Doctor's report on Cooper: no pink eye! Which is a sigh of relief. Apparently it's just his clogged ducts flaring up again... more than usual. She prescribed him some eye drops. 

This morning I woke up at 7:50am and Philip still wasn't home. I texted him to ask where he was (I was half asleep) and he walked in the door. So, Cooper and I just conked out again. He came in the bedroom and Cooper started waking up and being fussy. Philip knew we had a hard evening/night last night. So he took Cooper and fed him and played with him in the living room until I woke up at 9:30! When I walked in the living room Philip said, "Why are you awake? Go lay back down." Wow. But, I didn't. I stayed up so he could go get some rest. (FYI, He works 6p-6a so he hadn't slept in over 24 hours when he did this) It was a great and refreshing way to start the day. :-)

Tonight was the first night of "Photo Basics 2." I came in late (effing 5:00 traffic on I-35) so I was really lost when I walked in and *everyone* else seemed to be getting it perfectly. Great. What an awful way to start the new class...... then we went out to get some "hands on" time. Which was great! We didn't have this time in the first class, it was all "lecture" (<--- I use that word loosely) so it was nice to go shoot outside and have our instructors there to help. I learned a lot tonight and can't wait to have a photo shoot with someone this week :)

Next new recipe is a crock pot one...

Chicken and Stuffing (7 PTS)

6 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 box stove top stuffing mix

1 can 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup -- or any cream soup

1/2 cup water or chicken bouillon

Spray a 3 1/2 quart crockpot with cooking spray. Add chicken breasts. Combine stuffing, soup, and liquid. Spread over chicken. Cook on low 6 - 8 hours.

** It was also, just ok. It was really REALLY easy to throw together, but it didn't have a ton of flavor. I probably won't make it again unless I'm desperate for food and happen to have the ingredients laying around.

I think Cooper has pink eye :( I'm going to call the doctor tomorrow. Around his eye is all red and oozy, and his actual eye has a red tint to it. He was a mess tonight. I don't think he feels well.

Tomorrow night is my first "Photo Basics 2" class!

Philip was getting tired of the Mexican Meatloaf and Turkey Ziti all the time... so I tried new recipes this week.

Angel Hair Pasta with Zucchini and Tomatoes

2 medium zucchinis, julienned
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 shallots, diced
3 tomatoes, diced
4 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper
crushed red pepper flakes to taste
12 oz high fiber angel hair pasta, like Barilla Plus
1/4 cup fat free chicken or vegetable broth
fresh Parmesan cheese
In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta according to instructions.
Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat pan on medium-high flame and add oil when pan is hot. Add garlic and shallots to the pan and saute about 1 minute. Add zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Cook about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, crushed red pepper flakes, parsley, chicken broth and adjust salt and pepper. Stir for another minute. Remove from flame.
Drain pasta when done and mix well with vegetables. Top with fresh Parmesan cheese.

--- I thought this one was "ok." Philip really liked it a lot. He ate most of it. First of all, I used double the pasta I was supposed to... cause I wasn't paying attention. lol. And, I didn't like how the recipe wasn't specific ("pepper to taste"). I also added chicken cause I knew Philip would freak if there was no meat. I'd probably make this again sometime, but it wasn't great. Maybe because it was pretty much all pasta.... my fault....

Here is that cute video I mentioned in my earlier post... seriously, I don't know what is with the screaching noise, but he does it EVERY night before bed. It's like he's so overly excited he can't contain himself.

And this is just me and Cooper playing today :)






I came home from work Tuesday to find this in my front yard...

My wonderful in-laws surprised me with new flowers on Tuesday! I can't wait till they grow and fill out the planters :)

Last Thursday was my last photography class for April. I loved my "Photo Basics" class and can't wait to start "Photo Basics 2" in May! I learned soo much. I know I still have soo much to learn!

I've been working a lot more lately. It's actually been nice. It's nice to have the extra money and it's nice to get out of the house several times a week. I'm starting to realize I get stir crazy if I'm inside for too long.

Cooper is going to be 5 months old tomorrow. Crazy. He is getting so big! He is finally starting to look more like a baby and less like an infant. It's a little sad, but I'm excited for the next step in his life. All the toys, playing, crawling, start solids.... we have some fun times ahead. I cannot wait for the summer! Saturday afternoons at my parents pool and weekends at the lake... Cooper is going to have a blast. He really loves being outside. His whole attitude changes when he goes outside. He gets quiet and curious. Everything is exciting and new. He loves going for walks and the swings at the park. Summertime will be a blasty-blast (That's a Dane Cook reference for those who didn't catch that). Also, He started doing this screachy thing every night before bed. It's hilarious, I have a video but I haven't uploaded it to youtube yet. I'll post it when I do. It makes me laugh.

I have to constantly remind myself he is learning things at his own pace. I feel like he should be able to support himself a little better at this point.. and he still hasn't mastered grabbing toys. Although he definitely wants to. He'll get there, I know.... I just have to remind myself he'll get there when he is ready.

In non-related Cooper news. My parents have been helping out with my grandpa a lot lately. His condition seems to be worsening. We went over there last week. He has no idea who I am and doesn't really know my dad. I think he only knows it's his son cause my dad always says, "Hi dad... bye dad." Grandpa doesn't even know grandma most of the time. It sucks. I know he wouldn't want things this way. I told my mom the other day... "Sorry mom, I'd rather you go ahead and die than go through life like this." And, she agreed. I wouldn't want my children to have to go through all this suffering. I can't even imagine my dad looking me in the eyes and having no idea who I am. Ugh, it's awful. And I can tell it's draining on my dad.

We've taken several pictures of Cooper with grandpa. Cooper looooves looking up at him, it's so sweet. Cooper is his only great-grandson.

I didn't mean to end this on such a sad note! But, I HAVE to go to bed...I have to get up for work in 6 hours... I'm a workin' girl now :-P

I had a photography assignment today. My mom, Brooke and I took Cooper out to Will Rogers Park. We had lunch out there and they played with Cooper while I walked around to snap some pictures. It was a lot of fun! It was a really nice day today, not too hot and not too cold. Here are some of the pictures that came out of today.... the assignment was "Focus and Frame." Basically to intentionally focus on a certain part of the photo.