Bacon.

Today started out very ordinary. Then I opened the garage door at 7am. Standing on my sidewalk was a nice girl named Ashely, who was obviously out for an early-morning walk with her baby. At her feet was a piglet. I squealed and said, "Is it yours?!" right as she asked, "Is he yours??"

Out comes the dog crate. And out comes the girl who has penned many a sheep in her day, angling the SuperYard just so, to corral him into the garage. Thank goodness I have livestock experience. We made him right at home with some apples and a few pieces of dry cereal.

Now, piggies are smart. Pot-bellied piggies are even smarter. We were on borrowed time before he figured out how to ride my bike to Walmart with Molly in the trailer. So we made lots of calls and checked on him every so often. Thankfully, a lady drove up around noon and said, "Is that my pig?!?"

I looked at her like, "Could it be anyone else's? We're in a flipping subdivision!'

So little Bacon (his given name...whatever...) went home with Mommy and the farm closed down just in time for lunch and naps. That was enough pet fun for me for one day...

And Ashley and I are going to take the kiddies out walking on Friday morning! Fab!

An Interview With Lucy

A few of my mommy-blogger friends have done this with their kids and I think it's a great way to document these funny little conversations. I'm green, Lucy's purple. Aaaaaand....GO!

Hi Lucy.

Hi Mom.

How old are you? 

2.  (She's 3)

Where do you live?

Texas.

What's your favorite color these days? 

Pink. And green. And all the colors.

What's your favorite drink?

Milk.

And your favorite food? 

Meat. 

Who is your favorite friend? 

Addi. Because she likes noodles and babies and we run around together. 

What do you like to do with your friends? 

Ohhh......we run around and walk and scoot and things. 

What do you like best about Molly? 
I like that we sit together and walk around together. And she runs reaaallllly fast!


Do you have a favorite animal? 

Well, yes. He's really tall. I mean reeeeeaaaalllly tall. But he's not a monkey that hangs from his hands. No...he's really tall, he doesn't like grass or muffins. But I don't know what he's called....hmmm...and he doesn't walk or swim or go on his tippytoes...do you know him? 

What about a favorite movie? 

Oh I love the Princess and The Frog! It's just so funny!

Song?

Tinkle Middle Star.

Place? 

YMCA. And I don't like bananas.

What would you like to be when you grow up? 

I think a doctor or something like that...yeah...a ballerina. 

Zzzzzz....

Wish I were still sleeping...


- Posted with love from my iPhone

Josiah left Texas with a whisper of these sweet words, "Andrew, thank you for these wonderful days."


I couldn't have summarized it any better myself. He's so stinkin' smart!

- The proudest son, uncle, husband & father in the world. Andrew.

Cousin Love Redux

Andrew and I like to giggle about the exclusivity of my family-in-law. They're like their own nation, with more pride than the entire country of Italy. They all look alike, talk alike and act alike. There's even a complex number/letter system to keep track of them all. Anyone who's had the pleasure of interacting with more than 20 of them at once doesn't quickly forget the chaos.

While it's easy to think that sort of clubbiness is odd in a family, it's so clear to see that as overwhelming as it may be, it works. And anyone who's had the pleasure of interacting with more than 20 of them at once doesn't quickly forget the cohesion they put forth.

So it's understandable that having family out of the country for an extended period and having us living in Texas can put a strain on the cousins. We're missing B&K and the Cookelets like crazy, so it was great to see them all last night on Skype. The kids are growing like CRAZY and it only made us miss them more!

The little ones were beyond jazzed to see their bigger cousins! They were crowding onto one chair and pushing all over to get a glimpse of the big kids. 

My absolute favorite part of the conversation was when Alison said, "Hey! Lucy looks just like ME!" 

And Uncle Andrew entertained with bunny ears and a clown nose. It was so great seeing their smiling faces! They sang Happy Birthday to Grandma in both languages - she was tickled! 

After our chat, the two littlelest cousins had a little bonding time. I was shocked that Molly was so into Ben and just LOVED holding him, poking him, kissing him and hugging him. She even learned to say, "Hi Beeeennn!!" She turned out to be a complete baby freak.

Doing Ben's hair. Obviously.

A few kisses. 

A second try at glamming him up. Babies are so plain! 

Molly and Ben are 362 days apart. Molly's the older one, if you can't tell from these pictures. Here they are at 16 months and 4 months. Josiah thought it was strange that we were calling Ben "Boo Boo Chunkers" but he's just the roundest, healthiest, more perfect little guy ever! And really, he's not big for his age. Molly is just extremely scrawny. We here at Cooke House like the waifish orphaned look. It's so in!

So yesterday we were without plans for the Walk/Cooke Texas Or Bust Trip Of A Lifetime Day 7. (In other words, the last day to do something fun.) We googled around and decided to venture out to the Fort Worth Water Gardens and then over to Trinity Park for a Panera picnic and a train ride. And I tell you, it couldn't have been a more fun and relaxed morning!

The Aerated Water pool was neat and had beatiful rainbows all over it. The kids thought that was just peachy.

I cannot get enough of my husband. Is he cute or WHAT??!

Heyyyyy Luis....I heart you too! 

Our motley crew, always willing to pose for pictures! 

He's not so bad from the back, either. Swoon. 

I loved this pic of Gamo (toddlers learning to write come up with the move unique spellings!) and Josiah!

We moved on to the Active Pool, which pretty much made me ill. Even with the vertigo, it was an amazing sight! 

Grandma and Lyddie at the top and Lisa with Josiah a few steps down. 

Andrew and Lisa at the bottom! 

Our last stop at the Water Gardens was the Quiet Pool. Not nearly as exciting as the Active Pool, but worth a short look.

(Mom and Andrew on the way back through - one more trip down into the Active Pool)

After the Water Gardens, Grandma, Mo and I went to Panera to grab lunch for the mob. We met them at Trinity Park where we wrapped up with a picnic and a train ride. 

Love This Guy!

Look at how cute Molly is. And look at how cute Andrew is. Is it any wonder I want 75 billion babies?!?

More than friends.

There is something so amazing about cousin love. You're not siblings, but you're more than friends. You've been told the same stories and sung the same songs. You love the same grandparents and share the same holiday meals. You sleep in the same bed and share the tub on weekends. You wear the same clothes and pass on pairs on shoes. You love the same treats and remember the same smells. You hear the same threats passed down through generations of loving parents. You hear the same whispered family secrets and dread the same bad-news calls. The love of an aunt or uncle is fierce and strong, tied to you with the loyalty of a brother or sister.
There is nothing quite like the love of a cousin.
This week, I know we're all missing our El Salvador family as the cousins play in the pool and scream around the house minus three. Christmas can't come soon enough!

a baby doll at the stockyards!

a baby doll at the stockyards!

Wednesday Wasn't Much Fun, Either.

Yep, still terrible here in Texas.