Bringing Up Boys

Is There a Doctor in the House???

I feel like Becks has been under the weather since August. 

First is was those pesky molars that decided to come in.  Does teething EVER end? 

Then a cold.

And a stomach virus.

And last weekend, I suspected he might have pink eye, so off to the doctor we went for the third time in 2 weeks.

As suspected, he did have pink eye (in both eyes).   He also had a double ear infection and remember that cold that had been lingering???  It had settled in his lungs and had turned into a nasty case of bronchitis.

So we came home with this....a breathing treatment machine.  

Um, is that mask shaped like a fish supposed to make this thing seem less scary???

Trying to convince Beckett to sit still for the 5 minutes it takes per treatment was nearly impossible.  We eventually settled into giving him the treatments while he was sleeping. 

On top of that, he also got 3 antibiotics.  And now...one week later, he's good as new.

I'm assuming (since Becks isn't in preschool yet) that he's picked up all these lovely germs from his brother.  Guess who's now getting doused with hand sanitizer when he gets off the bus every day???

 I will say...Cooper did use Beckett's rash of illnesses to break out his new doctor kit.   And it was pretty cute when he insisted that we all refer to him as "Dr. Breen" during Beckett's repeated "examinations." 

The Blame Game

Cooper and Beckett have a favorite cousin.  Her name is Marissa.  

Lately, we've talked about Marissa a lot...

Where she is...

Why she likes Princesses.

How much fun the pool and the zoo are when Rissa is there....

And then this weekend, things took a new turn....

ME - "Who spilled this juice?"

Cooper - "Rissa did it." 

Me - "Really?  Where is she?"

Cooper - "She went that way."

And later...

Chris - "Beckett, did you make this mess with the toothpaste?"

Beckett- "Nnnnoooooo."

Chris - "Then who did?"

Beckett - "Rissa did it."

Does it look like this sweet angelic princess could ever do anything wrong??? 

Time to have a talk with our rotten boys about fibbing :)

Snakes and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails...

This time last week we were in the midst of birthday party chaos fun.  Cooper loves all things creepy crawly, so we had a reptile themed bash.  And what reptile party would be complete without, well...reptiles.

There were frogs.

And Lizards.

An Alligator.

Big Snakes.

And an even bigger snake.

Some people didn't like the snakes.

Others had no fear.

Yes, all these creatures were right in our backyard. 

No, Chris and I aren't crazy. 

Yes, we are so grateful for our wonderful family and friends who helped us celebrate!

No, we will not be buying Cooper a snake (no matter how many times he asks).

Yes, the day slithered by too fast, but it was a perfect day in Coop's world :)  

Super Cooper Turns Four

It's hard to believe.  Our firstborn is 4! 

At age 4, Cooper handles his busy schedule impressively well. 

He's a hard worker, a deep thinker, a tender, fun loving, smart, inventive little boy who loves all things creepy crawly and he always has dirt under his fingernails. 

Those are the things that probably makes him quite similar to many other little boys. 

There is something that I think sets him apart.  For the second time this year, I got a note home from Cooper's teacher talking about how nice he is to all the other children, especially the ones who have certain challenges.   Cooper's preschool is a mix of typical kids and a few who need a bit of help with things like speech, occupational or physical therapy. 

Last year, Cooper always reached out to Caleb - a little boy in his class with cerebral palsy who Cooper  made sure to say hello and goodbye to every day.  Apparently, he was the only one in his class who did that on a regular basis. 

This year, there is a girl named Kristen in his class who has a skin disorder that keeps her top and bottom layers of skin from attaching, making her skin like paper - easily damaged, ripped and scraped.  She has to dance alone, away from all the other kids and she can't go out on the playground - where she could fall and seriously hurt herself.

This was the note home from Cooper's teacher this week...

Cooper was so sweet with Kristen today. I think he was curious about her hands. He was touching and feeling them with his finger. We told him to be very gentle with her skin. He did a great job sitting next to her and being careful.  He is such sweet boy. Everyone just loves him here.

It makes my heart smile reading notes like these.  I love that Cooper is such a sweetie - away from me reminding him to mind his manners.

Happy Birthday to our Sweet Super Cooper!  We love how considerate you are of all people - those who are like you and those who are different.   We love how hard you try, how determined you are, and how you never give up.  I can't wait to see you at age 5 and every year after!

We hope you enjoy your new red bicycle!   You deserve it!

 

 

O-H-I-O

You Know Your Wedding Was Really Fun.....

when someone ends up in the reception hall fountain at the end of the night...

And there are people waiting for the shuttle back to the hotel who have shed their shirt and shoes...

  

And the bride is running under a tunnel of sparklers to get to the shuttle herself...

Congratulations to Lisa and Paul - two people who REALLY know how to throw a party! We wish you all the happiness in the world!