Dear Cooper

Dear Cooper,

We have been celebrating your second birthday for the last several days and I wish it wouldn't end. You weren't so sure about the big day when I went to wake you up. I greeted you with a big good morning Happy Birthday and all you did was roll over and say, "No two's, no two's". Haha. I cannot believe it has been two years since we saw you for the first time. You changed our world that day and continue to change it each and every day. As you begin another year we want to reflect on the last year and I will start the motherly advice you will get for years to come! 

You have changed so much over the last year. You were barely walking and only mumbling words that we swore were Mom or Dad. Now you are making sentences, even if they are not so nice. :) prime example- you were mad at mom and dad and screamed, "Get out of here!" And slammed your door. I'm sure that won't be the last time we hear that over the years. You also came out a few minutes later laughing while saying, "Sorry Momma." A year ago you were barely walking and now daycare reports you are the fastest in your class and want to run everywhere. Over the last year you have traveled more in one year than we had in 25! We visited many parts of Korea, along with going to Hong Kong, Ohio, Kansas, and Hawaii! You are getting use to flying and have become quite the airport expert! I'm sure you'll be disappointed when we leave the Asian airports and all their glory with the play places! This year you have also proven to be such a BOY! You have discovered you can fart and burp just like dad and you find it beyond hysterical. You also love all sports! (Also straight from dad) You can sit and watch a whole half of basketball or whole quarter of football and be completely happy. You also love to throw or kick anything and claim its soccer/basketball/football. This past year you have challenged us with your sleeping habits (or lack thereof) as well as your stubbornness, but you have also amazed us with your sweet, sweet personality! You have such a big heart and are always looking out for others, giving kisses and I'm sorries, and truly loving life! You also have the best belly laugh that brings big smiles to mom an dad! 

From your momma - a few words of advice. 

1. Keep that beautiful spirit you have! You smile big and laugh all the time- don't stop! 

2. Keep being curious and problem solving! You are constantly getting into things and getting "stucky" as you call it. But, you are always finding a way to get out of it or make it work. Keep that drive. 

3.Keep being our baby. You have already grown up too fast and sometimes you like to think you're going on 5, but know you will always be our baby. We love you very much and are looking forward to another great year full of new things to learn about you and for you to teach us. 

Love, 

Mom & Dad

A few pictures from the birthday weekend. More to come :)

              Cookie decorating :)

His beautiful cake!! He loved it!!

He was so excited they were all here. He said, "Mom, look at this!!"

The gangs all here :)

Cooper decorating Mickey! 

Ninja Turtle Tent :) he received so many wonderful gifts from our Korea "family". 

Goodie buckets for the kiddos. 

Sum It Up Saturday!

To say it's been an interesting week is an understatement! We began the week by bringing Andy north of Seoul for a 2 week class. The GPS said 1 hour 45 minutes. It must have been in the holiday spirit and was feeling very generous on its time estimates! That turned into 3 hours later and we finally made it! After getting Andy  settled in, Cooper and I had to turn around for a return trip. One that every ounce of me was dreading! The class was held at a sorry excuse for a "base", and had no options for food besides the Shoppette- nothing more than a glorified high school concession stand. Cooper and I grabbed what we could and hit the road. Cooper was especially excited as he finally got to turn his seat around. This big boy hit the 32 pound mark this week!! 

For those of you who have never driven in Seoul, you are missing out on white-knuckle, heart pounding, cursing driving with an added touch of GPS frustration. As we got on our way, I felt pretty good following the directions while Cooper hung out in the back watching the new obsessed Mickey episode- Minnie-rella.  About thirty minutes into the drive and no, "recalculating" from the lady up front, I heard a tiny voice say, "belly hurt Momma, belly hurt." I brushed it off and told him he would be okay and just to close his eyes. No sooner had I said that than had I heard the worst sounds a mom driving in Seoul traffic can hear- the sound of your child throwing up! Not just a little, but projectile vomit all over the backseat.  My poor baby was crying, scared and sitting in his own puke. 

As I quickly ran through the scenario in my head, cars whizzed by, the dumb lady up front told me she was recalculating and tears fell from my eyes. In Korea, it is never as simple as missing an exit and going up to the next exit to turn around. Every exit leads to another highway and that to another highway. After 45 minutes of the white-knuckle driving, I could finally pull over to get Cooper out and cleaned up. Little did I know, the car was in much worse shape than Cooper! 3 hours later we finally made it home, only to spend the next two hours trying to clean the car up. We stripped the car seat, scrubbed the seats with cleaner/pet deodorizer and used a can of Febreeze to get the smell out. Nothing has worked :(  calling any moms who have experienced this- what works???? I'm almost to the point of paying the old Korean man the $300 he quoted me to steam clean everything.  

Besides that unfortunate start to our single Mommy time and battling the winter cold, we have had a great week! Cooper is getting so big! He turns TWO this week!!! (Insert tears!) He is so full  of life. He is as ornery as his dad and two uncles all rolled into one! Before I get too sappy, my favorite moment from this week involved story time before bed. We were reading the Christmas ABC's with Mickey and the "K" is for Kisses for every good Toon. Cooper got up to give me a kiss and as I went to turn the page he says, "No Momma, some more." And kissed me again. I laughed and kissed him again. He continued this the next three times I tried to turn the page. It is times like this that are in the forefront of my memory when he's throwing his blocks at me and screaming "I want my Daddy" because I didn't understand he wanted his jacket and not his coat. :) 

Look out world- I'm growing up!

Picnic with Mommy! 

Can't wait for our Mickey Mouse party!!

St. Nick brought crayons, coloring books and cars!!

We're BACK!!

It's been so long, I'm surprised Google hasn't deleted my blog by now. But, yes, it's true - we are still here in Korea, doing well and back at blogging :)

My last post was way back in March (totally embarrassing!) just before my parents arrived. While they were here we were all over Seoul and even ventured over to Hong Kong to see what Mickey was up to. It's hard to believe that Cooper wasn't saying anything that resembled words and was just barely walking with confidence.

Fast forward 6 months and he is a totally different kid! He is running everywhere and mimicking everything we are saying and doing! I caught myself shaking my head when I realized I did something wrong and as I looked at Cooper he was shaking his head in the same manner. Too funny! He makes us laugh so hard every day! It's amazing to me that their little personalities are in full swing at such a young age. Everyday he shows us that he truly loves life. He laughs and smiles at the smallest of things. Whether it be a the latest episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or mom's new dance moves, he is laughing! He also makes us laugh hysterically when he watches Cars - Mater Tales. He loves the trucks and screams BIIIGGG truck every time he watches it. During part of the movie, Mater, starts a band and is screaming into a microphone. Cooper loves to join the band and sing, or scream, along with him! Too cute.

We've also gotten an insight into the world of two-year old stubbornness. He has quite the hard-head on him. His favorite word is NO and not just any no, but a high-pitched, very loud NO! It always comes out at the most appropriate of times - middle of the thirty-minute line at the grocery store, the check-out counter of the PX, as we are leaving for the morning and I'm carrying five bags for school, my breakfast, and coffee...I have to remind myself that these little moments will pass and there will be a day I'll wish he was still so little.

Speaking of reminding myself of these moments in the future, I think another one I don't necessarily appreciate right now but will miss in the future is bedtime. Argh! I need help from my mommas out there! We have the same routine every night - bath, books, brush teeth, music and prayers. Every night I have to lay down with him before he will fall asleep. He tosses and turns, and tosses and turns. He asks for milk, then asks to read another book, and then tosses and turns. After an hour he finally falls asleep and I'm able to be a stealth ninja and leave the room all while saying my prayers that he doesn't hear the toe that just cracked and wake up. It is the most frustrating thing! I have tried leaving the room and letting him cry, but he can crawl out of bed and open the door and come running. I need a break!

Other then that, we are having a blast with him! haha. Things in Korea are going well. Andy was promoted to E6, Staff Sergeant in September and we are coming up on only 6 months left! We couldn't be more excited. While the opportunity to live overseas and experience a new culture is something we will cherish and remember, we have realized we are true Americans and are just dying to get back to a WalMart or Target. As of now, our orders have us reporting to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky and we are praying those do not change! It is about 45 minutes to Nashville and only 6 hours to New Knoxville.

Our next adventure is Hawaii!!! We will be meeting up with my parents, siblings, aunt, uncle and cousins. We've been planning since this summer and it doesn't seem real for it finally be here - but IT IS! We have about 2 weeks until we leave :) I'll have plenty of updates after that! Until then -  enjoy a slew of pictures :)

 

 

GG and some of her great-grands :)

Worn out after a day at the fair!

 

Morning convo with dad :)

 

 

Hey Mom!

I think Santa has a new toy to add to his list :)

                                                

                                                               

Exhausted after the Color Run - haha.

I was feeling like super mom when I stumbled upon this link while on Pinterest one day. Kate, the creator, designed these printable pieces of road. I printed, cut, and laminated them for hours of fun!! Go to her site - it's awesome :) I mean it - GO!

Family Update!

Hello readers!!

It's been a while and I wish I could say it was because we were out doing amazing things, but unfortunately the lapse in posting has been due to a pretty boring lifestyle the past month. It wasn't nearly as cold as most of our family has been experiencing in Ohio, but it was cold enough not to go out and do too much. Here is an update on what we have been up to the last couple of weeks.

Cooper is growing up right before our eyes! He got his FIRST haircut two weeks ago!! He did such a great job, too! The lady was great with him and he now looks like a little boy! No more baby here :( He is such a wild man and will not slow down!! He is pretty much running from us at any chance he gets as well as jabbering away. He has settled into daycare and for the first time since we started back in January, he walked into his classroom and as soon as I took off his coat he walked to his friends without looking back. Tears were definitely shed from Mommy this time. I am so happy that he feels comfortable and is loving his new friends, but it does sting a bit to not feel "missed" anymore. I will say the routine for pick-up makes me feel loved again as it never changes - an arms wide open run as soon as he hears Mommy's voice. One of my favorite things to do is sneak into his classroom and watch him from a distance as he plays and learns with his friends. I love to see how he interacts with everyone and he has made me so proud with the way he is learning so far. At home - he is a different story! haha. He is wild and very, very funny. He has started several new things lately, one of which is putting his hand to his mouth and closing his eyes when he 'laughs'. He has learned to fake laugh and thinks its the funniest thing ever. I'm also a bit concerned as he is playing the complete boy card and wanting to wrestle with anything and anyone around! I think we will be in for some trouble in the future. Daredevil should be his middle name. He has no fear when it comes to trying new things. This is great for the times we've gone somewhere new - not so great when he decides to be Houdini on his motorcycle. *Pictures to follow*. Other then that, he has been a great boy the last month. We have transitioned into a toddler bed already. I wish we would have done it sooner!! As soon as we put him in the toddler bed, Mom & Dad got their first full night sleep!! We are chalking it up to the crib seeming too cramped for him and hoping that the trend of sleeping through the night continues. Here are some pictures of him throughout the last month - Enjoy :)

The thing I will definitely miss the most when we eventually have to leave this country are the child play places! They are the best thing every - especially for really cold days or really hot days. There is so much for them to do, workers to come out and play with the children, as well as food and drinks at a discounted rate since you are paying to play!

Don't mind my terrible laugh at the beginning. be assured he was just fine :) 

"Mom - I found a new toy!!"

 I took his high chair to a local restaurant as I knew it did not have any for us to use. After bringing it home, Cooper found it to be his own recliner! haha.

Whew - what a day! He is obviously a boy and can't hang on a girls shopping day!

 I was chopping up his taco in nice bite-size pieces. As I turned to grab my taco, he grabbed his entire taco and went to town! He found it very funny!

 Our amazing Korean teacher at school offered to take us through our local market day to explain what items were so we would feel comfortable trying new things. I was soooo happy she did this!! I plan to go again on Monday to get some better pictures, but this is one item I got from the market for Cooper. It is a puffed rice treat that tastes like cereal. Cooper loves them as a snack. I got this whole big bag for just under $3.00.

 Being the silly, fearless boy he is!!!

 He LOVES to sit in our hallway to look out the window at all the cars/people. 

 Cooper loves his morning routine and the faucet as you can see! 

 Cooper LOVES his grandpa and was wishing him a very Happy Birthday!

NO MORE BOTTLES!! YAY :) 

We had the bumbo seat out for some visitors we have had recently and Cooper was obsessed with his "new" toy!

Don't mind the grainy pictures, but he LOVES to play peek-a-boo!

His buddy Eli was over for the afternoon last weekend. It took them a bit to warm up to each other, but by the end they were playing playing, playing!

 Before going to play in yet another play pace, we found the McDonalds! It's always great to have a little taste of home even if it isn't the healthiest thing. 

Daddy got to join us on this play-date :)

YUMMY!

Cooper had his first date over the Valentine's Day Weekend. He is already starting to go for the older ones ;) Ms. Hadley is just one week older than Cooper and they have been having lots of fun hanging out since Mommy met Hadley's mom at work!

 Cooper after his FIRST haircut!! Such a big boy!

 Being his silly, silly self!

 The following videos are just a glimpse into our crazy evenings here in the Naseman household. He brings such joy to our lives!

 Mr. Houdini!

 We have a streaker!!

Surprise, Surprise! Andy has been very busy at work. They had a short break from the middle of December through mid-January and then they were back to the grind of late nights and weeks in the field. He is headed back out into the field for two weeks but will be back just in time for my parents to arrive. Oh yes, did I mention - MY PARENTS ARE COMING!!!!! I am more excited then a little kid on Christmas morning! I am so excited for them to get here! I have been planning our agenda for each night to get as much in as we can. They will get the pleasure of hanging out with Cooper during the day while I am at work and then we will sight-see and go out to dinner for the evening. Our one big thing we have planned is to hop over to Hong Kong to see Mickey Mouse and friends at Walt Disney World! Cooper is so obsessed with Mickey and bounces his little legs to the "hot dog" song at every opportunity, so I cannot wait to see his reaction once we go see them. We will also be going to some temples and prime touristy spots of Seoul while we are there. I'm really looking forward to eating at Vato's again! Some of the best food I've had here. I'm also looking forward to showing my parents the culture and people we have gotten to know so far :)

As far as things go for me, I am coming in on the longest stretch of classes with my kiddos. I know, heaven forbid we go 5 days in a row, but when you work for a government school, you are used to having 4 day weeks like every other week. We are about to have 5, 5 day weeks! Yikes! We also have our national testing during that time as well. I have a really awesome ET (new word I've learned this year in the DoDEA system - educational technologist: I'm considering taking some classes to become one of these!) who gave a class on Google Apps and I'm getting ready to use them in our class with a research project. I can't wait for my kids to get started on it as I think they will be able to do some really great things with it! We have access to create items using a green screen and podcasting - I have high hopes! Once we are able to get through March, it will be smooth sailing to the end of the year with spring break included :)

I look forward to updating you again with our adventures through the last week without Daddy here and our time with my parents!