Lolly and Super Coop

I'm not sure what has gotten into Cooper lately, but he's been full of love. Seriously, it's cracking me up. When I sit next to him, he wants to put his little arm around my back. If I've been gone he greets me with his usual hug and kiss and says, "Mommy, I miss you. I sad."

More than once in the last week he has asked Layla if she loves him. The other day her response was, "I love you and I like you." She had obviously gotten over the fact that Cooper dropped (threw) a 5 pound hand weight on her head.

Yesterday, while Layla was at school, he kept saying, "Lolly so sad. She cry at school. She miss me. Poor, poor Lolly." (I'm pretty sure she didn't give us a thought while at school)! When we picked her up Cooper said, "Lolly, you miss me. You sad at school?" She looked at him and said, "Uhm, sure buddy. Whatever you say."

Well, he's showing more sweet than spice these days and I'm going to enjoy it!!!

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Grandma and Grandpa with 5 of their 8 grandkids


Cousin Cheyenne, Layla, Cousin Paige

When Layla was around 2 years old, her favorite game to play in the car with Daddy was the word game. Dave would say the longest words he could think of and she would copy him. Like most first children (especially girls), Layla spoke full sentences, perfectly enunciated before she was 2 years old. So this was a fun game to all of us. At 2 1/2 Layla saw the movie, Mary Poppins, and fell in love. And, we were finally able to stump her with the word, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

Mary Poppins has remained one of her favorites (we've watched it monthly for the past 3 years). On Saturday afternoon, we were able to see the Broadway production in Des Moines. What a treat! It was wonderful! Grandma and Grandpa Handsaker treated us all to tickets as our Christmas gift. Grandma is a person of great organization and detail. She went to the Civic Center to scout our seats when she bought our tickets. As a result, we were so close that we could have touched Mary Poppins as she flew over us and out of the theater.

Layla knows the movie by heart, so it was fun to hear her tell me everything that was different and to sing along to the songs. And, of course, it is priceless to see her face and reaction to all of the special affects.

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for giving more than a Christmas gift; you made memories!

Road Trip

Dave's annual South Dakota hunting trip means one thing for the kids and me....road trip to Mama Faye's! This was the easiest road trip I've had with the kids. We've just hit that great age where snacks and DVD's make for 4 hours of silent bliss for Mommy!

We went to a movie (Tangled), shopped, ate out, ate Mama Faye's great cooking, baked and decorated Christmas cookies, did crafts, played games...you get the idea! It was relaxing and refreshing! Northwest Iowa felt like a frozen tundra and the kids were thrilled to see all the snow. The lake froze over while were were there and were thousands of Canadian Geese to watch and keep track of.

We treasure this sweet time with Grandma! The kids love that their blankets still smell like her house and Layla says it well when she says "Mama Faye is so missable!" Even Cooper, the man of few words, said to me last night, "I miss Granpa Faye(not a typo, that's what he calls her!). When Cooper go back?"

It's all fun and games until......

If you're a parent, you know there are times your kids do things that probably won't have a good ending. But, you give them your warning and let them figure it out. The "figuring it out" part can be tough. On Sunday, Cooper was sitting on the kitchen counter and said "I get down myself." I said OK and backed up. He jumped, hit the hardwood floor pretty hard, ended up flat on his belly and choked out an, "I did it!" Well, he did. Layla and Cooper made up there own game called The Hitting Game. Yup, you know how that ended up.

This is their latest. Cooper stands on the bed, jumps on Layla's back and they run through the house. I'm not sure how her skinny legs haul this 40 pound boy around, but she does. I'll let you know how this one ends.....

The Measure of a Man

When I see my kids held by others or playing with other kids, I realize how physically big they are getting. I think it's that I see them in comparison to another. I had to take a picture of Cooper sitting on Layla's lap because I was really struck with just how tall he's getting. I know I shouldn't be surprised, our kids have always been in the 95th percentile or more for height (sorry Layla, your chances of being a petite girl were gone when God decided to you would be conceived by us)! But, just look at this big boy!

Reviving a Tradition

Here is the fun thing about decorating for Christmas this year....instead of getting it all done inspite of the babies, they are now old enough and help me get it all done. I mean really, truly help. I got the tree up, lit and decorated in no time. When I was growing up, I have fond memories of stringing popcorn and cranberries for our Christmas tree. So, I took a chance that the kids were old enough to give it a try. And....SUCCESS! Friday, with Mama Faye here and Roger Whitaker Christmas CD playing, we strung popcorn and cranberries. I love creating and reliving Christmas traditions! And, the kids are so proud of their work.

Family Fun

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I truly love it. We always get a 4 day weekend, we eat yummy food and hang with family. There is no stress in Thanksgiving. There's no programs, plays, parties, events, massive gift buying, etc. It's all about giving thanks and being with the ones you love.

We were extra blessed this year to host the Kellen side of the family at our home. The cousins had a great time and the 5 oldest cousins just played, played, played! We only heard from them when they were hungry or had a "show" for us to come and watch. They camped out together Wednesday and Thursday night and just enjoyed each other. Louis (9 months) and Ava (4 months) don't know what they were missing, but are sure to be in the mix next year!

Sam, Henry and Layla got to go bird hunting with Dave and Uncle Ben Thursday morning, which was a new experience for Layla. She loves to watch Dave clean birds when he brings them home (I know!) and has been patiently waiting to get in on the action since she was 2. I think she enjoyed it, but was very cold!

This weekend we will go to an ISU game, hang with friends and get Christmas decorations up. 'Tis the season and I love it!