Friends and Family

For the past few days we have been visiting with friends and family who wanted to meet at downtown Disney. We did well with the crowds and the traffic to get around there but it's definatly better to go off season. Cooper was great and made it through dinner at noisy resturants 2 nights in a row. We must have worn him out because he slept for 11 hours last night! I haven't slept in that long in a long time and boy does it feel good!

Merry Christmas!

Home Improvements

I have no idea why I can not relax. I am on vacation but while Cooper sleeps, I can't just work on my last minute Christmas needs, oh no, I must install a new pendent lamp over the kitchen bar, put a dimmer switch on the chandelier and re-landscape the pool area. When did I become an electrician and a landscaper you ask..since I watch waaaaayyyyy too much HGTV and think I can do it all. Now I still need to do the paint trim touch ups, remodel the hall bath.....the list of a homeowner in an older home goes on and on. I never did this stuff in our new construction townhouse! Honestly, I only got electrocuted one time so I think I really can do it all! :)

3 months old

Baby it's cold outside

Finally the cooler weather has arrived. Last night we went for a family dinner out to Longhorn and we took The Coop out in the cold weather. I over bundled him though and he was hot by the end of the trip but...he was a good boy as always. This morning we took a run out to the stores and wore more than just our usual Florida attire :) Thanks to Auntie Robin for the awesome cable knit sweater she bought for Cooper and the shoes and overalls that little Christopher wore.

Video of Cooper watching the Pats!

Football Sunday and "terrible" weather

I woke up this morning (after Cooper slept a straight 8 hours from 10:30pm-6:30am) with excitement that we would get some cool weather and I could shut off the air conditioning. The local news was all abuzz with "VIPER" radar showing the band of storms to bring high wind gusts and cool air. "We are here for you with the latest" they told me all morning, "we aren't leaving you in case of a tornado". I look out the window, I see the sun and maybe one dark cloud. WHAT?????? It's now 10:30am, my ac is off but it's 77 degrees in my house. The sun is out and a few plants have blown over from the ONE wind gust our house got, I am desperate for nice cool air to replace the humidity. They say it's coming..we shall see. I was eager too to bake my Christmas pepperoni bread, homemade chocolate mint cookies, have football on the TV and let the cool air whip around our house. I guess I'll do it anyway with the beautiful Florida sunshine and the hope that tonight it will get cooler. As you can see..Cooper is ready for football with Daddy today. Also, see the terrible damage to our pool from the wind....Rob will spend all of 1 minute getting the one leaf out of his sparkling pool. And yes I just took this picture so you can see my "up to the minute weather forecast". (PS- I really posted the pool pic for all our family in the northeast buried in snow...we love you...come on down!)

Morning Excercise

I have to tell you, I should be working out. I need to be running, doing yoga, all the things I loved to do before Cooper. But I am not. I feel like this holiday is just adding pounds to my extra baby weight as I sit and eat, work and play with Cooper all day. While my mom is in MD with my sister, I work while Cooper is quiet and sleeping (5 straight hours yesterday) and I eat here at the computer and drink diet Cherry Coke. Why do we drink diet soda when we eat chips, holiday cheese logs and crackers, chocolate chip cookies (or just the dough before you made them)? Cooper is the only one working out...check out the video. He does this every morning and then wears himself out until it's naptime and work time for me. I'll wait until my New Year's resolution to start running again..the only thing for me that gets the pounds off...until then...I'll watch Cooper.

Happy Birthday Laurie!

Make it a great day my friend! xoxoxox

(I should point out the reunion pic is one of my favorites. You were preggers with Lillie and Chrissy and I needed you to hold us up since you were the only one of us not drinking...good times!)

It's raining babies

All I have these days is baby news.

My friend Julie had a little girl yesterday, 7 pds, 2 ounces, 20 inches long, Teresa Lynn. Congrats!

Introducing GRANT

It's a BOY!

My sister gave birth to a healthy 6 pd, 6 ounce, 19 1/2 inch baby BOY tonight! Happy Birthday Grant! (Guy Edwin Howerton IV..to be called Grant) Pics to follow when I get some :) Cooper really wanted a boy cousin but he wouldn't smile for the picture.

SMILE

First time I was able to capture on film :) Made my day!

Like Father like Son

I could tell from the ultrasound pictures that Cooper's lips where just like his daddy's...but finding them both asleep like this really cracked me up.

Christmas time is here

Now that it is officially Dec 1, I have declared it Christmas time! Here are a few pics of our house, the lights in the yard and of course...our bundle of joy. Mom, I love the live wreath you sent to the house, it is perfect for the front door. Rob got to fulfill a childhood dream of putting a train around the tree so we set up a small track around the living room tree. We still plan on putting a live tree in front of the fireplace in a few weeks. Ho Ho Ho

Can you imagine?

Can you imagine Rob and I doing this at our wedding? This made me laugh so hard today I had to share it.

Santa!

I know it's not even December yet BUT...how can one resist seeing this little face with Santa? He was all smiles and laughing with Santa but when the camera was on him..it was all business. Wonder what he asked for? We are really in the Christmas spirit at our house and I am eager to watch Elf again this year. I love to replay it over and over again when Will Farrell finds out Santa is coming and yells "SANTA!"

Hope's half marathon and weekend fun

This morning we got up to cheer on Hope as she ran her half marathon. We enjoyed the cool morning breeze while sitting at an outdoor cafe while Hope ran her heart out. You can check out her blog for the details. We are in Christmas OVERDRIVE around here. Mom leaves for Kimmy's this Thursday so we have been decorating fools at my house. The mantel, the tree, the outside. Rob managed to hang the lights on the roof and not fall off so I am very happy. . Pictures of all our decorations to follow, if I weren't so lazy I'd take pictures now and post but..I watched a marathon this morning so I am tired! ha ha Cooper of course was the supervisor...watching us act crazy as usual!

Happy Thanksgiving

Doodie!

Doodie! This is the name Chrissy and I called each other since the 3rd grade. Why? I have no idea, but now 25 years later, she still yells it when I see her. Today we met up for lunch (yummie Pizzeria Uno's!) and visited with the kids. What a great day to spend time with old friends...the great kind of old friend that you don't have to say anything to, they just can read your mind and know what you are thinking and feeling. We had that kind of day and it was so nice to relax, chat and just.....be. Doodie isn't the only nickname our friends shared and I know Booger is out there reading this now (yes, Catholic school taught us all to great things!) ...so ...enjoy the pictures and memory lane. PS- In the 3rd grade pic, I am in the center of the picture, 4th from the right, under the teacher. Chrissy is top row, second on the right :) We've come a long way baby!

Focus

Focus and perspective are things we work on our entire lives. Keeping focus on our goals, keeping a perspective on life etc. This morning, I noticed Cooper is focusing so much better on objects and he gazed into my eyes for long periods of time while eating and playing with me today. This picture I snapped as he stared at his giraffe for what seemed like an eternity, without looking at me or losing his focus as I snapped pictures and questioned him "who's your little friend?" Interestingly enough, both Robin's blog and Laurie's blog talk about perspective and focus, focus on what we have in front of us today, be thankful and grateful and to be mindful of the days blessings and tasks, nothing more. With Thanksgiving this week, I woke up today not really in a holiday mood. My dad is now gone 3 months as of yesterday, Cooper is 2 months old today and thinking of these milestones brings me to both ends of the emotional spectrum. So for today, I will work, take care of Cooper and shop for my Thanksgiving dinner items one at a time. I will take the lesson from Cooper and just stay focused on what is in front of me, nothing more.

Trying to suck his thumb

click on the play button to watch the video

Story Time

My sister Kim's baby is due in 5 weeks and since she lives in Maryland, the family has been recording ourselves reading stories to the baby. My sister wants to play these stories at bedtime so the baby hears our voices even though we live in Florida. We read a few stories (does everyone think the sound of their own voice is the most annoying sound ever????) and I propped Cooper up in his reading corner. He is way to small I know but I keep propping him up on things and taking pictures.

Happy Veterans Day

Yes folks, this is Rob when he entered the Marines 20 years ago. Can you believe it?

The few, the proud, the crazy as I like to say.

Since most of you know us, you'll appreciate that Rob always says "A lot of good people got post traumatic stress disorder and lost their mental health so you can have the right to vote". So today, thank a veteran for your freedom, some of their sacrifice is immeasurable!

Semper Fi

This pic was taken of Cooper when he was about 2 weeks old. Future marine? I like to think he'll be too busy at Harvard law or medical school for the military but ..another 18 years we'll all see.

Star light, Star Bright

Since Hope linked to my blog I feel compelled to show the pictures of Cooper's room. Some of the most fun I had in decorating our new house was the nursery this year. I had always wanted to use my wedding veil as a canopy for the crib.

Having a boy made me think I couldn't do it but I think it turned out ok and not too girly ( my husband's concern). Once Cooper is old enough to pull on it, it is coming down but for now, I like to just sit in the room to enjoy looking at the veil and my mobile from when I was a baby that my mom saved for me that we now use have on Cooper's crib.


One of the best things I have ever seen in a long time are these easy to stick on decals you can use to create sayings, add your child's name to the wall, etc. Pottery Barn and others have them but I got my here on ebay.
My husband tells people he free handed it on. If you don't know him MAYBE you'd believe him but neither he or I can draw a straight line so...you can tell this is very easy to do.
We are NOT artistic people and we love how this turned out since now it looks like we are.

I bought other decals for another part of the house (iron looking designs and the word Family) at AC Moore...I haven't tried them out yet but will let you all know if they work out. I see they have chalkboard peel and stick decals so for those of you I know who may want to try out chalkboard paint this may work too.

Grant or Ella?

My sister and her husband are not finding out the sex of their baby...due now in 5 weeks. They had a 4D ultrasound done today. I know it's impossible to tell here in the picture but if you have any guesses...let me know what you think...boy or girl?

Happy Birthday Meredith!

So I usually forget the day but this year I didn't forget....I just didn't get a chance to call or email. I am a bad friend! So...here's you to your 20th birthday (we are still only 20 right???) Mere! PS- Why can't I find any recent pictures of you and I except of my wedding 2 years ago??? Maybe because we only take pics of Brody and Cooper now? LOL