Bunnies, Wishes, and Lunch with Grandpa

As Easter quickly approaches, it is that time of year to have pictures taken with the Easter Bunny. Normally Tommy's Mommy and Grandma take Tommy and his sister Piper to the mall, but Grandma had a prior commitment. So, Grandma offered to send Grandpa in her place. Since Tommy's Mommy is not one to turn down assistance in public places, Grandpa was more than welcome to join in on the event.

Tommy, Piper, Grandpa and Tommy's Mommy met up at the mall and headed directly to wait in line for the Easter Bunny. The Bunny took his good old time getting to his seat, which gave Tommy and Piper plenty of time to destroy the scenery. Piper was ripping out fake flowers out of the flower boxes, while Tommy was beating on a defenseless stuffed duck. When the Bunny finally showed up, the line moved quickly. Tommy declared that he would not smile for the picture, and he was practicing his mean faces. Within minutes, the kids were with the Bunny, and Tommy managed to put on his best fake smile. Piper was more than happy to sit on the Bunny's lap and say "cheese". Tommy's Mommy still can't figure out why the Bunny does not scare the kids, yet Santa freaks them out. Oh well, at least there were no tears in this picture!





It was still a little early when the picture taking was complete, so the group headed over to the fountain to throw some pennies. Grandma reminded Grandpa before he came to have some pennies on hand. The kids love to throw away money, "just like Grandma", Grandpa said (he was kidding, of course). Grandpa told Tommy to make a wish, and Tommy said, "I wish that I will be just like my Dad when I grow up." How cute is that?!?!

After wandering the mall a bit, Tommy wanted his McDonald's So, he got his cheeseburger Happy Meal and was very excited to get another toy from "The Monsters Vs. Aliens" movie. Piper was happy with her caramel dip. Forget the apples, nuggets, even Grandpa's french fries, the dip was all she needed to make her happy and very sticky!

Grandpa helped the crew out to the car and went on his way to golf on this beautiful sunny afternoon. Hopefully he enjoyed spending the morning at the mall with his daughter and grandchildren. It was a very smooth event that went much better than any other time Tommy's Mommy and Grandma attempt to do something like this. Grandma may have lost her job today... We'll see!

As for Tommy and Piper, they both quickly crashed when they got home and are sleeping peacefully. They can start resting up for the weekend festivities of egg dying, egg hunting, and a home visit from the Bunny himself!!

Kids Interview

Today I asked each child at separate times these set of questions. Below are their answers:

1.What is something mom always says to you?
Tommy - "I love you”
Piper – “Piper Oppola” (she can't say the "C" yet)

2. What makes mom happy?
Tommy – “When I love you”
Piper - “I make silly faces”

3. What makes mom sad?
Tommy – “when you hurt yourself”
Piper – “crying”

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Tommy - “Like when you make funny faces”
Piper – (she made a silly face)

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Tommy – “Mommy was like me”
Piper – “No, I a baby”

6. How old is your mom?
Tommy – “13”
Piper - “1”

7. How tall is your mom?
Tommy – “10 ft”
Piper – “Big”

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Tommy – “drop off someone at school”
Piper – “play toys”

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Tommy – “Be sad”
Piper – “Round the Rosy”

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Tommy – “You’d be famous in the circus at Disney”
Piper – “I no know”

11. What is your mom really good at?
Tommy - “pressing all the buttons on your computer, cooking and dressing me”
Piper – “surprise”

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Tommy – “putting me in time out”
Piper – “nothing”

13. What does your mom do for a job?
Tommy – “work”
Piper – “no”

14.What is your mom's favorite food?
Tommy – “ham sandwiches”
Piper – “peanut butter jelly"

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
Tommy – “Loving me”
Piper – “I no know”

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Tommy – “you are Donald”
Piper – “Mermaid"

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Tommy – “play games on the computer”
Piper - "we are princesses”

18. How are you and your mom the same?
Tommy – “Because you are Coppola, and I am Coppola”
Piper – “ you’re a girl”

19. How are you and your mom different?
Tommy – “You are a Mommy, and I am a Tommy”
Piper – “Big”

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Tommy – “When you hug me and I say I love you”
Piper – “We have a tree”

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
Tommy – “He really loves you very much”
Piper – “He gets food”

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Tommy – “the mall”
Piper – “a plane ride”

Tommy Trouble

When I, Tommy's Mommy, started this blog, I used to write about all the cute, fun things that Tommy did. It was easy since I was working and had computer access all day. Now that I am a stay at home mom, I do not always get the opportunity to update the blog. That is unfortunate because now I see many more fun and crazy things that Tommy does. After the last major incident, someone mentioned that I should be writing all these things down. So, I am going to make the effort to share more stories of Tommy, and even one or two of Piper...

Last Friday afternoon I was taking care of my daily afternoon duties - letting the dog out and getting the mail. I've been doing it for years with no issues. This day, however, Tommy was feeling more mischievous than usual. He usually stands by the screen door to watch and wave. As he was standing there, he thought it would be funny to lock the door. To make matters worse, he walked away. I was unaware that he had done this. As I was dragging the dog in trying not to drop the mail, I grabbed the door only to discover that it wouldn't open. Tommy came to the door with a big smile on his face. I, on the other hand, wasn't smiling. I screamed and pounded on the door, loudly enough that the entire neighborhood was aware of my situation. With a terrified look on his face, Tommy scrambled to unlock the door. It took a few tries, but he got it open. As the dog, the mail and I fell into the house, Tommy went running. I got myself together, and put Tommy in timeout. After his 4 minutes, he got up and resumed his day like nothing had happened!

I knew that with having a boy comes mischief, but sometimes I am still caught off guard by the things that he does. I'm hoping that I will be better prepared for the incidents, such as bringing my house keys with me to the mailbox, or maybe strapping Tommy to a chair when I leave the house! I know that many people had a good laugh at my story, and I'm hoping that one day I will be able to look back and laugh and not feel like I am being punished!!!

Disney Marathon Weekend 2009

On January 9, 2009, Tommy made his racing debut in the 200 meter dash on the track of the Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World. It was a beautiful day in sunny Florida, perfect for running. Tommy was anxious to get out and run. He spent the hours prior to the race running up and down the bleachers and all over the soccer fields. After waiting as patiently as a four year old possibly can, the announcers called the runners to the starting line. Tommy's mommy had to go to the 100 meter starting line with Piper, so Uncle Chris, the family running legend, accompanied Tommy to the starting line. At the last minute, though, Tommy pannicked and needed Daddy to run with him. Even after the switch, Tommy tried to back out at the last minute. Once the anouncers shouted "GO", Daddy used his motivational skills to get Tommy moving. After being passed by a few runners, Tommy began to pick up speed. He crossed the finish line with a big smile on his face. He grabbed his medal and ran off to share his triumph with Grandma and Grandpa!

Piper also made her running debut. She ran a great race - holding onto Mommy's hand the entire time!

The prize for completing the race was, of course, a trip to Disneyworld! It was a weekend of firsts for Tommy. His first park was the Magic Kingdom. He was not very willing to ride many rides at first, and he wanted nothing to do with the characters. Tommy's mommy was starting to think that trip was going to be a disaster, but after a nice lunch and a couple of "Grandma" rides (the ones that didn't make Grandma sick), Tommy started to relax and enjoy himself!

The next day started the same at Hollywood Studios. Tommy didn't want to ride the rides, and he was not very happy about seeing Woody and Buzz Lightyear. But, he was a trooper and took his picture with them. He saw the Disney animation studio, and then Playhouse Disney live on stage. Just as he was hooked, Tommy's Mommy played a very mean trick on him... she took him on the Tower of Terror! Let's just say that the rest of the trip Tommy pleaded never to take him into that "Red Building" ever again!

The rest of the trip went well... Tommy enjoyed himself more and more each day. He even warmed up to the characters. He loved the Disney Princess Storybook Dinner at Epcot. He did his best to impress each and every one of them. His pick up lines included: "we're from Ohio", "I have a dog and a cat", and the ever popular "we live in a hotel". Needless to say, he went home alone that night! He also had brunch with Mickey and the gang. His favorite was Donald!

Another highlight for Tommy was co-piloting the Monorail. One night Tommy's mommy screwed up trying to get home from the Animal Kingdom Lodge and ended up at the Ticket Center for Magic Kingdom. In order to get to the bus, we had to take the monorail. Daddy remembered that you can ask to sit up front, so he did. It was a little scary, especially since it was at night, but Tommy was so excited. He even got to help out the pilot. Before he left, he got his official copilot badge to prove that he was licensed to drive the monorail!

Tommy will not be making a trip back to Disney for a couple of years, but hopefully he will continue with his running career soon. He had a great start, and he's got plenty of energy to burn!

The Future of Running...

Tommy's Mommy and Daddy have spent all summer and fall training for marathons. Daddy trained for one full marathon and Mommy trained for two 1/2 marathons. Tommy spent some time with Mommy on the track, and he also got to watch his Daddy run a 10K. He has since gained a slight interest in running. He likes to be timed while running up and down the sidewalk. He also likes to sprint around the house several times. He can keep up (and pass up) a few of the older neighborhood kids!

In January Mommy and Daddy will be running in the Disney 1/2 Marathon in WDW. Tommy's Uncle Chris and cousin Stephen will be running in it as well. As part of the pre-race festivities, Mommy found that there were some kid races as well. So, she signed Tommy and Piper up to run in their own race. Tommy will be running in a 200 yard dash, and Piper will run in a 100 yard dash. Tommy is very excited that he will be in his own race. Piper, on the other hand, has no idea that she will be forced to run for Mommy and Daddy's entertainment. Hopefully she will be a willing participant!

Tommy's Mommy will certainly have an update on Tommy's training as well as his race results!

In the meantime, we have a glimpse into the future - Tommy winning his first marathon at the world record pace:

Where has the time gone???



The last update on Tommy was getting ready for Christmas. So much time has passed, and now summer is in full swing. It was a long winter, but he survived. He was able to get outside a few times, but there were only a few really big snows:






In the spring, Tommy took ice skating lessons. He is preparing for his long hockey career! He was not to crazy about being in class, but with enough bribery (bags of M&Ms), he was able to pass Snow Plow Sam I.

Tommy is now trying Snow Plow Sam II, which seems to be going okay so far. He only lays on the ice about 1/3 of the time.

Tommy's Mommy will try to remember to update this site as the summer goes along. Tommy has a lot of activites coming up, including a trip to Sesame Place.

Oh, and Tommy's sister Piper is having fun as well this summer. Tommy is now able to play with her and pick on her. Piper is now able to beat on him... They are becoming true brother and sister!

Too Much Charlie Brown?





To get Tommy in the holiday spirit, Mommy and Daddy have been letting him watch Charlie Brown Christmas. Not only has it been on TV twice already, but it is part of the Coppola DVD collection. So, he can watch it all day, every day if he really wanted. Once a day is the limit.





Anyway, Mommy has been trying to decorate the Christmas tree. Tommy has insisted upon helping. Of course, if all the ornaments were supposed to be on one branch, Tommy would be a master at tree decorating. So, in order for him to express himself and his decorating skills, Mommy gave him his own small tree to decorate. Once Mommy put the lights on the tree, Tommy was free to put his ornaments on the tree however he wanted. He looked at the tree and said "All it needs is a little love..." He took his Dora the Explorer balnket and wrapped it around the base of the tree. Then he put a few ornaments on it. When he was done, he said, "Now we sing to it". Mommy sang "Hark the Harold Angels Sing" as Tommy swayed along to the beat. At the end he cheered. It was just like being in the cartoon, sort of!





The holidays will be fun with Tommy this year. He still doesn't understand the concept of Santa. He thinks that if he is bad, then Santa will come to the house. He often says that he does not want Santa to come or bring him toys. Hopefully next year that will change. Amazingly enough, he took a great picture with Santa. That was because Mommy did not make him sit on his lap. He stood next to him at a safe distance...





So, Tommy will continue to get his daily dose on Charlie Brown and hopefully realize that Santa is a good guy!