Brady Flashback

I came across this retro newborn video the other day and thought I would share with all of you how much our little guy has grown. I love how Jim's hand put some perspective on how truly little he was. It has been a blessed year with a new baby and family that care so much for him. I have always said that the quickest way to let a year go by is to have a baby. He is such a joy in our lives and we are so lucky to have him. Enjoy the flashback and as always, our love to all!

Birthday, July 26, 2007

First cereal, October 2007

Learning to crawl, January 2008

Clapping on the beach, March 2008

First swing ride, April 2008

Brady's first cake, Sunriver OR, June 2008

Happy Birthday, Brady William! We love you!

A Northwest Vacation

June 2008

We set off on our adventure with evening flights into Portland, OR. Big mistake! I thought for sure both boys would be tired if we flew out at 7pm. Quite the opposite happened. Carter was so excited to be on airplane and would not lay his head down for anything. Brady was just sleep-deprived and crabby. Let's just say people recognized us on our connecting flight. Once we made it we thought things would settle down but Brady ended up with an upper respiratory infection and pinkeye. Great news considering we were about to share a cabin with nine other people!

Once in Sunriver, we absolutely loved the accomidations as well as the adventures. We had a hot tub, ping pong table, bikes, foosball, and private rooms. It was a vacationers dream! Each night we spent hours in the kitchen catching up with Mom, Dad, Steph, Doug, Gerben, and Miki. It was the getaway that we all had looked forward to for months. On the last day, we celebrated Carter and Brady's upcoming birthdays at a wonderful restaurant on the pier by where we had canoed and kayaked earlier in the day. We ended the evening with a celebration back at the cabin.

Alas, we had to return to civilization but not without some sightseeing along the way. The Cooks then traveled to Seattle, Washington to check out Uncle Doug's new apartment. He and Miki chose a wonderful place close to many of Seattle's attractions. We walked along the pier and took in the sights. Doug and Miki then took us to the original Red Robin in Seattle.

Back to Portland for a final visit with Steph and Gerben. We enjoyed staying in their fabulous new place that they had moved into only a two weeks before our visit. Steph and I enjoyed some girl time and catching up on our lives. It was a wonderful trip to the Northwest and family time well spent! Our love to all!

Brothers!

It is enough to make any mother proud. These two are tight...at least for now! Carter is such a good big brother and Brady hangs on Carter's every word and action. We are beginning the summer with two boys who love to play together. I finished up with work and school this week and am rediscovering how much I love to be at home. Brady is now 10 months old and Carter is approaching four. He had a wonderful first year in preschool.....pics and video are coming! Brady is starting to realize he can stand with no assistance and attempts to take steps when no on is watching of course. The Cook boys keep me busy but we will be leaving for a vacation in Sunriver, OR in two short weeks. I am sure I will have so much to post after that! Our love to all!

We All Should Be Outraged!

Okay, so I pride myself on the fact that I let few things upset me in my professional life (Jim might say otherwise), but when a colleague brought this to my attention, it brought me to tears. Alex, who is not yet officially diagnosed with Aspergers (a form of autism), was singled out by his teacher and made to withstand a "Survivor-like" vote as to whether or not he should be part of his class. Alex is in kindergarten, that's right folks, kindergarten! It was absolutely heartbreaking to hear his mother describe the day and night that followed as he was voted out of his class 14 to 2.

I am bringing this to your attention to let you know that we have laws in place for students with special needs but it only takes a single action to make someone feel as if they do not belong. I will be researching this story more to find out what on earth would make a teacher (and I use that term loosely) think it is okay to do such a thing. Please take the time to watch this video possibly with your own children and have a discussion about what it meant for Alex to go through this ordeal. I think the two children who voted to keep Alex in the classroom are pretty special and that is definitely a lesson I want to teach my children. Our love to all!

You Can Teach a Man To Do the Dishes!

If you start them early ladies, they just might "pick up" this thing we call housework. It is so hilarious...whenever I am in the kitchen making dinner, doing dishes, etc. Brady is at my feet. And when that dishwasher opens, he is right there and stays there until I close it. He pulls up on it, cruises around it, and grabs whatever he can get his hands on. Sometimes I make sure no knives are within his grasp! I will definitely tap into my little worker bee in the future! Enjoy the video. Thought you might enjoy Brady and Carter's all time favorite song. Our love to all!

More Updates To Come!

Springtime Fun!

Our apologies for so few posts over this past Spring. It has been so crazy at the Cook household to say the least. It began with my minor health concerns (more to follow) in February. Then in March, my mom fell and broke her ankle. She has had a very strong recovery but we had to spend some time adjusting our childcare. Then in April, I had another health episode. In the midst of all of it, Jim had been working a side job while I was working on the two graduate courses I am enrolled in this Spring. This May has started to calm down but we have remained busy with work, school, and play. We are looking forward to summer vacation that starts in just two short weeks. I promise to post more soon. Until then, enjoy some springtime pictures! Our love to all!

Good Boy, Brady!

Just five minutes alone and this is what can happen! Brady, oh so innocently climbed into the open box of dog biscuits and helped himself. He appearently loved them because as you can tell he was very upset when I tried to take it from him. Oh well, at least he will have good breath! Our love to all!

Blogging on Brady


As a new mother of two, I am STILL learning to stop and enjoy the milestones that Brady is rapidly achieving. He is such an active little guy. No wait, make that active BIG guy! He is currently 24 pounds and about 25 inches long and at eight months old that puts him well into the 100th percentile. For those of you not familiar with the charts it means, 100% of his peers are under his weight and height! As for his milestones, he is now crawling all over the place and boy is he fast. He just started to pull up on things and people mostly to check out what Carter is doing. As for eating, Brady can't seem to get enough. He loves to drink from a sippy cup and enjoys cheerios, crackers, and biter biscuits. I am experimenting with table foods because he is starting to become bored with baby food. I think I have spotted a tooth which will help with trying new things. Brady's temperment is extremely easygoing and he rarely cries unless, yes, you guessed it, he is hungry. He loves to be entertained by Carter and prefers live interaction over any toy. It is so fun to watch the two of them together. I have a feeling it will be a very busy summer! Our love to all!

The Post You Have All Been Waiting For!

(thanks to an unexpected snow day!)

Sitting with his "girlfriends"

Looking for Mommy!

Aren't you supposed to be kneeling Carter?

The royal introduction to the King

And now for some video......

This scene is Carter's "big one" where he was chosen to go under the King's legs and pretend to be sleeping. During this rehearsal, you will notice he had to be coaxed a little and the King had to shimmy into place to pull off the scene!

This scene is one of my favorites where Carter is praising almighty Buddha! You will notice Carter in the front row and he does get hidden at times by Anna's skirt. Hang in there, he reappears at the end!

Carter Steals the Show!

I cannot even begin to express the emotions I felt when I saw my baby boy sit on the stage during his first performance and take his cues. I was full of such pride, joy, fear, laughter, astonishment, and all the other emotions that come along with this thing they call parent hood! As Jim and I watched him I felt a renewed sense of family as well. I am so proud of the man I chose to marry and the beautiful life we created in Carter. And let's not forget about the little personality that Brady is beginning to demonstrate as well. Carter was fantastic last Saturday night. He remembered where to sit, he attempted to dance with the royal children, and I even heard him singing at times. At one point, I was laughing so hard, I think I began to cry a little. I was so overwhelmed with what I was seeing and had to keep reminding myself that he is only three and a half. Jim and I feel like we have found one of Carter's many talents. For those of you that can make the performance, you are in for a treat! For those of you who cannot, I am sure Dad will have at least one or maybe 500 copies of video lying around! Jim and I must send our kuddos to Pop also. His part in the play is pretty great too! Our love to all!

Sunday Morning Humor and The King and I Preview

Carter absolutely loves venturing out into the snow so I just had to capture our ritual as he prepares for his trek out into Mt. Cook. Mr. Gerben gave Carter some classy new snow boots for Christmas which he prefers over his Thomas ones (thank goodness!) With his outfit complete, it brings Mommy and Brady a little down time to relax and as you may notice practice crawling around a little. Yikes, I am about to have two mobile children. No one warned me about that! Our love to all!

BTW....if you ever want to enlarge a picture, simply click on the picture, and it becomes bigger. I know at times some of the pictures can appear a little small. Give it a try, the play pictures are just adorable! Our love to all!

A Star Is Born!

Carter has officially gotten bit by the acting bug. He will make his theatrical debut in the "The King and I" at the beginning of March through the Loveland Stage Company. He is in five performances that require him to be on stage for about three scenes. Of course, Pop is in the show so he has the wonderful job of coraling Carter during practice. Carter has taken direction very well and the girls in the show just adore him. All it takes is his classic "thumbs up" and he melts their hearts. The specific dates that Carter is performing are March 1, 7, 9, 14, and 16th. The Friday and Saturday performances are at 8pm and the Sunday performances are at 3pm. If you are interested in attending, it is not too late to purchase tickets! We would love to see you there. Our love to all!

Visit With Grandmom

As many of you already know, Dad, Mom, Brady and I decided to make a visit to Tampa to see Grandmom. I felt it was important to have her meet Brady plus, I have to admit, I was missing her. We headed down last Friday and found her in very good spirits. She could not get over how big Brady was and he was on his best (and most flirtatious) behavior. Needless to say, we had trouble walking through the hallways without being stopped! I was alarmed at how hard it is for her to get around even though Dad gives me updates pretty regularly. It also made me sad to see her struggling to remember short-term items and then go on and on about memories that occurred over forty years ago. However, in typical Grandmom style, she treasured every moment we spent with her. Her and I spent Sunday morning participating in exercises and saying the rosary. We then joined others for a party at Uncle CJ's and Aunt Linda's. Grandmom enjoyed her day and unfortunately we had to depart early Monday morning. My sincerest thanks to CJ and Linda for another wonderful stay and it was so wonderful to see everyone who made it! We are looking forward to being with Grandmom again in March. We love you, Grandmom! Our love to all!

First meeting

Brady meets his Uncle Jim and cousin Andrew

Grandmom, Brady, and Missy

Four generations together!

Brady's First Christmas
We kicked off the season with a visit to Santa Claus. Having cried the last two years in row, we did not know what to expect with Carter. Much to our surprise, Mr. Cook was won over with a candy cane. From that point on, when asked what he wanted from Santa, Carter replied, "a candy cane". Maybe Mommy and Daddy should have stuck to that request!
A week before the big day, family began to arrive at the Derham house. It began with Uncle Doug, then Aunt Steph, followed by Doug's girlfriend, Miki, then Aunt Judy, and finally, Gerben. That made for a very full house at the Derham's. Good thing Santa's reindeer did not tire out because he would have had no where to sleep! On Christmas Eve, we made a huge meal complete with a turkey, ham, tofurkey (for the vegetarians), and every side dish imaginable. We then spent the rest of the evening eating, drinking, and opening presents. Carter's biggest surprise was his new custom-made train table built by his one and only Pop. As you can see, it is complete with a hole so that Carter can operate it from all sides. Pop hopes it will keep Carter entertained while Pop is "working" on his trains. Christmas morning was filled with presents and more eating. The Cooks then joined Daddy's side of the family for more gatherings. Unfortunately, everyone had to return home but not without another party at the Cook house. Christmas was filled with tradition but I have to admit a little chaos as well! We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and here's to a blessed 2008. Our love to all!

Christmas With The Cooks

This year one Mr. Carter Paul Cook received a surprise call from the big man himself, Santa. On Christmas Eve, Santa called the Derham household to remind Carter to go to bed early and to leave cookies and milk by the tree. Needless to say, Carter was very excited and enjoyed the attention. He got right to the point and was all business with the man in red! The evening was full of family, traditions, and I must admit, a little chaos. Would we have it any other way? Our love to all!

Brady William Cook Is Baptized!

On Sunday, November 18, 2007, Brady was baptized into the Catholic faith. The godparents we chose were his great aunt, Judy Leppert and great uncle, Donnie Bergner. Many were in attendance to celebrate with us including those who traveled from Louisville, KY. After the ceremony, we had a luncheon in our home where the Cooks were able to show off our new bamboo floors that we put down the week before. It was a wonderful day and we are so grateful to all who made the trip to celebrate Brady's big day. Our love to all!

Halloween 2007

Sorry that it has taken me so long to blog but I have an excuse. My digital camera was stolen from my car after Halloween. I was hoping it would turn up but no such luck. Thanks to mom and and old-fashioned camera, I have some pictures that were taken recently. We will be replacing our camera soon with all the upcoming holiday sales. Word to the wise.... digital cameras are hot items and are easily swiped! Know what I mean, Dad? Learn a lesson from me and take care of yours!

Anyway... here are some Halloween pics. Carter, of course, dressed as his favorite blue engine while Brady took the time to catch up on some ZZZ's. Carter practiced long and hard and was an old pro at Trick-or-Treating! He used his "thank you's" which made Mommy so proud. In the end, his eyes lit up at the sit of his plastic Thomas bucket filled to the top with goodies. Both Daddy and Pop were pleased at the all the chocolate he scored including full size candy bars. Needless to say, there wasn't much left once they got their hands on it. It truly was a wonderful evening. Our love to all!

Exciting News!

No, I am not pregnant! I was made aware this week that I have received full tuition to the University of Toledo's special education scholarship program. The state of Ohio is recruiting current classroom teachers to complete licensure that provides the opportunity to become a certified special education teacher. Since I am maintaining a position under a temporary special education license, I was given priority into the program. I will complete the program on a part-time basis via distant online learning and will not have to be away from home. There are currently only 10 candidates across the state of Ohio participating in U of Toledo's program and I am lucky enough to be one. I will begin next week with anticipated completion in the summer of 2009. From there, I will be about 5 classes away from my Master's degree. Once finished, I will be certified to teach special education from Preschool to grade 3. It is all very exciting and the best news is we won't have to pay a dime. It will be a lot of work but a piece of cake compared to being the mother of a toddler and an infant! Our love to all!

This One's For You Uncle Doug!

Just another Sunday at the Cook household! Even though our Bengals aren't stepping up yet this season, we celebrate every game in our Bengals gear. Carter is actually starting to sit on the couch with Mommy and Daddy as we cheer for Cincinnati. I can't help but feel that this is only a small glimpse of what my future holds. And as a friend commented..."It looks as if Carter may be a quarterback and Brady will definitely be a linebacker!" Who Dey! Our love to all!

Meet Mr. Brady!

It is always so wonderful when you are able to capture those first social interactions! Brady is officially two months old. He is growing very quickly. His most recent weight check has him weighing in at 14 pounds which is almost double his birth weight! He eats every 3 hours and is taking 6 ounces. We are currently trying to get him on a schedule which is proving successful. He has cut out one of his middle of the night feedings which has made me very happy! As you can see, he is beginning to respond to social play and loves it when his brother talks to him. I only have two weeks left until I return to work but I am excited that the boys will be spending their days with Nana. Our love to all and I will keep you posted!