and cuddle.

This Past month Cooper has...

had tons of visitors -and were so thankful for all our friends & family
Gone on many outings with mommy and daddy
Went to his first wedding
Celebrated easter
Went to his first soccer game
and tons of sleeping:)

Other things he has done is outgrown all his newborn stuff at 3 weeks:( He is starting to smile just a bit and we have realized he loves having no clothes on. Cooper also likes having wake time. He doesnt stop moving and is so curious about what is going on around him. We just love to stare at him and watch him as he is so entertaining.

*the date is wrong 4/15

Our first week at home

2009-04-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

We came home to Oma and Opa's basement (Ryan's parents) because we had closed on our condo four days before Cooper was born. We are so grateful and blessed to be staying here with them. Cooper's Grandma was also able to stay with us for a week and helped out a ton.

Our week was full of doctors appts, a few trips to the store, many visitors and ended in our first family outing. We went to a park in seattle to take a walk with the stroller and Holland.

Here a few things about our precious little guy that we have discovered this week and love.

Cooper studies our faces and can already respond to our voices.
He has the best facial expressions.
He is our wiggle worm and when awake doesnt want to stop moving
Cooper loves to look at himself in the mirror.
He doesnt really cry just makes little sqeaky sweet noises
Holland and Cooper are already best friends.

A few pictures of his first week at home

Baby Cooper is Here!!!

2009-04-24T20:22:00.000-07:00

It was a tuesday morning-March 24th to be exact. Ryan and I were on our way to the doctors because my blood pressure was very high and my feet/legs were extremly swollen. We thought it was going to be just a regular doctors appt and that Doctor Rogers would send me home and tell me to just keep laying down but we were wrong. He admitted me to the hospital after deciding that the baby needed to come out c-section since he said I couldnt physically deliever him.
this was 3/15

I spent the entire day in bed hooked up to this medicine to help get my blood pressure down, and let me tell you its the worst ever. I felt like I was on fire (like a dragon)burning from my feet to my head. That night Ryan stayed right beside me as I couldnt sleep and was extremly uncomfortable.

The next morning all of our family arrived, Ryan got his gear on and we went into surgery. I was a bit nervous as they rolled me into the delievery room but I knew I was going to see my baby boy very soon. The delievery went great except for the whole spinal block that hurt. Ryan watched the entire thing and can tell you details but he did say it was unbelievable. It was at 8:09 am when I heard that little cry which brought tears to my eyes.

Cooper James was finally here weighting in at 8lbs 13oz 19 1/2"

He was 3 weeks early ,the doctors still went off his original date which was april 17th. After they cleaned him off Ryan brought him over to me and I got to give my baby boy a kiss. I cant remember a ton during this time but I remember feeling so much love for someone so quickly.

Then off to the NICU he went for six hours, but ryan was right by his side experiencing it all as I recovered. I didnt get to hold Cooper till 2 in the afternoon and I was so excited to finally have him in my arms. I cant explain all the emotions I had but I do know that after carrying him for almost nine months and now seeing his gorgeous little face was unbelievble. He truly is a gift from God. We were at the hospital from wed till saturday afternoon having tests done(since he did have jaundice),resting and enjoyed having our friends and family come by.

Here are just a few of our favorites from the hospital.

Family...

2008-06-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

There are many different definitions for family. These are just a few I found in the dictionary.
1.any group of persons closely related by blood, as parents, children,uncles,aunts and so on.
2.a group of persons who form a household under one head, including parents, children, and servants.
3.a group of people who are generally not blood relations but who share common attitudes, interests, or goals and, frequently, live together

Family is something I have learned about more in the past two years of my life. I once felt like I didn't have a family, or that mine was different than everyone else's. But God has opened my eyes and my heart to what the word family means to me now.

For the first ten years of my life I had what you like to call the perfect little family, well I thought so. Than in my head for the next eleven years I referred to my family as incomplete and lost. I judged my own family, compared us to the rest of the world and was upset. What I didn't realize is that no one is perfect. Not one family out there has the white picket fence, happy little family with a smiling dog. The world has placed so much emphasis on what a family is suppose to look like that drives people to not focus on whats important.

Finally at the age of 24 the word family means more to me than anything. Family isnt just my parents, siblings, grandparents- it is the people who mean the most to me in life. Who have stood by me when I was angry, lost and hurting. Who have prayed for me , laughed with me and supported me. God has blessed me with extrodinary people who are each individual different but have made me who I am today. So I thank you. I thank my family for putting up with me, and my friends for loving me and being there to let me feel like I was normal. I thank my husband for showing me that we can have a family of our own. But really I thank God. He has shown me that even in times when I felt alone I never was. He is my family.

God has put people in my life to show me how to be a woman of God, a good mom, how to have a succesful marriage and to be a good friend. I challenge you to spend more time with the people that love you most, I know I am.

I leave you with a verse that has touched my heart this week. And to evaluate what family means to you.

John 17:24"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

The day finally came...

2008-06-20T00:18:00.000-07:00

I finally have gotten the confidence to write my own blog!!!After reading tons of other blogs, actually obsessed with a few, for the past six months I have taken on the challenge. I am using this blog to express myself spiritually, emotionally and artistically without having to impress anyone. In a few years I will be able to look back and see where my life has gone, how it has changed and the lessons I have learned.

I leave you with my favorite verse
Zephaniah 3:17
The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."