Overstimulation

Cooper loves to sit on a blanket with a couple of toys and be in the middle of the action. It is so interesting to watch the progression of his interaction with his toys. Something used simply as a teether for the last couple of months is now being explored in a whole new way. 

This may be a little extreme, huh?  We put the box on its side and within Cooper's reach, and he took full advantage of taking each and every object out so he could fully check it out. And his best friend Van helped too of course!  We think his "man bag" was his favorite.If he had his choice?  He would play with the remote controls or our phones or blackberrys or any other object that is off-limits.  What is it going to be like when he is more mobile?

Critters

It has been a good year for critters around the lake house.

We have been tucking Cooper into the jogging stroller and going for a very hilly 4.3 mile walk around the lake every weekend.  Not a rare occurence to see these orange guys on the street.  Cooper is still too young to appreciate them, but before we know it he will be out on a Salamander Hunt with his Aunt Mel. 

Usually the frogs that hang out around the slate walkway are so tiny, but this one seems to be ready to leave the "nest" pretty soon. You can also see bigger ones jump into the water as a means of escape if you walk close to the edge. No interest in seeing the size of the toads making all the noise down at the lake every night.

The bees are now looking for a new home after being evicted from the side window, and Maria is still whining about the slugs that are abundant after the 'Summer of Rain' we have all endured.  The bald eagles are now making weekly appearances, but it doesn't matter how much we see them - we always have to stop and watch them soar and then swoop down to nab a fish from the lake.  Yet another bit of "wildlife" experienced is when Scooter comes to visit while ignoring Max's calls to come home.  What a cute dog, but he isn't such a fan of our screen door.

Although we don't have a picture, it was very cool to see a juvenile black bear lumber across the road right ahead of our car two weeks ago.  It disappeared into the woods before we even thought about getting the iPhone out to snap a photo.  Next time.

Cooper is going to love all this stuff in a few years!

Sir, May I See Your Passport

It is official!
Cooper has obtained his passport and is ready to begin his travels.

Maria's day off yesterday was spent at the Passport Office on Hudson Street.  Appointment at 11am was all of 15 minutes, and then back to pick it up at 4pm.  

The kid takes a pretty good photo, huh?
We will be staying in Barcelona for a few days before embarking for France and Italy.  Maria has finally chosen a hotel in the La Rambla section of the city, and we have a list of things (sites, Picasso, tapas, etc) we would like to see and do while we are there.  

Preparation is key.

Woodstock

The 40th anniversary of Woodstock was celebrated on August 15th. The over 400,000 high, naked, and muddy revelers were treated to experience the music of legends such as Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Grateful Dead, and Joan Baez for three peaceful days. 

Mr. Yasgur's farm, which has now been transformed into the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts - no doubt that all in attendance back in '69 could ever fathom the likes of the Jonas Brothers performing on the same hallowed ground.
The lake house is only 15 minutes from Bethel and the site of Woodstock. Since they owned the house back in 1969, it was cool getting Mr. and Mrs. Duggan's account of the day and the people and the personalities and the whole phenomenon. We also need to sit down with Billy Hoag, a couple of beers, and listen to his account of the festivities. He walked up to the grounds from the lake!
Though this clip isn't from Ang Lee's 'Taking Woodstock' movie, we thought it was a short look into what the experience was like for some people who made the trek and became part of this significant cultural event in our history.

Summer Days

With the fast approach of September 7th, it seems the Summer Days of '09 will soon be coming to a close. Too much rain and cool temps haven't helped our tans, but hopefully we are in for a good Fall. Gotta stay optimistic, right?

Cooper could hang out in the grass for hours.  He loves grabbing it, having it under his feet, and just exploring its feeling.  We are going to have to take this kid to The Great Lawn very soon.

Taking in the sights and the hot (freakin' hot) springs in Arkansas.

Where's the party?

The party, as always, is with my Mom.  

Hot Mamas

Surfers At Squan Inlet

Hurricane Bill brought 10-12' waves and ideal surfing conditions to the Jersey Shore this weekend. From what we can gather online - the Manasquan Inlet was packed with locals getting their surf on.
All the Exit 98'ers were probably thrilled that the storm kept each and every Benny away. It is a tad embarrassing for us when we go down to visit Maria's family sporting our NY license plate.  You have to know the Shore culture to understand!  Those Jersey'ites really can be quite militant at times. 

Food Glorious Food

At this point Cooper is eating at least two meals of solid food.  At times it's three, but not quite up to making that the norm. Bottles are not as interesting to him anymore.  He loves any sort of vegetable concoction that Earth's Best manufactures.  The fruits are still too sweet for his developing palate, and the faces that Cooper makes after getting the first couple of spoonfuls are hysterical.  

Teething biscuits. Gross'ness. But the kid loves them.
When all else fails, hands can be an appetizing option.
Cooper has meat with vegetables to look forward to next week when he turns 8 months old.  At this point the only true protein he has tried have been lentils, but the cabinet is stocked and prepared with jars of beef, chicken, turkey blends for him.  Next week.  8 months!  Crazy!

Signage

Saw this bumper sticker and thought it was quite fitting.

This sign was hanging in a boutique in Hot Springs.

So true.  Love it!

Redneck church?

Grandma And Grandpa

We were lucky enough to spend seven days in Arkansas with Cooper's grandparents.  Fun, sun, and quality time.  We had such a good time, and it was definitely hard to leave at the end of the week!

Hung out down at the beach on Balboa Lake, and other than the rocks under our feet, we enjoyed watching Cooper splash and kick and love every minute of the water.  He was less than thrilled when it came time to get into the hot car and head back to the house.

There was absolutely no lack of attention in the mornings.

The cutest thing to watch was Grandpa get down on the floor and repeatedly say, "Roll over boy!" to a child that can sit up, loves to stand with assistance, but utterly and categorically refuses to roll whatsoever. (newsflash, he is now rolling over) 

A visit would not be complete without jumping into the lake off of Grandma and Grandpa's dock.  Cooper loved this raft, and we think he looked at his time in it as if he was sitting in his bathtub at home.

He splashed and played with his rubber duck, but unfortunately we have no pictures of him hanging on tight to the water noodle that he took a big bite out of the top.

The infant life-preserver that we quickly abandoned. Cooper hated every single second of it.  He felt too squished.

 

Hawaiian shirt fits him, huh?  We were on our way to a party in Hot Springs.  Cooper needed to be festive for the open house.

Cooper truly loved sitting up on the counter, in the action, and watching Grandpa take care of all his projects. (but cooper was not a fan of fox news)

We had such a good time. Cooper is going to miss his grandparents!  Happily, it is less than six weeks we all meet again in Barcelona for our trip.  It ain't Arkansas, but it will have to do. 

SpaghettiOs

Ok, there is a running joke with Maria because she is vehemently opposed to SpaghettiOs and any other pasta-in-a-can crap that is out there to be sold.  Her father would never allow a child of his to abandon their Italian roots and eat such a thing.  

So what did the Harts boys do with this information? (they are dead meat) (lori and robyn too) They bought a can of this vile sludge, poured it out on Cooper's tray, and let him go to town!  Now, they didn't truly let him taste it since that would be the worst possible thing for his system.  But those sadists rubbed it on his stomach and face and had the camera ready to capture the scene.

 You can see on his face that Cooper knows there is something wrong.

The can was opened with a safety seal thing, and Lori was right there out of the shot supervising Cooper very closely.  Fine.  But the whole event is just an abomination against humanity.  SpaghettiOs!  What is next?  Chef Boyardee and Kool Aid?  (don't even try it Harts)

Blast from the past.