Postings Galore!!

So.... my husband has so kindly informed me that if I want anyone to read any of what I am writing that I should not be "back blogging" or posting anything behind my most current posting!  Well, I was REALLY FAR behind on my journaling (and as I've mentioned before, even though this is a way to keep everyone posted on what is going on with us while we are here in Malaysia, it has also become my journal that I am eventually turning into a book and keeping for the boys) so I've wanted to keep things in order chronologically as much as possible...thus all the December and January posts when it's already February! SOOOO.....if you really are interested in reading ALL about everything we've done since the last time I was up-to-date with my blogging, here is a list of all the entries I've made in the last week:

December (listed from beginning to end of month):
Planes, Planes, Planes - Daniel's 3rd Birthday Party
Texas....here we come!
1st days in Texas and Jen & Connor visit!
Our 1st Gingerbread House!
Cooper's 1st dentist visit & Evan's 1st cleaning
Pictures with Santa & Daddy's 35th Birthday!
Sunny Texas & Family Visits
Snowy Oklahoma

January:
Brooke visits us in Oklahoma
Hadlock Christmas Party in OKC
Some Nana & Pop Time
Heading back to Malaysia....
Micaela's 5th birthday zoo party!
Mommy's Kickboxing Performance & Happy Birthday to Mommy!
New Christmas presents are so much fun!!
A memorable "Evan conversation”
Daniella's 4th birthday swimming party

February:
E's Ouchie
Cooper tries out school for the 1st time!
Cooper is now BINK FREE!
It feels a little strange....

Yes, that is right folks...all in a little over a week!  SEE, if I do set my mind to something, I can accomplish it! Like I said, if you feel like you have some time and need a read (I won't even go as far as saying a GOOD read) then stop back by and catch up with us!  Since these weren't written in real time, I'm sure I missed alot of good stuff that I would have otherwise included, but at least with the pictures it will serve as a good reminder to me of these most memorable Thompson boy moments!!  Happy reading!!

It feels a little strange....

to be home and have neither of my boys here with me!  Are we really at that point where I have TWO school boys?!?!?  The precious baby moments are so far gone now it's kinda scary.  Am I getting the baby itch you ask....HECK NO...and even if I was, wouldn't be able to do anything about it anyhow!  Well, I guess that isn't entirely true, but I don't see Andrew going back in for a reversal after what he went through having it done in the first place!! ha!  I just can't believe how big my boys are getting....3 short months until Coop's 2nd birthday!!  And Evan, well you can't get anything by that boy any longer, he is too smart for his own britches!

So, even though it's only going to be a day or two a week that the house will be quiet for 3 hours, I see that I'm going to have some time to get things done that I normally wouldn't..... I think there are definitely some positives to this whole school thing! 

Here are a few pictures of my oh-so-adorable boys before heading out for school - I just love them bunches and just smile everytime I ever even think about them!

Yay for school!

Let's go, Bubba!

Skyping with BeBe and Boss before we head out...I think we just missed Nana trying to Skype with us too!

And here are a couple after I picked them up....

Cooper is now BINK FREE!

We took the leap this afternoon at naptime and went bink free for the 1st time!  Since Coop will be 21 months old tomorrow (WOW, I am still having a hard time getting a grasp on where the time has gone!), we thought it was beyond time to get rid of it once and for all (we broke E's habit at 18 months, 6 weeks before Cooper arrived)!  So today as we headed downtown for lunch we started prepping him that his binks were gone and that we'd sent them on to the babies who still needed them - that he was a big boy now and big boys don't use binks.  Evan went on to tell him that Natalie was a baby and she used binks...so then it became, "Coop we've sent your binks to baby Natalie because she really needs them and your a big boy and you don't".  He seemed to be okay with this idea!  So on the way home, I asked him if he knew where his binks were and he said "home"....."nope buddy, remember we sent them to baby Natalie"...."bink, baby..Nat Nat (that is what Aunt Leigh calls Natalie so we had him say it since it was much easier for him)"...."yes, that is right - there are no binks at home any more, we've sent them to baby Natalie...baby Nat Nat!" We thought since he was pretty tired it wouldn't be much of a problem getting him to sleep, but as soon as we got him ready for his nap in his room, he started saying "bink".  So there we go through the whole story again and he moaned and groaned for a bit about it, whining "mamma, bink....uhhh....mamma, bink", but seemed to be okay with not getting it once I offered him up his blankie.  Luckily, he has recently found some attachment to his satin/velveet blanket (thanks to seeing Evan who HAS to have his when he sleeps) and also this froggy silk lovey he got before he was born, so maybe that will make the transition a bit easier for him.

I tried to make it easier on him and tried singing him to sleep (by this point I knew he was very tired), but you could sense that he was still pretty anxious about not having the bink and continued to moan and groan while laying down.  I soon realized the only way that it was going to work was to just walk out and let him try to fall asleep on his own.  Well, he cried for the better part of 20 minutes and then, just as I hoped, knocked out!  He slept for about 45 minutes, woke up and whimpered (not as much of a cry as before) and fell back to sleep after about 10 minutes and then went onto sleep for another hour and 45 minutes (when I finally had to go in and wake him because it was getting to late and I didn't want him to have trouble sleeping tonight).  He managed to get over a 2 1/2 hour nap which was wonderful. Hopefully the transition goes much smoother than what I've envisioned it to be.  I was afraid no nap was going to be had or that he was never going to able to get back to sleep once he woke up after the first 45 minutes...but he completely surprised me! Now I guess we wait to see what bedtime brings!!  I'll be sure and fill you in in a few days on his progress.  I've rid the place of any binks so that when he wakes up crying for it in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep...I am the one that doesn't cave and go looking for one!  Maybe I'm the one you should be rooting for!!?!?!

Here are a few shots of the little man after that 1st wonderful "bink-free" nap!!

Starting to stir from his sleep when he heard the flash on the camera pop up...thus the wrinkled eyebrows!

A little closer at opening the eyes...

and a fully rested, bink-free big boy!!

A very happy boy after having his after nap snack!! 

You did an awesome job little Coop, I'm so very proud of you!!

Evan the Architect

For Christmas, we got Evan this neat magnetic set that provides about 70 small pieces along with cards of images you can make using the various pieces.  I thought it might be a little too old for him still, but that if I helped him, it could be something fun for us to do together.  Well, before we left for the states we got it out a couple of times and tried it out....and he did really well (with me assisting him quite a bit), but lost interest after creating one or two of the designs.  Well, since we've been back from the holidays he has gotten the set out a few times while Cooper has been napping (we decided it's easier when Coop isn't around so that he isn't trying to run off with the small pieces or trying to destroy E's masterpieces!) and he has practically been doing them alone.....4 or 5 each sitting!!  In the beginning, I was picking out the necessary pieces for each design and letting him put it together, but the last couple of times he has been the one picking the pieces out all by himself and then putting it together....I was so very proud of him.....and so was he!!  Here are a few pics of the finished products:

Study Time!

Even with E going to school 5 days a week now, he still seems to want to "play" school all the time when he gets home!  I'm so thrilled he enjoys it so much....I hope this is always the case! 

And today he called me into the living room saying "Mom, it's writing time!"  When I get there, he says "Ok, this one is yours (handing me one of the other day planners Andrew has given him to play with)....you write your name here and then do your pluses!"  I think they may be starting to do some math and adding at school...so he calls them "pluses"....too cute! 

Such concentration! Our little lefty!

"Wow Bubba, this school stuff is hard work!"

Bubba's schooling sure does make me hungry!

Cooper tries out school for the 1st time!

So, Coop has made the leap....he is officially a school boy!  We tried it out for the first time yesterday for about an hour. Evan met us when we arrived at the school and he quickly told us we needed to go upstairs and go to the baby class.  Once upstairs, he says "Cooper, this is the baby class...you go in here!  I'll be right over here in my class".  Wow, where did my babies go!?!?!?  I spent the first 15 minutes with him to see how he was going to adjust.  I had thought he was going to be very clingy and not want to participate with the rest of the kids, but he refreshingly suprised me.  He sat right down in a chair and started playing legos along with the rest of the kids....and never said "mama" once (which was a real shocker because I think that may have been the first time that he has gone more than 5 minutes without saying "mama" while I'm around!)  So after getting the feeling that he was going to be just fine, I slipped out and left him for another 45 minutes by himself. I do have to say it was much easier to leave him by himself for the first time than it was the first time I left Evan.  Guess that is just what happens with the 2nd child!   When I returned, I went upstairs to collect him and peeked into the room to watch him before I let him know I was back for him.  He was just looking so precious and like such a big boy.  The teacher was singing some songs and he was just sitting in his chair playing with some blocks.  Just an adorable sight to see!  Of course, as soon as some of the kids noticed me, he turned around and started shouting "mama, mama" and wanted me to hold him.  The teacher said he did cry a bit when he noticed I was gone, but quickly became distracted by what they were doing and was fine the rest of the time! So all in all, it was a very successful first try at this whole school thing!  We are going to try another hour Friday morning and then he will start going half days 1-2 days a week.  Ms. Shareen will be his teacher and he will be in a class with 8 other 2 to 3 year olds.  He will be the youngest, but a few of the 2 year old girls seemed just as small as him, so he fits right in.  His 2 other buddies we have regular playdates with will both be going to school full time starting in March, so I thought this was a good alternative to the playdates.  The principal of the school disagrees with only sending him part-time (must be that Asian schooling mentality), but I still think he is much too young to be going 5 days a week (especially when I'm not even working)...so we'll try it out once or twice a week for now. 

So very, very proud of you Cooper!  You did an awesome job at your first try at school!  I hope you enjoy going as much as your brother does! You are learning so much these days and are really starting to pick up some vocabulary, it is just a matter of time before you'll be having full conversations with us!!

Now....I just can't wait to see him in his new school uniform!!!

Here are a few pics before we headed off to school:

Trying out the new backpack

Let's go Mama, I'm ready to do this school thing!!

E's Ouchie

At Dani's party yesterday, E took a spill while running and bruised his lip and his nose.  It actually didn't look too bad....that is.... until he and Cooper were playing on the bed this morning and Coop accidentally kicked him in the mouth.  It started bleeding and caused it to look much worse.  For some reason, he couldn't wait to get to school this morning to tell everyone about how "I tripped while running at Dani's party and got a big bruise on my lip...see!!".  Surprisingly, he didn't manage any scaped knees or hands, so he must have landed straight on his face. He was even a big boy about it, only minimal crying!