Happy 2nd Anniversary!!

On March 1 Eric and I celebrated two wonderdful years of marriage. I guess you can say a lot has happened in two years! We decided to take a quick trip to Solvang for the day. Eric had never been to the quaint little Danish town, so my mom offered to take Cade for the day to give us some "couple time". We were excited to spend the day holding hands and celebrating our love, but I think my mom was even more excited to spoil Cade for an entire day!

It was a little chilly and definitely rainy, but I think it made it even more romantic. After walking through the shops we ended up at a small little wine bar for some wine/beer tasting. It is called Tastes of the Valley and we will definitely go back! I was so grateful for the time we were able to spend reflecting on our marriage and looking forward to another blissful year. We both give thanks for the work the Lord has done and continues to do in our lives.

Goofy Husby :)We found refuge in an adorable children's clothing store (of course!). Eric captured the downpour.
The beautiful rainbow after the rain.
Tastes of the Valley - yummy wine bar

I took out the program from our wedding and reflected on the scripture and songs that were apart of our special day. I thought I would echo part of the thank you we wrote on the back. "It is because of God's perfect example of sacrificial love that we are exchanging marriage vows today. We are grateful to our Savior for revealing Himself to us and bringing us into his marvelous kingdom."

Amen!

Two months, travel and tenderness...

Our little man is now two months old and finally packing on some weight. We went for his 2 month check up (he's perfect!) and he weighs 10 lbs and is 22 inches long. Still only in the 15th percentile for height and weight, but his head is in the 50th percentile. This kid has a huge brain, no wonder he is so advanced (spoken like a true mommy!).We thought it would be fun over the first year to take pictures of Cade with the Tonka truck his Grammie and Gramps gave him (the blanket was crochetted by Grammie too) to see just how big he is getting. As you can tell he has just about grown out of the back of the truck!

Two months also brought Cade's first trip! We traveled to see Auntie Jenny and Uncle Matt for the weekend. I joined Jenny, my mom and our friend Stacy for a Rebecca St. James concert at their church and then we spent the next day in San Clemente with our friends the Eckerts. Cade got to meet his friend Sadie who is just two days younger. She shared her basket and we got some cute pictures.

Rosie is the best big sister! She was even giving love to Cade.Grammie giving her love

Family picture :)

The best part of the weekend was being with family and capturing some beautiful moments thanks to my sister's talent for taking pictures.

Valentine's day rounded off the weekend and Eric and I continued our tradition of breakfast for dinner and a movie. This year instead of apple pancakes we made an Apple Puffed Pancake. I have posted the recipe. It is so so yummy and a Cooper family favorite. I subsituted Pamela's Pancake and Baking mix for the flour to make it gluten free. Seriously, Pamela's mix is the best. We don't even keep the regular stuff in the house any more. If my gluten loving husband likes it, then it must be good! So we set up a little romantic dinner with the Munchie (Cade's newest nickname from me) and enjoyed our picnic.

Me and my Valentine

Our Valentine's Day feast

Apple Puffed Pancake

6 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup flour

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon (Eric and I like a little more cinnamon than this)

1/2 stick butter

2 apples peeled, thinly sliced (Granny Smith work best)

2-3 Tbsp. brown sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 425. Mix the first 7 ingredients in a bowl. The mixture will be slightly lumpy. Set aside. Melt the butter in the oven in a 12 in oven safe dish. When butter is melted, add the apples to the butter. Put back in the oven until the butter sizzles, but don't let it brown. Pour batter mixture from bowl over the apples and butter. Sprinkle brown sugar on top and bake for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!!

7 weeks and GROWING!

I know I say this just about everytime, but I guess it is about time I update the blog! Cade is 7 weeks old tomorrow! It is hard to believe the weeks have flown by like they have. It is getting harder and harder to remember what life was like before him. That could be the sleep depervation talking :). We are adjusting to our new sleeping schedule, learnimg to plan for what gear we need to bring on our outings (and how much extra time it takes to get out the door), and life with me at home and Eric working from home.
All that said we are loving parenthood and the joys and challenges that come with it. Cade is an amazing addition to our family and the perfect expression of Eric and my love for one another. I know all people really want are pictures, so here are a few from the last couple of weeks.

My goodness we look tired... even Cade needs a nap!

The boys having their guy timeJust this week Cade was giving us BIG smiles :)