Cooper is one month already!

I can't belive how fast time flys after you have the baby! I was taking some pictures of Cooper for his birth announcement and thought I'd share a couple that didn't get picked. Is it just me, or is he soo cute?

Tagged....25 Questions for 25 Days of Christmas

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Definitely hot chocolate!..egg nog is for fairies!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Both..Tyson likes to wrap them all..I like one or two big ones unwrapped..but Tyson usually gets his way.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
We have white on the tree, but none on the house..It's actually a sore subject..Tyson is scared to get on the roof, but won't pay to have someone put them up..McKay actually asked Santa last year for lights on our house so mom and dad wouldn't have to pay for them..isn't that so sweet!! and we still didn't get them! We might be the only ones in the neighborhood not lit up! Agggghhhh!

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
Are you kidding??.We do not need to give Kate anymore excuses to try to kiss all the boys!!She already won't stop kissing the singing Santa without mistletoe!

5. When do you hang your decorations up?
Sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas..

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
Honey baked ham!!, breakfast casserole, and candied yams.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?
Waking up to see my brand new boom box I had asked for sitting under the tree, only to find out it was for my little brother who did not ask for it?..My mom swore she didn't make a mistake..but my brother and I were both confused? But I did love waking up every year with my two brothers and sneaking into the living room at 2 am to see if Santa had come yet..we only got caught once, that I can remember?

8. This question is reserved for those who do not have computer savy children at home, so if your really curious, email me and i'll let you in on the question and answer.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Tyson and I don't, but the kids open pjs from grandma Hintze..I sorta forced that tradition on her a few years ago!

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
We have a "Santa" tree in the living room, and a tree for the "kids stuff" in the basement.

11. Snow? Love it or dread it?
I love it for the entire month of December, but by Jan 5th, I hate it.

12. Real tree or fake tree?
One of my favorite things about Christmas time growing up was going to pick out the real tree and then getting hot chocolate at Dennys! so we decided to get a fake tree for our family so our kids would not get to have that experience?? I don't understand it either?

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
Nope?..

14. What's the most important thing about Christmas for you?
Doing something charitable..and trying to teach the kids that it's important too.

15. What is your favorite Holiday dessert?
Those chocolate truffles at Costco!..and now the pumpkin desserts from my neighbor Sarah..

16. What is your favorite tradition?
We have had clam chowder on Christmas eve since I was born, and even though it's not my favorite thing to eat,(unless it's from Market Street) I love that we have been doing it for that long..Tyson tries every year to get rid of this tradition, but to no avail..Tyson and I started reading the birth story in the scriptures with our family on Christmas eve about 4 years ago, and I really like that one too.

17. What tops your tree?
Depends on the tree. Santa on one; whatever the kids want that year on the other..

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?
I'm not going to lie, its fun to get stuff, especially when it's a surprise, but giving is way more satisfying, especially when it's a surprise!.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
Gotta be "O Holy Night"!..I secretly want to sing that song with a baptist church choir, where we get all soulful at the end of it..

20. Candy canes, yuck or yum?
Yuck!!! Unless they're made of chocolate.

21. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Christmas Vacation, and A Christmas Story!

22. What do you leave for Santa?
Milk and Homemade chocolate chip cookies.

23. Do you have a Christmas morning tradition?
We do the DowDell traditional picture of the kids on the stairs before they can come down to the tree, and breakfast casserole with the Hintze (my) family.

24. Do you prefer to shop on-line or at the mall?
Neither really..I'm not a big shopper, but at Christmas time when I have to, I prefer the mall..but I am getting more confident with on-line shopping. I did all the shopping for baby Coopers room on-line.

25. Christmas letter or Christmas card?
We have only done the card, but I love getting the letters from others as long as there is a picture with it!!! So please send us one!!

So, thank you Darci for tagging me. It was my first tag ever! I now tag Megan, Lesa and Jamie Stevenson. Have fun girls!

Cooper Benson DowDell

Our little boy is finally here! Cooper Benson DowDell arrived on November 3rd, at 3:08 a.m. He weighed 7lbs, 6oz and was 19 inches. It was such a bitter sweet moment for us, because it was so incredible to finally meet our perfect little baby, and know he was healthy, (and cute) but also sad in a way that this would be the last time we would be doing this!! There is absolutely nothing in this world that compares to having a baby! The entire process from start to finish is truly a miracle and we have been so blessed to be able to have five kids, all healthy, happy and beautiful. How could we want to never have that feeling you get meeting your little one for the first time again? This, a question I currently don't have the answer to. Trust me though, I have been savoring every moment with my baby Coop! I can't get enough of him. I've even earned the nickname "baby (or ball) hog" by Tyson and our friends. Life with a newborn is as rough as I remember, but I wish it could last forever!

Let the fun begin!

After much resistance and worry... I have finally decided to try out this blogging thing. I know I'm probably the last one to jump on the band wagon, but that's the story of my life. Ever since the introduction of jelly shoes and Cabbage Patch Kids, I've always been about a year behind. So, here we go. Wish me luck!!