Christmas 2011

Hard to believe Christmas is over.  Though Cooper didn't fully grasp the holiday, he has definitely enjoyed elements of it.  He has been completely obsessed with Christmas trees, running into our family room every morning and yelling "teeeeee!" at the top of his lungs.  When asked what Santa says, he responds "ho ho".   We enjoyed some fun events around town this month, including cutting down our own tree at a local tree farm, seeing the Grand Illumination downtown, and driving around Midlothian neighborhoods to see the lights. 

We spent Christmas Eve at the family service at church.  Cooper completely surprised us and sat quietly the entire service.  He adores people-watching (and the goldfish didn't hurt, either).

Christmas morning was very different this year, as we were at home for the first time ever.  The Huffmans and Jason's aunt came over for breakfast and gifts.  (I felt pretty grown-up making Christmas breakfast and using my Christmas china for the first time!)  Around noon, we headed to my parents' house for the Browning Christmas.  Then we topped it all off with the extended Huffman family Christmas that evening.  And 2 days later we celebrated the extended Browning family Christmas.  Needless to say, it was a whirlwind and this has been a week of recovery. :)
  
The highlight and what makes the crazy busy month of December all worth it was spending time with family and seeing Cooper light up around them.

Picking out our Christmas tree at the tree farm

The child who eats nothing decided to eat Santa's cookies.  We took the chance that Santa would understand, and apparently he did. 

Christmas Eve family photo

Looking at a"bubble" (Cooper's name for snow globes) on Christmas morning

 

 

Cooper's toys from Santa

Lovin' on Elmo from Aunt Amanda and Uncle Sam (photo courtesy of Peter)

2011 Year in Review (Abbreviated)

I sat down to write our annual Christmas letter this week, and quickly came to the realization that with social media, most folks have kept up with us throughout the year already. (If you're new to Ashley's blog, I encourage you to check out this year's posts.)  And besides, telling you about the minutia of our jobs, travels and tantrum management techniques probably bores most readers to tears.  Especially in a year when many of the people we care about are battling illnesses, employment challenges and other hardships that put life in perspective.  I did, however, peruse our 2011 photos and came to the conclusion that photos tell a better story anyway.  So, enjoy our year in review vicariously through the many faces and phases of our boy, Coop.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and encouraging 2012.

Love,

Jason, Ashley & Cooper (Schroeder & George, too)

 

 

Birthday Cooper

 

Angry Bunny Cooper

 

Spring Cooper

 

Strawberry Cooper

 

Contemplative Cooper

  

Silly Cooper

 

Swimming Cooper

 

Surfing Cooper

Surfcomber Cooper

 

Farmer Cooper

Catalog Model Cooper

 

Tree Hunting Cooper

 

Halloween 2011

Meet Farmer Coop:

Pumpkin picking

No October is complete without a trip to the pumpkin patch.  Cooper kept calling the pumpkins "ball" when we arrived - but eventually started saying "puh".  The owners took to Cooper right away, and he hammed it up for them - playing peekaboo behind the witch cut-out.  We had the place to ourselves (it was a Monday morning) and Cooper ran in and out of the rows of pumpkins, jumped on and off the sidewalk, and played on the little playground.

 

 

Fall getaways

This fall we've had a chance to travel, relax, catch up with old friends, and attend several weddings.

Jason and I spent an awesome weekend at the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, VA in September.  The weather was perfect and we quickly remembered our love for the mountains.  So peaceful and simple.  While there, we enjoyed canoeing, wandering the grounds, taking a soak in the Jefferson Pools, and sleeping!  Thank goodness our parents are eager to keep Cooper so we can sneak away occasionally.  (Side note: I would only recommend the Homestead if you get a great deal - like we did - and plan to eat outside of the resort, or you'll come home completely broke.)

View from our room

The Homestead Resort

Next up, Jason played single dad while I flew to Long Island for my college friend Katie's wedding.  Yay for fun girl time with Anna, another college friend.  Katie was a gorgeous bride and her wedding was fabulous!  So happy for her and Eddie!

With my "date" - Anna

In mid-October, Jason and I traveled to Miami for his buddy Derrick's wedding.  Despite the cloudy, rainy weather, we got to dip our toes in the water and enjoy a casual brunch at the Front Porch Cafe.  Mostly, we just slept though (notice a theme when we get away?) and enjoyed the wedding festivities.  The wedding was beautiful and we are so happy for Derrick and Sari!

Happy to be home now, with no plans to travel anytime soon.  Missed our little guy so much this fall!

Something I want to remember...

Favorite sleeping position - so sweet!

18 months

Our baby is 18 months old.  I'm finding this age fun, liberating, and challenging all at once.  Fun to watch the learning process. Liberating to see Cooper gain more independence.  Challenging to deal with his strong opinions and temper.

Here's a typical scenario these days.  Attempt breakfast.  Refuses to get in booster seat.  Finally get him to table.  Offer 5 foods.  He eats 1 of them.  Go out to car.  Refuses to get in car seat.  Together, we struggle to get him in car.  Finally offer a sippy cup and strap him in seat 10 minutes later.  It's bedtime.  Cooper wants to pull the lamp cord 18 times which results in lamp falling over.  Tell him no and move him away from lamp.  He throws tantrum.

On the flip side, he's quite friendly and sociable, saying "hi" to everyone he encounters and freely giving hugs and kisses (which equates to an open mouth) to family members.  He especially loves to "hug" his stuffed animals and our cats. Whenever he wants to give a hug, he makes this funny noise (sounds like "aowww").  He loves to dance.  Anything with a beat gets him grooving.  Water activities are always a winner - he adores the pool, sprinklers, etc.

Words are becoming more frequent - the biggies are hi, hey, kitty, quack quack, moo, dada, cookie ("coo"), cracker ("cra"), ball ("bah"), bubble ("buh").  When he wants something he says "gah" or "gung" - have no idea where that came from.  He's able to identify certain animals (duck, monkey, lion) and everyday objects (shoes, crackers).

He's in the 50-75th percentile range for height and weight: 26 lb. and 33 inches.  Maybe it's my imagination but I feel like he's growing more up than out these days.

He's finally transitioning from 1 nap to 2.  (Maybe he's late in this department because he didn't sleep well for the first 14 months of his life!)  While it's a little sad to see that 2nd nap go, I'm looking forward to more freedom to do outings and errands together.

Sprinklers!

Thanks for watering me, Eliott!

To the beach again...

Beach Trip #2 is now in the rearview mirror, which means summer is officially over for us.  We headed to the Outer Banks with the Huffman clan for another great week.  Thank goodness Uncle Joe knows lots of cool tricks for kids on the beach.  Digging a big hole and turning the surf board into a see-saw were all it took for Cooper to decide he just might like the sun, surf, and sand.

 

Fun at the Beach

Beach trip was a success!  My family went to North Myrtle last week and had a great time together.  Since Cooper was barely 6 months old for last year's beach trip, we had no idea how the week would go.  It took him most of the week to warm up to the ocean and sand.  By Wednesday, he had become fascinated with the sand. By Thursday, he was running in the surf and collecting shells.  It was a nice family week with my parents, sisters, and one bro-in-law (we missed you, Peter). Cooper made sure we were entertained at all times.  Can't wait to go to the OBX in August!