Copper & Wool

Ever since our 1st anniversary, Randy and I have used the modern and/or traditional anniversary gifts list. Trying to come up with unique gifts for other occasions throughout the year is hard enough, so this helps keep anniversary gifts fun and interesting. The 7th year’s traditional gifts are copper and wool. The modern gift is desk sets. So you can see how this can be challenging. Obviously, I don’t want to just get him a wool sweater. Now for Randy, this could be pretty simple – copper cookware, and oh did I mention that the 7th year jewelry is yellow sapphire? Too bad we don’t actually follow that list and try to keep the gifts a little more affordable. It’s pretty comical what we come up with. Some years are easier than others.

For example, last year was candy. Easy enough, right? Here’s what I got Randy: pink and brown M&Ms (our wedding colors), candy corn (popular candy for our wedding month), chocolate covered pretzels (for all the twists and turns of marriage…yeah, the gifts can get cheesy), and sour patch kids (for all the times he has put up with me when I’ve been sour (again, the cheesiness factor), each in a little baggy with a note attached explaining the connection.

I kid you not, this is what Randy gave me: Peanut M&Ms surrounded by Ghiradelli chocolates in a CEREAL BOWL!

It still makes me laugh when I see this picture because I know exactly what went through his head when we first looked at the gift list in September:

“Awesome. Candy. Easy enough. I’ll just go buy her favorite candy the day before. Done and done. “

And then I can just picture him trying to arrange the candy just so. I will never forget the look on his face when he gave me the cereal bowl. A look of “Er, maybe I should’ve put this in something different but here you go, hope you like it.” So maybe the presentation fell short but he always has good intentions and that’s one of the things I love about him.

Fast forward to year 7 and check out how the presentation has improved. 2 heart cookies made with a copper cookie cutter and a “7” made out of chocolate chips! I was very impressed. Add to that a copper bracelet and a copper mixing bowl and Randy outdid himself this year.

I’m so thankful to have a husband who plays along and follows the list and actually puts some thought into the gift. I can’t believe it’s already been 7 years. It’s always fun to look back at pictures and see how much we’ve changed.

Then...

And now...

Can't wait to see what year 8 brings!

Packing Up Our First Home

After almost 7 years on Kearney Hill, we are starting to pack up our things and prepare to move to our new home on the other side of IH-35 in Cedar Park. What a great 7 years. We picked out every single option of this home and have a picture of it being built throughout every phase. Just a family of 2, we moved in the week after we got back from our honeymoon. I remember our first meal at this house. We hadn’t unpacked anything yet so we grabbed some of our china out of the closest box we could find, loaded it up with Chinese takeout, popped it in the microwave, and then oops, sparks started flying! Lesson #1: You cannot put china in the microwave. That was the first of many things we would learn over the years. We’ve spent so many hours debating paint colors, meticulously painting every wall, choosing lighting and bathroom hardware, planting trees and shrubs, and shopping for things to make this home ours. Here’s one of our first pictures as homeowners. We look so young!

A few months after moving in, we just had to get a dog. I remember the day we brought Cooper into our clean, organized house. I chased him around everywhere, making sure he didn’t pee somewhere or track in dirt. He was so little and clumsy that he used to sit down on the edge of the back patio and lose his balance and fall right off the step. It didn’t take long for Cooper to become our beloved puppy. And then we were a little family of 3.

Several years later, we became a family of 4 when we brought Blake home. When I was pregnant with Blake, I remember thinking how weird it would be to have a baby in this house. And now, 17 months later, there are too many memories to even mention them all – first smile, first time to roll over, first solids, first steps, first words, first full night of sleep (not in that order thank goodness)! Here's the stork welcoming Blake home. :)

And, this is a video of bringing Blake into our home for the first time. Makes me laugh:

Randy: "Where should we put him?"

Me: "Um...." We were clueless!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4Te2a1skBM

It really has been the perfect first home so I did tear up a little when I saw this sign go up today:

As great as the past 7 years have been, our family of 4 will make lots of new memories in our new home and hopefully grow our family by (only) one more…one more kid that is, no more dogs. Speaking of kids, we were coming up on the end of our time with Mrs. Rhonda so it’s perfect timing to move and start Blake at a new school. We knew we wanted to move soon so we didn’t want to start him somewhere close to our current house only to have to move him later. It’s pretty stressful, but also exciting, to have a house on the market, be closing on a new home, and worrying about Blake adjusting to a new school environment but the timing is perfect and we have faith that everything will fall into place. Better get back to packing….

A Dog's Life...with a Toddler

Cooper's life has changed dramatically over the last 16 months. I thought it was time for Blake to share a little of the spotlight and devote a blog post to life from Cooper's perspective...from having his world turned upside down to realizing maybe this kid's not so bad after all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6FB_xAF46s

(I'm finally getting around to creating some slideshows but I'm still learning so hopefully these will only get better!)

"The Itch"

I can remember standing in the driveway talking to a neighbor when Blake was 9 weeks old and the neighbor jokingly asked, “So you ready to have another one?” I didn’t want to tell him this for fear he'd think I was a bad mother but in my head I was thinking “Absolutely not!” Of course I loved Blake but at that point I was so sleep deprived, nursing was taking its toll, and Blake was a fussy baby and I couldn’t imagine why anyone would sign up for that AGAIN! Though things did get better over the next several months, as everyone said they would, and Blake became more fun each month than the month before, I still held onto that memory of being so incredibly tired (and I love love love my sleep).

And then tonight I was holding my little boy who has a cold and is getting his molars and just wanted to be held and cuddled (a rare moment since he is always on the go now) and I remembered that feeling of holding a newborn and I got “the itch”. Don’t get me wrong, I am loving this one on one time with Blake and am going to hang onto it for as long as I can (breathe Randy, breathe) but I see now how people start to get that feeling that they’re ready for another one. There’s something about a newborn and all the experiences that come with getting to know that little person. But for now, I'm going to enjoy my sleep, which isn't the 8-10 hours I used to enjoy but is probably more than I'll get as a mom of two!

Who knew a water hose could be so much fun?

It's already hot enough for the pool in Texas! Last weekend we put water in Blake's little blow up pool but he had a far better time playing with "Poopah" (Cooper) in the water hose. I wish I had started the video earlier to get him laughing hysterically but the pictures still crack me up! He LOVED it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X4cJQZw8SM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

"Thanks guys, this is fun"

"But this is SO much better!"

Costa Rica!

Last week Randy and I went to Costa Rica to see our good friends Chad and Hilari get married on a gorgeous beach at sunset. We needed that trip! Seeing 2 friends who are so perfect for each other get married in a beautiful ceremony plus an ATV tour, ziplining, lots of great seafood, laying by the pool, sleeping in, spending lots of time with good friends, beautiful sunsets, and I actually got to start and finish TWO books!

Nonni and Papa (my parents) stayed at our house to keep Blake. That was the first time I had ever spent a single night away from Blake, much less four. And let's not forget I left the country! I missed him a ton but did a lot better than I thought I would and Blake did great too. A Skype session and lots of emails and texts from Nonni and Rhonda so I knew exactly what he was wearing and doing throughout the day. I mademost of his food beforehand and put together an extensive Blake manual that included a menu, likes/dislikes, daily routine, and general safety tips that Nonni followed to a tee (I've never actually written that word out but it is "tee" and not "t" fyi). Blake had a great time with them and so did Nonni and Papa. I get the feeling they had a harder time leaving him this trip. Here's one of the pics I got during the trip of Blake filling up his cozy coupe:

Here's some of our pics from the trip (no Facebook account needed):

https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2115980&id=1390612057&l=9f2dd12e62

Boys Are Sweet Too...

Randy and I were really excited when we found out we were having a boy. I was glad Randy was going to get to experience that special father-son relationship. To be the mom of a boy though, what immediately came to mind was sports, dirt, trucks, and sweater vests (couldn’t wait to get him in those!). As I started telling my friends with sons that we were expecting a boy they all told me how wonderful boys were and how much they loved their moms. I never really understood what they were talking about but now I get it. We’ll be strolling the aisles of HEB or Target and Blake will just absentmindedly grab a finger or two and hold on for a little while. The last time he did it I had to snap a picture so I don’t forget what this sweet little hand looks like when it grabs onto mine, for no other reason than just because. Little boys really are sweet too.