In a nutshell .....

Home is where the heart is right? That is what I keep telling myself. We've had quite a bit going on since my last post. We decided on June 29th to be very spontaneous. That hasn't happened much lately as we try to keep consistency for the little man but we decided a vacation would be good for all of us. Mark had 2 weeks off over the 4th of July holiday so we checked on last minute airfare and availability to kennel the dogs and flew out the next morning to Utah to visit my parents in St. George. We had an incredible 9 day vacation and awesome bonding time with Grandma and Grandpa. We even managed to survive the 100+ temperatures and desert heat (that still beats humidity as far as I'm concerned).

That's where everything takes a turn for the worse (or worst, I never know which is correct). Sometime during the course of our 9 day vacation, our washer hose snapped causing water to spew, gush, surge (you get the point) EVERYWHERE.

We were so anxious to come home after a long day of traveling and couldn't wait to let Cooper run around after being Cooped (no pun intended) up on a plane all day. Needless to say, Coop wasn't able to do any running around. His swim lessons sure could have come in handy.

Basically, we're looking at a complete remodel to the main floor and part of the basement. Our house is unlivable and it's been quite a nightmare trying to find pet friendly and kid friendly accommodations. Not a good combo. Most hotels that allow dogs aren't very suitable for little boys that like to touch and lick everything~ICK. Luckily, after 3 nights in icky pet friendy (translation: pee stained--not from our pets) hotels, our insurance put us up in a cabin for the next little while.

I've been commuting between the house and the cabin with Coop and the doggies dealing with cleanup crews, contractors, duct cleaners, flooring guys, dumpster deliveries. The hardest part is keeping consistency for Cooper. He is being such a trooper and so are the doggies. Oh, and did I mention Mark left yesterday to burn in FL? Hopefully he’ll be home next week.

I'll try to post construction updates and pics when I can. Mainly so we can look back on this one day and laugh (ha, ha) and so that we can show Coop what happens when you don't turn your water off or have anyone check on your home when you go on vacation.

Summertime Fun (cont.)

Guess whose been playing with Windows Movie Maker again? I'll give you a clue. Her name rhymes with ShmAMY or ShMOM. We have tons of video footage which means a whole lot of nothingness combined with a whole lot of cuteness. Yes, anyone who tries to capture things on film knows that the exciting stuff always happens before the video camera is on the scene. It never fails, you have the perfect "send it off to America's Funniest Home Videos" moment and then out comes the camera and NOTHING~insert sounds of crickets chirping~. Kids are very sneaky that way. I think its all a conspiracy to help prevent their mother from putting embarrassing footage on Blogger, Facebook, YouTUBE etc. because you know babies are well aware of the dangers of the world wide web. With that said, I've been playing around with Movie Maker and thought that I could edit, crop and even add music to spice things up a bit. I'm not so sure if it made things more interesting and exciting but at least I got some practice at editing. I don't think I'll be submitting anything into the Sundance Film Festival anytime soon. WARNING~enter video at your own risk. I decided to post this mainly for Coop's Grandparents who might not mind watching a slow moving video montage with some cuteness mixed in.


I also wanted to show off Coop's new wheels. We decided he needed a wagon to roll around our mountain on. As you can tell in the video, he didn't quite know what to think at first. I honestly think he had more fun with it inside pushing it around and banging it into the furniture. Hence, it has now become an outside toy. Side note: Truly, I think DAD wanted a new shiny red Radio Flyer wagon. He couldn't take it out of the box fast enough. Next thing you know, he's going to try and tell me that Coop's wagon needs a lift kit put on it.

Summertime Fun

Hello Summer! Lately, we've been enjoying showing Coop the ropes of summer and all that it has to offer. We've also tried our best to find ways to stay cool as the heat and humidity have kicked in big time. Not much to report as of late. Coop finished his swim lessons this week and passed with flying colors. It didn't take much to "pass" considering we just splashed around while singing nursery rhymes but a pass is a pass. Now how 'bout some pics............

What kid doesn't love Popsicles? An evening dip in the river

No Paparazzi!

Really Mom, enough with the pics

Fine...last one

Thanks for the Hawaiian duds Auntie Z! We hope all of our friends and family are enjoying their summer. We wish we could suck on popsicles, dip in the river, bbq and enjoy summertime fun with you all!

My Dad

Dear Dad,

Thanks for all that you do for me (and the doggies). We're so lucky to have you. I can't wait for all the fun adventures I have planned for us. There's lots of fun heading our way!!!

Father's Day 2008
Father's Day 2009

Hoppy Father's Day (Dad's Hops)

Love,

Cooper

Targhee & Kokanee

Walking

It's official, Cooper is now a Walk Star. He's been holding out on us for quite awhile, but the moment has finally arrived. He still crawls when he needs to get somewhere in a hurry. The kid definitely knows what walking is all about. I think a helmet might be in order. Yikes, watch out world...HERE COMES COOPER!!!!

Swim Lessons

Now that Cooper is an avid kayaker, we decided it was only fitting that we sign him up for swim lessons. Last night was our first parent-tot class and Coop loved it. The emphasis is mostly on water adjustment and having fun together so that Coop's introduction to swimming is a positive experience. Here's how the lesson broke down (in a nut shell):

• Sitting on the edge getting ourselves wet to the tune of This is the way we wash our toes, then belly, then arms, head etc.
• Jumping into the water singing Humpty Dumpty
• Some kicking
• Some paddling
• More kicking , more paddling
• Blowing Bubbles (Coop has totally mastered this thanks to much practice in the bathtub)
• The GRAND Finale: Ring around the Rosie ending with going underwater and blowing bubbles at the same time!!! Yes, our kid is going places.
• Playtime with toys

I also signed us up for the social aspect. Okay, I won't lie...my hope is to find some playmates for Coop. I decided to ease into the friend making process and to "test the waters" first. Mark warned me that I shouldn't pounce on the other parents right away fearing that I might come across as the crazy swim lady that won't leave the other parents and children alone. Perhaps the friend making will just come naturally. Wish us luck and enjoy some pics---emphasis on cute water baby...not so much emphasis on Mom in her swim suit :).

Humpty Dumpty jumping in Doing the backstroke "Hey, there's Dad"
Surrounded by potential friends

(Amy refraining from asking them to be our friend) It was quite comical to watch the paparazzi outside the water. The kids were definitely outnumbered by fans and photogs. We had quite the audience. And here I was wondering if we should bring the camera in fear that we'd be the only dorky parents that had to take pics. Let's just say we weren't the only ones with that marvelous idea. You would have thought the Octomom was swimming with us based on the Parent-Paparazzi that surrounded us.

Mexican Bluegrass and Kayaks

Another weekend of fun had by all (even the doggies). Mark returned home from his travels to Colorado and we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather. We also mixed it up a bit and had a family Saturday Night Dinner Date. Only in Tennessee can one experience Mexican Bluegrass. When we first moved here, we discovered a fun place that serves mexican food and live bluegrass. An obvious combination don't you think? The band was awesome and the food delish! Best of all, Coop was able to hoot and holler to the music and stay true to his roots. He's keepin' it real. After all, he was born in TN. Once a hillbilly, always a hillbilly. Cooper loved the fact that he could eat and groove and when he was on the verge of fussiness, we were able to stand up and dance. Even Dad cut a rug a little bit (which is quite rare). I took advantage of being able to bust a move in public with Coop before he's old enough to be utterly embarrassed of Mom making a spectacle of herself.

~~Side Note and shout out to my Mother~~ I have vivid memories of going to a "disco" in Puerto Vallarta with my Mother when I was 12yrs old. I spent the entire evening being horrified and hiding under the table while my mother whooped it up on the dance floor with a basketball team--but I digress.

Yesterday we decided to take the doggies with us on a little adventure. They've definitely gotten the shaft lately and haven't been able to explore like they used to PC (pre-Cooper). We spent the afternoon on the river in The Cherokee National Forest. Cooper loved having his doggies pal around with us and it was so much fun to let him see what having water dogs is all about. We found a beautiful secluded spot where the dogs could be dogs and Cooper could be cute.

Acclimating

Is that a Chocolate Lab or Yellow Lab?

Chasing Dad down the River (Michael Phelps and Dara Torres) Snuggling in the kayak Hey Targhee, give us a push

first paddle (notice the canine lifeguards)

Pointing (Coop's new favorite thing to do)

Carrots and Kayaks