Cooper Van Gogh

Pen on the couch.  Cool.

Imagine the chances that some unnamed little 2 1/2 year-old will come across a pen that I accidentally left out in the living room.  What, you say?  100% chances??  Yep, you're right.

He found the pen, and things were just a little too quite as he sat so 'nicely' on the couch while Jeremy and I were busy in the kitchen.  He had quite the sad, fat lip when Jeremy's reaction was one of utter bewilderment.   But it was too hard to get mad at him--he thought he made a nice picture.

After browsing the Internet, I did find an easy solution for getting it off the couch--now the cushion is cleaner than it was pre-pen!  We even found Cooper scrubbing the couch one afternoon with a scrub brush.  He said he was "Helping." 

But I decided we needed to give Cooper a more agreeable outlet for his creativity. 

Meet Cooper Van Gogh!

Cooper Van Gogh.  August 2013

He was really into it!  Working so carefully to do his best :)

"Firefighters"  Can you spot the rainbow? Firefighters? Hoses? Fire Boots? Fire Truck?  It's all there!

 A few days after the pen fiasco, Cooper got to paint while Izzy napped.  He worked so carefully, and he was so excited to be doing something special that 'big kids' do.  He explained what he was painting as he worked, and I am so happy to see him enjoying some creating!  He really hasn't been very excited about drawing, coloring, or painting until now.  Even in his play, he's begun to get more creative.  It's really fun to see his imagination coming to life!

For now, I will work harder to keep pens out of the hands of my toddler (although in my defense, I did put it on the end table, where Izzy could not get it), and colors, crayons, and markers in his hands.  At the table.  On paper.  Let's see if this is the worst one we experience at our house... time will tell!!

Out and About...

Even though we did not go on any 'big' vacation this summer, we really wanted to still get the kids out of the house and have some fun out and about...

Cooper and Auntie Dana on the slide at the Carver Co. Fair

Izzy got carted around in the Mody wrap A LOT this summer... so glad she loved it!

More fun at the Carver Co. Fair... Machinery Hill.  And check out Coop's new tat.

Up close and personal with a 'horsie' at Caterbury.  Cooper was in HEAVEN.

Missy and Izzy snuggling at the races

SO MUCH to see.

Our pool sprung a leak the weekend before this crazy heat wave... Doesn't it look pathetic?

But we QUICKLY found a new one! 

More trips to the Zoo... up close and personal with the leopard this time!

"Wook at that BIG tongue MOMMY!!" Feeding giraffes at the MN Zoo

Izzy was more curious about the cracker than the huge furry thing ready to lick her little fingers right off!!!

I cannot believe that today was the first day of workshops... the first day back to reality: work. Bleh.  I am so blessed to have the opportunity to spend extra time at home with my family in the summer.  I do LOVE my job, but I just am not ready for summer to be done.  We had so much fun over the last few months!  The kids are growing sooo fast, and I really cannot believe how much they have changed over the summer. 

Cooper and Izzy, I loved all our adventures this summer, and I'm looking forward to making the most of our evenings and weekends home... I hate that someone else gets to spend more time with you than me while I'm a working mom, but I know you're in good hands.  Kris is helping us raise some pretty amazing little people :)  Love you both!

More Summer Fun!

Another mish-mash of some fun times around here.  I didn't realize JUST how little I'd been updating :)

Izzy's baby-ness is slowly fading away, and her personality is coming out more and more with each passing day.  She is a such a little honey!

Clear the roads: Izzy is the newest driver on the block!

Sweet shades for the sweet little lady

She is getting more used to the grass on her legs... after all, there are rocks and woodchips to be eaten.

Sleepyhead.  Jeremy laid her on the living room floor, and there was no waking her up!

Happy Girl!  As long as she can move and explore, she is content.

 Another fishing trip for Cooper!  We dodged some raindrops and had a great morning on the lake.  Lots of LITTLE fish, but still a fun morning watching Cooper pull in the BIG ones!

Our driver.  So serious.

He was excited to hold the little ones and then throw them back.

 "Should we catch another one??"  was Cooper's tagline for this fishing trip.  The kid was so excited to be reeling them in.  It was soooo much fun having him out there.  This video captures his excitement pretty well :)

I can't remember just what he's trying to 'get' with this smile, but I'm sure it worked.

The LAST fish they pulled in was the big one!

Cooper's Campfire

One beautiful Sunday night recently, we put Izzy to bed and headed out for a special campfire, just Mom, Dad, and Cooper.  We had licorice, marshmallows, and lots of fun memories were made.  Cooper LOVED the fire.  He was really wound up and excited to put the wood on the fire, sit in his camping chair, and stay up late ;)  Cheap and fun night!!

My Boys

Warming up his hands

"We need MORE wood!"

Roasting some marshmallows...

...And enjoying some marshmallows!

Sticky as sticky can be!

It's been fun finding special things to do with just Cooper.  He always gets really excited when it's 'just him.' 

Catch Up!

For all the 'free time' summer offers, I sure haven't been doing a very good job keeping up on the blog...

We have been busy enjoying lots of laughs and play time... No big trips or excursions far from home.  Just lots of fun together.

Cheers to loving summer!!

Who knew a laundry basked could be such fun?!

Izzy's hair continues to grow and grow and grow... this is her usual morning look!

Cooper had fun at the Bar-B-Q Days parade... he was all business!

Izzy continues to explore the house.  Nothing is safe these days.  The playroom downstairs is her heaven.

Checking out a new mower.  What do you think?

Cooper has been 'creating' more and more.  This is a picture of mommy and daddy.  I think Izzy's in there somewhere too.

Little Miss Curious trying to help me pay some bills. (And sporting that same sweet hair!!)

And Izzy looooooves any food she can put in her mouth without our help.  Purees are quickly becoming old news.

Ice Cream Truck

The ice cream truck drove by the other night, so we had to postpone bath time...

And it's a good thing we did, because we were STICKY!

Everybody got a little taste of the ginormous Bomb Pop...

Izzy loved some of mommy's strawberry fruit bar.. her cheeks and hair loved it, too!

Postponing bath time has never been so much fun :)

9 Month Update

Our little Izzy Girl is becoming less of a baby every day!  She is soooo very curious about everything, which is both fun and challenging :)

Here's a quick taste of what's up with Izzy these days:

-17 lb. 7 oz (36th %ile) and 27.5 inches tall (42nd %ile)... and lots of brains in that head, which measures in the 95th %ile.  It's a wonder she can hold that noggin up! She's still rockin size 3 diapers and is close to switching up to size 12 mo. clothes.
-Loves to slap things--side of the tub, table, high chair, crib mattress, kitchen floor, mom's arms in the middle of the night, faces, dad's bald head, etc., etc., etc.  She loves the smacking sound, and feels oh-so-proud that she's making the sounds on her own terms.
-Pulls up to standing and has just started 'cruising'.  It took her a little while to figure out that her feet can move!  She will even take a few steps while holding onto our fingers for support.  She still isn't really confident about getting down from standing, and her forehead has a couple of big bruises to show for it :(
-Is a very confident crawler.  She is proud to carry something in her hand or mouth now as she crawls from place to place.  She loves to crawl over people or limbs.  Nothing gets in her way these days!
-Will not sit still in the tub.  She wants to crawl, splash, climb, and grab.  It is like a circus side-show with our two crazy kids during bath time these days.
-Popped out her first word this month: dada.  Even after months and months of hearing 'mama, mama, mama' from a certain someone, the subliminal messages didn't seem to do the trick.  Daddy is very proud.  She gets in a jabbering mood a few times a day, and there's no stopping her.  If she's not in the 'mood' though, she's still quiet as a mouse.
-Is starting to realize she can follow us to other rooms, and that we're not really 'gone' when we walk away.
-Knows what some key words mean now: mommy, daddy, Cooper, water, milk, and bath time.  It's so fun to see her clearly settling down for certain words, or getting excited for others (especially anytime Cooper is mentioned!!).
-Likes to empty every toy out of the living room toy bin and empty the book shelf of every book.  Fun.
-Loves to play peek-a-boo, So Big, Itsy-Bitsy Spider, Patty Cake, Head and Shoulders, and chase games.  She is a music girl--she bounces on her little legs when music is playing and the smiles come out in full force!
-Speaking of smiles, they are still easy to come by.  She is such a happy baby!!
-Inconsistent sleeper.  This month brought back nighttime wakings.  We think it has to do with her very strong separation anxiety.  Stay tuned as the current score is Izzy=1, Mommy=2 for the last three nights. However, her "1" should be worth more, as it was a full three hours of party time in the middle of the night!!
-Is a total mommy's girl.  And I don't mind one. little. bit. (Except after hour two in the middle of the night).
 -Turns pages in books!  She really loves interactive books where she can wiggle or move things.
-No teeth!  Not even a shade of them coming, either. Weird.
-Is getting better with finger foods, and is gagging less and less each week.  She still prefers very smooth purees, but is really getting excited for Cheerios, little bits of fruit or bread, and crackers.  Maybe when a couple teeth come, we'll get a little more adventurous with food.  And maybe the sensitive gag reflex will wither away!
-Likes to feel different textures like daddy's head and a puppy's fur.

I love it that she's a little individual, and I love her similarities and differences as compared to her big brother.  She is definitely her own little person, and it's so fun to see her growing and changing with each passing day.  Although some mornings it's hard to see through the fog of my own sleepiness, if better nighttime sleep from her meant trading the 'daytime' baby she is, I wouldn't do it!  Izzy is such a happy, energetic, and sweet baby girl... and I love every single little thing about her.  And I am working so hard to soak up the BABY that she is, because it dawned on me the other day that her first birthday is only a few months away!!!  Eeeeek!


We love you, Izzy Girl!