Cooper Runs Away

Cooper is such a character. A few weeks ago he decided to run away. 

He threw one of his toys so I sent him to his room for a time out. Basically we have him sit on his bed with him arms folded for about 2 minutes and then go in and talk to him about why he got frustrated and what he should do different next time. Well this time I got a phone call and totally forgot that he was on time out (has this happened to anyone else or just me?).

All of a sudden I heard some clanking around and his bedroom door open. He'd taken his backpack and packed it full of his metal trucks and tractors and put it on. This is how our conversation went.

ME: Cooper what are you doing?

COOPER: I'm leafeen!!!

ME: You're leaving?

COOPER: Yes. I go find my Daddy. I leafeen!

ME: Ok. See ya.

Cooper then opened the front door and walked out on to our deck. I really just wanted to see what he'd do and since we live in the middle of a field there was really no where he could go. 30 seconds later he opens the door back up.

COOPER: Where's my shoes?

ME: In the house.

COOPER: Help me my shoes?

ME: I'm not helping you run away.

At this point he gives me the cutest most exasperated sigh I've even heard and walks back in the house and takes his backpack off. Oh that kid cracks me up!

Another incident happened when we were taking Shelby up to the airport after she'd been home visiting for about a week. We're driving and all of a sudden Cooper (who's sitting by Shelby in the back seat) starts crying and saying "my baby hurts!" Ever since I've been pregnant I've been trying to tell Cooper that Mommy has a baby in her tummy. Well he's decided that he has a baby too and often refers to his tummy as his baby. 

My first thought was that he was going to be sick so we pulled over and I switched Shelby spots so that I could hold a bag in front of Cooper incase he was going to be sick. We started going again for another couple minutes but Cooper seemed to be getting worse. Finally I told Matt he'd just have to pull over so we could get Cooper out of his carseat. As soon as he pulled over I took Cooper out and asked if he had to go to the bathroom. He said yes so I helped him go on the side of the road. As soon as he was finished he said "My baby all better Mommy!" He'd been making himself sick trying to hold it so he didn't have an accident! What a little turkey! I honestly asked him so many times before if he needed to go to the bathroom and he kept saying no :) hahah at least he knew not to have an accident in his carseat!

In the mornings Cooper walks from his bedroom into ours to come get me up. Usually I'm already up but just checking my email or something in bed so I generally hear him coming. The other morning I thought I heard him in the kitchen, but when he didn't come in right away I figured I was just hearing things. About 5 minutes later Cooper comes walking in with a giant double chocolate Costco muffin 1/2 eaten and grinning from ear to ear. He looks at me and says "I got my muffin mommy!" I guess he'd taken a slight detour to grab a muffin Matt had left out on the kitchen table and have a little snack. It makes me nervous for wrapping presents and putting them under the tree for Christmas!

Speaking of presents Matt and I decided to wait until Christmas day to find out what our baby's gender is. We've had it all wrapped up as a present ever since my ultrasound back at the beginning of October. Well we decided to decorate for Christmas last week for FHE and once we got the tree up I put the present under it. That lasted for 2 days because Cooper kept bringing it to me and asking me to open it up. I didn't trust my willpower enough and decided it'd be best to just put it on top of the microwave again so I wouldn't be tempted. Out of sight, out of mind!

Also I just realized I didn't post anything about Halloween! This year we dressed Cooper up as Mr. Carl Fredrickson from the Disney movie UP. I knew with his white curly hair I wanted him to be an old man and Matt was able to help me modify a cane to fit Cooper. He had so much fun and it was such gorgeous weather that we were able to go to our town's Trunk or Treat and then to a few other houses after. On the way home we even stopped at a couple of the other houses that are near us out in the country. I just have to say that I dread the day when he actually has an opinion about what he dresses up as for Halloween ;)

Lately we've been able to go with Matt to work a little bit during the day to haul straw in the semi. Cooper loves it! He just plays on the back bunk with his little semi and stares out the back window at the bales. He also loves helping his dad load all the bales with the tractor. The other day Matt had to go to Calgary and bring 2 loads of bison down. He left at 5 AM Monday morning and didn't get home until close to 7 PM from the 2 loads. Matt drove right into our yard with the semi and trailer on. Cooper kept saying "Where's my buffalo dad?". I guess he didn't quite realize that Matt wasn't going to be bringing any home with him. Matt was pretty tired and had to get up at 5 again the next day to do another load so I told him Cooper and I would go with him so that way Cooper could see the bison. Coop didn't even wake up when we put him in the semi the next morning and my thought was that Cooper and I would just sleep until we got to Calgary around 8:30 or 9. Matt mentioned how tired he was and grateful that I had come to keep him awake haha so I was stuck. Actually it was really nice to just spend some time with just the two of us and we were even able to decide on a boys name for the baby if it's a boy!! For some reason we always have an easier time thinking of girl names. Anyways we finally got to the feedlot and I thought I'd go lay down with Cooper while Matt helped load the bison, but as soon as the semi stopped Cooper woke right up and was hungry. I'd brought 2 Costco muffins thinking that Matt would have 1 and Cooper and I would share the other. Well Cooper did share…..barely. I got 4 bites and he ate the rest haha. He must have been a hungry boy! He loved that he woke up in the semi and we even went out to watch dad load the bison for a bit. 

Waking up in the semi and eating a chocolate muffin! Best day ever for this little boy!

I just love this kid so much! He always keeps me laughing with his goofy grin!

Clumsy Thumbsy

This all started way back on September 4th. Matt and I had our house refinished with Hardi-board siding and, since I love to have things match, we decided we'd refinish Cooper's playhouse/my storage shed with the leftover materials. Then Matt had the great idea to do Ruby's dog house as well so everything would really match. Well he'd been pretty busy with drywall and farming for quite a while so things were a little slow going with our 2 smaller projects. Since I actually really enjoy doing things like that I would do what I could during the day to help things a long. Plus neither project was very big so it wasn't like we needed 2 people to work on it together. 

So I got the playhouse done like I'd wanted but kept putting off the dog house cause it was so small and I didn't really want to have to cut the trim that small. Well September 4th rolled around and I figured I just needed to get it done before it started getting too cold. So I started ripping the trim all down so it would fit. I was just ripping down the last board when it kinda caught on the end and I tried to flick it through the rest of the way with my thumb. No the greatest idea. I didn't realize how high the blade was up and ended up filleting my thumb when I tried to push the board off the table. 

I'm so glad the body going into shock when something traumatizing happens to it. It honestly didn't hurt that bad but it sure looked gross. I'd cut from the top of my thumb down through the first joint of it, running parallel with my fingernail so 1/4 of my thumb was just hanging there. I used my right hand to put pressure on it and hold it together, but that made it hard to try and call someone to help. Because we live out in the country we don't have the greatest service and because of my weak stomach I needed to lay down/crawl on the ground or I was afraid I'd pass out. So I ended up crawling around outside in the back yard until I could find service. My first call was to Barb to have her come down and drive me in to the hospital, but they'd just gotten to Lethbridge so she called Matt's grandma Orr instead to come and get me instead. A minute or two later Matt called me. Honestly I'd forgot to even call him :S. He was drywalling out in Taber so it wasn't like he'd be able to come get me and I was more focused on keeping pressure on my thumb. He left as soon as he could but was still going to be over an hour before he could get there. 

Through all this Cooper was inside. He'd been watching a movie while I finished up the trim and then, once it happened, I wasn't able to open up the door to get inside the house without letting go of my thumb. That was when I started to cry. Having Cooper standing at the door crying for me and not being able to help him broke my heart. I'm not exactly sure but he may have been looking out the back door when it happened because afterward when we'd ask him what Mommy said he'd say "Bzzz ow ow ow". I told Matt luckily I didn't swear when it happened or I'd wonder what he would have been saying instead. Thankfully for the shock, since it wasn't hurting at the beginning, all I honestly remember saying was ow.

Once Matt's grandparents got there we decided Grandpa would stay with Cooper until Barb got there and Grandma would drive me to the hospital and stay with me until Matt could get there. As a side note through all this Cooper was in the middle of potty training so when Grandpa come for some reason that was my biggest concern, making sure Cooper went to the bathroom enough. Fortunately he stayed dry the entire time. 

Once Grandma and I got to the hospital they took us right back and had some x-rays done to see if I'd gone through the bone and tendon. I had so they decided the best thing to do was bandage it up and send me home so that I could have a plastic surgeon look at it in Lethbridge the next morning and re attach the tendon before they stitched it up. They'd frozen my thumb with some local freezing so it hadn't started hurting again yet, but in the middle of the night I woke up in the worst pain! Because I was pregnant the strongest thing they recommended me taking was an extra strength Tylenol. Needless to say it didn't do much and I didn't get a lot of sleep before heading in to the hospital the next morning. Since I didn't want to take Cooper with me to the hospital I drove myself in so that Barb could watch Cooper for me. I had quite a few offers for people to come and sit with me at the hospital, but I preferred to go by myself since I knew what a baby I could be and didn't want anyone to see me cry. 

Once I got to the hospital I found out they didn't have me scheduled in so they were just going to try and squeeze me in. Once I got back there they didn't have the right equipment (a C arm I think) in the room that would allow the Dr. to see if he was setting the bone and tendon right, so he had to do his best to guess and then stitch it up. Then they sent me for another x-ray to see if everything was set right. The joint was in so many pieces and there were a couple that had to be rotated into the right place so back I went to the plastic surgeon to have them take the stitches out, rotated the bones, and then restitch me up again. They wanted me to get a brace made for my thumb/hand/arm so that I wouldn't move it, but the hand clinic was so backed up that they just put a full cast on it and told me to come in the next week to have a brace made. This whole process took just over 5 hours so by the end I was very glad to be able to go home. 

My parents came and took Cooper for the weekend so I could get some rest and I was lucky they did. Because my thumb was healing and swelling so much the cast was putting a lot of pressure on it. I ended up being sick all Friday night and by Saturday morning needed to go back to the Fort Macleod hospital. I was still only taking an extra strength Tylenol every 6-8 hours like they recommended, but it wasn't enough. Combine that with the morning sickness I had still and I wasn't able to even keep the medicine down. Matt hadn't gotten any sleep the night before either because he was taking care of me so Barb took me back in to the hospital so he could get some sleep. They gave me 3 or 4 IV's to rehydrate me and a shot of morphine in my thumb and I was able to get some sleep for a bit. When the doctor came back he told me I had hints of starvation and that he was concerned that I might have gestational diabetes because of my blood glucose levels so to make an appointment with my OB. He also gave me a prescription for morphine and told me that I could take 2 extra strength Tylenol every 4-6 hours instead. This helped a ton! I made sure I was still careful with what I was taking but it was such a relief to be able to manage the pain better. 

I made it through the weekend and by Monday had appointments with my OB, the plastic surgeon, the hand clinic to get a splint made, and my chiropractor. The OB said the pain meds were fine to be taking and that they would still wait until I was 26 weeks to check for gestational diabetes. The plastic surgeon took my cast off and had me get an x-ray again before they made a splint for me at the hand clinic. It was a busy day and just a hint of what the next 2 months would be like. My trips to Lethbridge consisted of going to see different doctors and leaving Cooper with Grandma Barb in Fort Macleod. Slowly my thumb has been healing and I've been making appointments at the hand clinic for my rehab. I almost have full movement in the joint at the base of my thumb, but the top joint can only move 15 degrees instead of the 70 degrees that my right thumb can do. It's a work in progress but the more I work with it the more movement I'm able to get. 

It's been a long process (almost 3 months) and I'm ready for it to be done. Although I am very grateful that it happened when it did and not when I was further along in my pregnancy. It's given me the time to heal that I need before the baby comes. Cooper is also at a very independent age which has been a huge help to me. Another small blessing is the fact that I could wear maternity jeans so I didn't have to do any buttons up! I don't have feeling in the very tip of my thumb so it's made doing buttons up a very difficult task ;P. 

Count Your Blessings

I'm not a super positive person and this is something I'm working on changing. As a result I usually end up saying something negative and then trying to think of something positive about that instead. For example if I'm venting to someone about how Matt loaded the dishwasher 'wrong' I usually catch myself and end by saying "but at least he's willing to help me out." It's still a work in progress.

Considering this past week I've realized I could do a lot of complaining OR count my blessings. These are some if the blessings I've counted do far:

• I have a thumb! We'll still have to wait another 6-8 weeks to see how functional it'll be, but at least it's all there!

• I have wonderful neighbors/family who were able to help me out in my hour of need. Without Barb to organize having Grandma Orr take me to the hospital and Grandpa Orr to watch Cooper until she was able to get there I don't know what I would have done. 

• I have an amazing husband who has helped me with everything lately. Whether it be washing and doing my hair or rinsing out my puke bucket he's been such a great example of Christlike service to me. 

• Our families have also been incredible through this all. My parents took Cooper for the weekend to help me recover and Matt's family has been there to take me to the hospital, watch Cooper so I can nap or wash my dishes. It's all been so appreciated and I can never say thank you enough. 

• I've also been blessed to have wonderful doctors and nurses anytime I've been to the ER or had surgery done. I feel like I've spent a little too much time with them lately, but I'm very grateful for all their care and understanding. Especially with my weak stomach  

• Cooper has also been another huge blessing. He has such a sweet spirit and has been so mindful of 'mommy's owie'. He's always trying to 'help mommy feel better' while Matt's at work. 

• I'm so grateful for this pregnancy. It definitely hasn't been a walk in the park. I've had to be very careful with the amount of pain medication I take, and I usually end up getting sick at night. But all those things remind me of the blessing we have to grow our family. I know there are some who are struggling with that in their lives so I've learned it appreciate every part of it. 

Baby Orr #2!!!

Cooper is going to be a big brother!!!

I definitely cheated and had this photo taken way back in April when we did family pictures. I wasn't pregnant but what can I say….I'm a planner! 

I want to make sure I write down the funny story about why we ended up telling people a little early just in case I forget. 

So I've been a lot more sick with this baby than I ever was with Cooper. Now before anyone says "That means you're having a girl!" I'd just like to point out the very strong Orr genes we have and the fact that my parents (in the next few weeks) are going to have their 5th grandson so I'm not getting my hopes up :) Anyways I've mostly been sick in the mornings, but occasionally it lasts longer than that. I was asked by a lady from our ward to fill in for her teaching Relief Society (the 18+ year old women in the ward). I said yes and figured since Matt would be teaching the same lesson in the men's class we'd just study together. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't enjoy public speaking. AT ALL. That being said I know that practice makes perfect so I try to never turn down an opportunity to "practice". While we were on our way to church that Sunday I started feeling VERY sick. It was probably a combination of being nervous and the morning sickness, but I decided to roll the window down to get some fresh air. That turned out to be a very bad idea because as soon as I did the top paper for Matt's lesson flew out the window!!! We were going to be late for church so I told him we didn't have time to stop and get it. I felt so bad, but I honestly was very grateful that it didn't happen to me!

Needless to say I was a little less nervous after that and got up to teach my lesson. Things were going along great until all of a sudden I started to get very warm. Then my stomach started to churn and I knew I was about to be sick. Luckily I had just asked a question so the ladies had something to talk about. I don't even remember what I said. I'm hoping it was something like "Excuse me" and not "Oh CRAP" like I was thinking. I booked it out of the Relief Society room and into the bathroom just in time. It was so EMBARRASSING!!! As soon as I was feeling better I went back to finish teaching the lesson. The conductor had gotten up to take over while I was gone and I was hoping to just ignore what happened but some very sweet older ladies were concerned with how pale I looked and kept asking if I needed a chair cause they were afraid I would pass out. 

The rest of the lesson went ok, but I had a few ladies ( including some very thoughtful visitors) come up and give me a hug after and tell me what a good job I did. I had to try not to laugh cause I sure didn't feel like it when the lesson ended haha Matt and I had a few people come up to us and congratulate us on our pregnancy after, even though we'd never officially told anyone. I guess getting sick in the middle of your lesson will lead people to assume that ;) So we decided we'd better hurry up and tell our families. 

Both our moms had been told the month earlier because I was feeling so tired and sick that I thought it'd be better for them to know why I was being so grouchy all the time ;) I think that's the hardest part about being pregnant. You feel awful for the first 3 months, but aren't supposed to tell anyone. Maybe it's a good thing though so people don't hear all your complaining cause I assure you Matt heard his fair share. Sorry sweetie! I really appreciate you putting up with me!!

So a little bit about this pregnancy. I'm 15 weeks along now and have started to feel a little better. Usually I'm only sick when I take my prenatal vitamin and that usually only lasts for an hour or so. Cooper reminds me most days that I'm pregnant by either asking to see the baby or showing me "his baby" by lifting up his shirt and showing me his belly button. Right now he thinks my belly button is the baby which is sort of funny cause he always tries to talk to the baby through it. I've started showing a little bit which is way soon than I did with Cooper, but that's normal I think with most second pregnancies. I went for an ultrasound last week to double check the dates and I love that I can go for 2 ultrasounds with this one. Matt wasn't able to make it, but I'm hoping for the second one he'll be able to come cause I actually felt like I knew what I was looking at this time! 

Anyways we're super excited and can't wait for our family to grow!!

Summertime!

Things have been so busy this summer. Definitely in a good way! We took a week and a half to go to Utah and visit Matt's aunt and uncle and to go for his cousin's wedding. Matt seriously does NOT like the drive to Utah. I don't love the drive either, but Matt will honestly drive for 30 minutes or maybe an hour and he's tired enough that he's going to fall asleep and we have to switch drivers. It used to really bother me, but I've gotten used to it and I just like to tease him about it now :)

One of my favourite things to do in Utah is shop! They have some awesome stores down there so Cooper and I took a day to go up to Provo and do some shopping with my cousin Alexis. It was so much fun to discover some new stores!

Hope's wedding was gorgeous! She was such a beautiful bride and we were so lucky to be able to be there for her special day. She got married July 5th so we were there to celebrate with them for July 4th as well. We went to the parade and Matt had a ton of fun later that night setting off fireworks and dynamite!


We were also able to go camping a few times this summer. We just drove 15 minutes away from our house to a piece of land Matt's parents own on the Old Man River. Even though it was never very far it was still so much fun!

Cooper was able to have his first sleepover this summer as well! My cousin Meagan was gone to girls came so her little boy Jet came out to sleepover for a few days. This was just after we got home from Utah and about a week after I found out I was pregnant. I was feeling pretty sick and very tired so usually when Matt got home from work he'd take the boys and I'd go nap for a little bit. He obviously is a much more fun parent than I am cause I woke up from my nap and went outside to see this:

It was pretty muddy in the ditch by our driveway and the boys had wandered over and started playing in the mud. By the time Matt saw them he figured they were already dirty so might as well let them have some fun. I about had a heart attack when I saw that they were both in white shirts, but I calmed down and after 3 baths they were both clean and very happy little boys. I'm so glad to have Matt around to "encourage" me to let Cooper do things like that :)

Then we had Andrew and Hannah's wedding! It's so exciting to have another girl in the family! Cooper loves his uncle Andrew and gets so excited when he comes out to the farm. He usually runs to the door and gives him a big hug saying ANDREW! Once he started dating Hannah though and they got engaged Cooper started asking him "Where's Hannah?" whenever he walked in the door instead :) I think it's safe to say he's pretty happy she's joined the family too. 

Cooper excited for his best man duties the night before the wedding!

Everyone the night before.

The happy couple!

All the boys at the reception!

Cooper and I! They had a candy table so it was very hard to get Cooper to sit still for a picture ;)

Cooper's Carnival Party

I know Cooper turned 2 in March and I still haven't blogged about it, but we post ponded his party until May so I guess that isn't quite as bad ;) We decided to wait until May because that's when Spring decided to show up and then we could do a combined birthday party with my nephew Preston who was turning 2 as well!

Basically I LOVE planning parties! I had bought a bunch of stuff for his party back in November and stored it in my shed for 6 months until we had the party. So I had a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do and plan too much OOPS! I just get way too into it and had so much fun searching on Pinterest for different ideas. The only thing I forgot to remember to do was get my camera out….It's a really bad habit of mine. 

Since we were doing a carnival theme we just had hot dogs and chips for lunch and I put the mason jar cups I'd made for his 1st Birthday Party to good use again. Then we had some carnival treats later on. We had mini doughnuts, popcorn, carmel popcorn, cotton candy, and snow cones. Apparently no one likes grape snow cones besides me…..

Then we had some carnival games for the kids to play with and pick some prizes. We had a swimming pool with rubber ducks to pick from, a can toss, a bean bag toss game into a clown's mouth, face painting, a candy claw machine that we borrowed from my parents, and a photo booth (Ironic since I didn't have my camera out haha) I should also mention that we had my little brother dress up as a clown and run around the party for a bit. He was such a good sport cause it was pretty hot out that day and there was no way I'd want to be running around with a wig and full costume on! 

Then we had cake and opened presents. Preston and Cooper got very spoiled, but I think they're both still at the age where they don't stay interested in things for very long so the moms and dads ended up opening a few of their presents for them. Then we moved on to my favourite part! Each of the kids for to "go fishing" and get a pet goldfish to bring home! I had a little glass vase with rocks to put in the bottom and a bag of fish food for them each to take home. Cooper LOVED having a fish for a few days before it died…. On a side note I went to check on the price of the fish a few weeks before the party and the girl at the pet store got so mad that we were going to give them as pets for a party and wouldn't even tell me how much they cost. Apparently it's more humane to sell them as feeder fish for other fish to eat then for a kid to have a pet goldfish…. So my sister just went the day of the party and told them she had to get some for her fish to eat and there was no problem. Go figure. 

All in all it was a super fun day, but Cooper (and I) were both exhausted by the end. We're so grateful for all our friends and family who were able to make it and for all the help they gave us setting up and taking down the party! It's so much fun to watch Cooper get older and enjoy being around and playing with other kids. They loved being about to drive the Gator around the yard and it was pretty entertaining to watch! Here's a few pictures that other people took at the party!

I'm guessing next year we won't do quite as much since Cooper's going to be a big brother a couple weeks before he turns 3!

I have a Toddler?!?

This week Cooper turned 2.

I wish I could say I was happy about that, but I was pretty sad.

Cooper must have known because I don't think he's ever given me that many hugs and cuddles during the day unless he was sick.

I don't know what it was about this birthday, but I haven't been looking forward to it as much as his 1st.

I guess maybe I'm a little sad to have his baby days done with.

He's a toddler now!

He may not be a baby anymore, but he'll always be MY baby.

Now he's a little boy with a BIG personality.

He has so much attitude!

I love how much he's been learning and growing. Looking back at his pictures I realize how much he's really changed. He's gone from a very chubby little baby to a tiny little boy.

Since I'm hoping someday he'll read this; Cooper I just want you to know how much mom and dad love you. I can easily say you're one of the best things to ever happen to us and we're so blessed to be your parents. I know there's a reason you were sent to us and I'm so happy you were. You make our family better because of your sweet spirit, and your fun personality can always make us laugh. We're so proud of the amazing little boy you've become and can't wait to continue watching you grow and learn. Thank you for the great little example you've been and the sweet spirit you bring to our home. We love you like crazy sweetie. Happy 2nd Birthday!

My almost 2 year old

In less than a month my baby's going to be 2!

I thought I'd give a little update on my sweet little Cooper

- He loves watching movies. I try not to let him watch more than 1 a day, but with how cold and windy it's been lately we've both been enjoying some classic Disney movies.

- He's obsessed with tractors and semi trucks just like his Daddy. Matt took him to haul grain in the semi this morning and I had one very sad little boy when I went to pick him up. I'm sure he would have been content just hanging out in the truck all day.

- Cooper is starting to talk more and more! He's very good at repeating what I say as long as I say it one word at a time. He loves to say his prayers at night and is very patient and waits until we're done to say amen. He's also learning to put a few words together. The other day he started stroking my hair and said "Awe, pretty mama" and he's been saying "Please help me" when he gets frustrated by not being able to do something by himself.

- He is the funniest dancer and will dance to anything. Even commercials on TV!

- He's down to 1 nap a day and it's usually only an hour and a half long if that. I'm really not ready for him to cut naps out of his schedule but we'll see I guess.

- Cooper loves babies! He is very concerned when he hears a baby crying and always wants to go give it his blanket. We have a doll from when I was a little girl and I frequently see Cooper rocking it and singing to it. He's going to be a great big brother some day! Trust me this isn't an announcement, but it is very sweet to watch him and makes me feel excited for when we do decide to expand our little family.

- He has a ton of teeth. There's too many for me to even want to try sticking my fingers in there to count, but I know he has all of his molars!

- He loves to sing! I wish I could get the video to upload on here because watching him sing is so funny! He closes his eyes and really gets into it!

- Cooper's not the best eater so I'm glad he likes having a big smoothie every morning at breakfast. I don't give him very many snacks during the day and he still barely eats anything at lunch or dinner most days. I just have to keep telling myself he won't starve himself and make sure that when he does eat it's fairly healthy.

- Cooper finally got his haircut! At 22 months he finally had enough hair to cut haha yay!

I feel like over night he changed from being my chubby little baby into this little boy running around our house! We love you Cooper!

It's been a while….

So it's been a few months…..

I was going to set a New Year's Resolution to blog twice a month, but I knew I wouldn't be able to do it…..so I just didn't make a New Year's Resolution. Yay me! Haha 

I have a lot of catching up to do so this might be a little long. First off Halloween! (Yep it's been that long)

Cooper was a nerd for Halloween!

I can't believe how much he's changed from last year!

Halloween was also Grandma Barb's 50th birthday so we had a big party at the church. Cooper loved it! Especially because they had a popcorn machine and tons of candy to munch on! He was such a little moocher and pretty cute, if I do say so myself, and ended up getting treats from anyone he walked up to. Needless to say he slept pretty good after the sugar crash!

Then came November….I honestly don't remember a lot of what happened that month. Matt was working on a house in Burdett and took our camping trailer out there to sleep in during the week, but came home on the weekends. While he was gone I decided to switch Cooper over to a toddler bed since I'm the more *ahem* stern one. What can I say? I need my sleep! We bought Cooper a Monster's University bed set and wrapped it up so he could practice unwrapping presents for Christmas. Looking back I probably shouldn't have taught him to unwrap presents that early since multiple presents were taken from under the tree and unwrapped after that. Oh well, at least he was a pro by the time Christmas rolled around!

We also built a wind fence for our yard one weekend when Matt was home! It was a lot of work so it was a good thing we had Cooper there to help!

December was a busy month for us, as I'm sure it is for everyone.

Matt and I took a trip to Kalispell with some friends to watch some dirt biking and do some Christmas shopping. We left Cooper at home with my parents so it was a nice little weekend getaway just the two of us! And Matt bought me a pair of…..cowboy boots for my birthday! Yep, I'm becoming quite the little farm girl!

We also bought my dad's old snowmobile so we could play around on the farm! Since we "negotiated the deal" on my birthday I like to joke with Matt about what a great birthday present it is. It's been a great investment this winter and Cooper loves being pulled behind it on his sled! There are some serious perks to living in the middle of no where surrounded by empty fields haha

Then came Christmas! My favourite time of the year! I love being able to spend time with family, but my favourite part is finding the perfect present for everyone! Much to the irritation of my husband I do my Christmas shopping throughout the year. If I see something in March that would be perfect for someone, I buy it and save it till Christmas so I'm usually done shopping by the beginning of November and like to have everything wrapped before December 1st. I tell Matt it's so I forget what's in the present and I get just as surprised as the person receiving it, but really I'm just obsessed with Christmas.

My sister Shelby is in Ottawa going to school so for her present we switched her flight and brought her home a few days early to surprise my parents. Cooper loved going to the airport to pick her up and he was pretty entertaining to watch holding his sign! Everyone at the airport loved it!

Cooper got some new clothes for Christmas. They were definitely not his favourite thing to open Christmas morning, but I love dressing him up in them!

Matt's present this year was a new dirt biking helmet. Since he broke his leg in 2012 he hasn't been able to use his old helmet and has had to use my pink one. It was definitely time for an upgrade and Cooper loves walking around with it on. Honestly with how accident prone that kid is I don't think walking around with a helmet on is such a bad idea. 

We also spent a TON of time watching movies at Christmas. Cooper loves to watch his "V's" and he even does pretty good with the 3D glasses! His favourite movie by far is Monster's University. I can honestly say we've watched it over 100 times.

Date night with my Coopey Coop!

He had his first sleepover during Christmas with Matt's cousins!

More movies….

And his favourite way to watch movies. In his recliner Grandma and Grandpa got him for Christmas!

 Matt and I also got tickets to see The Band Perry for Christmas! We saw them in January and they were amazing! 

I love that Matt enjoys going to concerts just as much as I do! 

As you can tell from the concert picture Matt was in dire need of a haircut and he actually let me cut it again!

As for February things have slowed down a little bit. 

For Valentine's Day Matt and I went for dinner with a friend of his from high school that just moved back to Fort Macleod. 

The night before Valentine's Day Matt had to run to Lethbridge to quote a job and I reminded him that Costco was open until 8:30 and had some really pretty flowers. I also told him it would be thoughtful to  see if his dad or brother needed some flowers as well. Let's just say he returned home with 3 bouquets of flowers that night!

The next day we were getting my sister Maycee to babysit Cooper while we went for dinner. On my out to Magrath I got a phone call from my dad asking if I had time to pick up some flowers for my mom haha I think after buying 4 bouquets of flowers from Costco we should have got a serious discount!

Maycee had a sleepover that night at our house and the next day we made a craft together while Matt and Cooper played/worked outside. I love how it turned out! It'll look so cute with her jewelry hanging on it!

We took a little trip to Calgary for a friend's baby blessing and spent Saturday at Bass Pro Shops and swimming in the pool at our hotel. Cooper loved the waterslide and would even go down by himself!

We've had so much fun these past few months. I love having these two boys as part of my life! They make life so much more interesting!