MLK Wknd 2013

Oh how I LOVE long weekends! It's so nice to have Kyle home an extra day & I know Cooper loves having more time to be silly with his Daddy.

Kyle took a half day on Friday so we jumped in the car & went to Moms. Before we left we turned Coop's car seat around to forward facing. We left at nap time. Cooper was SO excited about his new view that he chatted & jabbered for about half an hour before falling asleep. It was too cute.

We got to Mom's safely & enjoyed our time. We ate way too much food (fried rice, bbq ribs, ice cream, biscuits, candy, etc). Mom watched Coop while Kyle & I went to Pages on Pine. Not sure if I've mentioned it before but it's this AMAZING book store. All the books are donated (most coming from the county libraries) & all proceeds go back to the libraries. We've stuck gold quite a few times. We make sure we stop by when we're in town.

Mom also watched Coop so Kyle & I could go out on a date. We didn't know what we wanted to do so we just ended up going to dinner at a yummy BBQ joint. We both got ribs. Yum! Cooper had a great time playing in MeMa's yard & all the parks we explored. 

Sunday after church we drove home. That night we went to the Malan's to celebrate Jared's Birthday. Erin rocked out some waffles & fried chicken as well as a German Chocolate Cake.  (She's quite skilled in the kitchen) We had a fun time with the Malans & the Carrons!

Monday was a semi lazy day. After getting groceries in the morning, we came home & all took naps. Once nap time was over we snacked & headed out to another park. I like to call it "Toy Graveyard Park." The surrounding neighborhood families bring their used (but still working) yard toys & leave them for everyone to enjoy. Cooper had such a fun time.

What a fun weekend! So grateful for Kyle's extra time off, for the nice winter weather, the parks that Coop is able to enjoy grass & get his wiggles out, for Mom being close by, for a date with my baby daddy, for great friends, & MORE!

Cooper experienced his first official "time out" right before our trip. I don't
think he got the memo that he wasn't suppose to be having fun...

All turned around & ready to ride!

Big Slide with Daddy

January 2013

January has been a fun month so far! Cooper & I made an overnight trip to see my mom (MeMa). We attended the Cook Family Reunion while we were there. Cooper had a BLAST with Mama, Papa, Aunt Granny Jo, Sundi, Maci, Austin, & more! I was pleasantly surprised at all the fun he had. Gotta love family! Cooper really loves Mama. When he saw her he ran up to her & wanted her to pick him up. Next he had her read him a whole host of books. Then it was train time & they played with his trains. Mama is pint size (like less than 5 feet tall) so I know Cooper loves having someone special close to his size. :)

Cooper didn't sleep well the night we were at mom's so at some point he ended up in my twin size bed with me! It was a bit stressful making sure he didn't roll off but at the same time so sweet watching my little boy sleep. He was beyond cute!

I can't get enough of this pic!

After I got out of bed I brought in all the pillows.

We've been able to enjoy some milder weather so that means park time! Here's Cooper & Kyle having fun last weekend.

'Toot Toot!'

Throwing sticks in the lake.

Also this month Cooper turned 20 months (what the heck?!) & I gave him a little hair cut. He's gotten into the groove of 11am church (even if kyle & i haven't) & is still enjoying nursery. Cooper continues to amaze us with all he learns & how well he speaks (well at least we understand him). I love that Cooper is learning names of family & friends. We keep pictures on the fridge so I can quiz him. Here's more pictures from our month!

Watching for Daddy to get off the train after work.

My silly boy!
(disregard the bag for goodwill in the back!)

He loves to color!
(Tongue out due to concentrating, he is his father's son!)

One last story. We have a picture of Jesus in Cooper's room (pictured below). Every morning when I go to get him out of the crib, he points to the pictures & says 'Jesus.' I love that he recognizes Jesus. Recently he started looking at the picture & saying what sounds like 'Jesus? Daddy?' For a week I thought he was getting confused, not sure if the bearded man in the picture is Dad or Jesus. (Kyle has rocked a beard for 3 months now) Now it sounds more like Cooper is saying 'Jesus, bye bye!' So maybe he never was confused, just wanted to say goodbye to Jesus before he left the room? I mean I'm half asleep when I get him out so I can't be certain but either way it's pretty cute.

Christmas 2012

We went to Hartsville for Christmas. It was great to be able to spend time with so much family even with the crazy schedules & sickness.

On Thursday night we opened a couple of gifts with Marc & Pat. They are always so generous & especially at Christmas time. Kyle & I were able to get new iphones as gifts from M & P. Cooper got a fun little people garage with a little ramp he wheel his cars & trains down from Grandma & Poppa. He also got a pillow pet from his cousin & a train & car from his Grandma Great. He loves all of them! It's fun watching him enjoy his new toys.

Friday Kyle worked from home all day. Cooper & I enjoyed our trip to Big Lots & then just laid around. I knew Coop wasn't feeling well but didn't know the extent of his illness. Late that afternoon we went to Florence to finish up some last minute shopping.

Saturday was a bit of a blur. Cooper was feeling worse & the cold & cough medicine I was giving him wasn't doing the trick. We did go visit with my grandparents as well as do some grocery shopping. Saturday night I went out to dinner with my dear friend, Caye. It was just what I needed!! I could've stayed for hours talking & listening to the hilarious stories. One of these days I hope she writes a book & that we live closer. :)

Sunday morning was a bit scary. We got up early with Cooper & took him to Morphis Pediatric Group (the same group I went to growing up). We found out Coop had a double ear infection & what we think (doctor didn't confirm) was croup. Poor Coop. He'd never been this sick before or even an ear ache. So we started him on a 2 day steriod, a 10 day antibiotic, & breathing treatments. Fortunately, with some trial & error, we figured out how to get Coop to take & keep the medicine down. I'm bummed we missed church, especially on Christmas Sunday but I am so deeply grateful for the help & knowledge of medical professionals! That afternoon Kyle went to Jen's to enjoy a delicious Ensign/Greenburg dinner. Then that evening we headed to Florence to have dinner with Dee & Leslie. It was great to see their place & have a little family gathering. Mom joined us & we had a yummy dinner by Leslie!

Monday was Christmas Eve. Kyle & I were busy cooking & getting everything ready for the Ellison Christmas Party that afternoon. Cooper was still pretty sick but we didn't want to miss all the family, food, & festivities. Kyle & I took turns passing Cooper back & forth. Cooper is pretty shy so add that to being sick & in a small house with 30 not so well known to him family members.... he was a little overwhelmed. I probably sound like a terrible parent for taking him but I want him to have all the time he can with Mama & Papa & the traditions they have created. Speaking of which, we did have the youngest ones re create the nativity scene. Cooper was given a robe & a cane, he wouldn't wear a sheet on his head so he's just wearing his own hat. Cooper ended up being a shepherd/wiseman/donkey. haha He lasted for about 30 seconds. I loved seeing so many of my cousins. It's crazy to think how grown up we all are!

After Mama & Papa's Cooper, Kyle, & I went & met up with Karl, Onna, Jen, Scott, & their kids. Kyle thought we should go caroling to some of the elderly in the ward so we all came up with a list & off we went. Cooper stayed in the car & watched a movie while we got out each time to sing. It was such a sweet experience & I know it brought so much joy. We definitely have to continue this tradition.

Dad came over Christmas Eve night. He brought over Cooper's gifts which were a radio flyer wagon, some tractors, & a USC zip up hoodie. Cooper got the hook up! We are so grateful for the gifts & I know Coop can't wait for us to put the wagon together. After Dad left, Kyle & I watched the Muppets Christmas Carol, put our slippers in the hall, set up Santa for Coop, then went to bed.

Tuesday was Christmas Day! Hooray! Cooper loved the Thomas train he found in his slippers. He also enjoyed the other toys he got from Santa but was really more interested in eating (we were so glad he was getting his appetite back). Kyle & I opened some gifts & surprised each other with little gifts. Then we went to Mama & Papa's for breakfast. After breakfast we opened more gifts from Mom then headed to Karl & Onna's to visit with them. That afternoon we went over to the Peavy's to have the Tallon Family Christmas Dinner. I had a fun time with my cousins, aunts, & uncles! The food was fabulous as well! That evening we went over to the Greenburgs to visit & play games. What a full but fun day!

Wednesday we cleaned, packed, & headed back to ATL. Now for the pictures! :)

 

the Nutcracker

Mom, Cooper, & I scooted down to Florida the weekend after Bryant & Jilli's wedding. My niece, Avery, was Clara in the St Augustine production on the Nutcracker so we couldn't miss her performance. We had a great visit even if it was hectic & we had some sickness amongst us. It was so fun to watch Cooper play & laugh with his cousins, especially with Drake. We love those kids!

I was able to watch the Nutcracker twice & I was entranced both times. I hadn't seen Avery as a ballerina before & now she's on point. I couldn't help but get teary eyed every time she hit the stage. I was bursting with love & pride for her. (I'm not an emotion Aunt am I?! ha) Avery did outstanding & I wished I could've watched her 100 more times. Special thanks to Keaton & Mom for watching Coop for me.

Here are some pics from our visit.

Schroder

Avery as Clara

Me, Mom, Minnette, & Avery

Homeward Bound

The Sunday Pat left ATL Cooper & I headed to Hartsville with here. It was the week before Labor Day so I thought it would be nice to spend some time with family.

Cooper & I had a great week! We stayed with my grandparents, Mama & Papa. (Cooper's GREAT grandparents) I loved being able to spend time with them & to watch Cooper bond with such special people in my life. Here are some things we did:

-Swam in Grandpa's pool
-Ate LOADS of peaches
-played with Ginger (Papa's dog)
-Ran around in Papa's backyard (before the mosquitoes tried to carry us away)
-watched more Weather & Fox News than ever needed (I know older folks love the weather/politics)
-Cooper enjoyed swinging with Papa in his swing
-Cooper also LOVED getting spoonfuls of goodness from Papa. (banana pudding, milkshake, & more!)
-Cooper ran miles through their house
-I went through tons of stuff from my youth. Throwing away & dotating 95% of it.
-We went to dinner with Grandma & Poppa
-Had a play date with Jen & Cage
-Loved spending time with Leslie
-Went to Sonic more times than I'd like to admit (LOVE their desserts)
-Spent money at Big Lots
-Took good naps
-Had fun with Bryant & Jilli
-Ate WAY more food than is necessary
And much MUCH more!

Here are pictures from our adventures in Hartsville...

Four Generations!

Cooper stealing Papa's Banana Pudding

Swinging with Papa

Mema feeding Coop Papa's milkshake.

Pool Time!

Enjoying GRASS!

Playing the piano with Cage & Baylee

Grandma playing with Coop while we wait
for Kyle & Moose to arrive.

Cooper enjoyed Poppa's grape drink!

The kid LOVES the piano!

Uncle Gary making Coop laugh

Loving Auntie Leslie

I found my clay creations from my elementary years.

Six years of Rec Softball. I LOVED every minute of it!

Mama making Coop laugh with a pound puppy.

Mema & Coop

So much randomness. I'm getting stiff armed by Coop!

Mama cracked us up when she sat on Papa's lap. So cute!

Small Town, USA

We enjoyed a weekend visit with my mom a couple of weeks ago. She lives outside of Spartanburg in a teeny tiny town. It's where she grew up & where she calls home. I know she's glad to be back there & I'm happy for her. In my youth I took many a trip down the back roads of SC to the red dirt hills of Pacolet, SC. It's a quaint country town where life slows down, my southern accent returns, & I enjoy the comforting cookin' of the South... 

It was great to get away & spend some time with Mom. Kyle only worked a half day on that Friday so we were able to make to Mom's house by dinnertime. After some fried goodness for dinner, Kyle & I headed to the hottest spot in town. The Skate Palace. It's the place to be on a Friday night if you're a tween. (or a couple that needs a few hours of fun sans the kid) We went back to the 70s as we stepped into that place. It had carpet on the walls & a disco ball in the middle of the rink. We were in heaven! The whole time we skated I couldn't help but think back to my youth. I spent more hours than I can recall at my hometown skating rink. It was the place to be & I loved it!

Kyle gettin it like Dale Jr

:)

Showing the yougins how it's done.

Look at that sweet carpet on the wall behind our heads. :)

I'm happy to report that neither one of us fell! We hadn't ROLLER skated since we were 8 & it'd been over 1.5 decades since we'd roller bladed. We had a BLAST & only walked away with a couple of blisters.

Saturday we relaxed, enjoyed Mom's cable TV, checked out a bookstore with old Library books for sale, & ate at the Beacon. Kyle & I were tempted to go skating again but my blisters won & we decided not to go. We also surprised Mom with a little birthday cake. We sang & celebrated just a couple of days late.

Cooper enjoying his bit of choc cake.
 

All hocked up on sugar. (yes he is 'nekked'
that's how we do in the south. ha! he does
have a diaper on.)

Moose checking out her new friend.

Mom enjoying her FRIED GIZZARDS at
the Beacon. That's right, gizzards.
(involuntary shiver occurred as I type)

Happy Birthday Mom!

Early mornings with Coop.

Sunday we went to church. Mom spoke on Charity & did a great job. After church, Mom made us an amazingly delicious meal: brown rice, carrots, potatoes, beef stew, rolls, & more. It took me back to my childhood! We were sad to leave that afternoon but it was time to head back to the Big City.

Cooper at church trying to figure out how a sucker works.