Welcome to the World Samuel Ryan Coon!!!

The anticipated day has come and at 8:26 am our little Sam was born.

He weighed 8lbs and 9ozs and was 20 and 1/2 inches long.

Both Mom and Baby are doing great. Alex is still unsure about this big brother thing. He went to the hospital to visit, but did not want to go in the room, we think it was just a bit scary in there.

Here are some early pics, more to come soon.

We're Moving!

Dear Friends,
We have some good news--God is moving our family to Norfolk, NE! Pastor Hess called to invite Ryan to serve with him as Assistant Pastor and as we feel God would have us there at Community Bible Church we gladly accepted. So, we will be packing and moving--shooting to be there on March 1st. We have really appreciated your prayers for us in this matter and would love it if you would keep them going as there are many more details to be arranged and lots of things to "fall into place" between today and the next 4 weeks--not to mention that little Sam will be arriving tomorrow!! So, if you are ever wandering around the nation and find yourself in Nebraska, stop in for a coffee!! In the mean time, we will have some pictures to post soon of a new baby in the family, that is if we can pull ourselves out of that life-with-a-newborn haze long enough to get some pictures taken!

Spinny

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo BooksOver the weekend Alex learned 2 new tricks which have given him many new bumps and potential bruises: spinning in circles and walking backwards. I have had to add "you have to be careful and watch where you are going..." to my list of regularly quoted mommy phrases. And, since my 9-month pregnant reflexes aren't quite as sharp as they could be Alex has spent a lot of time falling on the floor lately. I sometimes get this magazine called "One Step Ahead" that is full of baby gadgets and gizmos--sometimes cool stuff, although not usually in my price range, and a lot of times weird stuff. Well, one thing I used to really laugh at was this helmet made completely of thick foam that strapped under the kid's chin. It's purpose is to keep the little one from bumping their head during the more physically challenging stages of life--hmmmm.....

Domino Geronimo!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo BooksAlex's big thing the last day or two has been playing with dominoes. And after I showed him how to drop them through his shirt he hasn't wanted to do anything else with them--not even destroy mommy's tallest tower! It's too fascinating to watch them fall through his shirt and onto the floor! What a goob!

Bubbles

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The boy said his first "learned-on-his-own" 2 syllable word today: bubbles. Playin in bubbles is one of his favorite things to do and thankfully it's the kind of mess that's really easy for mommy to clean up! Well, today he actually asked for the bubbles all by himself, though it comes out more "bub-bose" (for those of you who can't see the video, the pics below are also for you.) This was pretty exciting for mommy & daddy since we've been trying hard to get him to say more words lately. He's really into baby signing right now, and the doc says that's a good thing and to keep it going, but to try and slowly transfer over to real words. So, now we have another word to add to the list: mumma, dadda, ball, bird, all done, hi, bye-bye, and bubbles. I think there are more, but I can't remember them, and I know that there are a few more that we are pretty sure he has said, but I don't count them until it's obvious that it wasn't just a fluke! I'll try and come up with a list of the words he can sign and post them later. Of course he "talks" gibberesh all the time, so whenever he does start to chat it up....things could get really fun!!



this is the 2nd half of "bub-bose"

Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit...

So, there was this bag of navy beans in my pantry for a long, long time. I am embarassed to say that I don't even know how long I've had them. I kept thinking that I should make something with them some time, but they just seem a little intimidating to cook with!! Weird, I know, but that's the truth. So, the other day I remembered that my friend Jenny told me that her little guy enjoyed playing with beans in a bowl--scooping them and stuff. Ok, well, let's try that--it is the middle of winter and we could use a little break from the norm. Wow, what a hit! The beans, along with a funnel, measuring cup, and spatula, kept the little man busy for many days during that "what to do with your kid while you finish making dinner" time-frame! Word of advice to other mommies thinking of trying this: you will become heartily annoyed of sweeping up stray beans long before your kid gets tired of playing with them--but definitely worth the hassle!

Let the Games Begin!

Here's the Game: First he throws all the balls out of the box. Then he climbs in. Then he strains (and sometimes falls out in the process) to reach all the balls to stuff in around him.

And then I get that proud smile that says it all!!

Who Needs Fisher Price?

This is what I lovingly call my "ghetto-fabulous" mega-blocks puzzle box. You will notice the fine craftmanship on this creation--obviously hours and hours of work. Ok, to tell the truth, a pair of rather dull scissors and about 5 min. completed the project. Necessity is the mother of invention, right? And when your toddler is getting kind of bored with a perfectly good toy you don't go out and buy him a new one--you just recreate the one he has!! Seriously, maybe Fisher Price should hire me...

Sporting His Sunday Best

The big man himself! I have been waiting almost a year to put Alex in this corduroy sport coat that Grams gave him. I think he liked it, especially the buttons. Somehow we managed to keep it clean, too--miracle of miracles!
Ok, so he's obviously not too big to cuddle with his blankie after a long morning! When we got home from our special services and church pot-luck yesterday the litte man was so tired he headed straight for his blankie. It was a big morning for him, though, as he went into the Toddler 2 nursery for the 1st time on a Sunday. The ladies told us that he did really well, participating in the activities -except song time- and even staying on his mat during quiet time (knock on wood for next week!). But by the time we got home the only thing on his mind was sleep--and I was right there with him...Sunday naps are my favorite!!

Mealtime with a Toddler

Today was the first day Alex had true success with his spoon! He was actually able to scoop up some potato soup and really enjoyed slurping it off his spoon--who taught him to slurp??? Notice how he is holding both his spoon and his fork: always be prepared, right? And also how he has 2 sippy cups: he wanted both milk and water with lunch today...sure, no prob!
"Oh no, I just realized I am wearing a bib! I think I can't breathe. Hurry up, get this thing off me before I choke to death! No, I am not over-reacting!!"
All in all, mealtimes with a toddler are lots of fun if you can get past the mess, meltdowns, and occasional mayhem and keep in mind the smiles, giggles, and slurping!!

"Helping"

"Look mom, I'm helping clean the dishes..."
"Wait a minute...helping clean the floor is way more fun!"

A Wonderful Christmas!

I realized that most of the pictures we took of our family Christmas were of present opening, but we did do more than just that! We had a great time just being together really--it had been a year since we had all been together last. We stayed home mostly, playing games, watching movies, & talking, but we girls did get out to find a few deals at Kohls and Babies 'R Us. We devoured a lot of fabulous food, laughed until we cried, and even did a bit of arm wrestling--I opted out of that activity, thought it would really be bad for the guys' egos if a pregnant lady beat them :-)! We had 2 grandkids in the bunch this year--both of whom were completely spoiled. A big thanks to my incredible parents for making all the arrangements and driving up here through the night so that we could all have Christmas together!

Merry Christmas!!

This is the picture collage I put together for our Christmas cards this year. Unfortunately the pictures haven't arrived from Snapfish yet, so I don't think my cards are going to make it to our family and friends before Christmas--oh, well, it's the thought that counts! Beginning tonight around 2am my family starts trickling in for our Christmas festivities. My folks get here tonight and the rest of the clan starts arriving on Thursday next week. For the weekend all 12 of us will be together and we will have our family Christmas then. It should be a rip-roaring time!! Those of you that know my family well can imagine the craziness that ensues when you get all of us together playing games, eating holiday treats, and telling old family stories! And this will be our first holiday with 2 grandkids around to spoil. So, I am probably signing off until after the dust settles--Merry Christmas to everyone. Hope yours is blessed with family & fun and that you have much to thank God for as you welcome in the New Year!

My Little Couch Potato

This mommy had the flu bug from Tuesday thru Wednesday morning and am still recovering today, though feeling much better. So, what does one do with a very active toddler when one is out of commission? Let him watch more Disney movies than any sane adult can handle in a 72 hour period!!
Here we are watching Cars, we love Mator...
This one is Toy Story, a household favorite!...
And I believe this one was The Jungle Book. He did, however, get up to dance to the Bear Necessities as always!!

Couple of Candids

Snow Day

Saturday we took Alex to play out in the snow for the first time. I was pretty much exhausted just getting him all bundled up in his snow gear, but he had a good time running around with daddy!

Daddy had to keep a hand on the boy when he went close to our neighbor's fence because he kept acting like he was going to lick it!!! Yeah, he'd be sorry he tried that!

It took a little time for Alex to get used to walking in his snowpants, so he spent a lot of time falling down and getting up! And every time he said his favorite phrase, "uh-oh!"

"I LOVE snow!" By Sunday we had 6 inches or more and it got a lot colder, so I'm not sure if we'll make it out in the snow today, but maybe tomorrow! It's hot chocolate season for sure!

Monet in the Making

Alex thinks that putting the crayons in and out of the baggie is just as fun as coloring!!
Alex used his art time today to color a picture for his good friend Josh. It's his birthday today and Alex is coloring part of the card to go with his present!
I guess he's taking a break in his new bean bag chair (an early Christmas gift, how do you wrap a bean bag chair??) and trying to color his toes!

Desperate Attempts at a Christmas Card Photo

Are we done yet?

Oh, right, DON'T pull the Christmas ribbon to shreds. Sorry! My bad!

You're kidding right? Put this on my head? I don't think so.

Seriously, can I PLEASE get out of this stupid box and go watch Nemo!?!!!!

Don't worry, we did end up getting a few good shots. We'll show you what we chose later, we just couldn't help but share some of the funniest "blooper" shots with you!

"Big Boy" Stuff

Well, we've hit a major milestone--we are completely done with the bottles! He's been down to just one bottle a day for about 4 months now, and the doctor told me that he needed to be "bottle-free" by 18 months--whew...only 3 weeks to spare! It's kind of a bittersweet milestone for me. I'm relieved because I think it will make it easier for him to have a few weeks of no bottles before Sam gets here and is drinking from bottles. But I am a little sad to see my baby growing up so fast! I am also very thankful that the transition was so easy--it only took a few mornings and there were almost no tears!

It seems as though he is turning into a "big boy" overnight! He has really started communicating more, mostly through baby sign language (which I am a big fan of); his latest signs are bird, cat, dog, milk, and help. I really think the signing has encouraged him to attempt to say many words as well because he is communicating so much. He tries very hard to say ball, bird, and more. He is also fascinated with socks and shoes. He often wants to take just one of his socks off and does NOT want it back on. He is also experimenting with trying to get shoes on his feet by himself....

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Another fascination: snow. It often takes us several minutes to get out to the car now that winter is here. And he loves my snowglobe...

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He also is fascinated with lights, books, the computer, the camera, and most of all the TV. He is really into taking off one sock and doesn't want it back on, trying to put lids on canisters, self-feeding (always fun!), and telephones. Oh, and he has started climbing--he has attmepted to climb the bookcase, the crib, the tv stand, and has learned how to climb up on the dining room table chairs (guess the table is no longer a safe place from little hands!). Wow, when I read back over this I know why I am so tired at night!! Like I said, we now have a "big boy" on our hands!

Alex's 18 month Pictures

This is my favorite!

We had a coupon for a free black & white so we had them crop this down to just his face and it is really cute!

Once we cropped this one a little it was really good!

This is my other favorite! We had this one done in 8x10's for the grandparents!

This was the most trying photo shoot so far--and not so much Alex's fault either! He posed like he'd been modeling for years, it just took sooooooo forever long for the lady to crop the pics and upload them into their system for me to view and choose from (seriously, 20-25 min) that Alex and I were both done being there long before I had even seen the pictures!! I felt bad for him because he just wanted to run around, and I had to strap him into that stroller, so I kept him reasonable happy with juice and teddy grahams!! As a reward for making it through the evening Mommy treated herself to a Mocha and Alex got to watch some Nemo before bed!!

A couple pics from a busy week

A little snuggle time with Daddy. I think they were watching Toy Story in this pic. (I'm not sure which one of them likes it better!)

Here's one of the latest of Alex's nativity scene creations. I'm not sure if my favorite part is the angel operating the crane or the monster chicken in the back of the dump truck! Oh, and I love the fact that there are goldfish crackers in the donkey's cart (you can't see those very well). Just in case anyone gets snacky!!

Reasons to Jump for Joy!

We have 2 big reasons to jump for joy today. One is that Alex cut his last two teeth for a while!! He is still slightly feeling the effects of them, but hopefully things are looking up for a while as we shouldn't see any more until his 2yr molars come in. Whew! Reason #2 is that I finished all my Christmas shopping today!!! And I only went to 2 stores--I did most of my shopping online (when you can find free shipping and tons of great internet deals why drag your toddler and your poor pregnant self out into the cold?). Now to just get them all wrapped...