Then we moved to ZUNI...

Well its been awhile to say the least. This fall & winter brought many changes to the Coopers.
In September while on a mini vaca we talked about selling our first house. Its something we knew we would do eventually. As our first house was always just a starter house to us.

So in October, we made the leap to list our house! Talk about craziness! Selling & buying is CRAZY & stressful. We made the yearly trip to WA for thanksgiving. Within days of being back from our trip we had an offer! So our house was on the market for pretty much 4 weeks.
We had been looking at a ton of houses in boise along with looking with builders. It was all overwhelming. We looked at a older house we called Zuni, older house with lots of character and potential. Justin fell in LOVE right away. I liked it, but didn't really want to deal with a bank owned house. SO we kept going on the search. Meanwhile, when we were in WA for thanksgiving, I started thinking of design ideas & how we could make this house OURS. So I had slowly fallen in love with Zuni & its potential.

Then once the offer rolled in & accepted we made the offer on Zuni. It was scary & sooo exciting for all this change for our family. luckily we had buyers that were willing to work with our situation with us buying a bank ownd house. Long story short..December was the LONGEST month of our lives. Along with the holidays & everyone getting sick, we were packing and making a big change for our family.

We closed & moved late January. YEAH! such a relief once everything is a done & signed deal! So the projects have begun our new house aka Zuni. We have decided to start with the laundry & Iysla's room. As Iysla and the pups have adjusted pretty well to their NEW big home.
Zuni house was built in 1979 and is 2200 sf (compared our 1300 sf) My favorite part of this house is our family room, has exposed wood beams and a wall of built ins(such a rare thing in cookie cutter homes). As we make progress, I'll be taking pics of the rooms we are working on. Having a living AND family room is by far one of the best things about this house. Kids room aka family room then mamas nice non-tv room for me, aka living room :) Then Justin has a loft and office upstairs(aka man cave), only part of the house that is upstairs..THANK GOD. I hate stairs!

Excited to see what we do this spring and summer. This may not be our forever house but it will be the house we want Iysla to grow up in. This remodel will be years in the making, as we are taking one room at a time. Good thing I have connections to tile and  granite and other fun design resources :)

SAM LOVES THE GAS STOVE! Future for this area is tile up on the wall to create a more fire place look & new doors.

 

Iysla went straight to painting in her NEW home. She loves all the space to run.

 

Freya realizing this is her forever home. Small glimpse of the wood beams & built ins. Have too many ideas for this space, paint, crown molding and some fun art pieces.

This room is being gutted(laundry) so far we have added tile and trim. Next we have cabinet & shelving.

My little helper in the kitchen,  this going to be our biggest & LAST project. As we plan to pretty much gut this space and of course new cabinets & granite. This weekend we are going out & buying  stove & dishwasher. As we hate WHITE appliances, plus they are kind of old.

 

Iysla's swing set made the move. Our new yard has great BIG ass trees, which will great once the Idaho heat arrives!
 
 

On the brink of terrible 2s!

So here we are about a month away from the supposed terrible two's. Even though I'm hearing from many mama friends 3 is WAY worse.YIKES!

Well Iysla is developing her personality more &more. She is shy, stubborn, funny, & very curious as many kids her age are. Since 18 months and on; its been crazy to she how fast she is catching  on to things. She so aware of what we say and do now! She loves to help me when I'm doing the dishes and even loves to mimic cleaning :)

She loves to talk around Justin, Reyna & I. She can be pretty shy when talking to people she doesn't see everyday. (reminds me of my brother & sister when they were her age)  Iysla can also push boundaries, which has been the tough part of parenting. We have started time outs, ignoring the full blown melt downs. This is the part of parenting that is scary.Our pediatrician recommended the book Love & Logic for helping this whole disciplining side of parenting. Its been helpful along with remembering what worked for my mama.

Iysla is talking more, loves to play outside..she says "weeeeee" for swinging! We were doing great with potty training for about a month. Then she decided to protest lately..soooo I'm gonna drop til after her birthday. UGH! Its crazy though where we were this time last year. Iysla still LOVES to eat &try new things We are binky & bottle free. The bottle was easy(done by 14months), bink not so much. We officially have had her off it for a month now. We went cold turkey & it worked. Couple hard days but worth it to be binky free!

Since being in daycare; we call it "school" Iysla has learned so much. She knows what cow, monkey, cat & lion say...sooo funny! She has learned count to 3 & she is  learning shapes. It was a hard decision to get back to work. However, it was the best decision for our family.Iysla is thriving & mama feels like she isn't going nuts staying at home. 15 months of being home full time was enough for me. I definitely think being a stay at home mama is the HARDEST job EVER!

This year as Iysla as developed into a toddler its been amazing & more challenging than we could have thought. She is exhausting in a different way these days. Some days I look forward to work (I know some mamas can relate) she can be such a toddler..hahaha! Overall, I'm excited for what's to come with this tiny human. Cant wait for her to be talking more& becoming more independent. Every little milestone is bittersweet, as we want our kids to grow & learn. still crazy to see them so independent.

This summer is going to full of swimming lessons, potty training, learning shapes & colors! we are throwing a pool party for Iyslas's 2nd birthday. (since its always 100 degrees mid july)Hard to believe 2 summers ago I was SUPER preggers & swollen. Having no idea what was in store for us. It has been life changing, & challenging never knew possible.

I've experienced mom guilt, proud mama moments & the mom moments you wanna go run & hide from your own kid...hahahaa!  I'm sure there will be more of those moments. Luckily I have the best husband to lean on, when the kid gets crazy. Justin & Iysla are becoming more & more like a their own lil team! Iysla is such a daddy's girl. I LOVE IT! The way she laughs & plays with her daddy literally makes my heart swell! And of course mom is here for cuddles & when she's hungry(typical) :)

 

Just a few summer pics we took yesterday! We are crafting & gearing up for the pool part birthday!

 

til next time...

The Coopers

Here comes 30!!!!!!!

So I usually make these blogs about my tiny human. I decided to make this one about turning 30! Saying good-bye to my 20's!! :) 


So as of Dec.30th I'll be 30 years old! Seriously,  how did that happen?!?!
I've been thinking alot about my 20s & how lucky I've been. Don't get me wrong I went thru some rough life lessons in college & post college years. 
As I look back i realize that my childhood & teenage years were formed mainly with my BIG nutty loving family! My family & extended family was very close growing up, my cousins were the first friends i ever had, my first sleepovers & can count on anytime! I can't complain, I had a pretty good childhood, teenage years were tough as anyone else. I just had a major loss that changed my course in life, lead to me moving to seattle at 18..not knowing a single soul!

before we jump into my 20s... had to share some pics from my very early years

Yes I know... i was adorable! Hahahaaa ;) I have no scanned teenage years pics, or maybe i just dont want those out for everyone to see!

My life in Seattle changed me in ways I never knew! Within 48 hours of living in my dorm, I met my future husband. I know, crazy! Justin & I met so young, we really have grown up together. This past decade he has been my rock, foundation for this amazing life we have now!

Sometimes I think my mom was watching over me, and put justin in my path. I can't begin to describe the impact Justin has had on me this past decade of ups & downs.  He was the driving force to keep me going thru those insane college years. Everything from the crazy hours of homework, projects, finals & work. We went thru it all! Those years in college gave me a better sense of who i was, made me realize i could figure it out on my own.  so many times I wanted to call home & be like "im done!" but somehow thru the craziness we survived! When you move away from home & everyone you know. Your friends truly become your family. Justin became my family along with another person..who ill get to in a minute

 ;)

To say the least my college years are filled with lots of stress, laughter, life lessons & falling in love with a man who taught me & gave me so much; at a time when i was struggling with who I was & who I was without my mom!

Here are some pics from the past 11 years with my guy, along with some pics from college! 

         so random beach in seattle around sunset! We use to take this kind of pic alot ;)

                     This oldie pic, was when i was living with my bestie during college!

          I know! I was super skinny in college! My friend used me as a model in college ;)

And to the city the changed me in so many ways, gave me stress, love & a life i could have never imagined! My home away from home, LOVE YOU SEATTLE!

So my 20's gave me 2 people that changed me forever & will forever be part of my life.(besides Iysla) My husband, Justin & my bestie Kristin Webb! WEBBY-POO!!

So to tell you the truth we met in the beginning on 2003(i think), one of our many design classes we had together. By 2005, she was my best friend! What started out as just a friendly classmate, turned into "my person" the person who i went to laugh, gossip, cry over a boy! We have been through alot... break-ups, loss, marriage, babies & everything in between!

She has always been the person to tell me when im being a bitch or laugh at my crazy jokes, quoting movies, singing for 7 hours on road trips,  talk me thru how to mix breast milk & formula! Like i said, your friends become your family, she is part of my family! thank you for being my person, i've never taken your love & generosity for granted!

My 20's taught me so much of who I am today. I can say i felt lost at times, wondering if I made the right decisions along the way. It's amazing how it all works out for the best. These last 2 years of my 20's have been by far the most rewarding. I'm headed into a direction in my life that I always hoped I would. The moment I had Iysla she made me feel so complete, I had no idea that i could feel that. Now to make it even better, i have a job that I could have only dreamt of when I moved to Boise. Like i said, the past couple years have been too good to be true. Seems all those bumps in my early 20s have come to close. I'm sure my 30s will be my best yet! I don't freak out about aging, I welcome them. Its a bit surreal to be turning 30. I know there will be ups & downs. I know where I was a decade ago.. i was a young lady trying to figure out how it was all going to work out.  So grateful I went thru those times to really relish this beautiful life i have now. My life is not perfect but it can be sometimes ;)

I just hope my 30's are just as filled with new friends, lots of love, growing, learning & amazing memories with my lil family!

So good bye my 20's, its been real! Hello my 30s bring it..I'm ready for you!

Here are some pics from my 20's..seems i didnt get a digital camera til after college. (ya know college budget)

 Another beautiful person that entered my 20s! I swear if people could only hear the conversations we have. Best part of working at crate&barrel making a life long friend!

 Its Car-Car! From our trip in hawaii! Met freshman year of high school & plenty of dirt on each other ;)

 Besides my husband & child! These 2 are by far my most favorite people EVER!

 My first Boise friend, miss chandra! No one could ever say a mean thing about this lady, sweetest & most loving person!

 Well my one & only Teli! Friends for like i dunno 16 years?!?! that sound right, Telicia?

 Just a very small portion of my HUGE ass family! My gorgeous cousins, we can give each other shit all day & still love & support each other

So I met Taya first moving to Boise, we didnt become instant friends. However, life, kids, our bitchy ways have formed a great friendship this past year & half. I know this girl has my back! ;)

                      This picture i believe was taken when i was in college! I think?!?!

BUTTERS!! haha, ok its Becky! We like to say we are both "cut from the same cloth" By far one of my nearest & dearest friends in boise! my boise bestie!

Good night y'all! Dont worry next blog update will be back to the same ol' stuff! My life with a toddler! aaaahhh! She is so fun & crazy... i cant get enough of her!

toddler, new pups & a lil vaca update

IYSLA UPDATE....

Its Official we have full blown toddler these days. Walking, talking, no more bottle & even a lil attitude sometimes!
Iysla is 14 months and is at such a amazing age. She is such a sponge, scary how much she will mimic or copy what we do.

Iysla's vocabulary is growing she says  -- Hi, baba(means bottle, even though now she is only drinking sippie cups), crackeeerrr, frewa (aka Freya), uh-oh, mama, dada! We are so proud!

We are working on please & bye bye & also she has been trying to say diaper the past couple days! I honestly didn't think she would be so talkative already. we are having to cut back on the F* word & the S* word. Pretty sure she said SHIT when she fell down the other day. Justin & I were laughing so hard & realized we probably need to cut back...hahaha!

She's growing up & becoming more independent each day. So proud of our mini coop. Also people are finally starting to believe that she is mine, looking more like mama!

Iysla was a flower girl this month too! She did great, no melt downs enjoyed walking down the aisle with Gracie. She loved all the attention. It was such a beautiful day for our friends Lisa & Becky Blaisdell! Iysla loves those ladies I mean Tia's ;)

Cant wait to see the pics from the wedding. It was such an emotional wedding, pretty sure Ive never cried that much at a wedding. I know I'm not the only one I saw crying that day!


NEW ADDITION **

 This past weekend we made our way to the Idaho Humane Society. My sister volunteers there & she has had great success with adoptions with their 2 dogs. As I'm sure many of you know, going to the pound is heart breaking. wishing I could love & take care of them all! Sam was the first dog we saw in the cages. We walked thru & saw so many that caught our attention. Once we took Sam out & were able to see how he did with Iysla & all of us, it was an instant love connection for all of us. It was a big decision since we do have a toddler & beagle already. We figured this would be great for Freya since she is 5yrs old, she could use a companion. She has needed extra playtime since Iysla was born.

So far Sam & Freya are doing ok. Not the best of buds YET! They do enjoy running around in the back yard together, its definitely an adjustment for all of us. Sam has a great temperament, thinks he's a lap dog, loves to cuddle & LOVES to follow Justin. Justin FINALLY has a male in the house. Justin & Sam are creating a best buds relationship.

I love this picture. Crazy Cooper family picture may be used for the xmas pic 2013! Love our nutty lil' family!

                  He is such a happy lil dude! I do keep calling him Freya & Iysla....Ooops!

 

 

 

Our get away to Las Vegas...

 

It was our longest getaway from Iysla. I was so excited to get some time alone with my hubby. But also so nervous to leave Iysla. I knew I was going to miss her like crazy. Nana Linnie did an amazing job raising Justin so I knew I had very lil to worry about. Iysla was so spoiled & loved having nana here everyday. Iysla has even started saying nana at random times, so she must be missing her nana ;)

 

Justin & I loved the late nights with sleeping in the mornings. We ate, drank, shopped & enjoyed a few shows too! It was great just to be alone with our only worry for the day was hmmm "what do u wanna do today" We saw a great comedy show, ate lots, walked lots, saw Penn & Teller(they were awesome) lounged by the pool & most of all people watched as you can only do in Vegas!

 

 

It was truly the perfect anniversary trip for us. I was spoiled by my husband everyday we were there. feel so lucky to be treated like a princess 11 years later! That's right, 11 years this October. We talked a lot about how we have grown up so much together since we met at such a young age. We have gone thru so many things in our lives together. We both agreed this chapter of our lives is the best! Were married with a beautiful baby girl & great family. We NEVER thought meeting outside the dorms would lead to this life we have now. 

 

This coming month is my FAVORITE! FALL! HALLOWEEN!  We have my roommate from college & her boyfriend visiting us. We love them & enjoy their annual visits to Boise! Also our 2nd annual carving party! Pumpkins, treats, drinks & great friends! So excited to take Iysla trick or treating this year. I can't wait to post pics her walking around in her costume...eeeeee!!!

 

 

Til' Next time

xoxo

The Coopers

 

 

 

Survived the 1st year of parenthood!

Well its official! We have a 1yr old, bittersweet feeling! So happy that she is growing, learning & laughing everyday! This age is so fun! She tests my patience but she literally makes me laugh everyday! Its just like everyone said...It gets better & better! They were RIGHT! Just when we thought she couldn't blow us away, she does!

We celebrated Iysla's birthday on a freakishly HOT day! Julius Kleiner Park was perfect! We are so grateful for all the love & gifts that our lil girl received. She was beyond spoiled! We were surprised at how she reacted to every present, she looked at each one. She either had a huge smile, kissed it or giggled at every present she opened!
 Iysla had lots of love from her Papi Oscar & Uncle Gordo ;) Also my aunt and cousins were here! She was entertained to say the least, so much attention..non stop!
It did however, mess with her schedule! SUCKED for us, she was not the happiest at nights! It took a few days after everyone left to get back into our routine! Cooper family thrives on routine we've noticed!

So this is Iysla on her actual bday July 16th! We thru her party on the 20th! She was super spoiled with 2 smash cakes...lol!! She had a blast on both days.

She really dug into that cake, took her a lil bit. Once she figured it out, it was a mess!! Just like we wanted!


Iysla's NEW favorites...

Well its weird, one day she was an infant & the next she became a toddler. Getting into everything, crying when we take things away & curious about everything!!! Iysla is a fan of Daniel tigers neighborhood, she only pays attention for like 10 min then is off to her toys & books. OH YES, BOOKS, books are a favorite(they always have been) now she brings books to me to read, pointing & making noises, mimicking me! Favorite books-- good night moon, best bear, I love u through &; through!
At 11 months she started saying hi...by 12months she was saying HI and waving. It was so cute, when my family was here, she was doing it every time she saw them. Last week for the first time she said "hi mama" I literally almost cried. She has said it once more since then. Cant wait to see what else she says!
iysla is a great eater, eats pretty much EVERYTHING! These days shes is in love with toast(I know, weird) chicken, black beans, green beans & her favorite since she was 5months old..sweet potato :)

Iysla dislikes---
Diaper changes..holy shit! She hates it..anyone else ever had that problem? when does it go away?!
She also is not a fan of when mommy & daddy take away controllers & phones from her..mean parents, I know..lol!
She hates cold milk! Still warming the bottle. But Next month we are gonna phase out the bottle to sippe cups/cups with straws. If any mothers out there have tips on how to wean off the bottle..please do share!!

This is what Iysla looks like when she doesn't get her way! lol! silly, spoiled girl!

So this is what happened in my kitchen TODAY! Its never happen before! A lil mini coop got a lil curious, when mommy ran to the bathroom! Silly mom, time to proof all the cabinets...ugh!


Iysla milestones..

Well she loves to walk on her knees, random I know! She loves to stand & take about 5-6steps..then back to her knees! Every time she takes steps all by herself ,she claps...so funny! So will see when she gets the courage to be fully on both feet!
TEETH are coming in, 4 top teeth are all cutting right now. Its been pretty terrible process, we found out that she has a cyst on one of her teeth! It was scary, she had a high fever..super fussy, the area looked really swollen & where the tooth was suppose to be was a yellow spot. We rushed her to the dentist, said it was pretty normal. They go away, its just tough til the cyst pops for the tooth to cut. Well it was a miserable few days, then she was fine. Now her teeth are cutting normally, we believe the cyst popped, since the yellow & swelling are gone. I HATE teething! seriously!

Surviving Parenthood...
Justin & I chatted a lot around her birthday how crazy, exhausted, clueless we felt that first month! Its amazing how far we have come.  we feel so lucky that Iysla is a great sleeper & eater. She has her moments of crazy, overall she is sooo happy. As we look back, every month was a lil easier, figuring out a routine for her & ourselves. So grateful for my partner in crime..pretty sure I would have gone crazy without Justin. We love family time, such a gift..especially during this busy hectic summer. Coopers have lazy Sundays & Mondays...lol!
 We are taking a much needed break from parenthood for 5 days in VEGAS! our anniversary gift to each other. It will be our longest time away from Iysla. Even though she is no longer an infant, I'm scared! LOL! But I know its needed & will have fun. Justin is convinced I'm gonna call his mom 10 times a day....eeee..I hope I don't! Any tips from the mamas out there, on how to survive the first big trip away from your baby?!?!!?


COOPER FAMILY PICTURES!

I've been so excited for these pics! We took them at Albertson park, my fav! Pics taken by my sis & Tyler :) They are at my beckon call when I need pics!

                                                   Iysla is daddy's girl thru & thru!

We took a pic like this with Iysla's shoes before she was born & re-created a year later. Still so amazed with our tiny human!

Iysla has been fascinated by that picture frame. I keep telling her its baby Iysla. Pretty sure she looks at me like I'm crazy!

 When I first saw this picture today, of me holding iysla's lil hand while we walked...I had a tear! Not sure why, other than the fact I feel so lucky & loved by this sweet girl! love love her!

 

So this guy... my husband, best friend, lover, partner in crime. In October it will be 11 years. WTF?!?!Where has the time gone. Some days I feel like we just started this life, and some days I feel like we are an ol' married couple(cause we are)! He has seen me at my worst, best, happy, sad, furious, disappointed & heart broken. literally seen every part of me & is still here loving me, supporting me thru it all! I know for a fact how rare this is, what we have! I don't ever take him for granted...EVER!

 

 

 

So who knows what this next year of parenthood will be like. I'm sure she will test my patience, grow & learn more. Become more of a lil person with her thoughts, emotions & personality. We are excited & nervous as always!

 Fall is only a month away... which means HALLOWEEN! Cooper Casa FAVORITE holiday! We've already discussed costumes & throwing a carving party again! This year Iysla will be more aware & involved so excited to start these family traditions!

 

 

ooooohh & finally the before & after shot baby body! ONE YEAR LATER! I still have some jiggly parts..like my kanga pouch & a lil extra on my thighs. BUT I'm ok it, I feel pretty damn good! Its been a hard battle to get rid it! Now I must keep it off with winter! I have a great gym partner these days, who is also trying to loose that baby weight :) (thanks Kathy)

Til next time

xoxo

The Coopers