Merry Christmas Everyone!

Cuteness

Our photo shoot was not a very successful one this year. This was the best individual picture I could get! Bear thought it was just hilarious to not look at the camera or to eat his fingers and say cheese but look somewhere else. Guess it's a good thing he's so darn cute.

Santa 2009

Quotable

Today Coop got a yo-yo as a gift at school. He decided that we all had to get in line and follow him dragging the yo-yo around. Cooper said, "Momma you go behind me because you are the youngest."

We are raising a very and I mean very smart boy. :-)

To My Future Teenage Sons

Today you yelled at me. You put both hands over your ears and yelled at me telling me that my, "music was too loud! We can't hear ourselves talk!" You did not care that I was singing and dancing while sweeping up your mess. I was just enjoying my music and you wanted it down immediately.

I would just like to be able to remind you of this moment if and when I ever have to ask you to turn your own music down. Once upon a time I did like some loud music but I did respect you to turn it down. So this is me yelling, "Turn down your music!" just a few years in advance :-)

Love,
Mom

Excuse Me

When I picked the boys up from pre-school Cooper was very anxious to show me the drawing he did with Mrs. Jodi. He was VERY persistent that we go to the back of the school to get the drawing even though all of the lights were off. We got the picture and he was so excited to tell me all about how Mrs. Jodi helped him with the anchor. We got in the car and he then proceeded to go on and on about the color of the fish and the triangle tail and of course how Mrs. Jodi helped him with the anchor that has sprinkles (glitter) on it. We stopped off at our UPS store to send some packages to Jim and on the way out Coop told him all about the drawing in the car that Mrs. Jodi helped him with. Then we went to Whole Foods (aka The Castle) for a few things. Coop asked if he could bring in the drawing. I envisioned him showing it to the cashier on the way out and smiled at the thought.

So into Whole Foods we go and the first person Coop sees he runs up to and yells, "Hey! Hey! Hey! Look at my picture it has an anchor, two fish, and water. Oh and Mrs. Jodi helped me!" She was very polite and ohh and ahhhed over it. So then I explained to Coop that it wasn't polite to yell, "Hey!" at someone instead he should say, "Excuse me," and wait to see if they would talk to him. And then he was off. Coop stopped every single person we saw and had the following conversation:
Coop: "Excuse me!"
No words were necessary from the other person just eye contact
Coop: "Look at my picture! It has an anchor, two fish and water! Oh and Mrs. Jodi helped me!"
Person: "Ooooooohhhh, Ahhhhhhhh."
Coop: "Thank you."
Coop to me: "Look Momma I said excuse me and thank you!"
Off to the next person........

He had the entire store in stitches. All of the cashiers sought him out to each have a turn. He was glowing and so excited. He showed everyone in the bathroom and then even showed people twice that he had forgotten he'd already showed. A trip for 3 little things turned into a full 30 minute event! It was classic and so adorable. One of the women said, "He should be on TV!"

Coffee Time

So, I figured you'd be interested to see my lunch crew. From left to right is CPT Volpe, CW2 Della Rossa, and SGT Rz. We usually have a crossword to do over coffee. Great guys to work with. I got lucky when I switched units to have these guys here.

BTW, if you want to do something nice for the soldiers in Iraq and/or Afghanistan, buy them a cup of coffee. Go to www.GreenBeans.com and click on the "cup of joe for a joe" link. It makes a difference for a soldier to get a free coffee, I'll tell you that.

Thanksgiving in Iraq

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Just one of many holidays spent here.

I wish I had pictures, but I didn't even think to bring my camera to the dining facility.

We had a grand spread for Thanksgiving lunch. Turkey, roast beef, ham, yams, stuffing, lots of different veggies, premium bread, and lots of desserts. Me, WO2 Della Rossa, CPT Volpe, and SGT Rzucidlo (Rz for short) always eat lunch together. They're my regular lunch crew up here. As we were enjoying overstuffing ourselves, we were all thankful that we had each other to spend the meal together. We lamented being away from our families, but we were just grateful to have someone to spend the holiday with.

And after that, we stuck to our routine and headed to Green Beans coffee afterwards to enjoy a machiato (free of charge thanks to Green Beans "Cup of joe for a Joe" program where people in the States buy a Soldier a $2 cup of coffee). We each brought some pumpkin or sweet potato pie with us to enjoy with our coffee, and it was just a nice time to relax. We laughed a lot, and thankfully, we got there before the crowd did, so we had a seat.

I miss everyone back home and wish I could be with my family for the holidays, but duty calls. I know that Abbie and the Boys aren't feeling well, but they're in my thoughts, prayers, and my heart all the time. I love you three!

I hope everyone's had an enjoyable Thanksgiving. Enjoy Black Friday. And we'll talk soon.

The Jumpee

I bought this mini moon bounce before spring even hit and never inflated it. The boys saw it the other day so it became a full day event of what they call "The Jumpee". They bounced and bounced and then it became our pirate ship. Then it became home base so we would run around the whole yard (me of course chasing them) and they would dive into the Jumpee at full speed. Bear would go through the smaller slats yelling that he was stuck so I would roll him over. Then they decided that I had to get in with them and jump all over me!

The next day it was raining so we decided to go out anyway and have a slip and slide jumpee day. It was a shockingly cold rain so that lasted for one chase around the playground and then we were in for a hot bath. I'm sad to report that after the first two days "The Jumpee" gets no love now and will probably be deflated shortly. It was a good run while it lasted :-)

ABC's

Gone are the days when the boys would beg me to stop singing. Now they adore to listen to music and to dance and sing. We wake up often and have dance sessions to get us going. One day they both got up on step stools to dance with me it was so cute!

The latest song is of course their ABC's. Cooper for some reason has taken to SHOUTING his ABC's whereas Bear likes to rush through and skip letters to get to the end. Either way they crack me up.

iPod and The Grinch?

I found my iPod!!! I know you probably didn't realize I'd lost it but since finding it I've been so excited getting my workout music on there and fun songs to play for the boys. They've been wanting to play with it so I gave them each an earphone..... and well I'll just let the video do the talking..... I'll give you 3 guesses as to what song they love to hear! It's been a very popular song this year.


This picture was them totally FORCING a smile for me but I swear Cooper looks like he is The Grinch doesn't he?

Quotable

I was saying goodbye to our neighbor Enda and noticed Cooper had stormed off with his arms crossed. I asked him, "Cooper what are you doing over here? Don't you want to say goodbye to Edna?"

He shot me this horrible look and said, "No I had to walk away from you, you made me mad." Still not sure what I did :-)

Even better later that day I was trying to get them to clean up their playroom before taking a bath and Cooper said, "Momma please don't yell at me, you need to be respectful." Love it!

"It Can't Take Too Much More, Captain!"

Anyone that knows me well knows that I cut my own hair and have cut my own hair since 1993. In the intervening years, I've only had to pay for haircuts twice, both at an Army barber, once b/c my buddies said they were the best haircuts (NOT), and once last year at NTC when I came out of the field and looked like Bozo the Clown and with no way to cut my hair.

Back at Meade, I cut my hair every 10-14 days. It worked out well with the exception of the clippers being SUPER loud and working with heavy vibration. Probably b/c I was plugged into a power strip that ultimately plugged into a 220v outlet.

Ooooh, those sneaky bastards. Looking back, I realize it wasn't plugged into a 220v outlet, but was plugged into a step down transformer, which was plugged into a 220v outlet. The transformer, for those that don't know, steps the voltage down from 220v to 120v, the voltage the products from the US uses (everyone else in the world uses 220v AND the metric system...another shining example of Americans refusing to join the world community, but I digress).

So, I get to FOB Falcon, and the first time I have to cut my hair, I plug in my clippers to the 120v-240v power strip that is plugged into the 220v outlet. Buuuuzzzzzzz. Same loud clippers, same heavy vibration. Okay. So, I start cutting. Then my clippers start smoking! I shut them off and sniff and by George, it is smoking. So I let them rest for about a minute, then turn them back on and start cutting again. Sniff, sniff...there's the smoke again. I suddenly realize that the power here is too great, and that I don't have a step down transformer to regulate the voltage. My poor clippers are getting over-juiced, and they can't handle it.

So I quickly cut my hair on the next pass, and as I make the last swipe on the back of my head, the blades seize up.

Um...uh oh.

I click the on-off button.

I get a hum, but no blade movement.

Hmm, this isn't good.

I let it sit, while I grab the battery powered finishing trimmer which I use on my neck. These trimmers aren't made for heavy duty work...the blade is about the size of my thumbnail. I finish up with these little trimmers.

That had me worried...I was afraid I was going to have to pull out the razors and shave my head completely b/c I would've only had half done.

I tried again later to turn on my clippers, but they're toast. I think the voltage just was too much for the motor to handle. And I had just bought those ones three months before...really nice moderately priced ones. Now I have to go find a friggin battery powered or cordless/rechargeable clipper so as to keep this from happening again. Grrr.

But what a funny story, don't you think?

Moved Units

So, before I left for leave in October, I was told I would be leaving the 1-113th FA to go to 1-252 CAB (Combined Arms Battalion) to be their Fire Support Officer (FSO). It was not welcome news, but I told myself to suspend judgment on it until I got to them and evaluated.

Well, I've been here since Oct. 24th. It's good. Not bad at all. There's a definite difference in mindset here with the grunts and tankers. I very well may enjoy this assignment.

Anyways, my new address is:

CPT James Monihan
FOB Falcon, 30th HBCT
HHC/ 1-252 CAB
APO, AE 09361

From the Air

Aaaand, I'm back for one more performance.

I've been meaning to post these pics. Abbie and I, when we were first talking about me going back into the Army, discussed me being a helicopter pilot. Some of her friends even said I was nuts and stupid (or something to that effect). Abbie's first job out of college was down in Alabama (specifically Fort Rucker) on a Blackhawk helicopter project. Needless to say, it didn't endear her to aviators, nor to helicopters in general (I think her project was trying to figure out why they crash...hmmm) which explains why she wasn't jumping with joy for me to be a pilot.

As we all know, I didn't go be a pilot. I stayed in the Field Artillery as an officer (versus resigning my commission and this big paycheck to be a warrant officer and fly birds for the rest of my life at a lower salary). The entire time I'd been in Iraq, I hadn't had a chance to fly. I didn't fly in on the birds b/c the unit we replaced wanted me on the ground so quickly that they sent a ground convoy to get me from the airport...while everyone else flew in on Chinooks (those are the big helicopters for the Army...with the twin rotors...a drop down ramp). So, when I went on leave in October, the way out was by helicopter...and it was during the day which meant I would be able to see.

It was fun. No wonder so many cadets want to be aviators...its fun, and glamorous, and you feel like you're on top of the world, and whoa, they have a lot of dials and switches and do-hickies in the cockpit. I sat in the front middle seat of the passenger compartment, so I got to see the pilots fly. No wonder its a yearlong basic training for pilots at glorious Fort Rucker. Would I go fly still? If the Army would give me the age waiver, and staying in the Army was in my family's best interests, hell yeah. With the nice day we had flying out, I got the below pics. I was really pleased with the first one. Enjoy.


The flight comes in for a landing at Meade.


Flying along towards the airport, we actually took a circuitous route to pick up other people going on leave from other bases...I think we hit four after I was picked up. This gives a view of the other bird and the Iraq landscape.


The other bird flying us out of Iraq, even if for a brief moment.

Quotable

He's on a roll today. I am opening a dozen young coconuts, draining the yummy juice and then cracking open the top to scoop out the meat. Cooper asked to help and I told him no I wanted to speed through it and it was pretty hard. He asked oh about 50 more times so I thought you know just give him a lid and see what happens. First off he got the meat off faster than I did! (That will teach me!) Then he says, "I think we just needed teamwork today. Yeah let's just do teamwork ok?"

Quotable

So this morning we are cleaning out the boys play room. We are making a two piles and trying to get organized. One pile is to give and the other is to keep. During the process I find this adorable night light I purchased from Pottery Barn before Cooper was born. It's a frog prince. It was broken :-( In a very bizarre fashion the metal piece does not appear to be twisted in any way but it will no longer fit the actual plug in part.

As I'm grumbling over it and trying to figure out how this could have happened Cooper says, "It's ok Momma I forgive you for breaking the frog prince!" I started laughing and said, "But I didn't break it one of you two did!" He replied, "No that's not possible but it's ok I really forgive you."

Good Morning

Mornings have been an evolving thing in our house. If the boys had their way they'd be waking me up at the crack of dawn. I am a much better mom if I get a few minutes to myself in the morning. So we've had to work on it- I think I may have even blogged about it before.



Cooper has been great with the concept that he can get up and go to the bathroom but then he needs to go back to bed. Bear not so much. I've found him in the playroom, my bed, the kitchen table but never back in his bed. So we've tried a bunch of different methods and we've finally gotten to the place where they can go to the bathroom and just stay in their room. Coop refuses to leave his bed and I think Bear has figured well she said bed so Cooper's will do! This morning I opened the door and RAN to get the video. They were under the sheet playing with all of their toys. The day before they were in the bed reading books to each other!!

The Boys First Salad

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I've been trying to branch out this summer and have the boys try new things. They are both picky in different ways but they will almost always try something at least once. So I made a big salad (and homemade pickles) and gave it a shot. I was pleasantly surprised at how well they took to it. I think I was secretly hoping if they loved it that would help me to eat more salads!

My Little Helper

Not sure if it's a first born thing or just Cooper but he LOVES to help me around the house! It's actually very helpful sometimes! He does like to tell on Bear a lot so we have a saying, "Who's the momma?" He'll look down all sad and mopey and say, "You are." He loves to be in charge :-)

Silly Goose

Bear is styling with his 3D glasses that came with some sidewalk chalk. I think he wore these for at least a week. My favorite term to call them when they do something silly is to say, "You goose!" Cooper will correct me and say, "No Bear's a silly goose!"

Daddy Train

Vegas Baby

Man this feels like it was SO long ago. I thought I had blogged this but just found all of these pictures saved but not posted! I don't even remember when this was but in the beginning of the year before Jim left the country they got to spend a few days in Vegas. My neighbors Jim and Kelly were amazing and offered to watch the boys. (Still not sure how we got so lucky!) We had an amazing suite from Gene and Kathy and really had the time of our lives! We gambled, watched an amazing show- Ka from Cirque, walked a lot and gambled a lot. I really wanted to do the zip wire adventure but there was mix up and they were actually booked so that's first on my list next time we go there! As much as I know the boys miss Jim the memories from this trip have gotten me through many a night!

Our Garden and Yard

We've been hard at work learning the ins and outs of what it takes to up keep our yard and garden. In the spring I was feeling pretty good about how easy it might be. Let the flowers bloom and die off, weed a little and mow the lawn. A month later and all heck has broken loose!

First we started with pruning all of the trees. When I mowed the lawn I was getting beat up from all the long branches from all the trees on the perimeter. I found a tool for cutting branches off thinking I'd cut a few of them off. What I thought would take 30 minutes turned into a whole day affair. To get the branches high enough to not hit me when mowing I had to keep chopping and chopping and chopping. Our oak tree (at least that is what I think it is) is massive and was drooping to the ground! Then my neighbor brought over his chain saw and hacked off a few long limbs for us from several trees. I was told to make a fire and use the soot for the garden..... huh? I collected enough for 3 massive bon fires. (We do have some un-used land behind us and I admit that I secretly threw some of the pine tree limbs over the brush!) I was scared to do a bon-fire by myself but a quarter of the yard was being taken up so I finally just bit the bullet and started burning.

Next was our garden. Bebba was awesome and helped us get it started. Then my neighbor Kelley offered up a few of her extra tomato plants. Debbie and Mark (really Mark) helped me put a nice fence around our garden. I was eager to plant more veggies so I got 8 cherry tomato plants from Kelley and bought some more zucchini, peppers, cucumbers and melons as well. (Remind me to tell you about this trip as it was the first, and hopefully last, time I've lost Cooper in a store- it was traumatic.) We had to buy a bunch of large pots and potting soil and stakes for the tomato plants. When I got it all home I thought hey it would take maybe an hour! Again it was an ALL day task.

Then came weeding out the flower beds. That was a 4 hour job at least once a week. If I wasn't so against it I could see spraying stuff to keep the weeds at bay! We also have a Mimosa tree that sprouts out little tress ALL over our yard. We have a few that obviously took hold a few years ago against the base of the house and a few that are trying to grow under our deck. We took a full afternoon to go hunting these little seedlings to pull them up so we wouldn't have random trees growing all over the yard. 9Didn't matter as they have popped up ALL season long.) Then we had to take out a tree that was growing in the azaleas and pull out half of the ivy that is taking them over. My neighbor suggested pulling all of the ivy out now but after a full large trashcan full of ivy I was done. I haven't even hit the other side of the front yard that has poison ivy in it. That may be one of those wait for the hubster to come home on that one.

But I can say now with pride that we had a nice garden this year as well as a little patio garden. Being that this is our first year doing a garden I just wanted to try it all out. I learned a lot about placement of the plants and lost all my zucchini and squash to a random tree growing in the middle and to mold. We got about 3 peppers and about 10 cucumbers and a nice amount of tomatoes. Not enough to not have to go shopping but I think with what I've learned next year will be a lot better.

The other concern was the 7 deer, an enormous amount of rabbits, wild turkeys, a fox. We had an issue with mole holes ALL over the yard for a few weeks and then they disappeared. The boys loved to help me water and weed the garden. Bear likes to sit on the ledge and talk to the cucumbers. He also likes to pull all the tabs I put in the ground that tell me what is what and change them but that's another story :-)

I feel like we wasted a lot of good compost material so we went and bought a compost bin last week and are working on filling it up so that will be another learning experience for us!! In just a few days the boys are already used to keeping their scraps for the composter. It's amazing to me just how quickly they adapt!

White Lightning

When we purchased this house (or Peggy Sue as the boys call her) it came with a small riding mower. They said it probably needed a belt to get her started. As spring approached and the grass started to grow I realized I had NO idea how to get this thing started or repaired. I got a referral for someone to come mow for me but he wanted to charge $75 each week!! That wasn't going to happen so my neighbors across the street took a look at my mower and determined that it was something with the starter and said they'd let me know what part to order. They got busy and didn't get a chance so another good Samaritan looked at it and said it was the starter block and said when I found one to let him know he'd put that on.


I went to a parts store for all things mechanical. The parts were just about as much as the mower was worth. I left wondering what I should do and wishing I knew which part to get. I decided I was going to take matters into my own hands and call Sears. They came out and said it would cost over $500 just to fix the starter but they weren't even sure that was the problem. They left without fixing it but charged me $100 just for the 10 minute visit! In the mean time my next door neighbors let me borrow their riding mower. That was so generous of them but I didn't want to take advantage so the next time I used the little push mower that came with the house. It took me over 5 hours to mow and I think I had just as many blisters. I did not do that again!!

So then yet another neighbor said he'd look at it (he's a mechanic) when he got a chance. (Have I mentioned how lucky I am to have such amazing neighbors??) It turned out it was not the starter and he fixed it and gave it a full tune up........

So I was on our very own riding mower and feeling very grateful to everyone who'd been a part of the drama of getting it fixed! The only thing was it sounded like I was riding a go kart on a bad acid trip. Not sure what that sounds like? It goes putt putt putt PUTT POP!!! and I would then jerk forward getting minor whip lash. It was so bad that two of the neighbors came over trying to tinker with it but they agreed it didn't sound good at all. My mechanic neighbor came over and he laughed saying that it was fine I was just driving it too fast. (I didn't believe him!) They all got a good laugh over that as it turns out they all noticed how fast I drove the riding lawn mower. Since none of them have toddlers running around while mowing I don't think they understand my intent is to get it done as quickly as possible before they trash the house when I'm not looking!

So the next time I drove it super slow. I thought I was going to crawl out of my skin it was so slow. I was trying to appreciate the gorgeous day but the putt putt putt PUTT POP and jerk forward every 10 seconds was even worse going slowly. I'd gotten about halfway done when all of a sudden it started purring. I was ecstatic. I sat up higher thinking, "Yes this is it, now I can roll!" It went for about 10 feet then it POPPED and a black cloud of smoke came out. I was able to putt my way to the shed and stored it in there. Little did I know but that was the last time I'd ever ride him again.

I went to borrow my neighbors mower and as I turned it on the belts fell off leaving it useless to me until they showed me how to put them back on. It did this not once but two separate occasions. The second time I just threw my hands up and went to Sears. I walked in and there he was just waiting for me. Maybe knowing the history of this summer you can imagine him as I did. There was a light shining down from heaven and all of the other mowers just faded away. I might have heard some singing. It get's better- he was on sale and I bought the service plan too so if he breaks down in the next three years someone has to come out to fix him and I don't have to feel so helpless! I even got approved for the no payments no interest for 6 month deal. It was destiny.

I had a full gas can waiting on the day he was delivered. The delivery guy rolled him down the driveway and I think I skipped a little to meet him. I sat on him for a while just smiling and did a few test runs. He turns on a dime and handles the ditches like a pro. No more getting stuck for me in the ditch! I did fail to read the instructions (I was sitting on them while mowing) the first time and he would shut down with a loud pop every time I went into reverse. Turns out for safety reasons this is a new feature they've installed where you have to turn the key to a certain position to mow in reverse.

I think I might have a bit of a crush on my riding mower. Did I mention he has a cup holder? Bear saw him and dubbed him, "White Lightning." I will admit to having a bit of an obsession right now with the riding mower but hey my husband has been gone for 10 months- cut me some slack :-)

Good ol Gold's

When we moved to Raleigh a new Gold's Gym opened up just 2 miles from where we lived. I started taking classes there and they were the first place that I was able to leave my boys and get any time to myself. At a certain point another mom pointed out that if I worked a few hours at the day care I could get my gym membership for free. So that began our time working at the day care. Then we moved out to Apex and our schedule just could not quite recover. We had to leave to go to work right in the middle of Bear's nap times. It took about 25 minutes to get there. Can't say those were good times :-) We started to leave early so they'd nap in the car ride over and we'd sit for an hour in the parking lot while they slept and I read. That was not fun once it started getting hot. Sometimes I could transfer Bear to the movie room to continue his nap.





Poor guy this one little girl tortured him with the drum over his head while he was trying to sleep. At a certain point I began to think that it might be worth it to just go back to paying for a membership. Just as I started to think about that I saw a commercial for Military One Source. They mentioned that we could get a free membership at the YMCA. We just had one open less than 2 miles away! We went and did a tour and fell in LOVE with it. I just loved the kids everywhere and it was so much more family oriented. They do activities with the kids and don't just put them in front of the tv- it was really a nice place. So I quit Gold's that night we've been at the Y ever since. The boys are funny- if I say we are going to the "gym" they think it's Gold's. I have to tell them we are going to the Y or they are not happy campers!

Brotherly Love

I have been diligently updating the blog and as usual the boys were hanging out with me in the office. (I've realized lately that they follow me just about anywhere I go in the house unless they are eating.) There was a rare moment where they were silent so I started to look around for what they were getting into. Much to my surprise they were just hugging each other!!



They do fight some but I have to say the majority of their time is spent being pretty darn adorable. They've climbed under my desk now telling me they are hiding till I'm done. Bear sat up and knocked his head. Cooper immediately said, "Ohhhhhh here let me kiss it." Gave him a big kiss and a big hug. Then Cooper said, "Come on little puppy. Look Momma I'm being gentle- take a picture!" I sure do hope they remember this when they get older.

Backyard Picnic

The boys were begging me to pack a picnic so we could go to the "Frog Pond" and play at the playground. We are so lucky to have Crowder Park across the street but with this lovely weather they are wanting to spend many hours over there. I can't get them to play on our playground for anything lately! I was not interested in packing yet another picnic so I asked if they wanted to have a picnic in our backyard. They LOVED it. It was so perfect with the breeze and our freshly mowed grass. We sat on a sheet and had our dinner. The funny part was they couldn't decide how to sit. They tried laying down. (Bear followed Cooper's lead.) They tried hovering. They tried sitting up. It didn't matter they made a mess each way but it was still fun. Of course after we were done they still wanted to go to the "Frog Pond" so off we went but I didn't have all those extra dishes to clean :-)

Fancy Hair Cuts

Much to my friend Jamie's dismay I've been cutting the boys hair for some time now. We go out on the back deck and let the hair fly. Some hair cuts have been better than others but I have been proud that I didn't need to shave their heads to make up for some mistake I made. Their hair has been getting long and I was mentioning to them to get ready we're going to cut your hair again soon. Usually I get, "Ok!!!" But this time Cooper looked at me and said, "I'm sorry but I have to get my hair cut by a barber." (I'm not convinced Jamie hasn't gotten to him but I think pre-school is the culprit for this one.) S o off to the "Barber" we went. Well it was our version of Hair Cuttery called Great Clips. We had a bit of a wait and they happened to have 1 children's book in the waiting area. It was all about this little girl who likes to make everything "fancy". Cooper then said, "Do you think she can give me a fancy haircut?" I told him to ask. No joke Cooper climbed up in her seat and said, "I want a fancy hair cut please." After they were done (with 4 other men in the waiting area) Cooper yells, "I LOVE MY FANCY HAIRCUT!" They were all trying really hard not laugh. They were all reading their magazines but their shoulders were shaking. It was beyond comical. It's been a week and he's still asking me if his haircut if fancy :-)

Happy Birthday Lauren

Happy Birthday Lauren!! We love you!

4th of July (2009)

We celebrated 4th of July this year by making our way to downtown Apex for the day. We got there as they were opening and got to watch them raise the flag and honor our soldiers which I thought was pretty cool.

This was a little train ride that I think the line to get on was longer than the actual train ride itself but they boys enjoyed riding through the alleys of Apex and squealed when he did his zig zag.
The boys had a ball meeting the fire fighters and playing on the old fire trucks.

We spent the majority of the morning inside a moon bounce shaped like a train that had a big slide at then end. Because we got there so early there was no line so the boys just kept going and going and going. Cooper was all about the slide. Bear stayed inside a lot holding on to the ropes inside as the other kids bounced him around.



After the moon bounce, the train ride, riding fire trucks, listening to kids karaoke, and watching everyone get face paint the boys decided that they wanted to ride the really, and I mean really, big slide. The one that they have a rope to help you climb up. I don't know why I didn't get any pictures. I have be honest I thought once they got in the line and had to wait the 40 minutes we did they wouldn't want to go. Cooper was determined though and as soon as Bear saw Cooper going up he had to go. It was all so very chaotic. The poor girl manning the back had to keep the flow going so I didn't give me any time to hem and haw. That meant I had to go because Bear wouldn't go up the ladder alone. That was the most pressure I've felt in a very long time! The line was SO long behind us with anxious kids. There was no time to even get prepared up top or to even look around and get scared. We plopped down on the little potato sacks and off we went. Coop had no fear he beat us down. Bear and I came barreling down and they both said, "Let's do it again!" Luckily they both had to go to the bathroom and forgot about it!! We left then for a picnic lunch at Hemlock Park. We were rebels! They say no food but we did it anyway. Then that afternoon we did sparklers and they were out before it was even dark!

Say Cheese

Monihan Visit

Kat, John, Lauren and Andrew came for a weekend visit this August. The boys loved having them here and every time we are out at a store want to buy something for Lauren or Andrew it's quite adorable. Cooper also liked helping his Aunt Kat feed Andrew his bottle.


We'd had a bit of rain before their visit and we noticed that birds were taking a bath in the gutters. John was kind enough to get the ladder and find a very old tennis ball clogging the drain and cleared it out for us. (He also fixed my leaking hose issue, put together the soccer goal nets and figured out how to replace a light bulb in the boys bathroom that had been blinking for weeks!!)

They also brought along one of the best toys of all time. This little air rocket launcher was a huge hit. You step on the air bag and the styrofoam rocket goes shooting into the air. As you will see in the video below Cooper figured out how to get the most bang for his buck.