Category: Totally Tatum

He is a multi-faceted dog. First, he is quite the snuggle-bug. He loves to be on the couch with one of us and get belly rubs. Daddy is quite partial to petting the little guy.

When I’m reading a night, he’ll find any excuse to cozy right up to me.

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Tatum loves bringing Coopy into her room and finding ways to cuddle with the pup. She wanted to pop up her tent and hide him in there.

Hmmmm….speaking of hiding, this is Cooper’s favorite thing to do:

He’ll grab a toy, whip it around, then he’ll gently push it under the couch. He has smuggled multiple toys from his toy box and now they live under the sofa!

Then, he’ll look at me needily and whine incessantly.

Cooper, you are creating your own drama. I cannot rescue your toy every time you do this.

Then he’ll just mourn at a few decibels higher than before, and guess who finally gives in?

Yes, I’M THE ONE who is creating this monster. I’m feeding the tiger. I’m adding fuel to the fire. ME! So, what can I expect? He is a spoiled little pup and definitely is getting his way.

Yes, don’t let this innocent little face fool you. He’s a little smuggle bug. (wince!)

When fall strikes in AZ, all the snowbirds flood the area. We have a bunch of Canadians that visit our condos, and one such couple is Kel and Diane. They are very kind to Tatum. Well, they shared that it was Thanksgiving in Canada on Monday, and since Tatum was off school on Monday, we decided to make them a craft.

She worked on the turkey while I worked on the inside.

They don’t know Jesus, so we made sure they felt blessed.

Inside, they would have to fill out what they are thankful for.

We delivered this with some cookies. They were so grateful, and they agreed to do their homework. We believe in being the hands and feet of Jesus every day, and this was a perfect opportunity to spread HIS love.

Tatum and Daddy decided to go to Hobby Lobby to buy a rocket to launch. First, you must know that Hobby Lobby is like Disneyland of craft ideas. It’s way TOOOO much fun , so we go very focused on what we need to get; not allowed to get distracted.

Now, before we went to launch, Daddy had to work on the rocket and get it launch-ready. We then found a baseball field near our home, and luckily there were no people present. Hooray! We are so excited!

Daddy showed us this trick to find out what direction the wind is blowing. He lightly kicked the dirt, and this showed which way the wind took the dirt. Very genius of my babe.

This looks like a perfect spot!

Daddy helps Tatum get it all set up.

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Motor, parachute, stand..all these parts for a perfect launch.

He had to teach her how to work the remote and the safety of it all. Daddy was like a little kid; so CUTE! You’ve got it, TOT!

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Now we are ready for the countdown!

WHOA!

And now for the landing….

He can’t help it…

DADDY I’LL CATCH IT!

We launched 2 more, and Tatum wanted to keep going.

I think this will become a family affair. When you marry a rocket man, this is just part of the deal.

I love you, Mr. Hay! And Tot? You are destined to launch into a wonderful life, sweetie. We love you so much.

Happy October Family Sunday!

And I love it! This particular Sunday, we would attend the early service so we could go visit my honey’s mom.
The morning the usual antics occurred including dancing, singing, goofing around, and of course, Cooper-cuteness.

Tot and I decided to sing and dance to some Veggie Tales silly songs for no particular reason. Cooper just stared at us as usual. What is he thinking? I’m pretty sure he thinks we have lost are marbles. (it’s a common thought around the Hay house).

I had to clean up a bit outside, so Tatum comforted Coopy while I did this.

She’ll be in soon, puppy. It’s OK.

He waits by the door to wait for Daddy to come home too, so we often must comfort our needy little puppy.

After church, we went to Darlene’s new home out in Anthem. It’s a beautiful place, and they are taking such good care of her.

Tatum and I painted a birdhouse for her while Doug chatted with his mom.

What fun. It was a good start to a Sunday, but there is much more to come! Stay tuned!

It is very apparent that we need a new strategy for getting the bedtime routine more efficient.
This strategy must come from Tatum so she’ll assume responsibility, and if she chooses not to make it happen then it’s coming from her, not us.

More effective this way!
(Natural consequence of a choice)

We decided that teeth brushed and such must happen by 8:00. (she will be told once that it is 7:55). I will encouragingly coach her (for a week or two) to make sure she is brushing effectively. I won’t do it, but I’ll help her be successful with it.

If this is all completed by 8:00, then she can have lights on (after prayers) until 8:30 (or later if it’s the weekend).

She wanted to make reminders this weekend to post in the bathroom.

It has been working so far, and she has buy-in which means she’s obeying because she wants to not because she has to.

Sleep with angels my sweet girl. I’m so proud of your efforts and your heart.

Sometimes, he gets sooooo sleepy.

And sometimes, he likes to plop on Tatum’s pillows to hide.

But, most of the time, he just likes to look cute.

and then he’ll give us that look long enough that he’ll guilt us into giving him his way.

It’s pitiful.

Sleep with angels, Cooper. We love you so much.

And she hopefully will go to the contest. She’s been practicing daily and sporting a patriotic look! I love the LOVE of the flag and our country.

Here it is:

She’s been practicing…

And practicing…

We will see in a week! Go TOT!