Always new things...

Time to step up the child proofing:

Recently, Bear and LionBaby have joined us for breakfast.

Cooper's computer, complete with mouse and obnoxiously loud noises.

This is the wind-up to throw a ball into the laundry basket:

And here it is with the left hand.

Looks like he's a switch-thrower. He's already being scouted by MLB teams.

Driving big machines

Coop's first ride in the tractor with Grandpa. Started out a little rough...


But ended up ok, I think.

Coop really enjoyed "driving" Grandpa's spare tractor -- it wasn't nearly as loud and scary.

And my, did he talk big about "driving Grandpa Cecil's tractor" the rest of the weekend!

Surveying the wheat he just planted:

Sitting in a Bobcat renovating local soccer fields:

Driving Grandpa's gator:

And taking over Mommy's car:

It seemed like a good idea at the time...

Let's wash Cooper's motorcycle! Get outside. Play with some water. Clean off a toy in the process. And I'm sure there are some gross/fine motor skills we'd be learning...

It started off ok...

And this is how it ended. Me washing the motorcycle while Cooper sat in the wagon watching and waiting to go for a wagon ride.

ABCs

The bad news is that none of you will ever hear this. Cooper has entered a shy phase and he freezes when people look at him -- because if he's not moving, you can't see him, of course. And there's certainly no talking or singing. So you'll just have to take our word for it...

And in other news, Lady K leaves us this week. She's returning home to her Mom, who's done everything the court has asked her to do since Lady K was removed from the home. Here's wishing them both the best.

Smile for the camera!

The finer things in life

Cooper's motorcycle:

And fancy hat:

Enjoying the Baker stream:

And a hard-boiled egg:

More from the Deanna Rose Farmstead

Guess who's 1??

It's Parker!

So on Parker's blog, you'd probably see lots of baby pictures of him to commemorate his birth. But on this blog, you get Cooper's message to his friend.

Notice especially

* the pause to chase and buzz at a fly

* the scratches under both eyes -- we're going for the tough football player look

* the copious amounts of drool (another molar??)

* the whispered final verse, for extra dramatic effect

* the abrupt change of focus when the message is over

Deanna Rose Farm

The Deanna Rose Farmstead is a farm and petting zoo in Overland Park. Before we all had to head back to school full-time, we headed out there to check it out. We went on a cloudy morning and really enjoyed walking around the farm. Cooper mostly liked just being able to run (toddle) in any direction and play with whatever he found there.

He did, however, keep coming back to the waterfall.

Under the chin

Sometimes, we'll see Cooper tucking things under his chin into his neck. A crayon, for example:


Or a pool noodle:


Or my watch:

Odd duck, that one.

But he's sweet. Here he is giving Mikey a kiss:

And pushing his wagon to get ready for a ride:

Last swimming pool outing of the summer

And how cute is this pose??