getting to the good part.

We have passed 10 month's in Cooper's sweet, sweet life and nearing a year faster than I would like.

I can't believe how quickly things are going (will I ever?) Coop is getting cuter, funnier, LOUDER, busier and definitely smarter by the day.

And with all of these mostly adorable qualities comes some of the realizations that I had no idea what I was in for.

Like how I am currently typing while Coop is either banging on the keyboard (I have had to retype this at lease 5 times) or laughing as he figures out he can close the screen. Or how he has definitely learned the word NO but when I say it will look at me with this blank stare and bat his eyelashes, the look that I am sure he will use for the rest of his life and will work for at least half.

Or how he has figured out how to snuggle, like really snuggle, with me or Daddy or even Fletch and he looks so proud when he does. Or how he has figured out how to wave and does it pretty regularly and it just makes my heart melt. (How can a simple wave be so cute?)

But my favorite new thing has got to be the dancing. Oh my sweet little dancer. Usually its Jack Johnson that gets him going but most everything with a good beat will get his hips bouncing. Sometimes he will even dance and drum his hands at the same time.

Babies are nice and all and I am a little sad about Coop growing up (Did I mention I had a melt down when I ordered his first birthday invitations?) but we are starting to get to the good part. The really good stuff where we can explore and play and make messes and have a blast! I am so happy to be his momma.

Shelton Beach Week..filled with traditions.

Cooper's 6th postcard is a doozy.


My dad is 1 of 6 children. Each sibling is married and has between 1 and 4 children each and now 2 of the grandchildren have children of their own. 

We have been taking this annual vacation for 30 years. The stories range from stories of all 6 kids and their parents sleeping in one hotel room all the way to people having to sleep on balconies, in bathrooms, wherever they could find a place to rest their head.


I barely remember a time when we all fit in one beach house.


Today, there are 33 of us! My grandmother's brother and his wife usually attend every year as well which makes 35!

Within this week, there are a million traditions packed in, like getting the annual Brew Thru t-shirt and picking bushels of crabs for hours sitting around one two tables. Some traditions are newer like fishing in Oregon Inlet. There are other traditions that have died like shooting off fireworks Uncle Steven smuggled in from South Carolina and building fire-camps on the beach while the young cousins (we are actually the old cousins now) put on shows and sang "Roll the Old Chariot Along" but the memories have far from died. 


One thing remains the same. We have a wonderful time and we all eat WAY too much.


This was Cooper's very first beach week and he had a blast! If I was ever worried he wouldn't enjoy the beach as much as his daddy and I do, I will not worry again. He had a blast watching Delaney run around the surf and if he could walk on his own he would've learned to run trying to keep up with her. 


At one point, he was on all fours crawling into the waves, letting the waves crash on him.

 It was perfect. I am tearing up as I as I write, just now beginning to fully grasp the importance of this family vacation. The fellowship and quality time that is created. I am so thankful. I cannot wait for Cooper to grow up doing this every year, just like I did.

chitown... a best friend tribute.

So as you probably remember, my best friend, Shannon (who also happened to be my maid of honor and happens to be Cooper's godmother) moved to Chicago shortly before Cooper was born. In fact, I distinctly remember endlessly praying that she would have to cancel her going away party to spend the weekend in the hospital with her newborn godson. Not so lucky as you can see...

So my wonderful best friend flew back the following weekend to visit us and meet Cooper after his birthday. In fact, she even surprised us on Christmas Eve for Cooper's Baptism and has visited us every chance she has gotten. 


To say we owed her a visit in Chitown is an understatement! We made plans for Cooper and I to have a weekend in May only to realize a few months before that it was Mother's Day weekend. Whomp....


We scheduled for us to come Memorial Day weekend, but the prices were absurd. We waited and waited and then all of a sudden it was the week before and the prices still hadn't come down. I had conceded that maybe this just wasn't going to happen. I needed a break from Richmond so bad, but it just didn't seem feasible.


Then, on the Tuesday before Memorial Day weekend, Shannon sent a text saying there was a deal running on American for $69 each way. I called Rick immediately and before I was home from work that day. Coop and I were headed to Chicago!

Of course the weather was terrible while we were there, but it didn't matter. Turns out all I needed was some one-on-one time with my best friend. I didn't realize how much I missed her until we got to spend 3 days together. We drove around the city, walked around the shops, swam in her indoor pool and even ate at the BEST Nawlins restaurant. But by far the best part was laying in our jammies, watching old reruns of Beverly Hills 90210 and talking endlessly about anything and everything all over a bottle (or 2) of wine. 


It was a wonderful weekend. Cooper even knocked Illinois off his state list and added a 5th postcard to his travel box!


I hope everyone is lucky enough to have a friend like Shannon.

Shannon and Coop in Chicago

One of my most favorite pictures. 

Right before this, Shannon asked if she would be my maid of honor (This was at least a year before I met my husband!)