Birbies and Ducks

Cooper and I decided to head to the park this evening to feed the ducks. He LOVES going to the park and LOVES feeding the ducks. It makes me chuckle when I think about how much this kid LOVES ducks and birds ("birbies"). It made me think back to how much this fondness has grown over the past 2years. I don't think I've really documented much about Coop's love for his feathery friends. I figured it must be done because for all I know he might end up being a Ornithologist (yes, I had to look that up) when he gets older.

It's actually quite ironic that MY kid would love birds so much. Those of you that know me well probably know that they're not my favorite thing. I don't exactly share the love. In fact I have a border line phobia of birds that has lessened over the past few years. I owe much of that to our time living in Florida where one would have to be in a coma to not appreciate the beauty of all the different species of birds that surrounded us. Little did I know that my time in Florida would help prepare me to raise a little bird loving man.

When Cooper was about 6 months old I discovered I could download recorded bird sounds off of iTunes for free. Ohhhh was that a life saver. I can't tell you how many fussy moments of teething and exhaustion where I could hurry and play our sparrow sounds and Cooper would snap out of his little hissy fit in a nano second. Thank-you, Ohio State University Laboratory of Bioacoustics. I feel like I need to make a donation or at the very least, become a Buckeyes fan.

And don't get me started on some of the crazy bird themed songs that play on Sirius Kids Place Live~Our family's favorite radio station. The station plays some awesome kid friendly tunes that aren't over the top nursery ryhmey or that make you want to stab a hot poker in your ear drums. The music is actually really good and Cooper really digs it. They play kid friendly music with a twist. The lyrics usually have a little humor that only parents could pick up on and they play a lot of older artists that now record children's albums (ie; Barenaked Ladies, They Might Be Giants just to name a few). Oy, does that make me feel old. Kind of like when Jerry Garcia and David Grisman recorded Not Just for Kids for my generation. Another great kid's album by the way.

Wow, did I go off on a little tangent there. If you ever get a chance, check out Free Like a Bird, by Caspar Babypants. It's one of the many great songs played on Kids place live and Cooper loves it. Mainly because of the birds chirping in it. Oh, and I Like Fruit, by Secret Agent 23 Skidoo. Or anything by Randy Kaplan. I find that I listen to Kids Place Live even when I'm alone in the car.

Who would of thunk that I'd turn into a bird lovin' mama that raves about music by a guy named Caspar Babypants??? Life sure has changed. Thanks Coop for showing me the light.

2yr Old Stats

Today was Cooper's 2yr well baby (big boy) check up. It was a quick visit. No waiting (surprise), no shots (bigger surprise), and all is well.

• Weight - 26lbs 2 oz - 20 percentile
• Length - 34inches - 40 percentile
• Head Circumference - 49 cm - 60 percentile....and still attached :)

Word of the day/week: "Tilk" (verb):

1. to touch or stroke lightly with the fingers, a feather, etc., so as to excite a tingling or itching sensation in; titillate.
2. to poke some sensitive part of the body so as to excite spasmodic laughter.

Cooper has decided it is waaaaaayyy fun to "tilk" himself. He reaches under his armpit and chants "tilk, tilk, tilk" and giggles. It "tilks" me just watching.

It also looks like we might need to buy Cooper a new "bike". I had a hard time prying him off of this one while shopping at Target today.

Great Smoky Mountain Saturday

Mark had to work yesterday in observance of Junior Ranger Day so Coop and I decided we'd head to the Park to see what it was all about. Mark and the crew had their engine and gear set up so that visitors (mostly Junior Rangers) could check it all out. Cooper thought it was pretty cool and helped Dad show off his stuff. We decided Cooper is still a bit too young to fully start achieving Junior Ranger status but we had fun enjoying some of the activities and most of all enjoyed watching all THE KIDS. There isn't a lot smiling going on in these pics....I promise he had fun. He was mostly in awe and soaking it all in. There was smiling involved as well (just not for the camera---typical these days).

Making an animal track bandanna.

Watching the big kids play Frisbee.


Check out my Dad's cool engine.

Hey, are those more kids I see?

Coop had fun and we had fun watching him. We've been trying to recap our days as part of our dinner time conversation. We asked him if he went to Dad's work today. He answered 'Yaaaaaaa'. We then asked him what he saw (thinking he'd say Dadeeee truck) but he answered 'kids fribee'. I guess that shows what the highlight of his day truly was. The kid loves kids. Hopefully he'll be that excited about his little brother.

Mr. Sensitive

Cooper is such a sensitive little guy. For example, if he's watching a show or if we're reading a book and the characters are sad, scared or distressed, he gets worried. "Oh No, Saaaaaaadddd". We have to reassure him that everything is going to be okay and show him when the character is once again smiling. He then gets a happy look and can carry on with his day.

He's also very concerned if Mark or I cough or sneeze. "OK Mommee" "OK Daddeee". But he says it more as a statement rather than a question. Letting us know that we are in fact okay.

Thanks for looking out of us Coop! 'Preciate ya.

Cooper's 2nd Year

You had to know this was coming :)....Another photo montage to celebrate year #2!

Two!!!

Dear Cooper,

Well Coop, you did it. You've managed to put up with your Mom and Dad for two years now. Yesterday we celebrated one of the best days of our lives; the day you came into the world and changed our lives forever. We are so thankful for every lit bit of you that makes you who you are. You truly are one in a million. Here's a little run down on what we did to celebrate your special day........

We started the day off with a yummy breakfast and then headed out for a Dollywood Adventure.

We rode the race cars

Fed the Ducks
Waited for the Train

Checked out the Train.
You LOVE the train and have been on it many times before but now you've decided the whistle is WAAAAAAYYY too loud. We quickly discovered that you no longer like loud things and did NOT want to take a ride despite your love of everything trains. No problemo. We admired lovingly from afar.

Dad gave you his Hotwheels from when he was a little boy. That was a big hit! FYI~we looked on the back of some of the cars and they were made in 1969! That didn't make your Dad feel old at all. Not one bit.

Hotwheels!!!!!

You wanted to make sure Targhee knew how very special your cars were. Targ felt a little slighted since your Dad has never given him any of his childhood toys. Sorry Targ, Dad didn't save any old tennis balls or Frisbees from when when he was a little guy.

Your Mom did her very best to make you a Pablo cake.

You even recognized that it was Pablo!!

You wanted to make sure your Dad knew that the eye was the best part.

Mmmmm. Cake!

All in all, it was a pretty fabulous day. You were spoiled by all of your family members with some pretty cool gifts. Lots of cars, books, trains and clothes.
What else does a little boy need?

Thanks for making the last 2 years so incredible and for giving us a great excuse to celebrate Cooper.

Love,

Mom and Dad

A Walk in the Woods

Tonight was the perfect evening to take a walk in the woods before dinner. A great way to celebrate Dad being home with us for another weekend. Yipee!!!!!!

I love spring, cool evenings and spending time together as a family. A perfect Friday night!