Pumpkin Patch Express - Part 2

Cooper and his Daddy in front of the HUGE pumpkin!

Decisions, decisions! Which one should I choose?

Having fun in the corn maze!

Pumpkin Patch Express - Part 1

Cooper is currently in love with anything to do with trains so we thought it would be a good idea to take him to ride the "Pumpkin Patch Express." It was a huge hit! We got to ride a train to a field that was setup as a pumpkin patch. They also had tons of kids activities there also! And they were all for kids Cooper's age so he had a blast!

Here's a picture of our "ride" - ha!

We rode in an interior car on the way there. Here's a picture of Coop waiting for the ride to begin.

Family picture taken by the train conductor.

Coop met a buddy on the train! He and this cute little guy talked and played the whole way to the Pumpkin Patch.

More pictures to come in Part 2!

The Joys of Raising Boys

Cooper has been attending a Mother's Day Out program since July and he LOVES it! I have never gotten a bad behavior report from his teachers. That is...I haven't ever gotten one until today. When my mom went to pick him up from MDO both of his teachers brought him out and asked my mom if we were letting him watch wrestling at home. Wrestling?!?! Neither myself or my husband have EVER watched wrestling. College football, yes, but not wrestling! Turns out Cooper has been going up to his classmates, grabbing them around the waist and body slamming them to the floor. He's also trying it on his teachers, who are two of the sweetest ladies you will ever meet. I was mortified! My little angel did that?!?!?! I started thinking about where he could have learned this. The only TV shows he watches are Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, The Wonder Pets, Sesame Street, Bob the Builder and Thomas...and I've never seen Mickey and Donald performing wrestling moves on each other. But, I do kind of zone out when it's on, so I guess that could be a possibility, right? Nah...probably not. Could he be picking it up from college football? We do tend to cheer (loudly) when our team makes a tackle. Also, my husband will throw Cooper on our bed (which he LOVES)...could that be it? Or could it just be from being a rough-and-tumble little boy? I really don't know, probably the latter of the three. Maybe he is wanting to be the "Hulk Hogan" of his generation, I don't know. I just know that the wrestling is going to have to stop! We can't have him terrorizing everyone with the threat of being thrown to the ground. Besides, I have much bigger aspirations for him. Cooper, let's stick to careers like becoming the scientist that cures cancer or President of the United States, ok? ;)

Oh, the joys of raising a boy - it's the BEST job and I wouldn't trade it for the world! :)

Toys & Shopping

Here's a few pictures of Cooper in Target a few days ago. Whatever store we are in we have to look at toys! We took him to Toys R Us for the first time this past weekend and he was in HEAVEN! He spent 20 minutes playing on their Thomas the Tank Engine table. Here he is pushing what he calls a "tractor" through the toy aisles. LOL!


Nothing goes together better than a pink shopping cart and Star Wars Lightsabers! Ha!

He loves those Lightsabers but he isn't letting go of his tractor/shopping cart! :) I love this funny, silly little boy! He is always doing something to crack us up!

Cooper - 22 Months Old

I haven't written a monthly update on Cooper in a while so I thought I would do one just so I have a record of what he's been doing.


Cooper - Here's what you've been up to:

-Favorite TV Shows: Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the Builder, Chuggington & Jack's Big Music Show. He still will occasionally watch Wonder Pets and he also like Little Einsteins.
-Favorite Foods: Bananas, Apples, Corn Dogs, Corn on the Cob, Pizza, Chicken Fingers, Yogurt, Grits, Oatmeal, Pancakes, Mac & Cheese, Veggie Sticks, Applesauce.
-You know all of your animals & animal sounds.
-You recognize a lot of letters and know what sounds they make.
-Your vocabulary is VERY extensive! It seems like everyday you are saying new things!
-You LOVE puzzles and can do them all on your own.
-You love playing with Matchbox cars and will "drive" them around the house for hours!
-You love to color with crayons! Next, we are going to try painting!
-You still go to MDO 3 days a week and you still LOVE it! The Tumblebus comes to MDO one day a week and you really look forward to playing on it!
-We spend a majority of the evening outside. You love playing with your puppies and playing in the sandbox.
-You love popsicles but usually end up feeding part of it to the dogs!
-You love going to the park to play! You are so independent! You climb up the slides and slide down all by yourself.
-You love people and never meet a stranger! You have the happiest, most outgoing personality and love being around people.
-You are such a joy! I can't imagine our lives without you in it! You make us SO happy and we love you SOOOO much!

Climbing & Football

Maybe it's just a little boy thing but Cooper loves to climb. He pushes a chair up to our kitchen counter to climb onto it, he climbs onto the back of the couch, he climbs up on our bed (which is impressive because our bed is kind of high), etc., and it makes my heart skip a beat when I turn around and he is eye level with me. Ha! Here's an example....

This was just his first try. He can actually get onto the top of it to sit now. Any question on why we call him "Monkey"? Ha! He's such a funny kid and keeps us on our toes!

On a different note...on 24 days left until college football begins! These arrived last week - Roll Tide! I can not wait to go to the games! Fall is my absolutely favorite time of the year! Besides football, the leaves are changing, the local pumpkin patch opens, etc. Also, it starts getting cooler, which is nice since the temperature here has been high 90s - with a few over 100 degree days - for a while now and the humidity is awful! So, the cooler weather will be appreciated! Also, I'm already into planning mode for Cooper's 2nd birthday in November (which is always fun for me!). I can not believe that he is about to be 2 years old!

Cooper's New Favorite!

Cooper loves yogurt. Past favorites have been Danonino and YoBaby but we found a new favorite the other day...Trix yogurt! He LOVED it and made such a mess that we had to take some pictures to share.

Note the hand covered in yogurt. The spoon wasn't getting it into his mouth quite fast enough so he dunked his entire hand in the cup!



YAY for deliciousness! Note the blue goatee. Ha!

He just can't get enough! :)

After he was finished it took a while to clean this up! It was EVERYWHERE! All over him, the table, the floor, his chair....it was ridiculous! But the yogurt covered cuteness and his enjoyment was worth the 30 minute clean up! ;)

Fun at the Zoo!

We recently became members of our local zoo because Cooper loves it and this way we can go as often as we like! Here's some pictures from our last trip there.

Here's Cooper posing as a giraffe....

...having fun on the carousel...

...chasing a rooster or, as he calls it, a "cock-a-doo-doo" :)...

...posing for a picture on the antique tractor (he still loves tractors!).

First Day of Mother's Day Out

A couple of weeks ago Cooper was finally at the age where he could start Mother's Day Out. This is something that we had been planning on enrolling him in for a while because we thought that it would be good for him to be able to socialize with other children. For a few weeks before his first day I was really trying to build it up to him (we call it "school") and we would talk about how much fun he was going to have, all the new friends he would make, etc. I never thought that he was paying as much attention to what I was saying as he was! On the morning that the summer MDO session began I woke him up a hour before we had to leave so we would have time to get him ready and have time for him to eat breakfast. Little did I know that we would only need 10 minutes for all that! He was super excited, ate his breakfast at lightning speed and was standing at the door saying "bye-bye" ready to go to "school." He absolutely loves MDO! All of the teachers are so sweet and he looks forward to the days he goes. Here are a few pictures of his first day...

Family Beach Pictures - 2011

Here are a few of our family beach pictures that we took in Gulf Shores on Memorial Day weekend (thanks to Mona for being our "photographer"!)...

1st Trip to the Beach!

Chris' cousin Mona and her husband Wayne (or Auntie Mony & Unca Wayne as they are known to Cooper) invited us to stay at their condo in Orange Beach for Memorial Day weekend. We had SOOOO much fun! This was Cooper's first trip to the beach and he LOVED it! I seriously think that he has the potential to become a little beach bum! :)

Here's a picture of Cooper relaxing on Mona & Wayne's boat. He loved going for boat rides!

More fun on the boat...

Like I said before...Cooper LOVES boat rides!

We took the boat to a small island and docked there. Needless to say, Cooper loved being able to dig and play in the sand. He also liked playing in the water. I'll post pictures of that later!

Coop having fun running on the boardwalk.

Thanks again to Mona & Wayne for inviting us! We had such a great time!!!

Cooper - 17 Months Old

Cooper - You are 17 months old! Here's what you are up to!

• You are constantly moving! You love playing and running outside! You also love water so I can't wait until it's warm enough to go swimming in Aunt Mona's pool! I know that you will have a blast!


• You LOVE going to church and playing with the other children in the nursery! You are such a sweet boy and you get along with the other children so well!


• We have signed you up to begin Mother's Day Out this summer. I think that you will love being around all the other kids. You are growing up way too fast!


• You talk all the time and now will tell us what you want. A lot of the time you tell us by grunting, but you tell us nonetheless! :)


• You still love to read and we can ask you where something is in a book (puppy, tractor, sheep, etc.) and you will point it out to us.


• You love to dance and sing and you will also clap you hands to the music...it's too cute! Your current favorite song to sing is "Bob the Builder."


• You are really getting in to trains. You call them "Choo Choo's" and you love watching "Thomas the Tank Engine."


• You love babies and are so sweet with them! This might change when you eventually get a little brother or sister! :)


• You have the funniest sense of humor! Your Daddy and I get so tickled at what you say and do. You are our little entertainer!


• You love people and aren't shy AT ALL! You love people! I'm so glad that you are so outgoing!

Cooper - 16 Months Old

Cooper - You are 16 months old! Here's what you are up to!

• You are in a size 5 diaper, size 18 month pants, size 24 months/2T shirts & size 6 shoe.


• You love being outside! The weather has been really nice and we are spending as much time as possible playing outside. We let your puppies out to play with you and they are so good around you! Since they are so big, we were afraid that they would just knock you down but they are really gentle and sweet to their "little brother."


• You still love tractors & big trucks but you recently starting loving trains, or "choo choo's" as you call them!


• You went to your first birthday parties for friends. One on February 26th for Carter's 3rd birthday and one on March 5th for Barrett's 1st birthday and you had a BLAST at both! The themes for each were based on your favorite shows Thomas the Tank Engine (Carter's) and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (Barrett's).


• You make friends so easily! If there are any children around, you get right in the middle and start playing. You are very outgoing and social just like your Daddy! You like also to share and that makes Mama proud! :)


• You love to walk Nuna's chihuahua, Bruiser. It's so funny to see you following him around holding his leash. I think that it's more Bruiser walking you, but it's adorable nonetheless! And it doesn't matter what happens, you will not let go of Bruiser's leash!


• Your are such a fun, sweet child and we are so thankful that God blessed us with you!

Cooper - 15 Months Old

Cooper - You are 15 months old! Here's what you are up to!

• You are now in a size 4 diaper (we are going to change you to a size 5 after we use all the size 4's that we have), size 18 month in pants, size 24 months/2T in shirts.


• At your last doctor's appointment you weighed 25 lbs, 4 ozs (50th-75th percentile) and were 32 1/2 inches (90th percentile).


• You are very active and very inquistive! You examine all your toys to see how they work!


• Your vocabulary is very extensive! You say "Hi Mama" or "Hi Daddy" and it just melts us!


• You are so outgoing and so friendly! You love being around people and you talk to everyone!


• You love to sing! You will sing the theme song to "Bob the Builder" but it comes out "Bob da Bilbur" - TOO CUTE!


• You are still a good eater but since you were sick with a cold twice in a month, you have gotten a little picky. I am finding new and creative way to "hide" fruits and veggies in foods that you like. I think that I have tested at least half of the recipes in the book "Deceptively Delicious"!


• Your favorite foods at the moment are my homemade banana bread (you LOVE it!), chicken nuggets and any breakfast food!


• We have been able to take you outside some now that the weather is getting better and you love it! You don't want to come back into the house! You love to run and play with your 2 puppies, Murphy & Darby (and they love you!).


• Your current favorite TV shows are Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Timmy Time, Bob the Builder & Sesame Street.


• You still love tractors and "big trucks." :)


• You are the light in our lives and we love you VERY much!

Finally caught up on blogging!

I'm finally caught up on blogging! These are things that I've been wanting to post but just didn't have the time during the holiday season. I'm going to try to keep it more up-to-date in the future! :)

Christmas Morning!

Cooper really had a surprise on Christmas morning! He was very excited to see all of the toys that Santa had brought him! Chris and I had a lot of fun seeing his expression and how much he enjoyed the day!

Hall Family Christmas Party

We had our Christmas party for my Mom's side of the family on Saturday, December 11th and it was so much fun and so good to see everyone! Cooper has 3 cousins around his age (and 2 more on the way!) so he had plenty of kids to play with! We don't get to see each other that often but it's always great to be able to get together!

Cooper's First Haircut

Cooper had his first haircut on Friday, December 10th! I was a little worried how he would act but he was SO good! Ms. Tammy did such a great job! I don't know how she does it because everytime she touched his hair, he would turn his head to see what she was doing.

Georgia Aquarium Trip

For a birthday trip, Chris and I took Cooper to the Georgia Aquarium on Friday, November 12th. He really enjoyed it and we all had a really fun day. He especially loved the sea turtles!

Cooper's First Birthday

We had Cooper's first birthday party the weekend before his actual birthday (November 10th) on Sunday, November 7, 2010. We had a big turnout and we were so happy that everyone could come to celebrate his 1st birthday! Cooper had so much fun! I think that the highlight of the day for him, besides the presents, was getting to eat his cake! He didn't waste any time diving into it! Here are a few pictures from the party...

Cooper - 14 Months Old

Cooper - You are 14 months old! Here's what you are up to...

• You are in size 4 diapers (size 5 at night), 18 month pants, 24 month tops, 24 months (and some 2T) pajamas.
• You have 12 teeth (6 top and 6 bottom) and are cutting more!
• You have been off the bottle for over a month now and were so easy to wean! You are such a good baby! Makes me worried about baby #2! Ha!
• You love milk but that's about all you will drink. You have never liked juice but you will drink just plain water.
• You are walking and getting into everything! You also LOVE to climb! You will climb up on the upholstered ottoman in our living room and stand in the middle of it which about gives me a heart attack! Ha!
• You have to look at your toys to see how they work and how they are put together. I think that you will have some mechanical ability!
• Whenever you hear music, you will dance and move your right arm like you are conducting an orchestra...too funny!
• Your current favorite TV shows are Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Wonder Pets, Timmy Time and the Pajanimals. We don't let you watch alot of TV but when we do, you really enjoy it!
• Your current favorite foods are Chick-Fil-A nuggets, bananas, grilled cheese sandwiches and, your #1 favorite, pancakes! You like them plain without butter or syrup. You also want a bite of anything that I am eating. :)
• We think that you are going to have a bit of sweet tooth! You love any kind of cake or sweet (especially powdered donuts!).
• You still take 2 naps per day (about 1 to 1 1/2 hours in the morning and around 1 1/2 to 2 hours in the afternoon). Dr. E said that you are at the age where you will eventually only take one nap, but we are going to ride out the 2 naps a day until you decide otherwise! :)