We're Still Here

Itty Bitty Ball started in March and Coop had a great time. It took him a bit to get into it but after he got used to it he was all over the place. He loved learning and playing the different sports. I loved being able to sit and chat with friends! We can't wait for it to start again in May!





The sneaky leprechan visited us on St. Patricks day and left some treats in their hats. The boys decided to try them on.

Arizona

Two weeks ago we went to see Brad's parents in Arizona. They stay in Chandler (right outside of Phoenix) for about a month each February. It was so much fun to get away and have the best tour guides. It's always fun to go somewhere and stay with someone that knows the area.

Brad and I flew out on Wednesday and we headed straight to Tia Rosa and had a great Mexican lunch. We then drove around looked at some houses. That night we got in some shopping which is always a highlight for me. :) Afterwards we played games and for some reason Carol and I were beat almost every night. Something sneaky must have been going on with the other team....

The awesome pool. It was a little chilly for me to swim but Brad got in a couple times.


Thursday morning we got up and played Bill & Carol in doubles tennis. We got beat and yes they are in their sixties. :) In my defense I've never really played tennis before and they are tough competitors. Afterwards we went to the Phoenix Open and watched golf. It might sound boring but it's actually pretty fun to go watch a golf tournament. You get so close to the golfers and its fun to walk around to each hole and watch. Phil Mickelson is really the only one I recognized so we followed him around quite a bit. That night we ate at a place called Nando's. It was another yummy Mexican food place. I love eating out at new places!

The tennis pros:


The hot tub which had bubbles in it everyday:


Friday we started the day off with some more tennis. This time we pulled off the win. I was proud of myself! I'm slowly getting better...but Brad was the one that helped us pull of the win. The boys went golfing and Carol and I went shopping. She was so nice to put up with all my shopping! That's such a vacation for me to shop when I have no kids!!

Saturday we decided to go to the temple in Mesa. I love going through temple sessions at different temples. This one has been around since the 1920s so it's pretty old. It was still beautiful and the grounds were gorgeous. It made me want spring here because the flowers were beautiful. After that we headed to the Flea Market and saw some interesting people and things. Isn't that the best part of flea markets?? That night Brad and I went to his mission friends reception which just happened to be when we were down there. It was fun catching up with them.

The park right by their condo:


Sunday we were sad to head home. We couldn't have stayed longer anyways because Bill and Carol were heading back that day also. I told them we'll have to make this a yearly tradition because we had such a great time. Thanks again Bill & Carol!!

Also, big thanks to my mom and sis for watching the kids while we were gone!

A Few Pounds

So, on Ryker's birthday I left the kids upstairs while I ran downstairs to do some laundry. I was down maybe five minutes when I came back upstairs. I hear Ryker whining a little bit and Cooper talking. I hear them in my room and head in. This is what I found:



Ryker had gained a few pounds. While I was downstairs Cooper decided to get into all my nail polish and pedicure stuff. For some reason he thought it would be hilarious to stuff everything down Ryker's onesie. We are talking nail polish, fingernail files, foot scrubbers, fingernail clippers, powder..etc. Everything. I was laughing so hard! He didn't even seem to mind too much. Once he started crawling and the nail polish bottles started clanging around I figured I better get them out of there. I count myself pretty lucky that none of the bottles broke and that Cooper didn't think to open any!!

My Kids

So, Cooper just seems like such a little man lately. He always comes up with the funniest things to say. Here are a few examples:

-The other day he was having a hard time listening to Brad and I. We were getting a little frustrated with him and Coop was getting frustrated right back. After a while he started to tell me that he wanted a new mommy and daddy. I proceeded to tell him okay that I would go pack his things and he looked at me and said, "No, I like you and dad I just don't like parents." He has it all figured out. Brad and I are great as people, just not as parents. :)

-Coop has started Itty Bitty Ball down at the Legacy Center. I told him where we were going the other day and for some reason he couldn't say Itty Bitty Ball. He kept saying Itty Bitty Beetle and other stuff. Finally he came up to me and asked me to say it again. I said it and he looked at me all frustrated and said, "Mom! I don't speak SPANISH."

-The other day he had a problem listening again and AGAIN I was getting frustrated with him. He looked at me and said, "Mom, are you the boss?" Yup and never forget it! :)

Poor little Ryker has been sick the past week. We went to Arizona and the night before we were leaving he was coughing. My poor sister had to watch both my kids while they were sick. Well, I took Ryker in to his one year check-up today and found out not only is he sick with a really good chest cold and getting FOUR teeth in at one time, he has DOUBLE ear infections! I feel so bad for the poor kid. This is a first for our fam. Coop never had any and this is Ryker's first time. Sorry Ryker! Anyway, here are his stats:

Length: 30.5" 75%
Weight: 22 lbs 8 oz 50%
Head Circ: 48.25 cm 90%

Ryker is One!!

Last Tuesday my little baby turned one. It sounds so weird to say that because I feel like I just went to the hospital to have him. The older I get the faster time goes and I find myself looking at him and wondering how he got so big. It makes me sad, but I love watching him at this age.



For his birthday we had our traditional waffle and whipped cream breakfast. That night we had the Plummers over for some cake and ice cream. Ryker didn't disappoint with his cake. He dug right in. He didn't eat too much because, as I later found out, he was getting a really bad cold.



This year we kept thinking about what we wanted to give him. We didn't want to get him a bunch of small baby toys because we already have a few from Coop so we decided to think ahead and get him a slide. Well, as you can see he LOVED it!! What a great idea...haha. Brad held him while he went down so slow and he cried. Well, Cooper, here's your present. Hopefully Ryker likes it in a few months.



The cake I made him.



The party.



One messy, happy little guy.



At one Ryker is saying dada and mama. He also started mooing when you ask him what a cow says. He started taking his first steps but won't be walking for a while. He has four teeth on the bottom, his front right one on top and is getting about three more. He is such a happy, social guy. He does this thing where he gets shy. He lays his head down on his shoulder and it's so dang cute! We love our little guy!!

Happy Valentines Day

These were my best attempts at getting a picture of the boys together on Valentines Day. Cooper hates the camera and I think Ryker is following in his footsteps!

Michelle's Famous

So a while back I stumbled upon a new blog that I'm now obsessed with. I love when that happens! I called my sister Michelle and we both drooled over all the fun projects we were going to make. Well, I've taken a bit longer then I thought to start anything but my cute sister Michelle jumped right in with her mother-in-law and made an adorable chair. Michelle sent pictures back to Ana (the girl who runs the blog) and she wrote about Michelle's chair in her recent post. Here is the link to the blog:

Knock Off Wood

Hopefully this will help motivate me to start one the many projects I want to do. Enjoy!!