Christmas Time Has Come....

....And Gone!!! All the presents unwrapped. Both families have been visited. Hectic air travel accomplished (NO KIDDING!). Now Mommy and Daddy are back to work.


This Christmas things were a little different than last year. I have a job, which limited me to less than one week of vacation. Christopher is older now and is more able to travel (willingly or not). We asked Mimi and Pawpaw to come down a week before we went to Ohio to spend a little more time with them. Christopher loved having the extra entertainment, even if it was met with just as much supervision. The first two days were spent relaxing and enjoying the company. We went at some point to see Santa, and to my surprise Christopher did an AMAZING job. He went right up to Santa and started to play with his beard and Glasses. We did more running around while they were here, but for the most part of the time it rained leaving us with minimal choices.


EARLY Saturday morning we flew up to Ohio for our short visit with the rest of our family. Christopher did very well on the flights (considering we had no windows on the row that we were in). I think that I enjoyed the subway in the Atlanta airport the most :). I have never been on a subway so that was a new experience for me. We were very lucky that we made it in to Ohio when we did. Shortly after arriving we started hearing about flights being canceled or delayed do to weather.

There were quite a few people who had still never met Christopher, and we were excited for that experience. Sunday was the "Cotter Family Pictures" that had never been taken before because of the distance. The pictures were amazing, and the boys did great! Christopher loved the photographer with her stuffed kitty, and Aiden just like to laugh at Christopher laughing. That night was the extended Lynch family Christmas (Jeff's mom's side of the family). Mimi counted 29 people and 9 of those were kids under 10.

Monday brought with it a day to shop for last minute gifts for the Jividen Family Christmas (my side) on Tuesday. It also was a day to relax and catch up on some much needed sleep. Jeff and I also took Christopher out to the Columbus Zoo for their Winter Wonderland. The entire zoo was covered in lights. It is honestly the most beautiful part of Christmas I have ever seen. We got Christopher in to bed that night and then headed out to meet up with our friend Tyler for a night out.

Tuesday was all about packing, the Jividen Family Christmas, and mentally preparing for the trip home on Wednesday. My favorite part of the Jividen Family Christmas is the "Grandma Pettet Gift" (also know as the White Elephant Gift). These are gag gifts that people bring to give out for laughter. It could be anything from a stuffed fish or a ceramic butt (which happened to be the gift Jeff received this year). It makes Christmas much more enjoyable not worrying about the price of gifts or whether the receiving person will even like what you have given them.

Wednesday was our flight home, again VERY early. This flight was more stressful because we only had 25 minutes between our connecting flights. We literally ran through the Atlanta airport, and successfully made it to our flight.

We are now home and have very much enjoyed our Christmas adventure. Below are pictures from our trip, Christmas day pictures will be on the next post ;)

It Has Been A LONG TIME!!!

Indeed it has been longer than I would want it to be. There have been a few changes in the Cotter house in the past month. We are very excited for the holidays, and can't wait to share our photos of our little man throughout the next few weeks.

Our biggest change was another move. There were some unforeseen circumstances that came up and in a matter of a week we have moved just down the road into one of our fire chief’s condos. We are hoping in the next few months Jeff can start some college classes for Criminal Justice. Another change has been with our little one himself, HE IS WALKING. He started on in 13 month "birthday" and has been cruising along since.

We have already passed by Thanksgiving, and Christmas will be here soon. It difficult to believe that at this time last year we were still without sleep most nights. Christopher has, for the most part, conquered his sleeping schedule. He is even generous when he wakes up early, letting mommy and daddy continue to sleep while he plays in his crib. Decorations are still in their boxes, at least until Wednesday. I'm very proud of myself for waiting, considering last year they were up before Thanksgiving.

I also can't wait to visit with my family in Ohio in a few weeks. There are still a few of them who have not met Christopher; we are hoping that we can change this. We are also anxious to see snow!!! Even if it only snows for 30 minutes while we are home, that would be enough.

Below are two videos, one of Christopher walking for the first time, and the other of us playing peek-a-boo the other night while unpacking.

HE IS WALKING!!!! from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Curtain Fun from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Mashed Potato

Dinner tonight was full of funny moments and messy baby photos!!!!

The Great Pumpkin Hunt

Sunday was a day to remember for our big guy, as he went on his first pumpkin hunt. We drove for almost an hour to reach a run down farm, that was advertised as "spectacular". We found nothing that we were looking for, but managed some adorable photos and yummy apple cider! We decided that the little pumpkin stand down the road from the house was a much better idea (and it was), as we found so many awesome pumpkins. There were so many there I was almost afraid Christopher would never choose just one.

After going through the ENTIRE pumpkin patch (some 200 pumpkins), Christopher started for what seemed to be another walk-through. This time around however, he stopped halfway through and did a dance of sorts. He had found his pumpkin, which by the way is HALF his size (and he's no small pumpkin himself)! We took a few more pictures with his fabulous choice in pumpkins, and headed home for a much needed nap. Rescue even got his picture taken with a wee little "pupkin"!

Chucky Cheese's

It really is a great place to be a kid. Christopher got to go for the first time today, and he had a lot of fun. There weren't very naby things for him to do, but he enjoyed the hundreds of other kids running arround. Jacob and Savannah went as well and had just as much fun, if not more. These are a few pictures that were taken while we were there.

Happy Birthday...

...To my big guy! It has come and gone, Christopher turned the big number one day! I did amazingly well with keeping the flood works down, but struggled a little when watching tonight.

His party was a hit. Well at least in my eyes! His theme was Mod Monkeys, and was ADORABLE!!! I made a cake for the first time that wasn't square and required actual work. He had his best buddy Mikail there, and his cousin Aiden. There were a bunch of our friends, and our family who drove down to visit from Ohio. There was WAY to much food, but at least we didn't run out. He didn't care too much about opening presents, but he loved his cupcake :)

Mimi and Gandpaw (and yes it's not GRANDPAW) were here for a few days to visit before hand. We wish they could have stayed longer, but we understand the time constraints and wanting to spend time with Mike, Kim, and Aiden. We can't wait to visit with them again soon, and maybe by then Christopher will be running through the house and yard.

Cold State, AKA Ohio

Other than the rather chilly weather, the trip up north went exactly as expected. We had the viewing (for Mammy) on Sunday, the funeral on Monday, and spent our last day with the Cotter clan. Not to mention Jeff getting an earlier taste of his favorite Ohio delicacies.

Sunday was spent in New Lex with my family at the viewing of Mammy. There were a lot of family that came from all over the state. Along with those that I already knew, I met a lot of family that I had never even heard of before. I guess that's how funerals go though, people come from all over to show their respects. Grandpa held up pretty well, I was very afraid that he wouldn't be able to get through it. After 50+ years together he not only lost his wife, but also lost his best friend.

Monday brought the funeral, and winds that could chill a southern transplanted Ohioan to the core (and they did!!!). We didn't have to worry to much about Christopher being out in the cold, because he fell asleep in the car on the way to the graveyard. While at the burial I managed to stop by and see and Daddy's grave as well.

Tuesday was the day of fun, and where most of the following pictures came from. We met up with Mike, Kim, and Aiden at their house. After eating a much awaited for meal of Buca Di Beppo, the boys spent a while playing on the floor and getting to know each other. We also attempted to get a "complete" Cotter boy photo, but the little ones we not wanting to cooperate. The video is of Christopher and Aiden having a raspberry battle and laughing hysterically at each other. We can't wait for them to get down here in about a week and a half.

Raspberry Fun from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Christopher's First Flight

Well due to a loss in our family, my Mammy, we made a quick purchase and flew to Ohio yesterday. Christopher did AMAZING on the airplane! We were very fortunate and we blessed with having 3 seats when we only paid for 2. On the second leg of the flight Christopher settled down in the middle seat and took a nap. It was a huge blessing, giving Jeff a chance to get a short nap as well (We had to get up at 2:30am to get to the airport by 5am). These are a few photos that I took with my phone during the trip (Yes I know it was supposed to be turned off!). Enjoy!

First Birthday Pictures

Now it's even more real then what it was a few weeks ago. We went this week end got Christopher's first birthday photos taken. It was a rather odd day because Tyler was down to visit from Ohio and we went to the Ocean in the afternoon, his pictures were not supposed to be taken until 7pm (bedtime), and Savannah was there to get her pictures taken as well.

Tyler had a great time at the beach, even if he wouldn't go into the water! He got a few souvenirs to take back home with him, and we let the beach to get ready for little man's photo session. Poor Tyler didn't get to do very much that day!

Mom had decided last week that Savannah needed her pictures taken as well, so we just set up her appointment right after Christopher's to make it easy on the studio. Christopher didn't want to smile, laugh, or even look at the camera for the first 10 minutes. He finally started to loosen up, and we even got a few snap shots of him standing on his own for the first time (GO BIG BOY!). She took a lot of photos, and was gracious enough to let us do more than the allotted amount of clothing changes. I can't wait for them to arrive! This is a slide show of my favorites and all of Savannah's pictures.

11 Months Old

Christopher is 2 short days from being 11 months old. Our little baby has become a growing little boy! We have noticed over the last few weeks, his little Irish attitude meshing with my outspokenness. He now lets you know when he is not happy with what you do, or for that matter don't do! It's awe inspiring watching him learn new things, and begin to figure out how this world works on his level.

We love to hear him say new words, like "up, pants, hi, and ball". He still has his favorite word "lights", and knows how to turn them on and off. He says "Dada" when he's sad or sleepy, and I have been fortunate enough to get a "Momma" out of him. We can't wait throughout the day to see if a new word might emerge!

As we wait for this last month to pass before toddler days begin, we ask everyone to keep us in mind while we try to mold our little munchkin in to the little boy he can be!

It's Officially Buckeyes Season!

One can only hope this season ends with less disappointment than the last few. I'm sure Kim is sitting in their Buckeye room yelling at the guys on the field, maybe this year they might hear her pleas for success.

Christopher has been learning to feed himself, and I must say it creates a disaster in my dining room. These are a few pictures of him eating baby ravioli, or trying to at least. He does a lot better with a spoon than what he does with his hands. It's hard to imagine that in about a month he will be a year old. I only can hope that the next few years to come brings new and exciting experiences.

I'm leaving you with a video that applies to every woman who has ever went looking for that "perfect card".

A week to forget!!!!!!

My week of terror and loss is FINALLY over. For those of you who didn't know last Saturday my cell phone was stolen on post at the commissary, and Monday night someone attempted to break into our home while Christopher and I were here. The entire group of Southside officers responded to our home, but still no one has been caught.

I did get some good news this week. I officially sign my contract with SOC Monday. This means no more waiting and more money flowing in. I leave you tonight with a video of our little goof, the name of the video says it all...........

Hysterical Laughing from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Lost In Time!!!

So it's been a little while, or maybe a long while. We have been on a Internet loss here at home. Our neighbor is very nice and lets us hit off his wireless for free, but when the power goes out due to storms (every night) we loose Internet. It has been a few days since the loss of power so I am scrambling to get this updated.

This month has been a learning frenzy for Christopher. He is standing, crawling like a pro, taking steps, and learning more words. I almost wish he weren't growing so fast. He is like a weed, but we are hoping with more movement happening we wont have to buy new clothes for a while. He is still in between 12 and 18 months, and at 10 months old that's saying something.

We have been keeping very busy trying new things with Christopher and letting him explore more. I almost thought that child was going to have a concussion with all the falling he was doing. I'm so excited to see him learn new things, and find new friends. We had another play date with his buddy Mikael two weeks ago. They play together like you would expect two growing boys to do. Between the hitting each other on the head, throwing toys at the other one, and pushing each other around, they were both beaten and bruised. They had a great time and we can't wait for the next play date.

We met up with my friend Lindsey last week, and Christopher got to spend some quality time with his "girlfriend" Lauren. He wasn't to impresses with her and spent more time watching the waitress. They did however, exchange baby kisses before the end of the night.

On a more depressing note, My phone was stolen from me today. I am not to thrilled at the thought of having no ones phone numbers anymore, or loosing all of my data (pics, music, calender). I can't believe that there are people in this world who believe it is OK to take other peoples things for whatever their reason. Stealing IS a crime, and should this person ever be found they will go to jail. AS ALL THIEF'S SHOULD!!!!

Swing, Swing! from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Bathtub Chatter! from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.