I Still Live With My Parents

This guy does {I think he's jealous of the Evan getting the bumbo}......

but his parents do not! 

We've reached the one-month point in our new home!  I'm SO happy to say that we are about 94% moved in.  Furniture is {mostly} in and put together, shelves are lined, the kitchen and pantry are organized, the linen closets are done, the garage is set up, and we've even hung a few pictures.  All that is really left to do is to pick up and put together the dining room chairs, finish the boys' closets----mostly just organizing the next size of clothes for the younger two, hang pictures in Ryan's and Evan's rooms, hang pictures in the upstairs hallway, hang stuff in the office, finish hanging a few things in the living room and kitchen--when I get the money to buy some more frames, and finish organizing toys and games in the game room.

It feels so good to be getting so close to having the house set up the way we want it with everything in a place and able to have the space to hold everything!  I'm excited to have the move in process complete so that I can start working on projects that have been on the back burner for the last TWO years!

 It's amazing how even dealing with the headaches of all the little things that come up with the new house and all the work that it's taken to get everything as far as we've gotten are all completely worth it.  Working on something that is truly your own is so rewarding!   

Three Boys

 I haven't attempted taken a picture of all the boys together lately.  So, after a wonderful theme at church today about patience and families, I decided to put it to the test and set up a photo after church and before lunch.  {perfect set-ups for failure, right?} 

Well, it turns out that Kyle is easily bribed highly motivated by the thought of getting to play on Stephen's new iPad and Ryan was able to sit still for a few minutes because I told him he would get grapes after we took a picture. 

I started out trying to get the older 2 to smile, and whatever I said was pretty hilarious to them.  Evan obviously didn't get it. 

Finally, Baby Evan was in on the joke.  Kyle was over it.

Success!  Everyone is looking at the camera AND smiling---at least enough that it counts.

And one more thing I want to document:  Ryan is very expressive in his language and thinks he's having wonderful conversations with us, with other parents at Kyle's soccer games, and with strangers in the grocery store.  The problem?  None of it is English.  It's adorable until he's ACTUALLY trying to communicate an important point, which we don't understand, and it becomes frustrating.  He was having a moment yesterday--upset, but not able to tell me what was wrong, and that led to total meltdown.  When he finally came up for air, I said, "Ryan, come here and tell me what's wrong."  Kyle, just within earshot, came over and pointed out, "Mom, he can't.  He doesn't talk like us.  He only speaks Spanish."  Kyle then tried to demonstrate "Spanish," but realized HE didn't know any actual Spanish words, so he just repeated some Ryan-ese mumbo-jumbo and said, "See?"

I think we're all ready to understand our little Po.  Do you think Rosetta Stone makes something for that?  

On the D.L.?

 Kyle had a nasty fall at soccer practice last week.  He somehow managed to land awkwardly, his elbow crashing down on his soccer ball.  He was in pain all night, saying his arm was "broken," using his left hand for everything, and telling us he wasn't able to move the other arm very well. 

I assessed him the next morning, and he was NOT happy when I tried to bend his arm back.  Luckily, Stephen had a pretty easy day at work--in the outpatient center--and was able to talk to some of his peeps about doing a quick x-ray on the boy. 

I rounded up the whole crew, and we got to go to Daddy's work!  It was so fun to let everyone see the boys and to get to say hello to Stephen's coworkers.  A bunch of nurses played with Ryan and Evan while I went back with Kyle to get x-rayed.

Luckily, he had no fractures and was able to play his game and enjoy the summer sans-cast.

Kyle and I decided to make a big plate of cookies to say thank you for the nice doctors and nurses who took good care of him {and us!} 

Supposed to Be Sleeping--Take 2

I was right about Ryan not pulling the toilet paper trick again.  The next day was much, MUCH worse--so bad that I didn't take a break to photograph it because I had to start tackling it right away.  The next day I found Ryan spending his {supposed to be} nap time painting the upstairs in toothpaste.  He got into Kyle's bathroom and found a tube of only 3-week old toothpaste as a glorious, fruity, blue, sticky medium for creative destruction.  Not only was he covered from head to toe, there was toothpaste ALL over the bathroom--counter, rugs, stool, cabinets, and floor.  Then, he moved the smearing onto Kyle's carpet, down the hall, and back to his bedroom.  By then, the creative juices must have ended because I'm guessing he took a break to meditate and look out the window.  I had to clean toothpaste off blinds and the windowsill.  When the outdoors failed as inspiration, he turned to a few books.  I just finished wiping traces of toothpaste off what seemed like every book on his shelf!  I had to get down on his level and follow the path several times, but I think I finally scrubbed every nook and cranny with blue stickiness.  

Oh, the two-year-old toddler!

Speaking of....
Ryan had his 2 year well-check on Monday.  Everyone at the office LOVED him.  He kept the office staff's attention the entire time we waited to see the doctor--from the minute he made an entrance, to his "conversation" at check-in, to his interactions/flirtations with the other patients.  He's definitely a social butterfly and enjoys making people laugh.  The doctor enjoyed trying to speak to Ryan, too.  She can't wait until he actually learns English!

2-year-old Stats:
Height: 32.5" (8 %)
Weight: 25 lb. 8 oz. (18%)
HC: 48 cm (31%)

In case there was any doubt--YES! He's small.  He's also a ball of energy and destructive capability.  And we love him!

While You Were {Supposed to be} Sleeping

 Every mom knows the most dangerous sound in the house--The Sound of Silence.  The nothingness swept into our house once more this week, while Ryan was supposed to be in his room, asleep, but was instead making mischief of one kind and another.

The silence was interrupted by a door shutting, our Buzz Lightyear telephone making its noises, and little steps tiptoeing down the stairs.  When I called Ryan's name from the kitchen and asked what he was doing out of bed, he ran back up the steps.  That usually doesn't happen, so I needed to investigate.

Knowing I'd probably find something blog worthy, I took the camera along.

Oh, there was much to see.

Of course, a child favorite--unrolling a BRAND NEW, FULLY ROLLED roll of toilet paper into the toilet and all over the bathroom.   

 Caught in the act

 Thinking it's a great trick

 Realizing it's not so great

It's amazing how different Ryan's personality is that Kyle's.  I really just had to give Ryan "the look," and sternly tell him, "NO!  This is NOT a good choice."  He cried and cried, but quickly hugged me to let me know he was sorry, and all was soon right again in this happy little guy's world.  I would be very surprised if he tried to pull this trick again. 

First Cereal

 In honor of him turning 5 months and one week old on Friday, Evan got to celebrate with first first taste of solid food--some cereal!  And just like his brothers before him, he loved it!

Earth Day Weekend

 We've had a busy Earth Day weekend around here.  First, any celebration wouldn't be complete without the proper attire.  2 out of 3 boys wore recycled AND organic cotton clothing.  Thank goodness I didn't have to find something fitting for Kyle, since he was just in soccer gear.   

We had a Saturday of soccer between getting pictures in the morning, Kyle being team captain for the afternoon game, also bringing the drinks and treats--in our reusable grocery tote bag.  {I felt SO earth-friendly--my uncle would be SO proud.} 

**Game update: Our team of misfits lost AGAIN.  At game time, we barely had enough players to start, and one of them didn't have her jersey because she hadn't shown up to practice OR team pictures to get it.  Other players slowly trickled in, causing multiple foul-ups in the line-up/rotations.  The other team was being coached like it was life and death, their coach saying "good job!" when his players were kicking the ball like crazy, even when our goalie had her hands on it inside the net.  {Stephen would've handed out AT LEAST a yellow card, and possibly several reds.}  Kyle also got scratched and pushed down by a kid who was ticked.  This "fun" soccer crap is about to kill me.  Even if they are 4 and 5, we can still try to teach them right and wrong, the actual rules of the game, sportsmanship, etc.  You can positively tell a kid that it's not "good job" to kick a goalie or throw the ball to YOURSELF.  Coach, if you're going to take the game seriously enough to give your 4-year-old goalies gloves, then you should probably take the time to work on a few fundamentals, too.  And our team--care a little, people!!!  I know it's basically recess we're paying for, but WE'RE PAYING FOR IT!!!  At least act like you care a little!  I never even played sports, for goodness sake, but I've still got the competitive spirit.  I'm not one to sit back and take this idea of making everyone FEEL good and not hurting SELF ESTEEM and making sure everyone gets a trophy and is told what a winner they are and how awesome and wonderful it is to not care enough to show up to practice or games or try to teach the kids how to play a game that has actual rules.  But, time for something positive:  At least we don't have to do it again for 7 more days!

On Friday, Mother Earth decided to throw her own party.  We had one heck of a storm!  Stinging rain, hail, thunder and lightning, and no power for almost 3 hours.  I got to run out in the rain to get toys and boxes and all kinds of trash being blown all over our yard.  I was SOAKED, and Kyle thought it was HILARIOUS!

After the rain, what better way to get GREEN than by getting out and playing in some mud.  These little hippies decided to throw their own woodstock in the back yard.             

Yes.  We are THAT family.

The boys were running around in the yard, naked, splashing in mud and puddles.  They were in heaven. 

The Baby Bumbo!

 What a great investment this little seat has been.  Evan is now the 3rd Cooper boy to enjoy chilling here.

Kyle really wanted to take a turn in the Bumbo, but settled for sitting next to his baby brother and posing for a picture.

Tongue

This little man has found his tongue! There has been lots of funny faces made, lately, as Evan discovers this crazy thing inside of his mouth and how it works.

A New Dawn, A New 'Do

Like I said in my last post, cleaning up vomit at 3 a.m. is not my idea of a fun time.  That paired with not being able to go back to sleep was a *great* way to start my Friday.  That Friday just so happened to be Friday the 13th.  The day still goes on, even when Mommy didn't get sleep, so I did my best to keep up.

Ryan seemed to be feeling better--thank goodness!--so we decided to go to a play group at the park.  I'm REALLY glad we did so I could start to get to know some of the families around here and have some other children for my boys to play with.  Plus, this playtime wore off some of the boys' energy.

I had so many great plans of things to get done while my mom was in town--organizing, getting rooms finished, and maybe even a painting project or two.  Up to this point, I'd done the party, changed some sheets, and done a bunch of laundry since there was vomit to wash away.  Plus, I felt like I'd hit a wall and was not motivated at all.  Maybe working like a mad woman on the house for 2 weeks straight plus limited sleep had something to do with it.  At that point, I had a moment.  I needed to take a step back and focus on me for a little while.  My mom really came to play with the boys and help out where I needed her most.  And the thought came to me--I needed to get my hair done.  As I started to think about how long it had been since I'd REALLY done that for myself, I was shocked to realize that I hadn't taken the time to be pampered with coloring to cover up this gray hair--not just a quick cut and style--since we lived in MIDLAND.  Like, since 2008.  Sad, people.  Very sad.  I knew it was last-minute and didn't really know a salon around here, but I looked up a few and took a chance on one.  Boy, I'm SOOOO glad I did.

Keep in mind these pictures are of me after a VERY long day with not much makeup, but I am SO happy with the hair and the color.

I really wish I had a before picture, too.  The change between my countenance when I left and upon return were priceless.  This is the best example I could think of to compare the differences:

Oh, what a difference a few hours can make!

Moo if You're 2!

I have a tradition going of giving the boys books on their birthday and trying to match the book to the party theme.  Everyone signs the book for the birthday boy, so they'll be able to look back and remember.  For Ryan's 2nd birthday, we did a farm/cow party to go along with Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? 


In order to make things a little easier, we combined Ryan's birthday party with Stephen's, letting the theme and cake be for Rhino and the meal for Stephen.

I found some cow-themed decorations--table cloth and balloons.  Ryan LOVED those!

I also set up this buffet table for the presents.

Ryan was excited for his party----he'd been waiting a LONG time that day--for Kyle's soccer practice to end and for Grandma and Grandpa to get there.

Stephen's chosen menu--grilled chicken, bacon, mozzarella, tomato, and basil flatbread paninis and homemade french fries.  And root beer floats for dessert.  The cake was a red velvet cake that I decorated with coconut flakes that I dyed green for "grass" and crumbs for "dirt."  I also found a farm candle to put on top.

The natives were restless, so we finally had to start before the grandparents got there.  Evan zonked out.

Ryan was not only tired, but seemed to not feel well, too.  He hardly ate anything.  Or maybe he'd already had too many snacks and tastes while waiting.

Kyle ate in a hurry and then got bored waiting around.

Finally, everyone was together!

We sang a quick happy birthday to both birthday boys.



And the opening of presents began.  Ryan got lots of stuff with buttons!

Stephen got some accessories to go with his iPad, which should be on its way, some books, a belt, and a little money.  Not too shabby!

There wasn't much time left in the day, so we hurried to put the little boys to bed and had a few moments left to celebrate.  

How grateful I am for these 2 boys in my life and for the excuse to have a little celebration in their honor.

{Ryan really must've had too much partying because he woke up around 2:30 a.m. and eventually threw up!  Not a great start to Friday the 13th.}

Photo Recreation

This outfit has made the rounds in our household.  So has this crib bedding and Aggie mobile.  You may remember this post  or this post  of Kyle.  {I guess I never recreated this scene with Rhino.....}  Anyway, our Baby Evan is FINALLY starting his brainwashing with the Aggie War Hymn.  Only time will tell if the late start will adversely affect his future.  

Noah's Ark Day

 The hardest thing about moving is that normal life goes on in spite of trying to unpack and organize.  There is still laundry to be done, meals to cook, dishes to clean, floors to be swept and mopped, beds to be made, diapers to change, baths to give, babies to feed, etc.  Somehow in the mix, I'd forgotten that Kyle's school life went on, as well, and totally spaced his Noah's Ark, aka, "dress as your favorite animal day" at school until I got the reminder email the NIGHT BEFORE!

Luckily, we had a craft drawer that I just started unpacking that day and there were several animal masks in there, leftover from Kyle's zoo party when he turned 2.  Thankfully, Kyle's "favorite" animal was one that we could make work with the options available to us.  He told me his favorite animal was a bear---news to me---so we picked a mask that looked bearish.  I knew we also had a baby coat with "fur" and a hood with bear ears on it.  I dug through a box of old clothes and found it.  Evan couldn't fit into it until the summer months, anyway, so I decided to cut it up and make a bear costume out of it.  The only thing Kyle really cared about was having a tail, which we made happen.

Not too shabby for the night before, and he was happy.  And isn't that what counts with children?  Happiness and harmony?

Easter Continued

The Easter Bunny also hid some eggs in our backyard!  As soon as we got back from church the boys were on the hunt.  Kyle has been ready for weeks and already had a practice run at school, so he literally took off running.

Ryan just watched his brother go at first.

Then he found one egg and brought it to Dad.

Soon, he took the basket into his own hands and got to work.

Everytime he found a new egg, he had to turn around and show it to us with pure delight!

Kyle started counting his eggs to see how many more he was allowed to find.

He also counted Ryan's....probably making sure that little brother didn't have more than he did.

After one final run, the boys had found all the eggs.

It was time to show me the loot.

Finally we went inside to un-egg the treasures.

Most of Ryan's eggs were the money eggs!

Evan was happy to just be an onlooker this year.

Then, we went to Grandpa and Grandma's house for Easter dinner.  The Easter Bunny left a few goodies there, too!

We had a wonderful Easter, celebrating with family and remembering the Savior's sacrifice for each of us and His resurrection.