Man....What a party!

What a party!!!!!!!!

Kooper is 1!!!! We made it through the first year. There were definitely times when I wasn't sure that we would. We had a small family party with my side of the family and we'll be getting together with Jason's parents within a week or so. Shhhh....don't tell Kooper that neither party were on his birthday! It's funny how so many things change in 12 years. When Karina was little, there would have been no way that I would have even attempted anything more than just a simple cake box cake. Now, when Kooper comes along and I have more experience in the kitchen and just more experience in general, I attempt a much harder cake. It was so much fun though and really not too hard. I threatened my brother that he better not make fun of my cakes though! I made car cakes. I made Kooper his very own and then there were two for the adults and older kids. So, with no further hesitation, here they are!

Okay, I hear all of the ooooh's and aaaahhh's! Thank you! Well, they could have turned out a little better but overall I think for a first attempt, they were pretty good. Kooper really enjoyed the icing. That is about all he really ate. Of course, in typical fashion for our household, he then started breaking out all over his face. A quick run down the street and Renee saved me with some liquid Benadryl. I have not had to use this with him until now but we figured it was better to be safe than sorry. Kooper got neat toys for his birthday. Uncle Nathan, Auntie April, Abigail and Andrew gave him a cool train that has a handle on it and the neatest storage place in the back. Kooper has been holding the handle and crawling around with it ever since he got it. They also got him some much needed socks! Yeah!! Meme got Kooper a neat educational bus that has songs and all the alphabet with the different sounds they make. That will be really nice in a few months. Right now, Kooper really likes hitting the buttons and then bouncing up and down to "dance" to the music. Meme also got him a nice CD for the car so hopefully I can make him stop screaming when he gets tired! Karina got him a neat firetruck toy. Kooper really enjoyed crawling around with that yesterday and smacking it to make it go across the room. Daddy and I got him a car that has a buckle and places for his feet to go with a long handle so we can take him on a walk and Kooper can feel like he's not "kooped" up!

Thank you all for your presents and your presence! Have a wonderful week and we'll see you soon!

Birthday Dinner

Kooper says "Howdy" from Texas Roadhouse!

The night of Kooper's birthday, we went as a family to Texas Roadhouse and ate. The videos and pictures were taken with my cell phone so please forgive the quality but they were so cute, I had to put them on here. Kooper had his groove going while they were singing.

The 1st Haircut

Before Picture

On August 4, 2008, Kooper got his first haircut. He was almost 11 months old. It was a very exciting day. Jason, Karina, Kooper and I all went to Great Clips and took lots of pictures. He did very good through most of it. He didn't like the noise of the clippers but he didn't scream, well atl least not too loud.

During Pictures

Applause...please

Yes, I know that it has been a very long time since I've let anyone know what's going on with us! Too busy! I've been selling lots of Tupperware and being Mom. But yesterday, Kooper had a breakthrough that I just had to share and I promise to catch up with a few old posts in the next week or so. First of all, Kooper will be one tomorrow and I think is typical boy and is slow in some things. He has been clapping his hands with one fist and one open hand now for about two months. I have played pat-a-cake and all kinds of games constantly trying to get him to open that one fist. Something clicked yesterday and he just started clapping with both hands open! You would think that this is some major accomplishment and for us, it is!!!! So, here it is........
He is very proud of himself and he really loves the noise his hands make when he claps. When he first started doing it today, he would just watch his hands like he was totally amazed.

Happy 4th of July!!!!

It was luckily a very uneventful weekend for our family! Just a nice day to hang out and enjoy some family time! Karina and Jason had started to wrestle on the floor and Kooper was very upset by this. He started to cry until he realized that he could join in on the fun. The picture of his smile with a wrinkled up nose is his latest fun thing to do. I hope that all of you enjoyed your 4th!!

Strong Rock Camp

Strong Rock Camp rocks!! Karina has been given the opportunity to go to a wonderful camp for the last 4 years. It is in Cleveland, GA and I highly recommend it to any parent who would like for their child to have a great camp experience. Some friends of ours, James and Corie Himstedt, started a camp 4 years ago and it is the best summer experiences Karina has had. If interested, go to http://www.strongrockcamp.com/ . It is awesome! Karina has taken a variety of classes while there including: archery, riflery, horseback riding, swimming, cooking, dance and canoeing.

This is Kooper supporting his big sissy and wearing her tribe's colors. She is an Awahili. There are two tribes at camp and they have tribal competitions. Karina comes home every year singing the new tribal cheers.

As the kids march in, they have show their tribe's sign and be very solemn. I told Jason this year that if I didn't know better, I would think that none of them had fun. But I know so much better than that!!!

Her camp counselors this year were "Shug" and "Button". Karina says that they were the best counselors ever!! Of course, I think that she has said this every year when she comes home.
"Shug" was one of her counselors last year and Karina was so excited that she got to have her again!
(Button on left and Shug on right)

This year, she stayed a week. They also have two week camps and she has gone to those two times. It is a wonderful experience beyond anything that we could ask for. Thank you James and Corie for the chance to come and enjoy it! While Karina was there this year, James and Corie had an addition to their family. Elizabeth Joy Himstedt was born. What an exciting time for their whole family!

Thank you so much again James and Corie for not only allowing her to come but also that you guys truly want her to come. She really wants to be a counselor as soon as she can!!! Although this year, some friends of ours from church brought their two kids and their youngest is 6 (I think). Karina took her under her wing even though she was from the other tribe (Boooo Waya Tribe) and helped her many times. As I was checking the pictures that they posted daily on the website, I kept seeing Karina and Maggie together. It was very sweet. Karina just loves to help other people. I just pray that the same sweet spirit continues through teenage years. I'm not asking for much, am I?

Happy Fathers Day!!

Happy Father's Day! We have had a wonderful weekend! It was Kooper's first Father's Day and he definitely seemed to enjoy it along with Karina. We went to church and then came to Mom's and had lunch with Nathan, April, Abigail and Andrew. The guys grilled out hamburgers and hot dogs and we all enjoyed eating them. A nice nap in the middle of the day and then we were ready to go swimming. This was Kooper's first time in the pool and he loved it. It was a nice big bath for him!

Wonderful Weekend

Last week, Jason and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary. It's hard to believe in many ways that it's already been 3 years. In others, it seems like it's been at least 10! We were able to go to a cabin in Ellijay for our anniversary. It was beyond wonderful! Thank you Ed and Judy! Jason and I headed up to the cabin on Friday afternoon. We got to the cabin and felt like we had walked into our home but it was SO much better than our home! We spent Friday and most of Saturday up there. Then, on Saturday, Mom brought up the kids. We all got to spend the rest of Saturday and most of Sunday together. We had so much fun! We played games and just hung out. It was my kind of getaway. We had nothing planned! So many times, we go on vacation and we're constantly "going". This was so nice because we just kind of stopped and enjoyed being a family. The cabin had a big jacuzzi tub and because of the water drought, we couldn't fill it up but we let the kids take a bath together with a little water. Of course, I had to put a swim diaper on Kooper or Karina wouldn't have dared to get into the tub!!! Even with it on, she was worried that the germs still might leak out of the diaper. Here's a short video of them playing together.

She managed to get over worrying about it too much! It was a wonderful weekend and we all had so much fun. There are a few more pictures for you to enjoy.

Kooper is 9 months old today!!

Today is June 10 and Kooper is 9 months old. He started crawling this weekend. He's definitely not a speed racer but he gets where he wants to go for sure! I wanted you to see him crawl. He's so cute!

Well, I told you that he's not a speed racer but I think he's doing great!