How NOT to ride a push car by Cooper and Daddy

This is what we consider a rockin Friday night!

Riding a push car 101 by Cooper

I may not be super mom, but...

Okay, so there were a few days this week when I told Doug "I don't feel like super mom today!" Caring for a toddler day in and day out can be exhausting and very frustrating. I sure didn't feel like super mom when I was trying my best to shower (hard to do with a toddler running around) with Cooper in the bathroom and I heard him say oh oh after he had dropped an entire bottle of D's pricey body wash down the pipe. (the drain cover can be opened and the pipe exposed and Coop loves to drop things down it)It occluded the whole pipe! Or when he managed to throw most of his lunch on the floor after I had asked him 50 times not to, which ended in me being very frustrated and impatient. Or when he would not go to bed and it took me over an hour to get him to sleep. This is just to name a few things.
But, when I see that amazing smile and hear that little voice come up with a new word, I pull my boot straps up and I move on! He is only a baby after all and I am only human!
These pics brought smiles to our faces and I hope they can lift you up as well! As you can see, the weather is sunny and nice again and we have been visiting lots of parks! Happy Valentines day!

Indoor fun!

It has been snowing/hailing all day and it is super windy! We had to be resourceful and find fun activities to do indoors. We went on our weekly trip to the library and then we came home and Mama got creative. I got a bunch of dried beans and rice and placed them on a baking dish, in muffin tins, and on a cookie sheet. I also brought out a bunch of trucks and spoons and let Cooper play. This was a messy activity but provided entertainment for a full hour which is really long for Cooper! He even helped clean up in the end.
I can't take credit for this fun idea. I got it from a fellow blogger ( www.mycharmingkids.net ) who posted this as a good activitiy to do when you can't play outside.

Heirloom toys

We have a new favorite brand of toys! It is called Plantoys, www.plantoys.com
We discovered this brand of toy at one of our favorite local baby stores. Plantoys makes all their toys with the environment in mind. All of their toys are designed to stimulate the imagination, no batteries necessary! Plus, they are beautiful.
We learned a new term from the store keeper that we really want to try and follow. The term is heirloom toys. This means that you buy a good quality toy, usually made from organic materials like wood or cloth. This toy is sturdy and can be passed down for generations to come. Plastic toys are poorly made, often toxic, and because of their poor quality they end up in landfills. Not to mention they could harm your kiddo if they put them in their mouth!
So, our new goal is to buy toys that are sturdy and that will stimulate Coopers imagination. We hope that we can use these toys for future children in our family and if Coop chooses to start a family we hope that his little ones can play with his old toys, how sweet is that?! We will be happy to share our toys with Coops new cousin who will be joining our family in July!
Before we learned the term, heirloom toys, we had already started this tradition. Mr. D's mom has saved a bunch of his toys from his childhood and they are slowly being introduced to Cooper. We just received a cloth play house that was made by D's grandmother for D when he was a kid. We have heard that there is a Brio train set waiting for us in Seattle. Also, Coop's big cuz Jake has been so gracious as to hand down lots of toys that Cooper enjoys every day, thanks Jake! We have received a few token toys from his other cousins as well! This is a great way to reduce consumption and reduce waste!
Don't get me wrong, Cooper has plenty of plastic "gucks" that he is absolutly obsessed with and we aren't going to toss them. We just want to make responsible toy decisions as often as we can.
Happy playing!

How does a cat go?

Here are Cooper's animal sounds. He also knows a chicken and a duck. This is about the cutest thing we have ever seen. Enjoy!

Our Cooper is 18 months old!

We can hardly believe that it has been 18 months since the day I gave birth to our beautiful baby boy! It has been such a privilege to watch Cooper go from being a tiny baby to a little boy. It blows my mind how fast he has changed. Being a mom has proven to be the most amazing experience. Just like that, your whole world revolves around this little person who you love so much. It is true what every parent says, you can't even begin to grasp the love that you feel for a child until you have one of your own and once you do you say "I get it completely".

Today I have been reflecting on what a wonderful little guy Cooper is. He has grown into a little person with hobbies and interests. He loves his gucks (trucks, trains, and cars), he loves to "go go" (climb) on everything, he loves to read, he loves to play outside and go on walks, and he loves Nemo ("emo"). And... he loves his Mama and Dada. If one of us is out of site he walks around the house saying "where Mama" or "where Dada". He is so cute right now! I have included two photos, one of him on his first morning at home and one of him now. Have a good weekend everyone!

Happy half birthday, Cooper!

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