Oh, Christmas Tree!

Madison was so excited to put up Christmas decorations this year. I left the tree up to her this year. Madison had the time of her life as she decorated the tree while we listened to Christmas music.
Madi decorated the whole tree all by herself. She was so proud! (Sorry this picture is a little blurry.)


Christmas is so much more magical with children! I love to see the simplicity of Christmas through a child's eye.

Cookie Monsters

When Grandma came to visit she brought all the goodies! Even all of her yummy cookie recipes. Madison loves to bake and work in the kitchen. Madison and "Bama" worked on the sugar cookies, while Hyrum took watch over the frosting!
Hyrum had a blast with the frosting!


I LOVE this picture of Madison and her "Bama". They have so much fun together!!

Welcome to...

Yes, believe it or not, Cory and I took a Cruise to the Bahamas. Thanks to Cory's work and good friends who persuaded us. We had such a great time!
This is the HUGE ship we were on for 4 days. It was nice to get away for a while and not have to worry about the stresses of life. BUT we were so happy to be home again. What can I say?.... I missed my little kiddos!

I thought it would be so nice and relaxing to visit some botanical gardens while we were in Nassau. The brochure said it was just a mile away so Cory and I decided to walk. It was a nice walk, but longer than we had bargained for. When we finally arrived at the garden it wasn't in the greatest shape. It looked like it hadn't been taken care of in a LONG time. So, that was a bummer. After that experience we decided to take a taxi to Atlantis and take a tour of the beautiful hotel and everything that they had to offer there. It was amazing! It had an aquarium inside the gigantic hotel along with a beautiful beach resort. We were so glad we took this tour.
This was a little eating area at one time I think. But it led us into an underground tunnel where we saw the fish and sharks. It was really neat! We just had to take a picture of this for Madison because it looks like it could be Little Mermaid's castle.

Coop and the cool glowing jellyfish.

Outside of Atlantis... everything was beautiful!

Feeling like King and Queen for the day!

This is a picture most, but not all, of the group that went on the cruise.


And for your viewing pleasure... YES, Cory did Karaoke on the cruise. (Something he told me when we got on the ship that he would never do.) The gang persuaded him otherwise...
(Sorry I only got a clip of it because my battery was running low.)

Nerd Boy!

Grandma and Grandpa came to play with us this last week and we had a BLAST! Hyrum was fascinated with Bama's glasses and has proven that Bama looks a lot better in them than he does!
He loves making his "cheese" face, which makes him look like more of a nerd in those glasses!


We still think he is a cutie though!

K*I*S*S*I*N*G

At snack time the other day the kids were being cute and giving each other kisses. I always love these sweet moments!

Two Little Monkies

Madison and Hyrum were being way too cute on Sunday night, that we had to record it! (Sorry about the lighting.)



Hyrum has been trying to learn how to do a flip and hasn't quite figured it out yet. Madison acted as his personal trainer and helped him complete his flip. Madison then flipped right on top of the boy. They were having so much fun together... and provided great entertainment!

Halloween

Halloween was so much fun for our family! We had some cute kids dressed up in cute costumes. What more can you ask for?

"Princess" Madison had very precise plans of how she wanted her costume. When we went to go get dressed for our party she told me exactly how she wanted her hair done. And I didn't get a picture of it, but she wore her Princess slippers instead of dress up shoes. She was a doll!


Hyrum dressed up as a cowboy because I wanted him too. He couldn't stand the hat and gave up on it completely by the end of the night.


We went to our Ward Carnival and had so much fun!! There was a cakewalk, ring toss, fishing, bowling, food, trick or treating, and so much more!


Madison and Hyrum didn't quite get the idea of eating the donuts on the string without using their hands- but they loved it nonetheless!


As soon as Hyrum laid his eyes on those donuts, he was done for. Look at his eyes... he was in heaven!


Here is my cute little family on Halloween night. We had a blast!

Happy Halloween

I was thinking about our Halloween last year and had to pull out a picture. The kids are so much bigger now, I can't even believe how fast they have grown! Madison had fun last year, but this year is going to be even better. I can tell because she has been looking forward to it for weeks! Holidays are so much fun with children!

Today has been a fun Halloween day thus far. I have been trying to pass the time quickly for my kids, mainly Madison, who are so excited to "Trick or Treat". We have not dressed up in our costumes yet, but we have decorated some YUMMY cupcakes that our sweet "Bama" sent us in a care package this week. Madison loves anything that has to do with baking, cooking, or being in the kitchen and Hyrum just loves food. So this was definitely a hit! Thank you Grandma, for a fun Halloween treat!!

Happy Halloween!!!

Thirsty???

Why Wait?!


Hyrum is really into drinking out of water bottles these days. He is not as efficient as he would like to be and ends up with water all over the place. I heard an "Uh-oh" and then some slurping noises from the other room, so I went to go see what was going on. Instead of waiting for me to refill up the water bottle, he decided to drink the water from the floor. Madison thought it was absolutely disgusting. I thought it was pretty gross myself, but it was too funny not to get a picture of it!

Imagination Run Wild...

 

This is what we get when we have a little girl FULL of imagination. Madison dressed herself up as "Mary Poppins". Can't you see the resemblence? (It's OK, I can't either.) Madison then preceeded to find her magic wand and "Bippity-boppity-boo" everyone in sight. We have all been turned into a bunch of pumpkins around here. I wonder what Madison will decide to be for Halloween...

"Growing Bigger"

Madison is obsessed with "growing bigger". We see school buses every morning on our walks and she always wants to ride in them. I keep on telling her that she will ride on one when she goes to school, but that she has to get bigger first. This is killing her because she wants to go to school and ride on a school bus NOW. Every day as she eats her food she tells me, "I'm growing bigger Mommy!" In the mornings she will sometimes get her little backpack and pack it up with books and toys and put it on for the day. This girl just can't wait to be a big girl and go to school... especially on a school bus! Being her Mommy, I could wait a long time until she goes to school. I will miss my little girl who is my best buddy during the day. I love having her home here with me. I want my little girl to stop growing up so fast. But unfortunately I don't have a say in it, because she is!

Autumn Spice

 

I love the fact that Hyrum can walk and climb EXCEPT when he climbs onto the kitchen table and throws down my candle. Oh how I loved that Autumn Spice scent!

7 Things Tag

7 Things I plan to do before I die:


1. Move closer to family.
2. Learn how to bake.
3. Go on a mission with my eternal companion.
4. Serve others around me naturally.
5. Plant and maintain a beautiful garden.
6. Go back to school.
7. Buy a house.


7 things I do now:

1. Spend time with my family.
2. Blog.
3. Training to run.
4. Laugh.
5. Prepare meals.
6. Read for enjoyment.
7. Learning patience.

7 Things I can't do:

1. Keep my house clean.
2. Make chocolate chip cookies.
3. Wink.
4. Balance my time.
5. Run 30 minutes straight (yet)
6. Keep my children from crawling all over me like a jungle gym.
7. Be creative independently.

7 things that attract me to my significant other:

1. Integrity
2. Love for children (I love seeing him come home and playing with the kids!)
3. Love of the Gospel
4. Hard Worker
6. Red Hair
7. Willingness to serve.

7 Celebrities I like:
1. I'm not going to lie, I'm not up with the times.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.


7 of my favorite foods

1. Pasta
2. Shrimp
3. Ice Cream
4. Baked Potatoes
5. Fruit
6. Zucchini
7. Salads

I invite to do this:

1. Stefani Martuscello
2. Kristin Knies
3. Erica Jones
4. Leah Florence
5. Kristin Hanson

Random

I love Fall. Fall is a little different here in Florida. You don't get to see the leaves changing colors, and to feel the cold, brisk air. But I love it all the same. It is cooling down here, so that is definitely a good thing! I love Fall time because it leads into the fun holidays. I also am really excited for General Conference coming up this weekend! We will be so blessed to hear from our Prophets and Apostles.
Nothing too exciting is happening in the Cooper Family these days. I haven't been taking a lot of pictures because I have just been soaking up the time spent with my family. Hyrum hasn't been his happiest self lately, I think he's teething. But when he's happy, he is such a joy to be around. That kid keeps me on my toes! He has learned how to say, "diaper" and knows how to get one when it is time to get changed. He also knows how to say shoes and socks. He will bring me my shoes, and his shoes when he wants to go outside. Smart kid!
Madison is just keeping me laughing. This girl says the funniest and cutest things.
Last night we were getting ready for bed and Madison and I had the cutest little conversation.
Madison: "Mommy, is Daddy your Prince?"
Mommy: "Yes"... as I try to keep a straight face.
Madison: "Are you and Daddy married?"
Mommy: "Yes, we got married before you were born."
Madison: "When you got married to Daddy did you dance in the castle?"

Madison lives in a dream world. She loves princesses and loves to pretend she is one. One day her cup of milk fell over on the table and dribbled onto the floor. I told her to go get a rag to clean it up. Obediently, she did as she was asked, and as she started slowly cleaning her mess on the floor started to sing, "Sing Sweet Nightingale" from Cinderella. The same song Cinderella sings as she mops the floor. What a cutie!

Butter Ball

Hyrum has grown so much in the last month. He is such a chunk! It is a good thing that he is walking everywhere now, because he is so heavy.
One night as we were cleaning up from dinner Hyrum got up on the chair and decided to help. He licked the butter knife clean and decided it was so good that he wanted some more! This really grossed me out but Cory thought it was hilarious. Hyrum loved it, but we only let him have a few more licks.

Potty Break

Today Madison came to me and said: "Mommy, I have to go potty. Can you watch my baby for me? She's crying and she's really sad. You need to watch her while I'm gone because she's really frusterated right now, ok?" I knew this was serious business asking me to watch her baby for a couple of minutes, so I had to keep a straight face. I was just laughing inside. She's too funny! I wish I could get a potty break like that. In real life, they just follow you!

Madison is such a good little mommy and always wants her babies to be happy!
(She also asked me if I could take a picture of her with her baby, so cute!)

I have the sweestest husband!

(Aren't they beautiful?!)

Addiction

I am addicted to taking pictures of my children. Enough said.