Happy Birthday My Little Boy!

My Darling Josh,
How are you two years old already? Yesterday was your birthday and it was a lot of fun. You were so tired all morning and really grouchy. We kept trying to tell you it was your birthday so it was a "happy" day. I don't think you really cared, you just wanted your "elmo happy cake." So after church, we opened your presents, talked to your Cooper grandparents on Webcam, ate piggies in a blanket, then had Aunt Cassie, Aunt Kenni and Uncle Chris, "Nommy" and his mom and dad, Ethnie and "Bebba" over for cake. It was so cute watching you try to blow out your candles. Sadly, you didn't even want your cake by then, you had way too much fun playing with Tommy. :) You are so sweet and adorable, and so much fun. You love to talk and make tons of noise. You love Elmo and Fish and your little brother. You get so excited when Daddy comes home and you just love people in general (unless you are tired, and then you are up and down). :) We love you so much! Happy birthday!
Love, Mama and Daddy and K-K-Bebe

The Past Little While

For Thanksgiving, we make oreo turkeys. This is Cassie making some fabulous creations. Tyson came home early from work on Tuesday and brought me these gorgeous flowers. Tragically, I wasn't home at the time, but the flowers are perfect. I love my husband!

Cute Caleb and his handsome blue eyes.

Josh loves to share with Caleb. :)

Daddy-son time. (Don't you love Josh's total cheese-smile? He is such a ham)

Halloween...a little late

First off, happy birthday Chanson! I cannot believe you are 18, and I still think you are lucky to have your birthday on a day where every house will give you candy. Totally not fair. :) We had a fun halloween. The Cooper family was with us and Grandma and Grandpa designed and carved Josh an Elmo pumpkin which was so cool. And Josh and Caleb were our own little pumpkins. We took them trick-or-treating downtown and then at the ward trunk-or-treat. It was a lot of fun and Josh was adorable with his little "trik-o-tet."

This last one has nothing to do with Halloween. I just wanted to put it up. This kid is hilarious. And yes, he put this on of his own accord and ran around the house with it, he looked like an astronaut. I have the craziest kid.

Happy One Month

My Darling Little Caleb,

How quickly the time flies. I still feel like it was just yesterday that I was in the hospital holding you for the first time and now you are already a month old. You are very quiet little person, especially when I am holding you. Josh loves to make you happy and he perches next to you when you are crying, poking at you, trying to make you better. It doesn't help much, but you like the company I think. Your eyes are still a fabulous blue with what looks to me like silver streams in the middle around the pupils. You smile when your dad and I rough you up. In that way, you are so much like Josh. I think both of you have pain receptor problems, you think fun has to hurt. I blame your dad completely for that. :) I was really scared to have you in our family. I didn't know if I could handle another one emotionally. Although I may not handle everything perfectly, your little face sure makes it easier. Thank you for being so cuddly and sweet. Your daddy and I love you so much. Everyone in both your daddy's family and mine loves you, and jeepers you have a lot of family. I look forward to watching you grow up, just please, don't grow too fast.

Love, Mama

November is for Gratitude

Tyson and I don't have many traditions yet, but in November we have a thankful list. Each day we write 10 things we are thankful for before we go to bed. We can't repeat anything throughout the whole month, so you would think you have to get creative. But it is amazing, it is so easy to think of a million and a half things I am thankful for.

What is really nice is that it instantly takes away all my gloominess. Being a mom of two is wonderful, the best job in the world, although exhausting and patience-trying. However, the hardest part for me is the lonliness. It is getting easier the older Josh is because he can kind of understand what I am saying (probably a lot more than he lets on), but it is so easy for me to feel alone. It is probably because I am so quick to be negative and to pity myself. So Tyson just left to go back to work and I was sad, then my sunny spot on my bed that is usually there at this time of day, was not, because it is too cloudy. The boys are both asleep, for which I am glad, but the lonliness just sunk in much too deep. So, for some reason, I picked up my journal and decided to write my 10 thankful things. Suddenly, I was smiling and thinking of the good things that have happened today. Let me share with you...

1. Caleb's little hand grip on my finger

2. Alone time

3. Blogging

4. Cold days like this that make me want to cook to keep warm

5. A washer and dryer right in my home

6. Photographs

7. Moments that make up my life (inspired by a quote on Kirsten's blog)

8. Garbage people, I just take my garbage to the big dumpster outside and on Monday morning they come take the stinkiness away

9. Oldies songs that I know by heart

10. Dancing to those songs as I sing the few phrases I know. Josh, Caleb, and I danced to "You are the Woman that I always Dreamed Of," it was so cute! Josh spun in circles and it made him happy when before he was so grouchy.

So, I am thankful for gratitude. Gratitude erases the gluminess. :)

So I just wanted to thank Chris for taking the above picture of our family hands. He and Kenni are always doing things for us and they are so nice. I also wanted to give credit to them for their talents, so thanks guys. I just love your pictures! And I just love you guys!

Welcome Little Caleb

Tyson was really sweet and wrote on here when we had the baby, but I thought I should write a little more and put up some pictures. We decided to name the little guy Caleb Benjamin. I am kind of biased, but I think he is pretty adorable. Josh is doing really well with him. He is always telling us to be quiet because of the "bebe." :) He loves to give him all of his toys and tries to jump on him, which is seriously terrifying, but I think they are getting used to each other. I didn't sleep much last night, but I am really glad I am able to get out of bed without it killing me so that is nice.

So in case anyone is curious, let me tell you a little about the delivery. I had a doctor's appointment on Friday to make sure the fluid levels were ok, and to check the heart beat and everything. So my mom came with me and Carmel stayed home with Josh. We didn't think it would take very long. :) So the heart beat, the stress test and everything went fine. Then they did an ultrasound to check the fluid and they were really low. So the doctor turns to me and said "congrats, you are having a baby this weekend." I thought he meant, it is a good sign, me going into labor was coming soon. Then he starts giving me paper work and telling me I needed to go check into the hospital and I was like "wait, I'm not going home?" And he says, "Not until you have a baby you don't." He left for a minute to go call the hospital and I broke down because seriously, I was not expecting that. I didn't even kiss little Josh goodbye, I didn't bring my bag, Tyson wasn't even there. Luckily, my mom was and she made me start laughing and she calmed me down fast. She made a few phone calls, postponed her flight, and took me to the hospital. Calling Tyson wasn't easy. "So um, honey, are you ready to have the kid this weekend? Can you come up here?" :) I don't think he was happy at first, it probably scared him, but he left right away.

At the hospital they broke my water and just a few minutes after that Tyson came. I tried to do it all natural, breathing and everything. But, since they had broken my water they didn't want me to stand up because they didn't want the umbilical cord to come first. Sitting on the bed in pain was not easy and soon I gave way and let them give me some pain meds through the IV. But then they told me it was the epidural or nothing, so I took the epidural. Sadly, the anesthesiologist couldn't come for 45 minutes. By some miracle, I made it that long, I thought I was going to die. I am such a wimp. My mom came back (she left a little after Tyson got there to go help Carmel and Kenni with Josh) a little before they gave me the epidural and she stayed the rest of the time. It was really neat having both Tyson and my mom there. They took turns being next to me and helping when I pushed.

Caleb's head was turned and so the doctor took forceps to turn him, then they had to vaccuum him out the rest of the way. I am so glad I was drugged because it ripped and then they had to cut. Yuck, but I would take that anyday over a c-section. It was so neat to be able to hold the little guy afterwards, to have Tyson stay with me, to be awake and alert for as long as I wanted to be. It really was a miracle, the doctor said I was really lucky, that I had "a foot and a half in the operating room." The Lord truly blessed us, thank you everyone for all your prayers. So now I have a wonderful husband and two darling boys. I am so glad. Thanks Mom, Carmel, Kenni and Chris, and all the family in California for letting Mom and Carmel stay longer. Thanks Tyson for doing so much for me, for staying home all week to take care of us.