Saved the Best for Last....

On Sunday, we celebrated Cooper's baptism with family. It was a very special day for everyone. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. Thank you to everyone who made the trip over to see Cooper grow in God's faith. Our Great-Grandma made Cooper's special baptism outfit. Uncle Matt (Daddy's youngest brother) and his fiance Jill are Cooper's godparents and they gave him a special cross necklace to wear. On Cooper's necklace, is our Great-Great-Grandfather's ring. It is 106 yrs. old and has the letter C on it. I borrowed the ring to Cooper for his special day. The ring was given to Great-Grandpa, whose name was Carl. It was passed to Grandma Carla and then to me. Mommy says it will stay with me to pass on to my children someday, as long as they have a C name. Hopefully, you will catch a glimpse of the beautiful necklace below. Due to the high number of pictures taken, we decided to do a slideshow of the day's events. Enjoy!

We added a few "getting ready" photos below since Grammy spent the night before the baptism; we never have taken a family bath photo. Cooper and I take many baths together these days. I like to play and "dilly-dally" as Mom likes to call it. Cooper also loves bath time but he only stays in for a few minutes. My parents look forward to the day when he can sit up in the tub on his own.

On September 3rd, Daddy celebrated his 35th birthday! We surprised him with his favorite kind of cake, Cold Stone Creamery~Cookie Dough. I helped Daddy blow out the candles and was really excited to belt out "Happy Birthday to You!" Daddy said that having me say, "Happy Birthday Daddy" was the best gift he has ever received.

Cooper decided to wake up just in time for cake. Daddy gave him a tiny taste, to Mommy's dismay. He didn't seem to like it as much as we did.

For Daddy's gifts, we gave him a new Packers hat, specialty coffees,and a choice... either a new video camera or a tattoo. Strange options, we know! Daddy has talked about getting his first and only tattoo lately...Mommy thinks it might be mid-life crisis. He would like to get something with our names woven in on his shoulder or back. Nothing big, just a small, meaningful tattoo. His other option is a video camera since ours is 10 years old and still uses tapes. Daddy gets to choose, so stay tuned for a further update on this one! In the above picture, Daddy and I were playing with two silly cards. Jenny (daycare Mama) gave Daddy a singing card that played, It's Your Thing...Do What You Wanna Do" and Uncle Matt gave Daddy a special card where it makes farting sounds, charming, yet funny. Daddy let me keep the two cards in my book bin for kicks and giggles. If you call our house and hear farting, it is the card, not me.

On September 1st, Mommy headed back to school... well, kind of. She is technically on maternity leave until October 21st. Mommy went to school for staff development day and for Welcome Back day. She is teaching 25 kiddos this year so it will be a busy year for her. She is very excited to be job-sharing with Heather again and she looks forward to teaching in the HUGE classroom they moved into this summer! For now, Mommy says her challenge is turning off her brain from school.

As a tradition, Mommy always holds up her fingers to indicate what year it is for teaching. Daddy told her she has run out of fingers since this year is her 11th year of teaching. That's why she is holding up both index fingers to make the number 11. I did not join in the pictures, just Cooper, since I had escaped to play in the garage before we headed to Jenny's house.

We are SUPER excited to announce the engagement of Uncle Jim to Karri! Uncle Jimmy (Mommy's younger brother) has been dating Karri for a long, long time :) The family finally stopped harassing him about proposing to Karri and he surprised us all by saying he had a ring and was going to propose. He kept the proposal simple by asking Karri to marry him at their townhouse after a busy day at work (he brought in flowers and did get down on one knee). The big day is July 16th in the cities and we look forward to their special day!

One of Mommy's favorite childhood memories is going to the MN State Fair. I am now old enough to start this annual tradition with my parents. We had to go on a Saturday due to my parents work schedules. Grandma watched Cooper so that it could be just the three of us. The day was EXTREMELY hot and EXTREMELY crowded. We only lasted 3 hours before we were outta there. In the above picture, I received my first tattoo, a Kemp's Cow tattoo at the Wells Fargo Farm Playland. I dressed for the special exhibit as my parents knew this place was going to be a hit.

As I entered the barn, I got stung or bit on my left eyelid. The rest of the day was a teary/snotty mess thanks to the bully bug that got me. At the farm, I was able to dress in an apron, carry a metal bucket, and act like a farmer. I was very good at being a farmer, go figure!

My legs didn't quite reach the pedals on this John Deere, but Daddy pushed me in the tractor around the track. You can see my haystack and bucket in the trailer, too cute!

Before we left, I had to test out the real John's at the farm and had a minor meltdown when it was time to go. I left with a silly John Deere hat (see above) and on we went in search of food and rides.

I was thrilled beyond whining for the children's airplane ride. Mommy ran to get us tickets because I am a 2 year old and I just couldn't wait to get on. Daddy had to squish into the seat with me (his knees are smashed against his body). I picked the pretty blue airplane for us to ride in. When the plane took off, I decided I hated the ride. I hated it so much that I cried and cried the entire three minutes of our flight. Parents were commenting near Mommy about that poor little boy who was crying his eyes out. I repeated, "No more ride" and "Caden SCAAAAARED!!!!" I still talk about the airplane at home. Mostly I retell how it went "up and down" that it was "too fast" and that it was "scary!" My parents decided we were done with the Kiddie Midway at the fair.

Here was my daily intake at the fair... Mini-donuts (my fav), 1919 Rootbeer (I never drink pop but was allowed this day), corn dog, Cheetos, cereal (from the farm), Icee, and fries with ketchup. We decided to forgo the cheese curds and pickle on a stick (Mommy's must-haves) because the food lines were ridiculous.

Our last stop was to the barns to see some animals. The goats really loved me, or at least they loved my sticky legs, arms, and fingers. I laughed and laughed as those guys stuck their heads through the gate to get a lick at me. Mommy was grossed out and a bath was a must that night.

None of us are in this photo, but we thought we would show you the swarms of people at the fair. It was a record-breaking Saturday at the fair and this picture doesn't even do justice. There wasn't an open space to walk in, except for in this photo, apparently. Next year we will make sure to go during the week and when it is not 95 degrees outside!

One of our last summer outings was to Fairfax Pool. The pool is now closed for the season. Mommy decided to bring Cooper and I to the pool to meet the Zachow family. It was just as hard as Mom imagined. Cooper needed to be fed and I wanted to wander. I only stayed in the pool for a few minutes before I headed to the playground (with my water wings on) and then to the snack counter for a slushie and popcorn. We lasted a little over an hour and it was time to head home. Goodbye pool until next summer. It will be easier for us all next time :)

Our final news for this blog is an update on Cooper. He had his two month appointment last week. We were really excited to hear his stats since he has not been to the doctor since he was one week old. Cooper was 13 pounds, 2 ounces which puts him in the 90% for his weight! Mommy can't find the paperwork for his exact height, but he was in the 75% for height. He is very different from me at that age. I was always in the lower end of the age group and Cooper is the opposite. My parents think he will be my size and pass me up very soon!!! He is already starting to outgrow some of his 3-6 month clothing which means my parents will be buying more winter necessities such as jackets, since mine will be too small for him. Cooper's development is right on track. He is very strong with his neck muscles so the doctor told my parents to be careful as he will begin flipping over very soon. He is also doing really well in the verbal and social areas since he smiles and coos in response to people. We are happy to know that Cooper is healthy and happy! In closing, my title for this blog is, "Saved the Best for Last" as we say "Goodbye Summer" and "Hello Fall." We have had a fun and exciting last two weeks of summer and we look forward to what fall has in store for us!