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It's that time again! I can't even tell you how much fun the past month has been. Cooper is just so much fun and full of laughs. 

Clothes: 18 months & 24 months

Growing Up: Coop's favorite sentence is "Please help." He could be whining or just asking for help... and when we ask what he needs help with, he just repeats the phrase. Ha! Or "get, please."  Of course, there is no indication of what to get!  Cooper can count to three and identify the letters C and O. He loves to point basketball goals everywhere we go. He also FINALLY calls me "Ma" instead of "ba". (Moose and moon have also upgraded to an m instead of a b.) AND he is officially #1 potty trained! He currently refuses to poop in the potty and waits until night time when he has a diaper on to go.  That's just fine with us for now though!

 Likes: Daniel Tiger, watching the cars and trucks go by, watching birds & squirrels, carrying his monkey around (I find him in funny spots downstairs), banging, saying 'no' while shaking his head, wearing hats and sunglasses, drinking from momma or daddy's cup, putting things in the trash, sweeping, books, being outside, unscrewing lids, playing peek a boo, picking out his underwear, getting shocked (from static electricity)

 Dislikes: diaper changes, riding in the car, long hairs on him, being naked, coming inside, having wet pants, sitting for too long (if we have to go to several stores), hearing the words 'no' or 'stop', his hands being dirty, pooping on the potty, sitting still in a shopping cart or high chair at a restaurant

Schedule:

between 7-8 - up for the day!
8:15 - breakfast
8:45 - play
12:15 - lunch
1:00 - nap
4:00 - snack
4:30 - play
6:15 - supper
7:15 - bath 

7:45 - bedtime

Moments:

Coop was a ring bearer! He was so cute in his tux. Not that surprised anyone! Cooper gained an uncle and loves "Steee". 

Wedding Pictures

Kate Kate's cousin took pictures at Marion & Steven's wedding, and we were able to get a CD of the images.  Here they are!

Seeing how gorgeous everything was makes me anxious to see the professional pictures, but we have to wait a few more weeks.  I'm sure Marion is even more anxious!

Burrito Bowl

I've been making several dishes that are similar, and I finally combined them into one awesome dish.  It combines the best of them all. :)

Ingredients:

1/2 lb ground beef

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 jalapeno, minced

1/4 cup of diced onion (I used Pictsweet seasoning blend, of course)

1/2 cup of uncooked extra-long grain rice 

1/2 cup quinoa 

1 (14.5 oz) can of fire roasted tomatoes

1 (15oz) can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15.25 oz) can corn, drained

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of chili powder

1 teaspoon of cumin

2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth 

salt & pepper

cilantro

feta cheese

any other toppings you want

1. Brown meat.
2. Sauté onions, garlic, and jalapeno in 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  I use my Dutch oven and do the meat at the same time.
3. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
4. Move to one side of pan.  In the other side of the pan add an additional tablespoon of olive oil and sauté uncooked rice and quinoa for about 2 minutes or just until some grains start to turn golden brown.
5. Stir in remainder of ingredients except for cheese and optional toppings.
6. Bring to a simmer, cover. and reduce heat to low.
7. Cook about 20 minutes or until rice and quinoa is cooked and all of the liquid is absorbed.  You may need to stir it a little, then let it cook for a couple more minutes.
8. Serve in a tortilla or in bowls. Top with feta cheese (not optional) and cilantro and other toppings as desired (lettuce, salsa, avocado, etc).
9. Enjoy!!

 

Wedding Weekend!

What a great weekend we had in Mississippi!  We left Thursday when J got home to head to Southaven.  We opted to drive part of the way so Cooper could get the max sleep possible since we wanted him to make it down the aisle!

Sharing Cheerios with Ollie

Surprisingly, Cooper did GREAT in the car!  We didn't even have to break out the DVD player (but you better believe we had it just in case!)  We got to the hotel about 11:45.  Coop got to hang out for a while then went to lunch with the guys.  I headed off to the bridesmaid luncheon and to get my nails done.  Marion had an appointment for us, but it didn't seem to matter too much.  Kate (one of the other bridesmaids) and I didn't leave until after 5.  Then we had to fight traffic, get ready, and be at the rehearsal at 6!  Whew!

Playing peek-a-boo with Uncle Davy

We got Coop settled in for the night (or rather until he woke up and refused to go back to sleep until 2 hours later...), and headed down to the lobby since all the family was filtering in from around the South.  We had a good time catching up for everyone.  :)

Saturday, I met Sophie at the park since I hadn't seen her in probably five years!  Cooper played and we talked.  It was just like I had seen her yesterday.  Our time was cut short by the need for lunch, so we said goodbye and went back to the hotel.  J and Uncle Davy took Coop to Academy sports for a few minutes, then we ate at Penn's.  Once we got back, we put Coop down for a nap, and I headed for the venue.  Unfortunately, my phone stayed at the hotel, so the wedding pictures I have are all from other people.  Oh well!

Watching TV while KK ironed his tux

swinging in the park

Riding on the fish (he LOVED it)

Driving the fire truck

The Morrows

After Cooper's nap, KK brought him to the venue, and he got dressed for pictures.  It wasn't too cold outside for pictures, and I know they turned out great.  I can't wait to see them all, but we have to wait 4-6 weeks! 

Kisses in the reception area before the ceremony

(The pictures from here on are in a random order.. sorry).  The wedding was BEAUTIFUL!  Cooper did make it down the aisle, but wasn't able to sit still through the ceremony.  He threw his pillow down the aisle.  It was so cute.  Of course, pretty much anything he did was going to be cute. :)

Breakfast Sunday morning

Coop and Granddaddy

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Selfie in the bridal suite while we wait for the ceremony to start!

Reception time!

The food.  Y'all.  The food.was.AMAZING.  I had a soft shelled crab slider, pasta with a seafood sauce, this AWESOME seafood dip with crackers, pork tenderloin, and probably some other things.  It was delish!  Coop ate up the tortellini.  Bad mommy forgot a sippy cup, so momma's cup had to do.  Coop made the rounds and played with pretty much every one there, I think.  Besides Marion and Steven, he was the star of the show!

drinking from mommy's glass

Me and Marion

After the wedding, we got Coop settled in bed for a few hours, then visited some more.  Coop being up at night + a long (but fun!) day meant we headed to bed somewhat early.  Sunday we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and hit the road back to TN.