Halloween & Happy 5th!

Ok, I'm a little bit behind, and I'm going to combine the Halloween update with the report on Cooper's birthday because they were so intertwined over several days! It all started with Coop's birthday party at Edie & G-Chip's house the Saturday before Halloween. He had a costume party complete with a hayride and some other fall/halloween themed activities. For five-year-old boys, it was a fun party complete with lots of running around in the woods with light-sabers! Here are some pictures to illustrate:











You can see that Star Wars was a common theme for our costume party, and this picture captures it all- Dan as Darth Vader, Cooper as Anakin Skywalker, and Uncle Rob as Obi Wan Kenobi!



Halloween was a few days later, and we ate dinner and trick-or-treated with our friends the Davenports at their house. Our new neighborhood is not the most developed neighborhood yet, so we loved being with some friends in a hot-spot for trick-or-treating!


The little girls trick-or-treated at every third or fourth house and spent the rest of the time riding in the wagon enjoying the sights!




the big kids had a blast going from house to house!

We had a visit with Nan and with Edie & G-Chip on the trick-or-treating route! Edie was really funny and kind of scary as a witch!



and Nan's house was full of treats and we actually got a family picture!



The next day was Cooper's birthday, and the celebration began with donuts at his school with friends!


Miss Cindy reading the birthday story


Cooper soaking up the birthday love!


Reese Ann taking it all in!


Cooper showing his age!


and finally, our celebration with grandparents the night of Cooper's birthday with his favorite present! Lots and lots of Legos this birthday (especially his favorite-Star Wars)!


and blowing out his candle on his birthday ice cream sundae!

Cooper totally fits the definition of a five-year-old boy. He is into guns and shooting anything that will remotely stand still (including his poor little sister who lately has been shooting him back)! He is the outspoken kid who his teachers absolutely love (but probably get a little bit sick of, too). Cooper's current obsession is Star Wars, and he loves any friend who will play it with him- usually Sam at school and Ryan at church.

Cooper is still a bit of a charmer with the ladies- including his mama. He weighs in at 41 lbs and is 43 inches tall. He is also an open book- I call the time after he gets into the car from school "the confessional." He tells on himself and his every move. We can only hope he will be this honest as he grows up!

We are so thankful for Cooper and his fun, feisty little personality! He is such a loving brother to Reese Ann and a wonderful son. We are so excited to see what this next year has in store for him! We can't believe he is five!

October so far...

The beginning of October started with our family living out of boxes- the closing on our house we were selling was pushed back several times. To say the least, we were thrilled when we got to actually move into the new house and get settled! I took a picture of Cooper and Reese Ann in front of the old house:



and then one in front of the new house:



They are loving the new house and the added space that they have to run around in! The first full day that Reese Ann was at the new house, I kept looking for things, and RA would say, "Mama, it's at home," with a pitiful face. After a few times reassuring her that this house was indeed our new home, she was great. We did have one last run through of the old house- just me & the kids- and we were all sad. It is a great house filled with many memories and in a wonderful neighborhood- just a little too small! We all agreed that we could still love that house while we loved our new house, too.

Before we moved, we did make a quick trip to the fair. It was a fun-filled hour for sure! We ran into Cooper's friend, Gage, and they had fun riding rides together!



Reese Ann was sad that she couldn't ride anything, but once we found a big slide that she could go down with Dan, she was scared to death! Such a funny little girl for sure!



The funnel cake was the hit of the night! The kids and Dan finished it outside once we got home.



Both Cooper and Reese Ann have had their fall parties at school. Cooper had Fall Festival last week at USJ, and all of the kids had a blast!




his class with Miss Cindy and Miss Kellie



Reese Ann was the prettiest little fairy this morning at her First Pres Halloween party! There is not much to the parties in the 2-year-old class, but she loved wearing her costume nonetheless!



We have a busy week ahead of us with Cooper's birthday party, Halloween, his real birthday, and Dan and I's 10th anniversary! I will post an update on the madness soon!

Lately around here...

We've been keeping very busy with the beginning of fall and all of the activities that it brings! Reese Ann's playschool did not start until after Labor Day. She is going to First Presbyterian where Cooper went the last two years (and where I went many years ago). She has loved it and gotten right in the groove on her two mornings a week spent there!


I couldn't get a smile for the life of me that morning, but she really was happy to be there!


In her classroom with some friends and her teacher, Miss Jennifer.


She got right to playing after checking out the little boy who was crying hysterically in the corner!


Soccer has come to the Sikes house this fall! Dan is coaching Cooper's team along with our friend, Todd. This is the perfect picture of Cooper's interest in soccer so far- he loves the running around, but is not really interested in the ball. I tend to think he is pretending to be involved in some Star Wars drama!


Team Huddle!


With his buddy, George!

And a few pictures to capture the playing that has been happening around here lately:


dancing to the frog singing "shake, shake-it" with her trusty cup always in hand!


Star Wars Lego Wii playing in the afternoons after school, and


nothing like a little Star Wars action in underwear (Coop's favorite get-up these days)!

Oh, and last thing, we are getting ready for a move- just to the neighborhood next to ours- but a move nonetheless! It's amazing how much stuff Dan and I have accumulated in the six years we have spent in this house. More details when we come up for air!

Reese Ann is Two!

I can't believe that it's time to write the blog post about our baby turning two! The last two years have passed so quickly, and yet it seems like Reese Ann has always been here! She is still such an absolute mess! The fun, discovery, disaster, adventure, silliness, messes, climbing, and affection are endless!

Reese Ann talks in full sentences and wants total attention most of the time. When things get quiet, we usually find her destroying something- usually a book! She definitely acts like a little girl even through the rambunctious nature. She loves her baby dolls and coloring (most of the time on the paper provided)! Cooper is still one of her absolute favorite people, and she loves taking him to school with Daddy in the mornings if she is awake!

She has been a little girl since birth (usually 25th percentile or below), and at her two year old check-up she stayed consistent with the weight percentile, but shot up to the 75th percentile in height! She still is not a great eater unless it is junk food- suckers are her favorite treat these days! She has started eating bananas and some apple which is a huge win for this mom!



We had a mermaid-themed 2nd birthday party at Edie & G-Chip's houseboat with all of our family on Reese Ann's birthday which fell on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. The weather was not wonderful, but we all had a great time celebrating Reese Ann. She loved every minute of it and is still talking about her birthday!




She loved the cake and couldn't bother with a fork!


So much fun having aunts and uncles to entertain the little ones! Uncle Rob was a good sport in Reese Ann's pool at the river!


The birthday girl and her Mama!


Just soaking up all of the attention!

Reese Ann, Mama and Daddy love you so much and are so thankful for all that you add to our lives every single day! Your eyes and smile light up every room that you toddle into! We look forward to each day with you and all the adventure that the Lord places into our lives through you! Happy 2nd Birthday!

First Day at USJ!

Our USJ journey has begun! Cooper had his first official day of Jr-K yesterday. Dan and I went with him to meet his teachers, take his school supplies, and see his classroom. His teachers are Miss Cindy and Miss Kellie. They are both so sweet, and he has several great friends in his class (whose parents are great friends of his mom & dad's, too) which makes it nice to start at a new place!

Cooper having to put on the USJ uniform was definitely the worst part for this mom! His collared shirt and khaki pants/shorts time has now come, and I'm going to have to get over it and quickly! The worst part starting next week will be the 7:50 school start time for this lazy-morning family! Overall, though, we are all excited about Cooper starting school. The back-to-school bash was a fun way to celebrate last night, too! Here are a few more pictures from the day:


Reese Ann needed to get in on the picture-taking action!




a quick hair trim before walking out the door!


Dan and Coop heading in with all of the school supplies!


Cooper and his buddy George making themselves right at home in their classroom!

Recent Summer Adventures

The summer has been flying by around here, and this mom is in denial that it is about to be over with Cooper starting Jr-K the end of next week. I need to catch up with a few recent pictures! We have spent many a weekend at the river this summer, and as in summers past, our river weekends are some of our favorite times of the summer. This past weekend, we started trying to get Cooper excited about riding the tube. He was apprehensive (as he is with anything physical that is remotely out of his comfort zone), but he did great & loved it! He wanted his dad on the tube with him and his G-Chip driving the wave runner.


Some initial anxiety before taking off



Reese Ann wanted a turn after Cooper! This dare-devil will try anything at least once! She rode in the middle of Ashlie & myself, and even after a tumble in the water on the first try, she had a great time!



We upgraded the baby pool for the top of the houseboat this year, and it has been a hit!



Here's a video that illustrates the adventurous spirit of our little girl. This was at a birthday party this weekend for one of Cooper's friends. Cooper refused to jump in this contraption, but RA was determined that she was going to!