Trolley Ride!

I am always in search of fun things to do with Cooper after school. Just in time for Spring Break, I discovered that The Woodlands offers a (free!) trolley ride around the waterway area. Yahoo! Cooper and I made a day of our trip and we had such fun! He LOVED seeing all of the construction that was going on and I loved that he was entertained and happy. : ) We got on at the community center and stopped at the public library, Market Street (where we had a little ice cream date) and the Mall (where we played with Pottery Barn Kids' floor sample toys). However, I think Cooper really liked watching the construction workers the best - ha! What a fun day!

"Check out that crane, mom!"
Here she is, in all her glory!

He was one happy kid!

(P.S. - Pacifier is soon to be discontinued... stay tuned for details and the inevitably sad, sad photos!)

Uncle Adam!

We are so lucky to have our Uncle Adam living in The Woodlands! It's neat to see Cooper loving on him and enjoying spending time with his uncle. For the longest time, Cooper called him "Jon" (I guess that's the curse of being an identical twin!) so it is a huge deal that Cooper finally knows which uncle is which!

Love you, Adam!

Today was a good day

God answered all kinds of prayers today, so I thought I would share!

1. I found a pediatrician for Cooper after a 6 month search - My mom got a recommendation from a fellow nurse at work who loves this doctor. We visited yesterday and I was so happy. Their office was clean, their receptionist was accomodating and friendly, and the doctor was great with Cooper. He took his time and I felt like he knew what he was talking about. This is huge for two reasons - first of all, Cooper tends to be quite sick with his asthma in the winter, allergies in the spring/fall and his allergic reaction to insect bites in the summer. We need a go-to-doctor who will be patient with all of our needs and have a kind bedside manner for little Coop. The second reason we are praising God that he provided a good doctor is because of Cooper's insurance. When he was adopted, we were granted the provision of state insurance for Cooper until he turns 18. But because we are on Medicaid insurance that is typically used by low-income people, most- no, I take that back - ALL the doctors in the city of The Woodlands don't take it. Hence the forever-long search... I am so thankful that we are feeling a little more settled every day!

2. I decided to join a small group at our church - and I love it! For those of you who know me well, you know that I am not big on change. In fact, I really really dread having to step outside of myself and make new friends. It's really tough for me! But I have been praying for quite some time that God would provide a community of believers to walk alongside me in friendship. I have been blessed with many incredible women in my life and I know how vital it is for me to have people surrounding me who point me to Jesus. So a new friend from church, Monica, invited me to try out their group on Tuesday nights. I went to a BBQ this weekend with the group and really felt at home. The groups is made up of 5 couples (plus me) Some of the girls attend the group without their husbands because of work schedules etc. so I didn't feel weird being the "single girl". There are also plenty of little kids running around, so I don't feel out of place having Cooper (plus there is child care at the church during our meeting!) Praise God! I am looking forward to cultivating new friendships and getting more involved at our church. The Woodlands is becoming more of my home every day!

Praide God for His goodness to Cooper and I!

O Baby!

I was thrilled to help host a baby shower honoring my dear friend, Sarabeth. She is due with her first little boy, Owen, in a little over a month. We are so excited to celebrate their new beginnings as a family and shower them with love!

Last weekend Cooper and I (and my sweet Mom, who served as my "nanny" during the shower) drove up to Fort Worth for the special day. There were several girls from Sara's small group who worked hard to make her shower a beautiful party.

Jennifer Arnett made this cute banner for the table

I crafted the book to hold "love notes" to Owen and his mommy. Each guest wrote a message to Owen in this neat acrylic book. I hope that as he grows, Sara will be able to look back and see how loved and valued Owen was even before he was born.

This was the serving area for the drinks - refreshing mint lemonade!

Jennifer and Tracy (and baby Kate!) helping get ready! (P.S. - Isn't Tracy and Koy's house AMAZING?! Thanks for opening it for us!)

Thanks to Molly Hagan for the cupcakes and Jennifer for the cute personalized flags!

My favorite part of the food service was the mini cookies with shot glasses of milk!

I couldn't resist a picture of Sara and her "baby bump"! She looks incredible and if not for her tummy, I wouldn't know she was pregnant!

Opening gifts... (this one was mailed all the way from Colorado from our dear friend Lauren Reitsema!)

We love you Sara and can't wait to see sweet Owen's face soon! : )

Just another day on the golf course...

One of my dad and brothers' favorite pastimes is golfing. My dad is fortunate to have his office over looking the 9th hole of an incredible golf course outside The Woodlands. Consequently, he is a great golfer! : ) Every once in a while, we take Cooper to the course to ride in the cart and start practicing his swing. (Or... practice NOT aiming for people with that mini-putter!) I would really like to take some golf lessons myself, but for now I'll settle for letting my dad give me pointers on the driving range. We had a fun lazy Sunday afternoon on the course as a family! Here's my little Tiger - - Notice that he is clutching two tractors in nearly every picture - he was unwilling to give them up - not even for golf!

Cooper placed every single ball we hit on the tee for us. He is a hard worker! : )
Here's Pop helping Cooper hit it "like a big boy"!

Even Lolli gets some lessons from our family golf pro.

I laugh at this picture because I was originally trying to capture Cooper's interest in lining up the golf tees, but I love that you can see my Dad's intense golf lesson in the background.

Although my role was mainly to take take pictures and keep Cooper out of harm's way (AKA a golf club to the head or running away with the golf cart), I did get to hit some balls myself. Honestly, I'm just grateful that they are air-bound and going generally straight! I know, my "golf attire" needs some work...

After hitting some balls on the driving range, we took a spin around the course in our golf carts. Cooper just giggles and screams as my dad whips around the curves and winds around the trees. Such a fun day!

Here are the golfing buddies!