Happy Halloween! {2012}

Halloween was so much fun this year. We loved being able to take Cooper around to see family. He was so good and loved all the attention. Halloween is so much more fun with a kid! We were all worn out by the end.

First stop, Great- Grandma/Grandpa Smith's:

Then, off to see Aunt Katie and Uncle Scott:

Next, Grandma Smith's & Uncle Cory's:

I hope he always knows how much she loves him.

Mom was pushing him around on this and when she stopped he pounded on it saying he wanted more.

And the AwESomE Uncle Cory!

We Facetimed with Great- Grandma/Grandpa Call in West Virginia, Cousin Chelsea, and Uncle Donnie:

Last, but not least, Grandma & Grandpa Frederiksen's:

They got him a little bucket with an outfit, a bib, and a bag of Cheerios. Yum!

T-I-Double G-RRRR

Cooper all dressed up for Halloween! He makes an adorable little tiger!

Cooper's friend, Sam. A cute little dragon!

Clapping!

Cooper is finally clapping!!!

Pumpkin Carving Party

We went to Aunt Johnnie's annual pumpkin carving party. We had yummy taco soup, salsa and chips, decorated sugar cookies, picked out own pumpkins and carved them, and spent time with family. It was a great evening!

Cooper loves that Aunt KT and Uncle Scott are home!

Cooper, Aunt KT and his pumpkin.

Mommy's pumpkin

Saying "Jesus"

Cooper knows how to say "mama," but he chooses to say "Jesus" more often. Smartest kid ever! I choose to believe it's because he has known Him longer!

Cooper & Damian

Cooper got to meet his first NBA player today... Damian Lillard! He started at Weber State and is now playing for the Portland Trailblazers. I know he won't remember it, but we want him to know that he met him. I asked Damian if I could get a picture of him and Cooper together and he said as long as he (Chris) held him because he doesn't hold babies. It was pretty funny! (Cousin Quinn even made it into the background!) Dad feels proud to know he was a part of the marketing team when Damian was there and that Damian knows him. I'm a proud wife.

And probably the only time Cooper and Dad will get to sit together at a Weber State game since dad always works the sporting events.

Mommy Moment

I had what I would call a "Mommy Moment" last night. It hit me that I will never see Cooper at this age again, or any age/size he has already been. Now, this is clearly a no-brainer, but it's not something you really think about. For some reason, it hit me last night and made me a little teary-eyed. My baby is growing up. I can't believe he is going to be ONE soon! He's been an incredible blessing to our life. He's what we live for.

Where's Jesus?

Long story short, we've always had this picture of Jesus on our armoire. Cooper noticed it one day. He would play and then look at it. You could tell he felt like someone was watching him. I saw it as a learning opportunity and now he looks to it when I ask "Where's Jesus?" He's a really smart kid!

Best Friends

Such a big boy!

I gave Cooper a bath is the real tub today. He's had one before, but it's been a while and at the time he wasn't sitting up on his own yet. He loved being able to crawl around. He wanted to climb up to the side, but he kept sliding. You think he would realize, but instead he kept trying to climb it. He also sat up from crawling position in the tub. Stinker has never done that. It's like he didn't care to. All he wants to do is stand and climb. Cutest kid ever! I couldn't be a more proud mom. I only hope I can be as amazing of a mom as he is a kid.

Climbing the Crib

Remember how I previously mentioned that the only thing Cooper wasn't climbing was his crib. Well, I woke up to this cute face this morning! Made me laugh! Guess we will be moving the mattress down today!

Finally Finished!

We finally finished our family room downstairs! It took us much longer than expected. It was the wrong time to start the project with football season starting and I had parent teacher conferences. Nevertheless, it is finished! We love the finished product. For first timers, it doesn't look half bad!  It really brightens up the room and adds some character. And, it's more our style. I can't wait until we can get a sectional in there and all the pictures up on the wall that I have planned!

Before

After!

Climbing EVERYTHING

When I use the word "everything" to describe what Cooper is climbing and standing up to, I truly mean EVERYTHING. It's funny how they get it once and it's like "ah ha" and they suddenly know how to do it to everything else. He's climbing the stairs (all the way to the top). He's also climbing to stand to the couch, table, and gate. He's yet to discover how to stand up in his crib. I'm sure it's not far away!

Don't mind the dirty clothes. He just ate a teething biscuit all by himself.

Sports Fan

Cooper's already a big sports fan. He LOVES watching soccer... has since the first day he saw it. Football was on the other day and he managed to get himself up to the table to watch it. Another thing he and his daddy have in common.

General Conference

Today was the first session of the 182nd Semi-Annual General Conference. President Monson spoke first and announced two new temples. The biggest announcement was the age change for missionaries. Brothers can now serve at 18 and sisters at 19. I am shocked that it was changed, but can see the changes being good for many reasons. The shocker though, that means I only have 17 years until Cooper leaves on a mission! It's going to go by so fast. I hope he makes the decision to serve even though I know it's going to be incredibly hard for me.

We made sure to get a picture of Cooper with President Thomas S. Monson. We want him to know that he listened to him even when young. At least he heard his voice.

Chris' mission president spoke the next day. Chris considers him to be like a dad and was super excited that he was speaking.

Rarrrrr!

Cooper and I went to do a little shopping today and decided to look around in Gymboree and tried on this ADORABLE dinosaur hat. I took a picture and it was so stinkin' cute, I decided I had to buy the hat! Really, I HAD to buy it. Wouldn't you?

It's Fall!!!

I LOVE fall. I look forward to it all year and it's always nice to have a break from the heat and weather to enjoy before the snow. I also like it because it's the beginning of a fun holiday season--- Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. There is just something about this time of year--- the decorations, feeling, and smells. We were able to go on a ride through the Weber/Ogden/Trapper's Loop Canyons to enjoy the colorful trees and cool air. It's BEAUTIFUL right now!

A Climbing Machine

Cooper discovered he could climb the stairs yesterday. He didn't forget that he learned this. He was able to make it a step further than he did yesterday before falling into my arms. Little stinker! He's definitely keeping us on our toes. I went to the kitchen to get some lunch and came back and there he was on the bottom step! I was going "oh oh oh" and trying to find the camera. I know I'm crazy, but I love this kid. I love documenting his life and our life together. I don't know what we did before having him. I feel like we live more because of him. It's wonderful. Have I mentioned I can't wait for more?

Playing Soccer with Daddy

I came back from getting my haircut yesterday and Cooper and Dad had learned to play a new game together... "soccer." Cooper loves to watch soccer. It's amazing how he stares at it when on TV. Chris holds him and swings Cooper to kick the ball and Cooper LOVES it. He laughs and smiles. It's cute to see them together. (Don't mind the diapers in the background! Cooper was on a poopy diaper spree today that we started making a stack by the door to take directly outside instead of putting in the trash!)

The Pumpkin Patch

We've been planning to go to the pumpkin patch to pick our own pumpkins when fall came and it seemed like a perfect day with it being Grandma Smith's birthday. She and Uncle Cory came with Chris, Cooper, and I to take a hayride out to the pumpkin patch at Black Island Farms. We loved it! The ride was fun and the field of pumpkins was HUGE! It was a neat experience to walk through the vines and pumpkins to find just the right pumpkins. Once you find it, the guy cuts it off the vine and you get to carry it back to the tractor and take it home with you! It's going to be a new tradition for our family to go each year.