Happy Easter!

     Well, we survived our first week solo (without Mom here to help), and it really went pretty smooth. Of course it helped that Dalton took Cooper with him to work two mornings. The most challenging part was nap time for Cooper, because Ace seems to wake up just before it's time for Cooper to go down. Still, there weren't any major problems. We'll see how it all goes when I take them both with me to the store or to run errands...that's when the challenges will begin. : )

     This weekend was Easter weekend and we were blessed to spend it with family. Saturday Dalton's aunts came to visit, along with Auntie M, Mere Mere and Popsey. The weather was beautiful so we all enjoyed burgers on the patio while we visited. It was so nice to see Aunt Kim and Aunt Rita, and to have visitors at the house.

 Cooper and Aunt Rita reading together

 Aunt Kim brought racing turtles from Cuba...so neat!

 One of the turtles

 Cooper's getting the wagon ride of his life. Hold on tight!

Pulling is much easier than pushing 

Aww, sweet big brother. Or is he just finding ways to stay close to the center of attention. : )

     Sunday morning we got up and dressed and headed to church. This was our first outing as a complete family of four, and it went really well. We made it to church on time, enjoyed a great celebration of Christ's resurrection with our church family, and then headed to Aunt Ellen's for Easter lunch and egg hunting.

 Ready for church, Bible in hand. Made me tear up it's so precious. : )

 Happy first Easter Ace!

 "Now explain this egg hunting thing again?"

The cousins are ready to hunt!

     Cooper got to hunt eggs with his cousins this year and he really enjoyed it. At first he just ran through the eggs and then would pick up one, but didn't get the concept. Then he shook one, figured out something was in the eggs, and that really got him motivated. He would pick up an egg and let out a hooray, then take it to his basket and go for another one. He found a spot with several eggs, which made him really excited. There were plenty of people on hand to help him hunt too, so he was sure to be successful. It was great fun!

 Aunt Ellen trying to help Cooper

 He hit the jackpot in the rose bed

 Proud of his collection

Mere Mere and Popsey helped him find some eggs too

     Ace behaved wonderfully all day too. He was wide awake during church and then slept through most of lunch. Then he woke up to visit with the family before we had to leave. When we got home from our festivities we all had a nice nap and enjoyed our evening together.

     Now another week has begun and we are just enjoying everyday activities. The garden is growing, and the need for weeding has begun...this will help me get some form of outdoor exercise anyway. I've gotten some more lettuce from the garden, so it's salad time! And one of our strawberry plants is producing. Cooper brought me a strawberry and when I tried to take it from me he protested. He wanted to eat it. So I washed it off and handed it back to him and he proceeded to eat the entire thing. I snuck a nibble and it was pretty tart, but I guess that didn't matter to him. I think he likes getting to eat food he's picked himself.

‎"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" 1 Peter 1:3

Gardening Part 2

     Friday night Dad and Pearson arrived to spend the weekend and take Mom back home. We were excited for visitors, especially for Pearson to come so that Cooper would have a buddy to play with. Dalton  went into town for a birthday dinner with his family, so it was just Mom, the boys and I here when they arrived. Soon after they arrived I discovered that they had not traveled alone...

     Meet the newest member of our family! Gus the dog. He's 3/4 Great Pyrenees and 1/4 lab. He should be a great dog for the family.

 What you imagine the meeting to be like...

 The reality 

 Dad coaxing Cooper to pet Gus

 He's so soft!

     Cooper isn't too sure about him yet. He usually likes dogs from a distance, and not up close. But he's slowly getting used to him and likes to watch him play. In the last couple of days he's even played tug of war with him, using an old lead rope. I think they'll be good friends. Plus, Gus will help keep critters away from the house, including snakes...a big plus.

 Pearson gave Cooper a few climbing lessons

 Playing games on GG's phone

Cooper's turn

     It didn't take long for Cooper and Pearson to start playing together, and for the entire weekend Cooper followed Pearson around pushing trucks and trailers. It was cute to see how he interacted with an older buddy, he acted like such a big boy.

It took a little while for them to warm up to each other

Checking out the bass boat

     Saturday morning we had a big breakfast of eggs (of course) and sausage. Then we broke the news to the visitors that there was gardening to do. We had to take advantage of free help. : ) While Mom and I watched Pioneer Woman, Dad and Dalton readied the garden by making tilling and making rows. Then I went out to help plant while Mom supervised the boys.

 The boys feeding Sat morning

 Planning each row

 Enjoying the freshly tilled dirt

 Harvesting my lettuce 

     We planted tomatoes, green beans, peas, cantaloupe,  cucumber, okra, squash, zucchini, and strawberries (in a raised bed). It's always fun to plant the new little plants or seeds..almost as much fun as  picking the first produce from the plants.

All the guys in one shot!

This is Ace enjoying gardening

     While we planted, Pearson and Cooper played with play-doh, Cooper's tent and tunnel, and toy trucks. They also practiced hunting Easter eggs, courtesy of Rachel. Gus the dog was never far away and Cooper always had an eye on him. By the way Gus looks really cute in the yard...his white coat compliments the green grass very nicely. : ) Ace napped in the bouncer during all of the action. We were fortunate to have a nice day that wasn't windy.

 Where's Pearson?

Brothers : ) 

     After the garden work we all enjoyed the nice weather, then had lunch. Then it was naptime for most of us...including myself. How nice it was! That evening Mere Mere and Popsey came over to visit. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera out at the time so I don't have any pictures of them...funny Mom seemed to avoid the camera too. I'll get them all next time for sure. We visited outside and then had PW meatloaf for dinner.

 John Deere shirt in the John Deere tractor

     The next morning the travelers got their things together and headed out about 10:30. We were sad to see them go but anxious to start our new, normal life as a family of 4. So far it's been really nice and smooth...busy, but smooth. Of course I haven't made any trips to town with both boys, so we'll see how that goes when the time comes!

 Sweet baby feet!

 "The Lord is good to all; and his tender mercies are over all His works." Psalm 145:9




   

First Week Home Highlights

   
     Well, we made it through the first week home with baby Ace. Mom stayed with us for a full week, which was so nice. It really was good for Cooper to have a buddy here to keep him occupied and happy while we adjusted to having a newborn.

Ace has some very interesting and comical expressions!

Bonding after bath time

     I think it was a harder adjustment for me those first couple of nights. We are keeping him in our room, in a co-sleeper, which has made the nights so much easier on me...a lot less getting up and going to another room. Even so, those first two nights had me wondering if we had made a mistake in having another one (irrational and sleep-deprived thinking I know). I just kept thinking how much this changes things for us and Cooper, and in the middle of the night, instead of dealing with a constantly waking and hungry newborn I just wanted to go cuddle up with Cooper in his bed and love him. Thankfully those feelings passed after the first couple of nights, and since then we've been enjoying having two around.

 GG supervising

 "Be quiet baby."

Coop wants to know what's going on under there. 

Thankfully he isn't too curious..awkward!

Sweet sleeping baby

     Cooper has still been great. He likes to hold Ace (but not for too long), and wants to help out whenever he can. He's always been a great helper though. When he would go outside to play and then come back in he'd look around to see where baby Ace was. He likes to know his whereabouts...sweet big brother. One really cute thing that happened: we were looking for a pacifier for Ace and Mom was asking where one was, when all of a sudden we heard a voice coming from Ace's room saying 'Mama? GG?' Mom went in to find Cooper in the crib holding out a pacifier. He'd climbed in the crib to get Ace's paci and couldn't get back out. What a sweet helper!! I wish I would have gotten a picture.

 Grilling in his big boy undies

 Practicing shaking hands with GG

Bath and brushing time

Coop's checking things out

     Activities that first week included some outside time, TV time, sitting around and watching each other time, and nap time. I can't say that I had great naps, but I did get to shut my eyes a few times. The nights were somewhat comical because Mom slept on the couch and it seemed like we would pass each other in the night regularly. Then one night Dalton fell asleep in Cooper's room and so all three of us were like night creatures coming out of various doors at various hours returning to our beds.

 We were all doing this after the long nights

Found a new cool place to sit and read

     Speaking of Cooper sleeping; he slept all night in his bed twice. The other nights he wound up in our bed sometime in the early morning. It was a little awkward fitting us all in, but I have to admit that it was so sweet to wake up with my whole family of 4 together.
     Wednesday I took Ace to the Dr. for his checkup, while Mom and Cooper ran errands. The Dr. said Ace looked fantastic; clean bill of health, so we'll go back in May for another checkup. Mom and Cooper seemed to have a successful trip too...more bonding time for them. Then I took Cooper to get a haircut. He was such a big boy and sat so still in the chair. He smirked most of the time like he loved getting the extra attention. It was good for him.

Ace is super-excited about going to the Dr.

     Thursday Mom went into town for a little treat and Mere Mere came out to visit. She got to have some cuddle time with Ace and played with Cooper. She even brought some very pretty flowers to brighten up our dinging room.
     The week ended with a weekend visit from Papa John and Pearson. It was a great weekend, but I'll talk about it in the next post...Gardening Part 2.
     Bottom line...we are so blessed and things are going great. I'll report again next week to see how it goes without my nanny here to help.

 Mom did an impromptu photo shoot...cute

 Precious boy!

Did I mention Cooper likes streaking around the house and yard? 

We downloaded Ray Stevens' song The Streak to be his theme song. : )

The End (haha)

"So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Cor 10:31