Monday Night Football!!

The Titans are playing tonight. Josh was sick and missed some work last week, so I wondered if he might stay and work late tonight, but then I remembered....FOOTBALL! Oh yeah, Daddy was home on time tonight! Since we moved to this house and Josh has been working more "early" days and is able to come home at dinner time, we have been eating dinner most nights as a family at the table. It has been really fun to have this time together as a family. Tonight however, we decided to change it up a little bit, and have a little picnic while watching Football. A lot of times Jack gets agitated about Josh watching football and usually ends up fussing "football OFF! and trying to turn off the tv (much to Josh's dismay) but we are learning some tricks to getting him to enjoy football....like interacting with him while watching and talking about what they are doing...and tonight we learned that he enjoys football if it is combined with FOOD! Here is a picture of father and son enjoying nachos and watching the Titans on MNF! This was also Jack's first time to eat nachos, and he LOVED them. Pretty sure Josh's favorite moment (other than the Titans winning of course) was when Hank Jr was singing the MNF intro, and Jack got up from him spot to dance to the music! That's my BOY!

Giving Thanks

We have now lived in Cookeville for a year and nine months. We started the search for a church pretty much as soon as we had our wits about us after moving. During our time here we have visited 5 churches. All had positives aspects about them, but most of them just didnt seem quite right for one reason or another. Some churches had very fun contemporary services, while some had awesome music and good preaching, some had friendly people and some had great church nurseries. I was so hopeful that we would find a church just like Clearview here in Cookeville, but that just didnt happen. For the past few months we have been going to a church called Poplar Grove Baptist Church. It had been suggested to me by several friends who said "If I were Baptist, I would go there..." so we decided to give it a try. We have been very pleased....Jack has done an AWESOME job in the nursery, and we really like the way they have it set up. So far we have never been paged to come and get him, as opposed to some other churches here in town where we were paged after only 5 minutes (not that I am trying to fault that particular church, they just didnt have enough manpower to handle a room full of kids AND our crying clingy child...one person just wasnt enough!) After going to "The Grove" for a few weeks we went to a "New Attendee Luncheon" and got to meet several nice people. We also went to a mini Marriage Conference there a few weeks ago, which was a great decision. It really helped us get to know more people other than on Sunday mornings in the service. The past several weeks we have been going to a "Getting to know the Grove" Sunday School class which has also helped us get to know more people, including the pastor. For the past 1 year and 9 months I could probably count on 1 hand the number of times we have gone to a Sunday School class, and I have missed it SO much! We LOVE our class back at Clearview. We got to get a tour of the Church and peek in on some ss classes, and I have some ideas about where we might visit in the coming weeks.

I am hopeful that if we find a class that is a good fit that we will finally have found a Church home. Thanks to all who have prayed for us in our transition here to Cookeville. Once we find a church home I think the transition will be complete.

I am including a picture here of the adorable Thanksgiving craft that Jack did this past Sunday. I know it is technically standard fare for T'giving crafts, but this one was done by MY son, so I think it is awesome! :) He was so cute telling me about the "Tuhtee" (Turkey) and the "Fehfehs" (feathers) and showing me how he used his hand to make it, but my FAVORITE is when I ask him what a Turkey says...."Bobble Bobble"

Break my heart...

Today on the way home from lunch Jack started nodding off, but we have learned our lesson from the past several Sundays and did our best to keep him awak so that he would take an actual nap when we got home. Josh came up with the great idea to play "I Spy" with him. Jack is somewhat familiar with this game since we occasionally play it at home, he has an I Spy book and a cute little I Spy dvd that we occasionally watch. Today he actually joined in on the I Spy action, naming off a few of his own. "I Pie....tee" (I spy a Tree!) was really the only one we understood, but he was very excited. When we got home he kept saying over and over "I PIE, I PIE" so we assumed he wanted to keep playing...but I was a little puzzled why he backed himself into his little chair to play. hmmm....I scooped him up and we did a few I Spy's on the way back to his bedroom for his nap. I put him down in the floor to arrange his bed, and he took off like a rocket back to the bonus room and again sat down in his chair...pointing to the TV saying "I PIE!" I then realized that he thought when we said "Let's play I Spy" that it meant he would get to watch his movie...and he got very VERY upset when he learned that it wasnt movie time, it was nap time. Now normally he LOVES naptime (wierd, I know...I think because he LOVES his passy and he only gets it at bed time and naptime) but today he laid down in his bed, still whimpering, then stood back up begging me "I PIE Mommie, I PIE!" and it just broke my heart. In his mind he just didnt understand why we said he could watch his movie and then said he couldnt....granted, I also know that a LARGE part of his meltdown was from being so tired. I promised him that as soon as he woke up we would watch some I Spy. Wouldnt you know it, as soon as Josh went in to get him from his nap, the first words out of that sweet child's mouth was "I PIE!" I promised that after he took his nap he would get to watch his dvd...so we did.

he is FULL of surprises!

Jack's body size is a little wacky. On top 2T is getting snug and short on him since he has a long torso. With a few of his 2T shirts it looks like he is getting close to showing off this midriff. So at the end of the summer I bought him a bunch of 3T long sleeved shirts (which are quite baggy on him....oh well) His bottom half, however, 2T pants are sometimes too long, and 3T pants are WAAAY too big. So, I often opt to get him 2 piece clothing items and usually dont buy many matching sets f clothes (with a shirt, vest and matching pants, etc) because by the time he fits into one piece, the other pieces dont fit. Such is the case with his PJs, I bought him lots of 2 pice pjs, most of them 3T and we just hike up the pants or tuck them into his socks so they arent too long.

Well, the other night we put him into a cute pair of PJs with construction vehicles on them. The next morning I heard him stirring, but I ignored him for a little while because I TRY not to get him up before 6 unless he INSISTS! Around 6 I went in to get him, and was met at the door by a nasty smell....you mommies know what I'm talking about! eew! As I got closer, I was dismayed to discover that he had been, um.....exploring in his diaper....and had the proof all over his hands! EEEEWWWWW! I'm so thankful for a wonderful husband, because I hollered for him to "HELP! Please get the bath water running, this is so GROSS!" Now, I'll be honest, I would be tempted to play possum and "not hear" all the commotion, but my sweet husband did come to the rescue. We scrubbed and scrubbed and changed the bed, washed everything...and all was well.

That night, we decided to be clever and put him into his extra warm one piece zip up PJs thinking that the diaper escapade surely wouldnt happen again tonight!The next morning, I woke up before Jack and was checking my email, blogs, facebook and chatted with my mom on facebook. Josh also woke up and was fixing his coffee.I heard Jack stirring, and ignored him for a few minutes ( several moms told me that they do the same thing, thinking it allows the child to learn to play by himself, etc) and when I went in to get Jack, THIS is what I found:

He is just FULL of surprises. Can you see his PJs down around his ankles? Somehow he figured out how to unzip his PJs, pull them off his arms and down his legs. I'm sure he was only moments from stepping out of them as well. Again, I asked Josh to "COME HERE, you GOTTA see THIS!" Josh summed it up well...."We just can't win, no matter which PJs he has on!" So, this morning, do you think I let him stir for long after I heard him awaken? NOPE! And no surprises this morning (at least so far!)

Buckles

Jack has really gotten excited about buckles lately. He likes to point out the buckle on his carseat and his swing and he's started to ask us to buckle him in on the changing pad when we change his diaper (which we only did when he was really little because we were paranoid...then we just learned to stick close by) but hey, if it encourages him to lay still, I have no problem with it. His FAVORITE buckle is the one on his high chair. After we get him up and cleaned up from every meal, he eventually wanders over and fastens the buckle, much to my chagrin, since I am used to plopping him into his chair when I am ready to put him in...but now have to remember to unbuckle it first. Anyway, this morning he was messing around with the buckle on his high chair while I was fixing breakfast. I turned to get the oatmeal out of the pantry, and when I turned back he had CLIMBED INTO THE HIGH CHAIR and sat down big as day! I didnt freak out, but I came a bit close. Thankfully he didnt fall out and I got him buckled in and we proceeded with breakfast. After we were done, I took him out, cleaned him up and went back about my duties, and when I turned around again, he was up there AGAIN! This time he lost his balance, but I caught him. It scared both of us, and he got a little upset, without me even fussing at him...so maybe he has learned his lesson about channelling spiderman (although I doubt it!) I am hoping that if I train myself to always put the tray back on the chair correctly that will discourage him from trying that anymore. He always keeps me on my toes!

Breakfast in Bed

For the past few mornings I have awakened before 5 and have had a hard time getting back to sleep. For some reason this morning Jack decided to wake up early, just as I had gotten back to sleep. Josh was a sweetheart and got up with Jack and let me sleep just a little bit more. A few minutes later as I finally drifted back to sleep I could hear Maggie whining on the other end of the house, but I figured that Josh would deal with it soon, so I just ignored her. A little while later Josh and Jack came bounding back into our room. Jack was all excited running up to the bed with a small paper bag saying "Dona! Dona!" It took me a moment to figure out what he was so excited about...DOUGHNUTS! Josh and Jack zipped out of the house first thing this morning, with Jack still in his PJs to get the top 3 things needed on a Sunday morning: Coffee, Newspaper and DOUGHNUTS! Jack can be quite loud in the morning, so Josh decided to make the excursion in order to actually let me sleep! Jack was SO excited to bring me "Dona! Dona!" That the moment Josh plopped him up on the bed, Jack immediately tore open the bag and started nibbling on a Doughnut hole. After he finished it, Josh said "Are you going to share with Mommie and Daddy?" and Jack immediately fished one out for me and for Josh. He looked very cute in his PJs and his face was so sweet as he was enjoying his doughnuts and really pleased with himself that he was sharing with us. Josh told me that he let Jack carry the bag out of the store but he was afraid to let Jack hold the bag in the car or all of the doughnuts would be gone before they got home. Josh told him "I'm going to put them up front so you dont eat them on the way home" to which Jack replied "No Eat, Daddy, No eat!" We're still not sure if he was telling Josh to not eat the doughnuts or just repeating what Daddy was saying. I would give anything if I could have somehow snapped a picture of his cute little self this morning. I am understanding better the verse in the Bible that says "Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart" I feel like there are so many things that he is giving me to treasure in my heart.

Jack and Friend Tucker

Now I realize that the title of this posting sounds a little awkward....more on that later.

A sweet mom in my MOPS group learned that our 2 boys are close to the same age, so we decided to arrange a playdate. After having to schedule and reshedule due to traveling, sickness and work schedules, we were finally able to get together. We decided to venture to the Cookeville Childrens Museum. Now, I wont pretend that this is the most amazing childrens museum I've ever been to....but it is a sweet little place, and one of the few places in town that is completely kid friendly. One the way there I was prepping Jack for his playdate by talking about going to play with his new friend Tucker and how much fun he was going to have with his friend Tucker etc. So later, when I asked "Are you ready to have fun with your friend?" he replied "Friend Tucker!" A week later while going to church I asked him a similar question, and he gave me the same enthusiastic reply "Friend Tucker!" but I had to tell him that Tucker doesnt go to the same church as we do. He and Friend Tucker had a fun time at the museum.....although not too much fun together. I was hoping that they would be interested in the same things so that the 2 moms could visit, but it was not to be, they were in separate places almost the whole time....this was the only time we were able to get them together.

This was Jack's first experience with real painting. No, he did not write his name up there, but he did add some interesting color combinations up there! He had a good time and didnt get TOO messy!

Halloween Howdy-Do!

Well, I've got good news and bad news. The bad news is that Jack didn't end up getting to be a lumber JACK for Halloween....I tried, but I just couldnt get the costume together....the good news is that he was a very cute COWBOY for Halloween. I should say, that he is not really into cowboys (although he does seem to enjoy his farmyard toys and animals...but not quite the same thing) but I chose this costume as an homage to his Texas Heritage.....

Here are a few fun Facts about Jack Cooper's Texas Heritage:
*did you know that Jack was the first Cooper NOT born in Texas?
*Did you know that Jack's grandparents, Pops and Bertie, had Texas soil sent in for the day of his birth so that he could still be born on "Texas Soil"?

*Did you know that the Doctors thought that it was SO funny that they helped us wrap it up so that it was "sanitary" enough for the OR and even took pictures of the TX soil?

*When I asked my doctor WHY Jack was such a HUGE preemie (almost NINE POUNDS a MONTH EARLY!) she had no other explanation than that maybe my husband was sprinkling some TX soil in my morning coffee or something....

*oh yeah...the Coopers LOVE Texas.....(but NOT the Texas Longhorns, dont misunderstand...they are Red Raiders or Aggies ALL THE WAY!)

*Oh, and so as to not leave out his Texas heritage from his Mommie's side...one of Jack's great great great great (I'm really not sure HOW many greats...but it is A LOT) grandfathers was a founding father of Texas. Yeah, just look up George Fisher, and he can be found in some stories of Texas History....

anyway, back to my little Texas cutie:

Shirt and Bandanna: $5 at Walmart, Cowboy boots:$12 at walmart, Hat:$1 at Dollar Tree, Horsie:Baby Shower gift before he was born, Cowboy Jack cheezing for the camera:PRICELESS!

Playing cornhole at the Franklin PumpkinFest. Bertie's work had a booth there this year and they let kids play a beanbag game. Jack is bending the rules, just a little bit.
He LOVES throwing anything!

now he is REALLY bending the rules!

Sitting in front of a HUGE pumpkin!

staying warm with Pops while we packed up the booth.

Trick or Treating in Pops and Berties old neighborhood. It was WAY past Jack's bedtime, but he was quite a trooper. It was a little bit of a challenge to get him to say "Trick or Treat" but we did get a little bit of "Tee-Tee" out of him and he was pretty good about saying Thank You. His main MO was to grin up at the people and hold up his YEHYOW pumpkin. At first he was NOT excited about the cowboy hat, but he soon realized that it was an important part of the ensemble, and was then insistent about keeping track of the hat! We ended up visiting about 10 houses. It was too cold for Pops and Bertie to go with us, so they followed us and watched from the car. It was really fun and he did a really good job. He also enjoyed eating a 50 cent corndog from Sonic for dinner!

There were even a few treats at home from Pops and Bertie. He got and ADORABLE shirt and an Elmo Phone Toy. Jack has also been very sweet to share his candy with all of us. Cottonwood gives out GOOD candy, I wish we could have gone to more houses.