They call it Monkey Love

Cooper's love language is: monkey.

I'm pretty sure he knows we love him because of the way we love monkey, too.  Monkey goes everywhere with us, plays with us, and gets hugs, kisses, and love from us, too.  When Cooper watches us love monkey, his face lights up and his eyes get big.  It makes heart overflow to know that his mom and dad love monkey, too.

Monkey is "it" in Cooper's world.  

Monkey is #1 in Cooper's heart.

I don't remember who got monkey for us, but to whomever it was...THANK YOU.  Thank you for bringing so much joy to Cooper's world.

PS.  I'm pretty sure Cooper's actual love language is quality time.  Just in case you were wondering.  Combine the quality time with monkey, and he's in heaven.

Confession #1

Confession:

Cooper knows how to use chopsticks, and I do not.

Coffe Date Monday: ZOO

Today I've realized how lazy I can be, how much I don't do much of anything, how much I don't sacrifice of myself for my family.  I realized this because today I was not lazy, and I did a lot.  Today I have cleaned the whole house, done laundry, and entertained 3 cuties.

This weekend we took Cooper to the zoo for the first time.  We went to the Akron Zoo.  It is a small zoo, but kind of perfect just for having something fun to do.  We got a family membership so we can go back this year, and we also get into other zoos for free or 50% of the cost.  This summer I hope to take Cooper as much as we can.

Cooper was excited to see penguins, tigers, and elephants.  We saw the first two, but there were no elephants there.

His favorite part was playing on this train they had set up.  They have a real train ride, but it wasn't open.  This summer we'll get to go back and let him ride it.

Tomorrow we are leaving for Nashville.  Excited doesn't begin to describe how I feel.  I can't wait to see some different scenery, see my family, and have some fun.

I might get in trouble for this.

It's true...i might get in trouble for this, but I found it too funny not to do anything with.

Cooper's model pose:

 Matts:

Our Easter Weekend.

I've had this post written since the day after Easter, but one thing led to another, then to another, and here it is a week and half later.

We had a great Easter weekend.

Saturday we lounged. Or should I put it... loooooooooouuuuuuunged.

We took a walk to the railroad tracks. Because Cooper loves trains. And he asks to go all the time.

We enjoyed the beauty around us this spring. Sometimes I feel like a little kid experiencing the seasons for the first time.

Sunday morning we enjoyed watching Cooper go through his Easter basket(s). That's right - two. Because I need to start shopping for these things in one trip. I end up forgetting what I've already gotten and then each time I go out put something else in the cart. Is there a therapy group I can join for this?

Church was amazing. Lately I've been knocked to my knees daily about how much I hurt God, how much I long to be better, do better, and how far I have to go. The service ended with the song, "All Things New" and I was so touched with the gentle reminder that each day is a new one for me. Each day a fresh start.

After a delicious lunch with Matt, Cooper napped and we watched both Brian Regan videos on Netflix. When Cooper woke up, we had an egg hunt. He got a monkey piggy bank in his easter basket, so the eggs were filled with coins. He had a great time hunting for them. Each time he found one, he would shake it.

The eggs in the ditch were the best to watch him grab. He would spread his legs over the ditch and bend down to get the egg. Hysterical. We threw a couple extra ones in there just to watch him try to retrieve them.

For dinner we went to the Shultz home, and celebrated with a lot of the NewPointe staff. We had a design challenge, and guys vs. gals Pictionary game. We had a great time, thanks Joe and Julie!

Monday we lounged again. Or rather, loooooooooouuuuuuunged.

How was your Easter weekend?

Friday Photo Dump: A Good Friday

Sometimes it's funny to me that death on a cross is good. The beating, the blood, the pain, the heartache, the weight of sin. Non of that is characterized as good.

But once you taste the sweet peace of Jesus, the inconceivable act of him becoming our perfect sacrifice, you see that his death on the cross is, indeed, GOOD.

Today we are having a good Friday. By good Friday I mean, I'm letting Cooper watch countless hours of TV (I usually limit his TV time), while ignore piles of laundry shouting, "wash me, fold me, put me away" because I've got a darn good book in my hands.

Other good things in my life this week:

Watching Cooper imitate Andrew's every move one night. He wanted to lay/sit/stand/act exactly like his Daddy.

One day this week Cooper came upstairs, grabbed his blankets, monkey, Simba, then headed back downstairs. When I walked down the stairs a couple of minutes later, I found him snuggling with them, George on the tv, and he was asleep.

Have a "good" weekend!

Photo Dump: Where did March go?

I can't believe it's already April.

I can't believe Easter is this weekend.

I've got lots of crafts and fun things to do with Cooper, before Sunday.

It seems like March flew by. I realized the other day that I didn't do any Friday Photo Dumps in March. Here are the pictures from my phone from March.

Cooper and Nana mirroring each other.

Cooper woke up from a nap, came down to the landing on the stairs, then fell back asleep.

Monkey is probably #1 in Cooper's heart.

Coop's first bonfire. We had one 2 nights in a row.