"Crawling" and Teeth and Curls, Oh My!

This is about a month past due but at least this way I can fill you in on all that has happened in little Cooper's eighth month. His eight month picture was taken on the fly. That was the day we drove to Oldenburg and on the way home ran into a snow storm and the drive took twice as long as it should have. Therefore he was a pretty cranky baby and I was just glad we got one good one! It was also Bronco game day hence the nice BSU gear courtesy of Grandma! The day he turned eight months he got his first tooth and the second one followed in quick succession. He also found his wheels in the form of an army crawl. It is a little hard to describe but it is mostly ALL arms. He scoots around on his tummy with his legs dragging behind. Not very efficient but it gets him where he wants to go. Lastly and maybe most important are his curls...ok NOT most important but up there on the cuteness scale for sure! When I think about Cooper's eighth month I can't believe all the changes that have happened! He is such an adorable baby and we are loving every minute of babyhood 2.0

The Curls

Silly picture but at least you can see the teeth

Brushing the teeth

Playing Catch up

After looking at my last post I realized I had been so excited about Paris that I left out most of the holidays and some pretty big mile stones. Before Christmas we took a short little trip over to Oldenburg Germany. There they had an amazing Christmas market! It was the most "Christmasie" place I had ever been. In the Netherlands Christmas is pretty low key so I was so excited we could take Quincy somewhere where they do Christmas BIG.

Yum Cocoa!

Grog...umm Gross.

Libby, Jason and Cooper

Bratwurst YUM!

One of many stands at the market

Oldenburg, Germany

Every time I look at the twinkle lights I think of this Van Gogh Painting

Yeah, I'm pretty cold!
Roast Chestnuts (I loved them but Jason and Libby decided they not only LOOK like squirrel brains they also TASTE like squirrel brains)

I ♥ PARIS

Over Christmas break our friend Libby came to visit. Before she came Jason and I decided we would take her to Paris to show her a good time. We had such an amazing time!! We spent one and a half days sightseeing and at the end we considered ourselves Metro pros! (Thanks to the lesson Steve Ross gave us before hand!) While there we visited the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Sacre-Coeur, Champs Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe, the Moulin Rouge and the Louvre. It was a whirlwind of a trip and I left wanting to see and do more. I said goodbye to Paris but really I was just saying see you later. Quincy's favorite sight was the Eiffel Tower and I made sure to take his picture in front of all the sights to remind him when he is older. Little Cooper fell asleep during most of the sightseeing but he too is in all the pictures to show him when he is older. Here are just a few of the amazing sights we saw while there.

Notre Dame

Inside Notre Dame

The back of Notre Dame

These people had the right idea!

The Louvre

The Great Sphinx

Venus de Milo

The Winged Victory of Samothrace

Mona Lisa

Arc de Triomphe

Sacre-Coeur

422 Stairs up and 422 down to see the Sacre-Coere

Cheese and Wine!

Our Hotel

Blast From the Past!

My sister recently uncovered some hidden treasures! This video is from the summer of 2004 when Quincy was just 1 and 1/2 years old! When Quincy was little we didn't have a video camera so to see this is immensely special to Jason, me and even Quincy. She sent a few more and assured me there are even more. I just thought I would share this with you all and see if you remember when Quincy was this little! Enjoy!!

7 Months old Nov. 22, 2010

Cooper is growing like a weed...wait that isn't exactly true...the time is flying by but our little peanut remains our little peanut. He is already 7 months old and I am amazed how he is developing so quickly into a funny, full of life little boy. The day he turned 7 months old he was NOT in the mood to smile hence these pictures of him. However, he is still adorable so enjoy;)

This pic was HARD work to get this smile! Note the food ALL over his shirt!

These were not on his 7 month bday BUT they are super cute

Eight Years OLD!!!!

Can it really be that eight years ago Jason and I welcomed our first baby boy into this world? No...can it? Quincy turned 8 years old on November 20th. I remember the day he was born he was this tiny little baby with the highest pitch scream I had ever heard. My friend, Megan still reminds me that she heard that scream before she even met Quincy. One of my favorite stories from the day he was born is he came out and they put him on my belly and showed him to me. After that that took him to do all the things they do with babies and while he was on the table he opened his eyes and looked at Jason. Within a few seconds they turned on the light over the table and Quincy quickly shut his eyes and didn't open them again for about 24 hours! It always reminds me how cozy he must have been in my tummy:)

In the eight years since Quincy was born a lot has changed in our lives. I have a hard time deciding if eight years flew by or did it seem to take forever...I think a little of both. Quincy is a handsome, independent little boy who thinks his dad is the coolest person in the World. If we were in the States he would be in second grade but instead he is in Group 4 at the international school he attends. He is happy, caring and doesn't know it yet but wise beyond his years. Jason and I are amazed daily at the things that come out of his mouth. We are constantly asking, "How do you know that?" Quincy just smiles, shrugs his shoulders and says, "I don't know."

This year for his birthday Quincy received a gift he has wanted for a long time! When he was five he started to ask for a video game and Jason and I just picked a date, we thought, was in the distant future...when your 8, we said. He got a Nintendo Ds and couldn't be more thrilled. I was silently happy that the DS was not the first thing he wanted to open but the Legos which my mom and sister sent. Thats the Quincy I know, Legos are his favorite toy and he could spend hours looking through the newest catalog. When he grows up he would love to design Legos...he has lots of good ideas too:) Anyway, here are a few pictures from the big day. He has said on multiple occasions that this was the best birthday yet...I hope we can top it next year!

Quincy and the cupcakes we made for his class

The sign at the Apekooi where Quincy and Jacob, a school mate, had a party

At home with his cake

Loved this picture! He was so excited he was moving so fast

After he calmed down and sat still

Star Wars Legos!