The Mini Cooper and Colt 45

Song and Dance

2012-01-16T14:04:00.000-05:00

What the boys are up to this afternoon -

A Random Pic From the Past

2011-09-01T18:09:00.000-04:00

We found this pic the other day and I scanned it into the computer. It has to be from sometime in the summer of 2007. Colton obviously isn't more than a year old. This was taken at my grandfather's house. They're so small and so cute in this picture. I just had to share it. I kind of miss when they were that little.
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Random Photos from 2011

2011-08-21T20:55:00.003-04:00

Now that I have some blogging momentum, I just can't seem to stop. Here are some random photos that I haven't posted from this year. After this there isn't much left to post (besides maybe going back to 2009 and 2010 to post some old photos that never were blogged), but with the new camera I'm sure there will be plenty to post in the future.

This is from when Cooper had his tonsils removed back in April.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

These 2 pics are from when we had to go to Children's Hospital a week later (after midnight when everyone was sleeping), because Cooper's stitches came out and he was puking up blood.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Cooper's birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

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A random photo of the boys trying on sunglasses.

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It looks like Cooper is ready to party with some beers.

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The boys' winter indoor soccer team.

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Here the boys find a new friend before hunting for Easter Eggs at church.

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Colton hugging his friend Matthew at his preschool graduation.

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Swimming lessons.

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By the end of the first set of lessons, Cooper was able to swim in the deep end of the pool without help.

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Playing kickball with the family on the 4th of July weekend.

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Here is cousin Landon looking so cute.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

A picture from before the 4th of July fireworks in Florence.

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The boys playing in Micole's room, two days before the start of school.

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Our July Trip to Chicago

2011-08-21T18:23:00.003-04:00

We stayed at the City Suites Hotel on Belmont. It was a very nice room.

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We walked a few blocks up to Wrigley Field.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

The boys had ice cream at the McDonald's across the street from Wrigley.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

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Micole and I ate some Italian Beef sandwiches at Al's Italian Beef which we had heard about on the television show Man vs Food.

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We went to the lake shore.

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It was a very beautiful day.

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In the evening we took in a baseball game at Wrigley.

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It was the first major league game that the boys have been to.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

The boys didn't really pay much attention to the game. They were more interested in playing their Nintendo DS. For me though, taking a game in at Wrigley was a pleasure. There is a sense of history there and it's a great place to partake in a game.

This Weekend

2011-08-21T17:17:00.004-04:00

Another weekend and there is more soccer to be played.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

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Who wants to play goalie?

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Cooper does.

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Here comes a shot on goal...

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And Cooper stops it!

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

He stopped his share of shots. There were no scores against the team on his watch.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Colton was active on offense in the 2nd quarter.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Our team lost this game 4-1. The game was tied at 1-1 going into the last quarter. The other team was definitely the better team. A couple of the other team's goals were amazing shots that no goalie could have stopped.

The boys spent the afternoon staying cool in Pappy's pool.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

We also told Pappy, Janet, and Granny that we're having another baby (due date March 6, 2012). Now both of our families know. We told Micole's family a few weeks ago.

2010 Recap

2011-08-19T21:48:00.003-04:00

Well since I didn't post any pics of 2010, here is a recap of 2010.

The boys on the farm at Easter, looking at some chickens.

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With the pony.

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A day at the park.

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Enjoying some ice cream.

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Coop and Micole on the bus.

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Before a baseball game.

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Funny faces.

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Stillwater, MN with cousin Anna.

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At the Mall of America, July 2010.

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Watching TV with cousin Lily at Uncle Richard's and Aunt Kelly's house in Minnesota.

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Cooper with one of the two cats that we had that ran away a few weeks after we got them.

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At the Indianapolis Children's Museum, Aug 2010.

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Cooper's first day of Kindergarten.

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A random photo from Aug 2010.

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Colton eating a donut. He sure loves himself some donuts.

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At King's Island in September.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

They got their faces painted that day at King's Island.

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Jack O'Lanterns the boys wanted for Halloween.

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The boys as Mario and Luigi for Halloween.

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Colton and I went to the UC vs Pitt game at Nippert Stadium. He preferred to play in the snow, rather than watch the game. We were all supposed to go, but because of the weather it was just the 2 of us.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Xmas eve with their cousins.

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Xmas stockings.

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We had to wake Cooper up on Xmas morning. What kind of kid isn't up before his parents on Xmas morning?

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Presents!

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Colton with his Ezio Auditore de Firenze doll, er I mean action figure.

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There might be another 2010 recap to come. I have to find my other camera. I'm sure there might be a few good photos on it that still have to be transferred to the computer.

Baseball Summer 2011

2011-08-17T20:40:00.002-04:00

So I haven't done 3 posts in the last 2 years and this is my third just today... I guess while I'm productive I should keep at it... Here's some photos from the boys' baseball games this summer.

Colton batting.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

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Cooper batting. He's got a pretty good stance in these pics. Knees bent, shoulder tucked, bat at a good angle.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

That is the look of determination if I've ever seen it.

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This is the last at bat of the season and he got a hit and ran all the way around the bases.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

The problem with baseball at this age (as I was talking about before in my soccer post) is that it's hard to stay focused for long and the little guys well the get bored easily and that eventually leads to playing in the dirt. Here are but a few of those photos and trust me I could show you many, many playing in the dirt photos.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

It's easy to lose focus and sometimes the kids forget about going after balls hit their way...

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I shall return with more posts soon...

Soccer 2011

2011-08-17T19:48:00.003-04:00

For a long time, we didn't have a good camera. That's part of the reason I haven't posted as much in the last few years. The other part of that is I've just gotten lazy with it. We got a nice Canon Rebel earlier in the summer and I've been using it more frequently, so I expect new pics to show on a more regular basis henceforth... So let's begin...

The boys had their first outdoor soccer game this past Saturday. This is U8 league. Colton is playing up a level (so that we don't have to take the boys to 2 games). This is the first year that they actually keep score. They won 4-1. So at least we know they won't be that unlucky team that doesn't win a game.

While I'm not the biggest fan of soccer, it is a fairly easy game to teach to a youngster. In baseball there's hitting, fielding, throwing, pitching, 9 different positions, various situations to teach about, etc. In soccer you can put a kid out there and pretty much say kick the ball over that way and they can figure out what to do on their own in short order. It's not as simple as that per se, but at that young of age it kind of is.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

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First Day of School 2011-2012 School Year

2011-08-17T19:36:00.002-04:00

Here's Colton after being dropped off for his first day of kindergarten this morning. His teacher, Mrs. Pabst, had to console him.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Cooper was a little less than excited to start his first day in 1st grade, but when he got to his table and saw his best friend CJ, all was fine.

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The "Lost" Photos

2010-01-24T14:25:00.004-05:00

This blog is not dead. Just on life support... I will try to do better in 2010. Like maybe 4 or 5 posts.

Xmas photos

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Xmas photos

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Taken at Xmas photos

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More from the studio

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With MeMaw

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Cooper playing soccer.

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At King's Island. Rut roh!

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At the park last summer.

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Colton not playing soccer. He didn't want to play.

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Micole and the boys on the log ride at King's Island.

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Cooper playing soccer.

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The boys running to see me after I got off the bus last summer.

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At the park last summer.

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World Blogger Championship of Online Poker

2010-01-24T14:16:00.000-05:00

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker! Bloggers can register for to play for free in the WBCOOP, if you don’t have a PokerStars account you can get your Poker Download here.

Registration code: 889040

Catching Up

2009-07-07T19:24:00.002-04:00

I thought I should post some photos on this blog before getting too far behind. So here are some random pictures from the last 6 months (or is it 7? Maybe even 8)

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Thanksgiving down on the farm.

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In a BIG John Deere on Thanksgiving.

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Last winter in the park.

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I think this is on Colton's Birthday.

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Colton's 3rd birthday cake.

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The boys playing air hockey at Chuck E. Cheese.

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Cooper running to me after I got off the bus.

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The boys going to the library.

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My nephew Landen.

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At the park.

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Micole and the boys on Mother's Day at the park.

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Serious Cooper.

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Smiling Colton.

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Landen and Marie.

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Tire swing.

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Cooper and McKenzie on the swing.

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Smiling Cooper.

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The Three Amigos in Grandpa's hot tub.

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Last week on the mower.

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Another smiling Colton.

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And yet another.

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One day at the park a girl got stuck in the infant swing and the police and fire department had to be called in to get her out.

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Bath time Cooper.

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At the park.

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Cooper on the slide.

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Serious, serious Cooper.

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Cooper and I at the park.

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Bottoms up.

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Bath time Colton.

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Maybe I'll post some more soon (like in the next few weeks and not half a year from now).

Cancun: A Week In Pictures

2008-11-16T15:59:00.004-05:00

This might be the biggest post in the history of this blog. We took over 600 pictures and I've tried to cull it down to the best.

Colton falls asleep on the flight to Houston.

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Going through customs in Cancun.

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The view from our balcony at the Solymar resort.

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In the pool area.

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On the beach.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Uncle Richard and Janet at the spa about 45 minutes before the wedding.

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Kelly and Micole walking out to take pictures.

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Taking pictures on the pier.

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Brothers gotta hug. At the beach at the Grand Mayan Riviera resort.

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With Pappy.

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Playing in the sand. A woman came up to me and asked if she could take some pictures of them playing, because "They're so cute!"

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Taking more pictures for the photographer before the wedding.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

My new nephew, Alex, a pretty good hockey player, turned 18 just two days earlier and he got to enjoy Mexico's lower drinking age. Before we left for the evening I had to wrestle him as a rite of passage. It ended in a draw, but he had the advantage. I expect a rematch in about 3 years. I may have messed up my right shoulder. It still hurts a little bit a week later.

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Walking down the aisle.

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My new niece, Anna.

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Colton playing in the sand during the wedding.

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Cooper doing the same.

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Listening to the pastor speak about marriage.

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Saying their vows. One of the boys kept running into my leg.

The new family.

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The mariachi band. They didn't know "Smoke On The Water", but they did play "La Bamba".

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Taking a picture of Janet taking a picture of us.

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Colton with an eggroll. He would later bury the remains in the sand.

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Getting ready to eat.

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Kelly playing with Cooper.

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Tequila shots and a kiss.

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The first dance.

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Video of the first dance.

Cutting the cake.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Colton eating his cake.

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Mommy and the boys.

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The boys playing in the pool.

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Someone getting a massage. That water is so blue.

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On the beach.

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Driving through Cancun. I only broke the traffic laws 9 or 10 times.

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"Cheese!"

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One of the iguanas that could be found on the resort grounds. They really seem to like that rock.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Colton on the beach during the evening.

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Getting ready to be taken out by that wave.

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"Cheese!"

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A pic of Cooper smiling on the balcony.

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Watching Diego on the portable DVD player. Those things are a godsend for traveling with small children.

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Janet, Colton, and Cooper on the beach. Colton is wearing Janet's hat.

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Say no to crack.

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Janet wears Colton's hat.

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At the Rainforest Cafe.

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The bathroom stall.

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The kiddie potty.

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Mickey Mouse balloon hat.

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Donald Duck.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

In the big pool or as Cooper called it, "Big, big, water".

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Last day at the beach.

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The last night.

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Just Because

2008-10-26T23:08:00.004-04:00

Cooper was sitting in this chair and demanded that I take his picture, so I got up and got the camera and took his picture

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He really played it up for the camera. Colton on the other hand was camera shy today. He didn't want me to take his picture.

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Blogging At A Regular Pace

2008-10-25T00:03:00.003-04:00

Strange things are afoot this evening in our household.

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The boys tried on their Halloween costumes. Colton's a monkey or as he calls it a "Bobo" (from Go! Diego, Go!, of course).

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Cooper is a zebra.

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He absolutely demanded that I take a picture that shows his tail.

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A Few More Photos For Good Measure

2008-10-23T20:19:00.003-04:00

We went to the park tonight but the gate was locked, so we played in the backyard.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

One thing of note: Cooper has started a songwriting career. His first song which we might call "The Potty Song", goes "I go poo-pee in the pot-tee. I go pee-pee in the pot-tee." That's pretty much it, but he'll sing those two lines over and over and over.

A Couple More Photos From The New Camera

2008-10-21T21:12:00.003-04:00

Two photos from playtime in the backyard this evening. Gotta get my money's worth out of this camera.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

An Evening In The Park

2008-10-20T22:16:00.004-04:00

I go months without posting and then suddenly I post two days in a row. It's the new camera, I suppose. I want to put it to good use.

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Everytime we play at the park, Cooper wants me to get up on the playground equipment with him, because there are sharks on the ground that are out to get us; They can't get us if we're off the ground. It's funny to watch his imagination grow and run wild. It must be great to not have a care in the world like that.

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

With the brown jackets and their hoods up the boys kind of look like the Jawas from the movie Star Wars.

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Looking for sharks. Eventually it was safe and we got to go home.
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New Camera

2008-10-19T21:52:00.003-04:00

Our old camera broke, so we finally got a new one this week. I felt that it's about time for some new pictures of the boys on the blog.

In the bath.

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Playing at Aunt Heather's house.

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Getting ready to sing "Happy Birthday" to Mason.

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Here's Cooper getting mad that his cousin is pushing him on the swing.

Please, Diego, Stop!

2008-08-16T15:20:00.002-04:00

The boys are currently into the Go, Diego, Go! cartoon phase. While I like the show, I don't like watching 10 straight episodes of it every day.

Colton will say: "Deego! Deego!"

Cooper will say: "I wanna watch Diego, daddy! Please, 'nother Diego!"

We got kind of the same treatment with Thomas the Train, but never quite like this. They're completely hooked. I miss Thomas the Train.

Great Days In History

2008-07-09T18:02:00.003-04:00

July 4, 1776 - The Declaration of Independence - "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.""

July 21, 1969 - Neil Armstrong walks on the moon - "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."

July 9, 2008 - Cooper goes poopy on the potty - "I go poopy! I go poopy, daddy! I go poopy!"

He's already saying that he doesn't want to wear a diaper anymore.

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Hip hops

2008-06-23T21:03:00.001-04:00

Cooper: Daddy, I got the hip hops.
Me: Huh?
Cooper: I got the hip hops.
Me: Oh! You have the hiccups. I see.

Finally, Some New Photos

2008-06-16T19:59:00.005-04:00

Occassionally I still get the camera out and take a few shots. I wish I had some video of this evening. Cooper pushed Colton off the slide and while it wasn't nice of Cooper to do so, I thought it was pretty funny. Then he did it again. I laughed even harder, the kind of laugh that clears out your sinus and lungs. It was a perfect "America's Funniest Home Videos" type of moment.

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Even though they spend a lot of their time pushing, shoving, smacking, and yelling at each other, they have a lot of good times together.

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Colton is saying "cheese".

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Last week we bought a new pool for the boys to cool off in this summer. When we got home I threw it over the fence to get it out of the way while I unpiled groceries out of the van. Within a few minutes, Micole asked me if I had pulled the pool over for the boys and started filling it up. I hadn't. The boys took the iniative on their own and dragged it all the way over to the patio and started filling it up. While doing so, Cooper took the time to soak his brother with the hose.

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Turn your back for a few minutes and this is what you get; A couch full of marker ink. This masterpiece is the work of Colton. It's got a Picasso-esque type feel to it. Luckily the markers are of the washable variety.

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Random Conversations with a 3-Year-Old

2008-06-13T22:13:00.003-04:00

We're All Characters in Thomas the Train
Cooper: Mommy is Percy. Colton is Toby.
Me: Who am I?
Cooper: Hewi-copper.
Me: Well, who are you?
Cooper: I Thomas.
Me: Who's Pappy?
Cooper: Uh...Uhh..Uh..Gordon!

Like Poop for Chocolate
(me changing Colton's nasty diaper)
Cooper: Look, Daddy! Chocolate!
Me: No, no that's not chocolate!
Cooper: Chocolate! Chocolate!
Me: It's not chocolate. It's poop!
Cooper: It's chocolate, daddy!
Me: It may have been chocolate, but it's not chocolate now.
Cooper: It's chocolate, daddy...

Dinosaurs Don't Have Butts
(note: Cooper's favorite movies right now are The Land Before Time Movies)
Cooper: Mommy, dinosaurs no poop.
Micole (perplexed): Okay...Why is that?
Cooper: Dinosaurs no butts.

Daddy Airplanes, Baby Airplanes
(In the parking lot of Meijer, we see an airplane on it's descent to the airport)
Cooper: Look, thats a Daddy plane!
Me: It's a Daddy plane? What's a Daddy plane?
Cooper: It big. Baby plane little.

Jazz

2008-04-13T12:02:00.004-04:00

We got a new family member yesterday. The four of us went to the "Everything Pets Expo" at the convention center in Cincinnati and by the time we left we had adopted this adorable 13 week old black terrier mix, that we've named Jasmine, (but we like calling her Jazz). She's a bit shy but she is getting more comfortable in her new surroundings and opening up little by little. She's really a very sweet girl and likes to sit on my lap and follow me around. She doesn't bark very much, if at all. When I first saw her I thought she was a Lab, but her snout is a little thinner and more like a Jack Russell.

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We adopted her through the Stray Animal Adoption Program (SAAP) for $100, which was really a great value. For that amount she already has been spayed and comes with all of her necessary vaccinations. We also got a sample of dog food, a dog training DVD, and some valuable coupons for various dog necessities.

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The boys weren't too keen on her at first. We were looking at adopting a 2 year old beagle at the SPCA, but the boys would have none of it, so we decided we would come back later, but we found Jazz right after that . I asked Cooper if he wanted to get the dog and he said firmly and defiantly, "No, dog!" She was just too cute and Micole and I knew the boys would come around. Once they realized we were taking her home, they warmed up too her.

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She might grow to be 30-40 pounds, but she could very well be much smaller. Right now she is about the size of medium sized cat.

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Some Random Photos

2008-03-24T14:10:00.002-04:00

I thought I'd post some random photos from the past few months.

The boys on the couch.

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Colton and Granny.

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Cooper taking a nap.

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I bought gas for 2.73 and I just had to take a picture. This was a few months ago. The good old days...

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Colton ready to rock out.

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They Say It's Your Birthday

2008-03-24T13:12:00.003-04:00

I suppose at some point I have to play catch up with these posts. I've promised several people the Xmas photos, but that'll have to wait until next time. Cooper turned 3 years old today. We celebrated with a party on Saturday.

Here he is before the party, watching his favorite movie "Jurassic Park". He loves dinosaurs, but when Micole told him that we were making him a dinosaur cake, he said, "No! Thomas Twain, Mommy!" So I had already spent like $15 on Ebay to get him a T-rex cake pan. I'm going to try to convince Colton that he wants a dinosaur cake for his birthday.

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The 3-D train cake.

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Getting ready to blow out the candle.

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Growing half of a really, really bad mustache.

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Opening presents.

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Just a note, Cooper spilt some stuff on his shirt. This isn't some Kentucky hillbilly, kind of birthday party, though I'm sure this is pretty close to what you would see at Kentucky hillbilly birthday party. Well, except that more people would have their shirts off.

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Dobie Jon-San: May 18, 1998 - February 4, 2008 RIP

2008-02-04T19:39:00.000-05:00

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Dogs are like a grace undeserved that releases us into an economy of abundance, where the economic laws of scarcity and therefore competition no
longer apply, where instead we feel ourselves the beneficiaries of a wealth that
is actualized only as we give it away, and in giving we see something that we
could not see before. - Professor Stephen H. Webb, "It's a Dog's Love"

You were my first redheaded baby boy. You have seen me through many good times and some bad. You've always been at the door each day when I come home. You weren't there to greet me at the door today. I never expected our journey together to end this soon. I was sure we would have a few more years.

It's only been 48 hours or so since we were sitting on the floor and you were giving me and Colton kisses. Just last week you ran to me as I walked up the sidewalk after getting off the bus. I appreciated those moments then just as I appreciate them even more now.

I know it hasn't always been easy for you. You were once the center of attention. Then your brothers came along and you ranked at the bottom of the totem pole. I'm sorry if you ever felt forgotten. If I ever failed you, it's because I'm merely human and not a dog and thus unable to love you with the same purity and fervor with which a good dog like you is capable of loving a human being like me.

I tried to teach you many things, but you were spoiled by your buddy, Pappy, so I never had a chance. You taught me many things.

So now I must say goodbye, my friend. You will be missed. My heart will always have a place just for you.

Ohio State 14, Michigan 3

2007-11-17T15:22:00.000-05:00

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It's another year and another win for Ohio State Head Coach Jim Tressel, who is now 6-1 against that school from up north.

Professional Photos

2007-11-04T08:29:00.000-05:00

We went out yesterday for some Xmas and professional photos. The boys at times were less than enthused to be there. Cooper was more interested in playing with Legos in the lobby and Colton wanted to explore. Sitting still for a few minutes was simply not an option for these two. Luckily the photographer was a true professional was able to make a diamond out of coal.

Some of the photos that didn't quite come out the way we hoped.

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As I said some came out really well. Here Cooper reads "The Polar Express". The kid is a bookworm. He absolutely loves books. When asked the other day if he would play football, the answer was no. When asked if would play baseball, the answer was no. When asked if he would read books, the answer was yes.

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Halloween

2007-10-31T21:47:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile since the last post. I've meant to post several times in the last month, but I guess time moves twice as fast with two boys instead of just one. Even though there are some really good photos I've wanted to post, I'll stick with some from tonight's trick or treating.

Cooper was a shark and Colton was a penguin. They both had cute outfits, but it seemed everyone loved the penguin outfit. We couldn't go anywhere without people saying "Look at the cute little penguin!" Cooper wouldn't always wear the shark mouth hood up so some people didn't know what he was.

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Limo trick-or-treat style. Kids have it so easy these days.

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We stopped into see cousin McKenzie.

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The boys eventually decided to rough it and forego the limo. In this picture Colton drags his bag of candy on the sidewalk.

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Cooper wouldn't let me take too many pictures of him in the shark outfit, but I was lucky to get this good one.

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Cooper enjoys his spoils.

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Hopped up on sugar.

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A Day Out With Thomas

2007-09-17T20:03:00.000-04:00

Micole and I took Friday afternoon off to take the boys to ride the rails at "A Day Out with Thomas". We told Cooper that we were taking him and then showed him the website and he sat and stared at for a half hour.

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Thomas pulling into the station.

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Before it came our time to ride, both of the boys enjoyed navigating the maze.

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Neither of the boys wanted anything to do with Sir Top M. Hat

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Cooper really enjoyed the ride and afterwards said to me "Thank you, Daddy."
f
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After we got back to the station, Mommy and the boys stopped to take a few pics in front of Thomas.

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We ended our trip with a visit to the gift shop and the boys got a couple more trains for their evergrowing collection.

A little funny story - On Saturday Pappy and I went to see UC play Miami University in football. While I was getting ready in the bedroom that morning, Cooper walked in and asked "Wat ya doin, Dah-e?"

I responded, "I'm going to see Pappy."

"Mom-e too?", Cooper queried.

I said "Nope. Just daddy. We're going to see a football game!"

Right then, Colton walks in the door and proudly says, "Fute-Bowl!". He doesn't know many words, but he already knows football.

My Heart Melts

2007-08-17T22:20:00.000-04:00

Cooper just said for the first time ever, "I love you, daddy", which phonetically sounded like "I luv u dah-ee".

As a special bonus, he's never said it to Micole. It's kind of a freakish occurrence, because he is a total momma's boy. I'm #1 for just a little while.

Happy Birthday, Aunt Kelly!

2007-08-11T20:50:00.000-04:00

The cupcake aftermath.

It was everywhere. Tables, couches, chairs. It's kind of like going to the beach and finding sand in places you didn't know you had.

It's Potty Time!

2007-07-11T21:12:00.000-04:00

We had to bribe Cooper with stickers to get him on the potty. The first time that Micole gave him a sticker after getting on the potty, she told him that every time he gets on the potty he gets another one. He walked right over and got on the potty again.

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Now we just need to get him to actually go on the potty.

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Colton with a little 5 o'clock shadow.

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Clean shaven.

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Cooper can be a really good kid when he's not beating up on his little brother (or as the case has been lately when he's not biting him). When he doesn't want to share, he is very territorial with his toys. Of course, much of the time Colton wants to be Cooper's shadow. I admit that I will fiendishly enjoy the day a year or so from now when Colton finally pops Cooper a good one. That day is comin'.

Feeling Minnesota

2007-06-27T09:42:00.000-04:00

It took us about 14 hours to drive to Minnesota to see Aunt Kelly. We had to stop for a couple of hours to take a nap and another hour to get breakfast. Cooper was a little cranky, but all things considered it wasn't a bad trip. Many thanks go out to the DVD player, which made this entire trip possible.

I like Minnesota. I don't think I would like it in the winter, thought. I'm used to inches of snow, not feet of snow. I think I could get accustomed to good camping, fishing, and partying on the lakes. There's supposedly 10,000 lakes, but I've only accounted for 5 so far.

Yesterday we spent most of the day at the Mall of America. So many things to do, so little time.

The boys playing at Legoland.

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Dinosaur legos.

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The amusement park in the mall.

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Cooper throwing the first of two fits at the mall. He wanted to play with a train at a toy store, but it was time to be moving on. He just layed down in the mall. Some people thought he was sleeping. One older gentleman said, "It's amazing how comfortable he makes it look." At least Colton was extremely well behaved the entire day.

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Colton wearing the chocolate chip cookie we bought him.

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We also spent some time at the at the aquarium.

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After a long day at the Mall of America, both boys were tuckered out.

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Hanging out at the pool on Monday.

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Tired babies.

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Follow The Leader - 13 and 26 months

2007-05-24T20:19:00.000-04:00

Colton is now the exact same age as Cooper was when Colton was born, 13 months.

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Little brother likes following big brother around. Which really depending on how you look at it, could be big brother likes following little brother around. At the boys last doctor visit, Colton outweighed his big brother by 2 pounds.

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Cooper likes to play with Colton, but he can also be mean to him when he wants his own space. There is also a little bit of jealousy at certain times (some times accompanied by pushing) when it comes to sharing Mommy.

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Colton doesn't seem to have the same level of intellectual curiosity that Cooper has, but at 13 months I swear he'll occassionally do things Cooper never did at that age, because of course, he learns a lot just by watching his big brother. Colton also has a wider selection of toys to play with than Cooper had, so he has more distractions. Colton seems to just enjoy life while Cooper can be a bit moodier and more difficult to deal with.

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We love you Mommy!

2007-05-13T07:47:00.000-04:00

Seeing as how Daddy forgot to get you a card and we can not drive, we decided to make an online card. Plus, no trees will have to be cut down for this card. So Daddy tells us this is the environmentally responsible thing to do and we don't have to purchase any carbon offsets.

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Mommy, while you're upstairs sleeping we're getting hopped up on powdered donuts and getting our Barney fix. Soon we will pull every toy out of the toy box; It will not be pretty. Please forgive us.
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We really wish you were down here playing with us instead of being so lazy. But Daddy says you're lucky. You missed out on a diaper that he said contained "pure evil".
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Things I never thought I'd ever have to say, #127

2007-04-28T08:32:00.000-04:00

Me To Colton: "Stop chewing on my toe!"

Two: Part 1

2007-03-26T21:04:00.000-04:00

I have a two-year old.

Strange. In my mind it almost seems like yesterday or at least only the week before I was 16 years old and in high school. Zipping forward to the present, I'm still the same inside, but now I'm 33 and I have a two-year old.

Where does the time go? In my mind those 17 years seem to have passed almost as quickly as the last two. I feel old and young at the same time. If 16 was the week before, then certainly 25 was yesterday. At 25 I hadn't even met my two-year old's mother. 25 was just yesterday, so certainly in my mind it seems impossible for me to be 33 and married with a two-year old. You don't grow 8 years older and sprout a two-year old in one day, do you? It's simply not possible.

I have a two-year old. I'm not complaining by any means. I just wish time would slow down a little.

Cooper on our way to his B-day dinner. He's changed so much in the last year. He's gone from a baby to a little boy. I'm not sure when this transformation took place, but it hasn't been that long. Even at 18 months he was still kind of babyish. Having two boys so close in age allows for some interesting comparisons.

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The girls at Max and Erma's sing to Cooper.

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With money from Aunt Kelly and Granny, we set the boy loose in Toys R Us. I found out much later from a meanie store manager that you're not allowed to take pictures in Toys R Us. I had plenty of pics by that time, but next time maybe we'll just go to Wal-Mart. (Did I really say I'd rather go to Wal-Mart? I must be crazy.)

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We weren't allowed to take this picture either, but we did!

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This one too! We're so bad. I expect a lawsuit from Toys R Us lawyers to cease and desist showing these photos to be coming soon.

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Finally back home with his chosen toys, we opened them and Cooper vehemently did not want to share with Colton. Much shrieking, shoving, and pushing ensued. This did not phase Colton one iota. He managed several times to sneak in and crawl away with a car or two with Cooper in chase. Cooper didn't think it was very funny, but Colton thought it was riot. These two are going to be bestest friends and the worstest enemies.

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To be continued soon with "Two: Part 2"...................

Poor, Penniless Colton

2007-02-27T20:44:00.000-05:00

Since last we blogged, Colton has been in the hospital twice. The first time was about 10 days ago. It started with Micole finding Cooper with two pennies. She took them and put them away, but as he is apt to do, he found them again. Later, Micole found only one penny on the floor next to a gagging Colton. She quickly surmised that he had swallowed the other penny and called the doctor. X-rays later confirmed that the penny was stuck in his throat. Micole and Colton then spent the night in the hospital, because they couldn't perform surgery until the morning. In the end, a single 1974 penny cost many thousands of dollars (hopefully mostly covered by medical insurance).

This past weekend Colton was suffering from a stomach virus. Vomiting, dehydration, and a short visit to the hospital were in order. I took off yesterday to stay at home with him. He was lethargic and fussy most of the day. He's in much better spirits today.

I'm almost forgot he had tubes put in a few weeks ago. So we've easily met our medical deductible early this year.

Cooper is so smart. Which means he might be dangerous (as evidenced by the case of stray pennies). He gets into everything. He talks alot but I don't understand most of what he's saying. Without any doubt he knows what we're saying.

One night we gave the boys a bath in our bathroom. A couple of days later I went to draw a bath in their bathroom. Cooper without us saying a word, went directly to our bathroom to retrieve the baby soap and shampoo. I was simply amazed. I just wish he would stop thinking that turning the television on and off is fun.

Pre-penny surgery.

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Post-surgery recovery. We had a nice chat with a nurse, who was shocked to find out that our "little" guy was only 9 months old. "Massive" is one term that she used.

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The infamous penny.

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Colton is almost walking. Here's a little video of his accomplishment.

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A cute after bath photo from a few weeks ago.

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A bath time photo.

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Cooper and Grandma Stella.

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The boys on their 23rd and 10th monthdays in the living room that can never stay clean.

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The boys this evening.

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22 & 9 and 2 In A Row

2007-01-24T19:31:00.000-05:00

I didn't expect to post tonight, but Micole reminded me that Cooper turned 22 months old today and Colton turned 9. I haven't done a monthday post in awhile, so it seems appropriate. Two posts in two days. That's a new record!

Cooper spent part of his 22nd monthday playing in the snow with Ben, TJ, and Rachel. It was his first time playing in the snow.

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Young Colton on his 9th monthday. He's been sick for a few days but he's feeling much better today.

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I had a discussion today with a co-worker. We both agree that it is amazing that any children ever make it to the age of 5. There's all these little things that can happen with the younguns, mostly involving falling but there's plenty of other stuff like electrical shock or swallowing a coin or drinking cleaning fluid. Yesterday, Colton was pulling himself up on a toy when he fell through the glass on our curio cabinet. Micole said he was bleeding pretty badly at first, but when she cleaned it up all she could find was a little scratch. Lucky kid.

A few weeks ago Colton started pulling himself up on stuff, like the ottoman or the Imaginarium block that the boys got for Christmas. He had himself up on the Imaginarium, when of course (being one of his first attempts at this endeavor) he lost his grip and fell chin first into the block. I was upstairs when Micole screamed for me to come down. He was bleeding pretty badly out of his mouth when I arrived. Micole had me get a wash cloth for her. It cleaned up pretty fast, but it was scary. The same thing happened to Cooper at the same age, but it happened on the coffee table.

The funny thing about it was how upset Cooper was by the whole situation. Not an hour or so before he was pushing or hitting Colton for playing with HIS toys. So there he is pointing and screaming like "SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH MY BROTHER! DO SOMETHING PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! OH THE HUMANITY!!!! " He was utterly and completely terrified by the situation. I'm not sure if he knew what was wrong; he just knew something was WRONG.

Falling Behind

2007-01-23T20:34:00.000-05:00

I've got a lot to post, but I'll probably save some for future posts (and hopefully this time the not so distant kind of future). 2007 hasn't been the best year, but I'll write about that in another post. Nothing all that bad to us mind you (so as not to scare into imagining something that hasn't happened). Things just haven't gone quite the way I had hoped. I was hoping 2007 would be a great year and it has started out on a less than stellar note in many respects.

Before I write anything about 2007, (and so I can get back some blogging momentum) I should at least talk about Christmas and post some photos.

Santa was very good to us again this year. Based upon the volume of toys currently spread across our floor, he's been way too generous. If Cooper has learned any cuss words it's entirely because I've injured my foot stepping on unseen toys.

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Cooper was very into the whole act of opening presents this year. He opened his presents, Colton's presents, my presents, and anything else he could find that was wrapped. There were so many presents that Cooper didn't open them all on Christmas day. A good stack of presents was left unopened, but Cooper found them the next day and opened them while I was at work. Colton wasn't interested in the presents this year, but I'm sure he will be next year.

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It was a very Elmo Christmas for the boys. Besides the chair and the big stuffed Elmo doll, there was a talking Elmo, an Elmo phone, and Elmo book.

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It's Lightning McQueen! Kapow! Kachow!

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This is the stack of presents left unopened on Christmas day.

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Cooper had fun playing with the wrapping paper. I'm not sure why we even bought him toys and you don't cut your foot when you step on wrapping paper.

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Despite not caring all that much about Christmas this year, Colton was tuckered out.

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Colton on Christmas day at Aunt Heather's. Notice the hair.

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He had his first haircut a few days later. I think he looks so much different.

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The boys are often found together. Planning something diabolical for sure.

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I don't remember the context of these two pictures, but they're funny.

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Aunt Kelly came to visit us with her boyfriend for New Year's. She brought her new puppy, who we affectionately call "Hula Dog".

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Hula Dog had a thing for climbing on Colton's butt.

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By the end of the year Colton was able to pull himself up on the first step.

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That ends tonight's portion of the blog. I hope to return soon with a post of 2007 pics.

A Quickie

2006-12-20T23:18:00.000-05:00

I don't have much to say, but I had few pics I wanted to share and I've been getting some requests for more frequent posts.

This is what I came home to today. Mommy was in the kitchen and was completely unaware that Cooper was trying to bury his brother under toys.

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The pre-bath hug. Certain to be a classic photo for years to come.

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Cooper likes to play close the door-open the door with Colton. When we open it, Colton is always all smiles.

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The Monthly Post

2006-12-06T18:58:00.000-05:00

I figured since it's been a whole month since I last blogged I better do it tonight(but it's not as if my top secret undercover work with the CIA hasn't kept me busy enough). So much as happened that I've meant to post, but which I probably have already forgotten, but I'll try to remember the high points and of course, post plenty of photos for Grandma Stella.

Colton Talks! His first word, much to my dismay, was "Ma-ma". I thought we were best buds, but apparently someone else has favored status with Colton.

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Colton Crawls! It's not the full 100% crawl, (Micole calls it the army crawl), but he's certainly mobile. For some reason, I'm just not as scared of Colton being mobile as I was with Cooper. I don't know if it's because of been there done that or Colton seems to be better behaved than Cooper and doesn't get into everything.

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Colton pulls himself up! He's been trying to get up on the ottoman with no results, but he will pull himself up by grabbing onto my hands. He's a strong kid. I didn't used to think with all of his heft he'd be an early walker, but I'm not betting against him now.

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Ohio State beats Michigan yet again! In the Marty-Micole era, Ohio State stands at 5-1 against the lowly Wolverines. If you throw Mommy's other team (she gets two, I only get one, but then I only need one), Michigan State, into the mix, then the Bucks are 9-1 during that same period. Domination! I need to bet more on these games.

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Cooper was ready for the game but then he slept through most of it.

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New flooring! We got new carpet and laminate in our living room. It's like living in a whole new house. We've even trained Cooper to clean the floors. We just need to teach him to put his toys away.

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Colton and Pappy.

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When Cooper really wants to sleep, he can sleep anywhere.

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Colton is so easy going.

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Cooper is a handful, but well worth it.

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Colton loves the Exersaucer.

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Cooper does too, even if he can't get into anymore.

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The Bonds of Brotherhood

2006-11-06T19:20:00.000-05:00

These two little guys are tight. It's clear to me that once Colton gets up and running, they're going to tear this house apart together. They understand each other on an innate level. Occasionally I find them laughing, about what I do not know, perhaps hatching some sinister brotherly plot.

Micole was home today with the boys. She turned her back for just a minute and Cooper had given Colton a corn chip, which was firmly trapped in his teethless jaws. Micole pried the chip away, while simultaneously avoiding a heart attack. Both of the boys laughed the entire time. If she hadn't been on the verge of cardiac arrest, Micole says she would've grabbed the camera so that we could properly photoblog the event.

Cooper is constantly talking away. I'm not always sure if he's saying anything, but I'm catching more words. I got him to say "Colton" yesterday, which sounded a little bit like "Cotton" if you were to fill you mouth with cotton and say "Colton". I think he just said "downstairs" when Micole asked him where he was or he may have just burped. I'm not sure. Understanding his words at this stage is more of an art than a science and I'm not an artist. I'm sure he's reciting his doctoral thesis and I just can't understand him.

We didn't go trick or treating this year, but the boys did get dressed up. We went over to our friends' house while they gave out candy to the trick-or-treaters.

Cooper went as Sir Elton John.

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Actually, he was a dog. The breed of his costume appears to be a Swiss Bernese Mountain dog.

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Colton, of course, gets Cooper's hand me down pumpkin costume from last year. Thankfully, it still fit over his sumo wrestler physique. Barely.

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Good times.

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We had some professional photos taken this past weekend that have to be included here.

I think this one is on the Christmas card.

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Uncle Mikey won't like the fact that Cooper is in a sweater vest for his Christmas pictures again this year.

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Colton's getting pretty good at sitting up on his own.

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Cooper has a new tantrum where he closes his eyes and pretends he doesn't hear you. He'll peek out though and see if you're still looking at him.

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His hair is growing back in and redder.

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I like the fact that we get to keep all of the pictures, even the ones that don't get printed.

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A Half Birthday and The Terrible 19

2006-10-24T20:50:00.000-04:00

Colton turned a half year old today, while Cooper turned 19 months. Colton's his normal self, but Cooper's been throwing the worst fits I ever seen. We think he might be sick. The thing is we all just got over being sick. I was sick first and then two days later it was Cooper and then two days after that it was Colton and then a few days after that we think we passed it on to Aunt Donna, Uncle Joey, and Grandma Stella. Grandma Stella even went to the hospital. I wasn't that bad, but it was the sickest I'd been in years.

Colton's already had his 6 month appointment and he weighed in at 21 pounds, 13 ounces. Only a gain of two pounds since his 4 month appointment. He fell from 98th percentile to 94th percentile. Maybe he's not going to be the world's youngest sumo wrestler. He's getting more exersauce for sure. Today he sat up on his own without any assistance. Alas, my rechargeable camera batteries are not holding their charge very well and that picture didn't make it to the camera.

Colton is such a happy baby. He should have his own trademark, Colton B - The Happy Baby (tm). He's in direct contrast to Cooper who is moodier. Cooper can be happy, giggly or he can be the whiniest little guy in the world. Little things upset Cooper. Colton is pretty happy as long he gets fed occassionally, you give him a little attention, and he has a clean diaper. It's amazing to me that two brothers from the same parents can be so different.

From last Friday at Ponderosa.

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Cooper at Ponderosa.

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On our way out of the house yesterday. He got a little cranky when we woke him up to put him in his carseat.

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Getting some exersauce today.

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Half a year old already.

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Cooper on his half birthday. Looking at some of the pictures from back then, Cooper seems to be a bit ahead of Colton on the sitting up part, but then he was a rail compared to Colton and he had much less weight to balance.

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The Nearly Lost Photos of Colton and Cooper

2006-10-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

I've been neglecting this blog again. I hear people are getting angry with me. My approval rating has dropped to 42% among registered voters and Grandma Stella. I must turn the tide. I don't have much time, but I'll post some pictures from the last couple of weeks to hopefully sedate the angry mob.

The boys are fine. They're bestest friends. Cooper likes to walk up to Colton and laugh. Colton will reciprocate with a laugh and/or a beaming smile. Oh, to dream that it could always be so.

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Aunt Kelly visited us this week and we went to breakfast at First Watch.

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Cooper cracks me up with the random things he will do.

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Colton is on the verge of crawling. Another month and I think he may be there. He certainly has the desire to move. He does not like to sit still anymore.

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A Boy and his Crackers: A True Love Story

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The shirt Cooper is wearing is actually supposed to be Colton's, but Colton can't fit into it.

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Cooper's Halloween costume from last year still fits Colton, barely.

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He can't keep his shirt in sometimes.

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This picture of Big Mac is sure to win back votes from my base.

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Stay At Home Dad

2006-09-22T08:06:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I decided on a whim to stay home with the boys. I did the same today. I came downstairs, saw them, and didn't want to leave them. I had such a good time with them yesterday that I had to make it a four day weekend. The living room was clean the other day, but now the toys have continued their sprawl across the floor. Yesterday the day went by fast, but at a slow pace. Mostly the day was about cartoons (I really am starting to like "Thomas and Friends" and "Bob the Builder"), diapers, naps, and the occasional feeding.

I can't believe how different Cooper and Colton are in almost every way. Their personalities are so different. Cooper is a little shy, sometimes whiny, in need of constant attention, scared at the slightest sudden noise, and a total momma's boy. Generally speaking the only person allowed to hold him is Mommy, but occassionally he gives other people the honor of holding him. That is not a complete description of him, because how he is at any time is totally dependent on his mood. A lot of the time he is happy and giggly. He likes to dance, a lot. Getting him to eat can be a chore.

Colton just seems to be happy to be here. He doesn't require a lot of attention; Most of the time he just wants to make sure someone else is around. It is easy to get household chores done with him. He is always smiling and doesn't get overwhelmed. He doesn't care who holds him. He likes everybody. He is just Mr. Chill. Getting him to eat is usually a breeze. Our babysitter says he is the best baby she's ever sat. He's defintely the perfect 2nd baby. We'd all be insane if we had to deal with two Coopers.

One thing where the boys are alike is clothes. Colton at almost 5 months can wear 12 month clothes, while Cooper at nearly 18 months wears 12 month clothes. Someday I expect Cooper will be wearing Colton's hand me downs. Another thing is that they both really love each other. Colton can't show it too much, because he's still immobile and still developing but just looking at him you can tell he likes his brother. Cooper's love is obvious because he hugs and kisses his brother and goes up to him and says "Hey, Bay-Bay!".

Something I haven't blogged yet that Micole keeps reminding me to note is that Colton is rolling over. Which I don't think is that big of a deal. It's easy to roll over when you are round. I'm not sure exactly when he first did it, but it was about 3-4 weeks ago.

Colton had his first taste of baby food on Monday. Based upon the grimace on his face after the first bite it must have been a little nasty. He did better after the first bite. Well, at least some of it didn't wind up on his face and bib.

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We got the Elmo TMX doll to prove our worth as good American parents who spoil their children. We didn't pay 10 million dollars on Ebay to get it either.

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Cooper was a little tenative with Elmo at first.

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One last thing to blog - Colton's hair has been thinning lately. He's gone bald in a few places. At least his bushy ear hair has gone away, too. I thought I was going to have to shave his ears.

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The Weekly Update

2006-09-11T22:50:00.000-04:00

We went to Michigan this past weekend for a wedding. Who schedules their wedding for the same day as the Ohio State-Texas football game? Michigan fans, of course. I did get out in time to see most of the game.

The boys enjoyed the Coldwater Holiday Inn Express pool. The water didn't seem that cold to me.

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After the wedding ceremony, Cooper blew bubbles with mommy.

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Colton chose to sleep instead of blowing bubbles.

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On this trip to Michigan we had our car DVD system. Which made for a much better trip than the last one. I think Cooper watched the Garfield movie four times. At least.

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

2006-09-06T19:01:00.000-04:00

I meant to blog this many times by now, but Colton officially weighed in at 19 pounds, 13 ounces at his doctor's visit. He was 26 inches long. That puts him at 98th percentile for weight and 80th percentile for length. He's definitely a biggun. He eats a ton which explains why we now have two kids, but four times the number of dirty diapers.

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Colton had his first ear infection this week. We didn't even know it, because he wasn't cranky at all. He just sounded a little congested so Micole took him to the doctor's office yesterday. We know when Cooper is sick, because he lets us know. Colton was just his normal happy baby self.

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Little Man? Eh, right.

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The boys with Pappy.

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Cooper's patented behind the binky smile.

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4th and 17

2006-08-24T19:37:00.000-04:00

Colton and Cooper are 4 months and 17 months old today. Grandma Stella would certainly smack me around good if I missed blogging this event.

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The Colton-Cooper 4 months comparison shot.

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Cooper gives his brother a kiss.

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There is so much to blog about (that I should've been blogging about over the last few weeks, ahem) but when I sit down I forget what I wanted to blog about. So I'll just try to spit out as much as I can.

Colton- Getting big. Really big. Not joking here. Big. Very big. My guess is he's about 20 lbs, maybe more. In comparison, Cooper weighed just under 23 lbs at his last doctor's visit a couple of months ago. Colton wears the same diaper size as Cooper...and it seems tight on Colton.

One day at the babysitter's house he spit up on himself so the babysitter changed his outfit. It was Cooper's spare outfit. It fit Colton fine. We thought if we had 2 boys so close in age that the younger one would be able to wear the older one's clothes, but separated by a year and not at the same time. I wouldn't be surprised if in a few years, Cooper gets Colton's hand me downs. Colton goes to the doctor next week for his 4 month visit, so I've added this interactive poll so you can guess his weight.

Cooper- A day doesn't go by where he's doing something new and usually it's something you don't want him to do. I'm amazed everyday how much he's learned that we never taught him. Like for example, we recycle our cans (the socially responsible thing to do you know...) and put them in a plastic bag on the pantry door. A few weeks back Cooper picked up an empty Coke can and put it right in the bag. I didn't tell him to do that. He just did it.

Even though he's now only 17 months old, he seems to be a big boy. He likes to play with cars. He makes the "Vroooommmmm!" noise and everything. It's almost like he's not a baby anymore. Suddenly he almost seems like a 3 year old. He was just baby, wasn't he?

When he's at the babysitter's house, he's a bit protective of Colton. When Colton cries Cooper will go over to him. When the babysitter picks Colton up, Cooper follows her around the house. He really loves his brother. You always hear him saying "Baby... Baby...Baby...". I hope that they maintain a strong relationship growing up.

A sample of the pictures I should've been posting over the last few weeks.
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Happy Birthday, Aunt Kelly!

2006-08-12T14:05:00.000-04:00

You were born on this day in 1978. I didn't like you very much because I no longer got any attention, but I guess over the years my opinion of you has changed greatly. Have a good birthday, sis.

It wasn't easy to get two boys to set still for this picture...

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As this video clearly demonstrates.

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So we had to resort to alternative means to get a picture like taping the sign to Cooper's back...

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And putting Colton on the floor.

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Cooper made this for you. Well, duh it says that already.

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Cooper also took this picture, which is officially the first photo he's ever done, of your present, but his aim was a just little off. Sorry, but you'll just have to wait until you visit to find out what it is.

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3rd and 16

2006-07-24T21:52:00.000-04:00

Since last we met...

Cooper got a haircut...

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and Colton didn't.

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Colton is 3 months old today, while Cooper turns 16 months.

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Photos of Cooper from months 1-16, starting with the current month in the upper left and finishing at month #1 in the bottom right corner. It reminds me how time moves so fast and how we have to enjoy each day. I know I have.

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The obligatory Cooper and Colton side by side at 3 months photo. Based on the bottom photos, I think they're going to look a lot alike except Colton will be about 20 pounds heavier than Cooper...by this time next year.

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I've fallen a little behind in blogging, but I'm sure when the weather turns colder in the fall I'll be less busy and more attentive to my blogging needs. I want to get back into rhythm and I have had plenty of ideas for posts, but when it comes time to get them out I just don't feel it. Summer time keeps me busy in the yard and with whatnot.

A few photos from the last week that would've been posted if I had kept the regular blog posts coming...

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The Sting of a Bad Beat

2006-07-12T21:48:00.000-04:00

Other things have been on my mind lately, so blog posts are coming less frequently. I have to admit to all of you that I have a severe addiction to No Limit Texas Hold'em poker. I don't know why now, but lately I've become obsessed with it. I've been interested in the game since I saw the movie Rounders years ago, but just never took the time to learn all of the ins and outs. Then a nobody accountant with a master's degree (sounds a little bit like me) named Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker in 2003. I knew I would have to learn how to play this game eventually.

Growing up I was always playing baseball, basketball, or football. In college it was football, rugby, and billiards. I had an outlet for my competitive nature. I haven't had that as an adult, because I don't have the desire or the hamstrings to play anything that's too physical. I like video games, but getting dominated by an 8 year old while playing Halo 2 is a humbling experience. So poker, it is. Poker it must be. Or maybe I'm just really bored waiting for football season to start up again. We'll find out I guess.

Micole got me a poker game for my Sony PSP for Christmas. I play it while riding on the bus to and from work. For a long time even though I played it daily, I still didn't understand all of the intricacies of the game. How much should you bet and when? What strategies don't I know? When is a good time to bluff? There are so many angles to the game. The game requires skill if you're going to have any chance to win in the long run.

I've been devouring books on the game for the last few weeks now. So after gaining years of knowledge on the subject in a matter of weeks, I entered my first No Limit Texas Hold'em tournament this past Sunday. Played pretty well, if I say so myself. I didn't win, didn't get any money. There's skill but luck is also involved. I put myself in a position to get lucky, but luck would not have it.

You see in a poker tournament, the betting structure for the tournament doubles every round so you start off betting a measly $5-$10 and suddenly 4 hours later you have to have bet $150-$300 in chips per round to stay alive. Increasing the minimum bets like that really speeds up the action. Every players starts off with $400 in chips, which I had steadily turned into $1050. We were nearing the end of the $150-$300 round and I knew I had to get some more chips if I were to have any chance in the next $300-$600 round. A guy went all in for $650. I looked at my cards, King-7 of hearts. Not a great hand, but I knew the other guy didn't have a great hand. He was in the same predicament as me. Either double up or die. Any two cards can win in Texas Hold'em.

I called him. He flips over Queen-Jack of clubs. I'm ahead a little better than a coin flip, about 54% to 44% with a small chance we can tie on a straight draw. The flop comes down 7-8-2 all black with one club. The odds now have me ahead 58-42. Next card is a club, so he could draw a flush and win, but I'm still favored to win by about 2 to 1. Final card comes down, Queen of spades. He's got the Queens to my 7's, I lose. Now I'm left with a small (read: tiny) stack of chips. I go all in on the very next hand and I lose. I really had no choice left but to go all in.

If I just get that hand, I make the final three tables with enough chips to do some damage. If I can get lucky one more time or get good cards, I have a good shot at making the final table and finishing in the money. If I could get lucky two to three more times I might even have won the whole thing. At work this week I find myself randomly muttering things like "I was a 2 to 1 favorite going into the last card!". So close, yet so far. It still stings. True, I could've played a little better and maybe I wouldn't have had to play it that way, but...but... there's another tournament with a $50 buy-in this Friday at the local American Legion. I hope to put that bad beat all behind me.

Baby cousins.

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I blog tonight per Grandma Stella's specific instructions. I know I'm getting lazy with the blog, but like I said I now have another passion besides blogging. When they invent some neural computer typing Wi-Fi interface, I'll blog more because I'll just think about it and it'll be done. I seriously still think about lots of things I want to post. When I actually do sit down to blog, I suddenly forget everything I had in mind to blog.

Cooper, the 15 month old version of said child, gets into everything. That's nothing new of course, but I suppose I accept it more now. I try not to inhibit his rampant curiosity unless he's making too much of a mess or he has a high risk of severe electrocution. It is an interesting time around here to say the least.

He learns things so fast now. So much of it is simply accidental. Like last night he found a vacuum attachment. He put his mouth up to it and started screaming into it. Must've been the funniest thing I've ever seen him do.

Last week Micole got a little burn at the pool, so she had me put some aloe on her back. Cooper watched me squeeze the aloe onto my hands and rub it together and then he imitated the rubbing motion. The next day he had the bottle and was acting like he was putting it on his hands and then he rubbed them together. He picks up on things very quickly.

Micole asked Cooper yesterday if he loved his Mommy. He said "Yeah!" and then gave her a hug. She called me at work to tell me about it. When I got home I had to ask him if he loves his Daddy. It took a minute to get his attention, but he said "Yeah!" and then gave me a hug.

I'm sure there are things that have happened that I've forgotten about that I wanted to remember, but there's enough things to blog about. Each day Cooper's personality comes out a little more.

I'll dedicate my next post to Colton. I don't want to forget about the little guy, as if we can call him little. He's changing so fast.

Those are some puffy cheeks.

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Micole yelled for me to bring the camera to get this shot.

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Micole had to put him in this outfit before he outgrows it next week.

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Take me to your leader.

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Our Fourth

2006-07-04T20:57:00.000-04:00

We began our fourth of July by having breakfast with Uncle Joey, Aunt Donna, and McKenzie. Then we went to the pool at Grandma Stella's.

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Colton and McKenzie asleep together in the shade.

Cooper tries to wake them up. "Hey! Let's get in the pool". Actually I think he just said "Dog!".

We bought some new floats before going to the pool.

Today was his brother's first time in the pool. It started out with the same results.

A picture from Cooper's first time in the pool last June for comparison.

Colton eventually calmed down and fell asleep in his float. This didn't happen with Cooper on his first time in the pool.

Cooper passed out from too much fun.

Running Behind

2006-06-27T21:43:00.000-04:00

The boys turned 2 months old and 15 months old last Saturday, but I haven't posted until now. Thus two small children = 1/2 the time available to blog.

Two month shots of the boys. Which one is which? Hmmm....

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The boys together at 2nd and 15.

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Cooper really likes his little brother, but I'm not sure how much longer he's going to be a little brother. At the rate things are going Colton might weigh 30 lbs before Cooper does.

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Colton is all smiles in this picture.

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I thought about letting Cooper do tonight's post. I'd have to transcribe of course. His post would go a lot like this: Dog! Dog! D-D-Dog! Dog! Dog, Dog! Dog. Dog? Dogg! Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog! Dog! Dog! I try to tell him that he's looking at a stray cat, but all I get from him is "Dog!".
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Both boys had their doctor's appointments today. Which means 4 shots for one, and 3 for the other. Not very pleasant, but thank Dog for children's tylenol.

Official stats-
Cooper: 31 3/4 in (Dr. thinks they were a little off measuring this one), 22 lbs 10 oz. 71st percentile on height, 20th on weight. No more shots until he's 4 years.

Colton: 24 1/4 in, 14 lbs 14.7 oz. 85th percentile and 95th percentile. No more shots until he's 4 months.

Professional Shots

2006-06-20T22:37:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile since I blogged and people are starting to complain again, so I'm back tonight with some new pictures. It's about quality, not quantity. I suppose that this blog's adoring fans expect high quality coupled with high quantity. Let me just say that with two babies, my time for blogging is just a wee bit thinner. I can't promise anything, but I make an effort to blog twice a week at minimum.

Cooper seemed so serious when he was in the swing. I know he liked it though because he wanted to do it several times. He's got a new word - "baby", which he pronounces "ba-ba". We can't get him to say it much, but he definitely knows what it means. He'll even point to Colton when we ask him where the baby is.

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Grandma Stella requested a picture of her with all of her grandbabies.

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We had some professional photos done this past weekend at a local shop. It was a little more than we wanted to spend, but now we have two children. Also, we got fair value for our money. They even gave us a CD with all of the photos that were taken, even the unused ones. So tonight I can post some of the photos. For the final shots they cropped these, did some vignettes, or used them for double exposure photos. So they may look a little different than the final product. Overall we definitely liked what we got from them.

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Mentos: The Geysermaker

2006-06-14T21:59:00.000-04:00

I read about this on Yahoo! Somebody figured out if you drill a hole in the cap of a 2 liter bottle of Diet Coke and then drop in 5 Mentos, you'll get a geyser. Then of course, they posted it on the internet where it's drawing a lot of attention. One of my co-workers thought maybe it was a scam to get people to buy Mentos and Diet Coke. The makers of Mentos definitely like the free advertising they are getting from the videos and the fact that people are rushing out all across America to get their product to try it out.

Anyways, I had to test it out to see for myself. I put 3 Mentos on a straightened paperclip, drilled two 7/64th inch holes in the bottle cap, and then dropped the paperclip with Mentos (via the holes in the cap) into a 20 oz can of Diet Coke ( I can't wait to try a two liter sometime). Of course, I also videotaped it so I could put it on the internet (Micole jokingly thought I should blog it, so I am). I truly, truly sound like a complete dork in this video. "Holy crap, it does werrrrkkk!" I should never be allowed to talk again. Ever.

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Aunt Kelly requested a picture with both of the boys. It's hard to get them together for very long so this is the best I could do. Colton swings while Cooper gets ready to throw my shoes down the stairs for the 427th time.

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It's hard to believe, but we've been living in this house for 6 months, well except for this guy. He's only been here since April. I think he likes it so far.

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I had the pleasure of escorting Cooper to his 3rd haircut on this fine evening. He hates sitting in the chair, even though it's a race car with a toy steering wheel. He screams almost the whole time, except occasionally he'd stop for a few seconds to watch the Elmo video on the shop tv.

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Bron Buh, Bron Buh

2006-06-12T22:28:00.000-04:00

Cooper's favorite book is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?" by Bill Martin, Jr. If you ever get the pleasure of reading him the book, you will get the pleasure of reading it to him 3 or 4 more times in the next 15 minutes. Sometimes he'll even "read" it to himself. It's either complete gibberish or some kind of ancient spell to put us under his control. If it is a spell, it would be completely unnecessary because we are all ready under his control. On our return trip from Michigan, I swear I heard him say as he was looking at the book, "Bron Buh, Bron Buh".

Cooper has gotten tall enough to get things off the counter and off of tables. It seems as if nothing is safe anymore. I turn around to start preparing dinner for just a minute and there he is, emptying the contents of my wallet all over the floor. Then later on I left my just opened, ice-chilled beer sitting on the table when I went outside to close up the grill... Poor beer. It died a most horrible death. A lot of it wound up in Cooper's hair.

I've noticed Colton being more alert. He tracks people and we're seeing more and more smiles. It's probably a good thing we had Cooper first, because Colton is so easy going and generally isn't too difficult. Cooper wasn't too bad, but compared to Colton I believe he was and will always be more of a handful. If Colton had come first, Cooper would be driving us up the wall right now and we would not know what to do. Perhaps it's sort of like swinging two baseball bats in the on deck circle. Swinging two makes swinging one seem easier. Having the more difficult child first makes handling the second child easier. I say that and I know with a 99.9% certainty Cooper is going to teach Colt all of his bad habits.

Colton is an extremely gassy baby. He seems so tortured sometimes, poor guy.

Strapping two small children into their carseats for a 6 hour trip is pure torture for everyone involved. Before we go on another long journey, we will be sure to get a portable dvd player with some disney movies. We went to Best Buy tonight to look at one model, but it was still on the delivery truck.

He looks so sad. It think it's all that gas. It does a number on him.

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It took quite a few pictures to get a picture this good of Colt with Pappy...

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And this is just one of them.

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Here's another.

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A good pic of Colt from this fine evening.

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Just for the record, I couldn't get a decent pic of Cooper tonight. Kid won't sit still.

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We're Back

2006-06-08T21:38:00.000-04:00

Okay, so blogging has been a little light of late. Through the grapevine (meaning Grandma Stella, of course), I hear the natives are getting restless and are demanding a new sacrifice or perhaps pictures of the children. I'm not really sure. You see, the natives speak very fast and it can be hard to understand their tribal language, especially when they're angry. So I must post these in a hurry, because it appears they have readied one very large pit of fire and I don't see any ribs or barbecue sauce nearby.

Cooper bruises very easily. You can't see it here, but if you saw him in person you might think we beat him. He's always running around and knocking into things. His legs are bruised up and down. Now he has one on his forehead, from where he took a header into the ottoman.

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Note to Colton: Your daddy loves you. Remember that always.

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A triumphant Cooper. I think he's added "Yeah!" to his vocabulary this week. Grandma Stella swears when she was playing with him he said "again".

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Video of Cooper sliding down his new Little Tikes slide.

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Well, I have to run. We're leaving tomorrow for Lansing, MI to attend a wedding on Saturday with a quick return trip home. We're only spending one night in Michigan, which is fine with this Buckeye fan. The less money and time I spend in that state the better. Just kidding! I'm just getting my mind set for the big game. By my count, it's now only 163 days until the Buckeyes beat Michigan again! Ah, football season will soon be here... (drooling uncontrollably)

Oh, yeah. Almost forgot. Tomorrow is Micole's 29th birthday (again), so wish her a happy birthday.

What I Come Home To: A Photo Play In Three Acts

2006-05-31T22:18:00.000-04:00

Act 1: Sleeping Baby

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Act 2: Sleeping Baby, too

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Act 3: Crazed, Hysterical, Hair Pulling Mom

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Long Weekend

2006-05-29T22:20:00.000-04:00

Let's see... Things I want to blog for posterity's sake and because my memory is fading with old age...

1) Cooper's word of the week is "Dog". It gets repeated a lot. He saw another dog at the Sunday cookout and he followed it around saying "Dog!". He obviously knows a dog when he sees one, even if it's a different breed. The question is now "does he know the difference between a dog and a cat?".

2) Cooper can climb on the couch without help. This means there is now more stuff he can reachthat we don't want him to get into.

3) He's learned to climb down the steps, but he won' do it if you want him to do it. It would be cool to put the gates away for awhile, but I'm sure if we did that, we would find Cooper in the basement eating the dog food or something worse. He gets into everything. Even stuff he knows he's not allowed to get into. Yep, I've started seeing some open acts of defiance from the boy. He's spoiled.

4) Cooper dances all the time, even to stupid commercials. He's got this one dance where he puts his arm out kind of funky and crooked. I wish I could get it on videotape. I would certainly exploit it by posting it here.

5) Cooper ate hamburger today. He has never eaten red meat before. He has always pushed it away in the past. We've been able to get him to eat chicken (nuggets), but he mostly eats fruit, powdered donuts, pancakes, and Cheez-Its. Loves the Cheez-Its.

6) We turned on the A/C in the house on Saturday. I planted some "crops" in my garden today. My raspberries and strawberries are nearly ready. I expect to eat a few of my homegrown strawberries by this weekend.

7) Colton looks more and more like Cooper each day. The other day I picked Colton up out of the crib and I had a flashback to picking Cooper up when he was that age.

8) Colton did something today that Cooper has never done. He pooped on Micole. He had pretty good volume and distance, I must say.

Here's a picture of Colton doing what he does best. Sleeping.

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Is it the living room or the toy room?

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Cooper will follow Dobie wherever he goes.

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We put together our new dual stroller this weekend. Micole plans to use tomorrow when she'll go shopping with the boys.

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Cooper on duty as the lifeguard at Sunday's cookout. Ooh, I feel so much safer.

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The obligatory cute cousin McKenzie picture.

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Those eyes are so blue. I think Colton's are going to be the same color.

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Chillin' in the bouncy chair.

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1 and 14 months

2006-05-24T23:23:00.000-04:00

Colton celebrates his 1st monthday, while Cooper gets to celebrate his 14th. Micole and I celebrated the day by getting a new stainless steel grill. Colton celebrated by puking on me (which Micole loved to laugh at) and Cooper celebrated by being a whiner butt. It's kind of nice that they share the same day of the month so I only have to do one post.

Both boys at 1 month of age. Cooper on the left and Colton on the right. So let's see... Colton more hair and chunkier. There may also be a slight difference in the noses.

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Cooper at 14 months. I can't get him to set still to take a picture anymore. He's always on the move.

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Uh Huh

2006-05-22T22:36:00.000-04:00

Cooper has a way with words. He learns one and then he repeats it over and over, sometimes screaming it. For a long time it was "Dad!" , "Dad!!!", "Dad!!!!", etc. He still does "Dad!", but now he's saying "Uh huh!" constantly. You can ask him a question, any question and when he's in the "Uh huh!" zone, that is his only answer. Our typical daily banter might go something like this:

Me: Did you miss your Daddy today?
Coop: Uh huh!
Me: Really?
Coop: Uh huh!
Me: You want some Cheez-its?
Coop: Uh huh!
Me: So am I your favorite?
Coop: Uh huh!
Me: Is Mommy mean to you while Daddy's at work?
Coop: Uh huh!
Me: Does she beat you?
Coop: Uh huh!

I definitely have some fun with his new development.

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Colton had his one month doctor appointment today, even though he is only officially 28 days old. He's 11 pounds and change. 22 1/1 inches long. Most importantly he's breathing fine. The oxygen tanks will be going home.

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Nearly everything on the floor in this picture was thrown down the steps by Cooper. That long piece in the middle is part of our refrigerator. This is actually pretty clean.

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Micole bought a sling this weekend. We got it when we went out shopping this weekend. It was Colton's first trip out of the house without going to the doctor or the hospital. We got to go to the new Super Walmart. Of course, there's really nothing super about Walmart. It should just be called the Bigger, Cleaner Walmart.

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As evidenced by the following pictures, Colton has had no trouble sleeping.

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