Springing Up

Coop and Daddy hanging out

 I haven't posted in a while...something about being busy with boys! Spring seems to be here extra early this year...like a month early! The boys are growing like weeds, of course. In a month, Clayton will be one year old!!
Cooper is getting tall and he has discovered fishing with Daddy. They don't get much fishing done, but he thinks it's the best thing ever. He managed to get a hook in his hand (barely) and nearly gave it up, but after he got home and did his dramatic cry and took a bath, the little spot he hooked was nowhere to be found. He has decided he would like to go again.

One of my peach trees blooming (mid-March)

Cruising!

Silly Cooper

Wagon ride

I took this April 6th about 8pm...the moon is orange and it was way cool

My roses blooming in April--they usually don't bloom til right before Mother's Day

Clayton is getting a mouth full of teeth! He has two on top and four on bottom right now and working on a couple more. He is also cruising around quite quickly and it won't be long before he figures out how to walk....them heaven help me, I'm in trouble!

We've been enjoying the mild weather and we are ready to go camping anytime now, especially before it gets to be scorching hot!!

I have our garden nearly planted. We got a lot of rain over spring break and I wasn't able to plant corn and okra and my flowers around the garden, just the raised beds.The boys are all sorts of help out there, as you can imagine...Clayton hangs out in the wagon or I wait til he is napping and Cooper actually does help a little with watering and he helped plant some seeds. He loves to check things out with me to see what's coming up. It's lots of fun to watch our garden (and our babies) grow!

My raised beds are all planted with potatoes and peas going crazy

Clayton is on the move!

Silly Little Boys

Kids being silly with Daddy

Clayton has mastered getting into brother's toy baskets

Playing in the mud

Clayton posing for me

A little too much jumping...he fell in the mud and this is the result...I couldn't help but laugh!

Road Trippin'

Hubby and I were blessed to be able to take a road trip weekend, just the two of us. We just drove, made no plans, except sleeping in...you know, the kind of stuff you dream about after you have children, but rarely get to do. So, we left home Friday morning and ended up in Arkansas. Now, I know that doesn't sound too exciting, but really it was. We took Talimena Scenic Byway all the way to Mena, Arkansas where we found a cute little place with cabins (Mena Mountain Top Cabin Motel) and dined at The Fish Net Restaurant, which was fantastic! Oh, and by the way, Mena is in a dry county, no beer. Closest beer was actually in Oklahoma...go figure. Saturday morning, we took a little jaunt to Hot Springs, Arkansas and checked out the Hot Springs National Park, which was totally cool. It was so wonderful to take a road trip with my man!

Scenic Talimena Drive- Even in winter it is beautiful!

Our cute little cabin in Mena, AR

Sunset over the Ouchita Mountains from our cabin porch

Some of the trees were already blooming in Hot Springs- this is outside the Natl. Park Admin Building

Hot springs fountain in part of the promenade part of the park

Hot Springs National Park Visitors Center- in the old Fordyce Bath House that you can tour

Checking out the bath house...sweat box, anyone??

The details in the bath house (built early 1900's) are amazing! This is one of the ceilings.

The actual spring flowing that feeds this bath house

Ranger Rains

One of the old tubs that were used in the bath houses....I want one for my house! It would hold a ton of hot water!

Little Boys

Cooper's first bowling experience

 January is almost gone and it's been a fun month! Here's a few random pics of my babies.

These crazy little kids!!

These are little men I always step on

 Never a dull moment!

Yum yum yummmm! Me want cookies!! (Teething biscuits, that is)

Teeth!!...and stuff

  Clayton is 8 1/2 months old now! He has two little teeth that have popped out in the last couple weeks and working on some more! He is growing so very fast! He had his first teething cookie last week and loved it...it was a complete mess, of course, which made it that much more fun to watch.
   Cooper is growing, too! He is getting tall and I am beginning to notice that shirts that were just right in the fall are now a little on the short side. He is soaking in everything as well. I finally had to ask the preschool director the days of the week and months of the year songs so that I could help him with them and he's getting pretty good! We are starting to learn reading a little and he seems to be super excited to do that. And, we are still doing speech therapy and his hearing was going to be checked, but his ears weren't all clear. Next week, we actually have to go to the ENT because he has fluid on his left ear again...praying we don't have to do tubes again.
   Dennis is staying busy and I have my hands full with keeping books and taking care of the boys. This month is flying by and I will be another year older in about 6 more weeks. That's about all the updates here, now back to taking care of business (:

Happy 2012!!!

Wow! I didn't get a chance to blog over the course of our four Christmas celebrations, but we had a great Christmas! Dennis has some time off, which has been wonderful for all of us and the boys are so much fun!! Kids really help you remember the joy of Christmas and it is amazing! Cooper is really understanding that Christmas is Jesus' birthday and he loved playing with the little nativity dolls and telling me the story, as well as having a little Santa fun, too. Clayton just wanted to touch all the presents and stare at the lights. Luckily, he didn't learn to army crawl really good until just a few days ago or the tree might be in jeopardy.

We had Christmas with our friends, the Stotts family first, then with Dennis' family, then our house with some of my family, and our last one this past Saturday with more of my family.....what a whirlwind! We are so amazingly blessed to be able to celebrate with our friends and family and we are so thankful or each and every one of them.

2011 was a little bit crazy but also wonderful with the birth of our second child! For me, personally, I was not physically well for a majority of it between recovering from giving birth and turning around and having gall bladder surgery, and part of it, I thought I would literally go insane. But it ended wonderfully and 2012 will be awesome!

Clayton hanging out

Cooper, David, and Grace

Dennis and his new hunting gear

All the Rains cousins!

Mommy helping Coop with his Bat Cave

Adorable!

Santa's goodies- Coop insisted we leave coffee, too

Trucks on Christmas morning

Santa has been here!

Santa left us a letter

...and the reindeer ate their food, but Dancer left a little something

Dennis and his new chair blind....what was I thinking!?!? I created a monster!

My sister, Sasha & niece, Chloe

Mamaw, the boys, and Dennis

Papaw with his sign that Chris (next to him-sister's boyfirend) made...I got one, too....way cool!

Chris, Sasha, Chloe, Cooper, Marie, and Poppy

Uncle Ryan and Clayton

I just loved this one....a boy and hid dog

My little party animal