Cooper starts pre-school..... and gets a kiss??

After much debate, I finally made the decission that it would be a good idea for both of us if Cooper started pre-school. So I called the director of the Methodist pre-school in our town, and she said that she had a spot and Cooper could start the next day. Sign us up!!! That had to be a sign. So, on Tuesday morning after dropping Hagen off at his school, Cooper, Harper and I ventured over to the church for Cooper's first day. As you may guess Cooper was objecting the whole car ride. So after meeting in the gym and Cooper seeing a few friends he already knew, and meeting Mrs. Terri, Cindy and Linda it was time for mommy to leave. Oh my, what a dramatic child I have, Mrs. Terri had to physically drag Cooper down the hall! And I know this sounds awful, but no I was not upset, I have listed the following reasons why....
1) Cooper already knew three other children there, one being his treasured friend Presley, and another our neighbor.
2) I have known for many years all three of the ladies teaching the school. My mother actually taught two of them in high school, and one of the ladies teaching, I was childhood friends with her daughter and spent many nights at her house.
3) He only attends school Tues, Wed, and Thurs. from 8:15-11:15. Yes, you read that correctly only three hours in the morning.
4) Cooper is a master manipulator, (one of the reasons I love him) and his fit was all part of his plan.

As you may guess when I picked Cooper up that day, he absolutely loved it and now can not wait to go in the mornings.

On Wednesday, I picked Cooper up and I asked him what he liked best about school today? He answered, "I got to hug Presley."

Presley is a little girl Cooper met at swimming lessons this summer. Let's just say they hit it off and became instant frieds. Even though Presley is a little older than him, she will actually start kindegarden with Hagen next year. Cooper loves to talk about Presley. Above, is a picture of them at Halloween this year.

I text Presley's mom later that day to tell her what Cooper had said. She text me back and informed me that when Presley got in the car that day she said, "Mom, don't be mad but Cooper kissed me! But it was only on the cheek." Wow, apparently my three year old is doing more than just hugging. Presley's mom laughed because earlier that week she had told her not to get in someone's face because of it being flu season and the spread of germs. So Presley was not concerned that her mom would be mad over the kiss but the possibility of the spread of germs. Of course, I talked to Cooper about not kissing on the face and not spreading germs that afternoon. So the next day when I picked him up, he said, " Mom, I just kissed Presley on the hand today!" All I can say is, he makes me laugh.

The "Neighborhood" Petting Zoo

On Friday, Erik came home from work with an adventure for the boys. A very exciting trip to what I am going to refer as "our neighborhood zoo". There is a gentleman that lives down the street that hunts on some of my dads land, trapping wild hogs and things of that nature, he also happens to be a patient of my husband's. Lets just say his backyard is nothing short of an exoctic petting zoo! And for those of you who do not know I live right in the middle of town. Only in small town East Texas people! The boys were so excited, they jumped in the car and headed down the street. I stayed at home with Harper and they could not wait to show me the pictures when they got back. I laughed, because Erik commented I got you some pictures for your blog!! He is starting to catch on.
Mr. "W's" backyard is complete with .....

Goats

A wild turkey that was found at the town laundry mat.

Wild hogs he has raised from piglets, apparently that you can walk up to and pet.

......all living together in unison.

Hagen and Cooper petting the ducks.

And the most exciting "exhibit" of all....

A BOBCAT!!!! Mr."W" caught this in a trap on one of my dad's pastures. Do not worry this cat was triple locked in numerous cages. How scary! Hagen loved seeing it, Cooper hated it. And the best news of all, Erik has talked Mr. "W" into giving him this thing, dead of course. His plan is to store it in the freezer, yes right next to the frozen vegetables, until spring when he is going to have it stuffed!! Erik and Hagen are so excited about this. Why? I do not know. And just to add Hagen informed me "he would love to have that bobcat in his room!" I will be sure to update everyone on this situation this spring. Happy Monday!

Bullriding Boys

This is a very short post, but I had to document what was going on in my living room last night. Hagen and Cooper recently watched some of the movie "8 Seconds". They only really care about the rodeo parts of the movie. I walk into the living room and hear the line, "ok boys, ok boys" ( anyone who has seen the movie will remember that is what Lane Frost yells in order for them to let the bull out of the gates) then I see a child named Cooper, go flying through the air. I was so tickled, I had to grab my camera, of course after warning them not hurt themselves. Here are some pics from our "living room rodeo."

Don't worry, I very quickly moved Harper out of the way.

Harper watching from a distance. Sometimes I wonder what she is thinking as she watches them. Most likely something like "Oh no, what in the world are they doing now?"

Harper is 1 month old!

Oh my goodness, our sweet little girl, Harper, is one month old today. TIme has flown by and she is getting so big. She loves to eat. We are so thrilled she is a part of our family and her two big brothers adore her. Here are some tidbits from her first month.

Your birth, December 21, 2010

Your brothers first look at you.

One week old.

Two weeks old.

Three weeks old.

One month old, January 21, 2011.

Oh, no we tried to take the passy out for the picture.

This is what Hagen picked for her to wear one morning this week.

Harper Kate,
We are so thrilled to have you and truly blessed beyond measure. We can not wait to watch you grow into a beautiful, smart, Christian young woman. We pray that you are succesful with all your dreams in life and that one day you meet a Christian young man that will treat you like the princess you are. Here are some things we have begun to notice about you at one month old.
First and foremost, you love to eat. You would nurse all day long if I would let you.
You are very interested in your brothers. You are always watching them, and you love for them to talk to you, especially Hagen. You two have already developed the sweetest bond, and I have no doubt he will look out for you the rest of your life. Cooper still scares you a little I think, he is a little agressive for your liking, but he loves you so very much. How lucky you are to have two big brothers who think you are a princess.
You usually wake up one time during the night to eat around 4 am, and then you go right back to sleep. I am so thankful.
You sleep late in the mornings until about 9:30 am, and then you take a long afternoon nap from 1-4 pm
You hate baths, you scream bloody murder the whole entire time.
You seem to be fussy every night between 8-9.
You do have a temper, and will let everyone know if you are not happy.
You sleep in your crib in your own room. I think you like the quietness and to have the heat turned up high.
We are so thankful, you are a wonderful baby girl.
Love
Mommy and Daddy

Pirates, Princesses and Priscilla Shirer

Monday, January 17th, started with a new Women's Bible studay at Church. Our church has a wonderful women's ministry and is always offering new women's studies at different times throughout the week, with a nursery available!! I am so greatful for that, and look forward to attending them. The new study, by Priscilla Shirer, Jonah, Navigating a Life Interrupted. She is such a great teacher, and I thoroughly enjoy her studies. You can follow her blog at Going Beyond Ministries. So excited, today focused on the fact that what we see as interruptions or unplanned things are actually privelages handed to us by God. "The interrupted life is the privelaged life."

Today, I also started Praying God's word, through following along with the Poe Family Blog
This week's verse; Psalms 90:17- "Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and confirm for us the work of our hands; yes confirm the work of our hands".

This morning Hagen decided he wanted to pick Harper's outfit for the day. He was so excited! He just loves his little sister. I think he did a wonderful job. He did have a little help with the bow. She looked pretty as a little princess!

Not sure her smile was intentional, but lets just assume it was!

This afternoon the boys decided to play dress-up, and have Pirate wars.

Their get-ups were from Disney World this summer. Yes, those are Goofy ears on Cooper made to look like a pirate.

What a great Monday.

The Buttons go in the Back...Honey

Sunday January 16th, was Harper's first Sunday at church. She did pretty well, and was a hit in her pink dress. She was just a little fussy (the whole entire time). Erik decided to dress Harper, to help us get out the door on time. I walk into Harper's room, and he had everything together, tights on, bow in her hair, and then there was the dress... He had it on backwards with the buttons in the front. I said "Honey the buttons go in the back". He looked at me puzzled and said "Well, the boys buttons on their shirts always go in the front?" How cute! Here are pictures of my family in their Sunday Best..

A Day in the Life....with Cooper Tijerina

Cooper, Cooper, Cooper. He is my middle child and definately his own person. With two big dimples and curly hair, he is cute as a button. But, don't let looks deceive you, he is a mess! Here is just a peek into an ordinary week, living with Cooper.

Earlier this week, I walked into the living room after doing laundry and this is what I found.

Just a word of advice, Do not buy moon dough!! Santa made a huge mistake..

On Friday, around lunchtime, I was finishing feeding Harper and Cooper comes up to me with a box of weight watcher ice cream sandwichs he got out of the freezer. Cooper proceeds to ask for one and I tell him "No, we are about to have lunch, then maybe you can have one" He informs me "He does not like lunch", so I say "I am sorry go put the ice cream up." All the meanwhile I am nursing Harper, so I am a little tied down. Twenty minutes later he walks back up to me with a ring of chocolate crumbs around his mouth!! I said "Cooper did you eat that ice cream when I told you no?" He says, with the sweetest little grin on his face, "no mommy, that is hot chocolate...." Of course I found the ice cream box ripped open in the freezer.

This is what the boys' play room looks like after Cooper and his cousin Payton get done with it.

And, this is Cooper with a frown an uncombed curls posing for a picture on Sunday morning. This is his typical morning behavior.

It's Raining, It's Pouring....

The old man is snoring, seemed to be the theme for the day on Saturday. Erik had originally planned to play paintball on Saturday with my cousin's husband Lance, and may I add was very excited. So we took the boys to a local arcade/paintball/go cart attraction, What's Up. We arrived 2 hours before the scheduled paint ball game so the boys could meet their cousin, Payton, and play games. By the time the games were over, paintball had been cancelled due to the rainy, cold weather. We had a great time anyway. As you can see!

Cooper and Payton riding the merry-go-round.

Hagen in a race car I believe he was a little too big for.

Look at all my tickets mom!!!

Showcasing their basketball skills...Aunt Mae-Mae would be so proud!

Payton came over later that afternoon to play with Hagen and Cooper.

Cooper and Payton were playing Beauty and the Beast, and performing their dance. As you can see Hagen chose not to participate in the dance-a-thon.

What a great Saturday it turned out to be.

My first tea party

On Thursday, January 13, Harper attended her first Tea Room lunch (even if it was take out). Mabank has the best tea room, The Victorian Lady. Harper's baby shower was held there, thanks to my wonderful friends. So she has been dining there since before she was born. That morning I thought we needed a little excitement in our day, so I called my good friend Christina and made a plan. She picked up take out from the tea room, we placed it on my china, used silver table settings and drank our water from crystal glasses, all in my dining room. Cooper even ate his frozen kid meal with us, LOL, Erik is going to kill me when he reads that statement!! Here is a picture of Harper dressed up for her first lunch date in a MBM dress!

Even though Harper slept through the majority of the lunch, I think she looked pretty cute doing it:)

It's Snowing Outside!!

So thankful for the snow, once or twice a year that is. What a beautiful site it was on Sunday, January 9th. Hagen woke up that morning very dissapointed, because he fully expected to see snow on the ground. I am so thankful that the large white flakes started falling from the sky that morning or it would have made for a very grouchy day! The boys were so excited they ran and got their coats and outside they went. What fun they had Sunday and Monday playing. Here are some random pictures from our snow day activities.

The snow had just begun to fall.

Hagen made many snowballs those two days.

....and snow angels

The boys loved their snow day tent they built in the living room. As you can tell from the pictures above, Cooper preferred to spend much of his time in the tent instead of the cold weather outside. He also insisted that Harper come in the tent with him! I don't really think that was her thing....

I am so thankful that the boys had the oppurtunity to play in the snow!

Say Cheese...

Yeah, it's finally here!! Harper's first photo shoot. On Thursday, January 6th, we ventured to Athens, to our beloved photographer Crista's studio. She is wonderful and has such patience, which is much needed when photographing my family. If you live in the East Texas Area you should visit her website, www.cristacouchphotography.com. We originally had planned to have family portraits taken as well, but Cooper had a collision with the pavement, and had three huge sores/scabs on his forehead, photoshop or Mary Kay could not have corrected! So this day was all about Harper. And, may I add I think she hated every minute of it! She wanted to nurse through the entire photo session, I think she figured out as long as she was doing that she did not have to have that flashing light in her eyes. But, as always Crista got some wonderful shots that I am so proud of.

I love this picture. I purchased the romper and headband off etsy. I LOVE etsy (thanks to Leslie for introducing me to it). The pearl necklace she is holding is mine.

I think this picture is so sweet, even if the flower is a little large :)

I can't wait to have these timeless pictures hanging on my wall.

Christmas Eve...Christmas Day 2010

Merry Christmas. We love this time of year at the Tijerina house. However, this year with our little present, Harper, we did not venture far from the home. Christmas Eve morning started with a wardrobe change for Harper with one of her 4!! Christmas outfits she had for this year, ridiculous I know, she was only 4 days old on Christmas Eve! But, a girl can never have too many clothes, right??:)

I love this outfit, a MBM (made by mommy) original, ha ha... The design on the shirt came for one of my favorite embroidery websites,www.stitchontime.com If you own an embroidery machine you should visit her site, she has the cutest designs very reasonably priced. The pants were made especially for Harper and she had a matching blanket that coordinated, along with a fun monogramed receiving blanket.

Now, since we have had our fashion look for this post we will get back to the activities. We had a lazy morning that day the boys playing around the house and so excited that santa would come. That afternoon I loaded the kids in the car and ventured to my mom's house, AKA (nanny). Erik stayed behind to meet Santa's elves who were delivering one of the boys' Christams gifts, there new clubhouse. Thanks to all the Elves who assisted (Dad, Lance, Chris and Chris)!!

It looks like I failed to get a picture of the clubhouse on Christmas morning, (I was a little busy). But, here is a sideview of the house after the snow.

Later that afternoon, Erik joined us at my moms and took the boys to see the new Yogi Bear movie. My sweet sister, Blaire, watched Harper where I could get a much needed nap!!

We returned home later that evening, and posed for pictures by the tree. We read The Christmas Story, and A Charlie Brown Christmas, and the boys drank their, magic sleeping potion "hot chocolate" were they would have no problem going to sleep so Santa could come!!

Christmas Day
Rise and Shine, Santa Claus was here!! After waking up every other hour with Harper, I was a little drowsy when the boys came running into our room on Christmas morning. But awaken is what we did, and were ready for the day to begin!

The boys were so excited! Cooper received his "treasured Cinderella castle" from Santa. Which, may I add took several months of talking Santa in to delivering, LOL!! But, what do you do when your 3 year old only asks Santa for one gift, A Cinderella Castle. Ever since we visited Disney this summer, he has been fascinated with princesses and castles. He calls the princesses "His pretty girls :)" I am choosing to think he is just going to make a very good husband one day!!

Hagen was excited to receive, his new football pads, helment, and pants, along with his "swamp boat". Yes, swamp boat, he loves the history channel show "Swamp People" and he informed Santa he needed a play Swamp Boat. Thank goodness for Bass Pro Shop, which he also received a toy bow an arrow set. He informed me he is taking it to the deer leased where he can kill a turkey! He is 110% BOY.

Harper slept right through her gifts, a tutu an American Girl Doll. Which, the boys were so excited to open for her.

For breakfast, the boys enjoyed monkey bread and cranberry-orange sticky buns which were wonderful and I will be posting their recipe. Our families came to our house for Christmas lunch and we had a "Mexican Fiesta". However, after being up all night and "Dead Tired" I did give into peer pressure from the rest of my family and ate off paper plates. A moment of weakness!! I do not have any pictures of that!

We had a wonderful Christmas this year, and are so thankful to the Lord for all his blessings! But, most importantly, the greatest blessing of all Jesus Christ!!