Adventures At Seay

In our whirlwind week before Christmas we made it to Nashville to take Cooper to see ICE! at Opryland and Santa at BassPro. Grampy, Grammy, and Emi met us there for our day of fun! I wasn't sure if Coop could appreciate the ice sculptures or if he would be too cold...but he loved it (at least he loved the slide part.) He walked around in his big blue parka and stared at all the animals with wide eyes. When we got to the slide he could hardly wait. I didn't know if they would let him do it because he couldn't sit up with his parka on, but they didn't say anything and let him slide down on his back and let me catch him at the bottom. He was nothing but smiles!! He did it a second time and would have kept going, but we made him keep moving through the exhibit. He was sad to go, but we will definitely go again next year (and wear warmer clothes)!

There was a week before we left for our Christmas trip that Ryan was out of school, but Cooper was still going. We got alot done in the Christmas shopping/packing/baking area. We also had alot of fun things to do! Cooper had his first school Christmas party! His class all wore matching shirts (a gift from his amazing teachers) and they munched on cookies and juice. I think it threw him off that both Ryan and I were there, but he had fun.

The week of the Christmas parade was a cold and wet one for sure! The parade was cancelled the first go round and moved to the next night but it was still cold and the ground was still wet. Cooper and I made the trip to the square to watch the festivities though and Miss Sarah met us there and sat with us helping Coop wave to the floats. If there is one thing I know about my child, it is that he loves parades. The bands, the lights, the animals...he loves every minute. He couldn't wait for the each float to make to us and waved and said "Merry Christmas!" He was so mad when we told him it was over and demanded we sit back down!

We are so blessed. Our families are constantly a source of happiness and strength for us these days. They help us in so may ways and we are so thankful for them. We are even more thankful that both my family and Ryan's parents are only 30 minutes away from each other. We used to have to choose who we'd spend time with during certain holidays. We couldn't do Thanksgiving with both families and Christmas was spent driving 4 hours across the state of Tennessee. This year we spent Thanksgiving with both of our families and we all had a blast. The week started with Cooper's school's Thanksgiving feast (chaos) and then to Nashville for a Preds hockey game with friends. Cooper has more fun than I could ever express, but I was going for mother of the year and forgot my camera. We spent a few days in Crossville and then a few more in Cookeville. We got to see every family member we could and also help Grampy and Grammy put up the Christmas decorations. Cooper constantly talks about going back to see everyone, so we are so looking forward to Christmas break!

Halloween started out with a bang! Cooper had his first school party and even though not one child in there realized what was going on, it was fun for the parents! Coop did get a big cookie that, of course, was the only thing he ate. His teachers did such a good job, we really love them! After he took a nap we played outside for 2 hours and then came inside to eat and get ready for our first real year of trick or treating. Well, it turns out that Coop had a fever of 103.3. He was acting completely normal and if not for his hot little body we wouldn't have known he was so sick. So, no trick-or-treating for us this year. Luckily, Cooper is too young to know he missed out and will be so excited to do it next year. But I will leave you with pictures of Cooper's school party!

With birthdays come birthday parties! We decided that with football season and multiple out of town trips we would wait until The day before Halloween for Cooper's party. Since the date was the 30th ...why not go with a Halloween theme (sorry Coop..this may be a repeating trend.) It was his first party in oxford and with friends he knew and plays with often. He had so much fun being the center of attention...and homeboy loooves to open some presents (Christmas is going to be ridiculous!) Here are some pictures of his party!

I cannot believe how fast Cooper is growing. I swear I remember every detail of the day he was born like it was yesterday. He is no longer a baby..he no longer needs me to feed him, or get him things out of the pantry (he loves to find the cookies), or open doors (it's a scary new trick.) He tells me exactly how he feels most of the time and loves to chat about nothing in particular. He has started to memorize his favorite books (all books) and when I'm reading I'll pause to let him finish the sentence. He even "reads" a book by himself remembering certain phrases on certain pages. He can count pretty high and is constantly wanting me to count things for him. He loves to sing songs and knows the words to our favorites..ABC's, Twinkle twinkle, Itsy bitsy, Take me out to the ball game, Doe a deer, and his new favorite jingle bells. Cooper is also really into instruments and music (thanks Uncle Witt) and loves to hear bands play. Right now he eats a lot of fruit and we are trying to add new things to his diet but he's pretty picky. He does love sweets and popcorn (even though he doesn't get them too often.) He is staring to play imaginary games and pretend which I love! He'll come running in the room and say "Mommy, there's a shark!!" or "There's a monster in the potty!" Which brings me to that.....we have yet to go on the potty or even tell the truth about needing to potty. I don't think we're close..but we'll keep trying. Not gonna pressure that situation as I don't think I'm ready either. Well, now that I've caught every one up on his 2 year milestones, here are some pictures of my 2 year old boy (pictures of his birthday party to come!)

Mid-October Cooper and I picked up Diva in Nashville and headed to Crossville to get Momma Sue. We all high-tailed it to North Carolina for a weekend of reunions and old friends (Momma Sue's and Mom's.) Every October Momma Sue and my Pawpaw's friends from Decatur, AL get together to visit and hang out for a weekend in Montreat, NC. Their families used to vacation there in the summers and one family owns a house there. This year the children (my mom's generation) and their children (my generation) decided to surprise them and join in on the fun! We had so much fun meeting Momma Sue's friends and hearing stories about people I only knew in pictures. It was a blast and I hope we can do it again in the future.

So as I have mentioned before, Cooper has started Mother's Morning Out at First Baptist here in Oxford. He goes twice a week for 3 hours a day (just long enough to go to the store, take a shower, or hit the gym.) He does such a great job when I drop him off..even though we had quite a few days of tears...and he is so happy when I pick him up. He loves to tell me what he did, he loves to talk about his teachers, and he loves to show off his art projects. His teachers say he is a big helper and is always so sweet and polite (hmmph.) I know he loves it and I can already see him changing so much! This week he has picture day and his first field trip to the pumpkin patch, and his first Halloween party on Monday! Here are some pictures I took on his first day of school!

Over Labor Day weekend Cooper and I were in Crossville to visit family and celebrate cousin Claire's bridal shower. We were so excited to find out from Abby that the Cumberland County fair was in town! Momma Sue, Abby, and Claire all went with us and we had the best time. We ate, went through a "petting zoo," rode a pony, and rode all kinds of rides! We even played a fishing game and Cooper won his first fair prize. He was so excited about the whole thing and kept asking to go to the fair days after. Here are some pictures of our awsome time at the fair!

We got to see Diva at the end of August! We had so much fun even though it was such a short trip!! Here are some pictures of her trip!