OLD MCDONALD'S FARM

Last weekend Colt and I took Cooper to Old McDonald’s farm in Humble.  We had the BEST time! 

They had tons of animals for the kids to see and feed.  Cooper was able to get in the pin with billy goats, sheeps, pigs, and rabbits.  He wasn't too sure about the billy goats, but he loved feeding the sheep and petting the rabbits.  

They even let the kid’s ride horses.  Cooper has been really into his Clydesdale stuffed animal lately, so he was so excited to ride the horse…and he looked pretty darn cute doing it too!

We went for a ride on the mini train too.  Cooper kept saying “choo choo” the whole ride!

Finally, we made our way to the pumpkin patch.  Cooper picked out a pumpkin or as he called it "Ball."  He kept picking up all the “balls” and throwing them.  We did manage to get him to pose for a few pictures though. 

Cooper is still my favorite little pumpkin!!! 

4 YEARS OF LOVE & BLESSINGS

On October 11^th Colt and I celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary!  I feel so fortunate to have truly married my soul mate.  He makes me want to be a better woman, wife, mother, and Christian every day.  I thank God constantly for choosing this wonderful man to be my husband. 

Thanks to the Abowd’s who watched Cooper, we were able to enjoy an amazing night out in Houston to celebrate! We went out for dinner (sushi our favorite) then went to see Jekyll & Hyde the musical.  It was such a great show! Colt and I are already trying to decide which musical we want to see next.

CAST OFF...FINALLY

Cooper was such a trooper with his cast.  After a couple of days it didn’t even phase him.  He was running on it so much that he wore the bottom down so far that we had to get it replaced.  We weren’t complaining though, the old one had just started to smell TERRIBLE.

He did great when we took him to get his cast off.  He got a little nervous when they brought out the saw, but he squeezed mommy’s fingers extra tight and it was over before he knew it.  He was so proud once the cast was off though.  We would say “Cooper did you get your cast off” and he would hold his foot up in the air.  It was adorable!

The great news is the doctor said his foot healed wonderfully and he shouldn’t see any repercussions from the break.  

SWEET HOME OKLAHOMA

Although we might not live in Oklahoma anymore it will always be my home.  In September, my sisters, Colt, Cooper, and I all made the trip back to Oklahoma for an OSU football game and our cousin LeAnne’s baby shower. It was THE BEST weekend because it was full of family.  On Friday night my Aunt Margaret babysat Cooper for us and we went out in Bricktown with my cousins Jake and Amanda.  Jake had just turned 21 so we had a blast taking him out for the first time.  

                         

We woke up early on Saturday and headed to Stillwater for the football game.  We had a great time seeing old friends and after the game spent more time with family.  

Cooper made his first trip to the OSU wrestling room and had his first dance at Eskimo Joe's.  I think he definitely is a Cowboy in the making!  

On Sunday we woke up and went to mass with Grandma and Grandpa Smith followed by breakfast at Cracker Barrel.  I truly treasure the time we get to spend with them.  Sunday’s with my grandparents are some of my favorite memories growing up.  

That afternoon was the baby shower.  We are so excited to welcome the newest addition to the Smith clan.  Cooper can’t wait for Caden to get here!

SEATTLE TRIP

In August my parents made the move from Denver to Seattle.  We were all so excited for the new opportunity my dad was given there, but we all loved Colorado so much so  it was definitely bitter sweet.  At the beginning of September, Cooper and I made the long trip (two 3 ½ hour flights) to visit the fam in Seattle.  I was so glad I could be there at this time because the kid’s had just started school.  We got to watch Meredith play soccer with her new team.  Cooper loved playing outside during the game and it was so great to see her already meshing with a new group of girls.  

The best part was that Meredith's game was in Tahoma which is one of the only cities in Washington with a Sonic.  If you don't know this is my mom's favorite place and she hadn't had Sonic in almost a month.  She was in heaven!

We also spent a day sightseeing around downtown.  Seattle is such an eclectic city with so much to see and do.  We all made our "mark" on the historic gum wall which was really gross and cool at the same time.

     

                                    

My favorite thing was definitely exploring Pike’s Place Market.  I loved visiting all the vendor’s booths.  If you don’t know I am slightly obsessed with fresh flowers, so of course I couldn’t get enough of all the fresh flowers for sale. 

After church on Sunday, we took a ferry to Bremerton island.  It was such a cool experience and the seafood in Bremerton was delicious.

We ended our trip with a bang.  Monday evening, Cooper woke up from his nap and Aunt Monica went upstairs to get him.  As she was walking back downstairs she slipped.  Luckily, she caught herself and it appeared that Cooper and her were both fine (besides a carpet burn on Monica’s leg).  Cooper cried but we thought it was just because he was scared.  We left for dinner immediately and consequently we never put him down to walk.  He was whiney at dinner, but I chalked it up to him being exhausted from his schedule being off and him having just woken up.  When we got home from dinner I went to put Cooper down and he immediately fell to the ground.  I took his shoes off thinking maybe they were on funky or something.  As soon as we took his shoes off we learned that it was a little more than the shoes.  My poor little baby’s foot was bruised and he was limping all over the place.  It was so sad, but I’m not going to lie it was pretty cute at the same time.  After about an hour of debating, we decided to go ahead and take Cooper into the ER.  Thank God we did.  Once they x-rayed his foot we learned that it was broken.  His foot bone was chipped and compressed.  He must have somehow impacted it in just the right spot when they fell.  They wrapped up his foot and Cooper and I flew home the next morning to Houston. 

We took Cooper into our local Pediatric Orthopedic Specialist on Thursday and he got his cast.  It’s football season so of course we had to get the cast in OSU orange!

Although our trip ended with a little hiccup it was still so wonderful, as always, to spend time with my family.  Being 36 hours away isn’t going to keep us from seeing them!

SUMMER RECAP

Time flies when you’re having fun and this summer was definitely full of just that! We kicked off the month of June with a visit from two of our favorite families, the Lada’s and the Hanley’s.  We were so grateful they made the 8 hour road trip from Maumelle to see us.  We packed as much fun as we could into the three days they were in town.  We went to the beach, Kemah, and even squeezed in a mom’s only afternoon at the pool.  There is nothing better than true friendship. 

                 

For the past three years my family has spent the 4^th of July in Breckenridge together.  We have so many wonderful memories there, but this year we decided to branch out and spend the holiday visiting Madalene in Chicago.  Of course we hit all the touristy spots…Navy Pier, Cloud Gate (The Bean), Willis Tower, Michigan Ave, etc. 

My favorite thing about our trip was probably the two days we spent at the beach.  It was so nice to kick back and relax after walking miles upon miles the days before.  I still can’t get over the fact that there is a beach in the middle of the city.  Chicago truly is the city that has everything! 

Gaga kept Cooper for us one night so we could have an adult night out.  My favorite nights are when I get to go out with my sisters.  It was my first time ever in Chicago and I definitely fell in love with the city.  We’re going back for a girls weekend in November and I can’t wait.

One of my favorite things about this summer was that after our trip to Chicago Monica, Meredith, and Chuck came back to Houston with us for two weeks while my parents were visiting Seatlle. (Side not: My parents moved to Seattle in August)  We seriously enjoyed every minute that they were here.

I think the kids favorite part was all the time they got to spend with the Abowd family.  I hate that they live so far away and I can’t be a part of their daily lives, but I am truly so thankful for every minute I get to spend with them.

 

At the end of July we made the road trip to Borger for Colt’s ten year high school reunion.  It was a busy weekend, but it was so great to spend time with the Braden’s and hang out with all of Colt’s high school friends.  And in case you haven’t heard my little Silver Fox won “Grayest Hair” at the reunion.  He was so proud!

We ended the summer with a visit from the whole Braden family over Labor Day weekend.  It was so wonderful to have the whole family (especially all the kids) together!  We loved getting to show everyone our new city.  We spent a fun-filled afternoon playing at the beach.  The boy’s had a blast boogie boarding in Galveston while the girls were all about hunting sea shells.  Nana and Pops were in heaven having all their grandbabies in one place for the weekend.  

Hopefully we can make this trip a yearly tradition!

There is nothing better than a summer filled with wonderful friends and family!