5 Months

This is obviously a few weeks late. Blame it on the end of my 5 month hiatus from all things that have to do with work. I have rejoined the human race and start school officially on Tuesday. Of course, as any teacher knows, the first day of school is preceded by weeks of work and meetings. So all that to say, sorry for writing your blog entry late, Coop!He is such a fun kid!! So many of our friends comment on the fact that they never hear him cry! He is generally very happy and easy to please! I feel like I just turned around and he's grown so much!!

*He loves to laugh at Buster

*He is now sitting up very well on his own

*I expect to continue in the teething phase for the next few months... yeah

*He is getting to where he enjoys time on his tummy. He turns over the moment you place him on the floor

*He's become a "hip" baby. It's so nice to be able to prop him on my hip and I am more than blessed with the ledge to sit him on!

*He is a smiler. It is a rare thing for him to not flash a big one the moment you make eye contact with him

*He's doing great in the umbrella stroller, now if we can get him out of the carrier and into a real car seat I will be thrilled! There is nothing easy about lugging that thing around!

*We've started trying a few finger foods. He's still trying to get the hang of grabbing with his fingers and not his whole hand

Can't believe the next entry like this will be for six months!! This has been so much fun!

Six Years

Yesterday marked 6 years of marriage to my sweet husband, Chris. I tell people all the time that I definitely married up! He is a wonderful man that never gives up on me! He is more than I could ever ask for as a father!

The day we got married, my dad gave us this scripture as a gift-

Psalm 115:14-15

May the Lord make you increase,

both you and your children.

May you be blessed by the Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

I am so blessed to have Chris in my life and look forward to 60 more years!

Mountain Time

We made our annual trip to New Mexico this past week with my folks. It is a trip we all look forward to for one reason- we do NOTHING! Don't get me wrong, we fill our days, but we try to only do what we want to! We do a lot of sleeping, reading and eating. It is a time of renewal for all of our bodies and souls. I think that our favorite part this year was watching Caroline. She loved seeing the deer. She nicknamed one of them "Foo Foo" for whatever reason. What a blessing to get to see things that have become somewhat ordinary and familiar to us become something magical to her!

On the way we stopped in Muleshoe to see Chris' grandparents. They are such precious people and we love taking the kids out to see them whenever we can!

Some playtime at the local park

In their lovely backyard

Caroline helping GrandMarshall water the plants

The view from their backyard- space for as far as the eye can see
Sweet MeeMaw Helen
At our favorite pizza place in Ruidoso

Girls Day- pedicures!

A great view out of the window!

Dad and Chris played golf twice at an amazing new course. Dad complained that Chris made him play from the tips!

Her annual pony ride

I am so thankful for the chance to get away and get a fresh breath! The Lord never fails to teach me something while we are there! What a blessing to be surrounded by the people I love- except the Kirchners!

Chuckwagon Show

We have talked for years about going to a Chuckwagon dinner and show right near the house we stay in, but have never gone. This year Caroline is big enough that we thought she'd really enjoy it. It was such a great time! They served a yummy cowboy meal and had a shootout before the show.

Kiss the Cook

Mom and I did our traditional vacation cooking. We always cook things that we wouldn't normally make- things that are too unhealthy or too time consuming to make everyday. I didn't include pictures of our chicken fried steak, blueberry muffins, strawberry shortcake or chocolate souffle. Mom and I look forward to this for months! We just wish Allison was there with us!

Creme Brulee

Peach Upside Down Cake (Dad doesn't like pineapples...)

Apricot and Cherry Kolaches

"Smokey Bear"

Caroline is at that age where her mind just latches on to a certain subject and will not let it go. You know how it is- she has to ask every question on the subject multiple times. Even if you say that you don't know, she has to keep asking! Well, for this trip it was Smokey the Bear (or Smokey Bear as she called him). As we were pulling into Ruidoso, she saw a fire danger level sign and I told her that it was Smokey the Bear. And that was the beginning. She had to know all about him, so we went into town the next day to buy a book in hopes of quenching her curiosity on the subject. That was NOT enough! We ended up making the short trip over to Capitan to see for ourselves the Smokey the Bear Museum and grave site. Wow, what a trip!

Coop enjoyed the sites from the carrier

He apparently loved the movie...

A little nervous...

Smokey's grave

Don't we all have a picture like this? Squinting into the sun in front of some road marker.