The one where Cooper makes me belly laugh...

So I thought this would be a funny one to share, Cooper says the funniest things... (Addison will be there one day, she is almost making complete sentences!!) But, I think I get in a good belly laugh daily from Cooper daily on the things he says. He’s becoming quite the Christian, scholar and teenager… so with that, I hope you enjoy this as much as me-

The last time we were at McDonald's, my juice box did not have a straw, so I had to drink it like a beer.

Mom Jesus told me I don’t have to eat all my food.

Me: Cooper what is your sister doing?

Cooper: I don’t know, she’s being quite as a mouse.

Mommy did you know that witch and bitch rhyme?

Mommy, are there bad people in this world? Is it because they don’t know Jesus?

Uncle David told me that when I fall down and get a boo boo, I need to be tough. I need to be a tough guy all the time. (If you didn't know, David is our USMC devil dog!)

I slept in a really long time today, like daddy, so I can be big and strong.

Mom, you need to drink water all day long. It helps you poop.

Mom, I need you to do me a favor today, can you vacuum my room again?

Mommy, I slept with my eyes closed last night, did you know that?

You know, now that I think about it... I actually may take some of his advice, he is pretty smart for a 4 year old!

LOVE

The one with our resolution...

This year, we made resolutions like millions of others, to stay fit and work out. But for us, I hope its a life style change. We are already into March and I can tell you we have stuck to our new lifestyle. The key is having someone to work out with to hold you accountable AND just pull the trigger and sign up for races, so you have no choice!

A few weekends ago we ran the Gate River Run, 15K. That's just over 9 miles. We were so excited that it was finally race day. Race days are FUN! Especially this race.... thousands of spectators cheering you on, even more people running and motivating you- all for the "free t-shirt" and "free beer".  The spectators hand out everything from mimosas, to sliced oranges, hot dogs, beer to Popsicles. And trust me, we indulged on it all. Nothing like a little spike in energy after a mimosa shot! However, despite our 3 months of training, we didn't run as fast as we would have liked. But the important thing is we finished and we had fun doing it. It will just give us motivation next year, Run Forrest Run.

So on to the next race, which is an easy one- a Wine and Chocolate 5K. It brings a whole new meaning to will run for wine, yes please! In May, we are doing something we haven't done before- a sprint triathlon!! We will be swimming .25 of a mile, biking 15 miles and running 3 miles. Did I mention the swimming is in the Atlantic and great whites have been tagged out in those waters!!? If that doesn't get me moving faster, I don't know what will. I'm totally nervous about the swimming. I can swim, but I am not swimmer- like Josh. That's one of his strong suits. So I need the weather to warm up so I can start to practice!

The goal by October/ November time is to do another 1/2 marathon. We were into running before kids so I am hoping to keep this momentum going... only took about 5 years to get back in it!

Here are some fun race day pictures!!

LOVE

The one where we go green...

We are finally living off the land and are loving it. We partnered with our neighbor, Ed, who was born to do this stuff. He is teaching us everything we need to know. And the key to the soil, is horse manure. True Story. Trailer loads of it.... While it may stink up the yard for a few days, it makes the soil rich and bountiful!  We have had a huge success with the winter plants such as broccoli, kale, winter greens, lettuce, turnips, spinach, onions and garlic. Not to mention the usual herbs. We have been making salads from the garden nightly. Last night we steamed fresh, handpicked broccoli. It was the best ever! Addison, of course loved it. The garden is such a great learning tool for the kids as well. Cooper is so interested in it from picking out his own seeds to plant to getting excited when he starts to see sprouts. He loves helping Daddy and Ed with whatever task they have for the garden that day. Hopefully Cooper will learn to love the food we grow. He didn't plant carrots. So in a few months he should be heaven. Since spring is quickly approaching, all our winter plants are starting to go to seed, which means we can plant more fruit! I don't quite have the green thumb yet, so I wait until Ed tells me what we can plant. So this weekend we are on the hunt for berries and cucumbers. Cooper also has watermelon seeds, lets see how that goes!

Now all we need are chickens! And maybe some goats.... oh what about cows?! Maybe Turkeys too.... LOL seriously though- I want a few laying chickens :)

LOVE

The one with Daddy's new job...

It's official, Josh is knees deep in his new job. This isn't just a new job, its a career change. He was offered a great opportunity with a new company, something completely out of his comfort zone and he took it!!!! So so so happy for him. He is always thinking of his family, always. While this job brings stress, it is nothing like the Siemens/ Evoqua stress. He can leave his work at work!!! YEA!!!! He now is a Regional Director at The CSI Companies. They are an IT recruiting/ staffing company. Josh is their new main squeeze, sales of course. Josh can sell ice to an eskimo. He is already making great headway and its only been a month. The best part about it, they are a young company and by young I mean everyone is 20-40 years of age, they are all into working out and a handful of our great friends work there. Needless to say he is loving. We all know grass isn't always greener on the other side, but Josh and I have done a lot of praying about his career path and God opened this door, so we all walked right on through. (P.S. I tried to take a picture of Josh on his first day of work, but he wouldn't let me!!! ha-ha!!)

So, with my long winded, Josh got a new job- you know what else he got??? As Cooper says, "My Daddy has the fastest TRUCK!" Yes sir, that's right, He finally got his Tundra Back! It's not the exact same (close enough!!) but just as nice, just as fast and he is just as in love! The first few nights of the Tundra sitting in the driveway, I'd walk around the house looking for Josh and by now I have caught on, If he isn't inside, he is in the drive way vacuuming, polishing, washing, shinning tires, you name it. The kids love it. Anytime we go anywhere as a family now, they want to ride in Daddy's truck. And you know what, I love it too! Something about a man in a truck, gotta love it.

Addison's birthday was a success. Her party was great. She got a ton of cute cute clothes (I need to find in my size) and toys as always, but her favorite thing was the chap-stick. Ha!!! So in the future, if you want to make Addie really really happy, give her chap-stick! And it just turns out that February 22, 2015 was a gorgeous day for the beach. So we packed up the kids (in the new truck of course) got their favorite- popcorn chicken from Publix, cookies and watermelon and enjoyed the warm sun for Addie's 2nd birthday... I couldn't ask for a better family to call mine!!!

LOVE!

The one where Princess Addison is TWO...

We have officially moved to the toddler stage. Miss Addison is in full force. She makes her own decisions, picks out her own clothes, eats like a big girl, loves jewelry and high heels and is truly daddy’s little girl. She adores him. They dance in the kitchen together when Daddy gest home from work. Daddy can do no wrong!! It’s so awesome to see her personality shine through. She has a heart of gold and always, always has a smile on her face. She’s into whatever Cooper is into, which involves stealing his dog and running, she loves being outside and playing on her swing set, she loves her books and her babies and of course her “TT” (or blankie) and she LOVES LOVES LOVES to eat. Some of her favorite foods are green peas, corn on the cob, cheese, black olives and anything daddy grills. Addison is super picky about the shoes she wears, so often times I put her in her socks and load her up in the car so when we get to where we are going she doesn’t have an option but to wear the shoes I picked. Oh lord, I see this as a preface for those teenage years.

We are working on potty training and taking it slow. She is now used to sitting on the toilet, several times a day. But she just hasn’t figured it out quite yet, but I need to spend more time with her. I need one naked weekend with her and she will pick it right up. She’s begun taking off her own diaper when she poops and handing it to me. Ya, that’s fun and not messy at all!

Addison, unlike her brother did, likes to throw mini tantrums when she doesn’t get her way. She’ll throw herself on the floor (usually it’s on the carpet!) and cry. Her favorite word is No, which is really her Yes! (We will work on that before she starts dating!) Her new favorite movie is Charlotte Web, which she calls Oink, very fitting if you ask me. Charlotte is too hard to say. Don’t worry, she is still obsessed with Frozen, but mommy needed a break from that on the TV. Her vocabulary is becoming quite large, still most words only a Mom can figure out. Her hugs are the best, when those little arms wrap around your neck and she squeezes, I’m in heaven. Oh these moments when she still wants to be rocked and read to will be cherished forever. I can’t believe she is already 2. No more babies in this house. But I am lovin every minute of it and I am so thankful to be able to stay at home with these kiddos.

Happy Birthday Sweet Addison, you are loved by so many!!

LOVE

The one with the Holiday Hustle….

I can’t believe how quickly this 2014 has come and gone. It’s 2015, really? We had a wonderful holiday season. We tried to slow life down and actually enjoy it. Instead of fighting the crowds and bringing 2 children in and out of every store, we decided to do much of our shopping on Amazon.com. This was amazing!! The kids got a great big gift. The whole family chipped in and we got Cooper and Addison a swing set for the backyard, guess where we got it??? Amazon! The catch there was Josh and his friend Tommy had to put it together….. and 8.5 hours later- you have a glorious playground that the kids LOVE. And the best part is, Cooper isn’t scared of swings anymore. Yay. In fact he likes to go high and fast! They both just love it.

 

We enrolled the kids in school, a wonderful well rounded Christian School, Mandarin Presbyterian! It’s a little bit further of a drive, but the school and tearchers are amazing. Both kids LOVED it. Cooper didn’t even want to go home. Cooper will actually begin VPK (voluntary pre kindergarten). Where did my baby boy go?? VPK is state funded and is FREE!!!!!! Woot woot. Thank you Florida. And Miss Addison will go Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Both go until noon. So it’s a great school geared towards stay at home mamas. What am I going to do for 4 hours alone? I may just sit in silence. LOL. Seriously, I’ll definitely be sad to send my babies off, but relieved for some solo grocery shopping.

 

Oh my gosh, with all the hustle, I almost forgot to mention the newest addition to the household! A kiki cat! His name is Miles ( or as Addison calls him, Mo Mo) - he’s fluffy and so sweet! We actually got him from Uncle Curt. He lets Cooper pick him up and carry him around, very mild mannered and friendly. I know some cats can be harsh, but we really lucked out!

 

Cooper and Addison are really growing to love one another. Not that they didn’t before, but now they play together, talk to one another, encourage one another and of course pick on one another. It makes my heart full to see them interact, they are best friends {most of the time} J They are on the same schedule now, which makes is SO much easier on me. They even wake up at the same time. The best is with both of them come in our bedroom in the morning to wake us up. They snuggle us and we watch cartoons. Now the king size bed is really paying off. I started working with Addison on potty training. Boy would this mama LOVE to be out of diapers. I know my bank account would love it too. She’s not scared of it, in fact loves to sit on it, so we have jumped that hurtle. Now the hard part…. Actually using the potty! Wish me luck. I hear girls are easier than boys, I’ll let you know!

 

LOVE

The one where my baby is 4...

Each birthday is bittersweet. This year was so much fun watching Cooper open his gifts with excitement. He did a little dance or “jig” with each gift he opened, I just couldn’t help but love it. I thought to myself wow, it gets better each year. His personality is blossoming, he’s wearing his “big boy” pants and he isn’t a toddler anymore. However, as we do each birthday, we reflect. I can’t help but get a little sad inside to know I practically blinked and BAM I have a four year old. At four, he is fully potty trained (night time too)… for any other mom reading this, potty training is probably one of the greatest accomplishments of the toddler years. Let’s see, at 4 we are also having conversations, even though we may be shy at times. He is a pretty good communicator; let’s face it- he’s male, so how really great do they get. Am I right? Cooper got a bike for his birthday so he will be learning to ride a bike. I know your probably thinking,  gee, kind of late right? Well what had happened was…. for his 3^rd birthday he got a dirt bike and learned to ride that. He has learned how to chop wood, count, swim, say the ABC’s, do puzzles, play games and tattle on his sissy. We are still working on the sharing part. He’s got some OCD in him too. He loves to organize, clean and make is bed. Every toy, book, shoe, train, animal etc has its own “spot”. He’s so much fun and his little laugh is contagious. He will ask for something and I say sure, here you go. And you know what his reply is? “Thanks Mom, you’re the best!”  He’s so sweet, a true blessing from God and I am proud to be his mommy!

He told me, Mom this is the best birthday! We took him camping and boy did he love it- ALL SMILES!

Happy Birthday Cooper

LOVE