O Holy Night

My absolute favorite Christmas song, it is so powerful and if leaves me in awe of my existence...

Hear Celine Dion sing it!!

O holy night!

The stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of the dear Savior's birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

Till he appeared, and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn;

Fall on your knees;

O, hear the angel voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born!

O night, O holy night, O night divine

Merry Christmas!

Our First Tree!

Even though Jason and I have been married for 7 1/2 years, and Jackson is 3 1/2, we never bought a real tree. We have had a little fake 3 footer for the longest time, but nothing bigger. Sooooooooooo, we kinda went nuts with getting our first live, big tree. It seemed smaller at the tree farm... We have a 20 foot vaulted ceiling and it is about 2 feet shy of that.





A little explanation- we went to the tree farm intending to get a 6 foot or so tree. Chop it down, take a picture and tie it to the top of the Tahoe. When we arrived, there was this huge tree leaning against a barn with a price tage of $24. Surely not! Someone came over and asked us if we were interested. The deal was that someone had cut it down the week before and then changed their minds. They just wanted it gone. SOLD! We did go and hack down a little tree for memory's sake and put it in Jackson's room.





Christmas tends to bring out the kid in you, don't you think?

1 month to go...

... and Cooper will be a year old. A YEAR OLD!

Sadly, to mark his 11th month, today we discovered he has a sinus infection...



On the plus side, he took a pretty good nap today, and went to bed without screaming for an hour. This past week or so has been a bit hairy in the sleep department!

What has Cooper conquered???

Saying "buhbuh", which is southern speak for brother, if you didn't know
Going up the stairs
Slowly but surely knawing an escape out of his crib
Throwing full blown temper tantrums, with arching the back and throwing back the head
TOOK HIS FIRST STEPS!!!!

Bam Bam

Remember the little baby boy from the Flintstones? Well, that is Cooper, except he prefers to beat himself up, instead of others... He has more gotten bruises to his little noggin in a week, that most kids do all year!! I think he is still just trying to figure out the finer points of crawling, pulling up and cruising. He is looking a bit rough and I'm seriously considering buying him a little bicycle helmet!

Comfort and Joy

Cooper's comfort objects, up close and personal. Snapped this right before he drifted off to sleep.

Mommy's Takin' Us to the Zoo!

We had a great time at the San Antonio zoo this past weekend! The boys were such good buddies. Jackson couldn't wait to see the elephant, but got scared as soon as he saw it. The hyenas were making quite a racket and the lion was roaring at something. It was neat to see, but a bit scary too. Before leaving we took a ride on the train. Jackson was totally into it. We even went through a dark tunnel! Afterward we got to visit my cousin Megan and chow down on some pizza!! It was a quiet ride home, and I got to nibble on some yummy homemade fudge Megan made...

San Antonio Zoo Pics

Bribery...

I thought that should have been the name for the new "poo poo pet".

But somehow he ended up "Gimpy"

We keep him in the bathroom- for inspiration...

Look what I actually had time to do!!

It's been soooooooooo long since I sat down to scrap, either paper or digitally. I somehow mustered up the energy last night and accomplished a page. Just a random page. I have so many "projects" and albums that are like 10 % done. I would really like to try and focus more on this!! But it always comes so far below my priority of SLEEP!!!

Two Firsts Today

Wow, two rounds of applause for Jackson and Cooper today!

* Cooper decided to start crawling- I even caught him on video intending to capture something else he was up to! What a great moment, he was so matter of fact about it, while Jason and I sound like clowns in the background I'm sure.

* Jackson went "number two" in the potty - BY HIMSELF! Okay so he had an accident earlier at the mall, and he barely made it the second time, but he did make it and was very proud of himself. He gets to go pick out a pet tomorrow- we've been dangling this carrot for months now... The rules are: NO FUR. I'm envisioning a lovely goldfish... I have a feeling it will be much more creepy though...

Yeah Jackson and Cooper! I'll put away my pom-poms now...

My "First" Thanksgiving

I hosted Thanksgiving this year, and I think it went pretty well. I couldn't have pulled it off without all my helpers- you know who you are and thank you!!! I was very nervous about cooking the bird, but it turned out really well. Just a teeny bit dry I think, but no one else would admit it. It was really nice to have everyone at one table, I forget just how big our family is, and how much bigger it keeps getting. The more the merrier!! I am thankful for everyone of these faces...

Cooper is 10 Months

I can't believe my baby is almost a year old. It has gone by sooooooo much faster it seems than with Jackson. Why is that? I worked 40-50 hours a week when Jackson was small, but now that I stay home full time since Cooper's birth, time seems to go by faster. You would think that Jackson's babyhood would have flown before my eyes, even though I got to bring him to work with me. Just being more distracted and on the go I mean. And I would think that staying home would make the time pass so slowly, and he'd be a baby a bit longer.But no, I feel like Cooper has just gone from tiny screaming thing to army crawling around the house and refusing to be rocked to sleep. I find myself trying to soak up every moment that he will let me snuggle him or is upset and reaches his fat little hands out to me. He still does things that remind me that I have plenty of time before he rolls his eyes at me:

* still needs his little silky blankies to calm down and sleep- the more the better
* likes to be rocked while having a bottle ( with the silky blankey is a bonus )
* gets scared if he thinks I have left the room
* rubs his face into my neck when he is happy
* likes to hold my finger while being transported around on my hip

But his newest accomplishments are:

* a sound that is best described as "ah-sheesh"
* pulling up on most everything
* turning pages of a book
* trying his very best to make a tower of 2 blocks
* putting things in and out of little boxes or containers
* eating meat purees- yummy!!!
* starting to annoy previously enamoured big brother

Quarantine @ the Lavender House

Jackson spent all of Friday throwing up. We were in the car about to run some errands and he started choking and then up it came... He seemed kinda mopey and listless, well more than usual, and now we know why. He even wanted to lay in ouor bed around noon before this happened and we pretty much shooed him outside...oops. By saturday he was feeling better but still really feverish. Today he is back to his little rascaly self and I am so glad. Poor guy told me he was sorry for "pukting" in the car. What a sweetie. Let's hope the germs don't think the rest of us are such great hosts!

Cooper has yet another cold. I think we had a whole week break from being sick! I am sure there is an ear infection to match. Ugg! He is also teething and so as always the combo is a grumpy little dude. It will be nice to have a happy Cooper once we get past the "lets-catch-every-single-virus- known-to-man" stage.

I am putting hand-sanitizer in stockings this year...

Daylight Savings Time

Just adding it to my list of annoying, pointless things.

Okay I know it's not pointless...but if anyone out there has babies, I'm sure that you will agree...

So far I have:

acne

mosquitos

childproof doorknob covers

sinuses

and now...daylight savings time

No, I don't get an extra hour of sleep. It just seems cruel...but it is pretty cool to hang out with Cooper until everyone else is awake!

Is this not the cutest little jacket?? I guess I'm not the only one who thinks so- there is a 7 week wait!!

Patience my credit card, patience...

Say Cheese!!!

Jackson said after preschool picture day a few weeks ago that he didn't smile because he was "too shy"...

Fall Macro Pics

Here are some pictures I've taken recently... it's all in the details!!!

Sooooo Big!

Jackson, Cooper and I went through the Wendy's drive through this afternoon, on our way home from the library. After eating my # 9 combo ( 10 chicken nuggets, fries and a coke ) I made the comment that I ate too much!! He asked to see my tummy which doesn't remain flat after eating, post-children, anymore. He kinda poked at it and proclaimed "It's as big as Papa Badger's belly!" Papa Badger's is his name for my Dad, who has a nice table tummy. And then he seriously looked up into my eyes and asked "Mommy, do you have another baby in there?"
Lord, help me practice moderation this holiday season.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

I loooooooove Halloween! I get so excited the day October 1st rolls around and it doesn't stop until I hear "Trick or Treat" at my door. Since being a mommy, the fun is two-fold. I've had so much fun making cookies with Jackson, puting up decorations, and having many discussions on what everyone he knows will be for Halloween. Cooper was a good sport for his first Halloween, tagging along in the stroller. He most definetly wanted to be in on the devouring of candy, but settled for puffs... Jason has officially taken the title of "Head Pumpkin Carver". He even wore a costume this year.... Flavor Flav. Couldn't find a giant clock necklace, but I think he pulled it off.

Halloween Pics!

Pumpkin Farm

The cutest pumpkins in the patch!

Jackson, Alexander and Cooper

Pumpkin Patch Pics

Happy Nine Months Cooper!

Okay, I was too busy complaining about being sick that I forgot to tell the world that Coop is 9 months old now!! He is growing up way too fast!

Cooper is:

* doing everything he can to avoid having to crawl

* up to six teeth now

* following Jackson's lead in the ear infection department...

* determined to walk on his own

* finally sleeping without his reflux wedge

* lightning fast in his walker

* loving Goodnight Moon at bed time

* saying "Dadadadada"( of course )

Why EXACTLY do we have sinuses?

Sorry for the weird topic but I am SICK of being SICK! Started out with a wicked sore throat and then moved north to my already bothersome sinuses. I have been coughing and blowing my nose like crazy. This is a great ab work-out by the way...

I feel like my head is full of solid cement. I was just wondering if anyone knew the purpose of having sinuses. So your appendix catches junk- and can be removed if necessary. Same with tonsils. Just kinda extra stuff we have right? But this is an actual empty space if you will, in our heads...

I think I will put them in my category that mosquitoes, acne, and childproof doorknob covers are in- pointless!

Okay, off to take too much cough medicine and eat some ice-cream...

While I'm at it...

Since I'm all logged in and have few minutes, I'll post one more time...

Is he not the cutest little guy ever?

"That will take all week!"

So Daddy just couldn't resist getting Jackson a new bike. And as I am the bad guy in the whole situation, I couldn't really say no. He has done so well on it! I am really impressed. He really likes to show me that he can use his brakes at any moment. He will pedal in a million circles in our living room ( wood floors ) and never get bored. Or dizzy.

But Jackson had to put his bike up for the rest of the day this afternoon. We have a line in the driveway that he cannot cross. The first time he did I gave him a warning and told him one more time and he has to get off and put it away. Well, of course he just had to see if I was serious. I was. So later in the evening, after dinner, I asked him if he wanted to go on a walk with me.

"Can I ride my bike?" he asked.
"No, you didn't listen earlier and that's not a choice anymore." I said trying to sound stern.
"We can take a walk using our feet, Jackson."
"But that will take all week!!" he moaned.

I find myself trying to hide my laughter these days. I can't let him know just how cute he is!

Junk Drawer

I am clearing out and organizing all of my junk drawers today. I have a few...
There is so much stuff that I have no clue what most of the stuff is or where it came from. Like a little baggie of tiny screws. If I saved them, they must go to something, but what? Or I will find some little do-dad that I am sure I thought I would put into a scrapbook, someday. Lots of electrical outlet plugs. Lipstick that I never wear. Cooper's sonogram printouts. How sad!!
Must get to work on the junk drawers that have taken over!!!

Shhh!!!

Apparently, Jackson is a bit of a chatter-box ( gasp! ) at preschool...
I was bringing pull-ups for him for nap time, until his teacher said he never slept anyway. I'll take that opportunity to save some cash! She also mentioned that she has a hard time getting him to stop "socializing" during nap time to the point where he is waking up the kids who do fall asleep. I told her I would bring his favorite book for him and he could look at it quietly ( that's what he does at home with it anyway ), otherwise feel free to put him in time out in the hall!!
I have a feeling that these little things will be so telling in his high school years...

Smooshed

I ran over Jackson's tricycle. Not the whole thing, just one of the back wheels. It could be straightened out... We- and by we I mean Santa Claus- were going to get him a little beginner bike for Christmas, but the ol' parental guilt trip is in full swing. Actually- Jason is giving me a harder time than Jackson.

Jackson: "Mooooooooooommmmmeeeeeeeee! You ran over my tritictle! That was not nice!!"
Mommy: "It was an accident honey, and I'm really sorry..."
Jason: "Didn't you see it?? I guess we can go look at the Spiderman one he likes."
Mommy: "Well, I think Santa had that in the budget closer to December, dear..."
Jackson: "Santa is coming right now!!!"

~exit Jackson stage left to write a revised Santa letter~

14 hours...

That's how long Cooper was up yesterday. Not one minute of sleep in that 14 hours... Just crying, screaming, whining, and fussing. So he has a mild ear infection, two HUGE bumps that you can see his top teeth through, and hadn't pooed in a couple of days. Stopping by the store to get the good old liquid gold formula, motrin, and oragel. I want my sweet baby back!!!

Test results

Good news and not so good news.
The good news is that Cooper is NOT allergic to eggs, which means he can for sure have any vaccine that was cultured in egg. The not so great, but certainly not bad news, is that he IS "moderate to severly" allergic to milk. I will have to discuss which end of the spectrum he is closer to with his Dr at his 9 month appt. to figure out what exactly that means...
For now we have been trying a little bit of a formula that is halfway between hypoallergenic and normal milk based formula. Middle of the road so to speak. SO FAR he has been doing okay, but with the bonus of teething and a cold he has been SO grumpy. It is hard to tell if the new formula is part of the grumpiness...He is so grumpy he is even scaring Jackson!

Happy Eight Months!!

Cooper's Accomplishments:

* rolling over ALL THE TIME especially when he is SUPPOSED to be sleeping...
* sitting up

* pulling up
* getting on hands and knees and rocking
* eating small finger foods, especially PUFFS
* shaking his head "NO NO NO"
* throwing full blown temper tantrums, usually over food
* got his second tooth
* jumps in his "Johnny Jump Up" like a maniac
* has Daddy wrapped around his finger

Rough Morning!

After dropping Jackson off at preschool, I had to take Cooper into the Dr's lab to have blood drawn to test for some allergies. I wasn't really sure how that would go, and asked Grandma Schiller ( "Ma" ) to go for help. Okay mostly so I wouldn't cry. They had a hard time finding a vein under all his chubbiness and had to keep poking around. They still didn't get anything so we had to start all over on the other arm. They did finally get it going, but by this time Cooper was beside himself and crying so hard he was shaking. At least he was sitting in my lap turned away from me so that he didn't think I was the meanie! We came home to a warm bottle and lots of rocking. He is totally crashed right now with his little Bugs Bunny bandaids falling off.
Next week we should get some results, so it will be worth it...fingers crossed!

First Day of Preschool

Wow, I thought this summer that we had so much time before this day would be here! He is such a big boy now. I wonder how many times throughout his growing up that I will say that? Jackson wasn't too thrilled to go this Tuesday to orientation for an hour ( complete with crying, screaming and clinging to my leg... ). But today, the official first day, he did GREAT! Just walked in, and went right to playing. I think a lot of it had to do with Daddy being there. He looked a bit lonely, but I know that probably only lasted a moment. There are 7 boys and 3 girls in his class, the "Pigtails". His teacher is Ms. Karen and seems very laid back. I am a little nervous about getting a call about a pee-pee accident. I have all this free time and I want to stay home near the phone, just in case!! I miss him, but I know he is having fun. I have to admit, it is nice not being a walking dictionary or playing the "why" game. And it was nice to come home and play with Cooper and rock him to sleep. As I type this I keep expecting the door to burst open and hear "Hi, Mommy!" and a request for juice. Nope just a sleeping baby, and wonderful silence!

Three Men and a Mommy

We spent the day at Old Settler's Park playing and enjoying the faux-fall weather. It was so nice to have a breeze...

I love watching Jason with the boys. He turns into a little boy himself, as you can see. Jackson eats up every moment with Daddy. His only real reason to finish any meal is to grow up tall like Daddy. He wants to do everything Daddy does- from standing up to go pee or ride horses and yell "hep cow"! Cooper is for sure a Daddy's boy. He is happiest in his arms. It's the only time he doesn't wiggle.

They are all content to burn as much energy as possible ( as I try to keep up with camera in hand ) or hang out doing nothing. Sometimes I find myself trying to make every moment with Jackson educational or instilling manners and morals. I feel like Cooper is getting sold short as far as one on one time with me these early months.

But I've realized that they both are happiest when we are all together. Even watching TV or making dinner. They don't care if every day is a Kodak moment and it's all in a scrapbook. They certainly don't care if lunch is always at 12:30. They don't care if Daddy gets a promotion and Mommy keeps the house spotless. They made us a family and constantly remind me of what's important.

Brotherly Love

Just wanted to share these...

Fun Weekend!

We spent this weekend with friends! We all had so much fun! On Sunday April,Ty and Kendall Keller came over to play. Mommy and April had lots to chat about. Although Ty and Jackson (okay, really just Jackson... ) weren't wanting to share too much at our house, they had lots of fun at McDonalds chasing each other and munching french fries. Cooper and Kendall were making eyes at each other- cute couple!

Monday we joined Daddy at "the ranch" and got good and dirty. Fourwheeler rides, feeding a baby calf, and yelling "hep cows" is all part of the gig. Jackson is in little boy heaven- and I think Daddy is too. Watch a video of Jackson feeding the calf!!

Spidermania!

Well, it's finally happened. Jackson is obsessed with a fictional character from T.V. He really enjoyed the Baby Einstein videos as a toddler and then slowly moved toward Elmo. Spongebob Square Pants is a favorite, but I limit that. Lately he's been going around with his wrists pointed out and making a spraying noise. He then lets you know that he "trapped" you in his web and he "flys" around the house spraying everything with his webs. I don't think he's ever even seen a cartoon or comic with it. But with the recent movies and all the junk they sell to go with it, I guess it was bound to catch up with us. He is very adamant that he will be Spiderman for Halloween. We think Cooper should be the Incredible Hulk... So here is the latest Spidey propaganda that made it's way to our grocery cart...Hey, at least he is brushing!!!

Mother's Day Magnolia

One of my favorite flowers! Last year Jackson and Daddy gave this to me on Mother's Day and we all planted it together. It blooms all the time in the spring and summer and smells wonderful. Today's flowers were so pretty, I had to take a picture.

Look What My Mommy Found!

Teething cookies! What's the big deal you ask??
These have NO soy, milk or corn in them! Found these while scanning every label at Whole Foods for evil ingredients that would bother the Coop man. He loves them as you can see!! This company makes all kinds of things like this, which is nice to know since the allergy thing isn't being "outgrown" anytime soon. Coopy loves to rub these into his ear and hair- watch the video!

Recipe to Share

I've made this a few times and Jackson actually eats it so I thought it was worth sharing!

Tex-Mex Bake

1# ground beef

1 pkg dry taco mix packet

1 small can mexi-corn, drained

1/2 C finely chopped onion

1 C mild chunky salsa

canned chopped green chiles, to taste

1 pkg cornbread mix

sour cream, diced olives, shredded cheddar, diced tomatoes

*Heat oven to 400'

*Combine beef, taco mix, corn, onion, salsa and chiles ( I use only a spoonful )

*Transfer to a 9x9 baking dish, cover with foil, bake 30 minutes

*Prepare cornbread according to pkg, set aside

*When beef is done cooking, spread cornbread batter over top

*Bake another 20-25 minutes uncovered until golden brown

Top with sour cream, etc...

Lucky in Love

Today is Jason and I's 7th wedding anniversary! I can't believe how fast it has gone by. It seems like yesterday we were still commuting into Austin together in our little Ford Escort from Thorndale everyday. Saving for "someday", a house, kids. Then moving into our 1970's duplex. More saving. They were some of the most stressful, but happy times together. We still drive by there and smile. Getting pregnant with Jackson was such an unexpected miracle. We quickly put all of our hard earned money down on our first home. We had so much fun making it ours and painting the nursery. Some unforseen job changes that tested our marriage and made it stronger than ever. A much planned for and prayed for Cooper. Trying our hardest to create close and strong family ties with our children. Working hard at home and on the job to give them the best we can. I am so proud of everything we have accomplished and the family we are. We have learned the value of being good friends, besides husband and wife. Everyday is a new adventure, and I am so glad we have found each other to share life with. I can't wait to see what the next 7 years hold for us.

My turn!

Jackson looked JUST like Jason at birth and for quite a while afterwards. He is starting to have more of my facial features, but continues to be "long and tall" like Daddy. And stubborn like him too...When Cooper was born I was all set for another little blondie Jackson. Nope! He looked JUST like I did at birth. My mom came across this picture of me and I had to do a double take! That's Cooper! God must have so much fun with DNA... P.S. Happy 7 months Coop!