Christmas: Part II

So Papa and Grandma showed up on Friday night with a car loaded down with presents for the girls. On Saturday morning we relived Christmas again and the girls had loads of fun opening their presents. They got clothes, movies, toys, books, pictures, and new bikes! Thanks to everyone one in the Miller family for sending gifts for the girls! Hope you enjoy these photos!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Fun with Papa and Grandma

Papa and Grandma Miller took the girls to the park on Sunday to play with their wagon and enjoy some playground time. Here are some pictures.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

It's Christmas!!!

Santa definitely made his way to our house! This morning we had Dan, Stacey, Marilyn and Lauren over for the traditional Cooper breakfast and to watch the girls open their presents. The presents from "Santa" were already here but we awoke to find presents from Grandma and Grandpa Cooper on the porch. The Miller's arrived and brought even more presents for the girls...so spoiled! They loved all their gifts but the babies and strollers from Mommy and Daddy Santa were the big hit! Here are some pictures from this morning. I will also try to post a video later. Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Partners in Crime

So this morning Andy and I were getting ready and while I was in the shower, I heard Andy's phone ring. Apparently the girls had called 911 and hung up! No one called back so we thought everything was okay. Andy left for work and called me within a few minutes to let me know that a sheriff was coming to check on us! A few minutes later, 2 of Wake county's finest came to the door. They had to come and make sure everything was okay, so I directed Alaina and Abbie that way. Alaina came smiling and Abbie tagged along behind. I'm sure our neighbors think something is going on since the officers stayed in our driveway for a good 10 minutes after we talked! I hope this isn't a foreshadowing of their teen years! Gotta love 'em!

Potty Training Bootcamp: An Overall Success

Things went pretty well for us the rest of today. Alaina had 2 accidents this afternoon, but I'll take only 2 accidents from her in over 24 hours!!!! She only used 2 pairs of panties today and went in the potty 7 times!!! Abbie continued her streak of doing well also. She only had 2 accidents since the last post and went on the potty a total of 8 times today, and she only used 7 pairs of panties! While we haven't perfected the potty training in these 3 days, I'm confident it will be completed by the end of week. I'm very proud of the girls and am so excited to not have to buy or change any diapers!!!!! While it's been a long 3 days, I'm glad we did it now. Now I need a trip to the spa...haha! Thanks to everyone for their words of support during bootcamp!!!

Potty Training Bootcamp: Noon on Day 3

It is nap time now and we're finally seeing PROGRESS!!!!! Alaina has done incredible! She stayed dry all night and has not had any accidents yet today!!!! Abbie started off the day with 4 accidents (including one on my lap...yuck...) but finished on the potty the 3 of the 4 times. Then before lunch I think it finally "clicked" with her. She came to me, said "potty", we ran to the bathroom and she went! WOOOHOOOO! I don't think the carpet can handle anymore this weekend! Before our nap I sat her on the potty and she went again! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is finally working for her. More to come...

Potty Training Bootcamp: Day 2

So the author of this book says that Day 1 will be the most frustrating...she obviously didn't have twins! After crying 4 times today and making a call of desparation to Mary for some advice with this whole thing, the day has finally ended...ahhh...We checked on the girls last night and had to change wet beds at 11pm but I was thrilled when they were both dry at 7:20 this morning! Today I saw progress with Alaina but Abbie still doesn't seem to get it. Alaina went on the potty 6 times today and even told me she had to go the last couple of times! Abbie only went on the potty once and would only tell me "pee pee" after she had an accident. The underwear count did improve for today, only 21 pairs, 7 for Alaina and 14 for Abbie. I am praying that something kicks in tomorrow and Abbie realizes what is going on, pleeeeease! The girls start at their new daycare on Monday and I would hate for Candace to have pee all over her house! That's it for tonight...

Potty Training Bootcamp: Day 1

So I decided that since I had a long weekend with nothing planned to do that I would potty train the girls. My friend Mary used this 3 day potty training routine to potty train her daughter and I thought that sounded like something we needed to try. It is now the end of Day 1 and I'm exhausted! Our day started at 7:45 with the girls throwing away their diapers (although they are really just in the garage) and putting on their big girl panties. They were excited to have them on and we went on our way. By 8:30 we had our first accident on the kitchen floor...Abbie looked down and started crying and we ran to sit on our new potty chair. This routine continued the rest of the day. Alaina did well and went on the potty 5 times, Abbie went on the potty 4 times but couldn't get her timing down to get to the bathroom before she was done. The idea behind this is that they will eventually get tired of wetting themselves and will learn to tell us when they have to use the potty. The author says that it should click with them sometime within the next 3 days...I hope sooner than later, considering we went through 38 pairs of panties today! I will update again tomorrow. Here are some pictures of the girls in their big girl panties.

Uncle George's first trip to North Carolina

Two weekends ago Uncle George came to visit us for the first time since we moved down. We had a pretty laid back weekend, ate alot, went to the Museum of Life and Science, and played board games. George watched the girls while Andy and I went out to dinner for a much needed "parents night out" (I remember that term from my childhood when Mom and Dad and Linda and Vaudie would leave all us kids at home together on a Saturday night...sorry...rambling...) After searching for a place to eat for 2 hours, Andy and I decided that Raleigh is not the place to dine out on a Saturday night! On Sunday we went to the museum and looked at the animals and insects. I'm sure George was glad to go back to adult life, although I'm sure he's missing reading books about Noah's Ark, the alphabet, and animals...haha! I think he probably read every book they have about 10 times each! It was a great weekend and we were sad to see him go...Alaina cried when we left the airport:( Thanks for coming to visit us Uncle George, we hope to see you again soon!

Trick or Treat

The girls went trick or treating for the first time on Friday and wore themselves out! They had fun going to houses with our neighbor David and were not afraid to invite themselves into our neighbors' houses. They have had a few pieces of their candy, but Daddy took most of it to work. Here are the highlights of the night...

THE BEGINNING:


THE MIDDLE:


and THE END:

Our first trip to the pumpkin patch

Today I took the girls on their first trip to the pumpkin patch. The patch was at a family farm in Clayton so the girls were able to see a few animals including goats, horses, chickens and a donkey. We then got on the hayride and went to find their pumpkins. They had fun on the ride and enjoyed watching the tractor pull us along. Because of a bad rain season, the pumpkins weren't very big this year. Even so, the girls enjoyed roaming through the field and pointing out all of the pumpkins. The pumpkins are a nice decoration on our front step, but I think we will have to buy a bigger one to carve. I am excited to dress the girls up on Halloween and to finally live in a neighborhood where we can watch the kids trick-or-treat.

Getting ready for Halloween

Today we took the girls to get their pictures taken for the fall. We bought their Halloween costumes last week and I couldn't wait to get their pictures taken in them! This year they are a perfect sister pair...a cat and mouse! I thought this fit their personalities well seeing as Abbie, my little mouse, is always getting into things, and Alaina, my kitty cat, is always following right behind! The girls have enjoyed wearing their costumes around and I'm sure they will be excited about getting some candy on Halloween!
The girls and I had home-made ice cream with some of our new neighbors this past Sunday and they were able to play with some new friends. It was nice to finally meet people here! We are looking forward to having some of Andy's co-workers and some of our neighbors over on Sunday to finally use our new deck.
Well that's all for now, I hope you enjoy these new pictures! (I ordered plenty of pictures so if you would like me to send you some please leave me a comment with the ones you would like)

A day in the life...

This week was pretty uneventful for us but I was able to take a video and some pictures of the girls just being themselves. Don't you wish you could still be entertained by simple things like swinging on the bottom of the table and trying to take off your socks? Oh to be a toddler and "explore" the world (even when it stresses your Mommy out!) Hope everyone is enjoying the start of fall! I can't wait to use our firepit and take the girls on their first trip to the pumpkin patch!

Our week of play and pampering

While Andy started the deck last weekend, Grandpa Jim, Uncle Ken, the girls and myself went to the Droze family reunion in South Carolina. The girls enjoyed their time there and especially enjoyed running around with the other kids at the reunion. When we got back home, Andy had a big surprise for the girls...a playset. The girls were so excited to swing and have enjoyed playing out there several times this week. To finish there fun week off, we decided to take them to Snipits for their first haircut. They had fun dancing to the kiddie music at the salon and did a great job with their haircuts...they never even cried! The lady also fixed their hair with a cute ribbon after their cuts, however Abbie pulled her's out when she got in the car. I wish these kids would let me doll them up but I guess I'll have to wait until they're a little older! Hope you enjoy these pics!

Andy Cooper, Deck Builder Extrordinaire...

Andy decided to spend his vacation putting an addition onto our existing deck. The original deck was so small that we were unable to put all of our patio furniture on it and the furniture that did fit was hard to use. Andy was a little worried about building the deck by himself but he did an awesome job and I am very proud of him! I can't wait to plant some flowers around the deck and for our family to be able to eat and relax outside. Here are some pictures of the building process and the completed project.

Are you ready for some football...

With the start of the NFL season we invited Dan and Stacey over for a game night dinner to watch our team in action. Andy cooked buffalo chicken and onion rings, the perfect game time food! Since the girls had outgrown their Colts cheerleading outfits from last year and do not fit their new ones yet, I made them new shirts. They seemed to enjoy them and walked around pulling and pointing at the football. We had a good time even though the Colts suffered a loss to the Bears. Oh well, the season has just begun and there will time to celebrate later. We also wanted to wish the grandparents a Happy Grandparents Day! Enjoy!

Showing our independence

This week the girls learned that infamous word that no parent dreams of hearing from their toddler.."NO"! While the tone of the word has not become rude yet, it has grown in popularity as a response to my every question...Are you hungry? NO...but you just said "eat"...NO...and the game goes on and on. They have also started showing love for their toys as they carry around their "bay-bees" and give them kisses and wash their faces! For awhile now we have done the toothbrushing routine at bath time and they've grown to love it! Sometimes I even have to stop them from brushing eachother's teeth...uck...but I guess they don't know the difference since they've always shared everything. Hopefully they will keep up their love of cleanliness as they get older. Here are some pics of them brushing...

A weekend of play

This weekend I took the girls out to explore our new town. We went to the park on Saturday and the girls enjoyed the swings, as usual, and also had fun playing on the slides. It was really hot, so when Alaina started sweating I decided it was time for some ice cream. I'd heard about this place called Goodberry's so we went there for an afternoon treat. It was very good custard and reminded me of Ritter's back home. The girls of course enjoyed their vanilla with peaches and cried when it was gone. Today we took a trip up to the state farmer's market and bought some fresh fruit and veggies. The girls loved the peaches and we're happy to carry them around the house and eat when we got home. Our days are getting longer with the girls growing up...now starting around 6:30 and ending close to 8:00! By the end of the day I'm ready to go to sleep with them! Even though I get frustrated at times, who couldn't love these faces...

A day at the backyard beach...

I bought the girls a pool a few weeks ago and today we decided to spend some time in it. They both enjoyed splashing around and cooling off from the sun. Hope you enjoy these pics!

We're growing up!

Now that we've moved into the house I finally have time to update our blog. I can't believe that Alaina and Abbie are 18 months old already! How time flies! The girls are enjoying their new house and room, they love the "ugs" on their walls. Besides the fact that they can walk around at high speed now, they are also climbing the stairs and learning new words. They can tell you all the features of their face, although they still like to call the nose an eye. They have also been saying their colors, their favorites are "puple" and "ewow". Their favorite new word...EAT. If I followed their directions to eat we would be at the table all day! Anytime they see a table they think it's time for food! Abbie is also mastering her eating skills...she is able to eat her yogurt with her spoon with very little mess. Before I know it they'll be off to school:{ Hope you enjoy these new pictures.

The vacation's over...time to get packing!

We had a great visit to Indiana last week and enjoyed seeing all of our family and friends. I think Abbie and Alaina have finally gotten back on their normal schedule since they are not the crabby children that they were at the end of our trip:) Anyway, we closed on the house Friday and are ready to get moved in. We've already done some painting and Andy is going to get some other things done this week. The girls are getting a pink and red ladybug themed roomed and Alaina has already showed she is pleased with the pink walls as she clapped when I showed her the finished paint job! I can't wait for all of us, including the dogs, to be able to enjoy our new home. Here are some pictures that we took of the girls during our trip.

We're getting a house!

After spending many hours searching for homes online and driving through many neighborhoods, we have found the perfect house for our family. We are so happy to have found a great place with a wonderful yard for the girls to play in and for the dogs to run in...they won't know what to do without their leashes! The builder accepted our offer this week and if all goes well we should close by the end of July. Since the house is brand new, we will have alot of painting and yard work to do but we know it will be worth it! We took the pictures below this week.

We're walking together!

This has been a good week for us! Alaina started walking on Tuesday and now we can't slow her down. She is realizing that walking in beneficial since she can carry things around now. Abbie has continued to walk but doesn't feel the need to show it off too often! Now we just need to find some shoes that fit and they'll be set. Enjoy this new clip!

I got skills too!

I've been watching my sissy get all the attention from standing and walking so I've decided it's my turn! Today we went to the waterpark and I honed my skills in the kiddie pool. When I got on dry land I stood up and even teased Mommy and Daddy with a couple of steps. I decided to show off again when I got home so everyone could see me! Enjoy!

Watch me walk!

Remember last week when I told you I would be walking soon? Well I've been practicing everyday and I'm ready to show off my skills! I take a few more steps everyday and am starting to see that this could really benefit me. Enjoy the show!

I'm a Big Girl!

Hey everybody! Today I decided that it isn't as scary as I thought to stand by myself. Tonight I pulled myself up on Mommy's shoulder and let go! I raised my hands in the air and then clapped for the good job I did. Just wait, I'll be walking on my own soon!

Love,

Abbie

We went swimming!

Since the temperature was about 90 degrees in Raleigh today, we decided we'd try the pool again. The water was much warmer this week and we enjoyed floating around in our rafts and playing with Mommy. We watched the big kids swimming and diving for toys and we can't wait to be big and do that some day! We can't wait to go back to the pool!

Staying in Touch

Hi Everyone! After seeing this site used by several friends, I have decided to forego further postings on the Kodakgallery and Myspace accounts and update you on our family through this page. Hopefully it will be less time consuming for me and will allow me to update you more often! Hope you enjoy this new clip of Alaina and Abbie!