Lions and Tigers and Bears...

Cooper (Tiger); Grace (Bear); Tommy (Cat)

Trip To Mt. Baker with the cousins

We decided to put on our brave faces and headed up the mountain today to see the snow and maybe get Drew and Thomas up and riding the snow. I must admit I'm a bit afraid of the drive to Baker, as there is little roadway up near the top with lots of snow. With only a snow bank to stop you, I just cringe and barely breathe for a good section of the way up. Despite this, we had a great, quiet trip up the mountain, as Billy and Andrea graciously allowed Tommy to ride up in their big rig. Cooper and Elmo get a long quite well, and he was very content to just sit back and watch while we enjoyed the falling snow and beautiful scenery. Once at the top we bundled the kids up, rented gear and hit the tow rope area. I didn't have a choice for Cooper, so we slung his big booty up high on my back and carried on. With only a bit of fuss with the snow and cold, he fell asleep. John and Thomas played and finally found success on the tow rope, while Drew ended up fighting it out with the snowboard and getting up. We decided against lessons this time around, as both boys were hesitant about it from the start. After lunch in the lodge, we headed back down for the trek to our car. By this time it was snowing very hard, and the kids were content to play in the cars and warm up. Once back, Billy and Drew reported a lot of success with snowboarding this time around. What a great time it was and the kids were fabulous. The snow was falling pretty hard as we headed down, which made for a very beautiful drive back home. Even better was that once again Cooper was very content to sit back and be entertained by Elmo.

Merry Christmas

Sweet boy

On a mission for "Ann-nah," a.k.a. "Ice Cream"

Mr. Mischief

Cooper Whipple should not be confused with his brother!

Cooper may share many things with his brother, but from his kinky, curly hair to his deep dark eyes, there are some definite differences with my little boy. First of all, he regularly smacks the back of his head throwing it back in an explosion of frustration about something or other. Even his brother has taken to the saying, "That's what happens, Cooper," when Cooper cries after smacking his head on something. I used to enjoy taking Thomas to the grocery store or the mall. Not Cooper. Just the other night, on a quick trip to the grocery store, Cooper threw items in three different aisles, and that was even after all the bribing treats he was offered. I tried again yesterday to get some shopping done on my one free day and made it through two stores before I was completely done with him. Today I attempted to get ONE thing...gloves for Thomas at REI before the snow hits, and we spent every moment dodging through the racks and chasing him down the aisles. Left without gloves-within minutes of walking through the doors. Cooper does not appreciate shopping! Cooper loves to dance, he loves to hang out in the bathroom playing with the faucet, enjoys playing with the eggs in the carton and dumping food all over the place. He loves to take him arms and wrap then around my neck tightly, holding on and saying, "Mama, mama" over and over. And he loves to be upstairs. It's so hard to keep him downstairs, and he becomes inconsolable when we won't let him go up to see "Bah-bah". He just begs and begs. He loves to watch animals on YouTube and wants to sit with grandpa to watch these videos. He loves to read books with grandma and take apart her kitchen. He's a picky eater and won't eat a lot of what we put in front of him unless it's ice cream or fried foods. He loves Elmo, and I got a kick out of watching his face light up as he held on to the talking Elmo at Target the other day. Maybe if Elmo had a little more to say we would have accomplished more at Target, but for $50, Elmo didn't do a good enough job and didn't come home with us either!
So...Cooper is a lot different than his brother and his temper goes a long ways to proving that. But what a sweet little boy we have as well. He loves to give kisses, loves to cuddle and snuggle up. It is so fun to watch Thomas and Cooper chasing each other around, and for every time we have to break them up, there are two other times when they are playing nicely with each other. Coop will not be left out, though, and senses when things are "up" and he may be left out of something. He's not talking much at this point, but has taken to pointing at things and loudly getting his wishes met. There is no doubt who is in control of our house at this point. Cooper has his foot firmly on the gas and we are just along to try to keep up!

Christmas Tree Hunting 2008 Cooper 19 mo, Tommy 4