Sunday, May 30, 2010

Provident Living...

We finally have a big enough back yard to plant a "real" garden. In our other house we planted tomatoes, strawberries and blueberries, but didn't get a really big yield. This year we went BIG! We planted 4 rows of corn, both white and yellow, 2 rows of squash, 1 row of cabbage, 2 rows of carrots, 1 row of onions, both green and red. We also planted a row of string beans, green beans and snow peas. We still have strawberries to plant along with the pumpkins and watermelons. We are thinking about blueberries too.

Cooper, "lover of all water", had a blast helping water the garden. Of course he was wet by the end. You can even see that he put his head, in a bucket, full of water. A few days after the initial planting we watered again.... check out Cooper's attempt to water the garden. Looks like the shed was being watered instead.

I am so excited for our family to eat our harvest, plus I love canning. It will make great baby food.


Wild Animal Safari

We decided instead of birthday gifts this year for Cooper, as he has more then he can use, that we would go on a trip. Because he loves animals we decided to go to the Wild Animal Safari, in Winston, Oregon. It was about a 3 1/2 hour drive. Because of the distance we choose to drive down the day before. We stayed at a really nice Indian Casino called Seven Feathers, in a town, that was about 25 minutes south of the animal park. We choose it because of the large rooms, reasonable price and the indoor pool. We arrived at the hotel at about 5pm, on a Monday. We quickly changed and headed to the pool. We all got in the pool, including Delaney. She loved the water. Anyone who knows Cooper knows that he loves water so he had a blast. It wasn't exactly warm, but it wasn't freezing either. After awhile I got out with Delaney and we headed to the jacuzzi which was only 98 degrees. I sat in the water and held her so only her legs were in the water. It was much warmer and she was a happy girl. Cooper and Dad stayed in the pool for quite some time; even after Delaney and I went back to our room. We were origionally going to eat at the casino buffet, but since the Lakers were playing we ate dinner in our room.

The next morning we got up fairly early. After packing up and showering we headed to the animal park. We got there just after it opened. This was great timing as it was not crowed. The concept is really fun as you stay in your car and drive the trail through the park. We purchase a CD that describes the animals we were seeing as we drove the different sections. The CD also talked about the creator of the animal park and why it was started. The animals were so close that if we reached out the window we could have touched them. This was amazing to experiance.

We got to drive through 2 times. After our first trip through we stopped at the park village and saw more animals and shopped at the gift store. After our second drive through we were ready to make the trip home. The kids did great on the long drive considering.

When I was young my parents took us kids to the same type of animal park in California. To this day I still remember the experience. I hope Cooper will too! We certainly will make the trip again. 


Fun in the Sun

We recently had some AMAZING weather. We are talking the 70's; which after months of rain and temperature in the 30's and 40's it was long over due. We were blessed with a few sunny days prior to this, but these days were especially nice.

I met some friends at a local park so our kids could play while we chatted. Mom's need some "play time" too! Anyway, the kids had a great time playing on the play structure. Cooper and his friend Tacy managed to find water and got their pants all wet. Since it was so hot we just took their pants off. Of course anyone who knows Cooper knows that keeping cloths on him is a challenge, in the best of circumstances. We looked like "white trash", but they were having so much fun we didn't care.

Sadly, since then we haven't had really any good weather and it has rained almost every day. I do like the rain, but am looking forward to some sunny weather. Now, Mother Nature, don't get me wrong... I want sun, but not too hot. The low 70's would be perfect. 

Cooper' 3rd Birthday.....

Cooper turned 3 on May 16th, so we decided to the "Chucky Cheese" thing. I know what you are thinking... we are crazy, but it turned out to be great. I would recommend to any parent that wants less stress as they do everything for you; including the food, entertainment and even paper products. They really make the child feel special. Plus, the guests have a great time and there is no clean up. I think it went so well because we went on a Monday, early evening. There was hardly anyone there. We were lucky to have cousins, Payton, Kendall and Macey join us. Aunt Courtney, Nana & Papa were also there to join in the festivities.

I wanted his day to be special and one to remember. I even attempted my hand at baking and made him a Monkey cake. My first thought was an elephant cake as he loves them, but they were a bit harder for a first timer. I found a great website that had all the directions, http://www.parenting.com/birthday-cakes. It was easier than I had first expected.

Finally, I just want to take a minute and share my feeling about this amazing little boy. Cooper is our first miracle baby, litterly. I had waited so many years for a baby and he was God's gift to me. He is amazing in so many ways. He is, first, loving and kind. He is incredibly smart and loves to learn. He talks a mile a minute and doesn't know a stranger. He can entertain himself, but also loves to play with others. He loves his sister and can make her laugh like no one else can. He is a joy to raise and easy to love. He can be challenging as any 3 year old can, but I would not change him for anything. He makes me a better mother and is a major source of love in our home. I know, with-out a doubt, he was sent to this earth to accomplish great things. I can't wait to see what is in-store.

Cooper, Mommy and Daddy love you so much and can't imagine life with-out you. Please continue to love unconditionally. Accomplish anything your heart desires. You are a choice spirit. Your Father-in-Heaven is just as proud of you as we are. You have made our life better and we thank you for that. Always, remember who you are and what your represent. Love, Mommy

The Oregon Zoo w/ Friends

A few weeks ago, my friend Temple and I took our boys, Cooper & Mark to the Zoo. The weather was great and we had a blast. The boys are exactly 1 year and 1 day apart in age. Delaney tagged along of course.

We ate our sack lunch, in the amphitheater. The boys had a blast running through the grass and meeting new friends. They also enjoyed climbing on the stone animals and rock walls. The animals were, of course, the highlight of the trip.

Seeing that Cooper loves the Zoo my plan is to visit at least twice per month; so if anyone wants to join us let me know... I have a pass.

Note to self... the parking was terrible. Next time it might be wise to park at the MAX station, in Janzen Beach, then take the train to the Zoo. It lets out right in front of the entrance to the Zoo. This should make the experience much more fun for me. Besides the parking spaces are really tight for larger cars, including vans. What were they thinking? Who else is going to the zoo, but mom's with vans? Poor planning...