The Chappelears

Disclaimer

2012-01-29T13:10:00.000-08:00

I do realize my last 2 blog posts have been completely without any pictures of Cooper. That would be because when I try to get him to cooperate for pictures I get this...

OR this...

Maybe I can squeeze some out of him soon. Maybe...

A very fast month...

2012-01-29T12:49:00.000-08:00

I blinked...and Colson went from being 3 to 4 months old.

This past month has been an unusually busy one, mainly due to returning to work after the holiday break, competing with the dance team at KSU, and hosting our own dance competition yesterday. It has quite honestly worn me out! Today I am home and know I should be aggressively attacking this pile of laundry, the dishes on the counters, the dust on everything, the bills on the desk, the dirty bathrooms, and the messy floors...but INSTEAD I have watched Kung Fu Panda with both boys on my lap, played play doh for a few hours, drawn and colored, tickled, snuggled, rocked, and just enjoyed my two boys today. Sometimes you just have to let things go...until the kids go to sleep anyway. Tonight may be a late night...but that's ok.

So while I have one asleep in his bed and one asleep on my lap, I thought I would try to quickly update my blog with Colson's 4 month pictures. Despite the fact that he has been photographed significantly less than Cooper was at this age (everyone said I would take less and I swore I would not but yep...I am taking less), he is quite gracious when the camera comes out and makes many happy, funny, and silly faces for me to capture with my camera.

In the past month he has really developed such a friendly, mellow personality. It is pretty easy to make him smile. When he fusses it is usually simple to calm him. He rarely cries, and when he does, it is because he is tired, hungry, or wet. His curiosity has really developed this past month and he is always checking out everything around him with those huge blue eyes.

He started laughing this month. It is one of the best sounds in the world to my ears.

If you tickle his chin, or shake his arms, or wiggle his chest, he will just cackle with a wide open smile.

He also tries to talk to me all the time. He will just babble and growl and make all kinds of convincing sounds that he really has something to say. I just nod my head and pretend to understand and continue the conversation. He is quite the talker. I am guessing he gets that from his dad's side of the family...

He is constantly chewing on his hands and fingers. It makes me wonder if teeth may be coming soon. I read online that around 4 months is when babies saliva increases. Check that milestone off for Colson. He is a water faucet.

He is also fascinated with his feet. Since it is winter time he does not get to see them often as we usually have them bundled in footie pajamas or socks. But on the occasion he is barefoot in the house, he always finds his feet and stares at them with a look of "what are you and where did you come from?"

He is pretty good at holding his head up on his own now. He still is not crazy about doing it, and won't do it for very long. About 5 minutes of tummy time is all he will give me. Then the whimpering begins.

Since he is such a good baby, I cannot let him whimper long. Cooper was a different story at this age. He pretty much cried all the time, and it did not matter if he was in my arms or not...he was tough to soothe. But Colson makes it so easy that my heart melts when he starts to cry. Most of the time, though, he is just mellow and content...

Or smiling...

And don't forget drooling...

But my favorite activity of this past month is the laughing.

What a wonderfully sweet blessing this little boy has been to us. Each month he brings more happiness to our lives. This time last year we were just discovering that we were going to have a baby again. Our lives have changed a great deal since then, and this little boy has been the best addition we could have ever dreamed of!

Happy 4 month birthday Lil C! We love you so much!!

Colson is 3 months old

2012-01-01T21:41:00.000-08:00

Again, I will repeat myself by saying HOW TIME IS FLYING! My sweet Colson just turned 3 months old last week, right before Christmas. He is growing and changing and turning into more of a little person each day.

He has become so curious to everything around him all of a sudden. He stays awake much more, and is alert and learning to interact with his surroundings.

He just smiles and smiles all the time. I am still getting used to the idea of such a sweet, laid back baby. Cooper was quite different to say the least. Colson is just mellow most of the time.

He is still small, but growing and gaining weight at his own pace. He may be a little on the thin side, but so is his Daddy. And his arms and legs are so long! Mommy is still trying to nurse him as best she can, but is having to supplement because her body just is not cooperating like she wishes it would. But we are working it out by just taking it one day at a time, being patient, and praying diligently. Everywhere we go, people like to tell me how little he is. But I just have started replying back to them by saying "nah...he is just perfect." Because he is. Perfect in every way.

He has such a sweet demeanor. If he is fussy, I can usually just hold him up to my face and talk to him, and he will stop crying and start to smile. It just amazes me!

This month he also discovered his hands and loves to use them to bat at his toys, grab onto my hair, or sometimes onto other things when he is nursing...ouch. :-)

The love that we already feel for this sweet boy just cannot be described or measured. I cannot WAIT to see him next month, next year, or when he is as old as Cooper is...and what kind of a personality he will have, what his interests will be, and how he will act. However, I am not rushing anything, as I know as each month passes, I already want to go back to the month before and enjoy it again.

He sleeps all night. It is incredible to me. If I want him to nurse at night, I have to wake him. I do frequently to see if it will help him pack on a few extra ounces. But after he finishes, he just curls up and goes right back to sleep.

He is quite a heavenly baby. I think this picture depicts him well. Happy, easy, mellow, beautiful, and perfect.

Can you tell we kind of like this sweet boy?

Happy 3 month birthday Colson!!!

Christmas 2012

2011-12-26T21:21:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2011 was just awesome. Having two boys instead of one made for a different kind of holiday this year, and I am already looking forward to next Christmas when Colson should be walking and even more interactive and playful. This year, he mainly just hung out and stayed happy. Cooper on the other hand, was wiiiide open with excitement about the holiday celebrations!

Our first family gathering was with Josh's family at his parent's house. Cooper and Colson wore their matching shirts announcing they are on the nice list (compliments of their Nan of course). Cooper had a great time playing with his cousins and his grandparents, aunts, and uncles. He most definitely gets plenty of attention when he is with his family.

Mark beat Santa this year by getting Coop his #1 requested toy on his list. He referred to it as "a certain wii game called Go Vacation." That is because when Santa sent him a video from the Portable North Pole, he said it just like that. So from that point on, it was "a certain wii game." He pretty much came out of his skin with excitement over the game! Of course, the next morning, he insisted we venture out to the mall so he could make sure to tell Santa Claus that he did not have to get him the game anymore because Mark got it for him!

Cooper's Aunt Pam always seems to show him extra attention. It is so clear that she just adores our boys, and Cooper thinks the world of her for all of the love she shows him. He has not stopped playing with the gift she gave him, either, as this airplane flies all over our house nowadays.

He also opened up some Hot Wheels from his Aunt Lacina and Uncle James.

Colson received a few more toys which is great since he really has very few.

But I think he would have preferred to have played with his Pappaw's tool set. He did not take his eyes off of it!

Our celebration with the Chappelear family, as always, was a blessing. I find myself thanking God once more for allowing my sons to have such involved, loving, caring, and incredible grandparents in their lives.

The next morning Buddy and Kelsey set up a hot chocolate party for Cooper.

Then, we spent Christmas Eve preparing to go to NanPa's for another celebration.

Both boys put on their Christmas outfits. Cooper in his Christmas sweater that mommy loves and Colson in his first Christmas tie.

Thankfully I was able to sneak in pictures with both of them. Cooper did not want to have his picture taken with both mommy and Colson, but did agree to just having his picture made with mommy. No family pictures this year. Maybe next year. But we did manage to get some good pictures in front of the tree with each of them.

Cora was also dressed in her Christmas best. She and Cooper played all night together. I am thankful the two of them get along so well (most of the time anyway).

I spent some time with Coop and Cora decorating sugar cookies for Santa. I think they ate more cookies than they decorated, but I would say that is what makes cookie decorating so much fun.

Sadly, my battery died right after I took the first pictures of the night. So I am counting on Justin and Grace to send me a few more pictures to add to the blog. I am especially hoping for some of Cooper and Cora with their gifts from Pa and Nan. Cooper got a big talking dump truck and Cora got a Dora microphone. It was quite hysterical watching them play with their new toys all night!

Once we arrived back home, Cooper headed outside to sprinkle reindeer food in the front yard for Santa's reindeer.

Then he quickly set out his cookies for Santa.

Then he headed to bed. He was so excited that he could not sleep. After about half an hour passed by, Josh went in to check on Cooper. He was sitting up in bed with his hands propped behind his head, eyes wide open. That was when we realized that his new room had a straight ahead shot of the chimney from his bed. Cooper was laying in bed watching the chimney intently, waiting for Santa to arrive. Josh asked hm what he was doing and he whispered "Waiting for Santa to come down the chimney." He toughed it out for over an hour, but eventually he fell over and slept soundly. He was exhausted after all of the excitement from the day.

While he was sleeping, Santa snuck in to deliver toys for the good boys. He most definitely enjoyed Cooper's cookies, and left him a letter thanking him for them.

Cooper woke up sometime before the sun came up, and saw that his stocking was stuffed with toys. He dumped it on the floor, grabbed a few items that caught his eye, and ran to the bed with the items and his letter from Santa, waking us up to show us. We somehow, sleepily, persuaded him to climb back in bed and go back to sleep. That was our Christmas miracle.

Later, once the sun was up, he woke us up again and went back into the den to check out his stocking. As he was digging through, Josh asked him if that was all Santa brought him. He must have forgotten that Santa delivered toys to the OTHER tree in the playroom, because he said that was all he had. Funny, though, that he seemed content with it. Until he saw what else he had coming...

He walked into the playroom and shouted "OH....MY...GOODNESS!!" We just laughed as he made his way slowly around the tree, checking out the items that Santa had left him the night before.

He immediately unpacked his "wots of cars" and started playing with them.

We had to encourage him to open presents. He seemed quite content to play with what Santa had brought him. But once he started opening presents he definitely caught on! This was one of my favorite gifts that I gave him this year - a Super Cooper cape!

Colson just hung out in his chair and watched Cooper open all of his presents for him. Colson did not get much this year. There were diapers, a swaddle blanket, a few outfits, a sleeper, and 3 or 4 toys under the tree for him. But he seemed quite content!

The two of them looked pretty adorable in their matching Christmas pajamas I had Amanda Hackett make for them with some clearance fabric I found after Thanksgiving.

For breakfast we enjoyed a big casserole, biscuits, and some Santa pancakes for Cooper. Christmas breakfast is always a special treat.

After breakfast, the mess was cleaned up, the gifts were put in their places, and all of the excitement and anticipation for Christmas morning started fading away. Too fast. This year Christmas arrived too fast, happened too fast, and ended too fast. Maybe I can find a way to make next year's Christmas pass by a little slower so I can soak up a many memories with my family as possible. This year was a good one for sure, but I wish it could have slowed down...kind of like the last day at work did before the holidays. That was painfully slow. Why is it that work days go so slowly but vacation days seem to fly by?

Cooper has been spending his time since Christmas enjoying his new toys. I have been working around the house doing the usual organizing routine that everyone does after Christmas, trying to find room for the new stuff and find something to do with the old.

But as you can see, he got his "gun to shoot people with." And he loves it. So far, he hasn't shot anything he is not supposed to shoot. But we keep Colson inside while Coop is playing, just to be safe!

Since it is almost time to celebrate again, so I will go ahead and wish everyone a Happy New Years!

I hope that 2012 is filled with as many blessings and wonderful memories as this year was!

5 days til WHAT?

2011-12-20T18:21:00.000-08:00

5 days until Christmas you say? How is that possible? It seems like December just started, oh I don't know... YESTERDAY!? I guess time is just going to fly by at warp speed now that I am a mom of two, a full time teacher, a full time dance coach, and a full time housekeeper/cook/domestic engineer. Wow...each day just kind of runs into the next and they are all happening at way too fast of a pace.

Not to mention the fact that we go to school much later than we normally do this year. We usually have a week before Christmas to prepare, shop,wrap, clean, cook...etc... but this year we only have two days. TWO DAYS. Yeah, we won't be quite ready.

We do have our trees up. We have our pretty, tall, decorative tree next to the mantel. This one is the tree that we had BC (the time in my life before children were born).

We have 4 stockings now. We have a fifth one for Dave but only have 4 hangers. I am on the lookout for a fifth one though!

Then, we also have our "cracker barrel" tree. This is the tree with ornaments from my life, Josh's life, and now our lives with our children. Ornaments are on this tree from when I was a little girl, items that were made by my granny, Aunt Martha, and my mom, and there are also ornaments from my students and dancers. Now I am even adding ornaments made by the boys.

Slowly this tree is becoming my favorite of the two. Funny how every favorite thing in your life somehow revolves around your children, isn't it?

Our elves Buddy and Kelsey showed up after Thanksgiving. Which reminds me...I did not post any pictures from Thanksgiving. So let me share a few quickly.

Cooper starred in his first public performance at the GBH in his Thanksgiving skit. It was so cute to watch his class sing and perform in front of an audience and I was so impressed at what a great job he did!

We enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner at mom's house this year. Here is Colson sporting his "First Thanksgiving" outfit. Of course it was compliments of Nan. Pretty much everything both boys wear is compliments of their Nan. I cannot imagine how much $ she has saved us over the years so far!

Sweet cousins checking each other out. Colson looks long and lean and Elinor is showing some pretty adorable pudginess already. These two are going to have such fun growing up together!

She is such a pretty baby. I know she is my niece and I am biased, but I still think she is one of the prettiest baby girls I have ever seen.

These two were the easy ones on Thanksgiving. They fussed when they were hungry or needed a diaper change. But for the most part, this was how they acted all night.

And then there were these two. They were not so quiet. They were a little bit more demanding to say the least!

The proud Dads with their newest additions.

And the proud aunt with sweet Elinor in my arms.

It has not taken long for me to fall in love with her already!

So, back to the arrival of our elves. That night after we returned home from our Thanksgiving meal we found our elves had arrived on the stoop of our front door. They had a letter for Cooper.

The elves have been giving Cooper lots of laughs and surprises this month. I love hearing him wake up and run all over the house yelling "Buuuuuuddyyyy.....Kelllllseeeeeeyyyy....where are youuuuu?" I think I would love it more if it was not something he did at 6 in the morning on a Saturday, but nonetheless, I do enjoy seeing him so excited.

They brought him a coupon reminding him to write his letter to Santa and promised to deliver it to Santa for him. So we did. First, he sat down with some hot chocolate and a pen and did some shopping in the Sunday paper toy catalogs.

He intently circled every item he even remotely thought he might like.

Just one one page alone he circled over $800 worth of items!

Thankfully, when it was time to write the letter, he narrowed down his options significantly.

Here was his letter (written by mommy but signed by Coop):

The elves took his letter to the North Pole for him and then returned the next day with a coupon to watch Christmas movies and popcorn to pop.

One day they adorned the Christmas tree with his underwear. Coop took this one personal and immediately pulled everything down. He even scolded the elves for making such a mess saying "you don't do that!"

They played with his Cars.

They even followed us to Pigeon Forge for a dance competition. Here they are in the condo.

We stayed at Wilderness at the Smokies. Cooper has been begging everyday since then to go back. Who could blame him? There was a huge waterpark that would be every kid's dream to play in.

He LOVED the wave pool until the waves kicked in. Then he was outta there as fast as lightning.

The kiddie section of the water park was where he spent most of his time.

He made himself a friend and these two played together for at least an hour. They had a ball.

On our way back to the room we made a stop in the lobby to visit Santa. Cooper was very excited to remind him of his Christmas list. "A certain wii game, "wots" of cars, and a gun to shoot with." Great...already wanting a gun?

Maybe this is where Santa says "You'll shoot your eye out kid!!"

Colson tagged along but obviously did not get to enjoy the water park quite yet. He spent most of his weekend in someone's arms. Mine, Daddy's, Katie's, Jenna's...it did not matter to him as long as he was warm and snuggly.

Now on to the Christmas card picture attempt. Yeah...not like I hoped it would turn out. I wanted to get a picture of Cooper, Colson, and Dave all together. Maybe one of them would be smiling... or really I just wanted one where they all looked reasonably peaceful. But instead I got this from Colson.

He just was not feeling up to the group pictures. Neither was Cooper. But I still think this one turned out pretty good, despite the pouty face. I just say he must be a South Pole Elf.

Of course, later on, Colson mellowed out.

Thankfully I was able to get a few of the two of them together for the card. No Dave this year... it just did not work out. The one with him was too dark.

But these were definitely winners.

Later on that week I managed to get a few more of him in his Christmas pajamas. He is growing up on me and has such a fun little personality.

I just cannot get over how BLUE his eyes are!

This month Cooper also starred in his SECOND public performance...his Christmas program with his pre-k class. He was tree #4 in the play "The Littlest Christmas Tree." He is the 4th one from the left in the tree costume below.

He was not shy on stage. Not at all.

He sang. He danced. He laughed.

He remembered all of his lines and spoke them loud and clear.

Most of all, he had a blast on stage. I don't think I stopped smiling the entire time. It was just an awesome feeling to see him shine. I am sure all of the parents felt that way about their children, too. But I know my kid was the star of the show, right? :-)

He most definitely is a star in my eyes. This little boy gives me more and more each day to be proud of.

To wrap up this post... I will continue with a few more elf pictures. Here are a few more things they have done:

They rolled the bathroom.

They drew faces on our family pictures.

They laid out all the ingredients we needed to make Cooper's favorite Saturday morning breakfast - chocolate chip pancakes. Buddy even sampled the syrup.

They even gave Cooper tickets to ride the Polar Express and brought the boys matching Christmas pj's.

The Polar Express was really special this year. Cooper did not know he was going to get to go until his elves surprised him the morning of with tickets. He wore his new Christmas pajama pants that Amanda Hackett made him, and bundled up in a big coat. He was fighting off a cold but that did not seem to bother his spirits at all.

We were waiting in line when the train pulled into the station. He was so excited that he jumped up and down and shouted "It's here! The twain is finally here!" I loved seeing him get so excited. There truly is nothing in the world as joyful to watch as a child that overwhelmed with excitement.

His eyes just stayed plastered to the window most of the ride to the North Pole.

He did take a break to enjoy some cookies and hot chocolate (or yoohoo).

His eyes were HUGE as he gazed at the big train car outside the window labeled "Toys to Deliver." I asked him what was in the train for me and he said I was getting a new green car for Christmas. Hmmm.... wouldn't a new car be nice? And no, not a Hot Wheels car!

Santa waved to us as we entered the North Pole.

Coop stood in his seat and waved back at Santa.

When Santa arrived on our train, Cooper stayed in his seat and waited patiently for him to come talk to him. Josh and I kept waiting for him to rush the aisle or jump and scream, but he didn't. Although we would have gotten a laugh out of it if he had done it!

He ran down his list of toys that he wants for Christmas with Santa one more time. There were some new items this time that we had not heard before. Good thing the mall has extended holiday shopping hours for Santa!!

After their chat, Santa gave Cooper a bell to ring. Cooper asked for another one, and then another. He gave me one and saved one for Colson.

It was really a nice evening for us to just focus all of our attention on Cooper for a change. Since Colson has been born, Cooper has missed out on much of the time that normally has with just his mom and dad. He has dealt with it so well, and does not seem to be jealous at all. But last night he seemed to enjoy having us all to himself. We enjoyed it too, very very much. But we missed this sweet boy:

So now it is actually 4 days until Christmas as this post has taken me past midnight. So much must be done between now and Christmas. I should have done some of it tonight, but really wanted to catch up on my blog before Christmas arrived. (Can you imagine how long it would have been if I had waited any longer?!)

No gifts have been wrapped, no wreath or lights are on our house, there are many gifts to be bought, meals to prepare, and the house must be cleaned. BUT my top priority is just going to be to enjoy this time with my boys. They won't care if the house is clean or not, will they? Who needs clean clothes to wear?

Truly, I do just plan to make and decorate cookies, watch Christmas movies, drink lots of hot chocolate and just spend time soaking up all the love these two boys have to give me. Because that is what the holidays are all about. I am ready for tomorrow at 3:30 to be here already!

2 months

2011-11-27T17:30:00.001-08:00

Our sweet Colson is two months old already. Time is truly flying by faster than I can keep up with!

Although he may be growing, he is still such a little guy. But in the past month he has changed so much.

He is awake and alert so much more. He spends his days studying everything around him with such avid curiosity.

He will lock his eyes in on you and study you. When I go to pick him up after work, he hears my voice as soon as I walk in the door and turns to find me. He locks those blue eyes on me and doesn't take them off. It is the best part of my day.

Finally we are seeing signs of his personality. I love this part. His facial expressions are so funny and they just make me laugh. And make me smile. And basically just melt my heart.

But of course my favorite part is watching these two together. Cooper always wants to jump in to our monthly picture sessions, and I promise that he does sometimes get out of his pajamas. But on our days at home he prefers to just stay in them all day. As I do too.

The best thing Colson did this month was start grinning. His entire face just lights up when he smiles.

He is trying to talk. He coos and grins and makes all kind of noise. I just wonder what he is trying to say to me.

Despite having to go back to work, this past month with Colson has been the best yet. But I am guessing December will be even better as I will have lots of time off to spend at home with the boys over the holidays!

Special weekends

2011-11-12T08:54:00.001-08:00

Now that I have returned to work, my weekends will go back to the thing that keeps me balanced, sane, and able to survive. This is what I enjoy on the weekends now:

Saturday mornings with my sweet boys.

We won't see these pretty blues much in the morning sunlight during the week, but I can soak them up on Saturday and Sunday!

These two will eventually interact on their Saturdays together as brothers. They will fight over the remote, over toys, over what they want mommy to cook for breakfast...

But for now, they just peacefully (sometimes) coexist. Cooper really has taken to his role as a big brother. He asks to hold Colson, and offers him a paci when he cries. He loves when Colson locks his eyes on him and watches him.

Colson is fascinated by his brother too. He just sits and watches him with curiosity.

Cooper is still curious about his little brother too, and sometimes I catch him poking and prodding. Thankfully he is gentle. So far, anyway.

I am so very thankful that they seem to really like each other. I am especially proud of how protective and accepting Cooper is of his brother. He has not seemed jealous at all of the attention Colson gets. At night, when I read Cooper his books, he wants me to hold Colson so we can read to him too. I love that.

I love my boys. I am so enjoying watching the two of them together. My Saturday mornings are going to be the highlight of my week. Pajamas and pancakes will be something we will cherish together!

I blinked...

2011-11-09T20:32:00.000-08:00

And just like that, it is time to go back to work.

No more lazy days at home with my boys, spending our time using our imagination. Like the day Cooper rearranged my coffee table items to make a train. Can you see it?

We won't have our relaxing afternoons outside painting pumpkins and riding our bikes.

Goodbye to lazy bath time. From now on, we will most definitely be back in rush mode.

Gonna miss our easy days together at home, just bonding, snuggling, and getting to know each other.

Gonna miss these pretty blue eyes in the sunlight, especially since I leave before the sun comes up and it gets dark now so early at night.

Goodbye pajama days.

It has been a blessing to have had this time with my two sons.

I am thankful to have a paying job. Very, very thankful. Without it, there would be no home to enjoy, no food to feed my babies, no insurance to take care of their health needs, etc. It sure would be nice if my job allowed me to take my babies to work with me, though. Or even better, if my full time job of just being a mommy had a monetary salary. Being a mom is so rewarding, but it won't pay the bills.

I spent most of my last day of maternity leave in my pajamas, and in tears. I definitely did not plan it that way. I planned to make it a quality day, to accomplish many things at home, and to get out and enjoy the beautiful fall weather. But my heart just wasn't in it. So I stayed home and snuggled with the ones that I love most. Tomorrow, when I miss them, I will think back to the time we spent today, and it will help. Maybe.

But tonight, I am just going to keep crying. Because I am sad. Because I don't have to be positive all the time, do I? A little pity party every once in a while is acceptable, isn't it?

On the bright side, going back to work will allow me to retire earlier, so that when these sweet little boys become daddies one day, maybe I can then stay home and take care of their babies for them. That thought may help me get a little peace tonight. Maybe.

Tomorrow will be a long day. Hope I don't get a speeding ticket on my way to pick up my sweet little Colson.

A Happy Halloween

2011-11-04T21:44:00.000-07:00

This year was the first year that Cooper actually UNDERSTOOD what Halloween really is all about to little kids - you get to dress up in a fun costume and get lots of free candy that your parents will actually let you eat.

So he was pretty pumped up about Halloween this year to say the least.

The day before Halloween we took him to the Trunk or Treat at Peavine. He had been wearing his Spiderman suit pretty much all day, running around the house and throwing spider webs everywhere.

He was in rare form when we arrived, and I was thankful for all of the inflatables that he could get in and jump some of that seemingly endless energy out. That is, until one of them collapsed while he was inside it. It went from being fully inflated to flat on top of the kids in seconds, and I pulled out as many kids as I could as quickly as possible. After pulling out all three Spidermen with blonde hair just like my son, two little girls, and one more boy who was not in costume, someone finally plugged it back in and reinflated it and we saw there were no more kids left inside. But it was quite scary to both me and Cooper, who was shouting "thank you for saving me mama! Thank you so much!" as I was pulling out the other children limb by limb. Needless to say, we won't be back in an astro jump for a little while.

We spent Halloween night at NanPa's house. But, on the way there, we made a stop at Mrs. Beth's house so Cooper could pay her a visit.

He has missed her so very much, and ran to the door, flew inside, and pretty much tackled her with a big hug. But once he spotted her bowl of candy that she was handing out, his attention shifted quickly from hugging her to seeing how many bags of M & M's he could get from her bowl to his bag.

We also met up with Addi while we were there, and the two of them spent some time flying around and spraying spiderwebs in Mrs. Beth's back yard. It was nice to see the two of them playing together, even if for just a few minutes.

I know Cooper misses spending his days with his gang at Beth's house, and even though he has started to enjoy pre-school much more, I know he misses his friends.

We finally made it to NanPa's, and Cooper was ready for more candy and a chance to Trick or Treat around a neighborhood for the first time. Colson, on the other hand, was oblivious to what was happening.

We dressed him up like a baby on his first Halloween, kept him warm and happy, and let him help his Nan pass out candy while we took Cooper trick or treating with his cousin Cora.

As Justin and I walked with our kids, we reminisced about all of the fun we had in the old neighborhood when we were growing up. It was eerily empty this year, which was so different from how it was when we were children. There would be trucks and trailers and lines of people trick or treating then. Now, less than half the houses in the neighborhood were even passing out candy.

We joked as we remembered how Justin would start preparing for Halloween sometime around May. He had more masks than a bank robber back then. He had a haunted house put together in our basement that I think was open for business 12 months out of the year. There was always scary music playing on Halloween through our front windows, cobwebs and spiders and anything else he could find to decorate with all over the porch, and Justin himself was usually dressed up to jump from the bushes, from behind the door, our out of the tree in our front yard to scare trick or treaters! Those were some great times and fun memories. It makes me kind of sad that we don't live in a neighborhood so Coop and Colson can have similar memories. But I am sure they will make enough of their own out here in the "country."

I definitely enjoyed watching Cooper and Cora make some memories together in the old neighborhood though.

The best house to Trick or Treat though was Nan and Pa's house. Always has been, always will be!

No matter how many times they knocked on that front door on Halloween night, they were always greeted with a smile and more candy. More and more candy.

Something tells me that Halloweens in the future with two boys are going to be quite interesting.

Who knows what they will want to be next year!

Happy 1 month birthday Colson!

2011-10-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

Look who just turned 1 month old!

It is so very hard to believe that our sweet Colson is already one month old. He has surprised us at what a wonderful, easy-going, precious boy he is. Right now, his life is simple. He is either eating, messing up diapers, sleeping, or awake and just checking out the world around him with his big, blue eyes. He has spent the first month of his life making sure that we have lots to fall in love with. And I have fallen...HARD.

Cooper is enjoying having his little brother around too. When Colson cries, Cooper is first to inform me THE BABY IS CRYING MAMA! As if I could not hear that myself already. He also informs me anytime Colson is awake and looking at him, because he gets so excited to see Colson's eyes open (he really likes sleeping which mama really appreciates!). He tries to give Colson high fives and knuckles anytime he reaches out towards him. But my favorite thing to watch is Cooper trying to get Colson to play.

Although Cooper insisted we call his little brother Chicken Little, Cooper now just refers to him as "baby." Today when I was trying to take pictures of Colson in his one month outfit, Cooper came in with his Air Force One jet and said "hey baby...check out my big jet!" So cute. I really do look forward to the days of watching these two play together. At the rate time seems to be flying by, it won't be long at all.

Cooper has been home with me this past week on Fall Break and I have really enjoyed having him at home instead of him being at school. He goes back tomorrow morning, and neither of us are really excited about it. I am already looking forward to picking him up and doing something fun with him in the afternoon. My maternity leave is going to be over soon, and I hope to be able to soak up much more quality time with both boys before I return to work.

I have so much to enjoy at home. Too bad work has to get in the way.

Life with 2

2011-10-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

Needless to say, I have not been updating my blog. This is not because I have nothing to blog about, but instead it is just because I have not had the chance! Life with two boys, one of them being a highly active 4 year old, and the other being a sweet but high maintenance 3 week old, leaves me little time to do much else at all. Which means I must prioritize, and laundry and cleaning and all that other stuff we moms have to do just ranks above blogging.

However, I still want to say a few things and post a few pictures. First, let me post my favorite new picture of my two boys. Brittney Gann came to our house when Colson was 2 weeks old to do his newborn pictures. Here is the ONLY one Cooper would cooperate and let us take. He was, well, let's just say in a pretty terrible mood that day to say the least. But we managed to get ONE.

Colson is still quite a wonderful little boy. He sleeps well at night, and many times I have to wake him to feed him. He is sometimes a little fussy, but seems to be very easy to calm, which is a refreshing change from how Cooper was at that age. Most of the time he is asleep or awake and happy. I am still getting used to that idea, as it was not what I had with Coop, and is not quite like I expected. However, I am loving it and enjoying our time in the mornings together. Especially since he is such a sweet baby.

Since Cooper is in school, he leaves with Daddy in the morning and we don't see him again until 2:30. That is giving me and Mr. Colson some time to bond and adjust to our new schedule. He has not gained weight as fast as he should be, which of course has been a source of stress. I am not sure if it had to do with me having mastitis, or him being a sleepy and lazy nurser, or maybe a combination of both...but, our new schedule to get the weight on him consists of a 2-3 hour cycle where we nurse, drink from a bottle from what mommy pumped after the last feeding change diaper, pump, change diaper again usually, and then he usually naps or chills for 30 minutes or so while mommy runs furiously around the house washing clothes, dishes, bathrooms, floors, or whatever else seems to be a mess at the time. Then we start all over again. All....day....long....

Yes, it has been quite time consuming, and at times honestly downright frustrating. However, it is well worth it each time I lay him on the scale (yes I have one at home thanks to my Dad!) and see the ounces creeping up each time. So we will continue doing this as long as it is working, as long as mommy can keep it up, or as long as he needs it to keep gaining. Hopefully, though, as he is getting older, bigger, and more alert, he will nurse more actively and I won't have to spend so much time with my pump. Because for a gal who likes to always be going and moving, sitting in one place doing the same thing so many times a day is making me a little crazy!! But, I am definitely going to do all I can do to keep this little boy smiling.

Cooper has been adjusting to his big brother status quite well. He is enjoying playing with both his toys and Colson's toys now.

We are thankful that he has adjusted so well at home, and are working with him on his behavior at school. Since Colson was born, Cooper has been acting out at school in the form of hitting and biting. So his teachers are working with us to get him back on track. I put together a "behavior card" of my own, as the teacher in me just had to find a way to positively reinforce good behavior. Here is his card:

We started this on Monday. and after 5 days of school, Cooper has 3 punches. He made it to "yucky yellow" twice this week at school, so those two days did not result in a punch in his card. Maybe this, along with the help of his teachers, will help motivate him to keep his hands to himself at school!

Not much else has been happening. We have been at home most of the time, and have spent most of our time in our pajamas, just adjusting to our new life together.

So far, so good. Baby Colson is definitely a keeper, noooo doubt about that!

A very overdue introduction

2011-10-06T14:31:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago today, this sweet little boy entered the world.

Colson Luke Chappelear

Born Sept. 22, 2011 at 11:15 a.m.

8 lbs. and 5 oz.

21 inches long

And he is absolutely, totally, completely, and 100% perfect.

You may wonder why I have taken two weeks to update my blog. It is not because this baby boy has been overly fussy, or because I have not had the time, or because I have felt bad from the delivery, or anything like that. It is just because I have been enjoying every single second of being a mother of two that I just have not wanted to divert my attention from either of my two baby boys to take the time to upload pictures and post them! My apologies, but, I am betting you understand.

Let me begin with the night before Colson was born. I spent the day running in a million directions trying to finish up at work, do six weeks worth of lesson plans for three grades (that is 90 lessons in case you are wondering), get Cooper and Davidson packed and ready for their stays at NanPa's and Aunt Katie's, and get us packed and ready for our trip to the hospital. We dropped off Cooper at his NanPa's around 7 that night, and the two of us headed to Chattanooga for dinner.

We went to Chop House since they have great specials during the week. The food was delicious, but I must admit I did not enjoy it very much. First, I could hardly fit between the table and the back of the booth, which was quite uncomfortable. Second, I missed and was worrying about Cooper. Third, I was anxious and nervous and scared about the delivery. Fourth, I had awful heartburn. Fifth and finally, I was having some contractions. Some pretty strong contractions.

After dinner we headed for after dinner treats (for Josh that was a Dairy Queen blizzard and for me that was a decaf dark Starbucks coffee), and then went to Barnes and Noble. Josh looked at car magazines and I furiously typed away on my laptop finishing another set of lessons. But they closed at 10, so we had nowhere left to go but to the hospital.

We checked into Parkridge East at 11 p.m. on Wednesday night, and when we arrived to in the labor and delivery room, we were pleasantly surprised that our room had been decorated for us already. It was a Happy Birthday theme with monkeys and gifts for the baby and for big brother Coop. All compliments of my sweet sister-in-law, Tracey, who works at the hospital.

We were supposed to check in at 11:00. For once in my life, I was right on time.

The sign says "Welcome Baby Colson! Love, Aunt Tracey." I apparently just snapped a few pics but was too nervous to even notice the flash was not working to my benefit.

Josh settled in on the bed/couch, and I settled in to the hospital gown and bed so they could start my medicine. I was already having contractions and they registered clearly on the monitor. Once they started the Cervidil my contractions kicked in harder, so I spent the next 6 hours squirming and cringing while Josh slept. At 7:30 they began the Pitocin, and at 8:30 I was 3 cm so they broke my water. And that was when the craziness began!!

To keep this blogpost from becoming a novel, I will give the short summary of what happened after 8:30. The pain got much worse, I asked for the pain medicine that I had been holding off for (at this point had just been dealing with the pain) and they gave me a drug called Nubain. BAD CHOICE for me. Apparently, it is supposed to help relieve the pain, but it didn't. It just made me feel like I had been taking some kind of illegal, mind blowing drugs and turned me from an alert mom in labor to a drugged, narcoleptic, mean, crazy lady! I was in so much pain that I could not be still, had Josh in a body clamp, and was holding on to him for dear life and pleading, begging, shouting, etc. for the pain to stop. The next three hours were a complete blur, and I went from 3 cm to 10 quickly, and sometime in there got an epidureal, but it only worked on my left side, and I was still out of my mind from the meds and the pain. I kept trying to apologize to everyone for the way I was acting, but I could not open my eyes or finish my sentences. Pitocin is merciless. So when they finally got the epidural working, I was pushing before I knew it. I would push and then fall asleep between pushes. I remember shaking my head, slapping my face, and doing everything I could to shake that horrible high feeling I had. But it would not go away. Before I knew it, Colson was in my arms, and I had not even been able to communicate to my family or my friends that he was on his way. So no one even knew, including ME, that he was being born. It was just a complete blur. A blur that ended beautifully:

I am so thankful everything turned out OK, and I attribute that to having a gracious God who remained in control of the entire situation, an awesome doctor and nursing staff, AND a husband who was my ROCK through it all. Because I was totally helpless and dazed and confused and out of my mind through it and never really had a grasp on what was happening. You can tell by my eyes in the pictures that I was not feeling quite like myself!

So, a few minutes after Colson was born, I was holding him in my arms and gazing at him in disbelief, and I realized I needed to call mom and tell her the news. So I grabbed my phone and as I was telling her that Colson was here, my Dad walked into the room. He had just decided to swing by and check in on us, and was entirely unaware of what he was walking into! He stopped, stared at me as I was the only adult in the room and was in the bed, holding a newborn, shivering from head to toe (guess it was the meds). Dad says... "Is that yours?" And I just nodded my head yes. He was just as shocked as I was, and I had mom on the phone stunned as well and eager to leave work, get Cooper from school, and dash to the hospital. It was quite emotional to say the least for all of us!

That was most definitely not the way I imagined things would go. I thought my family and close friends would get the call that I was ready to start pushing, travel to the hospital, and be there in time to meet Colson together. I thought I would be alert and happy and ready to enjoy my first few hours as a mom of two. But, nope, that just didn't happen. But that's OK. Sometimes we don't get the picture perfect story, but as long as everything turns out fine, then I am thankful. And I also know that I will never, ever take that pain medicine again!

I was so happy to see Cooper walk in the door. He arrived right before they moved me to the recovery room, and he hopped into my wheelchair and rode all the way with me. It felt good to have him in my arms. Once we arrived in the room, he received his "big brother presents." He was pretty excited.

These were a collection of things that I had picked up as well as items that had been given to me at showers for Cooper. I just bagged them all up and gave them to him at one time.

Then Josh walked Cooper down to the nursery so he could get a good look at his new brother.

We spent some time in the hospital room together that afternoon. Here is our first picture as a family of 4. Shocked daddy, sleepy mama, fussy little brother, and excited big brother.

Colson had a few little battle scars on the top of his head from the delivery, which have all healed and disappeared by now. Here we are checking out his spot on his head.

Finally, mom was able to get her hands on Colson. She has not been able to hold him much since he has been born. Since her birthday is this weekend, I think that might make a nice birthday gift for her...some time with her new grandson.

We had so many friends come by to visit us.

Several dancers came by that night to see him.

Of course, my best gal pals were there. They just never cease to bless me, spoil me, and love me.

Man...I sure do look tired in these pics!

Both Grandpas came during the day to get some time in with Colson. Pappaw caught him early one morning while he was awake and alert.

Dad came that afternoon to bring Cooper and managed to get some time with Colson as well.

Josh's brother Mark and his family also stopped by to see us. Tracey was the one responsible for all the decorations and she also lined up my nurses and staff to make sure we were well taken care. We most definitely were. Josh enjoyed the nurses so much that he went to Krispy Kreme and bought 4 dozen doughnuts and passed them out to thank them.

I enjoyed my time in the hospital because I was able to just focus all of my energy and attention to my family. I loved it.

So there you have the story of Colson's first birthday. I am absolutely loving being a mom of two. I am proud of both of my sons, and so appreciative for my friends and family that have done so much for us during this time.

In the two weeks that have passed, I have taken more pictures, and will post some more soon. But for now, I am going to just go get my hands back on him, because I have fallen head over heels for this sweet little boy and just don't want to put him down!

Our Final Days as a Family of 3

2011-09-20T19:33:00.000-07:00

Last Monday was my 36 week checkup and doctor appointment. All along I was thinking that I was going to be right on target for my October 8 delivery date. Compared to what I looked like at this point when I was pregnant with Cooper, I am almost 15 pounds lighter, my legs and ankles are not nearly as terribly swollen, and I have been feeling great! So, when the ultrasound tech informed me that my little baby boy was already weighing in at 8 pounds and 3 ounces, I was quite shocked to say the least! His legs measured over the average length for a 40 week old, full term, baby. His abdomen is huge! So the doctor told me to plan to come back this Monday for a follow up appointment and to set a day for an induction. I left, let the news sink in, and by the weekend I pretty much had convinced myself that the ultrasound tech was just mistaken. So this Monday I bopped back into the office, hoping the doctor would approve a second ultrasound and that we would see that Colson was not nearly as big as we thought he was. I really had myself fooled. Except, instead of weighing in at 8 pounds 3 ounces, this time he measured 8 pounds and 14 ounces, and is pretty much the "age" of a 39 week, 5 day old baby! So...this time I just had to accept that there is no getting out of being induced early, as Colson is pretty much set on arriving this week. The doctor scheduled my induction for Wednesday night/Thursday morning. We report to the hospital at 11 tomorrow night...ahhhhhh....release the butterflies in my tummy!

I am nervous. Much more nervous than I was last time. Last time I was blissfully naive. This time I know what is coming my way, or at least what is coming my way if all goes as it did last time. I also know more about things that can go wrong. Those things worry me. I am thankful to have faith in a God that I know will be there and will be in charge of all that happens, and that it is all entirely out of my hands. So I can try to let go of those worries and pray and pray them away. I didn't sleep well last night, and woke every hour or so, and would just pray myself back to sleep. I don't know how people without faith ever get through times of anxiety and worry. I felt much better today about everything, but, I just can't stop worrying about Coop. This is going to be such a big change and adjustment for him. I am so proud of how well he has done in Pre-K and just hope this is not too big of a bump in the road for him. He is the absolute center of my world, and I just don't want to rock his world too much. I just love him so, so much. And I know how guilty I will feel when I have to divide my attention and my time between him and the new baby. This is just me being very honest, and I know that the people who read my blog are also the same people who pray for me, so I am just asking you to keep praying for me, and for Colson, and for an easy delivery, but also pray especially for Cooper. Pray that he will take pride in his big brother status and will be understanding when mommy has her hands full with a baby. Pray that Colson will be kind in how much attention he demands from mommy so that I can still devote time to Coop. Just please pray for our little family as we go through the changes ahead. I know I am praying diligently nowadays about all of it.

Mentally, we may not be quite ready, but we are pretty much prepared otherwise. Here are a few pictures of what we have done so far:

The freezer is packed with meals. Hopefully these will help us on those nights when we are just too tired to cook. Those nights came a lot last time when Cooper was born!

The crib is ready. Josh spent his Sunday afternoon making a wall hanging to go above Colson's bed. It turned out perfectly. One of my sweet dancers painted the letters for us, and Josh built a frame and board for them to be mounted on. Now I want one for Cooper's room too. Then last night Josh spent the evening helping me clean the house, so thankfully that is done. The hospital bags are almost packed. Cooper's bags are packed for his stay at NanPa's. Davidson's bag is packed for his stay at Katie's. The nursery is as ready as it is going to be.

Tonight Josh hung pictures and curtains for me.

Dad gave Colson this painting a little early. He brought one to the hospital for Cooper when he was born that featured Dave, so I guess he felt Colson should have one too. I am definitely glad he felt that way!

The changing station is stocked with diapers and wipes. The closet is full of clothes, diapers, wipes, and gear. The carseat is in the car. All that is missing is the baby. And apparently that will be here soon enough... so for now I am just going to use this quiet time while Josh, Cooper, and Dave are all sleeping and work on a few last minute things I need to do.

Tonight, I spent my evening with Cooper and Josh. I had so much on my mind that needed to be done, but I am thankful I took the time to slow down a bit and just hang with them. I brought Cooper Wendy's because that is his favorite, but Josh and I ate homemade taco soup, which was just what this congested mommy needed. Then, Cooper and I baked cookies and the three of us piled up on the sofas and watched a movie. Cooper thanked us so many times I honestly lost count. He loves time with his family just like I do.

Tomorrow night, Josh and I will be leaving Cooper at NanPa's and heading to the hospital. I guess the two of us will have one final dinner together before the excitement begins. Maybe even a trip to the bookstore to read some books and magazines and enjoy a cup of coffee (decaf of course).

Am I ready? I guess I am as ready as I will ever be. I still have lots to do tonight but did not want to forget to blog since it is a pretty important night for us. The biggest task left is those 90 lesson plans I have to write (30 days worth for three grades). I worked a while today on them and managed after 2 1/2 hours to have three whole days worth of plans finished. So, I am guessing they won't all be finished by tomorrow, but maybe I can get at least one more week planned out.

Hopefully the next time I blog it will be to post pictures of a perfectly healthy baby boy, a very proud big brother, and two happy and thankful parents. I am so thankful to know that so many of my friends and family will be praying us through the next few days. I am anxious and nervous and excited and ready to just have this delivery behind me, and to be at home again, this time as a family of 4. I just can't wait to be home with them.

Celebrations...Part 3

2011-09-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

Now for the baby celebrations!

My first baby shower for Colson was hosted by the Satterfields, which is a family of one of my senior dancers on the team. They are such a sweet and kind family, and it was so thoughtful of them to open up their home for 22 high schoolers and 2 coaches to open baby presents!

Sooo many of the gifts were absolutely wonderful. Here is one of the ones that I am betting Colson will be wearing to Friday night football games this year:

As you can see, I was pretty excited when I glimpsed what was behind the wrapping paper here. The team all pitched in to get me our travel system. Sadly, I sold the one I used with Cooper. We did not really realize we would be needing one again. They are so very expensive and we were not sure how we were going to afford one the second time around. But the dance team totally saved the day!

I believe at this point I was thanking God in heaven...truly I was.

There were so many thoughtful, personal gifts given that night.

My mom is always the practical giver. The Dreft had already even been used some to wash loads of clothes she has already given me!

Katie gave Colson a frog outfit to keep in tradition with all of the frog items she gave Cooper.

This is (most of) my team of wonderful young ladies I am so blessed to coach. They truly enrich my life in so many ways.

Here they are blessing Colson...lol.

And somehow we managed to capture a picture with everyone touching my belly!

I came home that night with a car FULL of gifts for the baby, but also with a heart full of thanks for all of their generosity. It was such a wonderful night with my gals.

The second baby shower we had was at the Parker's house and was hosted by my bff's Jessica, Katie, and Jayme.

They went ALL OUT with attention to detail. I knew as soon as I arrived at the front door that I was in for a special treat. Jessica made this wreath and attached pictures of me while I have been pregnant, of the nursery, and of big brother Coopman.

The theme of the shower was "little man" and everything had mustaches and bow ties. Even the delicious key lime cupcakes that Jessica made were topped with mustaches.

Since this is my second baby, we called this a sprinkle instead of a shower. But it kind of felt more like a downpour as I received so much!!!

Everything on the table tasted as good as it looked. Chicken salad, texas caviar, veggies, fruits....it was all delicious.

Hanging in the window were personalized shirts and onesies for Cooper and Colson. They were made by a friend of ours named Amanda. You can access her Etsy store here. I highly recommend anything she makes!

This is the onesie that matches the t shirt Jessica gave Cooper for his birthday. I cannot wait to see a picture of the two of them together, with Dave, in these!

I love love love love the lil bro and big bro shirts. Again...can't wait to see them in these either!

Mom and Ann got to sit and chat for a little bit. They are great friends but don't see each other often. Life is just too busy nowadays for everyone.

Speaking of great friends, the McCormacks came. We have kept them pretty busy this month with all of the parties and showers!

Anna Grace was a wonderful hostess. She handed me gifts and helped me open them.

Katie was the one responsible for the Little Man theme. She did the invitations and decorations. She has become quite the creative little party planner! Too bad we were not such good friends back when I planned my wedding!!

Here I am opening up the card for the house cleaning after Colson is born! That is a PERFECT gift to give a new mommy. I have this fear of going into labor and my house being a mess and having to come to the disaster with a newborn and no time to clean it up. Well...now I can sleep at night!

Check out these sweet mustache booties from Katie. LOVE them.

And also LOVE the monogrammed blanket. She did one of these for Cooper too and he still uses it everyday.

Kelley came and blessed me with this huge basket of monkey stuff. So many cute gowns, onesies, hats, and a wonderful blanket with his name on it. I want to pack all of it for the hospital!

The favors that Katie made were chocolate mustaches. Cooper had quite a good time with his when I brought it home to him.

Here we are again...the two preggos together. I don't think Grace and I have ever had many pictures taken together at all, but we have taken several since we have been pregnant. I like to think of it as taking pictures of the little cousins.

Mom stepped in to show her "early support" for her grandchildren. I laughed at the idea of early support, as she has been supporting me for almost 35 years now!

Brandy also was able to make it to the shower. Brandy and I have been friends since high school and although we hardly see each other, we always pick right back up where we left off. I wish I could see more of her. She is good for my soul!

Here I am with the sweet gals who put the shower together. These girls are such an important part of my life. They are the ones that I grab the phone and call anytime I need anything. I am so thankful for them and all that they did to make the shower so very special. They are just as busy, if not busier, than I am, and it meant so much to me that they went to all the trouble to make everything so nice. It was pretty much a perfect afternoon for me!

My third, and last, shower was hosted by Betty and Danelle, at my cousin Susan's house. This was a shower for both Grace and myself.

At my first shower I felt overwhelmed by all of the gifts. At my second shower, I was overwhelmed by all of the thoughtfulness that went into every single little detail. At this shower, I was completely overwhelmed by the blessings and words of wisdom that were passed my way. The food was delicious and the decorations were perfect, as you can see:

I enjoy seeing my little baby boy's name on things. It makes him seem a little bit closer to being here with me. The cupcake toppers and the banners (they had one for Elinor too) were a great touch. But the part I enjoyed most was what Betty and Danelle planned for us. First, they had everyone write a prayer on an index card for our babies, and then placed them in a book for us to keep. Then, they asked my cousin Becky to speak a little bit about raising boys and my cousin Chris's wife Joy to speak about raising girls.

What those two women had to say in terms of advice, humor, and scriptural encouragement meant waaaay more than any gifts anyone could have ever given us. And as if that was not enough of a blessing, then each person at the shower took turns praying out loud for Grace and I, and for both of our babies. To hear both of us lifted up in prayer by so many godly women in one room was humbling to say the least. When they finished, I honestly felt like I had received more than I had at any other shower. I had been blessed in a way that is really hard to describe. I was overwhelmed with blessing. And it felt wonderful.

Here we are with the gals responsible for putting together our shower.

We have had quite our share of celebrations in the past month for sure. Now, it is time to return back to school, and get back into the busy schedule for a few weeks, but before I know it Colson will be here.

We are getting close to being ready I think. We have a finished nursery (which I have yet to post pictures of) with the exception of some wall decorations. We have the crib and the glider and the travel system and diapers and wipes and clothes and a pack and play is on its way. All we need is baby! But thanks to all of the generosity of my friends and family we are more ready than ever for him to arrive!

Celebrations...part 2

2011-09-06T07:03:00.000-07:00

In addition to everyone else's birthday parties, we also celebrated Cooper's birthday this month. His actual birthday fell during the week, and Mommy had to work, but since I had open house that night I was able to stay at home with him a little later that morning. We started the day with some birthday pancakes.

The sprinkles and whipped cream made for quite a yummy breakfast. Then, we opened our birthday present...a LeapPad. Cooper has hardly put it down since he opened it!!

When we arrived to HMS wearing our birthday shirt, one of my coworkers had left him a surprise...a new hot wheels chair! He sat in it, played his LeapPad, and finished his bowl of cheerios.

He spent all day with me at work, which was really nice. I treated him to a chick fil a lunch about halfway through the day, then we went back to work some more. Daddy came by to get him so he could go home and nap, but while he was there he was so sweet and easy to have around. Unbelievably, I was actually able to work while he colored, watched Tow Mater Tall Tales, and played with the toys he took. I could do that everyday and enjoy it I think. Sigh...

That evening, my parents met us at Tres Amigos (which he calls Mexico) for a birthday dinner celebration. The waiters sang to him and put the big goofy hat on him. I did not have my camera handy so I missed that picture. But, afterwards he enjoyed some cupcakes and presents at NanPa's.

Pa and Nan surprised him with a push toy Tow Mater that blows bubbles. He went around and around and around and around and around their coffee table until we finally persuaded him to go outside for fear that he would ruin their rugs from all of the soap bubbles!

Outside, he and Pa chased each other around the driveway. Pa hung in there fairly well to be honest. I would not have made one lap around the driveway without having to take a water break! This preggo can hardly walk a flight of stairs anymore!

Cooper had a great birthday I think. He spent the day with his family, ate all of his favorite foods in one day, and opened up some really great presents.

Then, the following Saturday, we had the big celebration with all of his friends and family. Or, most of them anyway. A few couldn't make it, but we were so thankful to celebrate with the ones who came!

The theme of the party was obviously Cars.

We had stacks of tires,

Tow Mater's tater chips,

and treat bags filled with Cars candy.

A homemade banner, orange cones,

checkered flags,

and more flags, cones and tires decorated the entrance and walkway.

The food included a "Just what Doc Hudson ordered veggie tray," "Sally's salsa" and chips, "Finn's fruit dip" and fruit,

and a race car track full of cupcakes.

Cooper and Cora were excited to be together, as they always are. Here they are peering out the window at Nan hanging the balloons around the pool.

The swimming pool was the place to be for the little ones. Cooper would jump out of the pool each time a new friend would arrive, run to the gate, and hug them. He was so excited to see all of the people who came to his party!

As always, Cora put on a show.

Since mommy made cupcakes this time, we only had a small cake for him to eat. Our friend Elisha Gibson made it for him for his birthday. He thought it was awesome.

Justin had spent the day working on his deck and was exhausted. But he still managed to get in for a little while with Cora.

I don't think he could hang with her, though.

Here I am with some of my favorite gal pals. They were the ones who stayed after everyone left and helped clean. THAT is when you know who your true friends are for sure, when they are willing to hang around and pick up trash, empty garbage, and pack your car for you! What would I ever do without them?

I also don't know what our kids would do without Morgan. She is amazingly good with Cooper and Addi and they love love love her!

The Dills also came and played in the water. Both Addi and Sam LOVE to swim. Sam was all about the water.

Addi loves swimming underwater and jumping off the diving board. She amazed everyone at how brave she was!

Mom gave Cooper this RR Crossing bank for his birthday. The kids spent the evening filling it up with change. These two put more in it than anyone.

Katie and Anna Grace spent some time hanging by the pool catching up. They were so cute just sitting and talking.

Justin jumped in to help light the candles. It has been a few years since the two of us even stopped to take a picture together!

Cooper was a great sport this time when it came time for the birthday song. In years past he has cried, but this time he just smiled the whole time.

And he blew all four candles out all by himself!

Opening presents was a blur. I am not sure how to complete thank you cards this time because I just cannot say for sure who gave him what. He opened them so fast that I could not even figure out what bags they were coming out of!

Katie gave him a backpack to wear to "big boy school." It fits him perfectly.

Justin and Grace gave him the "Sonic the Hedge" (really hedgehog) game. This has been going in the Wii ever since we arrived home that night. He had to carry it home in his hands in the car.

Jessica and Anna Grace gave him the cutest shirt! They gave a onesie just like it to Colson at the baby shower the other day (hope to blog about that too soon).

Cooper was thankful to have all of his friends and family together to celebrate with him. He thanked me over and over and over again for his party. He really had a great time.

So much time goes into preparing food, decorations, presents, and other items for parties. But no amount of preparation can make a party a successful one. It is the people that come and celebrate with you that make it such a special time. Although we were missing a few family members and friends that could not make it, this year's birthday party was a big success, and we are very appreciative of everyone who came to celebrate with us!

HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY COOPMAN!

We had a blast celebrating one more year with you!

Celebrations...Part I

2011-09-06T06:17:00.000-07:00

August was a month FULL of celebrations! Birthday parties and baby showers consumed pretty much all of our weekends. As busy as it was, I am so thankful to have so many things to celebrate and so many people to celebrate with.

Today we celebrated the Labor Day holiday and because it rained all day long I was able to catch up on some things at home. I finally had time to get pictures off my memory card, so this blog post may be a little long from all of the pictures!

First, I want to post a few pictures of my sweet niece Cora's birthday party. It was dead in the heat of the summer, so her mommy put lots of thought into making the party as cool for the kids as possible. Swimming pools, water tables, ice cold lemonade, and ice cream sure helped with the extreme heat.

I bought this shirt for Cora several months ago when we were at the beach. I was so happy to see her wearing it. I love buying girl clothes and have a feeling I will enjoy buying Grace's 2nd baby girl, Elinor, clothes just as much!

Grace is so creative and made the banner herself. I loved the way that she set up the ice cream bar for the kids. Cooper loved the fact that there were bowls of candy out in the open for him to sneak his hands into everytime someone wasn't looking.

Justin and Grace live near the RR tracks, so the little ones always get so excited to sit and watch the train pass by.

Here we are...the two preggos surviving the hottest summer together that we can recall ever having. I love that our babies will be so close in age. And of course we are having them in the months right AFTER we had our first ones, which will just add to the birthday party overload this time of year!

The cake tasted as good as it looks in the picture.

Cora was so entertaining to watch. She had a bit of a time getting on her bathingsuit and I was tempted to sing "it's my party and I'll cry if I want to" while Nan and Grace tried to get her dressed.

As you can see, it just kept getting better! It is funny that as an aunt, I find her fits completely entertaining and hysterical. But as a mom, I bet Grace feels like I feel when Cooper acts that way. Grrrr.....

I loved watching her run and play with her friends and get messier and messier by the minute. Dumping water over your head with your clothes on is something only a 2 year old can get away with at her birthday party!

When it came time to blow out the candles on her cake, Cora cried again. And I smiled, AGAIN.

Cooper and his daddy hung out on the porch and enjoyed some cake, ice cream, cold drinks, and shade.

This is the same porch that I remember sitting on with Martha in the summertime and admiring her beautiful backyard garden. It holds many special memories for me. I caught myself thinking often during the party about how happy it would make Martha if she could see all of the celebrations still being held in the home that was once hers. I don't think there is much that would have made her happier. Family was one of the most important things in her life, and she would just be so proud to see how beautiful Justin and Grace have made her home, AND to see the beautiful memories being made there. I know it thrills my heart each time I go visit them to see what they have done with the home.

Then, the next weekend we celebrated Sam's first birthday. Sam is Addi's little brother, and Addi and Cooper are the best of friends. So, apparently I did not get any pictures of Sam, but instead, took pictures of Cooper and Addi playing with all of the riding toys!

The party was early on a Saturday on a day that we had a brief bit of cooler weather (in the 80's as opposed to the 90's). The breeze was fabulous and the kids really had a great time with all of the riding toys.

The hit of the party was this John Deere gator though. The kids drove it, and the mommies and aunts chased them.

Once Cooper got his hands on the wheel, he was hooked. He drove Addi all over the place. They were so cute riding together.

Here are the two cutie pies riding together. We joked that day about how today Cooper was driving her through the yard at the party, but before we know it, he may be driving her to their prom. Who knows!?!

Jayme stayed up half the night before making some yummy cake pops. Judging by the smiles on the kids faces, I would say her time was well spent. They loved them!

The mommies got together for a quick picture. We never do this and it took a few tries since we were almost crashed into by a car or two while standing and smiling.

And, thankfully, I was able to secure some pictures of the happy birthday boy from his mommy. Shame on me for not taking any of him! How could I have missed snapping pics of this sweet face!!??

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CORA AND SAM!

WE LOVE YOU BOTH!

My Little Boy is Growing Up

2011-08-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

Life is fleeting, years rush past. My little boy is growing up fast!

Let me take time today to be thankful that he is here with me.

And though I am busy through each day, let me take time out to play.

Let me take time out to smile, and sit with him for just a while.

Let me take time out for walks, for swings and sports and quiet talks,

For sharing giggles, tickles and hugs, for patching knees and catching bugs,

For running races and climbing trees, and helping with his A-B-C's,

For hatching plots and planning schemes, and listening to his thoughts and dreams.

Let me tuck him in at night, hear his prayers, turn off the light.

And when my busy day is done, let me thank God I have this son.
-Anonymous

My sweet, creative, funny, rambunctious, fun-loving, talkative, and perfectly made little Cooper... it is so hard to believe that you are turning 4 today. The years are flying by, but every moment with you has been a blessing. You have opened my eyes to a life that is so much more worth living than it was before. You have opened my heart to love more than it ever could before. I am so proud of the little boy have become and look forward to seeing all you will learn, do, and become in the days ahead.

You are by far the best thing I have ever done. Happy 4th birthday little man. You are loved far more than you will ever, ever know!

He's growing up...

2011-08-21T19:25:00.000-07:00

Our little man is going to turn 4 in a few weeks and is about to begin attending Pre-K. WHAT? How has this happened so quickly? It just seems like yesterday he was my little baby boy, and now he is about to become a big brother. So many changes are happening in his life this month, and one of the biggest changes was that he spent his last day with his gang at Miss Beth's house.

Beth babysat Justin and I when we were little and she has been keeping Cooper for the past two years in her home. We were so blessed to have her because she gave Cooper so much more one on one love and attention than he ever would have received in a daycare. This group in the picture has been his circle of friends, his gang, his crew...for a long time. Each night he shares stories with me about things that Addi said that day, or what Georgia did, or what he did to Jackson or Jackson did to him.... he always has had stories to tell about his buddies. He always make me pray for ALL of them each night, too. I can never leave anyone out or he reminds me to pray for them, and that includes Miss Beth, Corbin (her son) and Russell (her husband). It is hard for me to imagine Cooper's life without them in it, and I know this is just the first of MANY transitions we will go through in his lifetime, but it still makes me pretty sad!

Beth was so sweet to give him a party to send him off to school. I took lots of pictures before I realized my camera settings were wrong, so sadly over half of them did not turn out. Those are the pictures of the kids devouring the cookie cake she had for them, and of her giving Cooper his books. She gave him the Dr. Seuss book "Oh the Places You'll Go!" and another book called "The Night Before PreSchool." Both books will be perfect to read to him as we get ready for him to start school in a few weeks. I think books make really thoughtful gifts, especially with handwritten notes in the front of them. Eventually I will be able to read the note to Coop without crying, but I am not quite there yet. I tried...and failed miserably.

Of course, no day at Miss Beth's is ever complete without playtime. So the gang rallied up and ran the halls for a while together.

Cooper and Addi spent some time in the playroom with the trains and the dollhouse.

Then Cooper spent some time with Jackson playing with cars.

I think Coop was super excited to see that Cain (Georgia's big bro) came to celebrate too. He LOOOOVEES Cain and thinks he is the greatest kid. Anything Cain does, Cooper wants to do too. They are actually distant cousins, but to me they look more like brothers.

Coop also enjoyed some hugs and laughs with Corbin. Corbin is sooo good with the little ones and they just love him so much. He is a great role model for them too.

Eventually, the time came for us to leave. All of the other children had already left, so we knew we had to go. But not before we took one last picture with Miss Beth.

Beth and I both blinked back our tears because we did not want Cooper to be upset. We know that we will still see each other. We know we will stay in touch. But it was still so hard not to cry!!! We both wanted it to be a happy day for him and wanted it to seem like a celebration instead of a sad event. But my hormones made it AWFULLY hard to blink back the tears, and even with my sunglasses on Cooper spotted the tears rolling down my cheeks as I put him in his carseat.

We will forever be thankful to Beth for taking such wonderful care of our little boy. She has played a huge part in the first few years of his life, and he has learned so many things from her. I catch him singing songs I have never heard before, and when I ask him where he learned them, he usually says Miss Beth taught them to him. She has taught him Bible stories, read him probably hundreds of books, has been patient with his picky eating habits and even helped potty train him too! She has rocked him when he was feeling bad, consoled him when he missed his mommy and daddy, and has always made him feel safe, secure, and loved every minute he was away from us. No amount of money could ever be enough to pay her back for loving our son like she has. We will always be so thankful for her and the part she has played in his life.

So in two weeks we will begin Pre-K. I hope it goes well. I have a feeling there will be some tears shed (by BOTH of us) and after a summer full of tons of time together, Coop and I are going to have a tough time being apart so much. We have gotten so spoiled having three months together this summer.

But as emotional as I may get, I will just continue to remind myself that it is just Pre-K, not college yet, right?

Sometimes all you can do is just laugh...

2011-08-08T18:15:00.000-07:00

A romantic, two night escape to the mountains of North Carolina for just the two of us was what was SUPPOSED to happen this week. But one thing I have learned time and time again in the past few years is that things just don't always go as planned. When we arrived back home today (one day early) to find these roses blooming in our garden I just had to make sure to place one in this vase right above my kitchen sink to remind myself to just laugh. Because that is all I can do right now as I reflect back on the past 24 hours!

Due to the pitiful economy and a lack of extra funds laying around, Josh and I went the thrifty route when picking a pre-baby/10 year anniversary trip for us to take. We went through Living Social and booked a 2 night stay at the Lakeview at Fontana spa resort. We got a great price on the trip and it included breakfast for both days AND $20 credits for both of us towards the spa services. Josh was booked for the relaxation massage and I was booked for a prenatal one. Mom and Dad had Coopman and Katie was keeping Dave. Everything was looking great when we left town yesterday.

We had a delicious breakfast at Cracker Barrel and enjoyed the scenic drive through the mountains and river gorges. We arrived at the resort around 3 in the afternoon and were happy with what we found. Although the building was a little bit older than it appeared in the pictures, it was comfortable and quaint. The sign out front advertised it as a "rustic, chic resort." Josh read that as "rustic, CHICK, resort" and turned to me and asked..."what have I gotten myself into?" I just laughed and explained to him the difference between chic and chick. But I must admit there were several females in groups of two staying there together, which surprised us. But anyway...moving on...

I immediately was impressed by the beautiful view from the resort of the Nantahala Gorge and jumped out of the car to take a picture. Sadly, this was the first, and last picture I took.

We checked in, got to our room, and found our first small problem. The villas only had window units for air conditioning, and with one unit and three rooms, that just was not doing the trick for this pregnant mama in 98 degree weather. But we thought surely it would cool down as the sun went down, so we just decided to hang out and relax for a bit. Then we headed into Bryson City and did a little window shopping, had a delicious meal at Jimmie Mac's, picked up some ice cream, and headed back to the resort.

It was almost dark when we arrived back, and it was REALLY dark. Being that far into the mountains is a little scary in itself, but the fact that they had so few lights on at night was a little bit creepy. So we made sure our door was locked, but it still kind of made me nervous that the door just had one, tiny, little lock on it that felt like if you shook it that you could open the door right up. Both of our cell phone batteries were almost dead, and we could hardly find enough outlets to charge both at the same time, which was surprising! Yeah, I had to scrape a few cobwebs here and there and had to even kill a few spiders, but you kind of expect that when you are in the woods. Since our bedroom still felt like it was about 95 degrees inside, we just stayed in the den in front of the air conditioner and ate our Ben and Jerry's. I thought Josh was going to have withdrawals over the fact that there was no television in our room, but he managed.

So eventually we headed to bed in the sauna, I mean bedroom, and were just getting settled in for the night when I felt something brushing my bare leg. I reached down and figured it was just the sheet. Then I felt it again, moving up my calf. Again, I just brushed it off. The third time, though, my hand grabbed something moving and I jumped up and yelled at Josh "there is something in the bed!" He jerked back the sheets and found that we were sharing the bed with a cockroach the size of my thumb. That was when I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom to grab a tissue for him to squash it with, and in my rush almost stepped on the frog that was hopping across our bathroom floor. At that point, I was officially done. I just started packing clothes, all the while wondering where I could put my feet without risking something else crawling across them.

Thankfully, Josh called the owner, and he was very professional and apologetic. Josh explained to him that we were on our babymoon/10 year anniversary trip, and told him we just did not think we could sleep there. He offered us a full refund, and we took it and were heading out the door in about ten minutes, honestly.

So it was close to midnight, pitch black dark outside, and a storm was rolling in as we pulled out of the resort. I looked down at my phone which was lying on the console to see if I was getting service so I could google map some nearby hotels, but the box where you type your text messages read this:

"Sweet dreams on North Carolina Interstate 19"

The message was there as if I had typed it, but the problem was, I never typed anything like that. I didn't type anything at all. I showed it to Josh and the two of us just felt a little bit creepy as we drove on down the road, in the lightning and thunder, with the tall mountain road to the right of our car and the river gorge to the left. Maybe we have watched too many scary movies for our own good, but we were officially spooked at this point. After talking about we decided that I must have hit the speech to text button on my phone before I laid it down and it translated something that one of us must have said along with our navigation talking in the background into that message. But it was creepy nonetheless.

We had no idea where we were going, but knew we weren't staying there. As the rain continued to pour down, we also realized that my driver's side windshield wiper was broken and was not wiping away the water. We had extremely sketchy cell phone service and were not able to complete any phone calls to find out where any hotels might be. I was officially anxious and Baby Colson was doing flips in my tummy.

Thankfully, after driving about 45 minutes under a lightning-filled sky, we found a Hampton Inn in Murphy, NC. Their rooms are always clean, the beds are soft, and they have air conditioning...and hopefully no bugs in the beds. So we ended up spending about $100 on a room that we slept in very little, but it was worth it to not be out in the storms trying to get home on those scary roads.

I didn't sleep because of awful nightmares and Josh had apparently hurt his back (maybe it was the dive to kill the bug that did it) and he had trouble sleeping. So we got up early and headed home, where we spent the latter part of our day at the doctor's office getting his back adjusted and CVS getting muscle relaxers filled. Then we picked up Cooper and headed home.

Tonight, I thought back to how our trip turned out. I was SUPPOSED to have spent my day being pampered in a relaxing spa and lounging by the pool with a good book, but instead I spent it in the car and at the doctors office and pharmacy. And tonight, I was supposed to be be enjoying grilled trout with my dear husband overlooking the Nantahala, but instead as was at home fixing Cooper his favorite meal for dinner (chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, macaroni). But, honestly, I am really ok with that.

And as disappointed as I am that our trip didn't turn out, I sure am thankful to have a clean, bug-free house to come home to, and to have shared some wonderful laughs with a sweet husband that is right now playing in the garage with my very happy and healthy sweet boy (I think those muscle relaxers must be helping?). And as I type, I can also feel one more healthy little boy rolling around in my tummy. Life is very good here at home. And for that, I am so thankful.

Maybe we will try again in a few years to have a trip away, for just the two of us. But for now, we are just going to stay at home and enjoy what we have. I am officially DONE with traveling for a little while!

Getting the house ready

2011-07-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

As each day passes, I grow more and more anxious about being ready for the arrival of Baby Colson. This pregnancy has gone by so much more quickly, and there is still so much to do. We are spending our days moving furniture (mainly Josh carrying and me pointing), painting (mainly Josh painting and me admiring and fixing meals to keep him happy), and making lists of things to get and do as soon as possible. Thankfully, Cooper's new room is painted and he is moved in completely (will post pics soon). The nursery is painted thanks to Josh and my sweet father in law who worked all weekend on it. Both rooms look AMAZING. We have ordered carpet for both rooms and it is supposed to be ready tomorrow for pick up. Then, we will empty both closets, paint them, lay carpet, and then switch the closets so Cooper's closet is in his new room and the baby's items are in the nursery. After that...we can begin to put in furniture and prepare the nursery for little man's arrival! Yes, that is quite a list, and I am eager to knock it all out. I have already started going through all the baby clothes and they are washed and hung in one closet. But we will have to switch them to the other closet since Cooper staked his claim to what we had planned to be the nursery. As I have been sorting through clothes, Cooper has enjoyed trying to wear some of them again.

That is him with the cap he wore home from the hospital when he was a newborn. Funny that he can actually stretch it over his big head!!

Coop has also been excited about the home improvement projects. He loves to get his tools and help. For example, the chair that I am sitting in right now I have had since I started college in 1995. The back of the seat is completely broken and is in two parts. He just finished beating it to death with his hammer to try to "fix it." This weekend he helped his Daddy put the finishing touches on the wooden slats in the nursery. Just taking a few minutes to let him get involved in a project always brings a huge smile to his face, and of course to ours too.

In addition to working in the nursery, we have made a few changes to other rooms in the house. On a trip to our local home improvement store to pick up some paint, Josh spotted this rug on clearance, and knew how much I wanted a rug for our sunroom. Of course he talked the price down even more, and ended up walking out with a brand new jute rug for around $40. I think it is a perfect fit for our sunroom.

The next thing we hope to do in the sunroom is recover the cushions on the wicker furniture as they are really faded and worn. I spotted lots of nice indoor/outdoor fabrics at Joanne Fabrics yesterday and added myself to their coupon distribution list. Hopefully they will run a good sale on that fabric at the end of the summer and we can take advantage of it and have a friend of ours recover them for a good price. I refuse to pay full price for those deep seated wicker cushions. They are so overpriced!!

With all of the projects we have going on at home, I am pretty tired by the time the sun goes down and Cooper goes to bed. At the end of a busy day, I now have a new and glorious retreat that I can relax in. This beautiful glider is our latest craigslist find. It was posted last week, and is a Best chair. As soon as I saw it post (yes, I have a droid app and had glider tagged in it) I called the lady. That night I was there to buy it for an awesome price of $75! Mom and Dad surprised me by actually paying for the chair as a gift. This nice little corner is where I sit at night with a big glass of nice cold water, a Pottery Barn Kids or Southern Living Magazine, or my laptop pursing my latest online craze, Pinterest. I have grown quite fond of my little chair in the past week.

Something tells me once Colson is born I will be spending some quality time with him, and probably Cooper too, in this chair. I am so thankful to have a glider this time around and look forward to putting it to good use!

Soon I will post pictures of the nursery progress and Cooper's new and improved room. For now, I am heading over to CraigsList to do some nursery furniture shopping!

The baby formerly known as Chicken Little...

2011-07-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

Naming a child is such a big responsibility. I mean, this is going to be their name for the REST of their life. What if they don't like it? What if kids pronounce it incorrectly, or make awful nicknames out of it? Plus, as a teacher, I have taught so many kids that there are simply names out there that I just refuse to use because of the associations they have with previous students. I also have a pet peeve that I want my child's first name to be his REAL first name, since that is the name the teacher will call him on the first day of school every year for his entire life. I always feel so bad on the first day of school when I read my roster and call a child's name and the class erupts into giggles because "Albert" really goes by his much cooler middle name or "Henry" is actually called "Hank." I don't want my child to have to do that every year, so I want his first name to be exactly what he is called, for the most part.

Thus, those are the reasons why we have taken so long to name #2.

Now, I will state that I like using the same first letter for both kids. I just do. I don't know why that is. Maybe that goes back to being a teacher too and liking alliteration. Who knows... But an advantage is that it also helps narrow down the field significantly when looking at the list of name options. So, we know we want our son's first name to start with the letter C.

A s much as I just adore the name Chicken Little, I just don't see our sweet little baby boy feeling the same way about the name Cooper has given him.

However, Coop has been quite adamant this his little brother IS going to be named Chicken Little, so we have decided to let him get his way (partly) and give our son the same INITIALS as Chicken Little, or CL. I don't know if Coop's bro will enjoy sharing those initials with a little cartoon animal who falsely claims that the sky is falling, but I do think it will make for a fun family story one day.

Josh and I have been discussing other names, and we have a few favorites. I do like the name Colton, but we already have a little boy in the family named Colton Chappelear. The world doesn't need two of those. Two others I really like are Carson and Coleman (Cooper was ALMOST named Carson). Josh likes the middle name Luke. I do too. I like that it is a biblical, strong, single syllable middle name (since Chappelear is such a long name). Luke also fits the criteria of the middle initial being an L.

After we discussed these names I decided to ask Cooper what he thought about Carson and Coleman. I asked him to say both names, and he pronounced them both fairly well, even though he still says his L sound like a W (and no, that does not want me to call up my speech therapist friend in a state of panic - I secretly enjoy letting him talk like a little one because he IS still little!). After he pronounced both names, I asked him which one he wanted his little brother to be named, and his response was: "Ummm... what about trying Colson?" Yes, my little 3 year old genius blended two of our favorite names into a new name, and in doing so created one that we both actually really like!

Colson...hmmm.... it is a unique name that is pronounced exactly as it is spelled. It begins with the letter C. It has no negative associations in my mind with previous devilish children I may have taught. It sounds good with Cooper, and can be shortened into a nickname as well (Cooper - Coop and Colson - Cole). It also was received with my enthusiasm by my 22 high school adopted daughters when I told them about it, and they have been referring to this growing baby bump as Colson for some time now.

Although I seem to struggle with actually committing to a name, I also realize that for the sake of all of my sweet southern friends and their monogramming machines, personalized invitations, and custom made shower cakes that I do need to help them breathe easier and finally commit to a name for this (not really so little anymore) baby boy. So, it looks like our next son is going to be named...insert drum roll here...

Colson Luke Chappelear

I like it, Josh likes it, and Cooper does too. As a matter of fact, I just ran the idea by him one more time and said "Coop, do you think your baby brother that is in my tummy will like being named Colson Luke Chappelear?" And he grinned from ear to ear and said "I think yes!" Plus, he will share his initials with the infamous Chicken Little, and who wouldn't want that!?!

So hooray for one of MANY things taken care of before Chicken Little, I mean Colson Luke, arrives.

Time to head back to the nursery closet to do some cleaning and organizing! This mama is in serious nesting mode nowadays!!

The final stretch....

2011-07-14T20:47:00.000-07:00

I am just stunned at how quickly this pregnancy has flown by! I am 28 weeks along tomorrow (pretty much today since I am typing this at almost midnight), and am officially beginning my 3rd trimester. What was once a bump has become somewhat more of a mountain.

I feel pretty akward taking a picture of myself, so it kinda shows on my face. But a friend of a friend reminded me today that I need to document this pregnancy since I don't plan to be pregnant again, so I caved in and snapped a pic. My belly is getting pretty big, and I think it is pretty entertaining how people like to point that out to me everywhere I go. As if I don't have mirrors at home, and don't feel that large human being rolling around in my stomach all hours of the day? Yes friends, I do realize I am pregnant and that my tummy is growing. Thankfully I have only had one person suggest to me that I must be having twins!!

So far this pregnancy has been really fast and much smoother than last time. Not having to give myself shots everyday has just been AMAZING. I feel so much better and am not swelling nearly like I was last time (except in the stomach and chest area of course...lol). I think I get more exercise too since I spend much of my time chasing around Coopman and that helps decrease the swelling. I am a little worried that will change when I go back to work in September, but we will just cross that bridge when we get there!

Speaking of Coopman, he did several things today that really cracked me up. First of all, he was watching television and I changed the channel and he looked at me and said "What the heck mama?" I think my jaw hit the floor. Where did he learn that?

Then, he kept begging and begging me to take him somewhere. ANYWHERE. He was apparently bored of being at home and wanted to get out. But I had spent the day cleaning and catching up at home and a storm was coming in, so I did not want to leave. He kept pleading and begging and I would ask where he needed to go and he would just reply "I WANT TO GO ANYWHERE!" Despite me saying no at least 15 times, he finally came back with this argument... "I want you to go to the mall to get new pants because the baby is getting big and you need new ones." Wow...again...another speechless mama moment!

Then, tonight he just made me laugh as I was tucking him into bed. We have a nightly routine that involves reading books, saying prayers, reciting our alphabet and something that begins with each letter, singing a special song I have sung to him since the day he was born, and then I tell him our plans for the next day, and THEN he has this silly checklist of things he asks me if I have completed (have you brushed your teeth, have you washed your face, have you put on your jamas, did you pack your lunch...). It really is comical to hear him go through my nightly to do list. I have NO idea what started this! Well, tonight we finished everything and I was kissing him goodnight and he asked for me to go get his Daddy. I asked him what he needed and he said he needed his Daddy to get him an extra pillow because he had a bad cough, and then he added several completely unconvincing fake coughs to help me believe him. I just laughed, and then he laughed, and then we both just laid in bed belly laughing together in the dark. Those are the moments that I live for and are the ones that I catch myself, right in the middle of them, thanking God for blessing me with such a precious little boy. I just love him so.

Now, to add a few more pictures. We just spent three days in the mountains with the dance team at our yearly teambuilding retreat. The past few years we have held our retreat at Lake Weiss, but the dancer whose family owned the cabin on the lake graduated, so we had to find a new place to go. We found a huge cabin in Pigeon Forge on http://www.vrbo.com/ and rented it. It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!

Here is Cooper walking up to the front porch. As you can see, the cabin was huge!

Cooper enjoyed getting away with lots of things that he does not get away with at home. Like eating a huge bowl full of ice cream, topped with chocolate, and sprinkles.

Or sneaking chocolate chip muffins under the table when he thinks mommy isn't looking! BUSTED little boy!

The girls were all super sweet to give him lots of attention. They played wii, trains, and lots of other games (I even caught him playing house with some of them but don't tell his Daddy!).

He begged and begged to get into the "hot tuwub" all day and the girls were sweet enough to jump in with him. This little guy just doesn't know how lucky he is to be in a hot tub full of such pretty high school gals!

He loved the hammock. Mommy would have too but I was scared to climb in. The extra preggo weight made me a little hesitant!

His best buddy is Morgan. She is just exceptionally good with him. He asks all the time if she is going to come to his house to play with him. She is so patient and attentive to him and knows how to deal with him when his horns come out.

We went to dinner one night with the team and I tried to get him to pose with me for some pictures. I figured with me being pregnant it would be nice to have some photos together. He was much more interested in calling up the ducks than having his picture made with pregosaurus mama.

As you can see...he was just thrilled at the idea of smiling for a picture.

But when mama mentioned that there was a toy store across the street that we would visit if he would smile, suddenly that frown turned upside down!

Thankfully he obliged me and let me get a picture or two with him. He won't be little long!!!

This pregnancy has been a blessing in many ways, and one of them is that it is making me think much more about the quality of the time I spend with Cooper. Our time with just the two of us is limited, and I am cherishing every day with him right now!

A Trip to the Beach

2011-07-03T16:14:00.000-07:00

Each year we try to make a family trip to the beach. With the economy getting worse and worse every year, it seems like it becomes more challenging to find ways to afford the trip, but thanks to http://www.alwaysatauction.com/ we were able to secure a 5 night stay at Laketown Wharf in PCB for an incredible price this year. I am so glad we were able to, since this will most likely be our last chance at a family vacation as a family of 3!

Since I am preggo, I wanted to take a vacation as early as possible this summer, to hopefully avoid the hottest temperatures of the summer AND the biggest belly. So we left the last day that I had to work, and we made half of the trip that night. We spent the night with our cousins the McNews which was a nice mid-trip break. Cooper especially loved their bulldog Champ and talked all week about how their dog could give high fives. Plus, it is rare that we get a chance to see them without it being an occasion where the entire family is together, so it was really nice to have some time to just sit and talk with them one on one!

We woke up the next morning, enjoyed a nice breakfast, and then headed on to the beach. Cooper was READDDY to get there! Thankfully we were able to spend most of our day AT the beach since the trip from Columbus to PCB only took our morning. Once we arrived in the condo, Cooper literally had his clothes off, and was running around naked looking for his swimsuit before we even had all of our suitcases in the door!

We spent most of our time at the kiddie pool. Cooper loved the slide, and the animals, and the fact that the water was shallow and he could run everywhere, despite the millions of times we shouted WALK COOPER!! I felt like I was back at the old lifeguarding job at the Ringgold Pool. He ran so much he wore the skin off of the bottom of his feet and his feet bled!

Laketown Wharf has several pools. Cooper's other favorite he called the "party pool." The pool was much larger than the kiddie pool, and had a DJ playing music all day. They also had inflatable slides, activities for kids, fountains to play in, and a big island in the middle to jump from. So we went back and forth between these pools most of the time.

Cooper finally started jumping from the side WITHOUT holding our hands this week. Josh was persistent in not giving in and finally persuaded him to try it. Coop even worked up the nerve to jump from the side without anyone to catch him, but was not real excited at how far under he went, so he only did that once!

They took turns jumping over Jeremy's back.

Coop spent a ton of time laughing with his Daddy in the "party pool" which was great for this pregnant mama because I could just sit, watch, and smile.

Cooper spent many hours playing in the fountains.

He also made trips down the inflatable water slide. At first he was not sure about it, but one trip down was all it took to warm him up to the idea.

We also spent a good deal of time on the beach. Cooper especially enjoyed the beach this time because he had his buddy Jaiden there to share it with. They are typical boys for sure.

They chased birds.

Of course, Daddy lured the birds in by throwing food for them. The boys loved that.

They built roads in the sand with their diggers and bulldozers.

One night they found a "cano" (Coopspeak for volcano) and played for a long time inside of it with their construction and monster trucks.

The boys were especially excited about evenings on the beach. We caught little fish and kept them in a bucket for the boys to play with (or terrorize).

Cooper was pretty proud of his fish and kept holding them in his hands to show everyone.

The daddies also caught some crabs to add to the bucket. After the crabs went in, the boys hands suddenly stopped plunging in to catch the fish. I think they were a little scared of these pinchers!

Cooper was so excited about the crabs and the starfish that his Daddy caught. He still talks about them all the time!

But the majority of their time on the beach was spent with their trucks. I don't know what it is about boys and their trucks, but they sure do love them.

Every few minutes an airplane or a helicopter would speed by. It kept the boys yelling and pointing all day when we were out there.

Cooper and Jaiden make quite a pair. Many people think they are brothers, and I can see why because they not only look alike, but they act alike too. I think these two are going to be lifelong pals. Good thing we like Jaiden's parents so much!

Clearly the dads have a good time together. There really isn't much of a difference between the way Coop and Jaiden act from the way Josh and Jeremy act. Some boys just never grow up!

Spending time with my little man was the best part of the week for me. Just hours of undivided time together!

We wrapped up our vacation by taking some pictures on the beach. Bear with me here, because we took so many I had a hard time choosing which ones to post on my blog!!

This is my favorite of Cooper. The wink cracks me up.

He has grown up so fast and is so handsome! I know I am biased of course, but I do think he is just the cutest little man.

And I am thrilled that he seems to love me back just as much as I do love him.

These will probably be our last family pictures together as a family of 3. If you look closely you can see baby #2, also known as Chicken Little of course, in my tummy. I guess next summer you will see him in our beach pictures! So hard to believe....

Josh and I took a few pictures of just the two of us. We never do that anymore. And of course, we had to do the cheesy preggo pic!!!

Our little muscle man....

Each time we go to the beach it gets harder to come home. Cooper talks about going back to the beach almost every day. I am guessing he loved the sand, and the pools, and the easy going schedules of each day, but most of all, I think we all just loved being together. I am already dreaming of next year's trip!

What we've been doing

2011-06-25T08:51:00.000-07:00

So far this summer has been nothing short of perfect. The main reason is because I have been able to spend lots of extra time with Cooper. With #2 on the way, our time together with just the two of us has become very precious to me. Because of the tornado damage to Ringgold's campus, school will not resume until the beginning of September. Although I hate the reason why this happened, I must admit it is bittersweet to me at the same time because it means I get an extra month this summer to prepare for the baby, rest my own body at 8 months pregnant (in August I will be right at 7-8 months), and most of all just have time with Cooper before he starts Pre-K and baby is born.

Baby, by the way, has no name. Right now he is just being referred to as Chicken Little, because that is the name that Cooper has given him. I am thrilled to be having another boy, even though I always dreamed I would have a little girl of my own. But boys are so much fun, and seem to be easier and cheaper than little girls. I can handle easy and cheap nowadays for sure. Plus, I have my sweet niece Cora and soon-to-be niece Elinor that I can spoil AND have 22 dancers to raise as well. So my life is blessed with plenty of sweet girls. Just no future of a little ballerina for me...which I have to admit does make me a little sad.

Back to names...we have considered several names, but two at the top of the list are Carson and Coleman. I asked Cooper which one he liked best, and he suggested that we just make the name Colson out of the two names. Now, I was a little shocked that my 3 year old blended two names together, and even more shocked that he made up a name that I actually liked! So, we will see. If I can ever get Josh to slow down and talk to me about it, maybe we can come to a decision. For now, Chicken Little is his name!! And he is growing by leaps and bounds, as is my tummy!

As far as what Cooper and I have been doing this summer, here is a quick summary:

We have enjoyed lots of downtime at home playing with play dough, coloring, playing wii, and building lots of new tracks for Thomas and Percy.

Speaking of Thomas, we went to visit him at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum again. This time it was just Coop and I, since Daddy was working, and we did not ride the train. But we enjoyed the putt putt golf, the storytime, the train tables, the petting zoo, and all of the other FREE activities. Instead of spending $20 to ride the train, I let him use that money to pick him out a new engine and get a popsicle, which made him happy!

We have also been spending a good deal of time in NanPa's pool. Cooper has started jumping from the side on his own, and just last week began swimming WITHOUT his backpack! I am so proud of my lil fish and know that Martha is cheering him on from heaven!

We have spent some time with family, but not nearly enough time has been spent with them yet, especially with this little cutie pie.

Cooper loves for me to play the shark game in the pool. He has no idea it is really my way to just trick him into swimming fast. But it works!

We have also spent lots of time in the sprinkler this summer to stay cool. Cooper loves to ride his Thomas motorcycle in the driveway through the sprinkler. He goes so fast!

And nothing beats the heat better than the good ole plastic pool on the back deck!

Summertime is the best reason to teach. I do love my job, but I love it even more in the summer because it gives me the chance to pretend that I am a stay at home mom for a few months. I wouldn't trade this for anything!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T21:17:00.000-07:00

Today is Father's Day. I feel especially blessed because I have many wonderful fathers in my life to celebrate on this day. From my Dad, to Cooper's Dad, to all of my friend's Dads and friends that are Dads... I am surrounded on a daily basis by some great men.

First, I celebrated my own Dad today. Known to me as Dad for most of my life, but now known as Pa, this is by far one of the most important people in my life, and now in Cooper's life as well. There is a quote that says "Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a Daddy." Well, I thank God that he chose Chuck Frye to be my Daddy.

Since the day that I was born, my Dad has been there for me... supporting me, guiding me, instructing me, praying for me, and helping me to become who I am today. He was at every single important event in my life, and attended who know HOW many dance recitals, swim meets, talent shows, church plays, and so much more. He taught me about God, and modeled to me the importance of a relationship with Jesus Christ and a hunger for God's word. He taught me to have respect for my elders and those in authority over me. He showed me that I deserved to grow up and marry a man who would give me the same love, respect, and support that he showed my mother on a daily basis.

He encouraged my interest in all things, even when I am sure he questioned at times what I was thinking with some of my "interests." He always pushed me to be my best, and would never settle for anything less than my best. He held me very accountable for my actions and when I messed up, he would forgive me for my mistakes, and then help me pick back up where I left off and put the pieces back together.

Even to this day I seek advice from my Dad. I always will too, because he is pretty insightful about things. I am so thankful that I can always turn to him for advice, counsel, wisdom, or encouragement. Even though he has had some rough years with his health, he refused to not fight, and I am grateful for that. From cancer to a triple bypass, Dad just kept on forging ahead, trusting that God would get him through so that he could continue to lead our family in the right direction.

Now he is not just my hero, but he is also a hero to my son. Cooper looks up to his Pa and talks about him all the time. I think Dad is even more involved with Cooper than he was with us when we were little. I will never know what it is like to have a Grandpa, because I never had the chance to know either of mine, but I thank God time and time again that Cooper has had the chance to form such a strong bond with his Grandpa. I cannot wait to see that special relationship continue to grow when our next one is born.

By God's grace, my Dad was the perfect fit for me. He was, and still is, all the Dad I ever needed. I am so thankful for Him, and know that my son(s) are just as blessed as I am.

And then we have the other man in my life...my "baby's daddy." Speaking of being thankful, this is the other man in my life that I cannot imagine my life without. At the age of 34, I have officially spent an equal amount of my life WITH Josh as I lived before I met him, since we met when I was 17. This month we will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, and it is hard to believe how much we have been through together in our lives. But by far the most life-changing and enriching thing we did was to have Cooper.

From that first big job of buckling him into the carseat to drive him home from the hospital...

to those first few months of complete and total exhaustion...

we somehow survived that first year together and celebrated when he turned one along with him!

I am thankful to have had Josh right there to experience so many firsts for our little boy with me.

Like his first haircut,

his first trip to ride Thomas,

or even his first stay in the hospital.

He has taught Cooper many things, some definitely more meaningful than others! Coop is always watching his Daddy, and sees what a hard worker he is but also what a loving husband he is. Both of these are important qualities that I would want my son to have when he grows up, and I am grateful that he can see them lived out in his own Daddy.

Coop and his Daddy have a special relationship. No one can really make Cooper laugh quite as hard as his Dad can. Watching them together fills me with happiness.

It is clear that Cooper looks up to his Dad in every way. I love to hear him say "that's so cool Dad!" or "Dad aren't you proud of me?" or "Dad said I did a good job mama!" He seeks out his Dad's approval and loves it when he gets it.

I can say for sure that this Dad definitely has Mom's approval. He was a good husband before Cooper was born, but now he is not only a GREAT husband, but is also an even GREATER Dad.

Happy Father's Day to everyone. I hope that each of you are feeling as blessed as me on this day!

Hello Again!

2011-06-17T08:40:00.000-07:00

We are still here, alive, and well. It has been almost two months since I last blogged, and I can say that although we have been busy, out out of town, and tied up with many different activities, the main reason I have not taken the time to blog was this right here:

Terrible tragedy, in the form of an awful tornado, hit my sweet hometown of Ringgold on April 27, 2011. This day will forever be remembered by all of us as a day that changed us all.

Tornado in Ringgold, April 27 2011 (click to watch the video)

My home and my family and all of our homes were spared. But I will never forget hiding in the basement of my parent's house listening to the weather radio naming streets that I have walked and driven my entire life being named as areas the tornado had ravaged.

This is what the tornado did to my Alma Mater.

Here are the hallways that remain of the building where I went to middle school, and where I began my teaching career.

The football stadium where I spent many a Thursday and Friday cheering for our fighting Tigers in both middle school and in high school was also devastated.

The tornado wiped out Chow Time, which was the hangout site for us on many an afternoon between school and football games. We would walk there in middle school for a Chow burger and a milkshake before the game. My brother definitely was thrown out of this place at least once.

This is what remains of the Taco Bell that was built while we were in high school. I remember that in our yearbooks that year most people listed that the biggest thing that happened in Ringgold was the arrival of Taco Bell. Small town life...

The Pizza Hut still stands too. But it won't be open for some time. I cannot count the number of post-swim meet celebrations we held in this building when we were growing up.

Here is what the tornado left behind after it ripped through the Food Lion and Ace Hardware parking lots.

These pictures are tragic, but they don't even begin to reveal the true destruction of the path of the tornado. The homes of our residents of Ringgold and Cherokee Valley look much, much worse than the businesses do.

For example, here is a picture of Cherokee Valley.

Homes that were once there no longer exist. Families have been relocated. Several even lost their lives. I don't feel comfortable posting pictures of individual people's homes, because once a tornado hits, everything they once valued as private and is displayed outside for all of the world to see. It is bad enough that their personal belongings have been tossed all over the place, and I just don't want to post pictures of their personal tragedy on my blog. But trust me, it is bad. I never imagined something like this would happen to us.

Although the tornado did not affect my home and the homes of my families, it hit my hometown right in the gut. It hurt us. It hurt BAD. Nights went past that I simply could not sleep because I was just hurting for others. Immediately there became such a tremendous need to help those in our community who had been affected. Helping was the only thing I wanted to do. I was thankful for many opportunities to do so, but still wanted to do much more.

I could blog about all of the things that we did, and maybe I will eventually, but right now I just want to say how much things have changed around here. Personally, when the tornado first happened, I was scared. Then, I was relieved that my home and my family was ok. Next, the guilt set in. It stayed for a long time. This is why I didn't blog. I did not want to sit and blog about the tornado when I could be out helping with relief efforts. Nor did I want to blog about my own life, because my own life was good. God spared us. And I felt guilty and undesserving. I still do. I don't ever deserve God's grace and mercy. But He made me very, very aware of that in April. I remember coming back home to my house for the first time after the tornado, pulling up in my driveway, turning off my car, and just crying and crying and crying some more. They were just tears of sorrow, gratitude, guilt, confusion, and more emotions than I can even describe.

Now, Ringgold looks so different. The cleanup effort has moved with great speed. Volunteers and donations have come from all over. People have been more generous and giving than I ever imagined. Our community has come together to rebuild. God has reminded me, time and time again, that this was all part of His plan. He allowed this to happen to our tiny town. I may never understand why, and it is not my place to question it either, although I still catch myself doing it frequently.

So yes, many things have happened in my small, immediate life. Things I want to blog about. But they have just felt a little insignificant with all that has happened. But I am going to blog about them soon, because I want to continue to record them. Cooper is growing and continuing to do things that make me smile, laugh, and grow to adore him more each day. Baby #2 is also growing and doing well. We even enjoyed a beach vacation together and I want to post pics of it.

But for now, I just wanted to explain my absence. And to ask for continued prayers for our sweet little town of Ringgold, GA.

My Future American Idol

2011-04-21T17:52:00.000-07:00

Clearly... Cooper received his singing talent (or maybe lack of) from his mommy. But even though it may hurt your ears, I promise it will make you smile!

Time at home

2011-04-16T19:25:00.000-07:00

I love staying home. I also love the fact that my son does too. Last night as I was putting him to bed, I asked him "what do you want to do tomorrow?" His response? "Stay home all day!" YES... I hope he stays that way, because when you work all week long and just seem to go all the time, a break from the busyness is always nice. Today we spent the day at home doing all of the millions of things that always need doing. I sometimes wonder if there are people out there who stay at home on the weekends and sit down during the day. I cannot imagine what it would be like to sit down and watch television, read a book, or take a nap during the day. That is, unless I was sick. I just have never been able to do it.

So, today we did laundry and went through piles of clothes and sorted them into these categories: winter clothes (pack away), yard sale pile, donate pile, maternity I could probably wear soon, maternity I hope not to have to need for quite a while, and really cute spring and summer clothes that my body won't be seen wearing this year. It is amazing to me how much STUFF we have, even though I feel like we purge our closets constantly.

I also started the current guest bedroom/future nursery organization process. This one is going to prove to be quite a challenge! I would take a picture of the room but I am too embarassed of the mess it is in after working in there most of the day. Basically I have taken almost everything that is normally inside the walk-in closet and have pulled it out into the room. I have made piles of things to keep, move to another closet, store in the attic, give away, yard sale, etc. But I am officially too tired to do anymore, and since my feet are killing me, I decided to call it a day and relax a bit on the computer before I go to bed.

While I was working, Cooper found some interesting ways to entertain himself. He donned his Buzz Lightyear suit and green rain boots and marched all over the house blowing his Thomas train whistle. He played wii, built a train track that stretched from one end of the house to the other, and watched way too many episodes of Fireman Sam. He colored, played with stickers, and went out into the garage with his Daddy to ride his bike. But my favorite thing he did today was this:

Yes, he is playing with my doll cradle that my Dad made me when I was a little girl.

When I asked him what he was doing, he told me he was "just putting the babies to bed!"

I teased him about playing with baby dolls of course, but he just laughed.

He took great care in getting the blankets and pillows all placed properly for the babies.

Maybe he will be this helpful when #2 gets here. Hahaha..yeah, right.

The other thing we did today was try our new cookie recipe we have been wanting to try for about 2 weeks. We made oatmeal cranberry cookies. They were AMAZING.

Not only were they delicious, they are also pretty good for you with the cranberries, oats, and flax seed. Here is the recipe. I highly recommend them!

So, not much to tell for today. Just a day at home trying to catch up. But these are always my favorite kinds of days!

Family Time

2011-04-14T19:18:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, the Chappelear clan gets together. It is definitely not something we do often enough, and I wish that we could find a way to do it much more often. Cooper LOVES his cousins and is so happy when he gets to see them. He also talks all the time about how much he misses seeing his Mammaw and Pappaw. We just don't see them as much as we should. It is a shame that life gets so busy.

But this past weekend we made up for some lost time. Josh's sister Pam was in town with her boys, so the family cooked out Friday night and spent the evening playing outside. Coop was officially in heaven.

He spent much of his time on his riding toys in their big driveway. Their house is way out in the country at the end of a long gravel driveway. You don't have to worry about traffic or cars at all. It definitely is a great place for a 3 year old to play without many worries!

Cooper's cousins played a little bit of football. He kept calling it soccer and begged them to let him play.

Josh and his Dad were busy on the grill most of the night.

But thankfully Josh managed to give Coop some one on one football time. Cooper just laughed and loved every single second of it. I just cannot even describe how much it warms my heart to watch the two of them play together. Cooper just thinks that everything his Daddy does is amazing. I am pretty sure Josh feels the same way about Coop too.

Cooper gave lots of random hugs during the night, especially to Micah!

Here he is with his firehose. He tied it to his "firetruck" (his plasma car) and drove it all over, stopping to put out fires. It took him about 10 minutes to put out a fire on the yard cart, but he never missed a spot! It was fun to just relax and watch his imagination at work. I am thankful that he has such a vivid imagination!

All of his cousins (all boys of course) are so sweet to him. They take the time to include him in their games, take extra care with him, and always keep in mind that he is younger but wants to be included. I am grateful to have such sweet nephews and look forward to watching Cooper continue to grow closer to them.

Family is one of the most important things in life! We should always make the time to see ours whenever we can. We are always so thankful when we do.

This weekend's special at the Chappelear Grill

2011-04-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

The Mojo Drumsticks we made this weekend were awesomely incredible, so I just had to post an update with a link to the recipe and a picture of them on the grill. Next time you grill, you need to try these, Of course, I bought the organic, all natural drumsticks to grill, and they were worth every extra penny! I am not a big fan of chicken drumsticks, and honestly we have never grilled them before, but I have a feeling these will be a repeat on our menu.

We love to grill out, especially on warm spring/summer nights. While I was waiting on the chicken to cook, I snapped a few pictures of the plants that Cooper and I planted over spring break.

Our plants are just getting started, and I cannot wait for them to fill up the containers with their beautiful blooms. I hope the strawberries have an opportunity to bloom and ripen, but with the way that Cooper likes to pick things, they may not ever grow to the point that we can eat them!

Next on the cooking list will be those cookies I did not get to last weekend. Next on the planting list is to fill my earth boxes with yummy vegetables! Cannot wait for the weekend to get here so we can get back in the yard and fire back up the grill! Oh work, why must you always get in the way of life?

The Incline and Chesterfrost

2011-04-12T17:41:00.000-07:00

I am behind on my blogging, but I must post our pictures from our 4th day of Spring Break. We went to ride the Incline and to play at Chesterfrost Park with the Pattons. The boys were PRETTY excited to have a second day to play together.

The kids were all smiles going up the Incline. The mommies, though, were not feeling quite so happy. I will have to get a copy of the picture Jeremy took of Raven and myself as we were riding up. I am pretty sure my knuckles were solid white at one point.

The view from the top was beautiful. Had I not been hanging suspended at almost a 180 degree angle from the top of the mountain by a small cable I might have felt like enjoying it. However, I really just wanted to get off that train as fast as possible!!

We both were smiling once our feet were back on the ground again.

After riding back down the mountain, we hopped into the car and drove to Chesterfrost. It took quite a while to get there, due to the traffic from a local policeman's funeral, so Cooper managed to squeeze himself in a nice nap. Once we arrived at the "beach," though, he was READY to go again!

He and Jaiden spent hours on the beach, playing with the new sandtoys Cooper's Nan and Pa gave him the night before. I was thankful they were in the back of my car!

Then, they raced monster trucks all over the playground.

The open slide was a bit hit for Cooper. But the other slide was a long tunnel slide, and he would get to the top, act like he was going to slide down, and then chicken out.

So I decided to haul my pregnant self up to the top to try to slide down with him. I knew once he tried it he would love it.

By the time I managed to squeeze myself into the tunnel, he ran off! So at that point I felt it was easier to just slide on down than to try to get myself back out of the little tunnel.

But I was NOT letting him off the hook just yet!

The second time I made him sit down first, wrapped my arms around him, and down we went. He was scared to death on the way down, but once we made it to the bottom, he was laughing and smiling.

Just as I thought, all it took was once for mommy to slide with him. After that, Cooper was hooked. Down and down again he would slide, and he was so proud of himself!

We stayed until late in the afternoon. It was very quiet and peaceful until Hamilton County schools dismissed, and then it started getting busy. I wish we could have just kept the whole place to ourself all day! It was such a nice break. The boys played, Jeremy and Mikaela fished, and I was able to stretch out on a blanket with my gal pal Raven and just enjoy being outdoors and watching our boys wear each other out!

Cooper was just so happy to be outside with his best buddy. He was full of smiles all day.

I do hope we have many more opportunities to escape to the "beach" together. If you can't drive hundreds of miles to Florida, at least you can travel to Chesterfrost and have a nice afternoon away from everything!

A Day with Friends

2011-04-11T17:14:00.000-07:00

On the third day of our spring break, we spent the day with our friends the Pattens enjoying the beautiful weather. Their son, Jaiden, is Cooper's age. The two are so much alike. They share the same interests, talk about the same things, and even look alike. See the picture below? Coop is in the navy jacket and Jaiden is in the red. But it is hard to tell them apart sometimes!

While our group was busy admiring the animals, Cooper and Jaiden ran off to go play leapfrog on the stepping stones. They are both all boy!!

Cooper made a few new friends at the zoo that day. His favorite animal, though, was the dog! He is just like his mom on that one. We both love our doggies! But he also really liked the goats.

He especially liked being able to ring the large bell. It was soooo loud.

We had a hard time keeping up with the little ones. At times they were sprinting through, so excited to be out with all of the animals!

Cooper tried a few times to climb into the cages.

He REALLY wanted to pet the little pony. He begged and pleaded with me to put him over the fence into the pen.

We rode the carousel, and at first, he was not so sure of himself.

But after a few times around, he loosened up and started smiling.

After a morning at the zoo, we headed to the Tennessee Riverpark to enjoy a picnic lunch by the river.

This was the perfect spot for Cooper. They had a HUGE playground that he literally spent hours playing on.

They also had sidewalks everywhere for him to ride his Thomas big wheel and his new Lightning McQueen bike!

Mikaela was so sweet and rode with Cooper. I tried keeping up with him at first, but between being pregnant and wearing jeans and sandals I eventually had to give up and let her hang with him. I can't believe how fast he can go on that bike already!

This was definitely our best day yet on spring break. Cooper does not get many chances to play with Jaiden, but they always have such a great time together. I wish that we had more opportunities to just take days to play like we did that day!