18 months and counting

My top 10 to my #1 lil man

1.  You love when you're daddy gets home from work... it might be your favorite part of the day.  As soon as you hear the door open, you start running towards it.  Then you spend the next hour on his lap playing w/ him.

2.  It's hard to find you without a bat or ball in your hands.  You can already dribble the soccer ball across the backyard.  You can pick up a baseball, set it on the tee and swing your bat to hit it across the yard.  Your father and I are so proud of you.

3.  Your absolute favorite word right now is 'stuck'.  Anytime you want help with something or going some where you say 'stuck stuck stuck' until someone comes to help you.  And of course then mama makes you say please ... which always results in a slanting of the head and a 'pease'  VERY CUTE.

4.  When you see me getting ready to leave, you will scream 'go' and then until I start getting you ready to leave too you will say "shoes" "socks" and "coat" constantly.  When I finally say coat too, you will run and get it for me.

5.  Whenever mama is cooking in the kitchen, you will 'help' by getting all the spices out of the cupboard and stack them.  I let you do this because I am super impressed that you can even get the awkward shaped spices to stay on top of each other.

6.  You will randomly throughout the day come over and hug me or daddy.  We absolutely melt every time you do this.  You are so sweet.

7.  I can count on at least once a day you charging at me or your dad w/ your sword yelling "arrrrrrrg."  We must run & grab a stick, bat or something to defend ourselves.  You are very good at swinging that sword.  You are learning to not swing at mama or baby :)

8.  You love your lil sister so much.  You always make sure she has a blanket on her.  You also love to give her kisses.  I hope you never lose that protectiveness to take care of her!

9.  You absolutely love playing w/ your cousins.  Whenever you guys are around each other you are always running around laughing.  

10.  After night time prayers when you daddy says Amen ... you either nod your head and say Amen or raise your hands high in the air and yell Amen.  Either one results in lots of hugs & kisses from your parents.

We love you so much Judah-bug.  You have been nothing but pure joy since the day you were born.  We are loving watching you grow up.  Happy 18 months buddy.

"say cheese"

christmas picture rejects.

(my sister Keri did a post of the pictures she was not going to use for their christmas card this year ... 

i LOVED the idea because you are still using the pictures ... just not for people's fridge :)

he loves his sister so much

but not enough to let her be in the picture

or enough to not eat her 

Eliana begging to stop.  Jude contemplating the wonders of life

AND she's done.  Jude has found something much more interesting up there

AND he's done.

turkey day

We are pretty lucky that on every holiday we get to spend time w/ 2 huge families.  We started the day off at the Carlson's house.  It was kid city up in there.  Between the food, balloons, puppet stage & gingerbread men, Judah did not sit still for one second.  He had so much fun playing w/ his cousins, uncles & aunts and grandparents.

Then we headed home for the Cupp thanksgiving.  Because some people couldn't make it, our kids were the only kids there.  So Judah & El got lots of attention.  And then when they went to bed, it was adult time!  It was so relaxing to just hang w/ family by the bonfire.  

We are so THANKFUL for being SO blessed.

lysol wipes are my bestfriend

judah is truly blessed to have such men of faith in his family.  Thank you grandpa cupp, uncle matt, uncle dwayne, uncle brian & daddy for praying over our sick boy last night.  jude has an ear infection & has not been feeling well for a couple of days.  Besides prayer & medicine we are disinfecting everything so my lil buddy can get better and gobble up lots of food on thanksgiving :)

little lady

Today Eliana is 3 months old.  Seriously, where does time go?  I feel like it was only yesterday that we were bringing her home from the hospital.  A few things I want to make sure I remember at this milestone age.  1. She squeaks.  Seriously ... like a mouse.  It is so stinking cute, I can't even stand it.  2. It's so easy to get a smile from her.  Basically just look at her & she will smile.  3. She is already sleeping a full 10-12 hours through the night.  I was blessed with great sleepers.  4. She is just the sweetest little thing ever.  Just ask her dad.  5. Although I absolutely LOVE her smile, some of my favorite faces she has is when she is just sitting there staring off into space.  Hence, the picture.  

We love you so much baby girl.  You bring us so much joy every single day.

hand me downs

You know those rare moments when you can get both your kids together & snap a lovely picture?  Yeah, today was not one of those times.  Eliana was ready & waiting to take wonderful pictures.  Judah, on the other hand, was not prepared to sit & wait for anything.  In fact, he wanted to be on the other side of the camera, the one taking the pictures.  At least I got a few of my lil girl!  The outfit El is wearing brings back so many memories for me.  I actually remember buying this for Zoey when she was only 3 months old.  And now my little niece is so big.  It brings me so much joy to see my baby in the same outfit 3 years later.  I am so blessed to have such generous sisters.

 Seriously!  Look at that face!  I melt everytime.

the jude man

My independent boy.  No matter where we are or what we are doing, Judah, as soon as he is free, will run off by himself w/o so much as a glance backwards.  I always have to keep my eye on this boy.  I am constantly yelling the words "Judah stop" or "Judah wait".  But this boy waits for no one.  He also loves to do things by himself.  Whether it is climbing up on top of our picnic table or as simple as brushing his teeth, he is one independent boy.  What I love the most about this ... after he has accomplished something, he looks at me w/ a huge smile.  Sometimes he even lifts his hands in the air and yells 'goal' (or maybe it's 'go' ... not sure:)  But he is very proud that he has discovered something new that he can do all by himself.  I just love watching this boy grow up.  

great finds

I can't really remember what I loved to do before I had kids.  Sad? maybe.  But honestly my absolute favorite time is right before the kids go to bed for the night and it's just my little family.  We all just hang out & have so much fun.  It's funny how kids change everything.  Even when they are not around, the things I love to do are all about them.  For example, my new obsession is mom2mom sales.  LOVE THEM.  I could probably go to one every single weekend.  I mean seriously, where else can you get 500 dollars worth of clothes for $33.  Nowhere.  Well, that's what I did today.  Lance watched the kids & I went to town!  

I have decided that shopping for girls is so stinking fun!  Probably couldn't have guessed that, huh?  However, I'm not sure you can truly appreciate it unless you have had a boy first.  When you go from buying hoodies & jeans to dresses & bows, it's true bliss!  OK I may be exaggerating a little ... but only a little.  Here are the great finds I found for Eliana.  (if it looks like there are a ton of clothes in this picture ... it's because there are :)

And I can't forget the great finds for Judah.  (if it looks like there are only 3 items in this picture ... it's because there are)  Like I said ... girls are just more fun to shop for!

i'm back

ALRIGHT.  So Lance (among other people) have been telling me that I need to start blogging again, but I have been putting it off.  AND you know how the longer you put something off, the harder it is to get back in to it.  AND then you say to yourself "it's been over a year since I have blogged, it would just be weird at this point if I started again."  Yeah, that's been my excuse.  However, the time has come to start again.  I couldn't possible put a years worth into one blog.  BUT I can do a couple highlights.  

My last blog Judah starting eating for the first time.  I'll be happy to update everyone that he is still eating.  

ANOTHER update:  we had a baby girl.  She stole our hearts since the day she was born.  Delivery? easy.  Thank you for that Eliana!  She is such a great baby.  At only 10 weeks old she is sleeping thru the night.  I have great sleepers!  She is smiling now too ... LOVE IT.  

I promise to TRY to not quit on this again (like how noncommittal I made that:)

eat up!

Judah was pretty fussy yesterday & was taking a bottle more frequently .... so we decided it was time for some cereal! He was so much fun. At first, he was super confused and was making the funniest faces. Then he was loving it & couldn't get it fast enough. Then when he realized he really wasn't getting it fast enough he started crying. It took a while to calm him down & he eventually finished it off. Lance kept saying the whole time "this is so fun." This kid is seriously a blast.

my growing boy

last weekend

Last weekend my nephew Joshy stayed w/ us while his parents were out of town. We had a LOT of fun. He is such a good baby. There were so many times I would find Judah & Joshy just staring at each other. It was actually funny .... it looked almost like a contest. I'm never quite sure who won, but whenever either of them play w/ me ... I lose. Thanks Matt & Carrie for lettings us spend time w/ our nephew. We LOVE you Joshy.

Judah is already getting so big. It makes me sad & happy all at the same time. Being a mother brings out pretty much every emotion you can have pretty much every day. He is talking a lot more now (& by talking I mean 'cooing'). & Although so far he has only done this for grandma, he is rolling over front to back. AHHHHHH I can't wait to see him do it. Since she told me yesterday he has been getting a lot of belly time. However he just won't seem to show me. UGH. He is driving me crazy .... just another emotion he pulls out of me :) Lastly, he wiggles around his crib SO much. Everytime I go in there to check on him he is in a different location in his crib. My lil wiggle worm.

I LOVE THIS LIL FACE MORE THAN ANYTHING.

(3 1/2 months)

good food & great friends

Lance, Judah and I went to Steve and Sarah's condo last night & I brought dessert. I made the Brownie PeanutButter Cups again, but I wanted to try something new too. OK this dessert is MY favorite that I have baked so far. I'm not a huge chocolate girl ... so although others have appreciated those other treats, they have just been OK to me. BUT Cream Cheese Coffee Cake, yes please! Since I'm still new to this whole baking thing I always make Lance test the dessert before I let anyone eat it (which is why a piece is missing in the picture :) Once he gives the go ahead, then I bring it out! Everyone seemed to like it. Sarah & Steve made a delicious dinner & we feasted. Steve & Nikki joined later in the night for some games! Judah enjoyed the first hour, then spent the rest of the night snoozing :) All in all, it was a FUN evening spent w/ amazing friends.

time flies

Judah is now 3 months old. This kid is amazing & I LOVE him so much. Some things I want to make sure I remember about him at this age are .... 1. He LOVES to smile. And we love to see him smile ;) 2. He so enjoys having someone to talk to. He basically makes a bunch of noise until you come over to hang out w/ him. 3. He is wiggling around his crib. I am shocked every time I go in there and he is facing the other way ... or has a leg hanging out of the crib. 4. He is still snorting. To Lance and I, it just gets cuter & cuter. 5. If you have a camera pointed at him, he will not look anywhere else but into the lens. Which you would think I would love, however it makes it difficult sometimes to get him to look at me so I can make him smile.

We LOVE you Judah-bug!

get in my belly

I'm continuing my baking adventure. I found these brownies on Pinterest (of course) and couldn't wait to make them. I finally found the time. And I gotta say, I loved them. Brownie Peanutbutter cups. Yum :) Lance had 3 of them in one sitting! Translation ... success. I am having so much fun trying out all these different recipes. Who knew baking could be such a good time. Not me, that's for sure. But I'm glad I figured it out. Now if only all these desserts I am making could be fat free ... then I would truly be ONE HAPPY GIRL.

baby Salazar

My bestfriend (since we were babies) had her baby shower last Sunday. She looked so beautiful. I SERIOUSLY cannot wait for our kids to grow up as together. It makes me all emotional to think of everything we have been through together & that we even get to go through THIS together :) Only one more month. I love you, Mikes. You are going to be a wonderful mama.

MY cup of tea

Last wednesday we had a Cupp girls tea party. Well, that was the 'cover story' ... it was actually a small surprise baby shower for Laurie Cupp & baby Chloe. It was the cutest lil thing. The girls came in their dresses & we had tea, cookies, truffles & gifts. LOVE my family!

"you made more cupcakes?"

Not sure why I have been baking so much lately ... my only guess is because I am dieting to lose all my baby weight (is it still considered baby weight if it's really just losing the weight you gained because you ate so much while pregnant?). Anyways, found this recipe on Pinterest (where I find most of them) and HAD to try it out. Coffee cupcakes YUM. The more I bake the more I like to bake. I have so many recipes I want to try out. Unfortunately, I go back to work on Monday and am not sure if I will have as much time for it. Guess i'll MAKE time :)

a night w/o bottles & diapers

Last night Lance watched the little guy so that I could go out w/ my girls for the first time since the baby. It was sooooo nice. We were all so happy to be out we decided on not seeing a movie and just ended up sitting at a table talking for 4 hours. It was a little strange not having Judah with me. Or having to constantly stop the conversation for a feeding or diaper change. I am lucky to have such a wonderful husband & amazing friends. This morning it was just me and Judah because Lance went fishing with his brothers and nephew. Since I missed Jude so much last night I am spoiling him with attention today & we are having a FUN time :)

cuz luv

One of my favorite things in the world is how much my nieces & nephews love their lil' cousin. If they don't see him right away when they see me they are always asking where he is and then if they can hold him. I'm so excited that Judah has such wonderful cousins that I know will always love him. I took this picture after church right after Zoey got done holding him. Isaac said he could hold Judah by himself (he didn't need any help) ... he was right.

happy baby

I could SERIOUSLY look at this face all day long!

'RePurposed'

On Saturday Tim Karen Lance Judah and I all set out to visit some estate sales. We go some great finds for some even better prices. Afterward on a whim we went to downtown Northiville to visit the store RePurpose. I basically wanted EVERYTHING in the store. However we showed some restraint and stuck to our earlier finds. I'm already trying to plan another time that we can go to more estate sales. Until then we are having fun trying to find places in our house for our new old things.

our cute coffee table cloth

our sweet small table

our vintage-looking mirror

Yummmm

Ok so I am not a huge baker, but lately I have been trying a few things. Well, we had some people over tonight for a bonfire and I wanted to try something new. So I made FROM SCRATCH S'more Cupcakes. It's chocolate cupcakes w/ marshmallow filling and vanilla frosting with graham cracker sprinkles on top. It took a while to make, but I have to say I am super proud of them. I'm not totally confident that they taste THAT much better than the 'out of the box' cupcakes. However, I have a feeling Lance would want me to make them again :) I feel like I could put these on Pinterest! haha

smiles

8 wks! LOVE MY HAPPY BOY.

5 things

My favorite things about my son

1. HE SNORTS. (literally all the time. It's so cute. Lance and I just laugh at him all the time.)

2. HIS EYES. (he will just stare at whoever is holding him. He is so alert.)

3. HE LOVES TO EAT. (he gets so excited when he feels his bottle to his lips that he starts shaking his head so fast that he gets milk everywhere.)

4. HE IS A GOOD SLEEPER. (from the day I brought him home, he would eat and go right back to bed.)

5. HE MAKES KISSY FACES. (he is always puckering his lips, which Lance and I always take the advantage to give him big kisses.)

I obviously love so many more things about him ... but these are a few I wanted to make sure I remember :)

first swim

The Tradition Continues

Thank you Joel & Steph for truly welcoming Judah into the family! As you can see ... he LOVES it! (altho he has already given it away to Erika for her graduation)

better late than never

Today was the first time our family could get together to celebrate Father's Day for my dad. We had to do it in the middle of the day because everyone is so busy. I LOVE when all the kids get together. It's chaos.... and it's fun! I forgot my camera so the pictures are a little fuzzy because I had to take them with my ipod.

these 3 are so adorable

Zoey loves Judah so much! It makes me happy!

She always found her way back to him.

She would probably hold him all day if she could.

batter up!

Today we were able to go to our brothers Joey and Johnny's baseball game. They did amazing! At one point in the game Johnny was pitching and Joey was catching. It was super fun to watch. We were standing next to someone who found out that we were there for the Cupp boys and she proceeded to tell us how great of players they are. I'm such a proud sister :)

FFD 2011

I LOVE Family Field Day! It's so nice that every year our families get together for some nice fun competition. I'm sad I didn't get more pictures. Looking at the pictures I do have, It almost looks like it was just a normal day. BUT, I did of course get some of the kids.

The theme this year was "it's not what it appears." So for the dessert competition I made Hamburger Cupcakes :) I won last year's .... not so much this year. It sure was fun making them though.

Rub-a-Dub-Dub

SQUEAKY CLEAN

for real?

Did you ever get the feeling that you are not actually living in reality? For example, after Lance and I came home from our honeymoon, I felt like we were just 'playing' house. It didn't seem real. It just seemed like I was dreaming (in a good way.) Well, that's how I feel now. I am a MOM. crazy! When I was in the hospital with him I almost felt like I was with my nephew. Now that I am home, it seems almost like he is on loan. What did I do to deserve such a wonderful little man? Or better yet, who and why is someone trusting the life of another human being in my hands? I feel so blessed and so undeserving. I just watch him while he is sleeping and think "do I really get to keep him"? Wouldn't you think the same thing if you saw this face everyday ..............

J.A.C

WOW my last post was about our honeymoon. NOW a year and a half later I am posting on our baby. CRAZY.

I would like everyone to meet Judah Andrew Cupp! He was born on July 1st (8lb 9oz, 21 inches). He basically stole my heart from day one. I can't wait to watch him grow up and see the lil man he is going to become.

(I'm going to try to start blogging again ... this is it for now tho ;)