Dreaming of a white Christmas....

...or, at least, the week BEFORE Christmas.
We packed it up and headed up the mountain to spend some quality time with the Beej, H, and Ozo. Between Beaver Street pitchers of Bramble Berry, action a-plenty at the trailhead, the requisite stop at Target for everything we forgot, and the passage of a night on a completely flat air mattress (although, love is, actually, all around us!), it quite possibly the BEST week before Christmas ever experienced. By anyone. Ever. As Natalie put it, "Mas sled, please."

Hello from Crazytown, Elevation 7,000 ft.

Meet Midnight the Snowman! He was appropriately named after the time of his construction, after Pat, Cassie and I shoveled our driveway for the FOURTH time Monday night. Midnight was only creatable after the 2.5 feet of snow Flagstaff was blanketed with just in time for finals. Luckily for me, the snow ended my semester, and now I'm left to twiddle my thumbs and plan for the holidays. SO...Happy Holidays from the Midnight's cousins, the edible version.

Have a Bohemian Thanksgiving!

The big OH -ONE!

We celebrated Sophia's FIRST BIRTHDAY (SOB!) this past weekend, and it was a blast. One of the tips from Natalie's first birthday: Give the camera to someone else for a minute, then you can get in on the fun! Huge shout-out to Tracey for steppin' it up and taking some great shots.

More Halloween costumes first, then the Happy Birthday Album, including the Baby Bottle Battle of 2009, where Sophia and Ava duke it out for control of the baba of milk in the living room. Let the best baby win!



Happy Birthday, Yaya! We heart you!

Halloween in Crazytown

Tata was hit with a magical unicorn, a ladybug, a flower, a mummy Jack Sparrow, and two ninja warriors this past All Hallow's Eve. What a frightful and delightful occasion!

Dead Celebrities 2009

The witching hour has come and gone, and left in its wake a mash up of cross-dressing, cup-flipping, and butt mooning that may never be matched. Thank goodness this only happens once a year!

Pumpkin Bumpkin

We had a great time Friday night driving out to Queen Creek and visiting Schnepf Farms. Well, MOST of us did...Natalie was not too pleased at first, being the grouchy pants that she is when she first wakes up from a nap. NO PUMPKIN! NO PUMPKIN!

But Ricky, Tata, Tristan, DJ and Sophia managed to change her mind pretty quicky, and after a lap around the farm, we went for dinner, drinks, and dancing at San Tan Flats. Who could ask for more?
Here is the album:

A Taste of Nostalgia

I'm on break from school again, until Monday. Albeit short, I've vowed to make it sweet. Tonight my roommate placated my request for albondigas for dinner, and I thought it would be the cherry on top to make a batch of homemade tortillas. It was my first time making tortillas anywhere but my nana's house, and I have to admit, they didn't come out perfect (or perfectly round), but they were surprisingly edible.

We experimented a little with the thickness, the cooking time on the comal, and palota techniques. At one point, I even used an O'Doul's can to roll out the tortillas while Cassie used the rolling pin. Still the effort put in to making these treats was how I always remembered - lots of hard work with a wonderful, soft tasty reward.
Even Hector got his hands in the flour!

Happy! Happy! Happy Day!

Today is Hector's birthday
He's turning 28!!
I've come here to say
He is amongst the great.
You know how to make me smile
You know how to make me laugh
You love me all the while
Even when I've got gas.
Though you already have it

I offer you my heart
Because I know you love me
Even when I fart.
It may not be the most expensive
Or the most risque
My love is what I have to give
To you this special day.

I love you.

Out with the old....

This is for my B....

And in with the new....

Pisano-Cooper Camping Extravaganza 2009

Oh, there was chaos, laughter, puking, poop, and skunks galore at this year's Big Camp. There were even a few fish thrown in for good measure. And, as always, the culmination of events was a rowdy game of horseshoes, where good form took precedence over smack-talkin'. The photos are embedded below, and what a story they tell...

It's always better when we're together...

White Mountains, we are coming!!!

A Beautiful Mess This Is...

It's days before my finals and the end to my first semester in nursing school. I am at the library studying and am distracted by a song by Jason Mraz titled A Beautiful Mess. This song speaks to me because I am totally a walking contradiction these days..."Hector, love, please do this for me, even though I am independent and do not need your help!" Or, "Hector, baby, have you done laundry? But please don't dry my pants, they're starting not to fit anymore." Right? Sound familiar?

Anyway, before I was leaving Coolidge (literally the day before) to move back to Flag, I realized I was leaving my dad alone for the first time in almost two years. I spent an entire day crying in my office listening to this song which made me feel sad, but strong at the same time.

These days, this song makes me think a lot of my nursing cohorts (yes, you Becca, Lindsey, Adrian) and how we're all going through this crazy time trying to become something new and better, and we struggle at times, but we've got what it takes, right? Right, cause here. we. are.

Click here to experience A Beautiful Mess...

I am so GLEE-ful!

Please, please tell me everyone else out there is as excited as I am about the new FOX series coming this fall called GLEE. I watched the premiere last spring, and I am DIE-YING for the Sept start date. For all of us performing arts nerds, it is like candy...sweet, sweet lip-syncing, choreographed candy.

July babies are the best....

There is definitely no arguing that point...This month we celebrate BJ, Hondo, and Natalie for choosing sweet summatime to make their debut into this world...
PS-In lieu of birthday gifts, all three have requested that, instead, donations of cash money be sent directly to Reyna's house...you know, for, "miscellaneous expenses"...

The delightful Emma Watson on Letterman, deftly handling all manner of awkwardly posed prompts, and keeping it classy...

Green Thumb

BJ continues to spread beauty and goodness wherever she goes...

Hey...wait a minute! I thought she was STUDYING!

Where, oh where, has my little B gone?

All of us in Crazytown decry the attempts to form a fully cooperative and functional life. Therefore, we are struggling with the decision The Beej has made to migrate back to Flagstaff and carry on with her "real life". She has thrown herself completely into her studies to obtain a BS in nursing, and she is kicking some major arse amid the tall pines of the NAU campus. We are so super duper proud, but we certainly miss our little B...

Holiday....Celebrate!

It was time for another fun-filled day at the Cooper house on Brooks Cir last month when we packed up the kids and headed up for Mother's Day. Even Tata made the drive for happy Mother's Day wishes. Grandma Ruby was impressed with the girth of each child; Aunt Susie showed off her veggie garden (those damn birds kept pickin' at her pea pods!); Tracey indulged Natalie in a dip in the pool; and Carol took turns trading her screwdriver for a pudgy baby while she played with Sophia and helped Steve put together a massive BBQ grill for Aunt Susie. Even James stopped by long enough to solicit a beso from Natalie. Other Mothers are the best moms around!

Friends = Family

Just yesterday, well, actually two days ago now, on Saturday, I was creatively planning to document an amazing, colorful fajita dinner for my weekly blog post. About eight of us had gathered for fajitas, rice, beans, pico de gallo, tortillas and even cake for dessert. We ate and ate, we were stuffed beyond belief, and the only theme running through my mind for the blog was "food + friends = family." Patrick, Robert, Jake, Pimp (yes, that's what we call him), Manny, Hector, myself, and give or take a couple here and there, have been regularly dining together and enjoying homecooked meals. These meals have brought us together to share jokes and stories about our days, and all the while I've been thinking "food + friends = family." It's the perfect equation by which we can celebrate our health and good company, and through these meals we are definitely the product of the equation now, a family.

And as is with all families comes tragedy. Early this morning a dear friend, Alex Holbrook, decided to take his life. As shock surpassed and reality set in, so came the tears and strong embraces. Without knowing what to say, we set to do what we do: cook. Bacon, eggs, potatoes, orange juice, toast, coffee and lots more coffee was prepared. For a while the food went untouched. No one really had an appetite for anything other than Kleenex and coffee, but soon, Alex's friends and family who traveled from Phoenix, Prescott Valley and Mayer, sat down to eat.

Although I had just met many of these people (and honestly I don't really know any of their names), I realized my new found mathematical equation had been proven "food + friends = family." We had been brought together by tragic circumstances, and if only slightly comforted by food, we had the solace of each other.

It was quite apparent to me today that Alex touched a mountain of lives. Tonight was a testament to that when friends from work, high school and college gathered at the Mayer High School football field in his memory, in as little as 16 hours after his young life ended. Candles flickered, hugs were shared, and sobs were heard. There was no food at the memorial tonight, which made me realize there is validity to my equation even without the variable, and "friends = family. "

We'll never know the real reasons behind this heartbreak, but I hope we can see its depth. Our friendships are equal to a love that goes beyond food and drink and weekly dinners. It may not be expressed as it should be, but I hope it can be felt every time we are together. It's something that shares magic, beauty and tragedy all at once. It may sound complicated, but it's math really, simple math, "friends = family."

We HEART Aunt Rechele

We were so lucky to have Rechele visit us a few weeks ago...The Babies (as a collective whole) were very impressed with her ability to play, read books, tickle, and chase. We can't wait to do it all again in Washington in June. Anthony, you'd better stock up on energy drinks...
And Jake...well, suffice it to say, here we come, heh heh heh....

Slumber Party Like it's 2009

Tricia, my best friend from college (college: round 1) came up this weekend for a little visit. It had been four years since we'd seen eachother last, but as is with all real friendships, it felt as though not a moment had gone by. We spent much of our time beginning our sentences with "Remember that time...?" and "Oh my god, do you remember when...?" It was definitely a weekend filled with memories from the past as well as new ones for the future. From my Bill Cosby sweater, Tricia's lumberjack tribute outfit, and Catch Phrase ("Heir Apparent" - BOOOYA!) to midnight pesto pasta and tuna fish sandwiches, this night that took four years to create was one I'll never forget.

Cassie, my newest bff from college (college: round 2), and Robear (those who don't know him well simply call him Robert) joined Tricia and I for a night filled with craziness and good times. We drank, played games, danced, laughed, jumped on the bed and danced some more. The girls got dressed up to go nowhere, and Robert listened patiently to our giggles as we put on our make-up. The only thing that could have made this the slumber party of all slumber parties: A pillow fight.

The countdown is on...

Ninety-one.
That's how many days, from today, until the launch of the newest Harry Potter movie, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince".
Can anyone say, "midnight screening"?

Check out the FAN-freakin-TASTIC trailer...

Attack of the Ice Balls

So on mornings like this morning, when the 8am class already seems like the devil, you find yourself walking to school only to be slapped in the face by tiny ice pellets. This type of snow has a strong resemblence to Dippin' Dots ice cream, which I've never tried, and after my years here, never ever want to.

Spring, where are you?

Easter in Crazytown

We love to double-dip here in Crazytown, and this weekend provided the perfect opportunity. Claire convinced the Easter Bunny to stop at Tata's a day early, where we tested the theory of Mondo + Natalie + Chocolate = Best Friends Forever

Then it was on to Vickie and Blake's on Sunday, with a house full of babies that will probably never be matched. Sunday night was full of tummy aches, but no puke! Another holiday miracle...
Click on the photo to view the entire album

Easter in Crazytown

Dreaming of a White...Easter?

Clearly, the weather gods forgot what holiday it was.

Happy Birthday, I Heart You

Simply said,

my sister, Reyna, is my best friend.

She's there when it's up,
she's there when it's down,
she's there when I can't take any more.
For many years, I can confidently say,

I hated her almost every single day.

However through the times,

I've had to realize,

there are few and true shoulders to lean on.

She's often my rock, my tissue to cry on.
The past two years have been quite a test,
our love, our strength, our humor has been quite pressed.
We have come through, her and I,
as strong as ever, without even a try.
This I know, means so much,
I'm reminded every day of her sweet, sweet touch.
So on the eve of her birthday, her lucky 29th,
I give all my thanks to Reyna, for being in my life.
Without you, Sister, I would never know what to do.

Happy, happy birthday, I heart you.

Doing what he does best

Happy Birthday, Tata!!

She is so happy you are here!

Tata is a pushover... yard sale + smiley Natalie = new playhouse at Tata's

Crazytown, the High Altitude Version

Ok, ok, this picture was taken in January, but we had an inch and a half of snow last Friday, yes, April 3rd! It's Flagstaff, and it's Crazytown, II.

Welcome to Crazytown!

BFFs...just not counting ages 10-12...or the last part of junior high...or most of high school...

Mic check...check, check

Let's see how this works...

BJ and Reyna have a blog? BWAAAA HAAAAHAAA!