It's Great to be Eight!

Courtney turned eight about a week ago, but I put off posting the pictures because I knew the baptism was coming up and I thought I'd do them together. Now I have so many pictures I don't know which ones to post! So I started with the birthday. Here she is with her mermaid cake. I told her that mermaids don't have short hair, but she was determined that was how she wanted it. She was excited to have her friends and cousins for a party. We painted our nails and added stickers to make them beautiful. We made bracelets and ate cake; in short we had fun. I was grateful that Phoebe slept and stayed pretty happy so that mom could be my extra pair of hands with the girls and their projects. I don't know what I'd have done without her help! Courtney even got to have Leanne and Chantel stay the night before the party. Her first slumber party was a success. Despite the lack of sleep, they were all smiles. Poor Dylan was a little overwhelmed with the sheer number of females in the home, but he was a good sport and gave them advice in playing the Wii.Last night was the baptism. All went fairly smoothly. She did have to get dunked twice because she let her toes float to the surface, but I don't think she minded. She was so excited to wear her new white dress she would have put up with almost anything. Once again I was just overwhelmed with the support of family and friends. Thanks to all who came.

Nearly all of my family was there, even though it was a weeknight and they are busy people. A friend from my ward said, "Are ALL these kids your nieces and nephews?" I proudly said YES! The grandfathers gave the talks, and it was a family affair from start to finish. I've been making cookies for the past couple days for the baptism and the kids just swarmed them after the prayer. I hope they didn't overdo it but I'm afraid no one was really monitoring just how many they ate. Thanks again to everyone.

Phoebe at 4 months!

So I guess I am lazy or this 4 month milestone just got here before I knew it. I didn't plan any professional pictures so I just dressed her up and broke out the new camera. She is such a cutie it wasn't hard to get a few fun shots. I even thought of getting a couple with Paige. I have this picture of Steph and I when I was about 6 six months. It is a favorite of mine and I was going for that but maybe it will work better when she is able to sit up. I also got a few fun shots of the three cousins together the other day at Steph's house. The three of them hardly look related but each is so cute in their own way. Can't wait to compare these shots to a picture when they are all grown up!

Sleeping Beauty turns 3!

Please ignore the mess behind her, but isn't she too cute! Paige has been our smallest baby since the beginning, so it has been hard to realize she is not a baby anymore. I have always had a soft spot for the sleeping beauty story, so I admit to being secretly happy that Paige feels the same way. So when she asked for a sleeping beauty cake for her birthday I was excited to give it a try.
The hardest part was the hands. I just couldn't get them to look as good as I wanted. I have a new idea to try for next time though.
I looked at several options of other similar cakes online and this was my version. It came out pretty well.

Paige has been talking about her birthday for weeks, she has been pretty excited. We were able to go to my parents house and have her cousins and both sets of grandparents there to help her celebrate. Of course she was spoiled with presents and it was like Christmas all over again.

I'm just grateful to have Paige around the house these days. She is always full of so much enthusiasm for everything. Usually she is bright and happy, but if she is upset she expresses that with the same intensity. She loves to play make-believe and is often acting out these long monologues, most of which I can't understand, but I still find interesting because her face is so expressive. I haven't been able to get her interested in going potty yet, but that is our new project. She recently moved from the crib to the bottom bunk in the bunkbed we got for the girls. She loves it.

Spring in January

So I got myself some new cake decorating tools and books for Christmas, and luckily I know a few people with January birthdays that were willing to let me try out a few things. These are my first attempts at making frosting flowers and I am having so much fun with it. I think it is like therapy for me. Even though they don't last, because we ate them, I don't mind at all. I guess I am used to it because most things that moms do get undone fairly quickly.

Stephanie's cake

Laura's cake

Phoebe at 2 whole months!

I am excited we got a professional(thanks Linds!) to take some pictures of little Phoebe; my amateur efforts just can't compare. They really turned out great. She is a special little girl and really is different than the rest of the kids. Clint and I started out comparing her to the others' baby pictures and trying to see who she looked the most like. Now we just say that she has her own look. We are just loving it when she smiles and allows us to cuddle her. The kids love to hold her and talk to her. Sadly she has had a lot of colic--but she is already improving and I am getting a little more sleep these days. She is gaining weight and has rolls and dimples in all the right places.

Blessing Day!

Phoebe is growing fast. I took her to the doctor two weeks ago and she was already up to 8 lbs 12 oz. Not sure how much she weighs now, but she is changing everyday. We were able to have Phoebe blessed on Sunday. It was great to have so much of our family there with us. I think I really take it for granted that we live close enough together to make these events a real family affair. But it struck me on Sunday just how lucky I am and I wanted to make a point of thanking everyone for coming and being so supportive. What an amazing circle of men who stood around Phoebe to bless her. Thanks again to all of you for being such a great example to me and my family. We wish you all the best of the Holiday season!

Introducing Phoebe Anne Cooper

Phoebe was born on Thursday November 11th right around dinner time. I was induced early that morning and it was slow going until right at the end when everything seemed to happen at once. After three times of having a wonderful experience with the epidural I ran out of luck this time. About 45 min before she was born it just started wearing off. And that was when everything picked up speed. The anesthesiologist wasn't able to come back and fix things in time and so I delivered her the old fashioned way. Luckily she was not my biggest baby. She weighed in at 7 pounds and 10 ounces.
Mom was watching Courtney, Dylan, and Paige for me and so Clint went to get them just before bedtime so they could say hello to their new baby sister. They came in their jammies and the nurse was nice enough to take a few pictures for us. They are thrilled with her and are constantly begging to hold her. They have decided that she is the cutest baby in the world.
Clint and I are sleep deprived and the house is in upheaval, but this to be expected. Our little house is feeling a little full. But we are happy Clint is taking some time off work to help us all adjust. We are just so glad to have her here. We feel blessed. Thanks to all our family and friends who have offered support.