Half Marathon - We Did It!

I am very excited to say that we FINISHED the half marathon. In the process of training I have made a very good friend, Michelle. Here we are with our boys picking up our race packets. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures with her on race day. We started together, but she finished 6 minutes before me. She is SO sweet! 

Training with Chris has been wonderful. I am very glad we did this together. This was taken before the race. We could not have asked for a more beautiful Seattle day! It wasn't too hot and clear blue skies. 

After the race we met up with our friends Kim and Schuyler in the beer garden. Chris met Schuyler at his first job out of college. His wife Kim is a sweetheart, and apparently a REALLY good runner. She finished just two minutes behind Chris! 

We had a lot to celebrate. 

We did it! We ran 13.1 miles. We ran without walking up the hills throughout the course- it is Seattle after all. We even ran up the hill that was the finish line, that was just cruel. 

Chris finished in 1 hour 51 minutes.

I finished in 2 hours 13 minutes. 

We just might do it again.

9 months

(I apologize in advance for all the photos and random events. I always have the best intentions to post throughout the month, and before I know it, the month is over. This may be a long post... oops.)

Little man, you are 9 months old!!

20 pounds 8 ounces (67%)

28 inches (34%)

Head circumference: 19 inches (97%)

Clothes: 9 month (jammies 12 month)

diaper size: 3

tooth count: ZERO! Thats right, the top tooth I SAW and FELT has since retracted. Our boy is all gums.

These monthly photo shoots are getting more difficult...

You are turning a corner... 

...and you're done. 

Your giggles are the best. 

This month you just TOOK OFF. You army crawl less and crawl more. I have to keep my eye on you at all times, since you have decided to pull yourself up on everything in sight- including the stairs. You will stand up while holding on to something for extended amounts of time. You will "furniture walk" on your own, but someone has to be in near because you are pretty wobbly. You will walk while I hold your hands or keep your walking toy steady. I have found your smiling face looking at me above your crib rails in the morning. You are SO proud of yourself standing up in there like a big boy! I am proud of you too, buddy. 

You LOVE books. Well, I should say, you enjoy certain books. Kicking, flailing, crying, or simply throwing an unacceptable choice are just a few ways you let me know which books your like.

You turn the pages.

You continue to enjoy swimming lessons. I took pictures and video of life jacket day. You definitely prefer being in the water without a life jacket. 

The following video has a few things that should be noted:

1) The ANNOYING ladies in the background taught me my first lesson in watching my child participate in an activity with other children. These ladies commented the ENTIRE time about how much better their granddaughter is than everyone else. You can even hear them say something about how Cooper is not going to like this slide (ignore the fact that they are right), but don't worry their granddaughter did the BEST out of everyone. Ugh, and this is just the beginning. 

2) Cooper does not love this experience, but it was worth a shot!

3) Chris swoops Cooper up so fast the life jacket doesn't have enough time to work. :) In Chris's defense, it is tough to watch your baby go underwater. Instincts kick in and you just snatch them up.

I adore these chubby little paws

Your eyes are so expressive. People always comment on your eyes.

You love pulling yourself up on EVERYTHING.

Eating has become more exciting these days. You eat all kinds of things now! In reference to what you eat, you are not a picky eater, but how you eat is another story. This month you decided that you needed to feed yourself. I read that this is typical for babies your age, and that I should let you experiment with feeding yourself. See picture below. 

So you are feeding yourself store bought food. We are both happier.

This stage has been so much fun! You are so curious and happy. You are turning into a little boy before our eyes.  

Happy First Father's Day!

Chris is an amazing dad. Just amazing. We spent Father's Day weekend as a family, just hanging out. It was perfect.



It all started on Saturday at Fall City Days. Fall City is a small town just down the freeway from us. This is the quintessential small town event. Parade. Fair food. Watermelon eating contest. Rubber duck derby. Carnival rides. Random vendors.

Spoiler alert: the kid ten-year-old-who-snuck-in-to-the-six-to-eight-year-old-bracket on the far left, wins. 

No, Cooper, you may not have the elephant ear. 

I just love this kid.

The day ended with the Rubber Duck Derby. $5 to buy a duck, they dump the ducks from the bridge above the river, first duck to get the finish line wins $500 cash! The runner up prizes weren't bad either. Next year...

On Sunday, Chris and I had to run TEN MILES for our half marathon training (which is this weekend, EEK!). Chris was truly Super Dad, considering he pushed our nine month old son all ten miles. After the run we hit up the park for a little swing action.

Cooper gave his dad a special little gift for his first Father's Day. You can click on the link below to view it.

Click here to view this photo book larger

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