Happy Birthday, sweet Carrington!

I blinked and my baby turned 1. Just the other day I was telling someone I had a 10 month old, only to realize her first birthday was quickly approaching. Today I feel a mix of emotions. I'm sad to be done with all of her tiny baby things but also happy (and accomplished!) to have made it through a year full of sleepless nights, feeding schedules and dirty diapers relatively unscathed!

Happy birthday to my sweet Carrington! Here are a few things I want to remember about her at one year:

She is starting to talk! I thought that since Cooper talked early that she wouldn't say anything until later in the game, especially with how much big brother has to say!  She started with the normal firsts: Dada, Mama, uh-oh and hi. She is very clearly saying Layla (the cat) and also somewhat regularly says cracker, shoes, eyes and "TA-DA"!

She loves pointing out people's facial features, although nose is always the fallback. When in doubt, point at the nose, C!

She loves playing dress-up! She's into cars and dirt and everything Cooper does but I'm amazed at how girly she can be at times. She tries on everyones shoes, attempts to put clothes on herself and crawls around the kitchen toting my purse or beach bag. She gives hugs to her baby dolls and it just about melts my heart every time.

No one can eat anything in front of her without handing out a bite. Girl loves food! She usually eats dinner before us and then demands to be put back in her high chair to sample the flavor of the night. She'll try anything, as long as you let her do it herself…no spoon feeding allowed! Her favorites (of the moment) are chicken, eggs, guacamole and peaches. She doesn't really care for tomatoes…I'm with you, Sister!

Carrington and the California Roll.

For the longest time, she had her two bottom teeth on bottom and then her two fangs/vampire teeth on top. Her front middle teeth are now growing in and I have to admit I'm a little sad to see that gappy grin go!

She is a WILD WOMAN! I find her climbing all sorts of furniture, attempting to go head first into the pool and happily recovering from falls and spills that would have sent her brother into a crying fit for days. Whereas Cooper has always been cautious, Carrington is fearless. Eek.

She has been crawling since 8 months and pulling up and cruising around furniture since she was 9 months. Just this week she started standing unassisted. She stands from this weird bear crawl turned squat position then throws her hands up in the air as she stands and says, "TA-DA"!

She is such a ham. She will do anything to get a smile and knows how to work a crowd. She runs through her routine of tricks (clapping, fist shaking in pretend anger, dancing, etc.) until she gets the attention she wants and then some! She's an "all eyes on me" kind of girl!

She is very friendly and will let anyone hold her. As the mom of the kid who got so upset when he went to school for the first time that he literally got sick, I am amazed to watch her around new people. I dropped her off at the gym nursery the other day for the first time and she didn't even bat an eyelash.

Overall she is a very typical second kid. She is very laid-back and can go with the flow. She is pretty much always happy…a jolly little soul says my friend Taryn. She loves her family. Kyle calls her my "hip-attachment" but she always saves the best smiles and giggles for her Daddy. Anything Cooper does she tries to imitate and thinks everything he does is hysterical….even him walking by and "accidentally" knocking her over will send her into a giggle fit!

We are so blessed to have this sunny little soul in our lives! HAPPIEST OF BIRTHDAYS, SISTER!

Summer Recap

Lately it seems that traveling and long summer days at the pool have edged their way in to every little crevice of my life. Ahh, summer. This sweet little blog has suffered much neglect and is in dire need of an update…as with other things neglected in my life...don't even get me started on my roots!

RECAP TIME!

Sister has been into all things "girl" lately, including brushing her hair. Judging from this mop…

…it is not without merit!

Kyle's grandparents took us down to the Blanco river in the TX hill country at the beginning of June. We spent the weekend fishing, making s'mores and catching fireflies. Good, clean living right there!

Never too early in the morning to make Sangria?

Need. Coffee.

Carrington and Bubby.

My fish was "thisssssss big".

And mine was bigger!

Proud Daddy.

Cooper, Carrington and cousins Russell and Robin.

Eww.

Poppy has someone to laugh at his jokes now!

A couple of weekends ago Kyle threw me a big 30th birthday bash. Except it wasn't my 30th birthday. Being that I was all of 9 months pregnant last year on my real 30th, I didn't even acknowledge the date. Nor did I talk about it. Nor did I allow anyone to celebrate. Hormones are a special, special thing. Anyway, 30+1 was fantastic and I had a great time out celebrating!

#30onlyhappenstwice

End of the night…whose glasses are these?

In other news…if there is a mess to be made or something to get into, Sister is all over it!

Dishwasher unloading.

Pantry raiding.

Toilet paper unrolling.

Toilet paper unrolling while wearing a swimsuit on her head. That's talent.

Ok, so this wasn't her mess but it seemed the proper category!

 But dang, she is cute!

I just got back from a girls trip to Punta Mita last weekend. I took zero pictures. ZERO. As intended, we were completely off the grid. We ate too much, drank too much and laughed until our sides hurt. There may or may not have been karaoke involved. It was a great weekend away. I stole a picture from Shelby's Instragram just to have proof that it happened!

Abigail, Shelby and me! Viva Mexico!

Lately, Cooper has been telling me "Mommy, I love you all the time." instead of just plain old "I love you." It is the sweetest thing to hear and, unbeknownst to him, the most pure expression of love. I melt every time. Before I left to go on my trip I told him, "I love you all the time too, buddy. I love you when I'm here and I love you when I'm gone." He responded, "Mommy, I do NOT love you when you are gone." Truth be told little man!

A big thank you to the two of you that made it all the way to the end of this very long post. Hi mom! 

Life on the top bunk

When Cooper moved into his big boy room we bought him a bunk bed and hid the ladder to the top bunk. I was thinking he could start using it when he was bigger, you know, like 9 or 10. Apparently his Daddy was thinking more like 3, gulp.

For the past 3 weeks or so, the boy has been sleeping on the top bunk and I am a nervous wreck.

 

When I put him down I tell him, "BE CAREFUL UP HERE! DON'T LEAN OVER THE SIDE! YOU MAKE MOMMY SO NERVOUS!" To which he calmly replies, "You see this right here? [Taps the rail.] That's a rail. You don't fall out with a rail."

So grown up, that one.

The other night, to my relief, he decided that he was going to sleep in the "down bed" as he calls it. I put him down as usual at 8pm. At 9pm I hear him call me. MOM! MOMMMMMMMM! I went running in to find him halfway up the ladder, holding a pillow.

Cooper: Mom, can you help me put this pillow on the "up bed"?

I glance up to realize that he had moved all of his "stuff" (stuffed animals, 9 different items to be exact) to the top bunk.

Me: Buddy, did you climb the ladder and put all of your stuff up here.

Cooper: Mom, I climbed that ladder many, many, many times. I'm a big boy. I'm going to sleep in the "up bed" now.

...

I didn't know whether to burst out laughing thinking of him working so hard all by himself to transfer all of his stuff to the top or to reprimand him for making all of those ladder trips in the dark. Luckily, Cooper was the first to break the silence!

Cooper: Mom! My pillow?

Who took my 3-year old and replaced him with a 10-year old? I swear this kid grew up overnight!

Mistah Snake

Cooper's most recently elected partner in crime is none other than: Mistah Snake. He is quickly climbing the ranks in the group of stuffed animals lovingly referred to as "my stuff".

The other day I heard this conversation (or lack thereof) between the two of them after I put Cooper down for a nap.

Cooper: OK Mistah Snake, we're going to call mom back in.

              OK?

              OK.

              Mom. MOMMMMMMMMMM!

              Mistah Snake, why aren't you talking?

              UGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH! Mistah Snake's not talking.

If only I were technically savvy enough to rig up "Big Brother: Cooper Edition". I would love to see what actually goes on in there...

Coop and Mistah Snake!

My Dallas Visit

The strange thing about being in Dallas for my grandmother's funeral was that I had already planned to be there that week. I was going up to visit family and meet new babies…I just ended up doing it in reverse order! It was nice to mix in some fun on the trip, too.

In a truly "life comes full circle moment", the little girls young women that I used to babysit growing up kept my kids for me while I was at the memorial service. This was Cooper's first real babysitting experience because in the past he had either been asleep by the time the sitter came for the night or had been kept by family or our nanny. I decided to  explain the process to him beforehand...kid likes to know what's going on! Also, he is very literal.

Cooper: Are they good babysitters?

Me: Oh yes! Very good!

Cooper: OK! Are they good at standing, too?

I can only imagine that he thought they would literally be sitting on his baby sister! That boy...

I also got to meet this little nugget...Miss Ava! She felt light as a feather compared to Miss Carrington. And I couldn't believe how still and unwiggley she was...how fast we forget! 

 

After spending time with my family, we headed over to visit my friend Chelsea for a couple of days. As Chelsea put it, it was "the most wonderful kind of chaos and crazy" with a 3 year old, a two year old an (almost) one year old and a two month old. Not to mention two dogs and two husbands who couldn't seem to put down their golf clubs! 

We watched Frozen about 100 times, went to a splash park and stayed up late playing cards.

Frozen has officially taken over my life. Chelsea's too!

Our friends Natalie and David stopped by to see us!

Cooper, Grace and Logan

Our hosts, Chelsea and Nick.

Rook Champions!

Hostess with the mostess...personalized coffee cups awaited our arrival!

Baby Everett and Carrington

Cooper LOVED the splash park!

 

 

Checking out the locals...

You know you're loved when the person's whose refrigerator looks like this...

Chelsea's fridge. Clearly Nick loaded those water bottles. LABELS OUT DUDE!

...let's her house look like this for the simple reason that her friends are in town and there was too much laughing and talking going on. I had to take pictures because nobody else would have believed me otherwise!

Chelsea's counter after Hurricane Charles came to town.

Breakfast and card game remnants!

 We had such a great time catching up!

And, to leave you with a chuckle, here's Cooper singing "Let it Go" on the car ride home!

Remembering my Mimi

A week ago last Friday, I received a phone call that my Mimi, Elizabeth Swift Brown, had passed away.

She had been very sick for a very long time so the phone call brought a mixed bag of emotions. Sadness and relief. Shock and peace. A wish that I could have had more time with her and comfort that her time and pain was finally over.

My Mimi was a character. A force to be reckoned with. Feisty. Spirited. When she would ask you how you were doing, "I'm fine" or "I'm good" were never an acceptable answer. She let Kyle know this the first time they met. He made it a point never to mention "doing well" again! She was always "marvelous, darling" (in the most delicious East Texas accent you've ever heard), even when she wasn't.

At the young age of 82, she came down to College Station for my Kappa initiation and stood through the hours long ceremony. When one of my friends noticed that Mimi had lost an earring, she simply replied "Oh heavens, I guess I'm a gypsy!" and just rolled with it.

Mimi was not the typical "bake cookies with you" kind of grandmother. She was more the take you to Neimans at Christmas type! Always fashionable, she loved the color yellow. I never pass by a yellow rose without thinking of her.

In my adult years I have really enjoyed hearing others tell me stories about her, how she was a woman ahead of her time. At a time when most women did not work outside the home, Mimi did. She was passionate about her work in the wood flooring business she founded with my grandfather. I was tickled to hear the story about how she added ceramic tile to the product line. When samples of the tiles started coming in for display, my grandfather said that they weren't in the ceramic tile business to which she replied, "Now we are."

At  95 years old, the time spent I spent with my family and her memorial service truly felt like a "celebration of life". It was good to see all of my aunts, uncles and cousins and share stories about our time with her. Unsurprisingly, we clung to many of the same stories. She was the matriarch of our family and will truly be missed!

And, since no post would truly be complete without an "out of the mouths of babes" moment, I wanted to share Cooper's reaction to the news.

Since Kyle's mom is also a Mimi, Cooper has always known my grandmother as "Mimi Elizabeth". The last time he saw her was in February when we went up to celebrate her birthday. At the time, she had a broken hip. Cooper went on and on about Mimi Elizabeth's "broken weg" and how he was going to fix it.

After I got the call, Cooper noticed I was crying and asked what was wrong. I told him that Mimi Elizabeth had died and that it made me sad. He said "Oh Mom, I'm sorry. I'll get Mimi Elizabeth a new bandaid. Did she fall off her scooter?" I'm sure Mimi got a good chuckle about that one from Heaven. Although,  she most definitely would have chosen a souped up Cadillac over a scooter!

All this because he loves me?

From the minute we step foot on school campus, Cooper is always scheming ways to get home. Exhibit A: his Mother's Day card to me:

My mom is special because…she takes me to my house! Of all the things!

Back when Cooper was teensy and hated school a lot more than he does today, I read a lot of books and blogs about separation anxiety. The silver lining, which I'm sure all desperate parents like myself cling to, is that separation anxiety is a sign that kids have formed a strong bond with their parents. I told myself this in the dark days. "Yes, I am such a good mom that my son wants to hurl every time I leave him." Consolation prize?

Today was the last day of school for Cooper, and our last day at the school Cooper has been going to since he was 19 months old. SADNESS! Not only will I miss his sweet little school but it's the end of an era and one more sign that my baby is no longer a baby anymore. I was looking back at my post from the beginning of the school year (here) this morning. I can't believe how tiny he was at the beginning of the year and how HUGE he looks now!

August 2013

May 2014

August 2013

May 2014

One thing that hasn't changed is the waterworks when I leave. Yes, this sweet little face crumples and turns red at the start of our goodbye routine. Every. Single. Time. 

He thinks its hilarious to stand too close to the camera. At least I get a smile. Sigh.

Showing off his artwork!

Maybe next year my sweet boy will work on making me feel like less of an a-hole every time I leave him! In the two years he has been at school, he has never been allowed to go home because of his antics but that never stops him from trying. One thing is for sure, he is persistent! He must REALLY love me!