Spending time with Grandma and Grandpa Cooley

We try to go over and visit the Cooley grandparents at least once a week. We caught Papa at home on his lunch break this particular day. Drew really likes it when Papa is around because he gets alot of snacks- crackers, fruit snacks, toast, cheese, cheetos, etc. Papa can't say no when Drew asks for more to eat.... learn to say no Papa!!!!

Grandma better rest up because she is going to have her hands full when Momma goes back to work. She will also be babysitting Colby- our 3 year old cousin. She is a wonderful mother and grandmother and we are so thankful that she watches our kids- it saves us from all of the sicknesses of daycares. Jake was enjoying a good visit with her.

Cox Cousins come to visit- end of July 08

Rusty, Paxton, and Mackey came in town while Aunt Whitney went on a little vacation with her mom and grandmother. The kids love playing with all of Grandma and Big Daddy's toys. Thanks to great Grandma Kal for treating us to lunch at Mazzios. It was yummy!! The Pickle's (our neighbors) have a great pool and let us use it whenever we want- so we decided to let the kids enjoy some fun in the sun!!!

The Boys and Their Momma ( I am not Rusty's momma)!!

Drew normally doesn't like to have his picture taken but apparently he was loving all of the attention this day. He loves to swim and does a pretty good job when he has is floaties on. I am sure you notice the florescent yellow ear plugs- hard to miss. Grandma Cox was soaking up some rays and some great bonding time with her grandkids.

The boys were jumping off of the diving board. Paxton is on the left and Drew is on the right. Good job boys!!! Y'all are so brave!!!

Big Daddy enjoyed holding little Jake while everyone else was swimming. Mackey decided to take a break from swimming and go visit with her cousin.

Hanging Out at Home

See if you can picture this.... Momma is gone. Daddy is at home with the boys and gave Drew a sucker and forgot to check on him. Scary huh?

There is something wrong with this picture.... the 3 month old is driving and he can't even sit up yet. Grandma Cooley was playing around one day while visiting and put Jake in the car!!!

Mr. Smiles-A-Lot

Jake is learning to sit up using the Bumbo.... he loves to watch Max and Drew run around or watch TV. He is truly his daddy's boy!!! He went to the doctor at the end of July and he weighed 16 pounds 8 ounces. What a chunk!!!! But he is a sweet chunk! He loves to smile and talk to you.... and he is extremely ticklish!!!

Wednesdays -Family Nights at Church

One of the family nights involved a lot of sliding. There was a small slide, really tall slide for the big kids, and then a homemade slide made by connecting tarps together and pouring soap and water on top. Drew loved the small slide the best!!!

Another Wednesday night we enjoyed... or maybe endured... a really hot night of bike riding in our church parking lot. The kids enjoyed popsicles in the gym after we finished riding. Drew enjoyed 2 minute ride Momma took him on.... Daddy's seat was uncomfortable!!!

Tripp and Alex

Visit with Great Grandparents-July08

We picked up Grandma Cooley and then went to visit Great Grandpa and Grandma Cooley. Great Grandpa hadn't seen Jake yet and we needed to go visit before things got really busy with school starting back and everything. Great Grandma tried to feed us the whole time we were there- as usual. Aunt Patty came to visit the boys too!!!

Spending time with Great Grandpa.... one of Great Grandpa's favorite things to do is play golf and he gave Drew a ball and kid club to practice golfing in the yard. He has got the stance... and the swing... but he also has A. D.D. and after two swings ran to play with some rocks in the flower bed. Thanks for showing him how to golf Grandpa!!!

4th of July

We decided to celebrate Independence Day with a traditional cookout with the Hooker family- (Grandma Cooley's side). The family meets at Sharon and Lewis' house every year to cook hamburgers, hotdogs, sausage, etc and play some good ole volleyball. Momma gets sick everytime she plays volleyball due to the heat, so she took this year off. Daddy played a few games and Drew enjoyed swimming in the little blow up pool with Sadie and Lanie. Jake enjoyed being passed around the yard like a football-visiting with everyone there.

After leaving that 4th of July party, we went home to have another party. We grilled some hotdogs with the Griffin family and popped some fireworks over at Big Daddy and Grandma's house. Drew is scared of loud noises and Big Daddy had to cover his ears while Tripp and Randy put on superb firework show!

Trying to catch up!!

Hello to all the visitors of our blog! Sorry I haven't had the chance to update the blog as often as I would like. Enjoy the pictures... because it will probably be a while before I get anymore posted. Ha!

Out-of-Town Guests

We enjoyed a visit from the Cox cousins-Paxton and Mackey- while their parents were on vacation. They stayed next door at Big Daddy and Grandma's house. We got to spend some time playing outside, swimming and running around the Kidsview Park in Longview. Drew is kissing on Mackey while Paxton is sun-bathing.

Smiles Galore!

At 2 months old, Jake is becoming more talkative and smiles a lot. It's sad, but he already enjoys watching TV with his brother and his Daddy. For the most part, he is a pretty happy baby... unless it is time to eat and then the smiles disappear and its time to get some ear plugs. He likes to sit up, look around and watch his brother make a mess with all of his toys.

A New "Do"

Our hairstylists had moved away, so Momma is the new one (for Daddy and the boys). Drew got a little haircut this summer... well, not a little one. I cut the bottom part of his hair and then I didn't know how to make the top part look good, so I buzzed it all. It isn't extremely short, but it is a big change from the usual Drew hair. It never phased Drew one bit. I will get a lot of practice with Drew's hair before I get to start on Jake's! Sorry Drew- somebody has got to be my guinea pig!

Church Baby Shower for Jake

Some of the ladies from our church had a baby shower for us. This was the cake that one of the hostesses made. It was absolutely wonderful!!

We received lots of diapers, wipes, formula, and this beautiful frog quilt that my 4th grade teacher made for Jake. We are very blessed to have such a supportive church family. Thanks to all of the hostesses and people who attended. Jake enjoyed an evening surrounded by a lot of ladies and a lot of attention.

Family Fellowship with the Griffin Family

We gathered at the Griffin house with the Hagens for dinner and evening of fun. The dads bonded in the house while the moms and kids played in the water. There's Alex and Drew in the pool and Drew and Karleigh hugging!!! Thanks for having us over- we enjoyed it!

Peek- A - Boo

Drew loves to play outside. We have only one tree in our yard and he loves to play around it. Momma just happened to get in a little game of peek-a-boo and captured this picture. Don't let that cute smile fool you.... he is quite the handful these days. The "two's" really are terrible!!!

Playing with Brother

The kid's love to spend time on momma and daddy's bed. There's so much room to move and jump around- it's the hangout while mom and dad get ready in the morning. Jake doesn't come into our bed in the morning anymore.... he goes back to sleep and stays in his bed. WE WANTED TO BREAK THAT HABIT QUICKLY!!!!

Biking with my Buddy

Daddy got a new bike for his birthday from Big Daddy and Grandma and then he bought a trailer for the kids to ride in. Drew's friend Alex came over to help us try it out. Daddy got a great work out pulling both of us up a hill in our neighborhood. Notice the funny bee hat on Alex's head!!!

Kidsview Park with FBCLC

Every Wednesday during the summer our church has an activity for the family and this week it was for the kids to play at Kidsview in Longview. Here's a picture of the 3 tired and sweaty kids- Karleigh (3), Drew and Alex (2). They enjoyed chasing each other around, swinging and sliding while Jake slept.

A Longview fire truck stopped by to show the kids what the truck looked like on the inside and give them a ride around the parking lot. Thanks Katriana for holding all the kids in your lap!!

A Weekend in Melissa

We made a trip to Melissa to visit Randy's brother and family and celebrate Paxton's 3rd birthday (Drew is 2 and Mackey is 1.5 yrs old) The three amigos enjoyed some cornflake cookies in the kitchen, dressing up as the Hulk, Buzz Lightyear, and a Princess, and a bath to finish the day. Thanks for a wonderful dinner Uncle Rusty and Aunt Whitney.

Paxton celebrated his 3rd birthday with a swim party and some fun pirate games. Drew enjoyed swimming with his cousins and his Daddy. Jake stayed asleep the whole time and Momma stayed out of a swim suit because she had just recently got a spray tan and turned out orange. She was extremely embarrassed!