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Stories
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3-15-10: March is half over already! Sheesh!
Building workshops, celebrating birthdays and being with family and friends has kept us busy these last few weeks. Daddy has enjoyed taking Cooper to build a rain gauge, a robot and a basketball hoop these last three Saturday mornings. We helped Tammy celebrate her birthday last weekend, and had the gang over to watch NASCAR on Sunday. Cooper got to go to two birthday parties this weekend, one at McDonald's with Tanner on Saturday and a friend's Candyland-themed 1st birthday party yesterday. Cooper continues to enjoy swimming lessons with Tanner on Mondays. He always has a smile on his face, even when he's under water, it seems!
Austin continues to grow and interact more every day! He's happiest either in his walker or sitting on the floor with some toys to play with. His latest thing is taking off his socks and playing with his feet. Mommy loves hearing him laugh when he's watching his brother act goofy. And Cooper seems to love acting goofy to get Austin to laugh! He's figured out how to spin himself around on the floor and in his crib. He hasn't quite figured out how to bring himself on his knees..that's ok...Mommy's not quite ready for him to crawl yet! We are definitely not in a hurry for that!
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
2-22-10: We had an awesome time riding our quads and just relaxing in Winchester Bay over the long holiday weekend. Cooper loves telling everyone how he crashed Tanner’s quad following Auntie Kari on the sand. Now Cooper has a real story to tell instead of just making up one like he usually does!
We were busy with the WORK'N MOMS this weekend, attending a breakfast playdate on Saturday morning and roller skating on Sunday afternoon. Cooper also got to attend a high school basketball game with friends Emily and Matthew on Saturday. He was scared of the lion mascot at the game but enjoyed spending the night at their house afterwards.
Skating was a blast! Cooper is getting more confident in skating by himself, without hands to hold on to and without holding onto the wall! His favorite part was dancing to "The Chicken Dance" song! We missed having Daddy there, since he was home sick with the flu. Hopefully he'll get to go with us next time and see how much progress Cooper has made! The regular gang headed over to Uncle Scott and Auntie Kari's after skating for some of Tammy's yummy parmesean chicken. What a great weekend!
Austin will be six-months on Thursday already! He had his six-month check-up today, weighing in at 17 pounds 15 ounces and measuring 27 3/4 inches long. That puts him just above the 50th percentile for weight and 90th percentile for height. Dr. Johnson says he's doing great and wants to see Austin eating "more people food than baby food" by his 9-month check-up. That shouldn't be a problem now that his two bottom teeth are definitely present!
2-8-10: Daddy, Cooper and Austin are all feeling better after battling a cold for the last few weeks. Daddy stayed home with Cooper one day last week after Cooper was throwing up in the middle of the night. We're thankful it was short-lived. Cooper didn't eat much this weekend but felt well enough to go to the kid's clinic at Home Depot on Saturday and even suggested bowling afterwards, where he rolled an 87! Unfortunatley he vomited again Sunday morning, which kept him from going to the Superbowl party at Nana and Papa's later that day. He was so disappointed he didn't get to go, but was happy to still get to watch the game at home. He is definitely back to his normal self today, seeming to make up for all the food he didn't eat over the weekend by eating everything in sight!
Cooper got to go to his first swim lesson of the season today. He was so excited, he had his swim suit on in the middle of the afternoon, and lessons didn't start until 6pm! He was so happy to be in the water with Tanner! There aren't any other kids in the class yet, so it's like Cooper and Tanner are getting private lessons! Sweet!
Austin seems to be speeding through his milestones lately! He's sitting up completely on his own now! We even sat him in a high chair at a restaurant for the first time this weekend. We discovered he's getting two bottom teeth, too! They haven't quite poked through the gums yet, but there are definitely two white bumps there. Must be why he's been waking up a little earlier than usual in the mornings. And, he's more vocal than ever! He seems to like to "talk" to Cooper the most. I'd love to know what he's trying to say!
We're getting ready to go the coast this weekend to ride the dunes! It'll be Austin's first of many trips to the coast! We can't wait!
Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone!
1-25-10: Austin is officially 5 months old today! He's almost ready to sit up on his own, still falling forward if he doesn't have enough support. He loves being entertained, happiest in a loud, crowded room, just watching everything going on around him. Green beans and sweet potatoes were added to his diet this week . Daddy noticed Austin opens his mouth nice and wide for the sweet potatoes!
Cooper's been busy trying to get better between attending a birthday party with Austin and Mommy and a monster truck show with Daddy on Saturday. He woke up with croup on Thursday night and is trying to get over a cold now. He's such a resilient little guy, not letting the cold interfere with his playtime! You'd almost think he wasn't sick if the runny nose and cough didn't give him away!
We celebrated Daddy's birthday yesterday at Grandma's with Uncle Scott, Auntie Kari, Tanner, Colton, Nana and Papa. Grandma made a great dinner and Cooper led the group in singing "Happy Birthday" to Daddy. He had been waiting all day to sing it!
1-18-10: Time is just a flyin' by already this year! We've been passing the time playing a lot of the games Cooper got for Christmas - Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Whack-A-Mole, Hi-Ho-Cheerio...we seem to play each at least once a day! We took a break from the games and celebrated Papa's birthday last weekend with a nice dinner at Miguel's.
This weekend, Mommy and Daddy finally got a date night on Friday, thanks to Nana and Papa! Austin got to spend the day on Saturday with Grandma while we took Cooper out to lunch and to see "Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel". Cooper LOVED it! He got out of his seat and danced in the aisle every time a song played - which was quite often! It was the first movie we've taken him to that he stayed in the theater the whole time! Yeah! Cooper got a special treat when Tanner came home with us from the movie to spend the night. They had a great time playing monster trucks and showing Mommy and Daddy "replays". Mommy and the boys met Auntie Kari and Colton at a puppet show, Rumpelstiltskin, on Sunday. The puppet show went over much better this year, with Cooper saying, "I like this puppet show, Mommy. It's not scary!"
Austin has been a bit more mobile since the last update. We got the walker out and he absolutely loves it! He's figured out how to go in reverse but hasn't mastered forward quite yet. It probably won't be long! He's also learned to roll from side to side and can scoot himself on his back in a little circle. He tried peas for the first time last week, and seems to like sqash, too. He seems pretty proud of himself when he grabs Mommy's hair. The little giggles and noises he makes when he pulls it says it all. 
1-4-10: Happy New Year! We had a wonderful New Year’s Eve, welcoming 2010 with the usual gang at Uncle Scott’s & Auntie Kari’s. Austin even celebrated by rolling over for the first time! Twice! He also moved on to eating oatmeal – he seems to like it much better than the rice cereal. Next will be multi-grain cereal! Yum!
Cooper was excited to watch bull riding at the Expo on Saturday. It’s one of his favorite things to watch on T.V. Even though he keeps saying “I liked watching the bull riding!” he expressed being scared that the bulls are coming to get him. Cooper seemed satisfied with Mommy’s explanation that all the bulls couldn’t come get him because they had to go home to rest until the next event or they would be in trouble.
Cooper’s been a big help taking care of his little brother. When Austin was crying in the car the other day, Cooper said, “Mommy, I’m going to sing Austin a song to help him calm down.” He started sing the ABC’s and sure enough, Austin quieted right down!
Happy Birthday tomorrow, Papa!
12-31-09: We had a wonderful Christmas! We spent Christmas Eve at Nana’s and Papa’s, playing Wii and waiting for Santa to come! Cooper was excited Christmas morning when he discovered Santa had eaten the cookies and drank the milk he left out for him the night before! Nana, Papa, Grandma and Uncle Skeet all came over Christmas morning to open presents with us, then we had the WHOLE gang over later that afternoon for dinner. Cooper got lots of games to play and enjoyed helping Austin open all of his gifts! He also got an extra treat when Tanner got the spend the night that night! What a great day!
It sure was great having Uncle Skeet here for Christmas, too! On the way to dinner the night before he had to leave, Cooper told Uncle Skeet that Uncle Skeet had to go back home and Cooper was going to miss him. That goes for all of us, Uncle Skeet!
Austin had his 4-month check-up on Monday. He weighs a whopping 16 pounds, 7 ounces now, placing him in the 75th percentile for weight! He’s in the 95th percentile for height. Austin got to try some rice cereal for the first time this weekend. He didn’t care for it so much the first two times but is starting to get the hang of it!
We got to watch the Huskers shut-out Arizona in the Holiday bowl last night at Uncle Scott’s and Auntie Kari’s house. When Auntie Kari told Cooper to bite Tanner back after Tanner bit him, Cooper told her no, “because Tanner is sorry”. When Uncle Scott talked about spanking Tanner for it, Cooper told him Tanner didn’t need
a spanking “because Tanner was sorry”. Later, Cooper was crying when it came time to leave and, when Tanner asked Cooper to spend the night there, Cooper told him he couldn’t spend the night because Cooper “wasn’t being very good.” What will Cooper come up with next? =)
We’re headed back over to Uncle Scott’s and Auntie’s Kari’s tonight for their annual New Year’s Eve bash! It’s going to be so much fun spending the evening with our fabulous family and friends! Happy New Year, Everyone!
12-21-09: Christmas is only four days away! Little Austin will officially be four-months-old four days from now, too! He has become so much more aware of his surroundings lately, engrossed in watching all of the activity around him. He's discovered his hands and has started reaching for anything of interest he can put in his mouth, including Mommy's hair. He giggled (clearly giggled, no "was that really a giggle?") for the first time on Sunday, laughing at goofy Daddy, of course! ♥
Cooper had a fun-filled weekend. He got to build with Daddy at Lowe's on Saturday morning before Nana took him to have milk and cookies with Santa at a local kids play center later that afternoon. That night we met up with Uncle Scott, Auntie Kari, Tanner, and Colton to drive around looking at all the pretty Christmas lights. Tanner asked Cooper if he wanted to spend the night so Cooper got to go to his first official sleepover! It was a weird car-ride home from the restaurant for Mommy and Daddy - we actally already missed Cooper! He had a great time, telling us he wanted to spend the night at Tanner's again, soon! =) Cooper got to try roller-skating for the first time on Sunday. Daddy skated with Cooper, who loved the skating part but not so much the falling part. He wants to go again soon, too!
After pre-school this morning, we took Nana with us to pick up Uncle Skeet from the airport, then headed to a kids Christmas event playdate with Auntie Kari, Tanner and Colton. We put Uncle Skeet to work right away, having him help Cooper build the manger diorama craft. We're so glad to have Uncle Skeet here for Christmas!
We hope each and every one of you has a very Merry Christmas!
12-14-09: Thanksgiving has come and gone, which means Christmas is just around the corner already! We had a wonderful time visiting with Great-Grandma and Pap Pap while they were here for Thanksgiving. A lot of Wii playing and food-eating was had by all! =)
These last few weeks have been full of fun: A Candy Cane Hunt and Marshmallow Roast, watching football at Papa's and at Uncle Scott's, a breakfast playdate at Auntie Kari's house, and celebrating Nana's birthday! Cooper helped decorate Nana's special cake and has really been into wanting to make cookies, so we've been doing that, too! Chocolate chip and gingerbread! The boys got to spend the evening with Grandma on Friday and Nana & Papa on Saturday so Mommy and Daddy could go to their work Christmas parties. We're so lucky to have them all live close by!
Daddy got out the jumperoo for Austin over the weekend. He absolutely loves it! Now Mommy will just have to remember to take pictures the next time he's in it! =) Austin is almost sitting up on his own! It won't be long and he should be able to start eating solid foods!
11-25-09: It was another fun-filled weekend as we got to help celebrate Auntie Kari's birthday twice, first eating pizza with friends and family on Friday night, and then again on Sunday at Grandma's, feasting on yummy salmon that Uncle Scott caught this fall. Cooper asked us again, as he did last week for Uncle Scott's birthday, if there was going to be a jumphouse at the party! =)
Building a snowman at Lowe's Build-And-Grow, attending a playdate at the cool McDonald's ("that one that has the guitar", Cooper says) and making paper plate turkeys at another playdate kept Cooper busy this week/weekend, too. Unfortunately, he's been sick with a cough and a fever the last two days. Mommy's first day back to work was postponed to today, as we spent most of the day cuddling on the couch yesterday since Mommy was sick with a sinus infection, too. Cooper is almost back to his normal self today and Mommy's definitely feeling better!
Austin is officially three months old today! He's already starting to outgrow many of the size three-month outfits. Either the sleeves are too short or his legs are too long! Time to dig out the six month sizes!
While Cooper and Mommy were home sick, Austin got to spend the day with Nana, Pap Pap and Great-Grandma yesterday. Pap Pap and Great-Grandma arrived late Monday night from Pennsylvania. We are so excited to have them here and have them over with Nana, Papa and Grandma for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow!
Happy Thanksgiving! May it be a blessed one for you and your family!
11-16-09: Austin will be 12 weeks old tomorrow and November is already half over! Where has the time gone? Fast, that's for sure! This is Mommy's last week of maternity leave before she has to go back to work next week. Already!
Cooper has been going to "pre-school" for a few weeks now with his next-door-neighbor friend, Carter. Cooper looks forward to the 90-minute sessions he attends one day at Carter's house and one day at our house each week. Mommy's had fun teaching both boys alphabet recognition and sounds, math skills and doing arts and crafts.
We've been busy with family and friends, too, getting together with Auntie Kari, Tanner and Colton for a playdate, going to dinner with some friends from mommy's old work, and taking Daddy out to lunch last week. Nana had a trial-run at watching the boys for a day in preparation for Mommy going back to work. After building a Jimmy Johnson garage at Lowe's on Saturday with Daddy, Mommy took Cooper and Austin to the mall to get their pictures taken with Elmo and Abby Cadaby from Sesame Street. Tanner and Colton got their pictures taken, too, and came back to our house with Auntie Kari to hang out for the rest of the day. We hosted a pancake breakfast playdate in our pajamas on Sunday morning for our WORK'N MOMS group before heading over to watch NASCAR and eat homemade pizza at Grandma's in celebration of Uncle Scott's birthday. What a great weekend!
11-3-09: We had a wonderful weekend, full of fun times with family and friends! On Friday night, Cooper and Austin got to go Trick-or-Treating in their bee costumes at the Orchards Assisted Living, where Auntie Kristin works. The residents passed out candy and loved seeing all the kids in their costumes. We went out to dinner with Auntie Kari, Uncle Scott, Colton and Tanner afterwards. Mommy realized time has flown by...we used to say "table for four", now we say "table for eight"!
We continued the tradition of having the usual gang over to our house for pizza and Trick-or-Treating on Saturday night. Cooper LOVED Trick-or-Treating in our neighborhood on Halloween! He and Tanner were so cute, actually RUNNING from house to house, ready to ring the doorbells and get more candy! Austin and Colton got to be pushed around in costumes in their strollers. It sure did make Trick-or-Treating a lot more fun and easier this year! Next year will be a different story... 
We watched the NASCAR race and ate yummy chili at Uncle Scott and Auntie Kari's house on Sunday before watching Chris's last football game of the season that afternoon. What a great weekend!
10-26-09: What a fun weekend we had, full of parties and Halloween festivities! On Saturday we attended a friend's birthday party before trying out the Halloween costumes for the first time at a Trunk-or-Treat event with Auntie Kari, Tanner and Colton. Dressed to match his brother, Cooper had a blast practicing his "Trick-or-Treat!"s and "Thank you!"s as a busy little bee! He loved getting candy playing the different games offered there, too.
We headed to Pheasant Fields Farm on Sunday, where we took a horse-pulled wagon ride, picked out pumpkins, watched Cooper ride a pony and "run" through an obstacle course. He really enjoyed that! Austin and Cooper got to use their costumes a second time as they dressed up for the annual WORK'N MOMS Halloween Party we had fun at later that evening. Good times, good times!
Austin had his two-month check-up today. He weighed 14 pounds, 3 ounces and measured 24 inches long! He seemed to tolerate his first round of vaccinations though he did let the nurse know he wasn't too happy about receiving them. Poor little guy! A little Tylenol this afternoon and he's back to his normal, cooing, smiling, happy self!
Happy Halloween!
10-20-09: Austin is 8 weeks and counting! Already! He's smiling every day now and holds his head up well. He seems to be most content on his changing table, too. He's starting to go a little longer between feedings, wanting to eat closer to every three hours instead of two during the day, and sleeping for four or five hours at a time at night. His umbilical cord stump FINALLY fell off last week so he got to enjoy his first tub bath in the kitchen sink! He loved it!
Well, it’s been a busy few weeks since the last update! Mommy and Auntie Kristin hosted a baby shower for Auntie Kari the day before Mommy and Auntie Kari took a quick shopping trip to Woodburn while Daddy and Cooper went Jeeping in the mountains. Mommy and Daddy also celebrated their 9th wedding anniversary that weekend while Grandma watched the boys. We really enjoyed having Grandad and Grandma Bev here visiting this weekend. They got an extra bonus when adorable cousin Colton was born on Saturday morning! So we enjoyed having Tanner spend the weekend with us, too!
10-7-09: Austin turned six weeks old today! As you can see from his pictures, he has lost most of the hair he was born with. Mommy said it's because he's trying to be more like Daddy! The new hair that's growing in is quite a bit lighter, so he may turn out to be a blond, too, just like his big brother! Austin has started to smile a bit more and is more aware of what's going on around him. He'll be smiling back at his goofy Daddy in no time! 
Mommy took a quick shopping trip to Bend over the weekend with Auntie Kari, Auntie Kristin and Daphne. Daddy did a great job taking care of both boys overnight on Saturday. He sure did seem tired and quite happy to see Mommy when she returned home on Sunday. She would have gotten home sooner if it weren't for the snowstorm on the return trip home! Auntie Kristin and Auntie Kari both did a great job driving us all home safely!
9-28-09: We had a fun, busy weekend! It seemed to be all about jump houses for Cooper! He got to bounce around in one on Thursday at an ice cream social, then again on Saturday at a friend's birthday party, and on Sunday at the Harvest Fair!
Before the birthday party on Saturday, Cooper built a fire truck with Daddy at Lowe's Build And Grow. Tanner came home with us to play for a bit after the party. Later that afternoon while Tanner was still asleep, Daddy took Cooper on his very first motorcycle ride! Cooper did very well for his short ride around the block - he can't wait to ride again! Auntie Kari and Tanner joined us for a yummy dinner at Miguel's that evening. What a fun day!
It was fun watching Tammy, Josh, Chris and Chris' friend Chris compete in the grape stomping competition at the Fair on Sunday! Tanner, Cooper, Auntie Kari and Mommy cheered them all on while Austin slept right through it! Chris and Chris ended up winning by only a grape or two!
Little Austin seems to be sleeping a little longer at night since we moved him to the crib in his room on Friday! Mommy is so grateful to be getting the extra sleep, even if it is just an hour! Now, if only we could talk his brother Cooper into going back to sleep at 6am instead of being awake for the day...
9-21-09: Austin will be 4 weeks old tomorrow! He’s had a lot of visitors over the last few weeks. Cindy, Mommy’s friend from college, came out to visit us all last week. We took her to watch Chris play in his first football game of the season last Sunday, then had our usual gang over for a barbeque afterwards. She helped us celebrate Grandma’s birthday on Monday. We stayed busy the rest of the time showing her around the valley, taking her shopping, going to the park and even took a quick trip to the coast one day! We sure did like having her here!
Austin had another check-up on the 16th – he’s doing great! Mommy can stop worrying now that he’s getting enough to eat. His weight was up to 11 pounds, 6 ounces already and he’s 23 ½ inches long!
Cooper went to a birthday party on Saturday and got to ride a pony, sing with a clown and had a rocket ship painted on his face! It sure was a fun party! Austin came along, too, but was content to just sleep the whole time! We had the usual gang over for dinner later that evening. It sure is fun getting everyone together!
Cooper tried out his slip ‘n’ slide for the first time yesterday. Yes, tomorrow is the first day of fall but it still feels like summer with the temperature reaching 100 degrees today! Cooper liked slipping and sliding so much he just had to do it again today!
9-8-09: It's hard to believe little Austin is two weeks old already! He had his first check-up last Monday where Dr. Johnson said he's as healthy as can be. Since Austin's weight was up 3 ounces from birth, Mommy no longer has to set the alarm for every 4 hours during the night to feed him. Yay!
Austin did great on his first camping trip over Labor Day Weekend! It was a cold trip but he stayed nice and warm all bundled up in blankets by the camp fire. Cooper played his heart out with Tanner, riding bikes, going fishing and wearing their helmets almost all weekend long. We ended up coming home a day early because of the cold, but it was a great first camping trip for Austin and last camping trip of the season!
Mommy took Austin to meet her coworkers today. Cooper asked to wear his "big brother" shirt when he heard where we were going. He sure is proud of his new title!
8-29-09: Life sure has changed since the last update! Cooper is officially a big brother! Cooper spent Monday night at Grandma's while Mommy and Daddy headed to the hospital. Austin Daniel arrived early Tuesday morning, at 6:36 am, and is as healthy as can be! Just a few ounces smaller than his big brother, Austin weighed 9 pounds, 8 ounces and measured 21 inches long! Grandma brought Cooper to the hospital to meet his little brother for the first time (and Grandma to meet her new grandson!) When he was told Austin was crying because he was hungry, Cooper tried to give Austin some bacon off of Daddy's breakfast tray. When Mommy explained that babies only get milk, Cooper suggested Austin wanted to have chocolate milk for his first meal! Nana and Papa were able to visit Tuesday morning, too, and Auntie Kari, Uncle Scott and Tanner stopped by Tuesday evening. We got to bring Austin home Wednesday afternoon!
Cooper has adjusted very well to his new big brother role. He's a huge helper to Mommy and Daddy. Occasionally he'll stop what he's doing and say, "Mommy, I love the baby". It's evident in the multiple kisses and hugs he gives Austin on a daily basis. The crying doesn't seem to disturb Cooper too much. Except this morning when he wanted to watch cartoons in Mommy's room and Austin woke up crying, Cooper asked Mommy to "take the baby in the living room, please". And so it begins.
8-23-09: This weekend was all about Cooper! Daddy and Papa took Cooper to the Josephine County fair on Friday to watch Cooper's favorite event - Monster trucks! Cooper couldn't stop talking about King Crunch, El Matador and the tough truck competion when he got home that night. Saturday was building a bus with Daddy at Lowe's, and Sunday we headed to the Railroad Park with Nana and Papa. Cooper said several times throughout the day "I like riding the trains!" and "This is so fun!". We're still waiting for the baby to arrive, but it should be any day now. Mommy has an appointment tomorrow, so hopefully we'll know more then!
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