Friday, December 04, 2009

Another first


Henry and Anna had their Christmas preschool program this past Sunday night. Anna lost her shoe on the way down the aisle and Henry's face lit up when he saw us. He looked very proud! All in all, it went really well until Henry knocked over a microphone b/c he was curious so he reached out and grabbed it. Then it fell over. I'm sure they'll think twice before they put him in the front row again! He was also very excited that Reuben came to see him perform!

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Tuesday, December 01, 2009

a real Christmas tree


We always had one growing up... and Jonathan loves this tradition even though he did not do this growing up. It is SO fun to go out on a crisp, cold morning - get some hot chocolate and doughnuts, and hunt down the perfect tree. We've been doing this with the Berry's now for 7 years, and it's always such a wonderful way to start the season. Now we all have 3 kids to tote along, and we are thrilled to bring them in on the excitement!! Apparently, Jonathan and Devon are getting older b/c it took two of them to finish sawing this year :) The tree was perfect when we got it home... Happy Holidays!

Monday, November 30, 2009

Full Bellies

We had another great Thanksgiving at the Cooper home in Upland. The turkey was a bit ornery, but once he realized Mom was serious, he shaped up and we only ate an hour late! After the feast, the men washed dishes and cleaned the kitchen while the women sat and watched the Packers. It was great! So unusual... :) Henry and Wyatt were mostly busying conquering the wild west down in the playroom... trying to decide who the real cowboy was. I think Wyatt thought he was until Henry came out of the shower and stole his cowboy hat. It was a great 3 days of rest!


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Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving

So much to be thankful for! These turkeys are thankful for the "package" that is coming in July... blue again... or maybe pink? Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
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Don't Ask, Don't Tell - Volume 7


Does this ever happen to you? I'll be excited to have a new stove someday... but for now, I'm stuck having surprises build up underneat the burner. This surprise happened to burn right before we had a huge church group over to our house -- and it smelled horrible!! I honestly have NO idea what it was... it just kept rising higher and higher. A mystery...
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Friday, November 20, 2009

Little Turkey

I took our little Turkey to a metro park "field trip" with Pam. Beth was so kind to watch the little ones so we could enjoy time with just the older kids. They really like it and it was a beautiful fall day!! The farm animals were great - and it was fun to watch the kids listen and try to understand instructions. Henry loved feeding the hens and the roosters. A fun fall day!


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Sunday, November 15, 2009

Happy Birthday Henry!

Henry turned 4 on Friday the 13th! (nothing scary happened!) He was so excited to be four. He had a list of all the things he could now do.... wear boxers to bed like daddy, sleep with his shirt off like daddy, and go to the next class for Sunday school. My parents were able to be here on his b-day morning, so we went to get doughnuts. A very special highlight. He chose the largest doughnut and ate it all -- and even stole a few bites from my mom. Too bad I didn't get a picture! He had one friend over for the special celebration - decided to keep it small this year. Jonathan sent him and Anna on a little scavenger hunt for the presents - he thought that was just great. And Aunt Beth did not disappoint with her wonderful cake that Devon helped decorate. Henry was so excited and couldn't wait to eat his "birthday." For some reason, that is what he calls the cake. I'm not sure how he got so confused. And, I think we're on a 3-year run for both the boys of having no candles in the house. I think we've decided to just make a tradition and use matches instead. It's a bit trickier, but it definitely keeps things interesting! :)

Happy Birthday Henry! You've been a joy to have on this 4-year journey! We feel so blessed to have had you so long. You have a lot of strong qualities that seem difficult now, but we are hoping and praying that God will use them for His glory as you grow and mature. You have always been a easily excited child, and we love your enthusiasm over the simplest things! You bring many, many smiles to our faces. The morning after your birthday party, you were eating breakfast with us and you said, "Did you guys get me birthday presents?" And we said YES and told you what you had already opened from us. You said, "Oh, I don't think I ever said thank you. Thank you guys!" You are so sweet. We love you!

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Monday, November 09, 2009

Vanilla Extract


Do you know how to make homemade pure vanilla extract? It is really quite simple and fun to do with others! Yum yum!

And a little update on Reuben... getting more handsome by the day! Although, he won't be picking up any chics until he stops that spitting up! :)
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Caesar's Creek


We took the boys to breakfast Saturday morning and then spent the morning at Caesar's Creek State Park. It was such an unusually beautiful day for mid-Nov. We hiked the trails, spent time on their big playground, and visited the gorge. The boys loved every minute of it. We did too!

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Monday, November 02, 2009

Memorable Things Kids Say - Volume 6

Jonathan is playing catch/basketball this evening w/ the boys...
Henry says excitedly: "Mommy, we're playing basketball tonight! That means basketball is being played!"
We're pretty sure he is going to be in the gifted class at school :)
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Sunday, November 01, 2009


The boys love playing out back in the woods... the other day they played for an hour!
Basketball in the family room... A Saturday morning favorite!
Trick or Treat! The boys looked adorable!
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