Kickin' it Old School

The last toothless grin?

Cooper looks to be pushing his first baby tooth, just one week shy of being six months old.

Trips to the Pumpkin Patch!

The Great Bicycle Chase

Thomas and his cousin, Lily, put together this little movie during the summer.

Our little Cooper...what a dear little boy he is. We're finally seeing the little personality start to kickstart, and my calm, cool Cooper is no longer. Now he is motoring around the house in his walker, jumping around in his Johnnie Jumper and flipping over and over onto his stomach. Of course, once there, that is no longer what he wants. He doesn't want to be down on his back anymore, prefering instead to practice his stomach crunches until I take pity on him and get him up and moving again. I can get a quick shower in with him in his vibrating bouncy seat, but only if he's got a ton of toys around him in which to chew on and then promptly throw away. He does take his pacifier now, but just as often has his thumb in his mouth knawing away like a little beaver. He continues his catnapping during the day, but even with quick naps, he is quick to spend his time smiling and babbling with various chew toys in his mouth. He loves to pull me in close and tight for juicy, slobbery kisses and smiles and giggles when I sing "Who's that Dog"," Wheels on the Bus" and "This little Mouse". He loves to be with Tommy, and his eyes follow his antics everywhere, darting this way and that to keep up on all the action. This can be a troublesome thing, though, as Thomas has developed a tendency to growl, grunt and stomp his frustrations at the littlest provocation. We keep assuring Cooper that this is not the way to act. Cooper also likes to watch Jack's Big Music show and football. Poor little dear won't get the option of not viewing tv until much older the way we shielded Thomas. Such is the life of a second child I guess. At the same time, Thomas didn't get to go to preschool and hang out with the "big kids" like Cooper is, so hopefully it will all work itself out in the end!

Off to Pre-school

It has been such a quick transition. There were about four days in which Tommy cried a bit as I walked out the door and hurried off. Teacher Dana was quick and very loving, taking him into her arms, loving on him and getting him interested in something else. And just like that, the other day, he was so engaged in what he was doing in the classroom that when I told him I had to leave, he barely gave me a parting glance. It took me a moment to actually walk through the door, as I was expecting the typical deluge of tears and such. I realized it was not happening and hurried out, somehow expecting the roof to fall in on me. Now each day he reports that school was super fun. My heart just swells. At the same time, this little boy of mine has turned into my best buddy, and he is quick to come in for a cuddle, a smooch and a "I love you, Mama." Each and every night he wants to cuddle in my bed, and now I find myself fighting for time with my heating pad. He is Cooper's best friend one minute, then barking at him the next. "He scratched me!" he yells. "He hit me!" he'll call from the backseat. "Ow!" he cries, when he's gotten in too close to Cooper's reach and finds his hair pulled with exuberance from a grinning and delighted Coop. In their own way they can play together, when Thomas climbs in to Coop's crib and nuzzles and bring toys, when they're in the tub tussling for toys floating in the water. Thomas wants to do everything by himself. He wants to do all the coffee making, the toilet flushing, the laundry (which is only fun if he gets to do the water, the soap and the throwing!), and the eating. He is learning to talk the talk of football and finally learning to throw overhand instead of all crazy-like. He wants to do his Gone Fishing dances upstairs to an audience and tells us when to clap and cheer for him. Playtime consists of us doing his bidding, moving cars exactly where he wants them and saying exactly what he wants you to say. Legos with dad, toys and books with Grandma, shop activities with Grandpa and trip with mom...it's all a big adventure for him. It's not the easiest time, raising a strong willed three and a half year old, but certainly entertaining, to say the least.

Keith Urban-Take Three! Key Arena

We originally didn't want to do it. We wouldn't have done it had it not been for our cousins, Erica and Brad, who despite hearing some of the rumors, still felt the love for our favorite performer. Having been struck on our first show at the Paramount and traveling together to The Gorge for our second adventure, it was just a given that on his next Northwest trek we'd again join in together. Unfortunately, Keith had lost a lot of us with his marriage to Mrs. Tom Cruise, his stint in rehab and the rumors of wild nights of hard drugs, women and booze. It was sad, in a way, to think of adventures to Keith Urban ending, but I just couldn't wrap my mind around supporting him anymore. The music wasn't enough if I'd lost my respect.
Well, tonight he brought me back in! He won me over again. Apparently, I'm a sucker for incredible talent, and I challenge any of my friends and family to go to a show and not get hooked. From the opening notes in the darkened arena, he had me again. I waited for something to happen, some reason to be annoyed or angry. I waited for some pathetic attempt to make light of what he'd been "back in the day", shows that we can now question whether or not he was high as a kite (and not on natural adrenaline!) It didn't come. And just like that, with an apology to the crowd and a sincere-sounding thanks for sticking it out through the rough time he'd put us all through the 11 months of late, I was again ready to make plans for our Keith adventures with Brad and Erica!

Seahawks Opening Game!

First Day of Preschool

The excitement of the first day of school was tempered with the reality that Thomas just didn't think much about going. He didn't want to go, didn't want to leave home, didn't want to leave his toys. "I don't want to go." "I want to stay with Grandpa." "Grandpa will watch me." "When I get bigger." "Maybe next time." I thought I heard them all.
With potty training (or potty bribing!) taking a positive turn just this week, I figured spending money on new clothes that he couldn't pull down weren't worth it right now.
Off we went with my promise that he would enjoy seeing his new friends, playing with new playdough and having fun outside again. A special treat was daddy following along with us to see his new school. Seeing him attempting to keep his red backpack (filled with a toy of his choice, a change of clothes and bi-per and wipes just in case!) on was quite cute, as a flood of baby memories came rushing back. Knowing he had only one morning of preschool this week made it easier in realizing my baby is indeed growing more and more towards independence. It is a beautiful thing to watch, amazing, funny and quite remarkable to see, but as any parent will tell you, these type of baby steps also bring on a bit of pain, too, for you are again forced to realize this time is so precious and so very limited.
John stayed a while before having to rush off to work, then I managed to keep Cooper happy for a bit longer, hoping that Thomas would love it so much he wouldn't care if I snuck out or not. Nope. Not this time. Thankfully, I really had no choice in the matter, because Cooper was indignant that I would dare forget his bottle and we really had to go home for that. Tommy cried as I left, but Teacher Dana held him tight, distracted and told me that it was only maybe until I'd reached the outside door that he cried. Then he was fine and enjoyed the rest of his morning. The feeling of driving off I had experienced in the spring and with Cooper protesting loudly in the back gave little time for sadness. Sitting at home waiting to pick him up was different. Such a strange feeling looking around and not having him there, begging me to play, watching a show while Cooper ate, things like that so normal in our mornings together.
"I cried for you," he said later that day. "But just a little, right?" I replied. "Yep."
"Was it fun?" I asked once we were back on the beach, hoping and praying for a positive spin on his answer. "Yep. Super fun," he replied before dumping a load of sand over Cooper's body. Some things never change!

More Whistler pictures...

Whistler pictures

Military Training at the Whistler, Hilton

Curious, I watched the pairs of men head out of the conference rooms of Whistler's Hilton, hauling out heavy loads of equipment, all the while trying to dodge Thomas as he weaved in and out of their hall space. Combat boots, desert camo, dog tags haphazardly displayed as they struggled with their loads. Thankfully, one particularly large load missed Thomas as he fell prostrate across the middle of the hallway, spread eagle, directly in their way. I wanted to hide in the gigantic fireplace directly behind me and pretend he wasn't my son, but I had already been designated the "mom" by these suspicious men, so hiding was no longer an option. With an embarrassed smile and a quick look towards my young showoff, I hauled his skinny butt off the floor and hurried for a more isolated area in which to wait out John's check-in process. Not to be. Thomas seemed to enjoy the attention these men paid to him and hurried back to get more chuckles, smiles and chats. It didn't seem to matter that some of them probably outweighed him by two hundred pounds, had intimate knowledge of machine gun and who knows how many other big, huge, outlandish weaponry. I wished that he could somehow understand the phrase, "nothing to see here, nothing to see here" and we could just move on.
The next day, after various other morning activities, Thomas and John found themselves down at the pool again. When I walked out, I quickly scanned the pool area. You couldn't miss Thomas. He was the blond bomber hurling himself again and again into the pool. The guy sitting beside me, deeply involved in reading Kite Runner ( a dark tale from Afghanistan) couldn't help but watch and laugh out loud watching Thomas. Dog tags. Two men lounging, drinking...also laughing and commenting on the antics of Thomas. Dog tags. Four guys in the pool, thoroughly engaged in critique of some sort of military training (yes, I was listening in while I rocked Cooper in my arms), mostly heavily tattooed, couldn't help but laugh and watch as Thomas blew right past them, alternating between dive bombing and belly flopping beside them. Dog tags. I thought that he might just be a bit intimated by Big Dude With Lots of Body Ink and a big green lizard crawling (tattoo) up and across his massive shoulder. Nope! Not Thomas. Just continued to hurl himself around in the pool.



After Thomas poked one of them with the noodle in the small hot tub, they started to talk to John. They mentioned they were from all over the country, that they were military. I walked over, at this point very curious. A million questions were rolling through my head. I asked them where they were based and mentioned seeing the placard by the conference room announcing US Marine Corp and an agenda about high mountain training operations. There wasn't a lot of time, as Thomas was in and out of the hot tub and pool, but they seemed happy to be at a Hilton for training and commented that my son must keep me very busy. Very nice, nothing flashy except for a lot of tattoos. Big Dude seemed like the funny guy of the bunch. Smart Dude seemed to be the obvious leader, at times describing technique and other training lingo to a couple of other guys who seemed very young and skinny (must be new to the program, although prerequisite tattoos were in place). One of them asked how to swim under water when your hands are tied behind your back. I'm not sure which surprised me more. The fact that he really needed to know that skill or watching the training guy expertly display this skill in front of me. (By the way, if you ever find yourself tied up trying to get away in deep water, I can show you what to do!)
Today, I found time to look up the town they said they are based in. Still wishing that I could have asked them all the questions that one might have if you found yourself sitting in an area with a bunch of Marines, I wanted to at least know where the town is. I had to chuckle at what I found.
Seems that our bunch of Hilton Marines belong to no other than the Marine Corp Mountain Warfare Training Center in the corps most remote and isolated post! Hmmmmmm.... If you don't hear from me again, you'll know that Someone flagged my Yahoo search and I've been taken away and silenced.

Bigfoot Sighting!

At times, you'll see some definite similarities between these two beasts. Particularly if you look at the hair on Tommy's legs!

Working at "The Dirt Pile"

If you look closely, you'll see bright green poking out of his shorts. Yes, that is an underwear band. Despite my ongoing battle to suppress my worry about his lack of interest in potty training, and the thought that he wouldn't be able to attend preschool without at least some of this skill, this week he has actually agreed to put on underwear and even today agreed to the Diego underwear I've had for months-ones that he would beg and cry to not wear! John caught him using the toilet this morning (with the lid down unfortunately-we'll work on that one later!) and he went again later on his own, too. A week before school is to start and he's at last making some progress.

Thomas will be 3 1/2 on September 21st. I'm thinking by this picture that my little boy is growing up faster than I ever wanted. I wish I could slow it down right now. His sentences are clear, he loves to laugh, cuddle and play, he's showing interest in Cooper.....still wants undivided attention at all times and struggles to share his things, but....

Cooper's First Trip to Yakima

Gracie, Tommy, and Jake

Cooper and Grace





What a wonderful time we had! John was on call for work, so on the spur of the moment, we quickly loaded the Pilot and raced for the rez. It wasn't quite the car adventure I had prepared myself for. The boys were fabulous and we only had to stop twice, which is about what it used to be when it was just John and I. It was quite fun to surprise both Mom and Dad in the parking lot of Miner's, and I thoroughly enjoyed the Miner burger that I splurged on.
Back on the farm, Thomas quickly covered himself in various types of dirt, all of which coated the bathtub that night, and the boys and Grace had a lot of fun exploring and teaching life on the farm, including meeting the new kittens, "playing" with bull snakes, riding bikes down the driveway, watching Drew jump his racing bike, climbing fences and getting really, really dirty. There was many a squeal (of terror?) when the dogs took delight in chasing Tommy, Bronco rides, back of the truck adventures, and even a ride on the old (ancient!) tractor that needs multiple steps just to HOPE it starts! (Kudos to Dad and Billy for the work that it took just for a ride!)
On Tuesday, we trekked back into town to see the old town where I grew up. You hear it all the time, but I was amazed at how very small it all looked. The road that I grew up riding my bike down, the little house I was raised in, the creek that I played in....it all looked so small. Each and every part brought back memories flooding in. The migrant camp that I remember as a child, where families loaded in for the season of picking, is now a housing project. It's much, much nicer than the dilapidated tents and open firepit cooking that it was back in the day. I remember Dad talking about how the migrants would bathe in the river that we would pass by. It makes sense that they would. They could not have done otherwise living in tents like they did. A mobile home now sits on what used to be the old grocery store. The tavern still stands, but the nasty cabins that lined it have been torn down. It was pretty amazing to see again.
Mom says that I haven't been to Joyce's house since high school. I would have swore that their house was a mansion. To us as kids it was. It was so fun to be back, to hang out on the porch, to wander around their plots of berries, tomatoes, pumpkins and grapes. The kids had a lot of fun on the trampoline in the orchard, and we actually got to have a nice chat with Jim and Joyce as well. It's not easy chatting and catching up when you have five kids to watch, but we managed. Aunt Virginia came up to see us as well, and I was so thankful for the time they all took to welcome us in and fill us up with treats!
All in all, it was a short but sweet trip out, a break from our normal routines here at home.

Black & White (to hide the road rash)

IT was bound to happen. After months of watching him race down the hills in Geneva, near misses and helmet speculation, the big crash finally occured. (Not on my watch, though! Yesterday I had him by the collar of his shirt, choking him to get him to a stop on a particularly steep section, trying as well to keep a hold of Cooper in the jog stroller.)
A hitch, a slight break in the glue that was holding a previous break, a wobble...and it was over. Tommy came tumbling down! The first of many, I'm sure, but the road rash spotting his hairline and forehead, the skin gone from his shoulder and elbow, the crunched up fingers...that was all it took for him to reluctantly agree that it was time to head to the bike store for a helmet. Daddy took him down and picked one out, which is perfect in a way. John spent many hours and hundreds of miles riding his bike throughout the county years back, chasing away memories and hoping for new. I hope he is able to find absolute joy in the prospect of happier miles with his young sons and hours spent picking out helmets, finding and building up the perfect bike and sharing the memories together.

Up at Cable Street aka the "struction", Tommy took advantage of the new and beautiful fresh laid asphalt that they've been working on all summer. What a wonderful evening to "pick his line" as he flew down Cable without a construction worker in site. ( I wonder what Great Great Grandpa Otis would think?) Tomorrow they will never guess a little boy was marring the smooth surface of their project! Soon the masses will return. It will be back to being a major route to Sudden Valley, full of cars, trucks and noise. But tonight, at least, Cable belonged to him!

Thoughts on the Lynden Fair

Now, just to clarify, I have high hopes for the Lynden Fair each and every year. We go each and every year, buy tickets, wait in lines, check out the parades.... This year, I'm going to grumble a bit. Maybe because I'm tired. Maybe because I have a three and a half year old. Maybe just because Lynden needs to join the technological age for Pete's sake!
It started months ago. I tried to get three tickets to a grandstand concert. I had multiple options. I could buy tickets online through their website, in which I wouldn't see the ticket itself, meaning I wouldn't know which seats had come up until they arrived in my mail, leaving no choice over where I sit for this show. Another option was to call and buy over the phone. Again, they explained that they would pull up seats and I would have to take what I could get to come up, again not knowing where they would be until they arrived in the mail, but that they COULD write down my preferences and try to accomodate them as best they could. I pulled the phone back and looked at it like it was a creature from the dinosaur era. OR, I could drive up to Lynden and buy them in person. Would I actually see the ticket location then? I bet they would blindfold you just for kicks! I went ahead and bought tickets, waited anxiously for them to arrive in the mail, and wasn't too disappointed in them, however much I worried I'd be located at the top of the grandstand.




Yesterday we went to the fair. I took along a nanny prospect, to both check her out and see how the kids would do with her. Mainly I just needed an extra pair of hands to enjoy the fair and still keep Cooper with us. When I got up to the gate, with a very limited amount of cash for inside the gates, they informed me that they don't take credit cards! YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! There are tiny shops down on the streets of B'ham that have a card machine, and a major Northwest fair can't be bothered with this technology? Maybe if I brought a chicken to barter with we would have had better luck.

Highlights of the Day

Buying more John Deere tractors and playing with them in the grass by the actual John Deere tractors-instead of going on the rides.
A meltdown to end the morning trip-by Thomas!
A meltdown to end the evening trip with daddy along this time-by Thomas! (I'll point out that Cooper did not cry once on either outing. Hmmmmm..something is fishy here!)
Changing double dirty diapers hiding behind a John Deere tractor!
We did not visit the animals. We did not visit the food vendors. We did not make it past the John Deere tractor section of the fair. We did not visit the bathrooms. Short and sweet and to the point! (John and I did manage to pound back a Moo-Wich, though!)

Cooper at 3 1/2 months old

Our little (but growing!) bundle of joy! He is getting so big these days, and we've been remarking almost daily about how big he seems. As I sorted through old clothes from Thomas, I found 9 month old Seahawks pants that fit and an 18 month old shirt that fits, although long in the sleeves. When John saw him in it, he reminded me about the pictures on our wall where Thomas is walking in that shirt. "Yes, I know that. But he's growing, and..." I think I need to get on some shopping. Coop has a doctor's appointment coming up, so it will be interesting to see what his measurements are these days. We haven't weighed him since his two week check, so it's been awhile.

During the reunion, it came up several times about our choice of names for Cooper. Where did the name Cooper come from? Hmmmm...good question. It was very, very difficult for us to have to find another boy name, as most names that we would like or others would suggest for us held some sort of bad, horrible or just totally unacceptable story behind it from our days working with mentally ill kids and juvenile offenders. My folks thought we were just holding back on them. Honestly, the night before Cooper was born, as I lay in the dark of the hospital room, I still did not know what we would name our little boy. I played the lists over and over, the names that John had written down on a short list, hoping that it would suddenly come to me. I may have written this before, but it was during that night I decided. Our two names, Max and Cooper, had to be decided on. Max was cute, but out on the playground or in the lockerroom, it could be easily turn into maxi pad. Cooper could easily turn into pooper-scooper Cooper as well. Which did I think more acceptable? Cooper won out. No way would I subject my son to a name that could turn into a feminine hygiene product! When I shared this with John, late that night in the dark, he agreed and we didn't speak of it again until Cooper was in my arms and we looked at each other. Cooper it would be. (Punkie mentioned Pottery Barn Kids magazine the other night...yes, I think Cooper landed on the short list because I saw it in this catalogue and thought it looked pretty cute, too!)

Cooper continues to be total joy. Today he giggled for the first time, and continued to do it when he saw my absolute shock and delight! No, he figured out that sleeping through the night was overrated, so he hangs out with mom briefly during the night, but I'm learning to be okay with it. The hard nights are when Cooper wakes me up, only to find Thomas waddling into our room just minutes (it seems) after I've managed to get my eyes closed again. It usually turns into musical beds, but these days John ends up on the floor to avoid Tommy's deadly and spot on kicks. Cooper likes to rise early, though, so I'm still calling on the swing to help out for another hour or so of sleep before Thomas wakes up around 7 or 8 am. If I'm lucky, John will drag himself out of bed and watch the kids until he has to leave for work, allowing me another hour or two of sleep to fill in the gaps from the middle of the night. Thomas still needs to nap in the afternoons, but when he does, he's up until late that night, so although I dream of an afternoon nap to keep up with them both, it rarely happens anymore. I wanted to run out of my house with my fingers in my ears the other afternoon when both boys decided to melt down at the exact same moment and were howling at the top of their lungs. Instead I just looked at the wall and wondered if God was smiling at me then. The wall didn't offer much sympathy, but I was able to gather myself and figure out who needed me most for that second.

The picture above, of Cooper in his stroller, was taken by Grandma Lil after a family reunion hike up to Fir Cliff and then on to Camp Firwood. Cooper enjoyed every minute of it and smiled throughout. He is quite the early adventurer!

UPDATE-
We took him into get his shots today about a month and a half late. He's at 15 pounds now, which puts him into the 70th percentile and although I can't remember his height right now, he is in the 70th percentile there. I thought he was a bit more of a chunk, but apparently not. The scratches on his face and head that I thought were him just rubbing as some sort of developmental stage that he missed as an infant? Yeah, turns out the poor kid has eczema. We've treated him for two days now and he's slept through the night again! Unbelievable. I feel so bad that we let it go for about three weeks with him scratching away while he tried to sleep and I had no idea. His skin was dry and I just kept fueling it with more lotion. Hopefully this little phase won't last long. Poor little dude!

New progress....

Almost rolling over from his back to his tummy, just gets hung up on his shoulder
Trying new foods. Once a day I try a bit of oatmeal with a bit of something else, like squash or sweet potato. He doesn't need it just yet, but we're getting there.
Sitting up with a steadier head on his shoulders. Not so "wheeble-wobble". He's not very content just kicking back now. He has to be sitting up, looking around at all the action.
Chattering more and more, growling his displeasure if he's not attended to when he thinks he should.
Not very content in the swing anymore. Why did I worry about it? Now I beg him to take a longer nap in it to make up for his short cat naps throughout the day!

Family Reunion

Daddy and Cooper-lah

John Deere 101