super hero family! we had a lot of fun with our friends jen & colin and the four leiskes. cooper got lots of candy... and lots of tired! i added photos to the slide show above...

go kings!!!

no, the kings didn't do so well the other night, but cooper did learn this song just for opening night!

new member of our family... rogie vachon!

yes, named after the famous l.a. kings player! we thought we'd get a small dog for tuesday, who was so very sad after losing her sister. well, this guy stole our hearts. he was abandoned (probably by someone who lost their home) and rescued by save-a-pet. he's about 2 years old, fixed and micro-chipped and is just a really great dog. very mellow, doesn't jump and can use the doggie door! he's had only a couple of pee accidents in the house. tuesday tolerates him pretty well

and is even playing with him! we've had him almost two weeks now. he's a wonderful dog!!!

Divot...

we knew the time was coming... when we got home at 7:30 last night from vegas, our beloved puppy divot had passed away. a friend had looked in on the dogs at 4:30 and she was fine, although seemed to be on a "hunger strike." she hasn't been eating very well the past couple of weeks. she had a great life with us over the past 10+ years. she was a happy puppy and a great playmate for cooper. when i told him that she had died and now she's in heaven with his fish and tortoises, he started crying and said "but she's my best friend. i won't see my best friend ever again." we all patted her head, told her we will miss her and we love her... rest in peace, puppy...

camping in big bear - aug. 2009

i know, i know, but i couldn't resist! it's been too long since i've posted anything. i've added some photos of our weekend in torrance and camping in big bear to the slideshow. cooper is almost done with swim lessons and is a total fish! we'll be celebrating his 4th birthday (when the hell did THAT happen?) for two days at Disneyland. next weekend we'll be in san diego (for a bike ride and going to legoland) and then heading straight to vegas for the pga show. then our big family vacay - 5 days in yosemite and sequoia! sweet, cool weather!

cooper swimming

i know it's been too long since i've posted something! here is a video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nqf5t62TvM

Cooper reciting the Pledge of Allegiance

Happy Memorial Day!

friday swim club

cooper, woody & jax

good luck david!

our friend david left this morning for his summer job in flagstaff. unfortunately he is not coming back to toscana in the fall, but is hoping to come back to the desert. we hope he does! david lived with us for a summer a couple of years ago and cooper really got attached. he decided to give david his dog ike for david to sleep with and remember cooper by!

swim class

cooper started a new swim class on friday with his buddies woody and jackson. he'll go every friday through the summer and i'm sure this new teacher will be a good fit for cooper. she's a bit more authoritative with the kids (okay, i used to call her a drill sergeant), but i think that's what will get cooper swimming this summer! i thought he would have a hard time being in the pool without me, but he did great! i kept telling him over and over how proud and happy i was that he did so well - and he liked it, too! whew!

ahhh, nature

gotta love springtime! we were in the park behind our house playing football and noticed lots and lots of lady bugs around. then we found these two, one giving the other a piggy-back ride! it's the only one (okay, two) that did not fly away!

date festival

a couple of weeks ago we had a playgroup at the annual date festival. it lasts about 8-10 days, various carnival rides and games, plus a lot of animals for competitions (cows and pigs mostly), a petting zoo and various bands that play each night. this year the big ones (for me anyway) were gin blossoms and loverboy! but no, i didn't go to them. i've heard that the shows just aren't worth it with the

crowds and all. cooper had a lot of fun on the rides. on the firetruck we have houston, cooper, jack, woody, jackson and gabby (houston's sister). the kids were worn out by the time we left!

snowing in big bear

we were in big bear sunday and monday and it did not stop snowing for a single minute! i think it was about 25 outside, but toasty warm inside! cooper loved playing in the snow. why is it that kids just do NOT feel the cold? he could have stayed out there for hours and hours! can you see the snowflakes on his eyes?

mowin' the grass

cooper loves, loves, loves to mow the grass with daddy, especially in his pajamas! he's a huge help to tony!

leiske twins

in their carseats today, on the way to their first doctor appointment. this is to give you an idea as to just how little they are!

zach (4 lbs. 13 oz) and xander (4 lbs. 3 oz.)

our little hockey guy

last night we went to the new ice garden in la quinta. we were both really surprised at how well cooper did. someday he will be a great forward for the l.a. kings... or a really fantastic figure skater! photos were added to the slideshow.

go kings!

here is cooper wearing tony's jersey. one of these days it is going to fit him! scary! i know it will happen sooner than expected. he just keeps growing and growing! soon we'll get photos of tony holding marty mcsorley's edmonton jersey when they won the stanley cup. if you are a hockey fan, you'll understand how HUGE this was for tony!

for those who don't know, cooper was bitten this past week by a neighbor's german shepherd. he is fine - the bite did not break the skin, just bruised his upper arm - and knows he cannot run around eddie anymore, that we just have to pet him gently. we don't see him that often, so it's not really a concern if he happens to be afraid of eddie. just as long as he isn't afraid of other dogs.

the dentist

today was cooper's first dentist appointment. i wish i would have started him sooner. our dentist told us "not until he's 4 or 5," then is pediatrician said "NOW!" should have taken him in at 1 year. he was actually doing well (i'm sure it was because of all the "practicing" i did during the past few weeks) until the molar xrays started. you know how when that piece goes into your mouth and starts cutting the roof? yep, that's when it started. the xrays of the back teeth were not taken. then i had to hold him down during the exam and cleaning, while he was screaming and crying and shaking his head from side to side. this dentist (dr. tran) must have had countless hours of training for this! then when it came time to put some flouride stuff on his teeth, he leaned back and let her do it. i asked him if the polishing felt good and he said yes. then turned to the dr. and said "thank you for cleaning my teeth!" so although it didn't go as smoothly as i wanted, the dr. was able to do her job and he seemed okay at the end. oh yeah, and tony is taking him next time!!!