All kinds of fun!

The Knott household seems to be back to normal (whatever that is!) after weeks of crazy schedules and sick people! We had a successful garage sale a few weeks ago and here are the kids advertising that the Papasan seat is not for 4 year olds and the Infant car seat is not for 29 pound babies!

The school had it’s annual Trike-a-thon and the kids loved participating in it.

We had to bring bikes and helmets to school and each class had a designated time when they got to ride. Luckily, Addi and Cooper’s classes were back to back so I got to watch!

Last week was difficult when it started out with Cooper having a stomach bug for 24 – 36 hours. When I was at home with him, we got a call from the school that Addison was throwing up too! On Tuesday, Cooper went back to school while Addi stayed home with Kevin. On Wednesday, I was ready for work and started to get the kids ready and Addi was still complaining of feeling sick. Since we didn’t have the time to bring Cooper into school before Kevin had to be at a meeting, I stayed home with both of them. Addi just wasn’t feeling good still so she was home on Thursday too. But Friday, everyone was finally back to normal.

On Saturday, we had a fun day at Rylee’s 4th birthday party in Montgomery. Addison was so excited about the Hannah Montana theme – it was a hit! They had a ball jumping in the Bouncy house, playing in the pink sand box, jamming to Hannah Montana music, eating HM cake - here is Addi with one of her best buddies, Cole. They paused for second for me to get a picture and then they were off again!

Sunday was the March for Babies that we have been preparing for over the last 2 months. The weather was perfect and we had a great turn out for Team Coop – 43 people walked with us! We raised over $2000 for the organization on our team alone – I would call that a huge success! I cannot thank everyone enough – you know that this cause means so much to our family and we are so glad that you decided to join in the fight against premature births! It’s hard to believe my original due date with Cooper is only 2 days away – I don’t know if I will ever go a year without recognizing that day. We were so proud to see Cooper literally run down the street on the home stretch of the walk to cross the finish line!

Easter and "Nastics!"

I know it’s a little late, but we had a wonderful Easter this year. The Easter bunny was awfully generous to the kids and they loved hunting for eggs. We went to church and then headed to The Woodlands to my parent’s house. We had another egg hunt, ate a great dinner and had our first swim of the season. The kids loved the pool! Addison took a bit of time to warm up to swimming again and remember how to do it, but Cooper just jumped right in (LITERALLY!). Last summer, he had no concept of the water and would probably just walk right into the pool if we let him, but this year , he just has no fear! Addison jumped off the big diving rocks by herself and Cooper followed right behind her with just a little help from us!

We finally started both kids in gymnastics classes. Addison gets to go on Mondays and Cooper goes on Tuesday. Both of the kids are LOVING it! Addison has been participating very well and is so into the class compared to the dance/gym class that we did about a year ago. She is taking it seriously, listening to the teachers instructions, and doing all the activities that the teachers ask her to do.

Cooper is having so much fun in the parent/child class too! He talks all the time about “nastics, nastics”…he tells his teachers at school about it, tells us about it, and anyone who will listen. He is a little wild and energetic in the class, but enjoys every second of it. I have to say, we are enjoying it with him. This is the first scheduled activity that we have enrolled him in – it’s about time! Last week, all four of us went to both classes to check it out. But, the plan is for Kevin and I to take turns each week. This week, I took Addison to her class and she had a cheering section there too - Grandad and Grandma Hursey came to watch also. Kevin took Cooper this week and he said Coop did great. This boy is not scared of anything!

We are very busy preparing for the neighborhood garage sale this coming weekend. It is crazy how many girls’ clothes that we will be selling! We have been so blessed to have great hand-me-downs from my nieces, but now it’s time to get it out of my house / attic!

I am almost embarrassed to show this picture, but this gives you an idea of what needs to GO! Whatever does not sell is going to Goodwill after this weekend! I promise our dining room does not usually look like this - it is usually spotless! I have gone through every box of clothing and sorted it by size (hence why there are stacks).

We are also trying to sell lots of baby toys and other items (high chair, Bumbo seat, Exersaucer, etc) since our kids have outgrown all of that! Trying to make our house more clutter-free! That makes me happy just to think about getting rid of all this stuff!

Come March with us!

Who would have ever thought that our son would be born at 28 weeks weighing 3 lbs, 6 oz?

I know I didn't believe it could happen to us.

I am sure most families believe that it won't be them.

But it was us.

We want to make a difference in the lives of babies that are born too soon.

Won't you join us at the March for Babies on April 25th in Houston?

These babies and their families need all the help they can get...

so they can go home with their moms, dads, sisters, brothers, grandparents...

and become a healthy, energetic, sweet two year old some day!

Click on the March for Babies banner at the top left of the blog to find out more.

Deadline to order Team Coop shirts is Wednesday, April 7th!

Thank you for your support!

The Knott Family

Our March madness!

I never meant to go this long without blogging, but sometimes life is just like that...we have been crazy busy over the last several weeks, I just haven't had a chance until now.


Several weekends ago, we wanted to do an outdoor activity that we hadn’t tried before and decided to try out Bear Creek Park. We heard there was a mini-zoo, several playgrounds, and lots of open areas for playing.




We brought a picnic lunch up there for ourselves too.

March got off to a great start – we were invited to the Butler’s beach house in Galveston for a few days along with another family, the Bromley’s. It was a great weekend, except for one of the Bromley boys getting sick. L But overall, the kids loved it, the adults loved it, and the house was just perfect for all 6 adults and 6 kids! The beach was just down the street – and even though it was cold, we spent lots of time out there in jackets and pants! Too bad I didn't take one picture that weekend!

Last weekend, Kevin and I brought the kids to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Cooper had never been and Addison has been once in the past. We had a great time seeing the animals, going to the petting zoo, riding some carnival rides, playing carnival games, and enjoying beautiful weather.

Addison really surprised us with how brave she was being…she wanted to ride the Ferris wheel and the really tall swings. I was a little nervous myself, but I rode the Ferris wheel with her and Kevin rode on the swings. She didn’t seem scared AT ALL!We even let Addison and Cooper ride a little airplane ride together and he loved every minute of it!

KK & G-pa came down for a few days from Dallas to visit the kids. Addison stayed home from school on Monday with them and had a chance to go to the Aquarium downtown, see Alvin & the Chipmunks at the movie theatre, and get a mani/pedi with KK! Both Addi and Cooper stayed home on Tuesday with them and they got to go to the Houston Zoo. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate so they didn’t stay as long as planned. I think they had a great time anyway and always enjoy their time with their grandparents. Thanks for making them always feel special, Karen & Gordon!

We've spent lots of time outside lately because the weather has gotten a little warmer and we have had some beautiful, sunny days. It's amazing how much the kids love being outside and they could stay out there all day. So we will be doing a lot more of that until it's gets too hot!

Vegas Baby!

We had a fun trip to Las Vegas last week to celebrate Gordon's 60th birthday!

Kevin and I went on Wednesday and the rest of the crew (Karen, Gordon, Margie, Katie and Scott) came on Thursday. We all stayed until Saturday.

We stayed at the Mirage which was a great hotel! I was very pleased with the room, restaurants, view, and the casino (although the could have been a little more loose with their money for us!).

We walked until our feet were about to fall off - I am sure it was at least 5 miles a day or more! By the last day, I didn't care what I wore except tennis shoes was a must! We saw all the hotels, the new City Center, Bellagio fountain show from the ground and from up in the Eiffel Tower at the Paris hotel, and some very interesting people!

We had a birthday dinner for Gordon at Stack in the Mirage and it was delicious. We ate at several other yummy places including Battistas Hole in the Wall - very good Italian food, but not a "Vegasy" place at all! Kevin and I decided to see the Cirque de Solei show called Love with the Beatles music - it was AMAZING! I am so glad that we got to see it!

We had a great trip and it was really fun to have some "adult" time, but of course we missed the kids.

They had their own adventures with Aunt Jennifer, Uncle Rob, Trey, Kendra, Emorie Claire, Nana and Grandad! From what I gather, they got to watch several of Trey's basketball games, go to the park, eat with Trey's basketball team at a burger place, and lots of playing outside! Thank you so much to my family for taking care of our sweet babies while we were gone! This was the first time we have left them both more than one night while we were far away, but it was a much needed break!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Cooperman!

Somebody turned TWO this week...

It's been a busy week with so many things going on, but the highlight was Cooperman's big day! We had a very successful birthday party on Saturday at the local Fire Station.

The weather was perfect and the firemen were very friendly. All the kids from (1-11 years old) enjoyed getting inside the firetrucks and ambulances, seeing some of the equipment, trying on some gear, seeing my dad up in the ladder basket and hearing the sirens. Each child got a plastic fire hat and a firemen's badge to wear too! The station got a call while we were there and one firetruck and 2 fire fighters had to leave, but the party went on without them!

We all gathered back at the Knott firehouse afterwards for some snacks, cake, ice cream and playing. We were happy with how everything turned out and several families commented on what a great idea this was! I can't take the credit though...I got the idea from a someone at the daycare! Of all 6 parties that I have done for my kids so far, I think this one was near the top!

On Cooper's actual birthday, we all woke him up with the "Happy Birthday" song and opened his gifts before school. When you asked him who's birthday it was, he shouts, "Coopahhhh!" We also brought a cookie cake to school to celebrate and continued the "fire truck" theme. We brought more firehats and badges to school to share with his friends there too. Cooper was a pro with blowing out his candles - I think we had him do it on 4-5 occasions over several days!

We haven't taken him for his two year check up and shots yet, but at the Pulmonologist yesterday, he weighed 29.6 lbs and was 33 1/3 inches tall. From checking out the growth chart online, looks like he may be around 60% in weight and 20% in height!

Happy Birthday, to our energetic, adorable, sweet, crazy, lovable, ONE AND ONLY SON, Cooper! We are so, so proud of how far you have come! We love you as high as the sky and deep as the ocean!

Heart ache

My heart is breaking for some friends today. Randy & Cristy lost their 3-month old son, Connor, yesterday. He has lived in the hospital since the day he was born - he never had a chance to feel fresh air or sunshine on his skin. He never had the chance to play with his twin sister, Chloe, at their house. He had a heart condition that kept him in the hospital and has already endured several surgeries. The sweet little boy left this earth way too soon, but I know he made an impact on lots of people while he was here. Unfortunately, we never got the chance to meet him in person. He was a lucky little guy to have great parents here on earth, but now he is wrapped up in the arms of our Father. I pray for Randy & Cristy to have strength to make it through this pain and remember all the beautiful days that they spent with Connor.
We will celebrate his life and remember him forever.