Kisgen Kids

Strawberry Strike

2011-04-20T22:48:00.001-04:00

While Carter, Patrick and I love Strawberries, Cooper has been on strawberry strike since around the fall I think. He had said a few times "how about when we go to the Strawberry patch in the Spring I will like them." What a negotiator!

The boys and I spent a morning strolling through the patch, squishing and picking bright red sweet berries ...then home to wash them and get them ready for our picnic that afternoon. Carter and I dig in, Cooper takes one little bite and says "mmm no I don't like them" ai yai yai. So the strike is officially over, but Cooper will still only eat strawberries made in stuff. Whenever strawberries are presented in front of him plain, Cooper never forgets to remind me, "remember Mom I don't like strawberries". Oh well... we give some we get some, I shall not complain....he is not a picky eater so if there is one thing he says no to, I'll be o.k. I just don't see how to pass them up....especially these fresh-picked ones man are they so sweet and juicy, unlike the many have purchased the last few months that were dyed red and bitter. At least Cooper can be my official picker, if nothing else, when it comes to strawberries.

These pictures are from a fun afternoon in Forsyth Park. Most of the time was spent chasing squirrels around trees and finding sticks to be pretend swords......along with eating our fresh-picked berries from that morning during our picnic. Oh what fun it is being outdoors! We have enjoyed making many things out of the fresh-picked strawberries, which took me about 3 hours to clean and separate in to containers for the fridge and freezer. Fresh strawberry cake I made for Easter is one of the many things we have enjoyed.

Spiderman is 4- I mean Cooper

2011-04-17T22:27:00.012-04:00

What a treasure of a son this little boy is!

Cooper has wanted a Spiderman Birthday since the Halloween party at school when there were 3 boys in his class dressed as Spiderman. I thought it might change, but he was set. So Spiderman planning began and he got to invite a few friends from school and from his other social networks (sports, neighborhood, and family friends). I found awesome Spiderman handkerchiefs at the craft store that I just knew I wanted to use for the party in some way, but was unsure how....every superhero needs a cape right. So Spiderman capes I sewed (and had a fight with my sewing machine, but finally completed the task late one night) and strung with yarn. We found an awesome spinning Spiderman cake topper on line and GG made a city tower cake with other villains. We had two appearances at this party: 1. Spiderman himself showed up outside of our fence ready to show Cooper and his friends some real Spidey moves. It was a blast. In the video you will see Cooper protect Spiderman from a friend that is trying to sword the hero. 2. Papa Kisgen arrived as Batman. It was a great surprise and treat and a funnier story....Cooper had told his Papa on the phone many weeks before this party that it would be cool if he came dressed as Batman, so Papa searches far and wide for his perfect costume and shortly after his arrival Cooper says "oh, I meant it would be cool if you came as Spiderman" poor Papa. Cooper was happy with his costume nonetheless and later said how cool it was Papa came to his party dressed like Batman. It was a fun birthday party just listening to lots of little 4 year old laughs running inside and outside and back upstairs and back outside. Cooper has some really fun friends!

Cooper is such an amazing big brother! Carter is one lucky little brother. Let me give you an example.

Cooper has been asking for a super spiderweb shooter glove for a few months now....so we had no problem thinking that was a cool fun gift to give him for his 4th birthday. He opened the gift with much excitement and Dad and Cooper quickly got it put together and began shooting webs (aka blue silly string) all through the downstairs....having a blast might I add. Amidst the commotion, before a single web shoots out, little tough Carter is hiding in a corner of the hallway whaling and balling his eyes out to stop the spraying of the webs. Cooper promises he will not shoot Carter, which I thought was so nice. Mom rescues Carter and calms down his short breaths and then accidentally runs through the line of fire and the whaling begins again. We finally get little C calmed down enough to eat some birthday cake...while he is still trying to catch his breath. A dialogue begins between the boys. Carter: "Cooper, you can not shoot people." Cooper: "Carter you should not come to my birthday party so I can shoot people and you won't get upset, ok." Carter: "ok!" They continue back and forth for a while, during which Carter calms down then cries and just tells Cooper he can not shoot us. Finally, I just remove Carter and take him to bed to calm down. Then I go lay down with Cooper and he says, "Mom, I think you need to take that web shooter back because it is not nice to scare my brother." Geez-Louise, he has wanted this thing for months and loves it and had a blast playing with it, but has such a sweet big heart and who would have thought tough guy Carter who does not get scared of much was insane about this thing. It was sooo hard to keep composure and soothe Carter when P and I were just laughing about the whole scene.

The next day when I picked Carter up from school his teacher says "Carter said the cutest thing today, he said his big brother has real super powers." How funny after his "super powers" put him in hysterics.
On the way to school on Monday morning, after his big 4 year old weekend and Mom and Dad feeling a little age stricken, out of the blue big Coop says, "Mom, I'm going to miss you so much when I go to college then Washington, D.C. after that". I shared this with a friend and she replied, "TOTAL COOPERISM!" There are plenty more Cooperism's to come...stay tuned.

D.C./ D.R.

2011-04-06T23:26:00.011-04:00

Patrick and I went gallivanting alone together for 6 days! We started in Washington, D.C. which was in full bloom for the Cherry Blossom Festival. It was beautiful. We couldn't help but visit our engagement spot (which was 10 years ago March) and get our photo in front of The White House, as we talk about it with Cooper and Carter all the time. I had not been to D.C. since I moved away from Maryland in 2004. The two of us then went to meet 4 other couples plus 1 in the Dominican Republic. This was a trip in celebration of Lacey's 30th Birthday (which was back in November when she was 9 months pregnant). We arrived to a beautiful airport made of tiki huts and rode a long un-scenic way to our all-inclusive resort to find good cheer! The sand was white, the ocean turquoise, bushes of bougainvillea, and palm trees to the sky. V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N. Great times were had at the swim-up pool bar, lounging on the beach, dancing, Deep-Sea Fishing (more like no catching fish but whale watching), and spending time together as adults only. Between our group of 11, there were 7 children left at home with their grands. GOD BLESS Grandparents who want to be "active" in their grandchildren's lives and give us the freedom to get away every once in a while.

The Happy Parade

2011-03-18T22:23:00.006-04:00

Before I begin...one other quick thing to provide a laugh: In this house, I feel like I buy red grapes at the grocery store every time I walk in. Carter James (who we many times refer to as a "fruitatarian" loves grapes). In his demanding but adorable two-year old ways can quite often be heard saying "I WANT GAPES AND I WANT A YOT" "SKANKS" "MOM, IS THAT A YOT?" again emphasis being on the pronunciation you can interpret from the spelling

Now to "The Happy Parade"

We had been talking about the St. Patrick's Day parade for a few weeks with the boys, as we know it is something they love and a fine tradition here in Savannah (one that I have participated in (most years) since I was 4 weeks old. The morning of Carter exclaims "Mom, we are going to the Happy Parade!" Since then that is how we talk about the St. Patrick's Day festivities. Any firetrucks, motorcycles, marching bands, etc. that we might have seen on the fine day of green in Savannah is "Mom, like we saw that in the Happy Parade". Savannah's skies were blue and friends and families gathered in the azalea blooming squares. From all over the East, bands, policeman, fireman, and soldiers came down to participate and March for us. Many members of the Wagoner-McBride Clan joines us, as well as a few thousand more.

Check out Carter below- this is how he stood for the entire 3 hour long parade.
It's really fun being IRISH for one day each year!

Super Cute things our boys have done or said over the past few months

2011-03-01T22:26:00.010-05:00

Santa's Kisgen Elf preparing a level area for a super Santa delivery for the boys

All the boxes and bins of holiday decorations, wrapping paper, gift bags and other Christmas cheer was at the bottom of the stairs waiting for me to start unloading them. I had one role of paper from last year that I had saved because it was pretty and it had half a role of paper left on it. I started doing some laundry and heard the boys having fun. i come out in to the hallway to find my leftover paper in squares through the hall and in to the living room. Cooper saw my face but before I could say anything he said "Mom we are using it as our map" and they kept playing and looking at their map and following them.....how could I be upset at that? So much for a year of saving the paper, but a cute story at least.

Not-so secret gift keepers: I let Cooper and Carter each pick out a gift for each other this year. Cooper was excited for what he picked out for his brother and I made sure that during the entire process I repeatedly stated that it was a secret and a surprise for Carter to find out what it is on Christmas. The second we walked in the door, Cooper blurted to Dad and Carter, "It's a surprise Dad I got Carter big boy sunglasses for Christmas" with Carter looking at Cooper puzzled. We shushed him and I guess theoretically Carter is too little to remember, but it was just another funny little thing haha moment of holiday life with two little boys. It helped me learn my lesson though, as packages were delivered I would say to them that it was so and so's present and they would ask what it was. Did not want to make that mistake again, so just left it generic.......sure enough when Patrick got home from work, Cooper said "Dad, a package came today it was your Christmas present, but it's a surprise." Patrick is such a sneaky gift surprise ruiner anyway and I knew the boys had no chance of surviving their Dad's tricks

All during Christmas holiday season, Carter referred to our tree as "CHRISAM TREE". It was adorable.
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Around the middle of December Carter got an accidental big boy bed. We were not quite ready, but the boys decided it was time. We are used to Cooper coming down on his own, but one morning two little boys showed up downstairs together to tell us good morning and Carter kept saying he got a big boy bed over and over. Cooper had loosened Carter's crib rail and swung it open and showed Carter how to climb out. I went upstairs to determine what had become of the crib to find it was very cleverly put back in to place and I had to figure out how they did it. We took the rail off completely in hopes Carter would do alright since he was typically really good at going to bed. Wow, he was DEFINITELY not ready. There were many weeks of Patrick and I reading up on the best parenting techniques on getting your toddler to stay in bed. Each week seemed to be a different method for us. I have to tell this particular story........Dad went to lay on Carter's floor to "tame the beast" that would not stay in his bed (but if Dad was in the room he would not get out of the bed). It had been a while and I heard Patrick snoring in the baby monitor. I went upstairs to get him up and find Carter wide awake in his bed butt naked and Patrick asleep. Carter had taken off his jammies and diaper and tee teed in his bed all while his Dad had a nice cat-nap. My husbands face was pure shock, his words were "I am humiliated and feel completely defeated by a 2 year old".

One morning, as we are getting ready to leave for work/school, Cooper looked and me and said "Mom you need to go finished getting dressed". I need to mention I was fully dressed and accessorised and loving my outfit that day haha. I responded "what do you mean, do you not like what I am wearing?". Cooper kindly responded with a yes nod.

Bedtime stories: Cooper Kisgen has amazing creativity. It is not the first time I have mentioned it, but when he tells bedtime stories I am always wowed. The parents are the ones who are supposed to tell bedtime stories, right? Well it began as Dad's talent and I had to learn them so I did not miss details when I retold or I would be corrected.....then Cooper was constantly telling us to wait wait you forgot this or that. It grew in to Cooper taking parts of movies and stories and making up his own. His details are amazing and so fun and delightful to listen to. I always get a big grin when Cooper says "want me to tell you a story?" no matter where we are. Sometimes its dragons, sometimes is knights saving a princess, there are always friends and Cooper is always the main character. How does it start again, oh yeah ONCE UPON A TIME.

Xmas movies Lost N Found Since December 25th I had been missing every single Christmas movie we owned. They were neatly in a basket by the tree Christmas Eve night I remembered when cleaning and get everything set up. I could not locate the movies anywhere when I went to put in Frosty or Rudolph for the boys. I grossly went through the holiday trash that had already made it outside looking for our classic Mickey Mouse holiday specials. I was sad I would have to start over buying their favorite holiday DVD's. Weeks went by and everything was packed up. Around February 5th in fact, a T.V. remote came up missing just a few hours after we had last used it. I finally looked at a subwoofer box that has a small opening in it that sits next to the television stand in the living room. I thought hmmm if I were two I might be curious what I could stick in there. The problem is you can not stick your hand in this "slot" or see because it goes straight down. Patrick and I saw no way in to this thing but I insisted he try and take this sound box apart. We found the remote plus ALL of our holiday movies plus a random assortment of things we thought might be missing. It was quite a laugh, I had lots of people looking for these movies.

Our first meet of our newest family member, beautiful Michael Antley was New Year's Eve. Sweet baby girl!

Figerwork Since shooting fireworks on New Year's Eve with the Antley's, Carter has believed he is a "FIGERWORK". He says, "Look at this Figerwork pewh pewh". Please pay special attention to the spelling and you will see how cute it might sound to hear. He loves Katie Perry's song too "Baby You're a Firework".

Cooper and Carter's GG & GG Steve thought the boys really needed to have Nerf dart guns for Christmas. Ok sure, so it was fine and they had fun watching the little darts soar and make whistling and pop noises. One Saturday morning, Patrick and I were enjoying our sleep. I heard the boys whispering in Carter's baby monitor so I knew it was about to be wake up time. I was quite surprised that within 2 mintues of their bedroom whispers, nerf darts were whistling over our heads and heard Cooper tell his little brother "Carter lets get them"....then Carter asking me to help him load more darts so he could attack us some more. Now that's a way to wake your parents!

This was at Colson's 1st Birthday Party- the family of friends!

December 1st, 2010

2010-12-01T21:51:00.021-05:00

Oh my blog, how I have missed you. So here I am December 1st, 2010........last blog posting 9/28/10. It's not for lack of trying. I started two blog entries with bullet points and little reminders to write about, but clearly I never finished them to be published. Two little boys are busy and I am busier trying to keep up and learn how to parent each new thing that we face every day. Enough about me, let me wrap up the last few months before we head in to the end of Two Thousand and Ten. Really????????

September Wrap-Up

-Another Trip down to PCB for Labor Day. Cooper played putt-putt for the first time on this trip and had a blast, Carter and I sat that one out.

-I ran and completed my first ever 5K

-Cooper participated in his first ever team sport. He played Soccer, thus officially making me a "Soccer Mom"

It’s funny to now say I am officially a “soccer mom” haha. Cooper was great, he stood and listened and participated when the coach said Hi so and so, he was the loudest, and when the coach said clap for so and so for kicking, Cooper clapped and said Yay….what a great teammate. I think Coop was declared the coach’s helper right from the start, he’s so precious. Cooper also kept forgetting the Coach’s name so when Cooper wanted to get his attention Cooper would say “Um, Captain Coach”….hilarious.

Soccer week 2 consisted of sitting down and picking grass. Week 3 got better enthusiasm and interest came back. This went back and forth for the 8 weeks of our little season. Cooper never officially scored a game goal, but not for lack of trying. It seemed that each week the other team had at least one dominating player that would steal the ball from Cooper over and over and score, well our little green team lacked that one dominating great 3 year old player. Carter was quite a handful during these games, starting off each time cheering for Cooper then quickly bored and wanting to be on the field himself. Our little home videos are surely filled with lots of commentary between Carter and I asking him to sit down and hold on and it’s almost over. Fun first sport team experience and the start to my next 17+ years I presume.

Carter turns 2 and a trip to the Zoo

Carter had a sweet 2nd Birthday- I made and shared cupcakes with his little 2 year old class at school and our family of 4 went to dinner at the Japanese Hibachi restaurant for some Birthday entertainment....plus his favorite thing on earth this summer was "ka-keem" or what we call yumm ice cream.

The weekend following, we went to the Atlanta Zoo and shared a fun day with a lot of our family and some great friends. It was exciting to have so many there to sing Happy Birthday to our little Carter, who I can’t believe has turned 2 years old. Many of the animals were hiding in the shade that day but we still made the best of it and now Carter looks at his zoo animals book almost every day remembering his fun Birthday. The weeks preceding his 2nd birthday were incredible, watching a pure transformation to an almost big boy. His looks and personality just grew up right before our eyes. Carter is just our silly little giggle box, slowly having very little fear to try new things. 100% rough, tough, temperamental, pushing on, pulling on, riding on things all day long boy.
2-year weigh in: 27lbs

October

-Patrick and I went to a GA game, which we missed out on all season last year. We spent the night in Athens and could barely even hang with the college kiddies- we did more people watching than anything that night, it was still a good time though.

On Monday morning October 11th, Carter climbed on to a kitchen table chair to reach a grape that rolled to the middle of the table. He then proceeded to slip off hitting his face on the table on the way down and landing face front on the floor. One of his little bottom baby teeth pierced right through his face just below his bottom lip. Baby blood everywhere all over him all over me, it was quite a scene. Thank goodness the chill factor of the family had not left for work yet and told me to stop screaming and freaking out. I called the pediatrician as soon as they were open informing them that my 2 year old had a hole in his face.....we were sent straight to the plastic surgeon's office since it was a face injury. The plastic surgeon then said it wa in a place where the mouth heals so quickly by itself he would probably do worse by upsetting the little buddy even more. Sure enough, a little tlc and neosporean and it healed right up. Some may see a little scar but hey it's part of his life story now.

-Cooper and I made a trip to the Antley's - we got to watch cousin Jameson play her soccer game and shop and just hang out

-County Fair was in town, so we took the boys for a few thrill rides. We made the mistake of going the first crowded night, funnel cakes we did not get to enjoy.

-Cooper came home from school one afternoon looked at me with a funny look and said "Mom, Emma is my girlfriend and she sings All the Single Ladies, All the Single Ladies from the Chipmunks", then he laughed hystericallyChildren of the Corn Maze

-Halloween cookies were made for school, only having to send husband to grocery store at 9:30 for more food coloring and icing.........oops

-The Kisgens took a trip to NEVERNEVERLAND for Halloween

The kids love Disney's Peter Pan and Cooper always said he was going to be Captain Hook and then asked Mom if she would be Tinkerbell. I complied and Dad joined in the dress-up. Cooper was very specific as to how is costume would look, so he searched on the computer with me to find the perfect one. I almost thought Carter's Peter Pan costume would have to be returned for a second Captain Hook, but Carter finally took on his role and had fun with it! It was very funny to me when we were at Cooper's school dress-up party and there were 3 Spider-Man's in his class the day before trick-or-treat, Cooper whispered to me "Mom I want you to send Captain Hook back so I can be Spider Man"....sorry buddy a little late. He forgot though by trick-or-treat time.

Carter walks around the house saying he will sword you and so cutely calling his brother to come play "Hey Coop"

November

-Cooper whimpers to his Dad and I one night in bed that he had asked Emma to be his girlfriend again and she said no. He then proceeds with, "Mom, will you please come in to my classroom and ask her for me?" Mom response: "Cooper does anyone else have a girlfriend? I don't think it is a big deal that she is officially your girlfriend. I know she really likes being your friend, I have seen how she likes to play with you." Dad response: "It's o.k. Cooper I had to ask your Mommy to be my girlfriend for a long time."

-Couples Mountain Weekend to Ellijay. We stayed in a gorgeous 5 bedroom house, hung out by the campfire, cooked and ate, and climbed all the stairs to the top of Amicalola Falls.

-We spent a fantastic Thanksgiving at home with the Kisgens -I completed the Ten Can Run 5K Thanksgiving Day beating my last time by 5 whole minutes. I was accompanied by Meredith

-I cooked my first ever Thanksgiving Turkey

-Cooper dialed 9-1-1 while spending the night with his Bump Bump and Doc in their hotel room. Pretty sure after the visit from the police man he will not be doing that one again.

The boys spent a lot of time with each of their grandparents the last few months and have enjoyed it so much. One weekend they were split, each with a different set of Grandparents (to 1. give the grandparents a break and 2. so Carter could have a big boy weekend)- they were happy to see each other afterwards. We are so greatful for the chance to not only share our children but get to enjoy our lives together as a couple.

Simon the Elf (on the shelf) has made is arrival and the advent calendars gets its first open door.

(Each night this week so far has been "Simon, I'm sorry for ___, please don't tell Santa I did that")

The first Chanukah candle will be lit by our Pike family.

Bicycle Checklist

2010-09-28T23:04:00.002-04:00

Sweet Cooper moved up in to a new classroom, with that came a little more responsibility from him to sit still and pay attention for longer periods of time and he was having a hard time with it. At this time, Cooper also decided he wanted a bicycle. It might have been a little advanced for a 3-year old, but we put together a plan for him to earn his bike. Cooper had a daily checklist and if he received all 4 checks at the end of each day, he received $1. Once he reached a goal of $20, we would help him buy his first bicycle (as a 3 year old having no concept of the cost of a bicycle and just so happened a neighbor whispered to us "does Cooper want a bike our son has grown out of his first one".....perfect timing). It took a little longer than 20 days to reach his goal, as there were some behavior gaps in there, but he did it. The last night of his checklist, I surprised him with a "Curious George rides a bike" book as a segway in to his final reward. The next day when he got home from school his very 1st bicycle was waiting for him with a shiny helmet he had previously picked out.

As he climbed on the bike, Cooper took on a new personality.....while riding the bike we were only to refer to Cooper as "Spiderman". He did awesome, took a few spills, but hopped right back on. The proud smile on his face was incredible. He rides it almost every day after school, we have attempted removing the training wheels, but not there yet.....no need to rush. We are proud of him learning the importance of his checklist items and pride in earning something himself:

-Good Report at School

-Be Kind to your brother

-Eat all of your dinner

-Respect

Here's a little clip of an excited little boy and his proud parents watching him burst with joy and pride (and do a perfect re-take on cue as a result of technical difficulties...he's pretty good at that):

Who's Doing What?

2010-08-11T23:11:00.003-04:00

Cooper spent a weekend with his Bump Bump and Doc. We had a few days with just quiet Carter in the house. Wow, life was different for a few days. It was a few decibels lower and a few notches slower on the activity dial. Carter still enjoys playing by himself and does not often have the opportunity to have ALL the attention, so his demeanor was clear that he was enjoying life....although he did wake up each morning and ask for his bubba. It was sweet to closely watch Carter's new stage in life- the almost 2 year stage- still innocent but wanting to maybe do more. We really just stepped back and thought about Cooper at this age and remembered him trying to do new things for the first time and feeling so big and proud. The two certainly did not hesitate to jump right back in to their playful selves the second they saw each other...I think they feed off one another. They were certainly a handful the first day or two being home and back together, but welcomed craziness and chaos. Life would just not be normal without it!

Words I live by: "Don't worry yourself if your children seem to act different around you the Mom than with others such as grandparents or teachers, they know it's o.k. to let it all out with you and you are there no matter what and they love you" I try and remind myself of this more than once a day ha ha. Read this from a monthly parenting article I get and have saved it in my inbox.

Cooper says the funniest things these days- little adult sayings that I think he understand because they are usually in the right context, but we don't' know for sure. Either way, he always gives us splinters. A few of his sayings: "I Can't Believe It", "Mom, You're kidding me". Plus everything is "5 more minutes" "Mom, just 2 more minutes".

Carter says whatever Cooper says but repeats it for us 10x, his vocabulary is incredible. He just loves and adores doggies of every kind, color, size, texture. It's also funny watching him start to take an interest in preschool shows too- Blues Clues and Wiggles becoming Carter's favorites whereas Cooper no longer has any interest in watching them. Carter is also starting to over-power his "big" brother in the occasional wrestling match.

Lot's more to come.................

Camp Annawannah We Hold You In our hearts....

2010-08-11T22:57:00.004-04:00

Camp Annawanna

We Hold You In Our Hearts

And when I think about you

It makes me wanna.......

To those of you from my generation, this theme song might ring a tune to your ear from a fun Nickelodeon show called "Salute Your Shorts", which was followed by the ever funny "Hey Dude" on Nickelodeon.

Well this song also rang in our ears during my recent annual Girls Weekend. 5 of us traveled to a beautiful cabin in the Big Canoe area of the N. Georgia Mountains. We drank good wine, ate good food, shared lots of laughs, played games and did lots of outdoor activities- climbed the side of a dam workout, nature trails, picnic at a waterfall, lounged at the lake, beach volleyball, oh and a rock slide to name a few. Most of our time spent at the lake and doing our nature stuff is when one of us would just break out in song "Camp Annawannah we hold you in our hearts" and all laugh. Their were a lot of families with children around then this group of whatever category we fit in to ladies, and we felt like we were attending summer camp.

This year's trip was vastly different from our Miami trip, but no less fun and memorable! Plus, I had not spent time with my lifelong friends in approx 7 months-yikes!

I was having my oil changed the day of my departure and reading a waiting room magazine read this fantastic article about the 6 billion dollar "Girls Trip" industry. I will certainly always be a contributor to this and a promoter. It does something for the soul. Yes your family and children are so greatly missed, but the laughter and talks and talks and talks revive you, so that you can go home and be a better Mom and wife or whatever you are in life. The article referenced that it's like having a free 3-day therapy session, 100% agree. Love my friends and love the privilege in life to be able to leave life behind for a few days.

2 Granparents, 2 toddler boys, 5 days

2010-08-10T21:44:00.007-04:00

My mother has been asking me probably since January if she could keep the Grandson's for a week this summer. I just was not super excited about them being away from me that long and out of their regular environment. Well summer was in full swing and I finally said o.k. Mom why not, they will love it, you will be exhausted, I will have a quiet house.... sure sounds pretty good. I prepared and packed them for all occasions and worried my little head off that they were going to be a huge handful for my parents (aka GG and GG Steve), getting in to everything, not eating well, not sleeping well. Well I was happy to hear reports each day and the great stories when they came home. I still have yet to see many photos, but I am sure the ones my parents have in their heads will last them a long time. They went up on a Wednesday and I met them and picked them up Sunday.

Between the exchange Cooper and Carter's grandparents left no day un-fun:

-Their make-shift room was decked out with Toy Story sheets

-They had many dips in the pool

-They visited Great Grandma

-They visited the "Wild Animal Safari" in Pine Mountain, GA

-They had a bouncy time at Monkey Joes

-They went to GG Steve's favorite breakfast place

From each my Mom, Dad and Grandmother, I received sweet wonderful emails about how good our little boys were. They listened and knew when it was time to straighten up but most of all kept themselves and everyone smiling. I'm allowed to gloat from good reports, right?

What did I do? Well I really only had one full night to do whatever as I was off to a weekend with girlfriends. I stopped off for a quick grocery store trip, did a super quick house clean, went to the gym, went and had a delic Sushi dinner, then read an entire magazine in a bubble bath and went to bed early. Wow it was a great night to myself!

A funny picture from my Mom that was titled "new use for duct tape".

A picture taken from inside the car at the Animal Safari. They fed giraffes, buffalo, cows, etc.I suppose summer stays with the Grandparents are pretty standard, that's why those silly suitcases were made that say "Going to Grandma's" right?

Kisgens Host Houseful!

2010-07-28T22:26:00.009-04:00

Our old gang of friends was in need of an overdue get-together. Each time we come to Atlanta, it's hard to see everyone with all of our growing families and moving away and social commitments...........so we thought we would bring them all here. Patrick organized a friend weekend at our house with the "guys", their significant other, and any children. A few were unable to join us but hopefully will the next go round.

Patrick named the event: Kisgen Beer-B-Q 2010

Guest list:

Louie (wife Lauren had other obligation)

Tony, Tasha, Baby Colson

John, Natalie and 1.5 year Gray

Ryan and his girlfriend Nikita

Tony, Jennifer and 1.5 year Brody

Yes, we all have boys, no girls, with our 2 being the oldest of the attendees.

Our children were happy to entertain and share their home with everyone (oh and us of course). We ate, drank, smiled as the children played together, learned who each child would bond with, watched the guys do stupid things and laughed a lot at each other. It was an absolute blast!!!!

No matter how long it has been, things never change.................we all live in different places, all have different types of jobs, all have different ways of parenting, all lead busy schedules, but all benefit from spending time together and sharing friendship. I know I know mushy mushy but I truly left the weekend with a smile on my face (well, and a hangover) from having so much fun now as families and not just young kids.

All Figured Out

2010-07-07T20:52:00.008-04:00

What have those Kisgen Kids been so busy doing that their Mom could not find time to sit in front of the computer and blog about it all?

That's easy.........

Exploring at a local animal sanctuary with friends, Oatland Island

Playing in the sprinklers with neighbors

Cooper seeing his first movie on the big screen, Toy Story 3

Cooper going to his first live production, Curious George Makes Meatballs

Art Projects

Family Vacation to the Emerald Coast

Listening to Carter talk up a storm, always telling us "It Kared Me" "I Cwied" and "Come On"

And watching and listening to Cooper figure out life. I title this post 'all figured out' because of a little something Cooper said during our family vacation down at the non-oil touched Emerald Coast of Florida. Cooper and his Dad were walking down the sidewalk and Cooper spotted this thing that looked so thrilling- it was a HUGE bungie swing type of contraption. Mom was not around at the time, Cooper wide eyed and curious looked over and excitedly asked his father "Dad, can I ride that?" His father replied, "Well I think you need to ask your Mom." Cooper's expression changed to disappointed and he said, "Oh, she'll just say no then." Poor kid has already figured it all out. I guess my way of trying incredibly hard to not always just say no but put other ideas or spins on things works to some degree, but he still understands what I have done.

Each event this summer has been more fun than the last, I mean obviously nothing compares to Disney but close 2nds I suppose. Life is fascinating seeing it through the eyes of toddlers and wondering if they will love the things you do and then finding out that they do. Our two angel little boys (not in the sense of behavior haha) are becoming our very best friends in the world. I could tell a little tale from each little thing we have done and probably will at some point, but this catches you up to now. Hope you are enjoying summer as much as we are!

Memories of May

2010-06-08T22:28:00.009-04:00

Sweet Baby Brighton

Myrtle Beach Fun

Memorial Day with Wagoner's and rain........

One would think after Disney a family would take-it-easy for a few....well not these Kisgens. Patrick had a big show in Charlotte, I traveled to meet him while Cooper and Carter stayed home with a visit from their Bump Bump and Doc. During my trip to Charlotte, I had a fantastic visit with Season and the pleasure of meeting Brighton Max Flowe...who was born Feb 22nd. He was a pure pleasure to hold and listen to blurble and watch smile.

The following weekend Patrick and Mickey were to golf all by themselves in Myrtle Beach....well Lacey, all the children, and I tagged along to invade their condo, but leave them alone. "The Dad's" (as Cooper and Jameson kept referring to them) golfed and the kids and moms played and swam and shopped. We had a great weekend!

Next, Cooper got a real big-boy bed. He had been asking for one and was getting frustrated when I tried to lay in his toddler bed that I was pretty much on top of his legs. It was much anticipated by him and he kept talking about his big boy bed. So, I found the perfect new big boy bedding and we converted his once newborn baby crib in to a beautiful full size bed. Patrick and I put the bed together and figured out how to re-configure the bedroom while Cooper was at school one afternoon.........he was so happy. He laid in bed that night singing, "I got a big boy bed, I got a big boy bed". Every time someone enters the house, he gestures come here and takes them upstairs to show it off.

Then came Memorial Day weekend. Our plans were no plans, well except to work a little in the yard and hit the pool as much as possible. Then we got a last minute visit from Tony, Tasha, and Baby Colson Wagoner. We still had pool time, lounge time, and yard time and enjoyed seeing how incredibly big and smiley Colson has gotten since we saw him last. Cooper absolutely adored him and kept calling him "my baby" and Carter, well Carter was interested for a second when he would see big brother with the baby then he did his own thing....or when I was holding Colson, Carter would do something crazy to get my attention back :) An outdoor all day Memorial Day Monday was rained out, as in most places, so we got in some R&R. It's always fun having such great friends around!

Our un-official start to Summer started off great. Having been around the two newest babies lately has made me realise that Carter is just not the baby anymore, I have been holding on to him but I think it's done....The Kisgens have only toddlers in our house.

Here are two different links to photo albums if you want to see them:

http://picasaweb.google.com/sskisgen/May2010?feat=directlink

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=878182560408%3A571409592&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee

Disneyworld Adventure

2010-05-17T22:26:00.005-04:00

We had planned a trip to Disneyworld to round out Cooper's 3rd Birthday celebration at the Magic Kingdom- schedules and non-night-parade weekends at the park pushed our trip back about a month. We traveled to Orlando Friday May 7th. The goal was for the kids to have the best time of their little lives thus far- the bonus was that the two of us as parents did too! Cooper got to wear a special Disney provided Birthday pin for his entire trip, the park staff did an excellent job of telling him Happy Birthday and a few extra special perks for his Birthday celebration, which we were told to expect. It made me feel happy to see him getting such special treatment. When our boys faces lit up at the sight of the rides, the characters, the castle, the parade.....they lit up our world.

The trip started like this- we departed and stopped to get coffee before we hit the freeway, at that point we realized the kids Mickey Mouse ears were missing, but how they just had them while in the driveway. We drive back to the house and they are lying in the driveway! Who's trip to Disney could not begin without wearing Mickey Mouse ears? haha.

Itinerary:

Friday- arrive in hot Orlando and head to the resort pool around 2. The pool was huge rocks and caves with water slides and a kiddy area that had slides and water barrels. Cooper jumped right in and slid right down and Carter needed a little time to warm up. We hit the showers and headed out to Downtown Disney for dinner. Everyone was already tired so we did a little walking around and turned in early to gear up for the next big day.

Saturday day- arrived at Magic Kingdom at 9:20- no lines for probably our first 3 rides....a nice way to get everyone excited. The boys fell asleep around lunchtime so we found food and air conditioning to re-charge. After everyone ate we were ready to get back out there. Meredith met up with us around this time and joined us for the afternoon parade. The boys were so excited to see her and it was nice visiting and having an extra set of hands and eyes. We hit maybe another ride or two then decided if we were going to come back that night we needed to head to the room for showers, dinner, and a possible nap.
Saturday p.m.- we headed back to the park around 8p.m. to find the perfect spot to watch the Spectromagic parade of lights and floats. We were all exhausted, but fascinated at the evening of lights and fireworks. Walt Disney Magic Kingdom truly is a magical place!

Sunday- We had a Mother's Day brunch scheduled at another resort. It was delicious and fun- could not have spent my Mother's Day better than watching my children light up with joy interacting with Donald Duck, Goofy and Minnie. Donald even sang Happy Birthday to Cooper and he shared his cupcake with Goofy. Our Magic Disney adventure had ended but the fun and smiles stayed on our faces for days. On the car ride home, Patrick was already planning our next trip down. Haha he said, that was the first family vacation that the boys have really had so much fun and always had something to do, unlike the beach or something. Um well it is Disneyworld and that is kind of the point.

We stayed at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort in a pirate themed room- the beds looked like pirate ships, their were treasure chests and barrels all around, the carpet looked like wood ship planks, and their was a carving of the pirates of the caribbean ship carved in our shower. (somehow I made it out of their with not one picture of our fun room)

I think Patrick and I both thought Carter was going to maybe hold us back a little or not have much fun, but we could not have been more wrong. He truly came out of his shell, yelling for each of the characters when he saw them and repeating everything Cooper said about a ride we were on.

Cooper was on a mission for a character he likes from a Disney book we read and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show named "Big Bad Pete". Of course, he is quite uncommon and we were worried he might be disappointed if he was never spotted. Thankfully, the day of Magic Kingdom Cooper decided he cared about seeing Donald Duck, so when we ran in to Donald it was very exciting. And by chance they have a rest area called Pete's Garage and that satisfied him too! Cooper has nicknames for everyone, it's hilarious. Hey, there's Pinoc or Hey Goof.

We had several friend that had done this trip before his that offered tons of suggestions. This is a hilarious quote that came from our friend Meaghan that went the week before us: "I worried when my boys started crying or having a melt-down but looked around and realized everyone cries at Disney". It was so true, meltdowns were so little and there were times when I felt like having one from being so hot and tired and sore and cranky but we all pushed through. Many of you may think I'm crazy for saying this, but I really would go back tomorrow if I had the chance.

The rest of the photos can be found on our Picasa web albums site- just look at the top right of the blog and where it says "PHOTOS" click on it and it will take you to all of our viewable photo albums. Photo disclaimer: I did carry my huge camera around my neck the entire trip but every one of us was so stimulated, character star-struck, and excited that it was very hard to get what I might consider good shots. You might think it's funny I say that when looking through the 289 pictures. The intention of taking so many is to go through, pick out the good ones and delete the rest.......right, how do you delete each little expression that tells a story? Anyway, enjoy looking at our fun trip pics!

Tybee Stay-cation

2010-05-06T23:58:00.001-04:00

The first weekend of May, the Shelton's had a little Tybee "stay-cation". Our stay was at a great little Tybee cottage steps away from the boardwalk and sand. Kim even flew in from Philadelphia to join us. We had local fare, naps, 7am seashell hunts, kite flying, amazing weather, and were joined by old family friends. The boys loved the beach house and had a blast on the beach....Carter not so interested in the cold water but there was no stopping Cooper from jumping the waves. Fun way to kick off Beach season 2010...and we didn't even have to take off work days (well Patrick and I).

First Camping Trip

2010-05-06T23:42:00.005-04:00

I thought that with the arrival of nice weather (which we only get for 3 weeks or so before it becomes 90) in Savannah it would be a good time to take Cooper on a Father/Son camping trip. His mom got him a book about camping and we studied up on it (Curious George goes camping was his study guide) for a couple of weeks. I made sure to build the suspense leading up to the big day. So finally, a couple of Saturdays ago was our camping day. I got out all of the gear and we talked about our big adventure. He was very excited to sleep in a tent and knew we would be cooking marshmallows that night. We did not have far to go to get to our camp sight as Steph and I both decided the front yard was ideal because the back yard is sloped too much, so we got a great camping spot right next to a tree and about 2 steps from the driveway. Cooper was not a very big help setting up the tent, as all he wanted to do was get stuff out and play with it. It is probably hard for a 3 year old to envision a tent when all they can see are the poles and a big piece of fabric. But 10 minutes later, when the tent popped up, he was all about it! Camping had begun. We set up our sleeping bags and some lawn chairs, and got out the fire pit that Mars had gotten me for Christmas (thanks Marissa!) As dusk came we lit the fire and sat around talking and playing with flashlights and glowsticks. Roasted Hot Dogs and then ate roasted Marshmallows (Cooper preferred them raw, I like mine well done). We had a great time and even let Mom join us for dinner. When we were done we settled in to the sleeping bags. I was very nervous as to how this would go, thus the reason we camped at home. But I have got to say that Cooper was not scared at all and we both slept like babies. Can’t wait to do it again!

Date night

2010-04-12T20:01:00.002-04:00

Delicious Asian Fusion Dinner for Two $62

Movie Tickets for a 3D viewing $26

Movie snacks to share $9

Babysitter $10/hour

Quiet Date night with husband.....priceless!

Ha ha always wanted to do this b/c those commercials are catchy to me. So as you can tell it can be expensive to have a night out alone, but sometimes just the "ticket" you need to catch up with each other- outside of sharing your family life. After spending time clipping coupons, dining in, eating leftovers, and very little time alone...a little one night splurge was in order. Cheers to the opportunity and privilege of a date night splurge with my hard-working husband.

Did someone turn 3?

2010-04-11T21:08:00.008-04:00

This year, Cooper shared his big 3rd Birthday with the celebration of Easter on April 4th. Friends came over Saturday afternoon to celebrate with him. It was an awesome Birthday as his parents too, as he is of an age now that he knew the entire celebration was all about him...he knew his friends were coming over to play for HIS birthday and he knew there would be presents and he knew he was getting a special cake all about him. He was overwhelmed, but so incredibly appreciative. Oh what a blessing these children are and the pure joy they bring!!!! Cooper thus far in life is showing a true creative side that is fascinating, but most of all he loves life, loves telling stories, loves being loud and free! We are so excited for all the growing and learning we get to do together this year....if we don't learn more as Cooper's parents, we will quickly be defeated!

As you might have learned Cooper has been in "Toy Story" mania, thus he wanted his cake to look like Woody, not Buzz. Somehow I managed to get the only "Toy Story" cake available in all of Savannah/Pooler for a special little boy. Due to the fact my cake decorator Mom was recovering from foot surgery she was unable to prepare this year's masterpiece for us, so we resorted to the pickings of some wonderful bakeries, but due to copywright laws they are only allowed to make what is provided to them and Toy Story is in the process of coming out with new and discontinued the old.....geez I tell you. It was adorable and delicious!

Cooper was given some wonderful games, toys, and other gifts for his birthday and knew that everyone cared about him and paid attention to the things he enjoys. One particular item that he had been asking for since probably the beginning of January was a piano. Everyday, "Mom I getting a piano for my Birthday". We decided a keyboard was a great alternative since it was not quite time for a Baby Grand to enter our home. I wish you could have seen his face.....but the video below is even better. Cooper quickly learned that a keyboard not only plays music like a piano but also includes a huge variety of pre-mixed beats. He taught us some new breakdance moves on his first day as a pianist. Enjoy! It was very hard for us to film this video, as we were holding our breath to not make background noise while holding in our laughter. Sadly the best floor kicks were beneath the video camera- I have no doubt he will be willing to show them to us again some time.

Easter Sunday was an incredible day! After church the boys had a huge Easter Egg Hunt with the neighbors and I prepared a feast. The boys had several Easter Egg Hunt practices- Carter was the winner in his class of 1.5 year olds for finding the most eggs (at a count of 22 eggs), so they were ready to tear off their Easter clothes and fill their baskets outside in the beautiful weather. Carter had such a busy day he fell asleep for what we thought was a cat-nap at 5:30....we kept checking and waiting to see if he was going to get up to join us for Easter dinner but he slept until 7:00 Monday morning.

I think the "Easter pictures" closely resemble last year's attempts at brother pictures in their "Easter best"......they would not sit still or pose for the camera at the same time. I have been tempted to put them back in their Easter clothes and see if I might catch a shot again....no one would know but me, right? Love these guys with all the heart I have.

We Kisgens hope you and your families enjoyed each other and the wonderful celebration of life and peace!

March Minutes

2010-03-29T22:46:00.012-04:00

Some might call it March Madness....we just call it busy, crazy normalness.

We made a visit to Macon to meet Baby Colson Anthony Wagoner who was born on 2/15/09 (I won the "guess Colson's actual birth day" money pot we made at the baby shower by the way...and no it was no rigged). He was so sweet and little, very good baby. My parents met us to meet Colson and to have the boys spend the night -Cooper and Carter wanted to meet little baby "cupcake" for a few minutes but we opted not to have them bombard the Wagoner's home with loudness andrunny noses for two days. A few moments stand out to me, and one was watching the new Mom and Dad figure out and take all the time of what all to bring, how to best do it, getting in and out of the car, etc etc just to get out of the house for a little while. I tried really hard not to just spurt out "you should do this" or "I did it like this" but let them figure it out. He's another little angel we get the opportunity to know.

A visit to Tuscaloosa, AL was long overdue. Schedules had conflicted and delayed a trip to spend time with Papa Kisgen (approaching 93). We were not too sure of how the visit would go with a nearly 3 year old and 18 month old taking over ALL of his personal space and neat and tidy belongings. Patrick and I stayed on our toes making sure nothing was destroyed, things were immediately placed higher or out of sight from little tiny hands. It was amazing, it was probably less than two minutes of entering Papa's apartment that those little eyes and hands went reaching. We got a wonderful tour of the Alabama campus, were treated to delicious local BBQ, and just had some quality time with Papa. The boys honestly seemed to be the craziest children I had ever encountered in my time as their mother most of the weekend, but Papa took to them well and was incredibly patient and kind. We left with Cooper and Carter just loving their Great Papa so much. We always leave our visits with Papa so incredibly thankful for having him in our lives, and educated on more fascinating stories from time past.

I must tell you about Buzz. Cooper's first official toy he had been asking for and got to go to the store and pick out. It was a reward for officially completing potty training (number two had been a quite difficult accomplishment). A trip to the toy store was also necessary during the visit to Papa's as Cooper could not sit still or calm any longer and something needed to grab his attention. So without prompting from his Dad, Cooper kept declaring "I want Buzz". They walk in to the store and Cooper continues his "I want Buzz Dad I want Buzz" without even recognizing that he was in an aisle full of Buzz Lightyear action figures. When Patrick turned him around he was stunned silent. It was the most excited I had really ever seen him waiting for Buzz Lightyear to be taken out of the box. He has never really been attached to anything, so it's new to watch something actually grab his full attention.

We made a 2.5 day pit stop in Atlanta following Tuscaloosa (I had to work and Cooper and Carter got to visit Gammy and Papa...plus Marissa and all the doggies running around). Buzz was attached to Cooper for the first few days he had him and during his visit he looked over to Gammy and said "Buzz is the favorite toy I ever met". He continues to tell me that. I think Cooper and Carter fully succeeded in wearing out their Grandparents, but nonetheless enjoyed their trip.

Easter festivities are under way and began with a frigid morning Easter Egg Hunt at Daniel Defense. Was a good time, with an appearance from the Easter Bunny and Mickey and Minnie Mouse. For me, the event began with a realization that it was 15-20 degrees colder than I dressed myself and family for, so drove back home to get jackets, pants in place of shorts, shoes in place of sandals, etc. I guess the 74 degree temperatures from the day before threw me off a little! Cooper and Carter quickly discovered that there might be candy inside the eggs this year!

Kisgen Recycle Initiative

2010-03-25T22:19:00.003-04:00

Spring is in the air....thus some much needed spring cleaning. Savannah has only recently adopted curbside recycle pick-up, but Pooler has not quickly followed....so we said we would not let no curbside pick-up be a sorry excuse to not recycle. An entire side of our garage has looked like a random recycle heap for many months now and we could not take it any longer. We thought if our recycle system was more organized it might entice to work even harder at it, and so far we are coming along. If we all make little efforts here and there a dramatic impact can be made on the environment. I'm just posting this because I am proud to make just a tiny little bit of difference in reducing our carbon footprint for the future....and losing the eye sore that lingered in our garage.

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE!

*I am quite ashamed I skipped this process for many years due to lack of convenience...my sister and I were taught the habits of aluminum can recycling at a young age. Our Papa and Uncle Harry helped others recycle their cans and we helped crush them. I would like to continue to pass along these good habits.

We heart February

2010-02-24T22:38:00.005-05:00

Festive Shirts: the boys were having a Valentine's party at school and I could not find little boys' Valentine's shirts so I thought oh this will be easy I will just make some. So I made my own appliques out of some fabric I had at home and stayed up til 1a.m. two nights before the party adhering them to the plain shirts and making sure they stayed. Well of course no task is as simple and fool-proof, so when Patrick was dressing them for school Friday morning and put the shirts on the boys the appliques started falling right off. I was so sad that my motherly craft skills had completely failed. On my lunch break I rushed to the craft store and back to the office- re-adhered the appliques in a completely different manner so they would be ready for their parties at 4:15. They turned out a whole lot sloppier and less cute than I hoped but at least they had festive shirts to wear to celebrate heart day/weekend. The night I stayed up so late I tried to use my wonderful sewing machine to stitch around the appliques but I almost ended up in tears trying to figure it out. I emailed Patrick the next day a list of schools he could call to get me some sewing classes for my birthday. I just think it's funny that I could not just post a blog that said "look at the cute little shirts I made!"...guess it would not be much to write about then hahaha. Pretty much story of my life........I MAKE THINGS MORE OF AN ORDEAL THAN IT HAS TO BE, KNOWING IT ALL WORKS OUT IN THE END IS USUALLY WHAT KEEPS ME FACING FORWARD.

Good thing I had done the shirts two nights before, b/c the night before the school party I was handed a list of the names of children in Cooper's new big boy classroom. It was completely a durh moment for me because for some reason, I was not of the mindset that each child in the 3-year old class gets a Valentine. I scurried to the store so no one would notice mine and Cooper's last minute efforts. Cooper got to stay up late and pick out which of his friends got what Valentine and signed his name to all of them. Cooper has a sweet crush on one of his teachers and refers to her as his girlfriend, so she got an extra special treat for Valentine's. I tried to catch him on video taking Ms Jessica her special valentine but he acted shy and hurried and blushed a little.

Cooper's Girlfriend story: A few weeks ago I arrived to pick him up and all the teachers at school were rushing to tell me about what Cooper had said to Ms Jessica. He asked her to come over to his house and watch a movie. She asked if he was going to cook her dinner and he said, "No My Mommy will", "I make you cookies".

Hope everyone was filled with love this Valentine's- a little holiday I have not made much to-do about until their are two sweet little boys that enjoy it.

(my squeaky Minnie mouse voice does not usually come across pleasantly in home video, so i apologize for the background noise, just thought our little love bugs are so cute at their little party).

I know many blogs this past two weeks have been about unexpected snow so I am going to share ours. The coastal part of Georgia, obviously, sees snow on incredibly rare (once every 14 year) occasions. I remember it once as a child when I was 7 but it was beautiful to watch fall for the less than 12 hours it was here. My fun, snow-angel filled dreams led me to pull out the entire storage bag of snow gear that never saw the light this winter season. We woke up Saturday morning and what was so pretty and fluffy at 11pm the night before was almost gone. It was enough though for two little boys to play in sloshy-cold wet snow and make a miniature FROSTY the snowman.

Hunter's 3rd Birthday party was Saturday the 13th. The boys enjoyed playing and running around. We had not all seen each other in a while, so it was a nice friend and family day.

Birthday Surprise: Friday night I was surprised when my parents were standing in the middle of my living room at 10:00PM. They and my sweet hubby had planned the surprise visit for me. We had a fantastic weekend together- Patrick and Dad kept calling it my "princess" weekend. A surprise babysitter even showed up at 7:00 Saturday night so my parents could go out to a nice dinner with Patrick and I and celebrate with me instead of them always being our babysitter...............which this does get a little side-mention. My Mom also gave me my first much needed sewing lesson!!! I used to totally make fun of people that made getting older any kind of big deal, um my title of this birthday was Hypocrite. Each year of life seems to be more wonderful than the last for certain, but I was not so excited to age this year...I have yet to figure out why though. I owe our dear friend Kim a big THANK YOU for showing up with 7.5 week old twins in tow so we could enjoy a little night out- first babysitter fell through so she very graciously filled in (I know you read this Kim, so BIG THANKS!)

To wrap up the month, Aunt Bobbie and I are attending Savannah Theatre's Broadway on Bull Street show to celebrate our birthdays together. What a treat and fun night together- so many memories of watching my Granny in her plethora of play performances!

Life with a 2.8 Year Old

2010-02-18T21:48:00.006-05:00

Cooper has certainly been testing his boundaries, limits, authority, chain of command, charm, and attitude these days. We truly appreciate his found sense of "I do it all by myself" and are slowly learning not to try and help until we are asked to help, but that lesson has not come easy. I can not even so much as start to open the yogurt container without him stopping us to make sure I know to only start it off for him so he can do it all the way.

We have also been amazed at how Cooper talks to us about book, t.v., or movie characters as if they are in our everyday life. Patrick decided to test this little creative memory he has. Patrick and Cooper have been "studying the U.S. Presidents"- the lessons started this past weekend. He learns one new one each night. Currently he is up to James Monroe- do you know what number he was? Each of the grandparents got a phone call over the past week with Cooper reciting from memory/pictures with no assistance the Presidents he had learned so far. I think Patrick's memory is being jogged a little and doing a little re-learning along the way. It is truly incredible to witness his growing pride and excitement.

Cooper's other favorite past-time is coloring. If it is oddly quiet and I call out Cooper's name he says, Mom I upstairs coloring with my crayons or he brings them in to the kitchen to sit quietly and draw for me while I might be cooking or cleaning. He has definitely always enjoyed crafts, but just really getting to a sit down and concentrate for a while stage.

Oh yes, thought I might add his quote of the weekend from Cooper's 2.8 year old mouth: "Be quiet, you going to drive me crazy today". Can't remember exactly if it was directed to Carter or one of us, but it was so hilarious. He is still my little sweet sweet love bug, just getting smarter and learning about real life every day.

Short story: The other night the neighbor, who has no children but knows our boys very well, stopped by to grab a recipe from me. I seriously think her jaw was on the floor the entire 15 or so minutes she and I were trying to have a conversation. The boys were LITERALLY running circles around her and saying Ms Nikki watch, Ms Nikki will you come upstairs and color with me, Ms Nikki Ms Nikki Ms Nikki. She could only say "Wow, I have not really seen them in a while, they have gotten so big". I would love to know what she went home and said to Chris, and almost worried about it embarrassingly for a few minutes before I just decided to laugh. HAHAHAHA I think that is a perfect example of why I have not called or emailed or blogged many people over the past month or so..........................................whew I am pooped and by the time I am done giggling and convincing Cooper to go to sleep for the 11th time, my brain has absolutely nothing left.

Handy-Dandy Notebook

2010-01-20T22:52:00.002-05:00

I did not mention in the previous holiday wrap-up anything about a "Handy-Dandy Notebook", but how could I have failed to leave it out. Santa delivered a real Blues Clues Handy-Dandy Notebook to Cooper for Christmas. The notebook and crayon did not leave his hands for any amount of minutes for several days....until he chewed the corner off and was distraught because his sacred notebook was broken. We tried to fix it and performed some clever little surgeries, but it was not up to par for Cooper. He would have nothing to do with it and came home every day saying My Handy Dandy Notebook is broken can you fix it for me, and when we would say look! it's fixed, his reply was always a quick "No, not yet". So we had to call in back-up. At one point Cooper tried getting Dragon (you know, from Shrek) to fly by the house and pick it up to take it to Santa to fix it- he walked out the front door and whistled and said "come here Dragon"- it was fascinating to see that little imagination at work. After Santa could not make the repairs perfect enough, a brand new notebook unexpectedly arrived. Cooper could not be happier, he again has his special un-chewed "Handy-Dandy Notebook" in tow and can spot clues all over the place.

A fun little tale, from a very fun little boy, about a little notebook Santa never even knew he would pay attention too.

REWIND

2010-01-12T22:07:00.007-05:00

I have sat down at this computer many times over the past 3 weeks trying to get the creative juices flowing to write a "good" blog. Obviously, nothing ever came of it. So I thought, well I have to post something, so maybe if I start with a recap (really more of a timeline) of the holidays a few stories might come to me......here we go, let's see what happens.

Dec. 19th- I was a bridesmaid in Allison & Matt's beautiful Christmas wedding- a weekend of sharing Allison's important day together, after nearly 13+ years of friendship. I consider myself very blessed to have Allison (and now Matt) in my life.

On this day, cousin Molly and her Matt were married in Atlanta too- I was unable to attend but was present/witness via my family and spirit. I wish them all true love and happiness!

Dec. 20th- Our family celebrated Christmas with Pat, Deb, Meredith, Marissa, and Stephen in Duluth. It was fun watching the boys' eyes light up. Cooper got a little noisy light up gun that was the coolest thing to him, he kept calling it a "pum pum". We missed David by a couple of days, but did get to see Tom and Weesi. It was a wonderful weekend and the boys had a blast playing and going to see the lights at Lake Lanier with Gammy, Papa, Marissa, and Meredith and of course Bray-Bray and now Cocoa! Also see *Below* for a clip from our new flip video camera, if you haven't seen the flip you should really check it out. We love it!

Dec. 24th-27th- Celebrate Christmas at home. I stayed in my pajamas for a majority of the holiday weekend- that was fantastic. Our home was filled with cooking, gifts, and lots of laughter. My parents came to visit for a few days too, which made the relaxing weekend even better. Patrick got a lump of coal in his stocking (but was a joke by Santa b/c he was getting a smoker for Christmas). We got to eat his first attempt at smoked food and have a night by the firepit- wow what a great weekend and surrounded by all the joys Christmas brings. We enjoyed a nice relaxing Christmas followed Sunday by a wonderful Oyster roast at the O'briens :)

Dec. 30th- I headed over to the hospital to meet Sadie Grace's new twin baby brothers. Kayne and Gatlyn were born very healthy- Kim and the two babies all went home together within a few short days.

Dec. 31st-Jan. 3rd- We traveled to Myrtle Beach to ring in the New Year of 2010 with the Antley Family. It was soooo cold, we stayed in the condo a majority of the weekend, barely made it until midnight the first night and bed well before then every other night. Cooper and Jameson had a blast having run of the place for 3 days, with little Carter trying so hard to keep up. By time he would catch them, the big kids would be moved on to the next room or next game. Lacey and I did a little shopping, the guys conquered "blustery" golfing and we saw the beach for less then five minutes. Fantastic trip though.

Jan. 7th- Cooper had a re-evaluation with his speech therapist......he tested off the charts. At this time, he requires no more therapy sessions (not to say he will not in the future though). Cooper, we are so proud of you for your enthusiasm, patience, and amazing efforts. Thank you all so much for your continued concerns and support.

I was also home with a sick Carter Thursday and Friday, but he is better now.

Jan. 8th- I traveled to Macon for the weekend to throw a Couples Baby Shower for Tony & Tasha, expecting Colson Feb. 22nd. Paula and Carl came down and graciously stayed with the boys for us. The shower was a lot of fun and I got to make/create/share with them some of the things I am good at. They got some fantastic baby gifts too!

http://picasaweb.google.com/sskisgen/WagonerBabyShower?authkey=Gv1sRgCMT5iMCvzoL15AE&feat=directlink

..............so nothing incredibly whitty or no funny story came out of this blog, but at least you are all caught up on the Kisgen Kids. January is pretty crazy for us around here, but our calendars appear mostly clear for a while. It's actually a strange feeling, but one to be very grateful for. R&R at home, here I come (well in February).

Santa Sitings...pre-Christmas

2009-12-16T22:51:00.002-05:00

The Kisgen boys have seen old St. Nick 4 times and Christmas is not even here yet! They have been nothing but delighted and full of smiles and curiosity.

Santa Siting 1 the day after Thanksgiving at a hayride in Carrollton, GA

Our annual trip to Brewer's Tree Farm for family tree cutting

Cooper got final say onwhich tree we were getting for our homeThe boys' school Christmas party- cute shirts courtesy of Aunt Marissa supporting a CF Family

Santa Siting 2- he came to visit their school

Santa Siting 3-Kids holiday Christmas party at our church, St. Anne's

Santa Siting 4 and the Train ride after having their picture with Santa at the Mall

I have seen some crying, screaming non-Santa liking babies this year, but our were certainly not any of them. There is still more holiday festivities to celebrate and share with our loved ones. Hope everyone is cheerful during this joyous season of Hannukah and Christmas. I will admit, I am a Christmas music junkie-it has been on since the day after Thanksgiving...I can't get enough.

Grandma's 80th Birthday Party

2009-12-15T22:09:00.002-05:00

Over Thanksgiving weekend, we got to attend Grandma Pike's 80th Birthday Celebration! She is the ultimate Betty Boop lover, so she and Betty posed by the cake. Lots of family, young and old, came out to share her many years and many memories. The invitations were a "Shirley Temple" like photograph of Grandma as a child and the restaurant table runner was compiled of photographs from past to present. All attendees wrote a card full of memories had and wishes to be had. It was wonderful sharing that special event with our 80-year young Grandma/Great-Grandma/Mother/Aunt. Cooper enjoyed singing Happy Birthday to his Great-GG

Little Turkeys

2009-12-15T21:44:00.000-05:00

Carter was enamered by having a "kiddie-size" table all weekend

So for Thanksgiving, yes a few weeks back now, we traveled to Canton to celebrate our Abundance of Thanks with Paula and Carl. The boys had a great time getting in to everything they were not supposed to at their Grandparents house, and I was a little under-the-weather, but enjoyed some R&R while we had some extra eyes and hands helping out. Here are some pics of our Little Turkeys enjoying their Thanksgiving feast, hats/artwork courtey of Cooper Henry.

Bachelorette "Retreat"

2009-11-30T23:06:00.005-05:00

I started to title this blog uncreatively "Allison's Bachelorette Party Weekend", but found that to not describe this at all. Bachelor/Bachelorette parties have commonly become weekend trips. Since I was married, a measly 7 years ago, I have been on a bachelorette weekend cruise for one friend and most recent a mountain "retreat" weekend. 15 of us stayed in a luxury Mountain Lodge, where we cooked many of our own feasts, rode horses, had in home massages, watched wedding movies in a movie room, and enjoyed fire pits and hot-tubs. Each morning, we sipped our coffee outside with Buffalo and many other friendly animals in our front yard. My best friend Allison is marrying Matt just before Christmas and a wild party weekend was not what she had in mind, for which I am actually quite thankful. Many of you might think this was a calm, uneventful trip, but not with my friends. Their are always stories to tell. We should title one "Horses Gone Wild" as I have a never-ending image in my head of two of our friends bopping like rag dolls from the side of their slow (not this time) trail horses....they made it out unharmed (physically at least). The next "what kind of crazy things happen in the dark" when a house full of scary movie watching womens' power went out around 1am out in the middle of nowhere. Each of us fed off the other as to what was going to happen to us. Nonetheless, the four day away from reality trip was special to celebrate Allison getting married and honor her 13 times as a bridesmaid. One thing to mention of this incredible lodge we stayed in is that the proceeds of the rental go to a children's foundaing "Mountain Miracles". The place was certainly one I hope to return to with my husband. Here is a link if you want to check it out.
http://www.mountainmiracles.org/index.html or http://bisonviewlodge.com/

Photo Shoot

2009-11-17T21:10:00.005-05:00

As we did when Cooper was 1, we had a photo session done with our favorite local photographer Krista of Aspired Kreations. She captured some incredible shots of Carter at the age of 1, a few of the boys together and some updated family photos. I can't share too many, as you will be seeing them shortly, but here is a sneak peek.

To view more work from the Savannah photographer visit http://aspiredkreations.com/

Molly's Wedding Shower Brunch

2009-11-10T21:43:00.005-05:00

My cousin Molly is getting married in December, thus my Grandmother Mom and myself wanted to throw her a girly wedding shower. We had a Sunday Brunch. I found these adorable fold-out wedding cake invitations and they were the inspiration for everything....not to mention, I love my Grandmother's tea cup collection, so was thrilled that they got to be incorporated. We also had the pleasure of enjoying my mother's fantastic cooking. The shower was a lot of fun, many smiles and lots of laughter shared. I just have to say thanks Molly for allowing us to host this event for you and share in the great joy of your wedding season.

Our second cousin once removed (ie. our moms' cousins child), Charli is the sweetest little girl, she carefully placed all the "un-broken" bows on the plate to be saved for wedding rehersal.

Molly shares a lot of joy, she and Matt got some wonderful gifts

Quite the baker Molly is, part of the shower was to bring a recipe card for her

This is a preview of a hilarious little shower event

Molly was the final judge of best wedding ensemble completed in 10 minutes. She judged well, with a tie between her Mother and soon to be Mother-in-law

Some of the Pike women

Me with my beautiful cousin Molly

Coletta Cookbook

2009-11-09T22:44:00.003-05:00

I mentioned a new cookbook recently and I want to share and promote it! Patrick's Uncle John Coletta is a renowned chef and has a restaurant in downtown Chicago, Quartino. He just published an Italian cookbook, that we got the pleasure of getting a signed copy before it was on the shelves. The cookbook is now available on Amazon.com and other book selling sites, not sure which stores carries it.

Title:
250 True Italian Pasta Dishes: Easy and Authentic Recipes John Coletta Author, Nancy Ross Ryan Author

The recipe found on Page 120 was the first recipe we chose from the book to make. It was fantastic, bursting with flavor. After choosing, we found it that was a family favorite in the Coletta household. The cookbook has some delectable sounding dishes, I can not wait to try on my family and friends. I love that the beginning of the book has this pasta shape/name guide as reference. The book has several suggestive ideas with each recipe to substitute or compliment the dish. It's always hard looking at the many cookbooks on the shelves and knowing which one to get, so I will save you the trouble and go ahead and pick this one up- you will not be disappointed. Bon Appetit!

Trick-My-Treat

2009-11-03T23:16:00.002-05:00

The Halloween festivities started with our very first "party" to attend as parents in the boys' classrooms. I was so excited about it all week to see them with their cute little friends. Cooper talks about his friends a lot at home, and I know who they are but it was cute to see them really interact. Carter's baby class decided to finish their naps instead of attend the party.

Cooper with his two friends Garrison and Miles (he talks about Miles on the right all the time). What's funnier is that the teacher says Cooper and Miles have a hate/love relationship- pick on each other then play wonderfully

My first school party with Cooper

We started off Saturday with a carnival at Savannah Quarters- games, bouncy, food and oh yes can not forget the Haunted House. They had a Haunted House and were doing "not scary small children walk-throughs". So I took Cooper and he was fine, me on the other hand....not fine. I am scared to death of Haunted Houses so I made a big deal the entire short walk through saying "Cooper ooh it's dark and scary", while holding him close, trying to play down my fear. The rest of the time we were at the Carnival all Cooper kept saying was I want go Dark and Scawy, I was not going in again so Patrick jumped on board to take him through. They finally agree to go back in and just before they enter the door, Cooper says no not go in Dark and Scawy. .....so now, when it is dark, it is not just dark, but Dark and Scawy. Whoops, looks like I started something but I don't think he is truly scared but thinks he is supposed to be scared.

So Patrick and Cooper practiced trick or treating for 45 mins the other night, so Cooper would not try to run in to people's houses like he did last year. Listening to the two of them was hilarious. The boys were dressing up as Elephant and Peanut. Cooper picked out his costume and had been telling me for over a month he wanted to be an elephant. Low and behold, he hates the floppy ear hat thing so I was not sure how the night was going to go. Without the ears, he looked like a piece of gray fleece. Anyway, Carter's costume stole the show this year. It was freaking hilarious. We had a dress rehersal a few days prior and I could not stop laughing every time I saw the peanut waddling around and the image has not left.

This is the only image of the Elephant and Peanut posing together

These shots do a good job of showing how much Cooper "loved" his costume. He would not even let me pull the foot covers over his shoes and it was mid-80's, so his gray turtleneck was not happening

Elephant and Peanut "Trick or Treating"

Cooper and Jackson taking a candy (and sweat) break

Funny man with no costume but a blue face- and just before they both stripped off their costumes and were done with the heat.

I was so embarrassed finishing up trick-or-treating with a child in no costume, I would hold up Carter in the background and yell "he was an elephant". I just remember how I used to get so annoyed at kids that did that, so I could not help but cover for him. At one of our last houses a little boy Cooper's age, handing out candy, asked Cooper for a hug- every house thereafter got a second knock or doorbell ring so Cooper could get a hug.

I forgot to post the official "Carter walking" video, so thought this was way funnier to watch. Carter officially walks most places now and here he is in full Halloween peanut get-up.

First "School" Picture Day

2009-10-30T22:25:00.002-04:00

I just have to post this b/c I like to say how cute my little boys are. This week they had their first picture day at the little school they go to every day. At first I was not going to bother, because we just had a family shoot a few weeks ago, but I got a little excited and dressed them in matching sweaters. They let me sit in while the two hammed it up for the camera together- how can they not make you smile? I love that their school knows how much they like being together and let's them do things as brothers sometimes, instead of separate in their respective classes. That gives me a comfortable warm fuzzy feeling inside as their Mom. (This was not the background but them getting ready for the camera)

Louie and Lauren's Wedding

2009-10-29T23:36:00.001-04:00

Last weekend, we escaped the mid-80 degree Savannah weather and enjoyed some crisp mountain air and children-less good ole' hanging out with some old friends.

Louie and Lauren picked a beautiful destination wedding spot of Brasstown Valley Resort in the Young Harris/Hiawassee GA mountain area. We took advantage of the fall season and location and rented a Mountain Cabin with 6 of our friends. The house was on a windy single lane mountain road with a back deck that extended on top of a rushing river. It was AWESOME. We ate a feast together, shared memories old and new, hiked a little, and enjoyed all the festivities of Louie and Lauren's beautiful wedding (they even had a photo booth set up in the reception hall). For the 3 days we were driving through the mountains, I think I said "Oh, look at that one" 55 times- I had forgotten how incredibly vibrant the tree colors were this time of year. I was camera happy with taking "couples" shots for some reason- haha. The album is up on Picasa (you can get to it using the photos link near the top of the blog). There were friends we had not seen in ages, wow can I say that already, and it was really neat (for lack of a more creative word) to catch up and see what people are doing now, since our encounters date back to high school with maybe a few college years. Lot's of children to celebrate!

The boys spent the weekend with their Bump-Bump and Doc and Mr. Big the cat. When we dropped them off I had a feeling Carter would be walking like a champ by time we picked im up Sunday due to a few big walks witnessed. He was hands up, walking all over.

Oh and a side note, Patrick's Uncle John Coletta has written an Italian cookbook- we have our very own signed copy. I used one of his recipes for the feast we had in the mountains- it was absolutely delicious and full of flavor. It turned out to be the Coletta's favorite recipe in the book and I did not even know it. I will post the cookbook name for reference purposes.

Kitchen Art

2009-10-21T23:16:00.004-04:00

I just have to show off my new kitchen artwork b/c it makes me smile miles wide when I look at it.

These are pictures of our boys, each at the age of one, eating lemons. The pictures are so amazing to me, b/c not only do they have completely different reactions to something they like, but the photographs really point out their different characteristics.

Pumpkin Time

2009-10-21T21:59:00.006-04:00

Here is the blog that was to be posted at about the same time the Swine Flu hit our home.

The boys enjoyed a sweet little outing to the Pumpkin Patch while Gee Gee and Gee Gee Steve were in town a few weekends ago. I made Georgia cookies for the game (my cookie decorating skills need work but it was fun).

For the last couple weeks when we have asked what kind of pumpkin Cooper wanted, the answer has not differed from "happy pumpkin". So last night Patrick and Cooper designed their happy pumpkin face and tonight the three guys had fun carving a happy jack-o-lantern and eating fall pumpkin shaped, iced cookies that Cooper and I made a few nights ago. I must mention, the taste of fresh pumpkin seemed irresistable to Cooper- he bit in to the top like an apple to find a bitter surprise.

could these boys be any different?

All is Well

2009-10-20T22:12:00.002-04:00

The Kisgen household is Swine Flu free. Sorry for not updating sooner about this. I want to thank everyone so very much for your thoughts and prayers and checking in- it meant a lot and without it I can't say that I feel we would have the same outcome.

Carter was fever free about 24 hours after his first dose of Tamiflu, but stayed home for 4 more days. Patrick was banned from spreading germs at his company, so he worked from home all week. We thought it would not be fare to the public to be out and about at community functions, so we stayed in- practically on lock down- the entire weekend. Monday morning could not have come sooner. Everyone is doing great!

We have been infected!

2009-10-12T22:30:00.002-04:00

So I was going to post a blog tonight about our nice little weekend with my parents in town- going to the pumpkin patch, watching the Dawgs play football, and catching up on sleep.....but instead I am going to share what came over our family as of about 5:45 this evening.................................................................................................CARTER HAS SWINE FLU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are still pretty much in shock and incredibly concerned for his health. He was really showing no signs of even the slightest cold until this morning and then it hit him. Under the age of 2 is at high risk but we are just going to have to move forward a day at a time and see what develops or does not develop. Carter, Patrick and I are on "Tamiflu" to try and stop what he already has and prevent what we do not. I can not even tell you what I feel like, maybe I can, oddly like victims. I feel like we should be sequestered to our house and everywhere we go people point and know among us has been the swine flu. Who knows where baby boy picked it up, grocery store? restaurant? church? nursery school? I just hope it goes away fast. I feel like every time he touches me I should douse myself in Lysol as if it were body splash. We already do a pretty good job of using antibacterial wipes and hand sanitizer etc. when in public and at home with the sneezes and sniffles, how was I supposed to know it was not enough? And honestly I can say that I thought this was a whole lot of hoopla. Another Mom and I were just discussing if we were going to get the vaccine for our babies when it was available to us and I was all for it but not in a hurry. They both had their regular flu shots this season, but that unfortunately does not help the other strand. Sorry to keep rambling but I knew this was what I needed, some blog therapy to figure out what is going on.

We could just really use your extra prayers right now.....Carter's health does not worsen, the virus does not spread to the rest of the house, the community does not shun us.

Thanks for your Love and Support. We will keep you updated!

He Did It He Did It He Did It Hooray

2009-10-04T21:17:00.007-04:00

Sorry but many of you that have been in a house with a two year old in the past few years will truly recognize the jingle from Dora The Explorer that ceases to ever leave my head.

But what I was referencing is that Cooper decided it was time to get his first haircut as well. He looks so dang handsome. There are probably some of you thinking o.k. when is this Mom going to stop talking about her kids hair? So now I suppose is the time. Thanks for baring with me on the indecisiveness of the big haircut decision. It's always been a big deal in my life, so I suppose that is why I am making a big deal in the kids'.

Before

During

After

She did so good and it still curls a ton -like I love.

BAD

2009-10-01T22:25:00.003-04:00

Never really thought I would use that word to describe an action by "sweet" little Carter James. This morning, I left the two boys playing with firetrucks to go dry my hair and finish getting ready for work. Cooper comes in to my bathroom and repeatedly told me to turn my hairdryer off and I did not listen right away. He was persistent so I did and he immediately said "come here" with the hand motion to come on. So I reluctantly follow Cooper- he leads me to the kitchen and points while saying GooGoo......I find Carter sitting on TOP of the kitchen table, devouring a breakfast bar Cooper had left un-eaten for breakfast. So....he had scurried across the house to the kitchen, climbed on to the chair, and worked his way on top of the table. Thank goodness their is not concussion or broken limb to go along with this story. Here is a quickly taken cell phone pic of what Cooper thankfully showed me. What am I to do?

Carter is 1

2009-09-23T20:50:00.005-04:00

Baby Boy is 1 years old now

(as of Tuesday 9/22)

Weighs 20.8 lbs
He has only two little chompers on the bottom.
Says "Mama" "Dada" "Uh Uh" "Hi" "Uh Oh" "Baba"
Loves to climb on top of anything he can reach- and if he can't reach it, figure out what can help him reach it.
Has walked more than two steps at a time on many occasions, but only when people are not watching/pressuring (thus the reason we do not have it on video yet to show you). I was peaking in at him through a window and saw him just walking down the hall.
Has gained all the love and concern and care from a big brother that a boy can ask for.

Just as Cooper did for his first Birthday, Carter was lucky and got to have two Birthday parties this year, as we celebrated in Atlanta with most of our family and friends that live their and a second celebration at home on his Birthday Day with some of our Savannah family and friends. Thanks to everyone who was able to come and share this special time with our family!

Guess it's one of those silly Mom things, but I insisted Carter did not have the taste of cake until his 1st Birthday. He enjoyed it, with a little hesitation...but, the second go-round Carter dove in. He had fun opening presents and listened closely to the sweet words read to him that were written in his cards.

Happy Birthday Sweet Carter James. You are Loved So Very Much.

The Goog's First Haircut

2009-09-16T22:40:00.006-04:00

Well it was time, Carter's straight brown hair was flipping up on the ends and it was "do we let it grow and see what happens?" or get his first baby haircut?

Before

During

After

I can't believe he is sooooo big! Carter also got to have his first sucker, which he really enjoyed! He was a great sport and did not cry at all. He sat in Patrick's lap and pulled his head only a few times, but exceeded my expectations. I'm telling you, the mild mannerisms of this sweet little boy (which he now looks like since we cut his baby hair) are going help him get away with a lot.

And yes, we did attempt to get Cooper a little trim to neaten up his crazy curly hair but he would have no part.

September Days

2009-09-16T21:02:00.001-04:00

For Labor Day weekend, the family hopped in the car and drove down to Tampa to visit our friends, The Johnson Family. We had not seen Sophia in nearly a year and she and Cooper were eager to play together and figure each other out while Carter just tagged along. Us adults had a lot of fun too! The long weekend consisted of College Football Excitement, Football Letdowns, a beach day and lots of food. I have been itching to get to a Gulf Coast Beach so this was my chance for Summer 09. It was worth the trip! Though I think Cata and I are in the boat, we love the beach and all the stuff you have to take for the kids and all the sand... it is well worth it, but our husbands are just along for the ride to make us happy and enjoy a few minutes of it. Oh, and to tell us how much work it is just to go to the beach. I was saying this to my Grandmother the other day and I hope it does not come back to haunt me. There are definitely times that I think if there were a hidden camera filming our little excursions it would be funny, because we would be able to enjoy those moments in hinesight- I think- a bit more than when they are taking place.

Catalina has started her own photography business and we had the privilege of being her subjects during parts of the weekend, that is always fun! The rest of the time was pretty much spent making sure Cooper and Sophia did not cause havoc. What truly wonderful friends we have that welcomed our last minute trip!

(If you click on the name "Pigtails Photography" to the right of this under our blogger friends you can see some of the shots Cata beautifully captured of us during our visit)
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The following weekend I called in my Mom and Grandma for support, companionship and back-up. Patrick had been gone and was not going to be home til the end of the weekend and I was exhausted come mid-week. Us ladies did our favorite thing together since I was a little girl....OUTLET SHOPPING. We drove to Hilton Head and shopped fall clothes for Cooper. Thankfully, there were play cars that took all your quarters and grassy areas to keep the boys and Great Grandma entertained while I ran from store-to-store. Oh and I can not go on without mentioning that as we were in a clothing store and I was asking Cooper if he liked this or that, he un buckled from the stroller, stripped off his clothes and began trying on clothes and removing the tags. Thankfully, almost all the items were intended to be purchased. There were a few things I snuck back on the racks.

GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was just one random day when Carter crawled in to the dishwasher- he climbs in/on everything.

Patrick's Dirty Thirty

2009-09-01T21:11:00.005-04:00

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY TO MY WONDERFUL HUSBAND AUGUST 28TH. My husband is so wonderful and always does the most romantic sweet things for any of my birthdays and has no interest in celebrating his own......well... this year that was not going to be o.k. Since about May I have been planning his 30th Birthday SURPRISE weekend. It was fantastic, if I may say so myself. He felt the love I was trying to share, for sure.

The two children went on a little vacation with their Gammy and Papa while the two of us enjoyed our own little "staycation" in a suite in downtown Savannah. Friday night was a romantic date night and chop house dinner and a little bit of the bar scene (well a little too much for me). Then Saturday we did a few tourist things and then got ready for the BIG Surprise. At 5:15 I had a taxi waiting downstairs to take us down the street to see what was going on. There was a trolley car waiting for us filled with friends from out of town/ in town/ old and new, personalized koozies and coolers of beer. We headed to the Crab Shack for dinner, b/c it is my husbands favorite food. Dinner was fantastic and then this amazing cake came, I had it made to look like a big silver low country shrimp boil pot....and it did. The night was filled with so many smiles and laughs and kisses. As the night went on, people dropped off along the way, but Patrick and I made it until the very end at the only place he had requested we go for his birthday party (a place in Savannah where it's loud and crazy late night fun Savannah Smiles). Sunday was recovery day, but it sure was nice to be able to nurse our hangovers children free for most of the day.....not something we can do often.

from Patrick....

To all my friends and especially my lovely wife, I cannot begin to tell you what an amazing time I had. To those of you who made the trip I will remember it forever. For those who could not be there, I wish you could have, but you were there in spirit. To those of you (Mickey, Lacey, Louie and Lauren) who survived til the bitter end- I am sure you will not remember it. I am glad Mickey decided not to slide across the pianos after all. Sounded great at the time...... Love to you all and thanks to my super wife for a wonderful memory.

"No" "More" "Now" "Mine" "Move"

2009-08-26T23:12:00.007-04:00

So....how terrible is two? Just read the words in the title of this blog and you might get some idea of what a fun little boy at the age of 2.5 sounds like in our house. "Mom, milk NOW" what happened to his cute "pleeeease"?! We walk through the grocery store and someone is in the aisle and Cooper says "move" and Mom says "Cooper we don't say move, we say excuse me please" so Cooper then corrects himself and says, "excuse me...MOVE". Thankfully, the nice people have laughed and I embarassingly smile back.

I would like to think he has just picked up this stuff from other little "bad" boys in his new class because he was so sweet and polite up until two months ago. Now he means business. Man it's like in a matter of 3 weeks, Cooper went from two to twelve. He picked out his first Georgia Bulldog hat at the UGA store and wears it every day....usually backwards. He also does this lovely fold his arms and pout face if he is trying to talk to you and you are talking with someone else.

Yes, we have many fits and screaming but we are trying to master which technique Cooper responds positively too. A hug seems to work for now as a good distraction and to help him understand not to get sooooo upset.

He has started singing all these wonderfully cute nursery rhymes and doing the hand motions that we have been trying to teach for so long now and all of a sudden it all just clicked. So I sit here and tell you about the oh so "terrible two's" but our Cooper brings mountains more of laughter and cheer in to this home than anything else.

Each and every day that Cooper is growing up, he is reminding me of the fun, loving, handsome man I fell in love with when we were just kids. I can't tell you how much this Cooper melts my heart.

Real House-Husbands of Savannah

2009-08-06T22:01:00.001-04:00

You could have made a great reality show in Savannah this week. A helmet cam would have made you an instant millionaire in the Kisgen home for sure. Last Sunday Mom departed for a 4 day work trip to Atlanta, leaving Dad and the boys behind for 4 days of survival training. A total bachelor party ensued. We had a blast, but I must tip my hat to my wonderful wife, who because of my travel requirements for work does this same schedule 3 weeks out of every month. Cooper and Carter have grown into best friends and having the opportunity to spend time with them alone was totally awesome. Cooper lives every day to make his little brother laugh, and when he does it lights up the room. Carter bellows out the most amazing belly laughs which then makes Cooper laugh and this process repeats over and over again until Cooper can no longer contain himself and runs over to Carter and either picks him up or tackles him. This is when laughing turns into crying by Carter, which leads to crying by Cooper. This was most of our Sunday afternoon together as we played hard and watched Tiger Woods cruise to an easy win. That 2 hour block of golf was the only TV I watched for 4 days other than Dora the Explorer, Blues Clues, or Ni Hao Kai Lan.

Bedtime for Cooper has turned into quite a display of cunning manipulation on his part. This is a new thing for us all, as he has always enjoyed the process of getting ready for bed, and slept like a log until recently. Now it is a constant negotiation of one more book, I want Mom, I want Dad, whatever he can do to stall for another 5 minutes. And recently it has climaxed with him getting out of bed and trying to weasel his way into our bed. This can be exhausting! Undoubtedbly we all get some sleep only to start all over the next morning breakfast for the 2 boys, dressing the two little squirming critters, making bottles and drinks for school, not forgetting blankets, clothes, diapers, etc…. Steph put it best when she said “I will no doubt walk out of this house one day without a shirt on” . While our neighbors wait for that I understand exactly what she means, it is a true mental exercise to start your day. Monday involves taking cooper to “peach class” where he is a star student and is doing wonderful; taking Cooper back to school and then going back to work for an hour before going back to pick them both up to head home. A little play time, dinner, baths, and (return to the top of this paragraph and repeat). WOW! Shout outs to all single parents out there, this is a tough job!

I will fill you in on the only real “action” of the week. Cooper had been begging me to “eat out” which I promised him we would do. A quick trip to Wal-Mart where they both behaved like angels. Cooper mostly with the promise of “eat out” to follow if he behaved, and we were off to Chik-fil-a for nuggets, ice cream and some play ground time. Well, when we got to Chik-fil-a it was unusually crowded as it was the last night before school started. There were families everywhere and even a clown with balloon animals. We were enjoying dinner, Carter was eating little bits of Chicken and fries, when he began to look weird. He seemed to be gagging a little and I immediately began to worry that he was chocking. A pat on the back and a quick sweep didn’t seem to help, so I picked him up out of the Highchair to look in his mouth. This is when HE THREW UP ALL OVER MY FACE!!!! Not just my face; my hair, my shirt, my pants, himself, the table, the floor, my shoes etc….. The next few minutes were a blur, but let’s just fast fwd to me (shirtless in Chick-fil-a) loading up my naked infant and dragging my screaming 2 year old out the door as he stomped his feet and screames “ no daddy i-cweam, i-cweam” wish you could have been there. Not a bad pilot episode for a reality show huh… Glad your home Mom :)

A little case of Hives

2009-07-23T21:30:00.003-04:00

So one lovely evening this week, while Patrick was on travel in Texas, the boys and I were playing outside doing our normal activities (sidewalk chalk, riding all wheeled items, throwing a ball, etc.).....until Cooper starting crying and itching his arm. I look down and it is welting up bright red and spreading. I finish putting anti-itch cream on his arm and look over and the other arm is covered and by time I finish that both legs are covered. Cooper now has no shirt on and panic mode takes over. "What if his throat closes up?" I hurrily put both boys in the car and rush to the pharmacy and quickly dose Cooper with Benadryl before we even make it to the Urgent Care Clinic. (Remember Cooper has no shirt on). I have no bottle for Carter or anything. Thankfully as we are waiting I see the Benadryl helping and things going down a tiny bit but the doctor gives Cooper some steroids with a scrip for 4 days to continue. He said it was definitely contact hives due to its depth and color and not poison ivy or anything like that. Now I have no idea what he got in to in the yard that we play in every day so now I am worried it could happen again.....but now I will never go without Benadryl in the house. Oh yes, quick question- have you ever given a 2 year old liquid steroid? Let's see, a good description- ah- from half falling asleep to literally bouncing off the walls....for hours. Thank goodness for only 4 days and all signs of bumps are gone.

Battle of Independence

2009-07-22T21:11:00.003-04:00

So many times, we have made comments about as they grow they get this little Independence streak and no one can help them. Well sometimes the events that take place, when our babies/toddlers want to show us just how independent they are, can not go untold. Last night I was giving Cooper a snack- but only what he asked for of course, or it was melt-down time. I put the bag of chips (baked) on the table and pulled a handful out and set them on the table for him- as I often do. Well no, this was not how he wanted it. So- Cooper picked up the chips one-by-one and placed them back in the bag to then reach back in and pick out one to eat. I was not sure if I should laugh at him or just not say a word (I chose the latter).

This is just one of probably hundreds of incidents when he has to prove he can do and it has to be his way. I just find it incredibly humorous that I have to keep track of a few that stand out. These little power struggles just crack me up inside.......well, and exhaust the heck out of me. Of course, I shared a cute one but believe me there are a multitude that I wish not to share (smile).

Change Change Change

2009-07-19T23:31:00.001-04:00

I would like to think that change usually is for the good. Cooper and Carter's childcare situation has once again changed, but I really do think this time it is permanent and the best fit for our family. Cooper was under-stimulated at home all day, though he loved the time with his brother. Not to mention, it was not aiding in his speech development to not be around others on a consistent basis. My motherly instincts were telling me something was not working at home, but I just could not find the answer on the situation, a few prayers and my answer was given...very directly might I add.

Last week was their first week at the new nursery school and I already noticed differences, exhaustion and happiness. This is the first time they are apart during the day in 9.5 months, so it has been an adjustment- the teachers have told me Cooper continually wants to know how his Goo Goo is doing so they have started letting them visit each other......oh just melts my heart. Let's hope you don't hear about this anymore -for mine and our children's sake. You just never know what each day will bring to the table.

Oh and talk about change- Carter will be 1 in a little over 8 weeks............WHAT?

Bedtime Blogging

2009-07-15T23:16:00.004-04:00

Oops someone has put blogging way down the to-do list. Cooper's bedtime has seemed to become later and later and more involved than ever, so my blogging time has been drastically reduced. The "big boy" toddler bed is working fine but did not quite work the way I imagined, making him want to go to sleep.

A few things going on:

Mom graduated with her Specialist Degree- woo hoo! You rock and work so hard! We are soooo proud of her.

The Moody's came down for a visit with "good girl" Nina over the 4th of July weekend. We had pool time and watched a great fireworks show. It was fun having them down, we did not go on any major adventures but had a good weekend at the house. Of course, Cooper was attached to Tasha and not Mom, so I was not allowed to help him do anything...only TA-DA. Patrick and I always get so worried when having friends down with no children yet that they are going to be so bored and not have fun. I think we use the wrong wording here, "BORED" impossible and just a different type of fun. And how could I forget this part, many many thanks to Tasha for giving our house a complimentary "Simply Staged" Color Consultation. Can't wait to get started on the ideas!

Cooper did not want to take any more pictures.

My Mom came down for a week and kept the boys- they had fun filled activity days...going to parks and play areas and arts and crafts. She was EXHAUSTED, but thanks Mom for giving me the ability to get some things done I usually do not have time to do on a daily basis.

This was Cooper waiting patiently for his Gee Gee to arrive.

They had so much fun digging to get to the water together. Oh how we LOVE the beach.

The next two weekends are filled with 3, two-year old birthday parties.

I can't tell you how funny it is that every time we are at the swimming pool and I say to my two year old "Walk, Don't Run." I think...."How many times am I going to say this in my life?" I certainly did not think I would say those words to a two-year old. Guess I really had no perception of ages and stages.

(Oh this is a picture of the old guys gang from Tony Wagoner's 30th Birthday Party at the beginning of June that I completely forgot to post)

BumpBump and Doc's Weekend

2009-06-28T22:04:00.004-04:00

Well Cooper attended his first year of summer VBS (something I never once attended growing for many reasons we all might understand). He went with his friend Sadie Grace and had a blast.

Then BumpBump (aka Paula or Mom or Memama- however you might refer to her) had been asking to take Cooper for a weekend and give us a weekend with Carter before he was not a baby anymore. So Thursday night Patrick did the half way drop off in Macon and the weekend began. I think he had an absolute blast and was just a great big boy. I can not wait to hear all the stories. He took to Carl's ("pops" renamed "Docs" by Cooper) electric guitar and helped feed the fish and got to go out to their favorite restaurants. They had all their family over Saturday and Cooper got to show off for everyone and hang out. From what I gather though, he missed his goo-goo so much and it was apparent when he got home Sunday afternoon.

We had an amazing weekend with Carter. He had his 9 month check-up this past week and weighed in just under 18lbs. His visit was perfect, even no shots that day. This really is probably one of the last real "baby" updates of him there will be, soon it is all big boy stuff. I seriously can not believe it, and I am trying to treasure this as long as I can. The house was nice and quiet and Carter was free to roam and not be tackled and have all the attention in the world. Life was VERY different this weekend with just a baby to worry about; free to venture and do many things we are limited in with an excited 2 year old all the time. Let's say we ate out at many restaurants as a special treat and got lots of R&R. Carter is so different and quiet compared to Big Coop at that age. There were times that we really did not know what to do with ourselves, quite amusing to us parents.

Oh and how could I forget- we came to the decision that if Cooper was big enough to go visit Grandma than he was big enough for a "big boy bed". So he came home to his new toddler bed and was so excited- he immediately tucked himself in and said "nite nite" for about an hour. This could be great for him or this could be a disaster, we'll just have to wait for the outcome (there is a gate outside of his bedroom door now, haha).

7 Years of Marriage "Bliss"

2009-06-22T22:19:00.004-04:00

June 22, 2002- that's the day we said our vows in front of 300+ people. I never knew I would live back in Savannah or have a Cooper or have a Carter, but I always knew I would have a Patrick and just be in love with whatever came our way as long as it was together.

I might get in trouble for sharing this...but it is too romantic not to.

When we had our little family beach day last weekend, we went to the North End (where we do not go often) and Patrick and I were standing together watching the boys play in the sand and Patrick said "you know in this very spot near these rocks a little over 10 years ago I tried to kiss you and you said no...and look at us now". Is that not an awwwww moment or what? I love my husband! It's so fun growing up with each other.

(a little self taken cell phone pic from our date night Friday- fine dining, a little blues, and a little jazz to wrap it up...awesome date)

Hot days

2009-06-17T21:16:00.006-04:00

What's been going on with these Kisgen's?
---
We had a beach day where I took no camera and just played and had a blast.

Carter got his first tooth (I swear I was starting to think he did not have any in his mouth)

Carter calls for Mama and Dada

Cooper ate low country shrimp boil (home-made by Dad) and had 2 helpings of shrimp- wow is he a southern boy or what?

Oh yes, can't forget- Cooper attempted to start swim lessons since he is such the fish....but he had little interest in "learning" the correct and safe way to be in the water so basically the instructor said he did not want to waste our money and to try him again next year.

Friday night, Patrick and I have a dinner date night for our upcoming 7 YEAR wedding anniversary on Monday.

It's been approaching 100 degrees/ 105 this weekend, so lot's of AC cranking and unfortunately little playground time.

I know this was short, but I felt disconnected and uninformative of late. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Apraxia

2009-06-08T21:49:00.001-04:00

We have been talking to many of you about how Cooper was referred to a speech therapist and many questions and comments have been generated (isn't he just too young and maybe a little behind? shouldn't you wait until he is older?)....all legitimate and our initial thoughts too, but we knew something was just not quite there. Well Cooper has begun his speech therapy and has an official diagnosis. It is called Apraxia of Speech and when you read the literature and sit down and talk with Cooper, it is very clear and helps us support that we are definitely not just being overly worried parents. He will continue speech therapy weekly for the remainder of the year and then we will evaluate and see what progress has been made. Cooper tries very hard to talk to us and experiments with new words all the time, but they all sound the same and are using the same few consonants and mouth movements.

Here is a blurb from an article we received from the children's speech specialist:

DAS is a speech disorder that interferes with a child's ability to correctly pronounce sounds, syllables and words. It is the loss of ability to consistently position the articulators (face, tongue, lips, jaw) for the production of speech sounds and for sequencing those sounds into syllables or words. Generally, there is nothing wrong with the muscles themselves. The child does not have difficulty with non-speech activities performed with the muscles such as coughing, chewing or swallowing. However, the area of the brain that tells the muscles how to move and what to do to make a particular sound or series of sounds is damaged or not fully developed. This makes retrieving the "motor plan" for saying a word difficult.
As a result, even though the child knows what he wants to say, he cannot say it correctly at that particular time. Sometimes he cannot even begin. Either the wrong sound comes out, or many sounds are left out all together. At that particular time, the motor plan is not accessible. These errors are not under the child's voluntary control so he often cannot correct them, even when trying his hardest. Frequently, a child will be able to produce a sound or word at one time and not be able to say is again when he wants to. A parent may hear words when the child is playing alone or when he is angry, but when asked to say the same word, he can't.
For a young child with DAS, a limited speech sound repertoire is frequently the main characteristic of his speech. This simply means that the child has very few speech sounds that he can use automatically so he frequently uses a simple syllable (such as da) to stand for almost everything.
If the child has gotten to a level where he can use several different consonants and is actually talking, the main characteristic of the DAS is inconsistency. A child with DAS is likely to have inconsistent speech errors and speech capability. For instance, he may be able to say a /p/ sound at the beginning of words as long as the /p/ is followed by an /o/, yet, he may not be able to say it if followed by an /e/. Or, maybe he can only say a /p/ at the beginning of a word if the word also ends in a /p/ as in pop. Another example could be that the child can say a /p/ word just fine by itself, but if there is a /t/ word in front of it, the /p/ becomes a /t/( so two pan is said two tan).
Perhaps he can say short single words well, but as soon as he uses two or three words in a row, he drops all the ending sounds. These inconsistencies can easily lead to confusion on the part of both the child and the parent. The child learns that he cannot trust himself to communicate his ideas well, and the parent may wonder whether the child is just being careless or lazy. Apraxic children are usually better at imitating speech than at saying words spontaneously. If you ask a child to say a words right after you, he is likely to say it more accurately than if he said it without your model.

Patrick and I have a lot to learn as far as our role in helping Cooper stay confident in his speech and a long road of correcting and improving upon his language skills. We, and the medical world, know little about what the actual cause of this brain impairment is, but it seems there are ways to "fix" it. If you want to read more about it, you can google "dyspraxia" or "speech apraxia". We just wanted to inform everyone a little bit more intelligibly than we have since this all came about. We will certainly keep you aprise of his progress.

A Saturday in Madison, GA

2009-06-02T23:04:00.011-04:00

Patrick dropped me off in quaint Madison, GA Saturday for brunch and headed to our hotel to meet up with everyone getting in to town for the nights festivities. We had a sweet Mother Daughter (minus one Mom) brunch honoring Mandy and soon to arrive Baby Chace. It was sweet and filled with joy- and we truly enjoyed sharing in the company of our mothers, as we have such a hard time getting our schedules in sync with each other, as just friends seeing friends, let alone mother-daughter time.

The afternoon was spent catching up with friends before the wedding festivities of Mack and Jamie Lee began. Madison is a beautiful old town and we enjoyed being there, though quite HOT and humid on Saturday. Among the group of high school friends we were with, Patrick and I were the ONLY ones with even one child so it was fun for me to watch the interaction. The boys had a great time at the reception- Cooper met an older blonde hair girl and danced the night away and Carter just ate up all the attention he was getting. Mack and Jamie Lee threw a great party and seemed to really enjoy themselves too.

p.s. I now have my Picasa albums link on the top right of the blog under my quote.

May at-a-glance

2009-05-26T22:37:00.009-04:00

Well this month has been busy- as summer kicked off. Here is a sum of what the Kisgens have been up to (and nope it's not over yet- a baby shower and wedding in Madison, GA wrap it up for us this weekend).

The boys have a new Nanny that comes to our house all day, Ms Sam. (Ms Nicole moved out of the area)- we have been excited about this new adventure. They are starting to plan some "away from the house" activities for the summer, so it should be a lot of fun. This means menu planning and more grocery shopping on my part, but definitely worth it.

We have gone to a Birthday Pool Party for Makenzie Duncan then to the beach that afternoon with the Arnsdorffs. Mother's Day was in there somewhere (with yet another failed nice brunch attempt haha). Patrick has been gone a lot during the week. We have read "The Poky Little Puppy" (oh aka the good girl book -b/c that is what all dogs are) every single night before bed (by popular demand of Cooper). And we continued our annual trip to Denver, NC for Memorial Day with the Thomas', Antleys, Baygents', Flowe Family.

A little sun bathing for the babesCarter loved playing in the sand for the first timeOoh Sadie Grace loves baby Carter Mother's DayMemorial Weekend on the lake Cooper jumping off the dock in to the lake- WOW

Griffin- we finally got to play

These big 2 year olds played so great together this tripslip -and- slide fun

(failed attempt at a picture of all the babies)

*fortunately or unfortunately I don't know but the four babies slept on different schedules, so we did not get many chances for group shots- plus they were all in their own directions

1 Week Post Scope

2009-05-12T22:33:00.000-04:00

I am sorry I forgot to post after my knee arthroscopy last week and tell you how it went. Well it went like this:
I don't remember the surgery, but the entire event was much better than I anticipated. The doctor found a torn meniscus and scar tissue build up, so he repaired and cleaned it out. They had me at physical therapy the following day. Ouch. I truly feel better, stronger, less swollen every day. No crutches, no stitches- just some tape over the two holes on my knee and a sleeve over my knee for a little support until I'm all better. I have PT for 3-4 weeks and then should be all set. Yeah! I hope not to repeat this post in a year or two. Thanks for all the love sent my way. Patrick- thanks for being my nurse and super Dad so I could get the rest I needed.

SOOOO BIG SOOOO FAST

2009-05-03T21:52:00.008-04:00

We will start off with Carter James- he has taken off this past week. He crawls like a snail- meaning his body pops up on all fours then pops forward, ever so often he will put one knee in front of the other. He also likes to crab walk instead of crawl. Carter has started pulling up on everything- we had to lower the crib this weekend. He pulls up and stands and then tries to figure out what to do next- that is usually when a little crash takes place, but that will probably not last too long. He gets around pretty fast and is exploring new places in the house he has never been. Patrick and I both had looks of awe and amazement and puzzles on our face this weekend- where did our baby go? He's getting longer and leaner, but we still call him the bruiser. Still, after months of slobber, no teeth yet. Carter is gobbling up his food good and started puffs and cheerios.

Cooper- well his looks are ever so changing, he seems so grown up. His hair is longer and more tame and groomed, his face shape is maturing. One thing to mention on growing stages is that we are on day 11 of no ree-ree (pacifier) at all, not even to sleep. His Jeffrey Giraffe and dinosaur sleep with him instead.

This past weekend we went to our first BBQ of the summer at the Arnsdorffs and took the boys to the pool for the first time this season. Carter enjoyed the water but not the float so much. Cooper had absolutely NO FEAR. He jumped off the side in to Patrick's arms and then with no prompting he jumped in with no one standing to catch him. He had on swimmies/floaties and just bobbed up and down (he has never worn them before and we thought this woud be a fight so we put them on at home to get warmed up). What a sport. We tried a kick board but he wanted to surf on it so swim lessons are definitely in order or this summer will be full of scares for me. The past two summer's, Cooper has refused a hat when outdoors but when he saw Carter with one on he wanted one immediately- it was adorable that he had one on. He kept saying hat Mom hat Mom.

I have knee arthroscopy this week to see if we can find out why I am still in discomfort and can not jog without pain or walk around all day without being miserable at the end of it. I will be out of commission Wednesday and Thursday. Please pray Dr. Holtzclaw will find the answer.

Cruise and Dolphin Pics

2009-05-03T21:32:00.000-04:00

Here is the album of our fun cruise and a link to the photos of our swim with dolphins. One thing that was really neat is that I think 6 of the dolphins had been rescued from the waters of Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina when the aquarium was destroyed. We swam up close and personal under water with motors pulling us along, the dolphins pushed us by our feet with their nose/mouth and we got hugs and kisses. It was truly amazing.

Cruise April 09

http://atlantis.venuephotos.com/ATL/r.d?i=53760523&loc=ATLANTIS

Suunto

2009-04-29T23:02:00.003-04:00

I'm going to brand drop here because I have really been impressed with these watches for the last few months. Suunto watches. I have not really looked in to them for women, but love the options for men. They are pretty huge and very sporty- even better, they are "smart" watches. I think they became big with diving and then catered to a military arena. I have been shopping these things for Patrick since around December and together we found the perfect Suunto for him. I bet there is one each of you guys would like too. Patrick's watch acts as a golf aid. He can keep score and keep track of his swing history. Isn't that cool! Anyway, just check them out if you are interested in a really cool smart sports watch for whatever your activity may be. http://www.suuntowatches.com

Fun Times on the Fun Ship

2009-04-28T21:18:00.003-04:00

Patrick and I had an absolutely perfect getaway vacation on the cruise ship to the Bahamas. I can give you a day-by-day or just sum up the highlights, not sure which way I want to go yet, but either way I think I can speak for Patrick too and say that I would not change anything about it.

We were on the Carnival Fascination "Fun Ship" out of Jacksonville, FL from Thursday to Monday. We took in little pieces of the boat activities and little pieces of the two ports of call we visited.

Let's see...we wined and dined oh and beered and pina colada'd too-haha. Played in the casinos, did a little duty-free shopping. Went to a comedy show on board and a Dance show (which by the way I fell asleep during so I hope real Vegas acts keep your attention). We had a close dolphin encounter. We tried local beers and local conch. Oh and we got great suntans and took many naps. We played putt-putt with a group of ten year old boys who called us "Patrick Woods" and "Nice Pretty Lady". Patrick won a trophy in a two day ping pong tournament! We drank drinks called Blue Marlin's and Bahamas Kalik Beer, and got smashed on a drink called Goombay Smash.

In Nassau, our day was spent at Atlantis- first at our dolphin encounter then touring the incredible property and resort. I 100% want to return their and just vacation at Atlantis- there were water slides that went through the aquarium tanks. There were tons of different pools and eating/drinking places, gorgeous beaches, sea life exhibits everywhere (even little caves you walked through to go find the bathroom had fish tanks in them), casino, etc etc. We filled that day with adventure and fun- if you don't believe us we got back on the ship around 6:30 to get a nap before dinner and did not wake up until midnight (great thing about that is we were on a cruise ship with food anywhere all night).

The next day we had a short day in Freeport, which turned out tons better than we anticipated. We took a long cab ride to Grand Bahama Island, where the public resort beach is and the "market". This is where we found real coconuts falling off the trees, haggled for some silly local souvenirs, and tried some amazing Conch Ceviche.

That boat was a rockin' but Dramamine saved the day, well every day, for me and I had no problems. I started getting home sick and really missing the babies towards the end there, but a nice little phone call home cured me up and helped finish the last day-and-a-half nicely. I think we both felt as if we were still on a ship for all of Monday and maybe even some of today. We are happy to have had the chance to go away together and thanks to Paula for coming down to keep the boys and allowing it to happen for us.

Currently

2009-04-22T21:30:00.001-04:00

Wow I am posting a current blog! Feels good, feels very good.

This past Saturday we participated in the annual Cystic Fibrosis walk here in Savannah. We have seen better turnouts, but there were many other charity walks in Savannah that day so I think many were obligated elsewhere. The walk still managed to raise a great amount of donations for CF research- a cause we always want to see improvements to a cure. Thanks for everyone who donated and Joy and Eric for coming out and walking with us this year.

A few more things going on: Carter is seriously about to crawl...right now he is rocking back and forth on his knees then shoots forward. I even tried using baby knee pads this weekend because he kept scrunching up his face and squeeling after being up for a little while, but it did not quite happen. I have been trying to get it on video the last few days and not miss it but all I got was some forward jolts.

Thursday, Patrick and I are boarding a cruise ship and sailing to the Bahamas (all by ourselves)! We are so pumped and talk about it every day. We have an excursion booked and books to read and look forward to the naps that will be had. Paula has come down to keep Cooper and Carter for us while we are at sea, she is going to be pooped!

Easter Easter

2009-04-19T23:08:00.005-04:00

Ok so getting a picture of the two of the boys together these days is near impossible. One is unhappy and the other wants to be on the go or be in charge. That is why there is no picture of them together in their Easter "best's" or even in their sweet bunny ears together, in fact I do not even have one picture of Carter in his Easter Church outfit. These moments are so sweet, but sooooo hard to catch and gone in a flash.

Patrick did make it home from the Master's on Easter Eve around 11:30pm. We headed to church, where Cooper would normally go in the nursery- not this day- nope he had to stay in his mom's arms the entire time. Then we were going to treat ourselves to a very nice Easter Brunch at the Hyatt on Riverstreet. It was delicious and beautiful, but we could not relax and enjoy it too long as Cooper had no appetite and insisted that we go bye bye from the time we got out of the car. A long nap was had when we got home and then a fun Easter Egg Hunt in the front yard. The Easter Bunny (more than one this year) brought the boys some nice treats- it's fun watching Cooper say oh wow when he opens his gifts. Glad to know he is thankful....as we are thankful for the gifts we receive on Easter and always.

Two things I oops'd on this year- I could not find Cooper's Easter basket and did not have lots of time to hunt so he used a bucket to find his eggs this year. Second...yes that is a heaping glob of chocolate on his outfit. I am a terrible Mom and clothes protector. There was a chocolate fountain at brunch and we dipped a pretzel in it and tasted it- I clearly did not think ahead on that one but it was one of the only things all day that made him happy so it kind of was worth it.

Easter album link:

Easter 2009

I know there are a lot I just have a very hard time deleting them b/c they all show something different and some type of character (haha, I say that a lot don't I)

2nd Birthday DAY

2009-04-19T22:49:00.003-04:00

The day was action packed and fun-filled. We started off at a blow up bouncy place called Leapin' Lizars. Cooper's friends, Jackson and Sadie Grace joined in on the fun. After they were good and worn out (at least the adults were) we headed to the park for juice and cupcakes. These kids were full throttle ALL DAY, off to the playground immediately. They enjoyed a dinosaur themed day and Cooper felt extra special. He was full of smiles when everyone was singing him happy birthday. My Dad, Mom and sister headed back to the house with us so Cooper could open his family presents. He was thrilled with all of them. A great response "OH WOW" was given when tearing through the paper.

From Cooper's 2nd Bday

Cooper would not take a picture with me and Carter all day but he ran over to the pretty azaleas a few times and posed and said "geez" waiting for someone to take his picture.

At the fun age of 2- Cooper's joy and incredibly fun spirit has only grown... and it rubs off on everyone around him. I really do think his love of life has been inspiring to Patrick and I to truly truly enjoy every little thing. I think that is a common thing that children share, truly enjoying life, it is something all adults need to be exposed too. I LOVE the life I get to experience with this amazing boy. Currently he is very into to Vroom Vroom's and dinosaurs (they often sleep with him). He wants to wear shirts with dinosaurs on them and wakes me up in the morning by "ROARING" his dinosaur at me. He is a little obsessed with me at the moment, and I kind of like it. He says MOM constantly and demands that I come SIT or play.

At his 2 year well visit, he stats up in the 37% for weight (27.6lbs) and 57% for height.

Rewind....Cooper's Birthday Week Cont.

2009-04-19T22:02:00.002-04:00

So Thursday night before Patrick was leaving we were going out for what I thought was a family birthday "dinner" for Cooper but Patrick would not tell me where we were going. It was a surprise for Cooper and I. We all went to Chuck E Cheese and a bigger surprise was that two of Cooper's friends, Sadie Grace and Hunter (as well as our friends their parents) joined too. This was Cooper's first Chuck E Cheese experience and I thought he was way too young to enjoy it. I could not have been more wrong. He ran straight to the stage with the giant rock band and was dancing and then running around the place, playing video games, ski ball, exploring the tunnels, etc. etc. It was a fun night...full of great happy surprises.

From Chuckecheese

This is how Cooper thought you were supposed to win big at ski ball....hmmm I wonder who might have encouraged this?!
(if you click directly on the photo it will take you to an album of more fun pictures from Chuck E Cheese- he truly has no fear) .

Birthday side notes....Poor Coop got 2 huge back teeth (2 year molars) for his birthday- runny nose and major amounts of pain included.

I think I had mentioned a while back we were trying to teach Cooper how to jump and it was really difficult, well he mastered it. Cooper can jump- both feet fulling coming off the ground and is even trying to jump across/over things. It's so cute because he is so proud.

Blog Posting Delays

2009-04-15T07:26:00.000-04:00

Before I rewind a week or so and finish sharing Cooper's Birthday week, this year's family Easter moments etc etc, I feel I must explain my delinquency in posting to the blog and extend my apologies for I know many of you have been patiently (some of you) waiting.....life has been BUSY. Patrick was gone for Cooper's Birthday weekend, my parents and sister were in town, then I was out of town for work training, home for a day then had the privilege of attending the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, returned to work the following day when Patrick headed up to Augusta to attend the Master's on Saturday. Then it was Easter, a day or so needed to settle down, now it's today. Oh and some where in there, among the back and forth weather, the babies both got sick and Cooper vomited all over the sofa. I want you too get a glimpse at all the fun in between so just PLEASE hang in there. Thanks for understanding life just happens and know that posting to the blog has been heavily weighing on me.

Birthday Week Part I

2009-03-29T22:35:00.008-04:00

Cooper turns 2 this upcoming Saturday- seriously I thought at age 2 they were still supposed to be your baby. Boy was I incredibly wrong about that. This BOY is such a bright shining star, I could go on for days about his humor, charm, love, manners, cuteness, etc etc but I will let you look at these pics and be the judge. Patrick, unfortunately, will be on travel for Cooper's actual Birthday so we had a pre-celebration this Sunday where Patrick wanted Cooper to run free and do all the things an almost two year old boy LOVE's to do. He learned how to fly a kite (and Dada could not help him hold it of course), ran all over the beach, splashed in the ocean fully clothed, pulled his brother around in the wagon, ate the lunch of his choice (well at my favorite restaurant), and stayed outside until his hearts content.

Oh and an update, Cooper can jump now too- getting that second foot off the ground was a huge feat (no pun intended). There will be more to come throughout the week!

Half a year

2009-03-24T21:32:00.001-04:00

Carter James is already 6 months old. His baby baby days are almost behind us, it's so sad, but so delightful.

Today's check-up stats:

weight 16.9 lbs
height 26.75 in.

We are working on an assortment of veggies and fruits, he's just a little of a gagger so it's going to be a long process. He's also had some digestion issues but they seem to be on the mend as well. He's 97% sitting up on his own- can sit but slumped over and falls to either side after a short while. He also is getting from point a to point b very well by many other means besides crawling- he is scrunching his knees a little to do it so it might not be long....you never can predict. Sleeping through the night? Not quite but we may be close- Patrick likes snuggling up with this boy so much and can't let him be, he might as well start sleeping in his crib with him.

Carter and Cooper had a bath together last night and you could hear laughter for days...belly laughs echoed through the house.

Savannah St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-19T22:37:00.006-04:00

Ering Go Bragh!

Friends decided at the last minute to come down and join us for one of the largest St. Patrick's Day celebrations in the nation- here in Savannah. Most of the city is shut down, unless they have something to do with the parade or eating. It turned out to be a gorgeous day weather wise and we had a lot of fun- the kids and the adults! Tony & Tasha's wedding anniversary is March 17th also, so this is their anniversary tradition. My Dad got to celebrate his favorite Savannah tradition with us but some how he did not make it in to any of the pics. I might compare the event to a UGA tailgate (except you see green for miles instead of red), you wake up early, pack chairs and a cooler of beverages and can not forget the corned beef sandwiches. And if you can't get a good picture in your head because you have not been to a UGA tailgate before than you should probably not be reading our blog, haha j/k it's just one of our favorite things in the world and want everyone to experience it. Luck O' The Irish (everyone in Savannah gets to be Irish for a day).

http://picasaweb.google.com/sskisgen/StPatrickSDay?feat=directlink Here are the rest of the pics- from the Wagoner's camera and ours.

South Beach.....Where Are We?

2009-03-09T23:12:00.004-04:00

For those of you unaware, I left Patrick with the babies for 4 full days and took a hiatus to South Beach Miami with the girls. Everyone was alive when I returned and I think that's all I need to know.

Each girls trip we have been on has been completely different, but equally memorable. This year we all achieved suntans and R&R as planned, but for me our nightlife expectations were not quite fulfilled. I'm sure it has to do with getting older, different lifestyles etc., but on vacation I expected to let loose a little and maybe have one "late" night out dancing. That was so far off from happening that we wondered where the heck we were. The night scene was definitely not one we could mold to (not even for a day) or fit in. Everything started hours later than we could bare and the music everywhere was not what we typically enjoy. One night we all wore our "going out" outfits feeling a little less dressed than you might usually find us- we look around and we look like nuns (as Tasha so perfectly put it) compared to the crowd.

Another twist in the trip was that there was a huge festival going on for 3 full days at the beach -there were these big beach parties going on everywhere with live dj's (not mc's..there is a difference) etc. so we go to see what it was all about.....hundreds of beautiful men much more interested in each other than any woman walking by...quite an unexpected scene. Our men at home were actually thrilled to hear this when we told them about it over the phone :)

Once we were over what I guess you can call culture shock, we decided to get all we could out of beautiful South Beach...aside from the nightlife. We stayed in the art deco district filled with some old some new hotels modeled after the 80's I think- bright colors, neat architecture.... The streets were lined with palm trees and cute outdoor cafe's all over the place. We walked everywhere and saw a cute little Colombian district, shopping area, fancy cars, and beach front parks. The hotels were gorgeous, with stunning pool cabanas and pool bars with big beds to lounge on day or night. We all agreed we will go back there because it is so pretty and there is so much to see and do, but next time I think we might have a different expectation- I think in a way it was wayyyy beyond the one's we had. It was a wonderful break from my day to day life of many "hats"- I can hear the Allison ipod beach mix now!

Baptised Boy

2009-03-08T21:29:00.003-04:00

Carter was Baptised at our church, St. Anne Catholic Church, Saturday Feb 21st. It was a very intimate and beautiful service we shared with almost all of our close family and some of our closest friends. It brings us great joy and happiness to have the blessings of two healthy and incredibly happy children to celebrate with our loved ones. God's love and God's work is just truly amazing!

The entire weekend everyone gathered at our house and we just had the best time eating and playing and talking and laughing. We enjoyed every minute of hosting you all in our home! Thanks for sharing that with us. Oh and sharing my birthday for baby Carter's occasion was extra special for me.

P.s. I am working on some really neat collages of the photographs and will send them out when I am complete.

Past Pics

2009-03-03T22:15:00.004-05:00

I have been trying to get pictures up, but my nights are very short these days and no picture goes up without review. Here are the pictures from the weekend we spent with the Antley's and Baygents and Flowe's in Denver, NC. The albums are very big so here are highlights and you can click on the two links to see the rest if you are interested.

http://picasaweb.google.com/sskisgen/DenverNC?feat=directlink

Uncle Darryl tried to play with Cooper on the playset but he scared him with every step he took, he is so used to playing with is low risk calm Jameson...it was amusing.

We took the toddlers to Monkey Joe's for some bouncy fun- we all participated and had a blast...even Carter!

http://picasaweb.google.com/sskisgen/MonkeyJoeS?feat=directlink

Baby Cereal etc.

2009-02-25T22:29:00.001-05:00

I am incredibly behind on posts, but here is a quick sum. Carter started eating baby rice cereal within the last two weeks with no hesitation. He is strong, happy, and continues to love to eat! Cooper gets sweeter and funnier by the day and we are trying to get him to "use his words" when he is communicating more and more. Potty training had fallen off the activity list but it is back on again as a trial. He also runs around pumping his arm back and forth making the p-t-chu, p-t-chu (onomatopoeia for shooting a gun) noise and pointing his finger- so funny to watch, especially when you see him and one of his classmates doing it at school (they have never played with guns but that's just how boys figure out how to play- so stinkin' cute).

My Dad has been staying with us during the week while he and my Mom figure out their Savannah living arrangements with my Dad's new job down here and their "commuter" life. We all are enjoying his company.

Spring Fever

2009-02-12T21:50:00.003-05:00

Seriously, spring is wonderfully in the air here and of course what hits me but a cold. It is just gorgeous weather though. Savannah does not have much of a spring- pretty much straight to summer with the humidity, so if some warm days in February are what we call spring I suppose it's now Spring.

I have been waiting to post so I could get pictures from last weekend up, but there are a lot and taking a long time to go through. We went to Denver (Charlotte), NC last weekend for a visit with the Antley's. Darryl, Donna, Season, and Jason came over for an oyster roast. We had a super fun weekend. Cooper and Jameson finally played together and Jameson still showed no interest in the ba-by. She finally wanted to hold him on Sunday, but for only just a minute. Jameson also taught Cooper how to meow like a cat. She just talks and talks and talks and talks and is the sweetest sweetest tiny girl.

All of a sudden, over the last two weeks, Cooper had a major growth spurt- every single one of his pair of play pants are now highwaters. The spring must have hit him too and he decided to pop up like a weed. Speaking of weed, I don't know what to do with Cooper's hair. It has some very cute curl to it that I am afraid to lose if we cut it, but it is stringy and out of control, not too mention extremely thin. We laugh at his hair do's daily (is that mean, I laugh at not with my kid?!). Cooper has also newly named his pacifier "re-re", which he is getting better at not having to have it all the time now.

What else? Carter is HUGE. He is built so different from his brother. Carter wore one of Cooper's old shirts the other day at 4.5 months that Cooper did not wear until he was 8.5 months- just thick and solid. Carter just blah's and blooh's and coo's and laughs all day and night. He is drooling like a water spicket though, just soaking through bibs. Picking things up and putting them in his mouth by himself is his favorite thing right now. Now if sleep could become an interest, we would be doing really good.

Hope you have a SWEET VALENTINE'S DAY!

January's End

2009-02-04T22:25:00.008-05:00

I can not believe January of 2009 is already gone. Here are a few things we have been up to rounding out the month...... First of all, Carter James is becoming more and more devilishly handsome (yes, slightly partial)- he looks just like his handsome father but has all the dark features that are incredibly charming. Now seeing Carter look more and more like Patrick I am wondering who Cooper looks like (because the two of them show no resemblance of each other)....I think it's my sister (he acts like her too, ha ha, always testing those boundaries).

These are from the night we had laundry basket races

We put him in the high chair to see if he was big enough and Cooper put his rattle on the tray for him to have something to play with. Gosh, he is big enough, and so happy to let us all play with him.

Cooper just has my heart these days- he has some excellent manners, he is an awesome eater, is the best helper, and still has the best laugh in the world. Example: Patrick is in -2 degrees Michigan this week, he called to talk to us and he and Cooper had about a 10 minute phone conversation, it was so awesome. Don't let me fool you though, he is quite the dare devil and can be quite the crazy man at times, but he is still a very good boy.

Other things:

We had a fun Super Bowl party - about 20 people came with a few kids Cooper's age. The crowd was a mix of new friends we have made from Patrick's work, new neighbors, old neighbors, and old friends from my young days in Savannah. It was a good time!

Lastly, there have been a number of things going on with my job. All positive, but a lot of changes to come in the next month or so. I even had to make a quick overnight trip to Atlanta for a meeting...so Patrick had his first night all alone with his boys.

Big 4 month

2009-01-22T22:39:00.004-05:00

Carter had a 4 month check-up yesterday

14lbs 8 oz

25 inches long (grew 3 inches in 2 months)

Everything checked out and he is reaching or ahead of the 4 month milstones.

We are weaning to formula over the next few weeks, so hopefully sleep will become part of my life again :)
Carter will also have an ultrasound in the next week or so to make sure the liver spots seen in utero are gone and can be forgotten- no cause for concern, just following up.
Carter is thriving in every way.....drooling, found hands and feet, rolling over, holding self up propped on arms, laughing, blowing bubbles, and more. This is sooooo much fun!
Unbelievably, Carter was ready for Cooper's old bouncer! He has a blast exploring. Can't wait to put him in the new car walker in a few weeks.

He's Back

2009-01-20T21:00:00.004-05:00

Patrick just returned from a 6 day business trip for a huge trade show in Orlando. The boys and I had a wonderful time, I think Cooper knows to be extra special good for me when his Dada is gone. He asked "Where's Da-da?" every day and night and was thrilled when he got to finally wake up to him home Monday morning. Here are a few things that went on while Patrick was gone.Cooper learned to "drive"- j/k he loves to play in the car when we get home thoughThese two brothers love each other so much and seriously can not get enough of one another. Carter thinks Cooper is hilarious and Cooper is always making sure Carter is o.k. Cooper is smiling for the camera and saying "cheese" or geez as he likes to say.Here they are again "playing" together and watching the rain outside while I straightened
And here is the newly painted living room. My husband absolutely hates to paint, so I thought I would not bother him with the task and go ahead and get it done, as well as satisfy my urge. How I pulled it off while I was at home with both kids I have no idea, but it turned out better than I had imagined. (The color is Ralph Lauren Khaki and I have an unopened gallon if anyone is interested-haha).

One other funny thing Cooper learned while Patrick was gone is what a pirate says "arghhh". It is so stinkin' cute when you ask him.

I think one major thing that helps my days of one person parenting is the fact that Cooper is not bothered with jealousy over this little baby being around for all of our special times together at night. When I was pregnant, I imagined jealousy was going to be a big challenge, it seems our wishes of having two boys being best buds might not be too far-fetched.

More Friends More Fun

2009-01-12T21:48:00.003-05:00

Tony and Tasha came down for another fun visit. Guys golfed, gals shopped and we all had a fun day on River Street in Savannah's warmer January weather. A side note- if you have not played Apples to Apples, you definitely should- it's fun, never gets old, and no one ever has to feel they are not "good" at trivia. Here are some pictures from Riverstreet where Cooper got to play on the tugboat sandbox that Kimberly and I used to play on- I had a little fun with photoshop too.
http://www.photoshopshowcase.com/Go.aspx?AID=198752&AT=3&VID=636849&ABID=423019

Tale of 2 Under 2

2009-01-04T21:38:00.002-05:00

So, Saturday Cooper Carter and I went downtown to meet cousin Molly and her boyfriend (now fiance) Matt, who I had not had the chance to meet over the past few years, that had come to Savannah for a mini-vacation before Law School was back in session. It was a regular Saturday morning, we all got ready and made it in one piece out the door a little after 11. We arrive and find a great parking spot and Molly walks over to meet us.....little did she know that before I could even greet her with a hug I was warning her not to come to the back of the car where I was changing Carter and asking her to run down to the baby Gap on Broughton street to get him a new outfit so he did not have to be naked the entire day. Thanks Molly for saving that catastrophe (of course, I usually keep a change of clothes in the diaper bag but of course had taken it out). OK- now we are all settled both boys content in the double stroller on a beautiful afternoon. We all head to eat lunch at a local Burger place. Um I really don't know how to describe Cooper's behavior except by saying aaahhhhh!!!!!! All the stories of Cooper being such a good eater and such a good sweet boy went down the drain. Somehow, we did manage to eat our delicious lunches while the madness occurred. I can not even imagine what the young, half-a-day engaged, couple were thinking by time we made it out of the restaurant. Thanks for being good sports.

Needless to say the days with 2 under 2 can be seamless or can be just like the day described- the only way to keep smiling is to run your hands over the top of your head and let out a huge sighing "whew" as you prepare for the next day. Hey, out-to-eat lunch Sunday as a family was a 180. Laughter is the best policy........right?!

Is the New Year a New You?

2009-01-01T22:22:00.000-05:00

Is setting a big huge goal part of your New Year's tradition? I usually do not set a New Year's resolution, not because I do not want to commit or fail or because there is nothing I want to improve, but I guess because throughout the year, every year, I am thinking about and working on ways to be a better person inside...and out (self improvement I guess you can call it). I suppose a resolution can just really be about reflecting on how you have done things in the past and how you can tweek it for the future- does not seem too hard and I am actually thinking of a list of things I could improve upon. Maybe it is a cop-out when I respond to the question "What is your New Year's Resolution" with a hesitant "I don't really have one". So, after all, I am going to say that one of my main goals for the New Year is that I want to READ MORE in 2009.......does that mean I just set a resolution?!?

We wish you all the best of health and happiness for the New Year 2009.

Christmas 2008 Memories

2009-01-01T13:09:00.002-05:00

Christmas 2008 was absolutely wonderful and full of joy and blessings. Cooper had a blast opening presents and playing with and figuring out each and every thing he received. Carter was just happy to celebrate with us. We have lots of happy memories to carry us on. Christmas day, we all drove to the Kisgen mountain house in Highlands, NC to be with Poppy Gammy Meredith David Marissa and Stephen for the rest of the holiday weekend. We could not have asked for a better time. (Photographer of the weekend, Mer, should be sharing those photos with us soon). Here are a few of our memories from home on Christmas Eve going to church and Christmas morning.

Friends and Family

2008-12-22T21:34:00.005-05:00

Over the weekend Patrick and I threw a very fun holiday dinner party for our local friends (we can go ahead and call it 2nd annual Christmas dinner but at our new home). I even got to use both table leaves in the dining room table, I was really able to embrace the joy of gathering during the holidays. Saturday Paula and Carl came to celebrate early Christmas with us (to help cut back our traveling). We had a great visit, always too short. We drove around the neighborhood to look at festive lights and Cooper said lots of "Oh wow's" and at one house was "Oh Wow, Hellow".

All the gifts are wrapped, we have mass to attend Christmas eve, await a visit from Santa (we tried to be good), play Christmas morning, then head to the mountains for Christmas with the Kisgens. Sounds busy, but to me it just means there are many many things to be thankful for.

Santa's Lap

2008-12-17T22:58:00.001-05:00

Cooper and Carter finally made it to see Santa and have their annual picture with him. We have been asking Cooper if he was ready to go sit on Santa'a lap and he was well behaved and ready to go.......until the time came and he showed no interest. I think Carter was wondering what the heck Cooper was doing, because he was not sitting still.

Schedules have been busy busy busy, as I presume yours have too, so I am behind on posting. Last weekend Pat & Deb (Gammy & Poppy) came for a wonderful visit and special thanks to them for the overnight babysitting so Patrick and I could attend the Daniel Defense Christmas party.

We have more festivities coming up, but Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah if we do not get a chance to talk to you before. Many Blessings to you.

Girls visit

2008-12-10T22:38:00.009-05:00

Last week we had a quick little visit from Kim, then Allison and Kelly came down to visit over the weekend. It was so nice having a hall pass to get out and leave my Mom hat at home- though we didn't make it past midnight. I will definitely remember for a long time the expression on Kelly's face when early Saturday morning we are desperately awaiting coffee to brew, Cooper is on one hip and Carter is stirring, Kelly looks at me and says "you do this every morning don't you?". I have 11+ year old memories with these girls and now they came to visit my children. This sounds like a VERY long time to me. Truly, the circle of life.....how exciting!

Cooper showed Aunt Kim how to climb all the way in to the little TV cabinet. He has never done this before, but i think he knows she condones mischievous behavior.

Allison and Patrick ran the Savannah 5K Bridge Run- Great Job Guys! Allison was attached to Carter all weekendAnd Cooper was attached to Kelly all weekend (look he has his arm around her)

watching the end of the Savannah Christamas parade

Potty Time

2008-12-04T22:47:00.002-05:00

I want to announce that Cooper has begun potty training. He has given us lots of indications he is ready and is so interested in the potty. He has gone pee-pee in the potty several times at the house and a few times at school. He is so grown up. I have only heard that boys are a little harder to train and start a little later, so I think this is great and I am so proud of Cooper. We'll see if he sticks with it or loses interest.

Start to a fun-filled Holiday Season

2008-11-30T22:17:00.002-05:00

We truly wish we could spend the holidays with all of our family and have the chance to visit with all of our friends, but unfortunately we pay a price for being long distance. My parents and Aunt Bobbie were able to come spend Thanksgiving with us this year and we had a nice day at home. On Friday we all went to our friend Donald's farm, where the boys shot guns and the rest of us enjoyed the land. To finish off our weekend, Patrick, Cooper, Carter and I continued our family tree cutting tradition. I want to go ahead and post these pics while I have time but they are not super quality- no time for editing this batch. We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Our Little Indian Boy (headdress courtesy of Cooper's crafts)

Too much triptophan ??

Always giving his brother hugs

First time Cooper ever took a real nap on a couch (was so exhausted he could not resist)

Picking the best tree

Sew Incredible

2008-11-30T22:06:00.004-05:00

Sew Incredible...that's what we should call the small business my Mom SHOULD have, even though she is getting her specialist degree is education administration. She can do anything custom I ask, and always finishes my project requests before her own. I have asked for a sewing machine of my own, but I truly do not believe I will ever be able to create what she can...but hopefully I can give her a break, because I have kept her fingers pretty busy the last 2 years. I mean my new window treatments for instance, I picked out my fabric and trim and showed her a pattern I liked, then she created her own pattern necessary to fit my windows- now that is talent!

Antley's visit Savannah

2008-11-24T22:36:00.005-05:00

This past weekend Jameson (and froggy), Lacey and Mickey came for a visit. We had so much fun...keeping up with Cooper and Jameson. They played well together, but also a good bit on their own. Cooper is still a little rough for these sweet girls, but always tries to get his big hugs in or hold hands with the mightiest force. She is the sweetest thing and we can't wait to see her pretty little smile again soon. Sadly, the pictures are sparse because it was not easy keeping up and making sure nothing bad was happening while trying to catch a great shot. Babies 18 months apart is work, but man if I had twins at this nearly 2 age I don't know that I wouldn't go absolutely nuts. It took almost half the day Saturday to get us all ready, then Lacey and I went on a trip to the mall with the three of them... I think it should be called an adventure instead. We will never give up trying though.

Carter's 8 weeks

2008-11-24T22:00:00.005-05:00

Carter had his 8 week check-up Friday. He weighed 10 lbs. 15 0z. and measured 22.5 in long. Unfortunately, the day for him was the worst day he has ever had in his little life, getting three vaccinations at one time. He is doing great otherwise and is very happy, showing us lots of smiles. His first week of being at Ms. Nicole's went fantastic- he stays awake to watch the big kids play and is not fussy for her at all.....what a relief.

As a refresher, this is Cooper at 8 weeks (these boys look nothing alike)

Safari Kids gets a baby

2008-11-17T21:05:00.003-05:00

Carter started at Ms Nicoles Safari Kids today with his big brother to watch out for him. He is 8 weeks and I can not believe it. I think this was much much harder than simply returning to work, but I know and trust he is in great hands. One minute I think he is growing so fast, the next he is my precious tiny baby.
I got a great report for his first day and Cooper was not too distracted, but was protective. I was told that baby Carter was not scared by any of the other kids but when his brother would yell real loud, Carter would jump. No peace and quiet for the baby.

Carter's First Church Sunday

2008-11-17T20:56:00.001-05:00

Carter was finally ready to go to church this week, he did great during Mass. Cooper enjoyed being back too, as Father Smith was closing to the congregation Cooper loudly said "BYE, BYE"- how on earth did he know that when the priest said "Let us go in peace" he was telling us goodbye? Is Catholic church so routine a 19 month old totally gets it?

We also tried to get a few family of 4 pics, as we have not had one since the hospital when Carter was born.

Another diaper wreath

2008-11-17T20:28:00.000-05:00

I was tasked with creating a unisex themed diaper wreath as a donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to be auctioned off at the upcoming Martini Madness Auction. I am pleased and think with the large Savannah following of the UGA Bulldogs, we should get some nice bids.

Post-Pregnancy Hair

2008-11-12T20:45:00.002-05:00

Anyone who knows me understands that I do not do things on impulse, every tiny little event takes careful thought. Well not yesterday.....a quick phone call for a possible opening with my hairdresser and an increase in his prices later, I have bangs and hair just beneath my chin (a modified Katie Holmes doo I think but of course no stylist on hand each day to make it picture perfect).

9 selfless months (haha, well 18 of the last 25 for me) of pregnancy with crazy hormones making my hair and skin not my own, I felt like I needed a change in order to get ME back instead of feeling blah. I tried when I was pregnant but my hairdresser said never do something drastic to a pregnant woman's hair because there could be major regrets (and your hair is typically much different than normal).

Blessing of the meal

2008-11-10T21:50:00.003-05:00

One thing I have always admired and learned from my husband is saying the blessing before each and every meal. We always hold hands and say it together when we are together at the table, which we try to do as much as possible. Cooper has joined in on the holding hands part for a while but now he waits and prompts us to all join hands and recently we asked him to say the blessing for us and he did a great job. He did it once a couple weeks ago, but last night he did so good. The words were quick and quiet and in his own language, but many of them started with the letter "G", so we know he was talking to God. He was so proud, as was I! He is even working on trying to make the sign of the cross, he's got it half down. What an angel our little Cooper is.

I just had to share, because not only was it so cute but when I saw the smile on his face and how proud he was and what we were actually teaching him, I truly felt my heart just fill up.

6 weeks...it flew

2008-11-05T21:13:00.003-05:00

Carter was 6 weeks old on Monday and I returned to work- whoah, that flew soooo fast. I needed to remember what exactly I did in that very short time period, because I honestly felt like I had accomplished none of the things I had imagined I would while not being at work. This is a quick sum of where the time went:

Week 1- a few days at the hospital and family and visitors at the house
Week 2- rested, recovered, and got to know Carter and the dynamic of he and Cooper
Week 3- kept a sick Cooper at home with Carter and I while Patrick got back to traveling
Week 4- tried to get a routine started and then came down with a sinus infection that had me out of commission for days
Week 5- traveled to Atlanta
Week 6- Patrick and I had a stomach bug the first half of the week, then Carter and I ran errands and wrapped things up the remainder of the week

Each day I remember thinking o.k. when do I get to take a shower? put away the clean laundry? organize this or that?

My thoughts on Sunday as I cried thinking about this transition: Am I ready to leave him? Is Carter ready? IS ANY MOM EVER READY? I also decided that instead of feeling unaccomplished it was better to reflect on the true blessing that I had a paid maternity leave and I did get to spend so much time with our new baby right by my side. Further, it is an accomplishment to be a Mom of two and be able to share that with my amazing husband- no matter what gets done at the end of the day.

Thankfully we have three sets of awesome parents that always want to help us and their grandchildren whenever possible, so Paula is here keeping Carter at home for a week-and-a-half and my Mom is covering a couple of days.....making this transition a little easier.

Carter will start going to the babysitters house at 8 weeks instead of a young 6 weeks. He will go where Cooper goes, Ms Nicole's Safari Kids (she watches Cooper, three other toddlers and one 10 month old). The talking toddlers tell me that Cooper is their best friend and they all hug each other every morning. Nevertheless, this great environment gives me lots of comfort and I know Carter will be in good hands.

Family Day in Hilton Head

2008-11-03T23:24:00.001-05:00

Carter and I trying to keep Cooper out of the ocean

Super cool tree house

Carter resting (finally taking a paci...sometimes)

Cooper pushing baby brother through the harbour

The four of us decided to take a little drive to Hilton Head for the day Sunday - a nice family day before I returned to work and we all got in to a new busy routine. We visited Sea Pines Village and saw boats, then to the beach, a playland, and a little outlet shopping- it was fun to work on a little photography of Cooper too. It was a beautiful day!

Roll-over, Roll-over

2008-11-03T22:58:00.006-05:00

Carter James is one strong little baby boy. At 6 weeks he has begun to roll over from back-to-front and front-to-back. It was such a shock to see him do this the other night, as we certainly were not expecting it for many months to come. Cooper was asleep and we put Carter down for some tummy time and there he went, again and again (5 times in a row to be exact). I think he has picked up on the concept that he better move fast to steer clear of his big brother. Here are two little clips trying to catch him in the act- I'll try to get better ones, but it happens fast.

Halloween 08

2008-11-03T22:39:00.003-05:00

Our little boys dressed up as a Monkey and a baby banana. Cooper had a blast trick-or-treating this year, he tried to go inside all the houses when he went to get his candy. He was so nice and said thank you (or dank ooh) at every house. We went on a hayride through the neighborhood across the street and Cooper was part of the big kids running around and screaming in the excitement. He loved helping Dad carve and dig out the pumpkin and loved his baby banana (even thought he was a real banana and took a nice little bite out of his nose when I thought he was being sweet and kissing him). I wish I could have taken some better pictures of how much fun he had at the Halloween party/hayride but there was way too much going on for photography. I will learn to triple task soon enough.

Atlanta- there we went

2008-10-30T12:54:00.003-04:00

Last week Patrick traveled to Seattle and my two sweet baby boys and I took a trip to Atlanta. We set out to visit with Grandparents and whomever else we could, as most of our trips up are so rushed and jam-packed. It was also sort-of a way to prove to myself that, "Hey, I can do this, right!?" The car ride there and back was much better than I ever expected, but everything else was a little more difficult with two the out of the comforts of our own environment. I think we all learned that a house can never be Cooper-proofed, thus there were not many free moments to do things like take a shower and dress myself without helping hands nearby. I would say the trip was not as productive as I hoped (in regards to very little shopping being done), but some great quality time was spent with those we were able to visit with and I think that was much more enjoyable and memorable than trying to do too much. Cooper was such my little pal the whole trip, he ate at the table, just like the rest of us, not in a high chair. He was happy, once we got home, to have his chair though.

Sadly, I managed to take an incredibly small amount of pictures on our little adventure. Here are pretty much all I came home with. How we took none on our visit with Gammy Poppy and Aunt Meredith or with our visit to meet Austin Harris is just crazy to me.

Cooper rode his first pony.

He was not even scared.

Carter finally got to meet his Great Grandma

Our lil' punkins

2008-10-20T22:34:00.003-04:00

A little visit to the Pumpkin Patch.......................