Santa Rocks!

Merry Christmas!  We had a fantastically busy week!  We have many pictures this posting, so settle in and enjoy :)

No joke, Cooper had his 18 month appointment this week!  Where has time gone (or maybe it is sleep deprivation?)  His length was 34 inches=90%

 Cooper's head is 47 1/2 cm= 50%

 His weight was 24 lb 11 oz= 60%

Cooper exceeds motor development for his age (no surprise there... the kid is a linebacker in training) and he is in the normal range of words (he has approximately 8 words plus animal sounds).  Mommy feels Cooper is a little genius already.  She wasn't sure whether to call Mensa to enroll Cooper or to diagnose him with OCD.  Cooper perfectly lined up his fleet of cars along the refrigerator.  I think this is a sign that he wants to work as a valet parker.

 Speaking of OCD, I found a great new toy in our house, a toilet wand.  Anyone who suffers from well water hard spots, needs to buy a pumice wand.  It is quite magical.  I was shouting with glee as I removed the pink hard water stains from the toilet; yes, we do clean our toilets weekly.

Daycare Mama Jenny helped Cooper and I make this wonderful canvas print for Mommy and Daddy.  Can you tell whose foot is whose?  We are practically the same shoe size, thanks to Cooper's sausage toes.  My parents thought this gift was MOST precious of all.  Thanks Jenny XOXOXO!

 We had a great time in the big tub doing our best Santa impressions.  Mommy has Cooper loudly saying, "HO, HO, HO" on her camera video clip, but cannot seem to get videos onto the blog these days.  You will just have to imagine it for now.

 Our first Christmas celebration was at Grammy's.  We went to her house on Friday and were there in time to play in the little bit of snow they received up north.  We played in the paddle boat and were there when her "new" (refurbished) pontoon arrived!  We are looking forward to lounging in her new ride next summer.

 Uncle Matt and Auntie Jill joined us for a yummy dinner and gift exchange.  Cooper and I were patient as we waited for awesome gifts... John Deere was everywhere this Christmas!

 We were excellent helpers with unwrapping gifts for everyone!

 Cooper had more fun ON the presents than actually opening them!

 Both Grandmas have the Dickens Village, so I took it upon myself to rearrange the village to my liking.  Mommy was quick to cringe at this; Grammy found it comical how a forest grew around one of the houses and people and animals were strategically placed elsewhere.

 Our favorite reasons to visit Grammy is to snuggle, both her and Rudy cat.

The next day was Christmas Eve.  For the first time in my parent's married life, they were home for Christmas.  We were able to attend our church's Christmas Eve service and we had a special fondue dinner.  It was my first fondue experience which included more kid-friendly choices like cheese curds dipped in batter, yum!

 Guess who wanted to take a picture with Mommy's camera?  Not bad!

Cooper loves to do motions for a song called, "Rock the Baby Jesus" from my preschool holiday sing.  We loudly sing this just to see him smile and rock Jesus in his arms.  Funny thing is that no one really knows all of the lyrics, so we just make it up as we go... that is talent at its best!

 Before bed, we crawled into our Santa bag in hopes that Santa would fill it with lots of toys for us.  I told my parents a few times that maybe I would get a "lup of coal" since I sometimes was naughty (I read It's Christmas David one too many times).

To increase my odds with receiving gifts, I left Santa a fancy snowflake cookie, milk and some carrots for the reindeer.  Before we fell asleep, we peeked into the nighttime sky to see if he was out there yet.  My parents reminded us that Santa only comes when kids are sleeping.  We took that into deep consideration~ Cooper and I slept until after 7:00 that morning and Daddy was pacing the hallway by 5:30 a.m. in anticipation.

 Despite some of the reports my parents probably have given many of you, Santa thinks that Cooper and I are rockstars.  We must be  VERY good kids because we received awesome toys.  Some of our favorites included: cheeseballs, spin toothbrushes, bathtub paints, trucks, boats, candy, movies, chapstick (I am a little obsessed with moisturizing my lips), and a second shovel... no more fighting Coopie!

 My parents could hardly compete with Santa's fun gifts, but they managed to get us some amazing things too... my first pair of hockey skates and helmet (I am enrolled in skating lessons this winter), PJ's, books, Carhart hats, clothes, and more. 

 See how fast I can unwrap?  My hands are working lightning speed, hence the blurry picture.

"Me To" had to try on my skates and helmet.  Poor Cooper will have to wait another year or two before these can be passed down to him.  In the meantime, he was able to open less exciting gifts such as a winter coat wrapped in a Motherhood Maternity box.

When what to my wandering eyes shall appear, but my clubhouse with a KITTY CAT snowmobile near!  I exclaimed, "THERE IS MY SNOWMOBILE!!!  SANTA MUST HAVE DROVE IT HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!"  Lucky for Santa, he found a tiny snow patch to park it on. I couldn't believe it as this was the ONE gift I asked for and it was actually at my house.  I love you Santa!

 She sure is a beaut!  We were ecstatic to sit on it, look at the engine, and "fire it up."  Then it came to riding it and I chickened out.  So, Mommy climbed on, held me while I plugged my ears, and we took a spin around the yarn on the grass.  Daddy humored this all and probably prayed that his manicured turf didn't get torn up...it didn't!

Now, the truth of the matter is that I am a little afraid of this machine.  I overheard Mommy telling Daddy that it has a lot of "skip" in it, whatever that means.  For now, my excuse is that we don't have snow, so I can't ride it on the grass, duh.  Once we get our first snowstorm, the true test will be will I ride it by myself or will Mommy become a snowcross queen?

Our last stop for Christmas was to Grandma's house in the cities.  We had a great time with all our aunties, uncles, Grandma/Grandpa and cousins.  Cooper and I are a bit devastated over the fact that we don't have snow for sledding, so we just raced around in Grandma's house...because Grandmas allow that kind of thing.

Cooper is explaining to Uncle Jimmy that he might as well enjoy lounging in his jammy pants ONE last Christmas because next year, he will have a 8 month old to entertain :)

The picture above is of my mini-bike that Grandpa Jamie refurbished for the grandkids. This mini-bike is a collector's that he had as a boy.  Until I am a bit older, I can enjoy watching all the big boys take it for a spin around the cul-de-sac (think Dumb and Dumber... Harry and Lloyd).

So, we want to get MOVING this new upcoming year!  We plan to get off of our seats (not that we ever sit down) and enjoy lots of wonderful events coming in 2012:

1. Captiva trip in April
2. Baby Lindell arrives May 1st
3. I turn 4 in May and Cooper turns 2 in June
4. A visit to New Mexico to visit Dan and Nancy (our dear friends/old neighbors)
5. Ruth and Emily (Mommy's friends) get married and have local receptions
6. I will attend 4 year old Kindergarten this fall (stop crying Mom)
7. Mommy's friend Kerri is getting married this fall and Mommy is a bridesmaid, hence the workouts and dieting begins for all of us (see above picture for a perfect example of a family workout)
8. We know there will be a lot more celebrating to add to our list this year!

I hope YOU had a great Christmas and I want YOU to have the best year ahead and that's an order! 

Happy New Year!!!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

Happy Holidays!  It seems the minute we came home from Georgia, the holiday spirit fell upon us.  Our first stop was to the tree farm.  It is a Clark Griswald style tradition for us to load up the family and head to the endless rows of green to find "the one."  Cooper and I ho-hummed about what we should do first...tractor ride to the tree area, Santa Claus visit, living nativity scene or hot cocoa and popcorn.  As predicted, the John Deere tractor ride trumped all other activities this day. 

 Nothing like a crabby Cooper to get you in the spirit.  Fortunately, he pulled himself together for a few moments....

I found the perfect tree, a little small, but probably easy to decorate.  My evil twin had to copy my smart problem-solving abilities and found a "branch" that he wanted for a tree.

 Next stop at the tree farm... Mr. and Mrs. Claus' house.  I was THRILLED to tell Santa that I wanted "MY OWN SNOWMOBILE!"  Santa gave my Daddy and Mommy a concerned look, not sure what that meant?

Cooper couldn't quite get any words out because he was trembling in fear.  I guess that means Santa won't bring him anything this year.

The live nativity is a neat little petting zoo area.  We made a quick stop there to feed the animals.  As usual, I liked the goats the best...silly creatures!

The following weekend, while Mommy prepared for her cookie exchange, Daddy and I went to my preschool for the Angel breakfast.  I was able to bring one "angel" to school for special activities and a yummy breakfast.  It was nice to have Daddy all to myself.  Mommy told me that she gets to go next year, sorry Dad.

 That evening, our town hosts a Christmas Wonderland Parade.  It was like we were in a snow globe while watching the parade.  The snow poured down while we watched the parade go by.  It was sooooo pretty, despite that we got soaking wet!  Santa made a guest appearance at the end of the parade.  He seemed to recognize me from the tree farm because he gave me a big wave as he went by.

Chloe came to the parade along with a few other of Mommy/Daddy's friends and children.  We did a good job of sharing all of our wet candy.

 Here come a few random photos from the past two weeks.  Since Jenny loves to stay busy with us, she decided to have an indoor picnic for lunch one day.  We LOVED the picnic and it must have been one great trick as we ate everything up on our plates that day.  Thanks Jenny!

Mommy heard lots of giggling one morning and she found Cooper and I having fun with Q-tips.  She is thankful we didn't rupture anything in our ears that day and was reminded that the simplest things around home make the best toys.  Notice my mismatched jammies???  I now insist on going to bed at night without a diaper.  I am about 75% successful with staying dry, but not this morning obviously. I also strive to be independent and if I have an accident, I stand on my chair, get new undies and find new jammy pants all by myself and in the dark.  My parents can tell in one glance the next morning how the night went.

One day, I hollered for Mommy to come help while I was in the bathroom.  I told her to put "PEOPLE" away and please get me the "church magazine."  She is second guessing the notion that boys are low maintenance. 

We went to Papa's and Grandma Sharon's to celebrate Christmas with them.  They booked a trip to Cabo in December and will spend Christmas in Indiana (Grandma Sharon's house).  So, we headed to the cities for a Christmas lunch and gift opening.

 We couldn't wait to find out what the grand finale gift was.... a JOHN DEERE GATOR! 

Cooper and I hoped and dreamed that the Gator was actually inside of this box.  Papa and Grandma Sharon must have known that we fight like brothers should over the John Deere tractor trailer in the garage.  We now have a two-seater which means I get to drive, Cooper gets to sit, and if I get tired of him, all I need to do is make one sharp turn.

 Cousins Lexi and Sam received motorized Razors, so I am thinking we can trade when we need a change of scenery.

 I couldn't WAIT to get my hands on that steering wheel.  After 24 hours of charging the new battery, we took it for a spin, literally.  The tires spun and spun and spun.  Whoever makes these toys doesn't factor in snow and ice.  Maybe Daddy can make chains for the tires?

 It was a bit sad for our family this year as we decorated our tree with the many beautiful Swarovski ornaments from Great-Grandpa Jim.  Grandpa passed away in August this year and he is dearly missed.  Our tree is most beautiful at night when the ornaments sparkle and remind us that Grandpa Jim was a true light in our lives.  To carry on the tradition, Papa gave us this year's Swarovski ornament (above) along with a few smaller ones for our tree.  Here are a few of our favorites from Grandpa from years past....

This one is not a Swarovski, but is a Waterford Bears collection that Grandpa Jim gave me when I was still in Mommy's tummy.

Here are the stockings all hung on the fireplace ready to be filled.  Our house is decorated, goodies are baked, most presents are purchased, lights are on the outside of the house.... we love this time of the year!

My preschool had a Christmas Program this week and I just couldn't wait to sing my little heart out... at home that is.  During the program, I occasionally did motions (we do a lot of sign language with our music) always clapped for myself at the end of each song (just like the audience) and mostly stood up there with a very serious expression.  My parents loved how all of us 3 year olds did our "own thing" during the sing.  They will never forget this cute day.  Mommy worried that maybe I didn't listen when my teacher taught the songs,until I opened my mouth and sang all of the words to Away in a Manger that night at home.  My parents just don't understand that not everyone in this world has a Type A personality.

 Our last event was this past weekend.  Grammy Lois' side of the family gathers for a weekend at a hotel to celebrate Christmas.  They always choose a waterpark and we went to a great one this weekend!  There are tons of kids to play with.  Here I am with Wyatt (above) who likes to drink Hawaiian punch and was a good buddy of mine all weekend.

 And this is Anna, who is 5 months older than Cooper and also uses a pacifier.  Anna looks like little Cindy Lou Who but she is the youngest of 5 girls (yes, 5 girls), so she can hold her own.  Cooper snuck a quick grab at her doll, can you see his expression?!?!?!  How great is that :)

 Now, this is more like it... John Deere cultivator!  We opened gifts from the exchange and then Santa made a very special guest appearance.  He gave me a Nerf basketball hoop for the door and he gave Cooper some blocks.  I love talking to this guy!

Cooper does not love this guy, but he doesn't realize the true benefits of Santa yet.  He shook in fear, but pulled himself together to give Santa a high-five, followed by some traumatized expressions and a final wave goodbye.  Little does he know that Mommy is hitting the mall Santa this week, poor Cooper.

 My favorite part of the hotel was the elevator.  My parents gave each other worried expressions since I became "stuck" on the whole elevator concept.  I asked if I could ride it?  Push buttons? Does it use a motor? Gasoline? Can I push the bell button...oops.  Does the elevator take naps? Can we go on it? Again? Again?  Can we put one in our house? Maybe that is what I should ask Santa for!

 The other fantastic perk of our hotel was the awesome waterpark.  I am quite the daredevil to my parents surprise.  I wanted to go on all waterslides but had to settle for the smaller ones since I didn't meet the height requirement for the huge tunnel one.  I wish I kept my shoes on.

Cooper loved the waterpark too, especially the fast slides and the big water basket that dumped water onto our heads.

 No peeing in the pool Cooper.

 We raced 2x2 down the slides and Mommy/Caden team won!

 Cooper had to try everything out, even the baby swings.

Cooper and I slept great thanks to the waterpark, Christmas party, and many cousins that kept us busy.

We can't believe it is already Christmas week!  All I have to do now is HOPE that Santa will bring me my snowmobile and some snow in time for the big day.  We close with our Christmas card this post (sorry that the right side got a bit cut-off).... Enjoy this busy week and remember that true meaning behind Christmas... baby Jesus.