8 Is Great!

How in the world do I have an 8 year old? I swear, I was just delivering a 9lb baby boy just yesterday. Looking back at these pictures, looking at that sweet face from so many years ago, I thank God that He blessed us with this boy. I don't know why He chose us to be Cooper's parents, but I don't want to be anything but grateful for it. We learn new things about Cooper everyday but mostly we just sit around and stare at him in awe. And laugh at him, too, of course.

 

He's hilarious. I mean, if you know him I certainly hope you agree. He can find the funny in anything. If he cries, you know there's something truly bothering him because if he's not crying, he's laughing. Or at the very least, smiling. He's currently pretty obsessed with practicing catching pop flies and Legos. Any Legos at all. He likes to open the boxes and read the instructions and put them together. Playing with them isn't what he loves most about Legos. He loves putting them together. Oh, and the men. The kid loves a good Lego Man. He loves baseball, baseball practice, baseball games, baseball teammates, and practicing hitting/catching/throwing in the front yard. He doesn't want anything to do with soccer (Dad is ignoring this for now), football or basketball and he only goes along to play golf, I think, to drive the golf cart. We're signed up for swim team this summer but he claims he doesn't want to compete. He continues with a boys gymnastics class once a week, but I think only because we told him it will make him a better baseball player.

 

He likes to read a lot but he loves to be read TO. Dad, Cooper and Kendall are currently making their way through The Chronicles of Narnia. He hates addition but loves geometry (go figure). He loves to draw ninjas and angry birds and lego men, he loves finding videos on YouTube and his favorite game on any phone or tablet is Subway Surfer. His mission in life is to get on America's Funniest Videos. My money is on him succeeding.

 

 Who ARE these people???

Cooper, it is not a surprise to know how much we adore you. We're your parents so we have to love you , but we don't always have to like you. We sure do like you a lot, though. Everyday there is something new from you...something funny to hear you say and something hilarious to watch you do. Thank you for (almost) always showing us that you know right from wrong, that you have a kind heart and love the people close to you dearly. Thank you for always choosing good friends and being a good friend to those around you. We are never surprised but are always in awe of how much you love your sister and how good you are to her, what a good friend you are to her. Thank you for being the big brother and the boy we constantly pray that you are and that you continue to be.

Baseball/Softball Version 2012

I can't believe I never posted this? I put the pictures in the blog and never got any further. Oh well, it's super fun to look back on these warm, summer Saturday mornings spent on the ball fields. And when I say that, I mean it literally. Every Saturday morning was spent at the fields. Plural. Some days, we had games going on at the same exact time. Those are not fun games.

 

First, Kendall LOVED being on the Rockies. She had some friends on that team but we were concerned she would hate it. It was her first all-girls SOFTball team. The first time she had been separated from her best friends and the coaches she was most comfortable with. She really struggled with confidence this season. She's a GOOD ball player. Honestly, in our yard, she would often hit harder and further than the boys. She's got a great swing, a great eye and she's quick. However, you put her on that softball field this past season, and she went straight back to being that timid, shy, little girl with no confidence. This year, Kendall had all kinds of good times in the dugout. And she sure looked cute. You may be happy to know that she has decided to stick to gymnastics this year and take a look at picking softball up perhaps next year. =)

 

Hello adorable little girl, standing in the outfield never paying attention! 

Dugout Divas.

 



She LOVES to get on base and run. Not a huge fan of getting out, however. 

This year, BFF Drew was on Cooper's team so Kendall got to hang out with him before and after her games. Bliss.

 

And Cooper... The 2012 Royals were quite a team. Made up mostly of families that all know each other well, we truly enjoyed every game and I felt like I was missing out if I didn't make it to practice. Cooper loved it, as always. He wasn't the biggest fan of the outfield where his focus tended to waiver, but he loved every single bit of baseball... practice, hitting, catching, running, the dugout, and most definitely the snacks after the game. =) Fast foward to the "championship game." It was a nailbiter (and I'm only mildly embarrassed to say I cared that much) but LONG, long story short, it came down to the final inning where one Royal hit an inside the park homerun and Cooper hit a super hard, long drive to the back of left field to drive in 2 runs. The final play of the game found one Royal catching a pop fly to win (6 and 7 year olds simply don't catch pop flies, so it was pretty remarkable!). It was the perfect cap to an awesome season. With try-outs this week, he's super excited again this year. I was nervous because he definitely enjoys the social aspect and he moves up to a league this year that requires trying out. =I His words to me were "I would be really excited if there were a few of my friends on the team, but it will be fun to make new friends." Love that kid. 

 

This threesome makes my heart smile. Friends since preschool, they make me happy when they are together. 

Cool cat. 

 

Just trying to get in the mood for spring! It doesn't take much!

The Winter Blues

I don't think I'm alone here when I say, I've felt a little, shall we say, dull lately. I love breaks from school, quite honestly. Especially with both kids in school and I don't have that "Do I send her to daycare since I'm paying for it? Or don't I, to remain a decent parent" argument with myself every morning. I like sleeping in and having all-day pajama-days. I really like doing puzzles and playing board games at 9AM. I especially love that having no schedule during the day means that we have no real bedtime. So if we're in the middle of a really good battle of Clue or Just Dance at 9PM, then the world won't stop turning if we stay up an extra hour. And since we have nothing to do the next day, staying up late doesn't have earth-shattering repercussions like it does during a regular school week. I have a love/hate relationship with going back to school. I love it because I'm a huge fan of structure, even if I don't prove it during a school holiday. I hate it because it means we're back to reality, which includes homework and bedtimes before 8 and alarm clocks and less Clue.

Worse, though, is that with the holidays and school breaks and the new year comes... cold weather, gray clouds, months until spring, salt on the road, indoor everything and worst of all... resolutions. They always make me feel so inadequate. Chip and I stuck to one resolution one year when we were dating. For once in our life we were a part of the 8% of Americans that actually made a resolution and stuck to it.

Anyhoo... I seriously don't think I'm the only one that gets the winter blues. I know I didn't pen that phrase, Winter Blues, so that fact makes me confident I'm not the only one who has ever had them. I'm not sure if whoever came up with it meant that literally or not, but perhaps winter blues could be from people yelling at you from the TV every January. Honestly, don't you feel like every time you put the TV on it's so much of YOU SHOULD BE THINNER! YOU SHOULD EXERCISE MORE! YOU SHOULD EAT HEALTHIER! YOU SHOULD READ MORE--BE A BETTER FRIEND--BE MORE ORGANIZED! So much "advice" on how to clean out your closets and "look" thinner and be happier! Perhaps, though, they meant for the Winter Blues to be literal? Unfortunately, I might get both, but the literal kind... I definitely get those. I like sunshine and green grass and t-shirts. I like the sound of lawn mowers and the smell of pool water and looking at the dirt under my kids' toenails when they wear flip-flops. Given a choice, I would always, always, always choose to be hot over cold. I hate snow-skiing and snow-boarding and snow-tubing and, well, quite frankly, I hate snow. It's cold, you know?! Snow cream? Gross! Snow men? So much work! Snow days? So much laundry from all that playing in the snow and having to be bundled up. Because. It's. Cold!!!

Anyway, back to the point here. The past several weeks have found me creeping ever so closer to those winter bluesy days that I dread every year. Those days when I get grumpy by 4 because it's dark. Those days when I look on the computer to find cheap airfare to Hawaii (fyi --> no such thing). I needed something uplifting. That's when I started to really pay REAL attention to this app I have on my iPhone called You Version. It's a Bible app and I love it. I could say that the accountability of keeping up with your devotionals you've signed up for is awesome, but that's the one part that actually gets on my nerves. I don't need an iPhone app to email me and tell me I'm a slacker. But this year, after making all of zero resolutions, I started a new daily devotional plan. There have been others, but this one is different. It's called Soul Detox. Who doesn't need a detox of SOME kind at the end of the year? I needed one. I needed to detox from all these horrible thoughts I have about... well, January. What really started to get me out of my funk was the Verse of the Day. Here are some examples of ones I thought were trying to hit me over the head with a hammer while I was feeling overwhelmed by the petty things such as coldness and the strict bedtimes and all this talk of being better than we already are that 2013 was bringing.

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you.

Colossians 3:15
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Deuteronomy 6:5
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-5
Love is patient, love is kind. it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

I put that last one on there because of my husband. He hasn't been sick one day this past month and he has cared for me, my foot, my kidneys, my anxieties, our children when they're sick, everything when I was out of town. I love him and he truly couldn't live this verse any better if he wore it as a jacket.

I have no real point in writing this particular post, quite honestly. I just felt like sharing that as down and out as one might feel as we get back to the "real world" there is a way to feel better. And we already have so much to be thankful for (like seasons, even I can admit). And I say this as it is chilly outside, it's raining, I'm in my dark basement with my son who I picked up early from school sick. I have the largest To Do list I think I've seen in years at work and an overflowing laundry basket. I have cancelled plans to go to the basketball game tonight and am having trouble figuring out what I'll do tomorrow if my child is still sick. So, not much has changed around here. But I feel better anyway. I'm reminded of friends that brought us dinner when things weren't perfect. I'm reminded that if we didn't have family 5 minutes down the road in both directions, life would be way more difficult. I'm reminded of how much fun we had when we weren't sick. To be honest, I'm reminded that the worst part is that my life is pretty easy and perhaps I need to just find a different perspective. I've survived winter before, pretty sure I can do it again.

HAPPY New Year!

Someone is 6!

Man I love this girl. This girl who just turned six years old! Something is fishy with my blog and I cannot upload any new pictures. I can, however, go back through my blog and insert pictures that I've used before. I don't mind one bit. I hope you don't either.

 

But 6?! SIX? That's, like, a real kid. A GIRL. Like a really sassy, pouty, knows-exactly-what-she-wants kinda GIRL. She's not a baby anymore. What.So.Ever. I mean, do you understand me here? Around the time my baby turned 6, she started kindergarten, got her first BFF necklace, changes her earrings by herself several times a week, reads books, and understands how to play board games like Monopoly and Battleship and Sorry. She loves school. Those of you that recieved a Christmas card already know this. I asked the kids to write one thing that they like or love so I could take a picture for our card. Kendall thought for about 1/4 of a second and then wrote "I love school." She loves to read and she REALLY loves to stay on green and never get in trouble. The earth will move, no doubt, if this girl ever has to move a card and get in trouble at school. At home... well, this is all about how great she is, so we'll just move on...

 

She loves to draw, loves to color (specifically, with Sharpies. I can't even tell you how much I hate that habit), loves to count by 2's and 5's and 10's and she loves to do her homework. When Cooper practices his spelling words or has to take some time in the evenings to read... Kendall does exactly the same. She still loves baby dolls and loves to dress-up. If she's missing for a few minutes, chances are the next time you see her she'll be decked out in a princess dress and crowns with wands and shoes and feathers and belts to boot. She loves the girl version of Legos because she loves her brother and he loves Legos. But girly ones are way more fun. With amazing passion, she hates to have her hair brushed but nearly cries when we offer to get it cut to her chin again. She's really good at getting herself up and dressed and ready on school mornings. She loves our dogs but only if they aren't trying to lick her to death while she's walking down the stairs. She loves the monkey bars... even when they give her disgusting little calluses on her hands. She loves to ride her scooter. Barefoot. =(

 

We still have a "secret" kiss at bedtime and she loves to dance with her Daddy. She says her favorite person in the world is her brother which, since I know this may change later, I do my best to tell her I think that is the greatest thing a mother could ever hear. Lucky for me she still loves to blow kisses and tell me I'm her best friend and that she loves me "all the way to Heaven's sky and back."

 

In no particular order... I present "my favorite little girl in the whole entire world"...