The Mirandas: February 2008

I am headed to California this weekend through the first part of next week. It will be a culmination of people that mean a lot to me. My cousin, Micki, is flying from San Antonio to Dallas then I will join her on the plane in Dallas and we are off to L.A. My dear, dear friend Stacey is flying from Mexico City to L.A. My college roomate and one of my best friends, Julie, is picking us all up for 6 days of fun! Micki is turning 50 at the end of March, so celebration will definitely happen! Happy Birthday, cousin!

A thought that is on my mind daily lately....Clayton will go to Kindergarten in August. The day after my 32nd birthday is Kindergarten Round-Up(sign-up). It is so bittersweet for me. I am so excited for him to learn and grow....he will have a blast. I am excited to spend time with Cooper just the two of us. The part that tugs at my heart strings is that I can't believe he is old enough to go to school. I am mentally and emotionally preparing for all of the things he will encounter that aren't so good.....name-calling, bad words & gestures, and just kid stuff. I guess this is one of the downfalls of being a school social worker and teacher for so long...you know how kids operate. One last thought on this......I pray that we as parents have equipped him to the best of our ability.

Cooper is doing great! He now has his 4th word.....UH-OH! He has mama, dada, bubba and this new found word. I love to hear him say it. He is so serious when he speaks (sound like anyone else?) According to his doctor last week he is about 3 months behind verbally. Not a huge concern considering he is a 2nd child and his quiet personality. Clayton was talking up a storm at 18 months old, so it is definitely different. The sweet thing with him not being a talker is truly enjoying each little word that comes out of his mouth. Just like his daddy!

Ray is doing well also. He had a challenging week the week before last, but has come through beautifully. The blessing in his hard week is that we had some great conversations. I am finding that the longer we are married the better it gets. I thought newlywed state was great, but this is fabulous! I know people say it all the time, but it is true. I love him more today then I did almost 9 years ago.

My boys are at such a fun age. They love hanging out with each other. Clayton loves teaching Cooper lots of fun things and Cooper loves being taught. Sometimes it is a good thing and sometimes....not so much. It is great because it challenges Cooper and he learns so much, but it is not so good when Cooper tries jumping off the couch or removing his diaper to use the potty with no clue what to do. :)

On Wednesday it was very windy and cold here. The boys and I had been indoors for three solid days. In the afternoon the sun was shining brightly and I decided to bundle everyone up for some time outside. We had an absolute blast! We rode in the Hummer, shot baskets, rode bikes, mowed the grass and most fun of all.....threw pebbles into the pond. The boys were hilarious! Again, Clayton loved teaching and Cooper loved following. Clayton's dissertation on rock throwing was classic and Cooper squatting, making fists, puckering his lips and grunting was a sight!

They both are definitely ALL boy. I wouldn't change it for anything. They are both so unique in how God has wired them. We have two boys with completely different personalities. The fun of it all is picking out their qualities that match ours (good and bad). Of course for me one of the best things is that they both are momma's boys....which is a good thing despite what some people might think. :)

Cooper riding the tricylce just like I like it....going nowhere