Hat Man

Jameson has 10 hats already, and I think this is just the start of his collection. CJ has always been a hat man, so it only makes sense that his son would be.

Christmas 2011

Handsome boy...check those thighs!

Grumpy face

Bella was soooo excited on Christmas morning. She woke us up (for the first time ever) and said Santa had come. She really loved her doll that my grandma left for her. Her name is Julie and she is going to be Bella's new best friend.

Bella's elf (Obie) left her a letter on Christmas morning.

Sorry, once again, that it has been far too long since I have posted. Finding time to sit at the computer is most difficult with two kiddos. I also recently lost my grandmother to her battle with cancer, so I have been pretty wrapped up in family and grieving her loss. Christmas was a little tough this year without my grandma to share it with, but I sure tried to make it as normal as possible for the kids. We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and we miss you all.

The Cooper Home

Our house is beautiful chaos. We have two kids, one dog, 3 chickens (soon to be more), and now two tiny swimming frogs. There is always something needing to be cleaned up after, fed, or played with, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Recently, while trying to get our Christmas card photo taken in front of the tree with animals and children, I found myself laughing because the chickens and dog were trying to play and Bella refused to look at the camera. I thought to myself, "There's no way this picture will turn out perfect, but I am okay with that. I love my little family just the way it is, chaos and all."

Every day is a new day and there is never a dull moment.

Santa Photo 2011

The kids did great with Santa this year. Bella told Santa that she had been a very good girl and smiled the whole time, and Jameson was bright eyed and bushy tailed and didn't shed one tear. I am a proud mama!

Sorry Georgia!

I never seem to have a spare moment to post on here. If I am not taking care of the kids, dog, or house, I am usually showering or eating. So here is a quick update...

Jameson will be 3 months old in 2 days! He is starting to coo, smile more, and look at toys. I swear he is growing daily and my aching back is constant proof.

Bella has her first dance recital on the 8th and she is so excited for her cousin Owen to watch her.

Christmas is approaching fast! We are taking the kids to see Santa tomorrow and I am really hoping Bella looks at the camera and Jameson doesn't scream. We will go cut our tree down this weekend and Bella is sooo excited to decorate it.

Thanksgiving was a blast. We went to my aunts house and enjoyed a lovely meal. Jameson tried his first actual food (mashed potatos with gravy, and a small bite of pumpkin pie) and he realllllllly enjoyed it.

I will post the santa picture as soon as possible. Love to you all--especially Georgia, Bella misses her friend so much!

Sibling Love

Bella is always right by her little brother's side :) she is the best.

Happy Halloween Eve

Today we went to a Day of the Dead festival at the Tacoma art museum. There were arts and crafts and a lot of cool things to look at, plus it was a free entrance to the entire art museum. Luckily, CJ's dad was with us and stood in a VERY long line so that Bella could get her face painted. Just in case I don't get around to posting tomorrow, Happy Halloween!!

More Rolls Than A Bakery!

Jameson is growing...FAST. He is starting to resemble the Michelin Man. Don't you just want to squeeze those little cheeks?

Time is Flying

Updating the blog isn't easy to do when you have two kids. Usually Jameson's nap time is spent feeding or playing with Bella while cleaning the house. The kids are doing great. Bella has been very interested in writing words lately. She started with mom and dad, and can now write a new word every day. Now when she signs things, she does it all by herself. I couldn't be more proud of her. She is obsessed with all things Halloween, especially her skeleton pajamas and the neighbor's giant spider decoration.

Jameson is a tank. He continues to outgrow everything. He fits 3-6 month clothes and isn't even 2 months old. He has an appointment on November 1st and I am curious to see what percentile he ranges in. I am guessing 99th haha. He doesn't like to sleep, and he is a definite mommy's boy. His favorite thing to do right now is bounce, and he is just starting to let out very random smiles.

We miss you all and we are very looking forward to future visits. Our next will be CJ's aunt Georgia, who is coming into town a few days before Halloween. Bella is soooo excited!!

Hello Kitty

We waited in line for about an hour at the harvest festival so that Bella could get her face painted and then ruin it about 5 seconds after this photo was taken. She loved having her face painted, until she realized that she couldn't scratch her face. Next time I am telling her to stick to something smaller so that she won't wipe it off as quickly. Oh well, the 5 minutes of Bella's happiness was worth the hour long wait.

Pumpkin Patch 2011

It's that time of year again, PUMPKIN PATCH time. We tried a new pumpkin patch this year and we were so pleasantly surprised. We found one very close to our house and it was lovely. There were no crowds, nice pumpkins, kind owners, and a pumpkin SLING SHOT. The trip wouldn't have been complete without our family photo...enjoy!

Fall is HERE!

My favorite season is finally here, and I am so excited. Fall is full of all the things that bring me comfort. The smells, colors, and tastes of this season are by far the best. This year is extra exciting because we get to experience all the holidays with our, now complete, family of 4.

A Quick Pic

Just wanted to post a pic of Jameson...he is growing so fast.

Update

There isn't much to update everyone on as of lately. Bella is so happy to be back in dance class and she cannot wait for Halloween. We took her to the Disney store to pick out her costume and she was in absolute heaven. She decided she is going to be Ariel, which happens to be perfect for her beautiful red hair. She continues to be the best big sister around and is always a wonderful helper.

Jameson is a GROWING boy. He wants to eat all day every day and has gained about a pound since his birth weight. His favorite thing to do is leave the house. Some days he will cry and cry until we take him outside, then he is perfectly happy until we bring him back home. He loves the car and the stroller, which is great because mommy LOVES to get out of the house too. He continues to get cuter and cuter and is still a spitting image of his daddy.

Kisses For Brother

These moments make parenthood so rewarding.

Knock On Wood

I know we have only been the parents of 2 kids for a few days now, but we must have hit the amazing children jackpot. We keep waiting for that one very stressful day/night to come, and luckily it has been so much easier than anticipated. Bella has been SUCH an angel with her brother, and Jameson has been an extremely well behaved little baby. I don't know if it is because we are veteran parents now, but this whole experience has been fantastic. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with CJ being at home to help right now. We took the kids to the park for the first time as a family yesterday and they both seemed to really enjoy it, Bella got her energy out on the playground, and Jameson slept the whole time. Life is great, kids are awesome, knock on wood that things stay this wonderful haha.

Big Sister Bella

Bella has been doing pretty good with the whole big sister thing. She is very sweet and gentle with her little brother and hasn't shown any jealousy yet. Although, I do think she wishes he was a little more interesting haha. She is going to be the best big sister ever.

Jameson Paul Cooper

We welcomed baby Jameson to the family on Thursday, September 1, at 10:45 am after 17 hours and 45 min of labor. He weighed 7 lbs 2.9 ounces, and was 19 inches long. He was 17 days early, which is a huge blessing for mama because the doctor said he could have been a 9-10 lb baby had he chose to stay put. We couldn't be more thrilled and we cannot wait for all of you to meet him. I will try my best to stay on top of the blog and keep the pictures coming. Love to all of you!

Tap, Tumble, Twirl

Bella has been doing dance for the past few weeks and she really enjoys it. She has a lot to learn, but it has been a great experience for her. Her teacher is great with the kids, and she doesn't put up with any nonsense. Bella looks forward to going every week, and I love that she has something special that is just for her, especially since we are getting closer to the arrival of her brother. It is things like this that make parenting so much fun.

4 Generations

We took this picture yesterday while enjoying a day with my grandma. I love to have all 4 generations in one photo, it is a precious memory that I can show Bella when she is all grown up.

Cooper's Coop

We got chickens! Call us crazy, but Bella eats a lot of eggs. :) CJ made the coop with his own two hands (with the help of his friend and his dad) and now our ugly storage area has become a nice little home for our 3 chickens (which we have yet to choose names for).

Ocean Shores 2011

Today was the perfect day for a trip to the ocean. The forecast for Tacoma was around 85, and that is just waaaay to hot for me right now. I decided to see what the weather looked like over on the coast, and it was a pleasant 70-71. Plus, we hadn't taken Bella to the ocean since right after she turned 1! It was a lovely day in ocean shores. Bella and Mommy enjoyed digging in the sand (until the wind started picking up) and CJ tore it up on his skim board. Best of all, it only took a little over 1/4 tank of gas to get there and back. :)

Filler Photo- My Summer Babe

Until we get all of the photos to post from Bella's 3rd birthday party, here is a cute filler photo from today.

Cooper Birthdays 2011 Part 1- CJ

Happy 25th birthday to the very best husband and father there is!

We Are In For Some Big Changes

It will be interesting having a little boy in our house very soon because everything is catered to a little princess. Bella is sooooo very girly, so it will be fun to have some balance in the Cooper house. I think this picture captures her personality perfectly...TOTAL girl.

Happy Fourth Of July!

Every holiday needs coordinating nail polish when you are a princess!

Evening At The Lake

We had a fabulous start to the holiday weekend last night over at our friend's parent's lake house. Bella had her first excursion on a paddle boat, which she loved, and even mommy got out and paddled around (great exercise for a preggo). The weather was beautiful and we had a blast.

Fun & Frugal

It is amazing how many ways you learn to save money while unemployed. CJ has been laid off since March, which means I have learned to search for deals, coupons, and freebies like crazy. Yesterday, we discovered our local park does a free lunch and free snack for kids monday-friday during the summer. Not only is that awesome, but they just installed a new "spray-ground" at this park, which means hours of free fun.

New Chalk Wall

Just when you thought Bella's play room couldn't get any more awesome, daddy makes a whole wall into a chalk board. :) This was a really awesome $10 investment into Bella's play time.

Belly Painting

A pregnant belly makes a great canvas for finger painting!

Bella's masterpiece (probably the only time it will be "okay" to paint her brother)

Bella decided her belly needed some art too

Gone Fishin'

We took Bella fishing for the very first time yesterday. When she finally made her first catch (with dad's help), and saw that fish flopping around, she thought it was pretty cool. She loved "petting" the fish, and poking at the worms. I think this will be the beginning of many fond fishing memories with her dad.

Little Miss Sunshine

Just an absolutely adorable picture of miss Bella enjoying the sunshine.

First 2011 Beach Trip

Today is a beautiful day in Tacoma, so we decided to venture out to a beach that we hadn't been to yet. Bella really loves playing in the sand, and she even braved the cold ocean water. We couldn't have asked for a better day at the beach. Every time we go somewhere new in Tacoma, we fall more in love. This city has so many beautiful places and fun things to do.

Enjoying a spongebob popsicle by the beach

Watching the train go by

Narrows bridge in the background

Rocking the bump at the beach

My cutie pie

Soaking In The Sun

This past week has been warm and sunny in Tacoma. Bella is loving being able to play outside all day, mommy on the other hand is pregnant and HOT. This week is definitely the first sign of summer we have seen this year, and we are really taking advantage of it. All of us have a sunburn, but we are happy to finally get some good ol' vitamin D.