Restoring my faith in music

I used to be a serious music fanatic. I kept up with the latest trends in music, listened to the stuff no one was listening to because I thought it was cool (usually it was), bought lots of CDs, and accepted all types of music knowing that somehow, some type of artistic talent was in there somewhere. It made me happy, and somehow connected me to another part of humanity in a weird way. Like another language.

In the past few years, I've let that love of all kinds of music go by the wayside. The way, way, WAYside. I download iTunes, I have an iPod, but I just don't have the time or money to be like I used to. It's started to make me a little sad that a part of myself is disappearing, but I've turned over a new, possibly expensive leaf.

Last night, I watched the Grammys.

What an amazing show. The performances were above par, and produced beautifully. I honestly loved the fact that a lot of the songs that were nominated were politically charged and thought provoking. It seems like it's been a long time since we've heard artists sing about what's happening in the world, and it's refreshing. The Dixie Chicks were crazy awesome in their performance, and the little trio/jump around thing with Corinne Bailey Rae, John Mayer and John Legend brought me to sobbing tears. John Legend is one of my absolute favorites, and everyone should hear "Ordinary People" and "Coming Home" as two of his best pieces. And, as always, Justin Timberlake had an awesome show of talent with "What Goes Around Comes Around." He's underrated.

Something else that's made me miss music is reading an awesome book recommended by my friend Claire called "John" by Cynthia Lennon. It's a can't-put-it-down account of Cynthia Lennon's experience with John Lennon - meeting him, marrying him, Beatlemania, the divorce, everything - and it unbelievably interesting. I recommend it for anyone who loves the Beatles, and hates Yoko.

Anyway, I'm back. I'll try and keep everyone posted as to my latest music discoveries as I go. Woo-hoo! Oh, and Cooper's good too.

I don't post much about TV shows

But, anyone out there ready for LOST tonight? Woo-hoo!

Also, Grey's is tomorrow, and I must admit, I was skeptical about this show for a long time. I don't really like Meredith as a lead character when George and Addison are SO much better as actors, etc., etc ... Until last week's episode, when she totally redeemed herself. That sad speech to her mother reacting about her being "ordinary" was phenomenal. Go Meredith, go.

FYI - Cooper's been sick with a fever and cold. He's MUCH better today. Fevers scare me so much. I'm glad he's back to his normal, fun-loving self.

Half of January

That's how long it's been since I've posted. I'm such a bad blogger! I've resolved to be better, but I've done that before, so no promises.

I have some pictures and video of the past few weeks, of course, mostly of Cooper. We've been to the Metroplex and to Oklahoma since my last post, and had a blast both places. I forgot to add previously that Luke had yet another trip to the emergency room for possible meningitis, but it was bronchitis and a sinus infection. Not cool, but at least it's not meningitis!

Random note: This morning on Sesame Street, George from Grey's Anatomy was the letter "i" in a skit about the letter of the day. It was hilarious. Even Cooper sat still for it. Sorry, just had to add that. be on the lookout for a rerun of that skit.

So, pictures:

Cooper in his play gym. It's been so cold lately, we've only been able to play in it a couple of times. There's a couple of videos from that experience too. Click here, and then, here.





Us being silly. He's all, "Mom. Seriously." Short video of him smiling like he smiles now, with his bottom teeth.



Cooper and Chase at the Wattersons in Oklahoma. They had a blast in the bath, and running around without clothes on.





Cooper on "Ollie" at Luke's Grandmommie's in Oklahoma. All of her grandkids used to ride around on this thing, so it was great to see Cooper following in his daddy's footsteps. Or, riding in his daddy's footsteps. Whatever.



And apparently, this is how a tractor goes.

Him being cute and saying new words like, "Sup!"

Cabin fever

As Central Texas slowly comes out of its hibernation from the 2007 Scary Ice Storm That Crippled Everything, I'm proud to say that the Hejls are all still alive, and glad to be out of the house. We were held up for THREE DAYS, not going anywhere at all, and barely outside because of the freezing rain and ice. Imagine a 15 month-old in a house for three days - started to get just a little bored running around in circles. We all felt like the weather people on the news were talking directly to us, and that they were our friends as the days went on. We even sent them emails saying that they were doing a great job. I mean, bored!

Now, all is well. The ice is gone for the time being, and we're back to normal. FYI - Central Texas should stock up on the de-icing chemicals and sand that it ran out of on Tuesday. We're just not accustomed to this kind of weather! I'm ready for Spring!

Update: Cooper now says "glasses," "tractor," "no" (which is great), and "this, this" to ask what things are. It's getting easier and easier to talk to this kid!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

New year, new post!

We had such a relaxing Christmas, it's unreal. I don't really know where to start. What we did the most: Ate.

We spent the first part of Christmas with the Hejls here in Austin and went to the Trail of Lights, made sugar cookies, ate some great fajitas at the Hyatt downtown, went to see Happy Feet at the IMAX, and just hung out. Cooper got a John Deere tractor, and other fun stuff. Cousins Mason and Landon made it twice as fun for the Coop. They were all over the place!

Christmas Eve, we just hung out as a little family and watched some Christmas movies. It was SO nice to relax and hang out. Mostly we put together Cooper's new wagon. He LOVES it. Santa was the bomb this year, all around. That morning we packed up and went to the metroplex to see the Martin family for lunch and Christmas. We ate an awesome lunch, then went to my sister's house and had dessert while the guys played with the tennis ball shooter. Haha - it's an old school tradition on my side of the family with all of the cousins. Sometimes, it used to involve frogs. Anyway, it was lots of fun and great to hang out. We opened presents that night at my parents' and got some great stuff - everything we wanted and needed from everyone - some fridge magnets, a dump truck, more John Deere and an AWESOME play gym with a slide for outside from grandma and grandpa. Woo hoo! We stayed in DFW until Thursday. What a great, relaxing week!

Now, it's the new year. And yes, Luke and I just watched the ball drop, at home. We're cool! Two-thousand seven promises to be the greatest year yet, and I wish the best for everyone!

Here are some late pics from the holiday. Also, I have a crazy work week this week so please pray for me!

At the Trail of Lights





We're cool in our matching North Face jackets


Didn't like the boots, but they're cute, and used to be Luke's!


He loves the bubbles from Grandma and Grandpa


The most still he would stand in front of the tree on Christmas Eve


Opened all of his Santa presents in his new wagon, from Santa


The infamous tennis ball shooter. Old skool.

Congrats!

Leslie and James have a new baby girl - Cora James Mayo, born Dec. 21. I hope they post pictures soon! Congrats you guys, and to Kaitlyn too!

Santa can be scary

He's still cute though! Gotta have at least one crying picture.



A truck ride made him forget about freaky Santa.

"Merry Christmas, you wonderful ol' Building and Loan!"

It's Chrimmis, and I'm trying to stay in a good mood. Still more shopping to go, but the season is quickly going away, and I don't want it to end! So, whenever I'm in a bad mood, I've tasked Luke to say "Christmas cheer!" and then I have to change my attitude. It's worked so far!

FYI: Extreme Home Makeover is in the Austin area this week, and there are all kinds of comments going around on the radio about how nice/not nice the crew from the show is, where the house is, people wanting to volunteer, etc. It's kinda cool. I couldn't find any pictures of the house being demolished (that's today) but I'll try and find some. It's going to a family who has FIVE autistic children. I can't imagine that. I can't wait to see it on TV! Maybe I should go by there. I might be disappointed, since they say Ty is short. Ha.

Love everyone!

I'm alive, I promise

Sorry I've been so behind on this. It's been a CRAZY few weeks, but I'll do better.

We had a fantastic weekend! Went to the Peeples/Pittman wedding on Sat. night and saw a lot of people I hadn't seen in a long time. Cooper was super tired the entire time, but everyone we knew that babysits for us was at the wedding! Oh well - it was fun. Very pretty wedding as well.

Here's Cooper being attacked by his pudding. What a messy face, and chest, and hair ....





Cooper's growing so much. He's in 18-24 month clothes for the most part, and some 2T. He's so tall! He says a lot of things now (that only I can understand sometimes) like "more please," "big boy," and more. Last night, I sang "A, B, C ..." and he said "D!" I was all "GENIUS!"

The other side of spectrum which hasn't been so fun is the fit-throwing Cooper. Most of the time, when he does that, there's something else wrong - hunger, tired, etc. Sometimes he just goes nuts, we ignore him, and he stops. Hope that's the right thing to do! He doesn't really understand spanking yet, and he's in a diaper, so not as effective. But, he DOES understand a swat on the hand. All in all, he understands "no" and is a pretty good boy. Couldn't ask for more! I just don't wanna screw him up. Anyone have any discipline tips for a 13 month old?

Christmas has come upon us, and the stress level is already rising for me. Anyone think I can finish shopping before Dec. 15? Why not? Don't you believe in me?

13 monther

It was such a nice, relaxing weekend! Well, until we went to the new IKEA, 10 minutes from our house. It was SO busy, but I think I'm in love with that place. It's like Wal-Mart, but better, sometimes cheaper, and I don't hate it.

Here's Cooper playing with his not-put-together kitchen stool.


Here's Cooper helping Dad put it together. What a team. They look confused.


Here's Cooper, just being cute. It's so hard to get him to look at the camera at all these days. He's too fast!

Cooper laughing

If this doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will.

Click here for a Coop video in Quicktime.

Mr. Rogers

I love watching Mr. Rogers with my son in the mornings. He (like I used to be, and still am) is entranced by the calm, even-toned voice of Fred Rogers. I love all of the issues he tackles with kids. Even though they're all reruns, each addressed issue is timeless.

There's a song that Mr. Rogers sings at the end of a lot of his shows that I'm going to try and sing to Cooper more often. I can't find a video of it online, but here are the words:

"It's you I like.
It's not the things you wear.
It's not the way you do your hair,
But it's you I like.
The way you are right now
The way down deep inside you.
Not the things that hide you.
Not your toys,
They're just beside you.
But it's you I like.
Every part of you.
Your skin, your eyes, your feelings,
Whether old or new.
I hope that you remember
Even when you're feeling blue.
That it's you I like,
It's you, yourself
It's you.
It's you I like."

Just wanted to share that with everyone. Also, a question: What do you sing to your kids every day?

Toll Road Mania

"This is the best thing EVER!"

These are the words I hear as soon as Luke called on Tuesday night. "This is wonderful. I'm so excited. Whoever thinks the toll roads are bad does not have an hour commute every day. I'm in heaven."

As some of you may have heard, the new toll roads in the Austin area have opened, for the most part. One just opened about 30 seconds from our house, and it connects to Mopac, no lights. It has taken 20-30 minutes off of Luke's commute already. This makes me happy too, because SH 130 will help my commute as well, and might shave 15 minutes off of my drive. Anything to make our lives a little less hectic is awesome - especially Luke's life. He works so hard every day and has the super long, traffickish drive on top of it. What a guy! I can't tell you how relieved I am for him.

Some one-year pictures of Cooper we had taken on Friday. He looks so big in these, it's almost scary!

Little Monkey

Happy Halloween!

Cooper the crouper

Yes, Cooper has croup, which is a major cough and sore throat. He's also got a fever and snotty nose, and I've been at home with him for the past two days. It would be really nice if he wasn't super sick and whiny. Poor guy. Sounds so sad and pitiful. I think he's getting better.

I never posted his 12 month appointment stats:

Weight: 23 lbs, 12 oz (50th percentile)
Height: 30 3/4 in (80th - tall boy)
Head: 18 1/2 in (75th)

All is well!

Also, I'm deciding on my next post. Apparently, it's either politics or Luke. :)

Lazy face

I was waiting for one of my friends to post a homecoming blog so I could steal their hard work and link to it. Here ya go - some good pics on Sara's blog of my friends and the little ones.

Now I'm asking you. What should I post about next? Music, baby stuff, current events? I'm trying to keep this thing from being too same ol' same ol'.

The birthday, day.

Cooper,

(Here's a video of Cooper walking today on his birthday. Please excuse Luke's St. Patty's Day shorts ...)

Today is your actual birthday. You are one year old. I know, you've already had a party, but today is the real day. I can't believe it's already been a year in the life of Cooper. Obviously, you've grown up a lot, both mentally and physically, and it's been a miracle to witness.





I couldn't ask for a better first year. We've been so blessed to be your parents, and will always feel this way, no matter what. I know there've been struggles this year - me getting used to all of your schedules, work, colds, your one ear infection (I know - poor, poor mommy), all of the feeding changes, the stress of your parents sometimes, and more. But, I feel like all of those crazy times are so miniscule compared to the awesome things we've experienced as your parents.



I don't really even know what to type as I sit here. There's too much. You're my baby boy. You always make me smile no matter what, and I equally love making you smile. Your infectious laugh is just too much. I'm a little worried that your favorite songs to bounce up and down to are Justin Timberlake songs, but hey, he's the jam. I love it all when it comes to Cooper Martin Hejl. Even when I'm exhausted and I wanna quit, it's impossible to think that way. You are a miracle from God, and I cannot imagine my life without you.

Keep being you. I wouldn't have it any other way. Now, I'm off to print out pictures of about half of your life - that's how in to scrapbooking I am. Sorry! I'm the momma you got!

I love you,

Mom

Pah-TAY!

We've recovered. What a weekend! We hosted Cooper's first birthday party at our house with a few friends and family over hamburgers, hot dogs, and yes, an Elmo cake. He got some great gifts from everyone in the family, and we're glad all of you could be there! Thanks to Sara's Photo Card Cafe' for the invites - super cool.

We went to a pumpkin patch on up north on Friday morning. It was such a nice day. Only one pic of me and Coop - some nice old women couldn't figure out my camera.


















And the party (yes I, in fact, made the cake myself):



Before:



We lit the candle and sang, and he tried to put out the candle with his hand. Poor guy - this was the reaction. I think it just scared him.



Then, was the good part:





And of course, what mom and dad got him:



He's not one yet, but expect a reflective post when he is. How time flies!

Two of a kind

Here are my boys dressed up for church last Sunday:



And, Cooper will not look at the camera, or, my camera's really slow:



If that isn't enough, here's what I have to look forward to:



Here he is playing:



What a cute set of boys I have!