September 2016

Happy Birthday Cooper!! We made it through your first year. You are turning into such a sweet little boy with a big love of life. You love to dance and be a part of the action no matter what is going on. We had a little party for you with the kids and they were so happy to celebrate you becoming part of our family!

We drove out to Grand Junction to celebrate Grandma Minnie's 90th birthday. It was so special to have the whole family there together. It was also the first time Grandma Minnie got to meet Cooper who is in part named after her late husband, Charles. She made sure to introduce him to all her friends -- it was so sweet.

We started soccer with both kids this fall. Aurora is hysterical because she can't be convinced to participate in the practice, but you get her in a game and she starts knocking heads and pushing kids to the ground. I know who she is related to ;)

Well, we got our car tires slashed... I have never had anything like that happen before. We caught it on video with our security cameras, but I'm sure it won't matter. With all the car windows that have been broken and our neighbor's car getting stolen I am starting to not like living in the city as much as I once did.

Aurora went to her first Broncos game!! We were worried it would be too loud for her -- but we could not have been more wrong. She had a blast!

-- Cooper at 11 months --

Cooper is crawling around everywhere, especially the stairs...

He also loves to watch and play with whatever the older kids are doing, which often causes tears all around - the big kids don't want to share and Cooper ends up hurt.

Cooper just started cruising. I don't think there is any chance he will be walking by his first birthday like Connor but he's definitely moving around.

He's a good eater and has started signing MORE and I think sometimes he signs ALL DONE.

He loves bananas, yogurt and grapes.

He can say Mama and Dada.

Cooper loves being outside. He knows when we put the dogs out, comes crawling and cries if we close the door.

August 2016

Aurora learned how to ride a pedal bike at camp this summer! We sent her to the Avid Learn to Bike Camp, just hoping to get her more excited about biking, and she came home after the first day saying she had learned how to ride. She spent the rest of the week learning not to crash into the other kids :)

Matt and I took the kids to Deer Valley for a much needed vacation. It was a 7.5 hour drive but we all survived and it was actually much easier than flying! We spent the week hiking and hanging with the kids. One day Matt and Aurora actually climbed all the way up the mountain and rode the chairlift down. She was so proud!

Mimi and Papa came to visit and take care of the house and dogs while we were in Deer Valley. They came up a few days before we left and then stayed a few days after we got back. It was perfect to get two mini visits with them. They also got to pretend that they already lived in Denver for a week and just relax here.

Aurora started Kindergarten at The Logan School! She has loved it from second one and never had a moment of being nervous or scared, just super super excited. Coming from the girl who cried almost every time we dropped her off at Temple Emanuel that is really saying something.

Connor also started school! He is a Squirrel Nutkin -- 2's class at Paddington Station :) He goes MWF mornings and seems pretty happy. It is a whole new experience so he is rightly a little cautious, but we haven't had any tears yet so, YAY!

Cooper at 10 months -- I can't believe I don't have any notes here for July or August!! Yikes.

June 2016

We took a trip down to Texas to get all the cousins together. A bunch of the cousins are old enough now to really remember and enjoy each other which is so sweet to see. This year we went to Dallas and stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge. It is a super kid friendly hotel with bunk beds in the rooms and and indoor water park. Aurora's favorite part was the MagiQuest that she did with Dad where they had to complete scavenger hunt type challenges. I was really stressed about the trip before we left because Matt had a business trip come up last minute which left me to fly alone with the kids. Thankfully I have the best husband on the planet and he found a way to come home early and surprise me. 

Aurora and Brynn showing off their tattoos

Connor is starting to love the word no and is protesting direction a lot more. He is still refusing to nap a good portion of the time so I wonder whether he is starting to give it up or not. He also talks to everyone he meets. He asks random people on the sidewalk what their names are or how they are doing. The other day in the grocery store Connor told me “Mama I love you… and I love him” (in reference to a random older man in the produce section) He cracks me up. And apparently he cracks Aurora up too because she told me that Connor's jokes are her favorite thing about him. Cuties.

 

I am loving having Aurora home for the summer. Everyone seems to get along better when we spend more time together and we aren't so worn out from the school schedule. Aurora had Inspire Camp and Avid4Adventure the first three weeks of the summer but since then we have mostly just been hanging around. I am very curious to see if eye therapy is going to help Aurora's headaches. She sat out at least half of her week of Avid because she just felt so awful.

Aurora at Avid4

Aurora and Dad heading to Beauty and the Beast

-- Cooper at 8 months --

Separation anxiety has set in big time for Cooper. He has never been a super low maintenance baby, but now he has to be in my arms or on my lap which is exhausting.

He has figured out how to sit up all by himself. This did make him a bit happier for a little while but it didn't last long. He has also pulled himself up to standing at least once but doesn't do it very often. 

We are finally really starting solids. I had stopped feeding solid food a few weeks ago because he got really constipated. The pediatrician said to avoid things like banana and sweet potato and instead focus on things like peas and blueberries. Peas were an instant hit but he hasn't taken to blueberries yet.

Cooper has a tooth!

He is finally starting to  lengthen his sleep time! He is sleeping from 6 until almost 2 then a wake up 4 and again at 5 or 5:15 when he is up for the day. This guy has always struggled with the early morning wake ups.

He is still on two naps at 8:30 and 1 which both last about an hour and 20 minutes.

May 2016

Preschool is over... How do I have a kindergartener already?! I am really going to miss taking Aurora to Miss Katie and Miss Sharon everyday for school. They really have an amazing way of dealing with the kids and working through any issues that come up.

Mother's Day Tea at Inspire

We finally had Aurora's 5 year pediatrician appointment. She has been complaining of headaches just about everyday for the past... month? They told us headaches at her age are usually dehydration but if drinking more water doesn't help I am going to take her to get her vision checked. The only thing I can think of is that she has been reading A LOT more recently and I think it coordinates to when the headaches started.

Cousin Julie came to visit

Aurora got her real violin! And just in time for her first concert. She was so proud standing up in front of everyone and having a violin just like all the bigger kids.

Aurora's first violin recital

First time holding her violin

I am finally getting around to using the family responsibilities charts that Matt and I got the kids for Christmas. I have tried giving them jobs before but have always failed due to my own forgetting not any resistance on their part. Aurora has been unloading the dishwasher (which is an amazing blessing for me in the morning) and Connor has been feeding the dogs.

Connor has recently decided to start acting like the two and a half year old that he is. He is getting quite an opinion about everything. There have been a lot more tears than usual and a lot more refusal. He has also been only napping about 50% of the time which doesn't help. The other night I was lying in bed giving him kisses and he looked up at me and said, "Mama, I love your kissed... but now go" Ha.

Connor and Knox

 

Aurora has been reading all.the.time. I usually try to limit her reading to quiet time because it is one of the few times that she and Connor do not get along. He wants to sit and be a part of what she is doing and she wants him to leave her alone. And the other night I went into her room to check on her and I found chapter books hidden under her bed. Apparently she has been opening her window to get light and reading instead of going to sleep. That girl.

I have never really liked requiring a child to say they are sorry because saying doesn't actually mean they are sorry.  If one of the kids does something to the other they have to go over and ask if the hurt one is okay and what they can do to help. It is super cute that lately they have been answering "you can give me a hug and a kiss" awwww.

Matt and I decided that even though the kids don't watch much TV, they had started watching more of it on weekend mornings with Dad and it seems to be negatively impacting their behavior towards each other and us. We are going to try cutting it out except for times when we all want to sit down as a family and watch something together. I am excited to see if this helps all the poor behavior we have been seeing.

-- Cooper at 7 months --

Cooper is sitting up completely independently! He hasn't figured out how to get himself up to a seated position yet but we went ahead and dropped his mattress because I would hate to learn he had figured it out by finding him on the floor in the middle of the night.

He has been pulling up to standing by holding onto our hands. He wants to stand so badly!

This boy hates tummy time. I have been trying to do more of it with him since he is showing no signs of crawling, but it isn't worth the tears.

I have finally decided to stop being lazy about food and get him on some solids. Nursing is just so much easier...

He is solidly on two naps -- 8:30 and 1

Nights are starting to turn!! He has been going to sleep really well and he has been going back to sleep some of the times with just some extra white noise. He has been waking 3-4 times but only getting fed at 1 and 4 which has thankfully caused an increase in day intake. I offer pretty frequently and he eats before and after each nap as well as once in the middle of his awake time.