Evie's Picture Day!

Cooper is 10 Months Old!

Today Cooper is 10 months old.  The weather has turned chilly - he is wearing jeans, a long sleeve shirt and even shoes!!  He almost never wears shoes.  I am not one of those moms that dresses my babies super cute - more like super comfy.  But, with the cooler weather shoes become more practical.

So, he is 10 months old and has 4 teeth.  His favorite past time is ... standing!  All the time.  His favorite thing to say is "mama", "dada" and even "uh oh".  His "uh oh" is not related to something dropping or anything - just a fun way to put words together.

The boy can eat.  Seriously, he eats like mad.  He'll scream at you if you don't feed him fast enough!  He LOVES blueberries and cheese.  Turkey, pizza, pasta, grapes, chicken, broccoli and cous cous are also some of his favorites.  But, nothing beats a blueberry.

Thankfully, Cooper sleeps really well.  Goes down around 7:30 and usually up around 6am.  We'd love him to sleep another hour, but not really too sure how to make that happen.  Still taking 2 naps a day - and most days does a pretty good job going down.  Funny how when he does not nap that is not a big deal to me - I just pack him up and do some errands.  Everything just seems easier with one!

The girls are still just great with him.  They are so proud that he stands - they go nuts!  They also love talking with him whether that means saying "uh oh" or even just making baby talk with him.  They make sure toys are not too small for him and are just great.

A Family Vacation......

We had a busy summer and never really had a chance to have a family vacation.  So, we spent 3 nights in Lake Geneva as a family.  Nothing to do but hang out as a family.  We never made it to town or really did anything special.  Just took rides on the trolley to the park, swam in the pools, rode the water slides, played games in the lobby, rode the lazy river, visited the game room, made homemade dinners, took walks, visited the petting zoo and enjoyed each other.  The girls were so tired by the end of the night - they melted into their pull out couch and snoozed the night away.  Cooper's pack and play fit nicely into a closet - don't worry, there was plenty of space and ventilation!  He's fine!

Grandpa Andy..............

The girls don't get to spend too much time with Grandpa Andy.  Today they got to see him - and ride the tractor!  How cool was that!!!  Both Erin and Ev love all of their grandparents.  They are lucky to have so many adults that love them so much and are so kind to them!

Evie's Summer!

Evie had a great summer!  She was thrilled to be back at summer school!  One of her "best friends" from last summer, Isiah, was in her class again.  The memory of a 4 year old is amazing.  I wonder how she can remember a kid she met over a year ago.  Both girls surprise me with the minute details they recall.  As expected, Ev loved school.  Her speech has developed very well.  It seems her recent surgery has paid off and having tubes in her ears and her adenoids removed has improved her speech, hearing and most importantly, her confidence.

She is such a cool kid.  Just so independent and strong.  She does not care what anyone thinks of her - just does what she wants and is so strong in doing so.  She is also exceptionally creative!  She will get the job done, but often in the craziest possible way.  Not a bad way - just not the way everyone else does it.  She is so tender with Cooper - loves talking to him and trying to communicate with her little friend. 

Erin's Summer

Erin turned 4 this summer and my how she has grown!  She had a super fun summer and one of the highlights was summer camp!  Our local park district had a 3 hour camp every day where she got to make friends and spend the morning on many adventures... all without Evie!  This was a good experiment - and I think will help her adapt to the upcoming school year, where she will be in a different school than her sister.

She made a best friend... okay, a few.  She even had encounters with a bully.  But, she's still here and she's just so strong.  She loves rules and the way things are supposed to be.  She thrives on order and doing things they way they are supposed to be done.  She enjoys singing and doing crafts.  She is tenderhearted and kind.  It'll be so much fun to see how she continues to grow as time passes..