Holiday Card 2010

Joy Peace Love Holiday

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Rick Marshall

We let Cooper watch Land of the Lost all the time. I know, it isn't appropriate for a four year old, but he loves it. Who are we to stand in the way of a four year old's favorite movie?

This version of Land of the Lost stars Will Ferrell as Dr. Rick Marshall. Another Will Ferrell movie was on the other night and Blake was watching it. Both Evan and Cooper watched it too - Old School. Another completely inappropriate movie for kids, but whatever.

Anyway, as Old School was playing, Cooper turned to his dad and asked, "What is Rick Marshall doing in this movie?"

Blake had to explain that there is no Rick Marshall. That Rick Marshall is actually Will Ferrell. That Will Ferrell is an actor. That Land of the Lost isn't a real place.

Next thing you know, Cooper's going to wonder if Santa Claus is real.

Family Photo Shoot Fall 2010

Check out this video I made on Animoto. It's free to use! And you don't have to be a genius to use it!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Ear Bug

I'm a little late posting this story, but it deserves a post. We'll want to remember this one day, I'm sure...

So, I pick Coop up at the sitter's and she tells me Coop said a bug flew in his ear. She's got the tweezers out and is trying to locate it, telling me that she got a hold of it and pulled a wing off. I take a look and can't see a thing, but I'm concerned enough to call the pediatrician. They tell me I need to bring him in right away - the bug has to come out.

So I drop Evan at Van and Cheryl's, pick up Blake, and we're off to KC to the pediatrician - who, by the way, is open in the evening for sick kids! I didn't know this! Yay! Saved an ER visit! Yay!

I told Coop on the way down that there would probably be some water in his ear while the doctor tried to get the bug out. He didn't seem to concerned - he really wasn't acting like it was hurting too much. While we were in the waiting room, I asked Coop if the bug was his friend. He told me that it wasn't. I asked him if he wanted to name the bug and he told me he'd call the bug "Butthole". That's my boy I know and love!

When the doctor comes in, he tries to water pic the bug out. The bug won't budge. He digs around. The bug won't budge. Coop handled the water pic ok. But the digging around was a whole other story. You can consider Coop really pissed at this point. Then the doc gets the water pic out again and it takes all three of us to hold Coop down. It was awful, but the bug finally came out. And there was a lot of blood.

We were concerned that Coop's ear drum had burst, and we made a follow up appointment for the following week. When we took him back, the doc said that his ear drum was fine. Apparently there was enough blood when they finally got the bug out that he couldn't tell, but now that it was healing, he could see that the bug had actually burrowed in to the side of Coop's ear canal! WTH!

But Cooper's a trooper. He mentioned "Butthole the Bug" tonight, but otherwise, he's fine! What a freaking deal.

Stupid Cats

Evan loves the movie "Aristocats". She watches it every day at our babysitter's house. When I picked the kids up tonight, she told me that Evan tore up her Aristocats movie - it was a VHS tape and Evan pulled the tape out. So tonight at dinner, I told Blake to ask Evan about tearing up the movie.

Blake: Evan, did you tear up Aristocats today?
Evan: Uh huh.
Blake: Why did you do that?
Evan: Cause I wanted to.
Blake: Why?
Evan: Stupid cats.

Please remember that Evan turned two in June. Wow. We're in trouble.

Cooper the Comic

A "funny" courtesy of Cooper...

Cooper: Where's Mom going?
Dad: She went inside to get you something to drink.
Cooper: She's pretty nice.
Dad: Yep, she is.
Cooper: But sometimes she gets pissy, right?

Gotcha!

Evan is, quite possibly, the world's best when it comes to ignoring someone when they want to take her picture. That's why this one is so special.

I AM Needed!

Had to leave for work early today and left Blake in charge of getting the kids dressed and off to the sitter's. He sent Evan without any shoes. See, I am needed.

Blue

Me: Evan, what color is the sky?
Evan: Blue.
Me: Good girl! What color is the water?
Evan: Blue.
Me: You're so smart, Evan! How about that cow over there... What color is that cow?
Evan: Blue!

Aw. Nice try kiddo.

Windows 7

I love my new computer. I don't love Windows 7.

I was told by an Adobe customer service rep that the reason my Photoshop wouldn't work with my new computer was because my older version wasn't compatable with Windows 7. So I went out and bought the most recent version and loaded it. It didn't work. After spending 4 hours on the Adobe forums, I found a way to fix it, but it's still a little glitchy. And I'm wondering if the fix I found wouldn't have worked for my older version.

As if that wasn't enough, when I finally went to print something the other night, lo and behold, my printer isn't compatable with Windows 7. Now I have to buy a new printer.

I don't love Windows 7.

Garage Sale

As I was leaving for work today, I asked Blake to make sure he left the garage door unlocked in case the guys came to put up our new overhead garage doors. Cooper, from the back seat and with so much sincerity in his voice, said, "Did you get them at the garage sale?" I thought I might die laughing. It was the perfect start to my day.

New Toy

I got a new computer. I got a new computer. I got a new computer. Na na na na na. :)

Well, at least half of a new computer. The monitor is here. The computer is coming tomorrow.

Yippee!

Cooper is Four

Cooper just turned four and we had his party on Friday night. Originally scheduled for Saturday night, we sort of scrambled to throw it together a day earlier so all the cousins could be here. Cause what's a party without your cousins, right?

I'm really looking forward to year four. Year three was a little challenging. Everyone says that the terrible twos are the worst, but I'd be glad to swap some stories from year three and compare. We've already seen more maturity from Cooper in the last couple of months - fewer fits and less talking back. And he's hilarious. But one thing we've still got to work on? His potty mouth. Well, maybe I should work on my own potty mouth and then we wouldn't have a problem. :)

Evan Turns Two

My baby girl turned 2 in June. When did she get so big? When did her hair get so long? When did she starting talking? I promised myself I wouldn't forget a minute, but it's all gone by in a rush.

We partied with family at our house again this year. In the picture below, she's trying her very hardest not to smile while we all sing the happy birthday song.

She got lots of good loot, including her very own fishing pole. We haven't tried it yet, mostly because I'm still not over the fact that she fell in the pond on a recent family fishing outing.

With their birthdays so close together, it's bound to happen that Coop and Evan will get a gift they can share. This year, they got a Mustang GT convertible from Granny and Granddad. How cute are they as they drive off in to the sunset?

I am so completely lucky to have such a vivacious little girl in my life. She's beautiful and sweet. She's loving and a little daring. She's petite and kind of spunky. Right now, it's hard to imagine that when she's thirteen she'll hate me just because I'm her mother. Unfortunately, you know it will happen.

Pure Joy

This is quite possibly my favorite picture of all time. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but I can think of two words that completely describe this picture - pure joy.

Evan's Dress #2

I've had this done for a while now... Ta da!

Birthday Blitz

In two weeks, I'll have a two year old. And two more weeks after that, I'll have a four year old. Where has the time gone?

Froggy Went A Courtin'

Froggy has a girlfriend. And she lives way way down the road. That's the only reason I can think for a bullfrog - who normally lives in a pond - to be in the middle of our yard.

This froggy caught Cooper's eye while he rode the lawn mower with Blake. The frog was HUGE!


Here's the whole family trying to coax the frog in to a nice container to be transported from our yard...

I hope Froggy eventually finds his girlfriend. Next time he might not be so lucky to be spotted before the mower gets him.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

According to Cooper, every hidey hole, every tent-like structure, every place where a little person can hide or perch, is called a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Aside from watching the TV show of the same name, I don't know where he comes up with this stuff. Well, now he and Evan have a permanent Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in the backyard.

Bye Bye Binkie

The plan is to get rid of Evan's binkie. We'll see how this goes. Updates to follow soon. I doubt they will be positive.

Happy Birthday, Blog!

My first post was on April 30 of last year. My blog is one year old!!!

I Did It!

I ran a 5k last Saturday!!! My time wasn't great, but I enjoyed the weird sense of accomplishment I felt when it was over.

I had a great time with my friends afterwards too. Although I felt like we were the oldest people in the bar, I smiled non-stop. In fact, we giggled like school girls for most of the night, and it was totally great.

When I ran on Monday, I was all ticked off that my time totally sucked on Saturday at the race, and I was able to run it 3 minutes faster than ever before. I really really really wanted to quit like four times, but I kept running.

My new goal is to run a 5k race in 30 minutes. I can do this.

Serious Runner?

Now don't get me wrong, I'm no speed demon. But, I am to a point where I am running about 11 to 12 miles a week. And I'm quite proud of myself. I ran track in high school and college, but I was a sprinter and jumper. I never thought I could run three consecutive miles. But I can and I have been doing it consistently. This weekend, I even ran in the rain. Twice.

My first official 5k race is next weekend. It won't really be a race for me - the only person I plan to race is myself. My goal is to finish it in a better time than what I have been doing on my own. But if it goes ok, I am going to commit to running one 5k race a month thru September. There's one in Des Moines in June, one in Chillicothe in July, one in Corydon in August and another one in Chillicothe in September.

And through all of this, if this last 20 pounds doesn't come off, I'm getting liposuction. Seriously. Totally serious. I don't know who's gonna pay for it, but it's happening.

Fishing/Swimming

Not the most flattering picture of Evan, but after you fall in the pond face first when all you're trying to do is swirl a little stick around in the water while the rest of the family fishes, you're really in no mood to get your picture taken. All I could do was scream when she fell in, but Blake pulled her out by her hoodie. Had to leave the pond in a hurry to get that girl home and get her muddy clothes off and in to a hot bath. She and I haven't been fishing since.

Ready

I ran 3.1 miles on Friday. I ran 3.1 miles today. No walking either time. I think I'm ready for the 5k. Really ready for the girls night out afterwards!

Not Yet

The other night, Cooper was whining his way through supper as he usually does. His newest excuse for not eating the vegetable on his plate, which happened to be broccoli? "But Mom, I don't like broccoli yet." Not sure when he's going to like it... 1 month? 1 year?

Evan's Dress #1

I told you I was Martha Stewart. Still working on number two... This is taking slightly longer than I originally thought. They are summer dress patterns, so I have some motivation to get them done before September.

Just Call Me Martha (as in Martha Stewart)

I've been on vacation for a week now and I have another week off. Whew. I really think I needed this.

I had some goals for my first week of vacation. I took the kids to the sitter this past week, but I'm keeping them all of next week. While I was on my own, I wanted to take a two hour nap. Check. I wanted to organize pictures. Check. I wanted to order prints and get them put in to C and E's photo albums. Half check - they're ordered but not in yet. I wanted to do some shopping. Check. Check. I went twice. :) I wanted to explore my crafty side. Sorta check...

I bought a new sewing machine. Blake about had a cow, like he always does anytime I spend money. To give you a point of reference, we're not talking major money here. It cost $85, and he still had a cow. Well, technically, he doesn't have cows. Because he hates to spend money, he gives me his infamous WTH look and rolls his eyes. Whatever.

I'm going to sew some simple dresses for Evan. I'm going to go to my parent's house next week, and my mom is going to give me a refresher course on sewing. It has been 15 or more years since I last sewed, so I think I'll need it.

My mom went with me to get the fabric, and I think I could become obsessive about this. Now, not only am I going to make Evan three dresses, I'm also going to make her a ruffled bottom diaper cover and a bag for myself.

Really, I blame the internet. Here's how I got to this point: I saw a cute handmade dress for Evan but it was $68. Blake would have freaked (see sewing machine comment above), so I decided I could make the dress. I went online and found the pattern on Etsy and a similar fabric by Amy Butler. Then I decided I needed the new sewing machine. Then I fumbled around Etsy some more and found the ruffled bottom bloomers pattern. Then I stumbled around Amy Butler's website and got totally wrapped up in her bag patterns. And now here I am, feeling very crafty.

Also, while cruising around the internet, I saw some professional pictures of little girls in their bloomers and dresses and thought, "I can do that too". So I went out an bought a little chair for a prop and I painted another one that belongs to my inlaws. Viola!

I took these pis of Evan today in a pair of embroidered bloomers that were a baby gift. She finally grew in to them. I used Elements to edit them a bit and give them distinct looks, but I am satisfied with the end result. And if you have any doubts about my craftiness, check out Evan's super cute flower hair thingy - I made that.

My priority for my crafting items is first to get Evan's dresses done, then to do her ruffled diaper cover, then my bag. I'll post pics of all this stuff when I get it done.

Add the total $ for the fabric, patterns, machine, sewing notions, chair and spray paint and it seems as though my "whatever you can do I can do better" attitude is starting to be kinda costly. Maybe Blake was right to freak out about the $85 sewing machine. Maybe I should have just spent the $68 on the dress. Nah. Where's the fun in that?

5k Update

Week one of workouts is done and successfully completed. The workout got much easier by day six.

Today I started a new workout. More running, less walking. Remarkably, I feel ok. Still nowhere near ready for the 5k, but getting closer all the time.

Leaving a Trail

When Cooper gets quiet, you know he's up to something.

When I didn't hear him earlier tonight, I hollered for him and he said, "I'm in here, Mom" and he came bouncing out of his room with a salt shaker.

At about the same time I asked him what he was doing, I felt it between my toes. According to Cooper, he was "leaving a trail." For what, I'm not sure. He dumped salt all over the house.

Maybe not a big deal if you have carpet, but when you live in a house with hardwood floors, all the sweeping in the world doesn't get rid of a half a shaker full of salt.

Cooper's Basketball Debut

And so it begins.

I am so excited to share Cooper's basketball debut! I need to learn to use my camera on moving objects in low light, but I'll have plenty of time to practice in the future.

Here he is on a breakaway. That's my boy!

And here he is with Blake. He ran off the court and was terribly upset. He wanted the team to play with the blue ball. And apparently, if you can't play with the blue ball, the game just ain't worth playing.

And this must be where he ended up with rug burn on his forehead.

He didn't score, but he had fun. That's what we were hoping for. We get to do it all again next Saturday - I just hope someone brings a blue ball.

May Day 5k

I have committed to run a 5k on May 1. I got a workout plan online - Couch Potato to 5k. Sounds about right. I am three days in and more sore than I thought possible. Somehow, I think it's gonna get worse before it gets better.

Sore Eye

When I went to bed last night, I did my nightly routine. When I removed my contacts, I thought I scratched my left eye. It kinda hurt, but not too bad. But when I got up this morning, it was still sore and I could barely drive because it was sensitive to the light. I asked my mother-in-law to take me to the eye doctor. I thought that maybe I had pink eye, and I didn't want to have to deal with it the whole weekend without treatment.

I was reminded of being in college and having pink eye in both eyes. My college roommate had to drive me to the eye doctor because my eyes were watering too much to drive on that sunny day, and we giggled the whole way there and the whole way back. She drove my car - a five speed - and she'd never driven one before. It's still funny when I think about it now.

Turns out today's trip to the eye doctor wasn't anything to laugh about. I have a corneal ulcer. Here's what WebMD has to say about corneal ulcers: A corneal ulcer is a true emergency. The ulcer can spread and you can become partially or fully blind in a very short period of time.

So, I have my eye doctor's home and cell phone numbers and I'm supposed to let him know if I don't see improvement. I'm using my antibiotic eye drops religiously. I'm scheduled for an appointment on Monday and another one on Friday. We'll see how this goes. Pun intended.

Those Darn All American Rejects

Those darn All American Rejects. Why did they have to create such a catchy tune? One that's so easy to sing along to that even a three year old can do it?

Yesterday, while me, Cooper, and Evan were shopping, Cooper kept singing their song, "When you see my face, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell. When you walk my way, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell." Over and over again. No matter how many times I told him that the song wasn't nice. And he was singing it really loud.

I told Blake when we got home. He thought it was hilarious. But then again, he wasn't walking around Kohl's with a singing, cussing toddler.

Why I Heart Photoshop Elements

This picture is well over a year old. Blake snapped it one evening long before I got my Canon, so the straight out of the camera shot isn't a great quality. Even low quality, Evan looks so gorgeous in it. But, there's always room for improvement, right? First thing, crop me out of it. Better already.

If you have Elements and you can download stuff off the internet, unzip and extract information from your download, then copy and paste it to the right place, you can go from this photo...


To this photo...



Isn't she perfect? I heart Photoshop Elements. I'm beginning to think that Elements might even be able to make me look good in a photo.

Big Girl Bed

I love our baby crib, it's beautiful. We bought it when I was pregnant with Cooper and it's in Evan's room now. But neither of my children slept in it - ever. So I had no problem selling it. No sentimental value. Sold it last week.

One of my friends says that her family is very European - she and her husband let their kids sleep with them. I guess we're very European too, in a way. Cooper and Blake sleep in Cooper's room and Evan sleeps with me in the master bedroom. It works for us. And Blake and I work out visitation. It's all good. Actually, did you know that the American culture is one of the few cultures that feels that families shouldn't sleep in a "family bed"? But I digress. I had a point here...

Over the last few weeks, Evan has started going to bed by herself in my bed. This new development, coupled with the fact that I sold her bed, signaled to me that it was time for a big girl bed.

So I went all out. She's getting a canopy bed. She is a princess, and what little princess sleeps in anything but a big canopy bed? It will be a transition from my bed to hers, but we'll take it slowly.

Friends and Basketball

Last night, I had a wonderful time with three girls I went to high school with. Three of us were best friends in high school, the other gal wasn't someone we were particulary close with until recent years.

The four of us played basketball together and eventually won the state championship. We decided we were going to go to a high school basketball game at our old school. When we walked in, I swear, some of the old timers who go to nearly every game got teary-eyed seeing half of the 1995 team back together! Being a part of that team was such a big moment in our lives, and it's awesome to know that so many people in our small town felt and still feel the same way.

The four of us probably spent more time chatting than watching basketball, and it was worth every minute. I don't know why we don't get together more! We left our kids with their dads last night, but we set a date to get together with our kids sometime in March. I couldn't be looking forward to it more.

By the way, both the boys and girls team won. Both teams are state ranked, too. I think the boys have a real shot at making it to the final four this year. And if they do, I can guarantee that the four of us will be in the stands chatting and cheering them on.

All About Cooper

I took last week off. And I was way more worn out than I ever am from going to work all week! I ran all over the world it seemed, doing errands I don't normally do. One thing I did was to take Cooper to the dentist for only the second time ever. The first time was about a year ago, and he was so wild, I didn't think I would ever take him back. But, he was a perfect angel while we were there and I was so proud of my big boy. And according to the dentist, he has wonderful teeth.

My big boy also has decided he's potty trained. Every one kept telling me that when he was ready, it would be done just like that. I never believed them. I just thought they were trying to make me feel better because their kids used the potty. But all the sudden, he decided he was going to use the potty, and he hasn't looked back.

He's also made a huge improvement with his speech therapy. In fact, I don't think we'll have to go back after the school year ends this spring.

Seems like only yesterday that I held him for the very first time. He's growing so fast. Better not blink - he'll be graduating from high school before I know it.

Rub A Dub Dub

Here's a couple of long overdue and updated pics of Cooper and Evan. Is there anything cuter than babies in a bathtub?

What's great with these particular photos? I finally figured out how to download Photoshop Element actions and use them! Check out the before and afters! The action I used on these pictures really makes the image sharper and gives them a little pop of color.

Cooper - Before

Cooper - After

Evan - Before

Evan - After

Let me give credit where credit is due - you can download actions for your own version of Photoshop Elements at http://www.coffeeteaphotography.blogspot.com/. The action I used here is called Little Perk.

And Cooper's black eye? That's the product of falling from a bar stool and hitting another bar stool on the way down. It happened at the babysitter's house - she said he took it like a champ!

Mr. Ornothology

I married Mr. Ornothology. I knew that Blake was fascinated by birds when I married him, so I knew what I was getting. And after a while, some of his fascination has (reluctantly) rubbed off on me. I will never be able to identify species of ducks with a mere glance and I will never never never have a north American bird book and check birds off as I see them, but I know a bald eagle when I see one.

This little birdie was visiting when we had a lot of snow on the ground, and I think this picture is so neat - all the fog and the snow and a lone bird on a tree.

New Computer

I want a new computer. Really really really bad. I thought I should just go ahead and blog about it, because the last time I wanted a major electronic item (digital SLR camera), I blogged about it, and lo and behold, my husband went out and bought one for me.

So, what the hell. It's worth a shot. Here's what I want:

• Dell Studio XPS 8100
• i5 processor
• 8 GB memory
• 750 GB hard drive
• 22 inch widescreen monitor
• nVidia GeForce GTS240 1024MB GDDR3 video card (make sure you upgrade the video card!)
• wireless card

After all, Valentine's Day is coming up...

Blame It On the Dog

This week, the DVD player wasn't working. Blake started to take it apart to see if he could fix it - although I don't know why, he doesn't know anything about fixing electronics.

Remember those view finder thingy-majigs from when we were little? You put the little reel in the view finder and you can see pictures of all sorts of things. Well, Cooper got the updated version of the view finder for Christmas. These days they make them with a sound card.

Now, I will say that the reels that go in the view finder are about the same size as a DVD. You see where I'm going with this story, right? You guessed it. One of the two small children that live in my house decided to put a view finder in the DVD player and Blake discovered it when he was attempting to take it apart.

I have a suspicion that it was the littlest person in the house that put the reel in the DVD player, not Cooper, but nonetheless, Blake asked Cooper how it got in there. Cooper's reply, "The dog did it."

His response makes me think that we have some "the dog ate my homework" days in our future.