Carty and Coops

These guys are 2 peas in a pod...

They sit close when they watch videos

 When one of them gets out a computer, they other one joins in on the fun! (I'm so thankful we have two!)

 They go on picnics together

 They bowl and play games together

 They make major messes together and get into all sorts of trouble...already

And they are so silly together! Of course they fight but it is fun to remember all the sweet moments:)

I've Got the Joy...

Cooper is learning new words each day and it is so fun to watch him get excited about it!

Coops and Cros

It is so fun to watch the boys bond. Cooper definitely pays more attention to Crosby at this point. Yes, I am that dorky mom that likes to dress her kids the same!! Hahahaha...never would have guessed that would be me!

 And here is a quick flashback to Carter and Cooper a year and a half ago!

Magnet Board

I recently joined the Pinterest craze. I don't have too much time to spend online but occasionally I'll browse for recipes or ideas for the boys. The other day I saw this idea for using an oil pan for a magnet board. Brilliant! It gets the magnets out from under our fridge and it is inexpensive:) The boys have enjoyed it as well! Thank you, Pinterest:)

Boys, boys, boys...

It was one of those mornings...

Carter woke up and went to the bathroom by himself. Then he came into our room and announced that he tried to pee standing up and didn't get much in the toilet. Ahhhhh! We jumped out of bed and sure enough, our bathroom floor was soaked.

Then I went in to check on Crosby and he was giggling in his crib, also soaked in pee.

Cooper was getting bored so I gave him a butterfly net and he in turn gave one to Carter and they started a sword fight (with butterfly nets...really??).

A little later I overheard Carter telling Cooper that he really thinks worms would taste like chicken (no idea where he got this idea and I'm so thankful it is the middle of winter and he won't try to prove it).

A couple of wrestling matches broke out as well as a lot of jumping off the couches. Did I mention it was very LOUD in our house?? I guess that is becoming the norm.

Then, the Carter wanted to dress up like a pirate, so we tried to best we could (see below) and of course they both wanted me to make them pirate hooks.

Anyways, I glanced up at the clock and realized it wasn't even 9 am yet and I laughed at how crazy it is to be surrounded by BOYS!

 Pirate Blackbeard...at least that is what Carter wanted to be called:)

 My attempt at making hooks

 And sweet Cros-just along for the ride at this point! I can't imagine when he will be in on the instigating...Lord have mercy!!!

Alphabet Adventure

It normally goes something like this...

The boys are playing fine and then things turn on a dime and they are stir crazy, fighting, and out of control. I know we need to do something but I'm not sure what so I shout, "Who wants to do something really fun, like go on an adventure??!!"

Carter and Cooper look at me with big eyes and both say, "We do!!"

Then I have approximately 5 seconds to come up with something adventure-worthy and exciting for 2 toddler boys.

Why do I keep getting myself in this predicament, I don't know! But the other day, I came up with something that was actually fun for us all...an alphabet photo scavenger hunt. They had to find something in the house that began with each letter of the alphabet. Then we took pictures and could look at them on the computer.

Whew! Another disaster averted!! And another cold, North Dakota afternoon passed by. I must say, we are excited for spring:) 

Road Trips

I have mentioned that Carter loves the song "Life is a Highway". Well, here it is for you to see! This was filmed on one of our many road trips. Since Crosby has been born (4 months tomorrow) we've driven to Minneapolis 3 times and have been out to Devils Lake. That is a lot of miles for 3 young boys!!

We have developed a little routine on these trips for when we stop half way. I hop out with Carter and we both go to the bathroom. As we are coming out, we tag-team with Tim and Cooper. I start nursing Crosby while they take care of business. We go through the drive-thru and get gas while I finish feeding Cros and after he is bucked in, we get back on the road. Our record is 30 minutes but we are working on it!

Crosby is 4 Months!

4 months...what???? Time sure is a funny thing. Some afternoons drag on and feel like an eternity and then all the sudden we have a 4 month old!

Crosby has discovered his tongue and sticks it out all day long. If you watched the video you'll also see that he is pretty amazing at doing raspberries. His face is often covered in spit:) 

 His brothers were making him laugh-so sweet!

Ready to go out and play! This winter weather has been amazing!

Crosby is getting into a nice little schedule and is no longer so fussy. He is back to getting up once a night but is going closer to 3 hours between feedings in the day. He typically naps 3 times a day which is very different from last month when he just slept on and off all day long. I'm loving the routine (no surprise there) as it allows me to get time with all the boys individually most days. 

Couple other things: Crosby's umbilical hernia has seemed to heal as his belly button doesn't stick out anymore. His eye is still droopy though and most likely won't heal itself. More on that in a couple months after we go back to the opthamologist.

Carter is 3 Years + 6 Months!

Not a huge surprise being a child of Tim and mine, but Carter is proving to be quite competitive! When we get to the top of the stairs he asks, "who won?" When we are eating dinner he usually asks, "who came in first?" It is still pretty hard for him to come in second place...

A common phrase I find myself uttering these days is, "be a brother not a mother". Carter LOVES to look out for his little brothers but can tend to oversteps his role once or twice a day:) He has started calling Cooper "Buddy boy" too.

He is still growing in his independence and loves to do things all by himself. To my shock I found him naked on the living room a couple of weeks ago and he said, "Mom, I pooped and wiped myself!"

One of Carter's favorite games as of late is one that Tim made up called Football Wrestlemania. It is typically an after dinner game where they chase whoever has the football and then tackle each other. It normally ends in tears but he loves it!

Other Carter Quotables:

-While playing legos with him, he says to me: "Nice tower sweetie"

-I asked him why he hit Cooper and he responded: "Because I wanted to and so I did it."

-After eating he looks and me and says, "Thanks for dinner, love"!

Another Trip to Edina

As I mentioned in a previous post, we made yet another trip down to the Cities last week. I had a CCC Women's Conference from Friday to Monday and then Tim went to the Desiring God pastor's conference from Monday to Wednesday. We tag-teamed with the kids in between. While he was at his conference I had the boys in Edina and we had a great time with family.

Cooper and Sawyer are two peas in a pod. They make each other giggle and enjoy being very silly together! It gets more fun each time we get together with their sweet cousin! 

 Carter's classic look...I think he is thinking, "why are you taking a picture of me AGAIN mom?"

 Sawyer after a cookie snack. Cooper and Sawyer both end up with so much food in their hair after every meal!

 Jam session with Aunt Shannie

Now there is that sweet smile!

 Nana and Papa saved a bunch of toys from when we were kids. I totally remember loving this doctor kit. The kids loved playing with it too, even though it is 30 years old!! 

 Hi Pops!

And this is Carter's "don't disturb me, I'm watching a video" face!

Thanks for having us Nana and Papa!!

Cooper is 2!

Super, Duper Cooper is 2-per:) 

He loves to jump (see video), do somersaults, and chase his big brother around all day. Cooper you are ALL BOY! You've started to have some separation anxiety. Not from me or dad, but from Carter! He went out for ice cream with Tammy and Kimmy the other day and you cried the whole time he was gone. It was part sweet/part frustrating:)

We love how you express your agreement with things. You either say "Oh" or "Uhkayyyy". Your dad and I look at each other and smile so many times a day at your sweet little Cooperisms. You've also started to exert your desire for independence and have said "no" a lot more this past month. I suppose that goes with being a 2 year old. We love you so much Cooper John!! Happy birthday, baby!

Cooper's Birthday Parties

 We were in the Cities last week for conferences so Cooper got to have parties with both grandparents! I wasn't in Stillwater for his first party so I just have these two, sweet pictures from Tim's phone.

 Uncle Mike and Aunt Sherah were able to join Tim, Mimi and Gramps for the party. Mimi made the boys hats and noise makers and they had quite a fun time!

We were in Edina on February 1st and had another party with Nana, Papa, Shannon, Bud and Sawyer. As always it was so fun to see the fam! 

 What little boy doesn't love cupcakes, presents and being the center of attention?! Sawyer and Cooper ended up with so much cupcake in their hair that we needed to do a quick bath in the middle of all the fun:)

 Nana and Papa got Coops a pair of light-up sneakers. Why not try them on naked?

 He seriously ran around like this for the rest of the night! 

And what good party doesn't end with trying on Papa's hats?!

Happy birthday Cooper!