Cooper's 5!!

 

Were has my baby blue eyes gone!  My Cooper James turned 5 years old today at 12:31 pm.  I wasn't sure if I could get through writing this post because how emotional I knew I would become.  Out of all my newborn babies, Cooper was my most difficult.  Cooper never and I mean never slept, it took him about three years to figure out what night time was for!  Not only did Cooper not sleep but I also  had such a hard time adjusting between one child to two.  It was my problem not Cooper's.  I think I had postpartum depression when Cooper was an infant.  And sometimes I think I will spend the rest of my life trying to make up for not being the best mom for my baby Cooper.  I believe that I fought out of the depression I was in and am positive that my Cooper is the reason I am the mom I am today.  Transition from one to two kids was hard on me.  But I eventually figured it out and I am a whole different person because of that circumstance.  But today is not about me its about my Cooper James.  Gone are your newborn days, your mischievous toddlerhood is in the past, and we are know in your elementary school phase of life.

Cooper has been my little buddy at home with me these past several years.  I have really enjoy his company and wonder how Beckett and I will manage when Cooper start Kindergarten in a few weeks.  Cooper has a very funny personality and is extremely friendly.  He seriously doesn't not understand stranger danger!  Cooper will literally walk up to a stranger and ask them if they have a phone or what there doing etc!  Cooper is also very intelligent the kid can read a map, give you directions, program the tv/dvd/ps3.  Cooper has made huge strides in reading this summer.  One of my favorite things about Cooper is his huge heart, he is the first to say sorry and the first to give a hug or want to give me a kiss when he does something wrong.  Allison has a way with her words, Beckett gives the BEST hugs, and my Cooper he gives the BEST kisses!

Some funny things Cooper has said lately:

"Allison I don't ever want you to be bald, you have very beautiful hair."

Beckett was walking and ran right into the chair and Cooper started laughing and asked Beckett if he was seeing birds since he hit his head!

"Some day when Allison is married she will have kids then her kids will have kids and there kids will have kids.  Mom that's A LOT of kids!"

Cooper was talking about his cousin and his girlfriend telling me that because they kiss that means there married!


Some days I cant believe I have three kids let alone a 8 year old, a 5 year old, and a 1 year old.  Time passes so quickly..

                                                                 A picture of the birthday boy this morning!

Walking!

 

 

The week after Beckett's birthday he started to become a little more adventurous in the walking department.  We tried so many different things as incentives to encourage him to walk.  It turns out the only person Beckett would walk for was his daddy, and so began Beckett's first few steps from the couch to Richard.  Then he got a little more courageous and would walk to things he thought he could reach four or five steps at a time.  This weekend Beckett has literally been walking every where, he is still a bit unstable and doesn't have the best balance.  It is so cute to see him finally walk and sometimes I wonder if I am ready for this new freedom he now has.  Even the big kids are excited to watch Beckett walk, although I am sure that will wear off quick!  Some times I wonder where my baby went, it makes me a little sad that his first year went by so fast.  I am always telling my sisters to cherish there babies because before you know it you have a toddler!

New House?!?

 

Wednesday I drove into Midland and our realtor took me around to look at a few houses.  The third house I looked at I just feel in love with.  I had such a good feeling about it but I wanted Richard to see it first.  Although I thought it was a little over priced.  On Friday Richard and I had a few more house lined up and then went and looked at the house I wanted last.  I tried not letting my emotions shine through and let Richard get his own feeling for the house.  To my surprise he saw the potential I saw.  Richard threw out a very low offer on the house.  I was shocked when he said it to the realtor, but guess what the sellers accepted our offer!!!!  The house needs some updating, we are planning on replacing the entire flooring on the house and painting before we move in.  We close on the house on the 24th of August and our realtor is setting the inspection and appraisal for this week or next!!

Nerf or Nothing Party

Cooper had been talking and planning his birthday for a while.  He went through different themes.  At first he said he wanted to have his birthday party at chucky cheese again, I put that to rest after two years of parties there lol.  Then he wanted a ninja turtle party and lastly a Nerf gun party!  The Nerf theme stuck and I have been brain storming for awhile!  It was super fun planning his party.  Although his party really sprung up on me especially with Beckett's birthday, are mini vacation, many trips to Midland, and then finding out we were moving! 

 

I think Cooper's Nerf birthday party was a success!  Richard's parents and sister and brother in law drove in from Midland.  Plus we had a handful of friends attend his party!  We had 6 different Nerf target stations for the kids to shoot at.  We even had a station to color and shoot your own target.  Of course we had the occasional Nerf shooting going on between kids!  Allison even had a friend come to the party and she had fun hanging out with her.  Beckett had a blast walking and using his walker in the wide open spaces of the gym!  I am so glad my in laws were there to help keep an eye on Beckett.  I have to say I am relieved Cooper's party is over though its time to start packing!!

NEWS!!!!!!

There have been a lot of new things happening in my extended family lately, and some exciting news in the Sanchez household!!!!!!!


I know I mentioned that my sister Courtney and her family moved to Florida at the beginning of June.  I don't believe that I mentioned that my sister is expecting again!  To make the news even more exciting she is expecting twins, twin girls!!  Its hard to believe she is so far away.  My sister is due is late September, but she is measuring 8 weeks ahead and her Doctor doesn't think she will make it to her due date.  Also one of the babies is breach.  Her due date is at such an odd time for me, in the thick of the school year, with Richard having no vacation left (besides the 3 days he is saving for the holidays) I am worried I wont get to see these precious new babies when there born.  We do have a trip planned to go visit her in March though..

On to more news with in the family.  My older sister Jamie who was transferred by Chevron to San Ramon this past February, she is almost done with her six month assignment in California.  Well it looks like for her new six month assignment Chevron is transferring her to Kazakhstan in September!  I wonder where Chevron will send her on her last six month assignment?


We also have news on Richard's side of the family.  Our nephew and his girlfriend are expecting a baby in January!  I think they find out next month what they are having.  I am a terrible guesser, I have totally guessed wrong the last few pregnancies of people I know.  So I am staying out of the guessing game, although Richard had a dream he had a girl.  But I haven't asked him his final guess, he is pretty accurate on gender guessing.  I cant believe I've known my nephew Alex since he was 9!  He is going to be such a great daddy, I am very excited for him and his sweet girlfriend.  I get to be a great aunt again and it means another sweet baby to spoil!


Now for the Sanchez family news, yesterday morning Richard was offered a position in Crane TX.  Which means we would live in Midland and he would commute!  Were moving back home!!!!!!!!!!!!  His official start date is September 16th.  He will be training his replacement once they find someone to fill his position here until September.  We want the kids to start school in Midland, which means we are on the hunt for a house.  The market in Midland is CRAZY, house are selling fast.  Hopefully we can find a house soon without settling, it looks like we might be moving into a fixer upper.  The whole family is so happy to be moving back to Midland.  It looks like these next two months are going to be crazy busy for us but we are ready for this new adventure!!!!

My great newphew's baptism

I stayed an extra day in Midland Saturday to attend my great nephew Connor's baptism and dinner celebration.  The day was so crazy it almost felt like I lived two days in one.

Part one:  Attending Connor's baptism.  I felt so lucky to be able to be apart of Connor's special day.  I have actually never been to a catholic baptism.  Connor was dressed so handsome and seemed so peaceful and happy.  My niece and nephew in law looked so happy and in love.  Connor and his parents look like such a beautiful happy family.  Almost our whole family was there for Connor's baptism.  Little Connor was so quiet during the entire ceremony.  Later on that night we all got back together to go out to dinner.  It was nice to see everyone come together again and be able to watch my niece open all of Connor's gifts.  Connor is such a loved little guy and I can see the love that all his family members have for him. 

Having been an Aunt since the day I married Richard has been a wonderful blessing.  Although I often struggle because I don't feel like an Aunt, especially since my nieces and nephews are so much older.  My own Aunt Ruthie was amazing and I try so hard to emulate her.  Being able to be Connor's Great Aunt is such a privilege and I hope that he knows me and knows how much I love him.

Part two: My crazy day!  Beckett was very fussy Saturday, he was a different child!  I told Richard the nurses must have administered crazy juice in his shots!  I had to leave the chapel during the baptism and watch through the glass windows of the cry room because Beckett was crying.  I don't know if it was a combination of no nap, his still inflamed ear infection, him cutting his canine teeth, or the pain from getting his shots when he tensed his legs???  But my kid was not having anything to do with anything.  He didn't want to be held either!  At dinner it was much worse.  After barely an hour nap (my kid normal naps twice totaling to 4 hours) he was still cranky!  I nearly left town but thought he would eventually calm down, plus I didn't want to miss out on the family dinner!  But to much disappointment I left dinner after only an hour. 

I am happy to report my kid fell asleep on the ride home and sleep until the next morning totaling 14 hours of sleep and woke up acting more like himself!

Also the pictures that I took at the baptism all came out blurry for some reason, boo! There was one picture that came out that Allison took before we left to the baptism at my in laws house.

Beckett's 1 year check up

On Friday while we were in Midland Beckett had is one year well check.  The appointment lasted almost 2 hours.  The time went by with Dr D asking question's about Beckett, taking a blood test, and 3 shots!  Dr D believes Beckett is right on cue developmental wise.  The Dr and I were on the same page as far as some of the developmental areas Beckett needs to be at or reaching this coming year.  Dr D even called me a veteran mom!  Beckett weighs 24 pounds 71%, 32 inches 87%, head circumference in the 97%!  My kid has a huge head lol!  Beckett was not happy about getting his blood taken.  When the nurse told me to hold his other hand down I thought okay, but man Beckett was seriously trying to get at the nurse!  Then came the dreaded shots, I was soooooo bummed Richard couldn't be there.  I have always gone with Richard to the kids yearly check ups because this mama is not good at watching my kiddos get shots!  Seeing them get shots just makes me cry, and Richard always holds them down.  Poor Beckett was very surprised by the pain from the shot, he looked right up at me and his lips quivered and his eyes filled up with tears.  The next two shots he tensed up and screamed.  I had to sing to my little guy to get him to stop crying, it was heartbreaking. Beckett goes back at 15 months for another round of shots and a well check.

Midland Adventures

After coming back from our trip I unpacked Monday and repacked Wednesday to head back into Midland for three days.  I had several appointments on Thursday and Friday.  Also my sister and her family were in town due to her husband being in training.  With my sister being in town we were able to spend time with each other.  The kids were all so excited to see and play with each other!! In between appointments we had lunches together, swam at the hotel, and we went to the drive in.  I really miss living in the same town and seeing my sisters regularly, so know its extra special to spend more than a few hours together!

Vacation wrap up!

After we checked out of the resort we drove back to my moms Sunday morning.  It rained the whole day.  It was kind of a bummer for the kids.  They where a little bored, but entertained them selves.  Although I enjoyed chatting with my mom and going on a walk with our umbrellas when the rain let up.  Monday morning before we left my moms we went to this little consignment store and scored a few things for the kids.  Then we stopped by and visited our friends the Ashton's who use to live in Midland.  Then we were back on the road to Hobbs..

A little tidbits from our trips..


I thought I broke my toe.  When Richard was unpacking the back of the highlander I was holding something and he accidental let go of the flat of Dasani water and it fell on my toe!

Beckett had a double ear infection.  Beckett has been cutting this one darn tooth for nearly a week.  He was pretty fussy while I was packing.  But Beckett was still in a mood on Friday.  Suddenly we notice him rubbing his ears raw, something a baby Cooper use to do!  Sure enough I took him in on Tuesday and confirmed a double ear infection, poor baby!

It rained the entire drive back to Hobbs.  I have never driven entirely in the rain on a road trip.  It was crazy!  WE had the luggage covered.  But the top suitcase which was Beckett's was soaked when we got home!

Cooper had to pee on the drive back while we were in the middle of no where.  I love having boys and the fact that they can pee anywhere!  It was pouring rain but we pulled on the side of the road and the lil guy went.

I forgot to mention my mom and step dad got a new puppy.  They named him Toby he is 10 weeks old.  Allison was in love with him.  Cooper was afraid of him, darn fear of dogs!  Beckett well they had a love hate relationship.  Mainly B got annoyed when Toby would steal his pacifier lol!

The Silverleaf Resort

Friday afternoon we drove into Tyler TX.  I had no idea what to expect at this resort and the many activities provide is a defiant bonus and totally centered around kids!  It was also nice to spend time as a family with Richard's parents.  The main thing we did while at the resort was swim swim and swim!  We literally spent the entire day on Saturday at the indoor water park.  We only took breaks for meals!!  Allison also really loved the 18 hole miniature golf.  Richard and I took her once by herself with out the boys and then Richard's mom took her back with Cooper.  I enjoyed the walking trails and the indoor fitness center.  We checked in late Friday and check out early Sunday.  Next time if we come back we would take advantage of the other activities offered there.  Here is a list of things to do at the resort: swimming pools, indoor water park, miniature golf, basketball court, volleyball court, table tennis, tennis court, movie theater, arcade, horseback riding, and a huge lake!!  We did drive down to the lake which was a short drive from our cabin.  It was such a vast lake where you could rent a boat, canoe, and paddle boat.  My favorite part about vacations is all the delicious food we ate and of course the family time spent together doing fun things!!   Many memories were made.

 

 

Mini Vacation!

Richard's parents have a time share and were able to get a weekend at the Silverleaf Resort Water Park Village in Tyler TX for this past weekend.  They had been trying to get this particular weekend and it finally fell into place early last week, so we decided to jump at the chance.  Tyler TX is about two hours east of Fort Worth where my mom lives so we decided to visit her on our way in and out of Tyler.  It was a spur of the moment trip but we ended have such a wonderful time.  Richard had really been missing his parents.  In fact our last trip into Midland for Beckett's birthday party Richard had mentioned how we haven't been able to spend quality time with them and this lil vacation was just perfect! 

We drove into Fort Worth Thursday night.  We hung out with my mom until lunch.  We started our day off early and went to the BEST donut shop called Shipley's.  I totally splurged and got a cinnamon glazed twist donut, yummy!!  After donuts we went to the Farmers market and bought a ton of fresh fruit and of course a whole stock of celery per Cooper's request.  After our two stops my mom took us by this awesome park/splash pad!  What a neat little place.  The park was so cool and the splash pad was excellent to cool off after playing in the heat!  They even had a really beautiful walking trail, we will definitely be going back to this park.  My mom didn't realize that there was a splash pad at the park and Cooper was just so excited he ran right for the water and didn't care about getting wet. Only moments later I realized I had left the swim bag in the car and then changed Alli and B into swimsuits.  After we left my moms we stopped at steak and shake for lunch and then headed to the resort!!