Turkey Shoot Out 2011

We drove into Midland on Friday to sign our players in for the Turkey Shoot Out soccer tournament! Later that night my sister, Richard, and I went out to dinner at Outback! It was nice to have a quiet evening with out kiddos. The food was delicious and I enjoyed every second with my two best friends! On Saturday we had three games. Our first game started at 9am, it was cold but not to bad! This game was intense! We were down 2 points and then turned it around and won 5-2!! The girls were so proud! I missed most of the second game because I went to pick up the pizza for the team. We barely lost that game 2-1! I think our girls were hungry and tired! Also the wind came out during the second game and never died down! After the girls ate pizza and cookies they seemed ready for the next game. Our third game was amazing the girls won 5-0!! What a day it was, we couldn't have done it with out our families help. We had lots of items we carried all over the soccer fields: chairs, tent, two ice chest, plate/napkins, cookies, pizza, soccer balls etc. I am so glad we were able to participate in the tournament, Allison played so well and has made a lot of new friends this season!

A day with Cooper

Most of my day revolves around this little guy so I thought I would blog about this special time with him. Cooper is an extremely early riser, I think there are 4 times in his life that he has slept in! With the time change Cooper is waking up at 5:30am! I appreciate that Cooper is still taking two hour naps daily. Just recently we stopped our morning walks together because of the cooler weather. But normally Cooper would sit back in the stroller with snacks while I walked nearly 3 miles every morning. Usually after we drop off Allison at school, Cooper wants to watch Mickey Mouse club house and eat his second breakfast. Cooper doesn't make it through the whole show before he is up and playing in his room. His favorite toys are his ghostbuster and batman cave. He will play with them for hours!! Lately Cooper has been into playing with his Lego's, and builds magnificent buildings! But most of the day Cooper plays dress up and likes to stay in character! Once he told me after jumping off the bed and me getting on to him "Mom, I got webs don't worry about it!" For weeks he changed between his Captain America, Iron man, and spiderman, but know its only spiderman! Cooper tells me he is Peter Sanchez not Cooper Sanchez. Everyday Cooper and I sit down at the kitchen table for study time! We go over our letters, numbers, and colors. We practice drawling letters on the dry erase board together and play with the magnet colored shapes. Most of all Cooper loves it when I read him stories! I jokingly tell people that I run a 24 hour restaurant at the beck and call of Cooper. That kid eats all day!!! Some of the things Cooper eats: carrots, apples, grapes, blue berries, oranges, bananas, celery, broccoli, peanuts, and pickles! Some times I feel like I am raising a rabbit not a little boy! Through out the day Cooper constantly ask me if we are going to pick up Allison. Cooper also loves to play games on the computer, Disney junior is his favorite site! Everyday when we pick up Allison from school Cooper falls asleep and is out for hours! When he wakes he runs around crazy playing with Allison and they love to build caves and house with the couch seats. Sometimes I over hear them play spiderman where Allison is Mary Jane. I am so thankful for my lil guy, he has been a wonderful addition to our family and everyday he reminds just how grateful I am. His blue eyes light up my life, I see so much of his daddy in him and that brings me joy. It hasn't always been easy to be your mother Cooper but your worth everything to me.

Apple orchard, birthday party, and apple pies!

We started off our Saturday with Allison last soccer game of the season! Richards parents and sister and brother in law drove in for the cold morning! It was an intense game we thought we had tied when the referee said the other teams goal didn't count, we won 2-1! We had a fabulous season, the girls really improved! We ended the season with 7 wins out of 8! Then we headed to Lubbock! Two of my sisters, my niece, and my mom meet us in Lubbock for lunch. After lunch we headed together to the apple orchard. The weather wasn't perfect but tolerable and we were able to pick some apples and buy some frozen apples already picked too! I am sad I didn't get better pictures of my kiddos, my darn camera died again! After our adventures at the apple orchard we headed back to Midland for Richards sister's birthday party at Red Lobster. Then we headed to my sister in laws for cake and ice cream. It was a full but fun day. Sunday after church and a late lunch my sister Courtney and I baked some apple pies!! Let me tell you how worth the trip to Lubbock was because that pie was so delicious! While waiting for the pies my sister and I played cards while Cooper entertained him self with a box! What a busy weekend, but I enjoyed every second of it!

News from Mills Elementary

I have to brag about my Alli-cat! On Monday I received a post card in the mail from Allison's Principal. The post card read:

Dear Richard and Stacey,

Ms. Manes is bragging on Allison. Allison is a very hard worker who doesn't give up if she doesn't understand a concept. Instead she keeps trying until she understands the correct answer. She also has a kind, caring heart.

Ms. Bryant

I am so very proud of my daughter. I often say that she came from Heaven to me with this fighting spirit and that I have nothing to do with her sweet strong demeanor. Okay maybe I had a little to do with it. Allison has made it so easy to raise her, and I am so thankful for the person that she is. I am proud to be her mother.

Dinner and cake!

Yesterday was Richards actual birthday! I started the morning by making breakfast for Richard and soon he was off to work. As soon as he left I started in on making the cake!! About four years ago my sister Courtney and I found this ice cream sandwich Oreo cookie cake that we made for Richards birthday. Ever since then every year I make the same cake for Richards birthday. The kids were anxiously waiting for Richard to come from work. To pass the time the kids made cards for Richard. We went out to dinner together. Cooper loves Mexican food, the kid cant get enough of it. He ate so much salsa, queso, rice, beans, and fajitas. After dinner we came home and enjoyed the cake! I wish I would have recorded the kids trying to blow out Richards cake! They were both sitting over the cake ready to blow it out when Richard covered both there mouths and blew out his own candles!!

Happy Halloween!!

We had a fun day planned out for Halloween! When Richard got home from work we headed out to trick or treat around the neighborhood by Allison school just two blocks from our small street. The kids had a blast and scored loads of candy! Cooper insisted on wearing his spiderman costume, and by the end of the night he was so tired he did not want to walk. We came home in time to hand out some candy to our neighborhood kids. Allison was totally excited to hand out candy. After we finished we came inside and played a few games of Halloween bingo and then decorated some cookies with orange icing and sprinkles. We really missed are family in Midland but we made the best of our night by ourselves.

Birthday cake, soccer game, and a trunk or treat!

What a wild few days we have had!!! Friday morning we headed into Midland. We had a lot of things planned for the day first shopping for some winter clothes for Cooper, lunch with two of my sisters, hair cuts for the boys, grocery shopping, and tires for the Highlander. We ended the night at my moms house and invited all of my family and Richards family to celebrate Richards birthday a few days early while we were in town. We left Midland early Saturday morning to head back to Hobbs for Allison's 11am soccer game. Richards parents and sister and brother in law came to watch the soccer game. The girls won there game!! After the game we joined Richards parents and sister and brother in law for lunch!! Richards parents stopped by our house so that Richards mom could fix Cooper's Halloween costume. After Richards parents left it was pumpkin carving time!! Cooper wanted nothing to do with cleaning the pumpkin but Allison was such a great helper. We let Richard finish the carving so I could get the kiddos ready for our church trunk or treat. The kids had a lot of fun and the weather was pretty nice during the trunk or treat. After the trunk or treat Allison won cupcakes from the cake walk, and Cooper loved getting his face painted! What a fun weekend we had!!!