Christmas {Presents}

Cooper is ALL boy - his favorite presents were an Army helicopter,

a school bus (just like the one he rides to school!)

and several stations and bridges for his Thomas trains.

Santa spent a looooong time setting up just the right tracks with cranes and stations.

Those smiles are worth it!

Other presents to be featured someday, I'm sure: green scooter and ZhuZhu pets. Both are a HUGE hit and photos will be coming soon.

Christmas {Baking with Lolli}

Cooper spent time making cookies with his favorite grandmother, Lolli. He loved the flouring and rolling out of the dough. My mom makes the BEST gingerbread cookies, so I was eager for Coop to get his cookies in the oven so Santa and I could enjoy them!

You may notice that there's a lack of evidence of the cookie decorating from Cooper... he said he wanted the cookies plain. Hmmm. As much as I tried to convince him that Santa really really liked vanilla frosting on his gingerbread, Cooper said "Plain." Okay - he needs some training before he can join the ranks of the other Bates family cookie decorators!

Christmas {Cookie Contest}

It's a Bates family tradition: the cookie decorating contest. We prep with days of trash talk leading up to the festivities. Dayna commented this year that the tradition really isn't about the cookies - it's about turning everything possible into a competition. So true. But it's who we are. We love it. Here are the participants:

Shellie (Adam's girlfriend), Adam, Colin, Dayna, and me

The contest consists of two parts: the baking and the decorating. The contestants are responsible for shaping and baking their cookie. Cookie cutters are permitted but not mandatory. Decorating is not limited to the materials provided and creativity is encouraged. Although I will say that the year I used tweezers to place white sprinkles on my snow globe cookie, I was gipped and didn't even come close to winning. No, I'm not still bitter.

The rules are clearly outlined by the presiding officer, my dad. Because of (ahem) partiality issues in the past, it was decided that my mom be the official judge this year. Unlike my dad, who had a list of judging criteria, my mom said that the winner would "have heart." Oh no.

The aforementioned trash talk...

The baking...

The decorating...

The shameless attempt to coerce the judge...

(not by me, by the way)

The entries and the winner - - the snowman! Made by ME!!

The prize ribbon is hanging on my fridge. I know, I'm ridiculous. But it wouldn't be Christmas at our house without a little friendly competition!

Christmas {Brunch}

I hope your Christmas was as wonderful as mine. I have a zillion photos (surprise, surprise!) so I figure I'll just show my favorites and recap our holiday in a few separate posts. The beginning of the Christmas celebrating was with a girls brunch with two of my friends, Monica and Kellie. Kellie graciously opened up her home (after just having a new baby!) and we loved visiting and remembering the fun times in 2010. We're looking forward to a weekly supper club (with 2 kids in tow!) and creating more memories in 2011.

Get Excited...

TCU plays Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl on January 1st at 5pm.

We hope Andy Dalton can pull out a win for the Horned Frogs. (Some of us are a little worried!)

We're ready for cheer on our Frogs - are you?

Zoo Pass

Cooper and I received an AMAZING early Christmas present from dear friends - a zoo membership! As soon as this wonderful treat arrived in the mail, we packed a lunch, laced up our tennis shoes and hopped in the car. To the zoo!

I love the zoo, but I haven't taken Cooper since he was probably 2 or so - and with good reason. I can still remember the fateful trip. We went on a crowded hot day and the conditions were not ideal for a leisurely stroll among the animals. I was lugging a stroller and a diaper bag of sorts. Also, this was pre-medicine and my little one was all out of sorts. Last time we were there I'm pretty sure we left with kicking and screaming...

So it was wonderful to walk through the zoo this time with an excited and well-behaved four year old. No strollers, no hand holding - just big-kid exploring!

Cooper held the ticket in his hand with an iron grip. I think he remembers the scene from the Polar Express when the child lost his ticket and almost had to -gasp- get off the train. He was NOT going to make that mistake at the zoo. He kept reminding me, "I still have the ticket, Mommy. Don't worry."

I wish you could have seen his expression when we saw these animals locked by the horns. He was horrified. Oh no, they're fighting. Uttered under his breath, that's not very nice... I spent the next ten minutes explaining that it's okay that animals fight sometimes - it's how they eat and survive in the wild.

Cooper's priceless response: Oh, like football players!

Elephants can RUN?! No way!

(Right after this photo was taken, he quickly took a few steps away from the railing!)

I think I can say accurately say that I've never seen Cooper so happy as he was at the zoo. (Which made me pretty happy, too!) He made me smile all day long, watching him skip from exhibit to exhibit and say over and over, "I'm so lucky that you take me to the zoo!" He's struggled so much with several special needs - it's truly AMAZING to see him so successful at enjoying something like the zoo. Normally the big crowds of people, waiting for a turn to see an exhibit, or having to negotiate our route would push him over the edge. This trip reminded me that we're in such a good place with him. I'm so thankful that we can visit the zoo many many more times this year as a family. Thanks G & D - what a special gift!

Santa's Lap

This is the first year that Cooper can really grasp the idea of Santa. He loves the idea that Santa celebrates Jesus' birthday by bringing gifts to us all - but somewhere along the line he also must have heard that you must be good to get presents. He told me the other day at the zoo, "Mommy, look at that little boy! He is throwing a fit. How sad - Santa might not bring him presents. He better be nice - quick!" : )

We visited Santa at his "cottage" in Texas and Cooper was jumping with excitement as we waited and waited and waited for our turn. And finally the hug Cooper was waiting for...

Cooper's exact words to Santa: "Thank you for bringing me presents. Please I want a green scooter. And moon dough. Please."

I'm a good mom...

And this is proof.

I didn't ever believe I'd see the day when my car wore a costume - let alone one of these ridiculous Rudolph get-ups. Those are reserved for old ladies in sweatpants and moms in mom jeans in mini vans, I thought. Until a certain set of grandparents thought their grandson would LOVE to turn his car into a "sleigh"... He was DELIGHTED, just for the record. On our first "outing", he sat giggling in his car seat, squealing, "Rudolph makes our car speedy fast!" as we drove through the neighborhood. I've already prepared Cooper that Rudolph must return to the North Pole on Christmas Eve, so I just have to endure the foolishness for two more days...

If ever Cooper doubts my undying love for him, I will refer him to this picture. Rudolph car = love!

Merry Christmas & Go Frogs!

Christmas Cards

I'll admit that I'm semi-obsessed with both creating and sending just the right Christmas card. My sweet brother, Colin, acts as our photographer and follows Cooper and me around with his camera until I'm satisfied that we at least got one decent shot. Each year I spent hours pouring over the websites to find just the right "frame" for our photo (that took us many, many tries to get!) This year I started with Shutterfly and didn't have to go any further. They have hundreds of designs for holiday cards to choose from and I liked so many. I was looking for a design that made our photo the focus of the card (since it took such effort to get the right picture!) and I loved the idea of a simple white logo at the side or bottom of the card. Since we were wearing purple this year for our photo (Go Frogs!) I wasn't sure how I was going to make the holiday colors of red and green looks fantastic with my TCU purple. The white "etched glass" look is just right! I love this one:

And this one:

And even though purple doesn't exactly match, you might find this one in your mailbox, too:

I guess you'll just have to wait and see which one I choose! I'm feverishly working on them so they can maybe make it to your house in 2010. With all of the gingerbread cookie baking, playing outside, and Christmas carol practicing for Cooper's school sing-a-long, I'm not holding my breath. : )

While I'm online, I'm seriously thinking about making one of these photo books for the Coop. My parents gave him a Sesame Street version a few years ago and it's still a hit! His darling little face is on every page with his favorite Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. Adorable!

Shutterfly is hosting a great promotion for bloggers who share their experiences with their online community. I'm excited to be a part of it!

Check your mailboxes soon for some Christmas love from Coop and me!

Four Eyes

Four and a Half

Even though it's officially "winter" in Texas, we're still playing outside every afternoon. The weather has been beautiful! While the kids play, I usually sort through mail on the driveway or tidy the garage, but some days I pull out my camera and just snap away while the little ones play unaware. It occurred to me the other day how truly grown up my little boy has become. He doesn't need Mommy to help him pull his bike out of the driveway or remind him about looking out for cars in the street. Can you believe he's four and a half? Sigh...

I couldn't resist sharing these photos of my big boy. It seems like yesterday he was a chubby-cheeked toddler! Now Cooper is taller than most of my kindergarteners at school and weighs nearly 60 pounds. He loves to ride bikes and scooters with the neighbor friends when we get home from school. (He's crossing his fingers for a green scooter of his own for Christmas!) It seems like he's growing more every day. Yesterday he told me the sounds that each letter makes. Every single one! My teacher's heart was singing! He writes his name and spells it, too. He adores animals - from runaway squirrels to neighbor cats. I love that he has a tender heart for animals - (he didn't get that from his mom!) He's learning about being a good friend and what a joy it's been to watch him develop meaningful friendships! No matter how big he gets, he will always know how to make me smile:

Yard Work

Quick Reunions

One of the blessings in the midst of a hard weekend was being surrounded by family and friends. Both of my parents' sisters (one for my dad and four for my mom) and their families came for Jon's funeral. (Not to mention countless others!) It was a special treat to get to see my Grandad, who had never met Cooper before this weekend!

Cooper and Grandad played lots of "chase and pull", which is Cooper's new favorite game. I'm not sure what he likes about being pulled from two directions, but he begs to play!

After the service on Saturday, we ate dinner with my mom's side of the family who was here for another day. Colin and Dayna were troopers to wait at the restaurant for about 15 hours for a table for 14... Here's Colin and Grandad while we waited:

Two of my very best friends, Ashley and Sara, drove to Houston for the funeral as well. I can't tell you what a blessing it was to have both of them there. It was a huge sacrifice for them (and their husbands!) and I feel refreshed after spending time with people I love so much. I didn't get a photo with Sara : ( but here's one with Ashley and I after Sunday brunch:

Cooper with his Pop and (Great) Grandad:

My mom and her sisters:

(Can you spot the twins in there?!)

Naylor girls with their dad:

Grandad and me:

I'm so grateful for the love of family and friends this week. I can't say it enough. My freezer is full of taco soup and pumpkin bread, my counters are blooming with poinsettias and ferns, and I'm overwhelmed by the kind words of encouragement for my family and me. Thank you for your love.