Cooper's Birthday Part I

"On the night you were born, the moon smiled with such wonder that the stars peeked in to see you and the night wind whispered, Life will never be the same."

Today was a big day in the Ellis household. We celebrated Cooper Jay's first birthday. One year ago today in Groningen, Netherlands the midwife, nurses, Jason and I all exclaimed, "It's a boy!" Life has not been the same;) Even though it has only been a year I can hardly remember life before Cooper. On that day we went from the "three musketeers" to "a party of four" and it has been some party! Last night we put to bed a baby and today we woke up to a very smily one year old:) I assure everyone that he is still a baby and not a toddler (he isn't walking yet so therefore couldn't actually toddle!) We sang Happy Birthday countless times and gave plenty of birthday hugs and kisses. We visited the hospital where he was born and celebrated with a few friends. Today was perfect. Sweet Cooper never realized all the fuss was for him but just went about his day as always. There was a perfect blend of reminiscing while soaking in the sights and sounds of his first birthday.

"For never before in story or rhyme (not even once upon a time) has the world ever known a you, my friend, and it never will, not ever again...Heaven blew every trumpet and played every horn on the wonderful, marvelous night you were born"

(Quotes from 'On The Night You Were Born' : Nancy Tillman)

This is what we see in the morning...Lucky us!

Waiting for Birthday breakfast

Martini Hospital!

Party time

What you want your Ray Bans back?

Now you people are talking...CAKE!!!

Excuse me I am enjoying my cake

Happy Birthday Cooper Jay!

Out and About

Spring has sprung in Europe! The Ellis family has enjoyed some amazing weather the past few days and after a chilly, cloudy Winter it was a much needed change. This is my third Spring in Europe so I realize the sun can...and probably will...be gone tomorrow so we are getting out as much as we can! This past weekend Jason was fortunate enough to get three days off so we headed to the beach! Ok ok so it wasn't warm...and actually it was mostly cloudy but it was the beach and I LOVE the beach. We drove 2.5 hours North to Cuxhaven, Germany a small beach town situated on the North Sea. I was pleasantly surprised by soft sand a cute seashells:) After spending the weekend away we came home to warm air and a sunny sky! On Tuesday Jason, Cooper and I ventured out for a walk...our goal...to go somewhere we had never been before. Success! We happened upon a classic Netherlands landmark...a windmill and sat Cooper right down to take some pics. Overall this past week has been beautiful and we have enjoyed it to the max with walks, picnics and just sitting outside. Here are some of the pictures from our time outside...and a few I just couldn't resist slipping in;)

Those specks in the middle of the picture are actually people. The water recedes REALLY far.

The path we followed that led us to the windmill

Hang Time!

Love!

Can you even BELIEVE he is 11 months?!? Such a big boy!

Quincy in Wonderland

Over the past couple of months Quincy and his classmates have been rehearsing for the play, Alice in Wonderland. Right from the start he stopped talking about recess and started filling us in on all the details of the play. When parts were passed out Quincy got the one he wanted...a card:) He was so excited to be a card...one reason being was the lack of a speaking part. Quincy would have done great with a few lines but he was completely content with his one line, "Everyone to your places."

This past Thursday his class, ID4 along with classes ID5 &6 (ID- International Department) put on the play for the parents. It was a very exciting night. Since Jason had an away game a few of our friends came out to support Quincy. It was a proud moment for me. Quincy had worked really hard and honestly I think he had just about memorized all the parts. The play was great. There was comedy, singing and even a little moving and shaking. All in all it was very entertaining and it was obvious that all the kids took it just as seriously as Quincy did. They were all great! Here are a few pictures from the night.

Wonderful Ladies and babies who came out to support Quincy! Nienke, Suzanne, Kaleb, Willeke and Cooper

Sweet Heart #3

Proud Brother

All Finished with the play. Great Job Quincy!!!

Chugging Along at Warp Speed

Everyday I ask myself where does the time go? Each day I try to live in the present and to appreciate all that is happening around me. Living in Europe away from family, friends and our home Jason and I are constantly dreaming of far away places that hold so many sweet memories. It is hard to not long for the time when we can be back to the comforts of home and back in the arms of loved ones. However, we have these two amazing treasures named Quincy and Cooper who are changing everyday seemingly before our eyes. Being a parent is such a bitter sweet gift. On one hand I am proud of the growth and change I see in my boys but in the other hand the same growth and change brings me to tears. Quincy is this smart, sensitive, silly boy who I have to remind myself everyday that he isn't a baby anymore. He has his own opinions, likes and dislikes and he is teaching me just as much or more than I am teaching him now. In the past month Cooper has gone from scooting to full on crawling and from a smile with two little teeth to a mouth full of five teeth and counting!! Cooper's new favorite thing is to pretend to want a hug and then turn as fast as he can so he can get away from said hug. He is breaking my heart already:) Here are some pictures for you all to enjoy. These boy are the lights of my life and I am blessed that I get the honor to see them grow everyday.

First Cheerios

New Smile...adorable

Two peas in a pod

Sweet kisses

Sloppy kisses...Quincy is clearly not thrilled

Quincy loves him some checkers!

"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)