Fall Is In the Air

(Written Saturday)







Today I was struck with the-Oh my goodness it's almost fall feeling. There has been a scrumptious pumpkin pie candle filling the air with a sweet home baked aroma. The candle may be to blame for all the overwhelming thoughts of holiday crafts, Indian corn, trying out new recipes for sweet treats, and the tender sound of  leaves  crunching under my toddler's feet.





I'm anxious for the season to start, looking forward to sharing the traditions that come during the holiday season with my little guy-and starting a few new traditions of our own.

Here's a little somethin' somethin' from Labor Day weekend:

Coop's eyes amaze me sometimes..

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This morning someone decided to wake up before the sun once again, just as he did last Saturday. So, Northridge Park is becoming our new weekend hang out spot. It's actually quite nice getting to see the beautiful sun slowly peek above the treetops.







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That hint of fall in the air I mentioned earlier-oh man did I feel it today. Although we have been reaching scorching temperatures lately, the late summer almost mid-fall breeze feels refreshing. It allows for the leaves to loosen and float gracefully to the ground. Once again feeding my fall addiction.





                                               Here water fountain, have a "Cwaak-ugh"



Maybe it's all the trips to the park we've been making, but Coop has mastered using the "big kids" play set all on his own. It took every ounce of trust in me to face the fact that my son is now a toddler, one who doesn't need me for every little thing. With that being said, I let him run free to see what he would do alone in the playground. The trust I gave him allowed me to discover that he can not only climb to the top on his own,  run across the bridge, and use  the slide without a helping hand (even the big swirly one.)










Coop and I were lucky enough to have a surprise meet up with Joel at the park. Last night we got our first clear, intentional dad and daddy out of Coop. Let me tell you, that boy made his daddy's day.





There is a train that runs on the outskirts of town. Each time we see hear the first whistle Cooper jumps and shouts, "oooh ooh" then pants  to imitate chug-a-chug-a-chug-a choo choo. Oh, my sweet boy loves him some trains..and cars..and anything else with a wheel on it. Yesterday he even hollered out a deafening vroom vroom at Hometown Buffet. A car passing by you might think? Nope, the kid was referring to the wheelchair and walker at the booth next to us. Gotta love him!

The Boy's watching the train go by...

Cooper just heard the train whistle blow and this is his reaction:





I guess it's a tad bit mushy, but I can't get over how amazing it is to be a parent. Everyday I'm blown away with how rewarding it is to see growth and development out of a little being who once fit in the cradle of my arm. God is so gracious to give me such a special gift. I would not change our story or experience for anything. Coop was born with a cleft, which left a scar, but everyday I look at that scar and remember what all we've been  through together. My life is amazing.

Why buy toys when sticks are just as cool?

This is a face only a mother could love.

Should I take this as what Coop thinks of me? I'd like to think so. This is what he brought to me right before we left the park:

Back to the Good Stuff

There is way too much to catch up on these days, so that is why I'll share just the highlights to bring everyone up to date. The last week I've been waking before the crack of dawn at 4:45am. I think it's my unintentional way of getting some well needed alone time to read my favorite blogs, and unwind for the busy day ahead. I'm sitting here in the dark with a house full of two families sleeping soundly,  and I am realizing how thankful I am that I am capable of being an early bird. This is the only time of complete peace, and I am happy to take advantage. Even if it means waking up before the sun.

Cooper is such an amazing little man, everyday I am in awe of how resilient he is to change. I know he's just a toddler, but one would think that packing all his belongings (along with the kitchen sink) might at least show some affect on him. Nope. Not my son, the only major changes I've seen during our major move is the fact he usually doesn't wake until 8:30am and now he's waking up at 6:30 for a half hour then falls back asleep until 7:30. But the only reason for that is the fact we share a room now so he is a very light sleeper. Since the move Coop has developed a need for a security blanket. There is no particular one blanket he fancies, just something to chew on to make him at ease. For what I was expecting, he is doing outstanding and I am so proud of him for that!

 My boys decided to play Mommy for dinner...This is Joel's idea of a Suzy Homemaker.

Our days and weekends seem to run together now. It's playtime-all the time trying to entertain two children. Coop and I have become regulars at the local parks, frozen yogurt shops, and kids' consignment stores. Any outing is a blessing just to break up the day and boost morale in the house. Sometimes we don't even need to get out...the kids can brighten any dull mood just by being kids.

The family recently celebrated Gram's 84th Birthday this month. We used this as the perfect chance to bring the entire family together. There is something truly amazing about seeing all the munchkins playing together. All three cousins born within just months of eachother, are now to the most absolute fun age where they can actually play together. This is where I know God stepped in to bring our family just that much closer.

One of the advantages of where we live, is that there so many beautiful parks to enjoy. For years I've been yearning to go to the public pool here (more like a waterpark.) It has rock climbing walls overhanging the pool, and a huge twisty half-tube slide for adults to bring out their inner-child, but coolest feature of this place is the toddler play area. It's like a tree house with every squirt hose, water-splashing, toy you can think of attatched to every inch of it all set in the center of a shallow beach area. Unfortunately, we did not take advantage of this awesome place sooner. We went on the last weekday it was open. I was so impressed with it that I made Joel come along with us the next weekend to join in the fun. A few trips down the oversized slide and he was 5 years old again.

 Man, take a gander at those eyes.....

Although I'm trying to soak up every last bit of summer, I couldn't be more anxious for Fall. After all, it is my favorite season.

The other day we blew Coop's mind. There are three things you need to know about Cooper:
1. He will eat like there's no tomorrow.
2. If given the chance, he'd sleep all day long.
3. Most importantly, he has two obsessions--Cars and DUCKS

We thought of the perfect place to meet two of the three listed above.

In this photo, Coop took a break from shouting Vroom Vroom to glance back at me for a sweet shot.

Sometimes I think, "Is there a pause button?!" Seriously though, I just love my little boy's innocence so much. He's still a Momma's boy, and I know someday soon he'll surely grow out of that. He'll have his fun learning guy things from his Dad, while I will have to sit back a watch from the bleachers. Of course I will always be there when he has a a bad boo boo, or gets in trouble at school, and even has his first broken heart. But for now...he's my little boy.

This is the famous Popeye face. Coop has mastered it so well that we are looking into ordering him an outfit for Halloween. Picture it...Popeye and Olive Oil.

My son would rather push his own stroller, I mean come on, strollers are for baabies.

Early morning outing to the park. Not a soul in sight. It was wonderful.

Who couldn't love that crooked smile? I might have to fight ya if you disagree! :)

                         Why not another Popeye face?....
Hopefully I'll be more faithful  to my blog thanks to my internal clock. Have a great Monday!

Changes, they are coming...

This past week has been a full blown hurricane of emotions. A very good opportunity was presented to Joel this week, one that has been in discussion many times throughout the years. Due to a new job opening, Joel is leaving the field of work he has been in, and excelled at since over the last 6 years. With this new opportunity, brings relocation. Moving from the house I lived my last month of pregnancy, where I labored in and had my water splash on the bathroom floor. Where we first passed through the front door with our newborn baby in tow, and showed him every part of his new home as if we were reliving our first walk through with the Realtor.

Just a few days old, getting his beauty rest with Dad.

This week brings much joy, and sadness. I know it is just the beginning of our future, and we are closing the previous chapter that we knew of our lives. We are shutting one door and opening a window, one that will hold a bright future to build our family the way we always intended. It is hard leaving the past, making what is now, a memory. Lord knows we have produced many memories in the past year. Fast forward a few months, we will establish our new normal. We will develop new routines, new stories, and many new memories. In the next few weeks the forecast shows there is still  a storm lingering on the horizon. It will pass, but it will be hell when it reaches shore. Like the saying goes, "when it rains, it pours."

On the bright side of all this, my precious son is oblivious to all that is going on. He randomly picks empty boxes and throws his toys inside, and grins with his little jack-o-lantern smile as he cautiously carries his over sized load of toys to me. There is something about a child's innocence that makes my heart melt, and exhausts any negative feeling I may have. It makes me think, why waste these precious moments dwelling on negativity, or what could have been? I'm grateful for my little 14 month old showing his Momma how to live life the way it was meant to be lived.

While we're still in this house of memories, I am cherishing every moment. I'm taking mental snapshots of how life is right now. How it has evolved since we welcomed our precious little boy into this house in the woods. I will miss his daily ventures onto the window sill to let me know there are vroom vrooms that pass by, and that he wants to go, "guy guy" in the vroom vroom.

Coop is letting it be known that a car just passed by.

Cooper's Very First Room


What I'm learning most right now, is that this is all happening for a reason. It may be hard right now, but the things that are cherished most in life are not easily given to you. There is often heartbreak, stress, and much work to receive the beautiful outcome we all deserve.

Here's to our future Coop!