Around the house

Cooper's favorite cereal. We call them Crunchy Pillows. (Not to be confused with Corn Pillows (aka Corn Chex) or Corn and Rice Pillows (Crispix) or Snowy Pillow (Frosted Mini-Wheat).)

If only we could spend all day, every day playing in the sink!

New snow boots. We haven't had a chance to wear them outside, which is good because Cooper doesn't exactly love walking around in them. He walks like he's wearing ski boots and can't bend his ankles. Pretty funny, really.

Cooper loves to get out Mama's green vacuum. The first couple of days after we got it (it was a Christmas present to ourselves), I had the cleanest house around!

Super cute wool coat:

And if we can't play in the sink, can we at least play lightswitches??

The pep band

We've been going to some Baker basketball games when we can. Cooper couldn't care less about the game itself, but we have fun walking around, talking to people, playing peek-a-boo with Wowzer (the mascot), and listening to the pep band. Oh my, the boy loves the pep band.

Cooper watches intently as Mr. Nate (one of Alan's students) sets up his trap set. "Another green drum!" "A cymbal!" And then Cooper watches Dr. Parr, the band director, count off the band to start playing. "One... two... one, two, three, four..."

When we get home, we play lots of pep band. This is Cooper counting us off -- in a crazy, rock-band-drummer kind of voice. And then he stands and directs, and would be snapping his fingers if he could.

We've gotten even more creative. Cooper decided an ice scraper looked like the pedal on Mr. Nate's bass drum. And he found a flashlight to use as a horn of some kind. At first, I thought it might be a microphone, but now I'm pretty sure it's a trumpet.

And only certain pep band songs will do. Alan and I try to mix things up -- my high school fight song, the "hey" song -- but Cooper has clear ideas about which songs he wants to hear.

So this is Cooper counting us off, directing, insisting on a different song ("Sing the other band song!"), drumming, snapping, and trumpeting to the Baker fight song.

Alan and I are more than happy to nuture a "band geek." I'm a little concerned though about raising this guy:

Happy Birthday, Sweet Baby Boy.

The yellow digger cake I made:

A much tastier cake for everyone to eat:
And yes, there are four candles on it. Cooper was playing with two, so I dug out two more for the cake. And then he decided his two should also go on the cake. This picture will totally confound me in about 25 years. "Really? Four? He looks so little for a 4-year-old...?"


Cooper liked the yellow digger cake, but I hadn't adequately prepped him that it was actually a cake. He cried when the window came off on his hand. But then picked off all the M&Ms to eat.

Presents! With gusto!

An original composition

"On the Merry-Go-Around"

Praise Baby

I'm guest-blogging today over at Praise Baby. Check it out!

Children's Museum in Chicago

Way back in December when we were visiting the Nugents in Chicago, we found a fabulous children's museum. Each area of the place was a child-sized version of some typically adult world -- a grocery store, a vet's office, a sandwich shop.

This was Cooper "painting" in the construction zone:

We spent lots of time in the water area, dressed in a leather smock.

John demonstrating how to fire the water cannon to make the wind chimes ring.

This was the auto shop/car wash section:

And the musical instrument room:

A Christmas surprise

What's in this box??

Helping daddy put it together:

Oh my goodness! For me? I can't believe it!

Holiday animals

Bear, the dog

A rocking lion and a doll wearing Cooper's lion Halloween costume. He wasn't too sure about her...

Kitty (whose name I've forgotten!)

A big teddy bear

On the rocking lion, again.

The Holiday Hat

Grandma Joan and Grandpa Cecil got Cooper this nifty cowboy hat:

It goes perfectly with this fabulous horsie:

Many other people enjoyed Cooper's hat, too:

The hat was the perfect accessory for riding on the 3-wheeler, too:

Sugar Cookie Tradition

Grandma Joan loves cookies and decided to start a tradition of baking sugar cookies with the grandkids.

That marble rolling pin is heavy!

Oh, but we did love sprinkles.

And notice the cookie in the right hand -- Coop needed to keep his energy up for the rest of the sprinkling.

A bit erratic with the sprinkles, but that just gives the cookies character.

(And lest you think Coopie sampled all of the cookies he decorated, many are actually supposed to look like that. They're these clever cookie cutters.)

More Christmas fun

Grandpa Cecil and Grandma Joan

Uncle Toban's phone, internet, email thingie:

Pretty guitar:

Mom's chapstick -- I love Burt's Bees!

Holiday happenings in Wichita

First order of business: sit on Grandpa Jerry's tractor:

Visit Grandma Carol at the library where she works (and steal an apple from the fruit basket):

Rock it with Guitar Hero:

Read a bit:

Snack a bit (ok... a lot):

Color a little bit:

Relax on the sofa, crossing my legs just like Daddy: