Weekend at the Lake

We had a nice weekend hanging out around the lake. Our camping buddies from Pawnee came out and camped in the back yard of the lake house, if you can believe that! Dennis hooked up a plug in for them and we had our own little RV park-hehehe. Dennis and Loren did some jug fishing and we fried some catfish Sunday night-yummy! We all went out on the boat Sunday afternoon. This was Cooper's first boat ride (since he was born at least) and he did really good. I thought he'd get mad about the life jacket, but it didn't bother him and he loved kicking his legs in water in the little floatie.
He has a tooth out now!!! It's so exciting and he has another next to it that I can see starting to push through. I think he's going to get a bunch at one time. Here are some pictures I took of the weekend and some around here of Cooper and his many adventures.

Settling In For Now

We are officially moved. Our very first house is now empty and we close on Wednesday. I am so bummed about it, it's the longest I've lived in one place in my entire life and the very first place that was actually ours as a family. We have lots of great memories in that house. But, we are moving on to do what we've dreamed of and that is building our own place on some land. Right now, we are in transition, though. It's so much different going from having your own place to "borrowing" someone else's, but rent is free, we're a little cramped for space, but it's only temporary.
Amidst our moving adventure, Cooper has been teething like crazy and we can finally see it coming through!!! He is really gnawing and drooling now! He is changing and growing so quickly. I can't believe how fast babies develop and it's just amazing to watch! Cooper has gone from army crawling a little bit, to full out crawling (sometimes anyway) to now pulling up to sit and pulling up on things to stand on his knees. He cracks us up when he gets up on his knees and beats on the gates in the living room, like he's saying "Let me out!". That keeps him entertained for 10 minutes at a time, then he'll crawl across the room and find a toy to beat on or my leg to try to crawl up to and then on to the next thing. He has also started scrunching his nose, which is just so hilarious, he looks so serious when he does it (and just like his daddy).
Anyway, enough rambling for tonight, just wanted to update on our moved status and let you know we're still kicking.
Happy Memorial Day- Don't forget to tell a veteran thank you for keeping us safe!

Here are some family pictures we took last Sunday at Woodward Park in Tulsa with my Dad and Nancy, siblings, Marie, Ryan, Sasha and her hubby Bret and daughter Chloe, and Dennis, Cooper, and me

Relay for Life

My sister is involved in American Cancer Society's, Relay for Life with her company, Met Life. We are very passionate about this after losing our mom to cancer last August. Met Life is matching any donations she gets. Every little bit helps get closer to finding a cure for cancer.

By clicking on the Relay for Life link at the right of the screen, you can find out how to donate on behalf of her team (so it will be matched) and/or get involved.

Moving

Oh, this moving stuff is exhausting!! I've moved a million times growing up but it was nothing like this. Before, there was no baby in tow and we didn't have much stuff, when I wasn't married, what I did have wasn't worth much. It's a lot different now. We have about half our house moved to storage now and we plan to get the rest done, or pretty much done, this weekend with help from our family (thank you in advance). So, we will be lake rats for the summer. We are getting the ball rolling to start getting permits, bank stuff, and on and on started, so hopefully by Labor Day, we'll be moving again to our own place. We plan to take a much needed break over Memorial Day weekend, I can't wait!
What makes things more fun, is that Cooper has been a little cranky the last couple weeks, which, for those of you that know his temperment, still isn't too bad, but a noticeable difference and his sleeping is not as good as normal either. He is trying to cut a tooth or two, it's kind of hard to tell at this point, but I know it's bothering him as he gnaws his little fingers and tries to shove his entire fist in his mouth, which makes him feel better somehow. He just waves around and throws the little cold teething rings on the floor, but they are entertaining for about a minute. We are learning the beauty of Tylenol and Motrin and sometimes all that helps is a good cuddle or a little nap. Oh, the joys of being mommy!! But, I love it every day, even the tough days, he is still our sweet little blessing.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms out there! This says it so well. I love you all, you are a HUGE blessing to me and now that my mother is gone, I turn to all of you to help me learn, so thank you.


This is for the mothers who have sat up
all night with sick toddlers in their arms,
wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer
wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying,
'It's okay honey, Mommy's here.'

Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted.

This is for all the mothers who show up at
work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains
on their blouses and diapers in their purse.

For all the mothers who run carpools and
make cookies and sew Halloween costumes.
And all the mothers who DON'T.

This is for the mothers who gave birth to
babies they'll never see. And the mothers
who took those babies and gave them homes.

This is for the mothers whose priceless art
collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors.

And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars.
And that when their kids asked, 'Did you see me, Mom?' they could say, 'Of course, I wouldn't
have missed it for the world,' and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet and scream for ice cream before dinner. And for all the mothers who count to ten instead, but realize how child abuse happens

This is for all the mothers who sat down with
their children and explained all about making
babies. And for all the (grand)mothers who
wanted to, but just couldn't find the words.

This is for all the mothers who go
hungry, so their children can eat.

For all the mothers who read 'Goodnight,
Moon' twice a night for a year And then
read it again, 'Just one more time.'

This is for all the mothers who taught
their children to tie their shoelaces before
they started school. And for all the mothers
who opted for Velcro instead.

This is for all the mothers who teach their sons
to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls 'Mom?'
in a crowd, even though they know their
own offspring are at home -- or even away
at college -- or have their own families.

This is for all the mothers who sent their kids
to school with stomach aches, assuring them
they'd be just FINE once they got there, only
to get calls from the school nurse an hour later
asking them to please pick them up. Right away.

This is for mothers whose children have gone
astray, who can't find the words to reach them.
For all the mothers who bite their lips until they
bleed when their 14 year olds dye their hair green.

For all the mothers of the victims of
recent school shootings, and the mothers
of those who did the shooting.

For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.

This is for all the mothers who taught their
children to be peaceful, and now pray
they come home safely from a war.

What makes a good mother anyway?
Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips?
The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and
sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time?

Or is it in her heart?
Is it the ache she feels when she
watches her son or daughter disappear
down the street, walking to school alone
for the very first time?

The jolt that takes her from sleep to
dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put
her hand on the back of a sleeping baby?

The panic, years later, that comes again
at 2 A.M. when she just wants to hear
their key in the door and know they
are safe again in her home?

Or the need to flee from wherever she is
and hug her child when she hears news
of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?

The emotions of motherhood are
universal and so our thoughts are for
young mothers stumbling through diaper
changes and sleep deprivation...
And for mature mothers learning to let go.

For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers.

Single mothers and married mothers.

Mothers with money, mothers without.

This is for you all. For all of us...

Hang in there. In the end we can
only do the best we can. Tell them
every day that we love them. And pray
and never stop being a mother...

What's Happening

I can't believe how quickly May is going by already!! This week has really gone fast! Monday, my friend, Dennisa and I took six kids, including Cooper to the zoo! I don't know what we were thinking!! It was fun, though, she was babysitting five and I had my one, we were all wore out by the time we were done and didn't even have time to see it all. Next time we decide to go insane, we will put bright shirts and ropes around the waists of the kids to keep them all together!
I have been working on packing with no real system, just whatever I'm near that I think we can go ahead and put in storage. I haven't moved in nearly four years, so I think I've forgotten what work it is packing and then adding a baby to the mix is a little more challenging. I do what I can at nap time and pack a box here and there when he's playing on the floor next to me, so it will all get in place eventually.
Cooper is getting better and better at army crawling on his belly and really trying to get his belly up and crawl, it won't be long, now. He can get across the living room pretty fast. His favorite thing to get him going is following Harry dog around, which kind of freaks Harry out a little, I think. He jumps up on the couch when he's tired of being chased, it's quite comical.
I put some of our zoo pics and some cute Cooper pics on this slide show, so enjoy!!

Packin' Up

We are looking to close on the sale of our house on the 28th, which is only about 3 weeks away!! It's so sad to think about leaving here, this was our very first house and we've lived here nearly four years, which is a record for me. We are starting to pack and get things put into storage, since we will have to store our entire house for the summer. We will be staying at the trailer house at the lake for a few months. It is so weird that we'll be there again, we stayed there before we bought this house and now we'll be there again until our shop with the apartment is finished. We plan to build our house in the next couple of years. We are hoping to be in our shop apartment before Cooper's birthday and have his first birthday party there. The guys started doing some dirt work this weekend. We have a driveway now, I had to try it out this afternoon. Lots of dirt has been moved and quite a bit of progress was made for a day and a half of work. Now we have to get going on getting some of the fun paperwork stuff started and get ready to build something, this will be fun!
Cooper is growing like a weed! He is just about ready to crawl, he is getting the hang of army crawling on his belly and getting where he wants to go. Once he figures out that he can lift up on all fours and coordinate it all, he'll be going non-stop! He has also figured out that he loves to splash in the bath tub, which is so cute! We are having fun as usual with him, it's always some thing new. He is just such a little blessing and I am so thankful that I get to be home with him and soak it all up! I'll be keeping you posted and taking pictures of our building progress and Cooper, of course!