Snow Day

Snow! Not something you typically see in Texas at the end of February, but here in Indiana, it is normal. What are these people thinking. I am suprised the Red River isn't swarming with people "jumping ship" from all this cold. But I guess we are still here. So this weekend it was a balmy 38 degrees and we decided to get outside and get some sun. It's actually nice with no wind and if you have the right clothes, which took us years to finally get the right clothes. We went to a sled park and had a blast. Cooper was squeeling and raising his hands while we went down, which just reinforces my beliefs that he will never cease to amaze me in what crazy things he will come up with to entertain himself. Morgan got to go down by herself, she just didn't like climbing that huge hill. Stephen & I didn't like that part either. But all in all, it was a wonderful snow filled weekend. Now we are ready for some warmer weather, but it's suppose to snow 4 inches tomorrow, so we will just have to wait.

Pumpkin Patch

One of the great things about us moving back to the midwest is being able to see our good friends. We met the Slaymakers in Illinois for a Pumpkin Patch weekend. The kids had a ball riding ponies, tractors & feeding the goats.

Cooper's Top 10

The boy has just grown up so fast, I think someone forgot to tell him that he is my last baby and he should act accordingly. So here are his new tricks

10. Favorite food: manderine oranges & french fries
9. Dislikes: Peaches & mashed potatoes
8. Loves getting out of the baby gate & making a bee line for the stairs. He can climb without a stunt double.
7. Loves music: squatting & hands waving in the air are considered dancing.
6. Brushes his hair, just don't let him brush yours, it just means hitting you really hard in the head with a brush.
5. Washes himself in the tub. Some parts more than others, but hey, he's a boy.
4. Words he can say: banana, night-night, dada, mama
3. Loves his big sister to death. He lights up when she comes in the room.
2. Plays basketball: He loves putting the balls in the hoop and clapping for himself.
1. Walking/running all over the place. He is a true walker, now if we can only get him to keep shoes and socks on.

To go back a little bit & catch up. We moved to Lafayette, Indiana at the beginning of October and now only have a few boxes to unpack. (You know, the ones you stuff in a closet out of the way and act like they aren't there.) Morgan had no problem adjusting, she loves school and is doing quite well. Which means I am having to be on my toes and be able to spell anything at any time.
Example:
M - "Mom, why do I have to drink my milk?"
H - "Well, because it will make your bones strong"
M - "What will happen to you if your bones aren't strong?"
H - "You could get osteoporosis"
M - "How do you spell that? I need to write that down."

She is just growing up so fast. I actually got told to leave her alone in her room the other day. I swear there should be a support group!

I have not done any posts in a while, I am just going to chalk that up to moving and run with that excuse. But this morning I heard the cutest thing that just needs to be shared. Morgan's quote of the day: " Cooper, it's not all about you, (talking about Christmas,) It's about Jesus too." Maybe the true meaning is coming through.

Girl Scouts

It has been forever since I have been able to write anything. We will just chalk it up to moving across country and trying to get everything settled. Ironically, I am chosing to do this instead of opening boxes, which is my excuse for not doing this. Call it the chicken and the egg. We are doing really well here and surpisingly feeling very at home in such a short period of time. Stephen has been to a few football games (he even bought Purdue clothing, shhhh, don't tell the Texas Tech Alumni Association.) Morgan has become a "Daisy" which is the first step in Girl Scouts. She has made a lot of friends, especially the neighbor girls who come over often. I have yet to join any organization besides church and helping out at Morgan's school when needed. I am just trying to get Cooper on a routine,(which is not working well, if anyone asks) and getting the house taken care of (which is also not working well, but hey, I am having a lot of fun avoiding it.) Cooper has just grown leaps and bounds. He has 6 teeth and uses them daily to explore everything in the house, especially to eat carpet and cat food, yummy! He is now "toddling" all over the house and his head has the bruises to prove it. He has also learned rhythm and dances to anything that remotely sounds like music, including cell phones.

Visitors

Stephen's mom, sister & our nephew came to visit for a week. We took them to the usual spots, Myrtle Beach & Charleston. We are getting pretty good at this tour guide stuff, so if anyone wants a free guide, just come on down. Morgan & Jake were inseperatable. They had the best time together. Kim even taught them how to two step. Cooper enjoyed eating sand & being spoiled rotten by his aunt & granny.

A whole new view

Our little man is getting so big! I am just beside myself with how fast my kids are growing. I think it is the most commonly used phrase & you get tired of hearing it, but when it's your kids, you are just dumbfounded that they can grow so fast. I wish I could put a book on their head or at least install a pause button (and a fast foward button sometimes.)Cooper has started sitting up this week. The army crawl is still working for him so he isn't too keen on changing that.

kids

Cool Slideshows!

Outside Fun

No one told me that it was so humid in South Carolina. It is awful, I sweat just walking to the kitchen in the morning. But we ventured outside this week, Morgan is sporting her new look, too small of shirt, white mini skirt & pink cowboy boots. We are looking for the trend to catch on & her to have her own clothing line soon. Cooper is just a mess. Getting into everything, namely the plants & cat food. He is my exercise program.

Jello Happy

Untitled from Heidi and Vimeo.

Cute Saying of the Day

Morgan met a new friend the other day, Sophie. She was so excited about our playdate later in the week. So the day comes & I had taken her to McDonalds earier. Right before the playdate Morgan is playing with her HappyMeal toy & said, "I am going to show this to my best friend, um.. um... What's her name again?"

This gives me hope that memory loss has absolutely nothing to do with age.

A Fish Tale

So I decided to go out on a limb and make a more that "everyday" meal. I also decided that it would be good to do this without the help of a recipe. I see all those people in those magazines winning awards for their recipes so I think that if they can do it, so can I. So I attemp to make what I call "Almond Crusted Salmon." Let's just say, I am glad the smoke alarm did not go off, because I did not know that Maple Syrup glaze will burn under a broiler *That's just a free tip to anyone who was thinking of asking for the recipe. Then we cut into it & it is not done, so Stephen takes over and gets it "edible" for us. Morgan decides that she will have spaghettios instead, I don't blame her, I wanted them too. But I stuck with the fish. Mmm Mmm tasty. Right at the end of the meal she decides to take a bite, I think because Stephen was nice enough to make it sound like it tasted good. And her comment to me, "Even though I didn't like your fish AT ALL, it was the best fish ever because you did your best." Always looking on the bright side of things.

Mom's Retirement Party

YEAH! Mom is officially retired from teaching! To celebrate, we threw her a party at her house. This is a pic. of the cake I made her, it was a little rushed, but turned out ok. The party was suppose to be outdoors, but with the floods, we had to hold it inside. Everything went great until.... the kids found the mud puddle, formerly known as the garden. So they all got a "mud bath." All in all, we had a wonderful time, Mom enjoy your well deserved time off.

Cute saying of the day: "Mommy, I love God. I love Santa Claus too, but I think I love God more." We must be doing something right.

Memorial Day Trip

This Memorial Day we decided that a short family vacation was in order. So we headed to Greenville, SC. Ever heard of it? I didn't think so, but we went. Had a good time though. We went to a hot air balloon festival & then to this beautiful park called Falls Park. There is a waterfall right in the middle of the park that you play on. And this suspension bridge that scares you half to death, Gerald would have loved it! We had a much needed escape & now it's back to the real world. Morgan's highlight: riding the roller coaster.

First Foods

So Cooper Man, some of you my remember "Fat Naked Man" has started eating baby food. Not only started, WILL NOT STOP! This little guy is crazy about food. Morgan had a sherbert push up pop the other day & we decided, "oh, how cute, give Cooper a lick, it will be so much fun." WRONG!!!!! Cooper went crazy for it. Pulling his sister's hair, leaping out of Stephen's arms to get to it, and screaming his head off. The whole time Stephen & I are frantically trying to fix him something to eat so he will stop. And what's Morgan doing, licking it 10 inches from his face to make sure he can see it. Her explaination, "I wasn't going to let him have it, I just wanted him to think he could have it." No wonder the kid has been crying. So the sibling rivalry starts at an early age I guess.

Beach & Graduation

We had a very busy week. Our friends came to visit from Iowa & we went to Myrtle Beach, despite the wind, it was a fun weekend. Beach, shopping & good food & friends, what more can you ask for! In addition to that, she graduated Preschool that week. Very cute ceremony!

Well summer is here, Morgan is out of Preschool & ready to go! For my birthday we had a picnic in the back yard, she loved it until the bees decided to join us. Even Sarah, the cat, got in on the action. Cooper couldn't care less. He's just so easy going.