Monday, March 31, 2014

Cooper: Week 30


COOPER LIKES:


Sleeping in his big boy stroller.
This was really the first time we've used our stroller without the carseat attached and boy, did he love it! He could see things we were passing, smile at people we met on the sidewalk and when he crashed we could lay him down flat. Baby boy was definitely a fan!


Climbing the hotel walls.
Cooper has started doing this everywhere we go - if you stand him up in your lap, he wants to walk up you and reach the wall/chair/headboard whatever is behind you. He's very serious about it and does not appreciate you trying to turn him around.


Crab.
This boy is his Momma's child - he can kill some seafood.


Evie Jane.
Cooper loves hanging out with this pretty girl!

COOPER DOES NOT LIKE:



When Evie uses him as her doll.
I have laughed so hard over these pictures! Precious Evie was so sweetly sharing her special blankie and pillow and the Cooper-man wanted none of it. 

MOMMY'S FAVORITE 
PICTURE OF THE WEEK:


WEEK 30 HAPPENINGS:


Day 204: This day was full of marking things off the to-do list. Cooper and Mommy spent our day packing, cleaning and running errands with Gabby & Pops!


Day 205: We hit the ground running at 5:00 am so that we could catch our flight to Philadelphia! Sweet boy did soooo good! (You can see all the pictures from our trip here)



Day 206: We spent the day sightseeing... or sleeping in Cooper's case.


Day 207: Another day of fun in Philly!


Day 208: Whirlwind day of flying home, unpacking, washing clothes and repacking so Cooper and Mommy could head to Kansas City the next morning!

(Uncle Awesome is the guy leaning forward in the pale blue shirt second from the right.)


Day 209: With less than twelve hours at home, Cooper and I loaded up at 6:00am and hit the road to Kansas City (a 7 hour drive) with Gabby, Pops and Jane to go cheer on OU and Uncle Awesome at the Big 12 Tournament... Unfortunately the game didn't turn out the way we had hoped. Whomp. Whomp. We gave Uncle Awesome a few hours to cool off and then we took him some dinner (at this point it was almost midnight) and Cooper entertained us all with the "sleepy sillies!" He was so tired he was delusional and found everything - especially Jane's glasses - very funny! We were all thankful for such an easy going baby to entertain us after a hard night.


Day 210: Since we didn't have any more ballgames to watch in Kansas City we went shopping! Mommy, Gabby and Jane took our sweet time browsing around the Plaza while Cooper and Pops entertained themselves by making friends with all the other men sitting around waiting on their wives, playing in the fountains (until Mommy caught them and ended that fun) and napping anywhere they could find a shady spot. We found this adorable crown and thought our cousin Kamryn HAD to have it!




Friday, March 28, 2014

Weekend Getaway in Philadelphia

Brandon had to take one of his last Board exams in Philadelphia so instead of sending Daddy off on a whirlwind trip, we decided to make a little mini-vacay out of it! Neither of us had ever experienced Philly and we are always up for a little travel adventure... So, we packed it allllll up (we might have gone a little heavy on the packing) and took Cooper on his first airplane ride!

Little man was not too sure about being up and at 'em so early... 

He did awesome
We kept him up until we boarded the plane, then I nursed him during take off and he slept like a baby (no pun intended) for the vast majority of the fight!

Of course, baby boy made friends...
We couldn't figure out why Cooper was squirming around for and then we finally realized the older gentleman in the row behind us was playing Peek-a-Boo. 
Side note: I want to always travel with a baby, people are so kind!

When we got all settled in our room, 
we took a few minutes to just relax before heading out for a little walk. 

 Cooper is a big fan of snack breaks.

Reading Terminal Market was directly across the street from our hotel so we decided to swing in there for lunch. Talk about sensory overhaul! The market was jammed pack full of people and every fifteen steps was a booth serving a different, colorful, wonderful smelling type of food. We ended up eating there at least three times over the course of our trip! 

We had received a great tip to try out DiNic's Roast Beef and while the line was crazy long, it moved fast and the food did not disappoint! One gigantic, delicious roast beef sandwich! And we lucked out and were able to sit at the counter - great fun!

That afternoon we just walked around and got our bearings on the historical city. We didn't actually go in anything, but enjoyed mapping out a plan for our next few days of adventure.

Precious baby boy was wooooorn out.

 The next morning we kicked off our exploring at the historic Independence Hall. This beautiful building was virtually the birthplace of our great country. Both the Declaration of Independence and the United State Constitution were debated, adopted and at least partially signed within these walls. So much incredible history!

Cooper and Mommy checked out the first Courtroom...

Baby boy was not overly impressed with our tour guide. Haha!

The room where history happened! 

I highly doubt many people can say they slept in Independence Hall, 
but our Cooper-man can! 

Next stop, the Liberty Bell! 
Cooper snoozed right through the whole thing...

Somewhere during the long walk, the babe decided to wake up and join us.
We were very fortunate that the weather jumped from 20 degrees the day before we got there to 55 degrees or better the entire time we were in town!  

The Philadelphia Museum of Art had an amazing fountain in front of the famous Rocky steps so, of course, we had to put our little Cherokee baby in the Indian's lap!

And Mommy and Cooper went for a quick ride... 

And then a mean ol' gator tried to get Cooper, but Mommy saved the day!
(Cooper's face in this picture cracks me up.)

The best Rocky pose we could muster. 

I am one incredibly lucky Momma.
So thankful to get to do life with these two boys.

(Insert Rocky theme song here)

The only little hitch we ran into... 
We had to "Spring forward"  and we changed time zones all in one day, but the little man continued to live on Oklahoma time! Baby boy was climbing the walls at midnight!

 Daddy and Cooper checking out the morning's street activity.

Cooper and I ran over to the Market to grab some crepes for breakfast while Daddy spent a little time studying. The Creperie did not disappoint - the breakfast crepe had bacon, eggs and cheese which was pretty normal but the strawberry banana nutella crepe was a definite winner!

Handsome boy. 
We visited The College of Physicians of Philadelphia's Mutter Museum, but they didn't allow pictures so we can't share any of the yucky medical mysteries they have on display. Sorry, I know you're probably horribly disappointed.

When in Rome... 

No bath tub in our room so we took full advantage of the kitchen sink! 
Cooper felt right at home!

Another night of wall climbing...

On our final full day, Daddy aced his Boards (YAY!) and we headed out to visit Uncle Christopher and Aunt Annia. They had flown in so Annia could take her Board exam later in the week as well. 

Christopher picked a little hole in the wall restaurant, Luke's Lobster, for our dinner and it made Mommy's seafood loving heart so, so happy! Shrimp, crab and lobster rolls galore! We were in hole in the wall Heaven! This was hands down my favorite meal of the trip.

Coop was a fan as well... He straight up stole my crab claw! 

We also spent a little quality time doing some shopping and window browsing - some of Mommy and Aunt Annia's favorite past times!
We were thankful to get to see Chris and Annia and spend a little time together!

One last night with this little squirming worm in our bed! 

Needless to say, Cooper had more fun than he could stand in Philadelphia!
The flight home was mostly uneventful... with the exception of one massive blow out that resulted in a necessary wardrobe change... but other than that, nothing too out of the norm.

Be Blessed!
Raegan