MORE FUN TIMES......

Before we get to the fun weekend we had a follow up eye doctor appointment for Cooper. Unfortunately his eyes are not doing as well as we had hoped and he has to get another prescription. It is just his left eye that is week but we are going to get the new lenses and if they do not help then we will definitely be patching him. Coop did make a little friend why we were there though. There was this little girl sitting on the floor watching TV. Coop walked right up to her, sat down as close as he could get and then started rubbing her back. He is going to be such a player! Molly from Tiny K was there with us and she, Raelynn and I just laughed.

This weekend we finally made it to the wading pool. I had no idea how great this place was. We will definitely visit again. Raelynn had a blast and even little Cooper had fun. I was excited because we were able to mark off 2 parks in reaching our goal of visiting all the parks in Lawrence.





Saturday night Terry and I had a wedding to go to so our friend, Stephanie watched the kids. They had a blast! She is awesome with them and I think enjoyed it too. We got home about 9:30pm and unlike most parents I was thrilled the kids were still awake. Cooper was being difficult and just would lay down without crying and Raelynn was in bed but still awake. I was so excited to see them. I went into Raelynn's room to tell her good night and she yelled "Mommy" and we hugged and giggled like little friends who hadn't seen each other forever. She said she was so happy to see me. I love that girl. I asked if she had fun and she definitely did but it was nice that she was still happy to see us. Terry took Cooper and of course he went right to bed. I told Steph Coop would hardly go to bed for me. He likes his Daddy routine at night.

Sunday after church we attended a memorial dedication for a friend of ours that passed away a year ago. The dedicated a memorial bench to him and announced the forming of a foundation. It was all very touching and we were so happy to be there. He was a deputy that was hit by a car while riding his bicycle one morning. He was the nicest guy and always seemed to just want to make things right for everyone. It was such a sad accident but his family is making good out of it. I always think that is so important.

Tomorrow night my Mom, Karli, Cassidy and Chandler are coming to spend the night. Cassidy has a camp to go to near Bonner Springs and so they are all bringing her up. The timing is perfect because Wednesday is Raelynn's birthday. We are keeping their visit a surprise. They are leaving Wednesday morning so we are going to get up and have a little surprise celebration for Raelynn. She will be so excited!!! I love the kids' birthdays, they make me remember how excited I used to get. I hope she has a good one. Then Saturday, the 4th, we are having her party. As Raelynn says, she has her birthday and her party day!

BACKING UP A LITTLE......

Things are a little hectic in the Keefer household right now or at least for me. Every time one of the kids birthdays rolls around I become crazy. I love having parties for them but I always want everything to be perfect and not cost a fortune. So I have been running around like a mad person. In addition there are a few other demanding things going on right now that I will talk about later and of course the day to day demands of life. Anyway, my head is once again whirling and I just wonder how people with 4 and more kids ever survive :)! Anyway to back up a little.....last Saturday Raelynn had another horse show. She placed 3rd and 4th this time and again looked fabulous doing it. Aunt Bonnie and Raelynn's classes were too close this time so Aunt Steph stepped up and helped Raelynn with the lead line. Steph did great and I love how she has just became part of "family". I had worried a little that it would be like having a guest at our house all summer but it hasn't been like that at all. So here is a picture of Raelynn and Aunt Steph from Saturdays show. Steph was not a big fan of the outfits, hahaha!

Then Sunday of course was Father's Day. We had a brunch at Kent and Kylie's. The brunch was fabulous. Watching the kids play was also fabulous! After that we were headed home for naps! I don't know what goes on in Terry's mind about the kids and being a Father but he has to be proud of both. The kids adore their Dad and he beams at the mere mention of their names. It was a great day as is every weekend! I love my days with the kids and Terry and Raelynn and I count down the days for the next weekend.

I continue to say how ornery Cooper is but I have yet another story to confirm this fact. Last night Raelynn and Cooper were in the bath. I had stepped out of the bathroom to get a towel and Steph and I were standing by the bathroom door talking. Raelynn had been saying, "Mom, Mommy, Mom, Mom, Mom" and I was just getting annoyed and told her to wait until I was finished talking to Steph. Steph and I finished and Steph headed downstairs and I stepped back into the bathroom to get Cooper out. All the sudden Steph yells about the same time I stepped into the bathroom and stepped into water. Steph is yelling that there was water running into the basement and I was yelling that the bathroom is flooding. We are running back and forth between the bathroom and the basement like crazy people passing each other along the way. We are half laughing and half freaking out. We are grabbing towels for the bathroom and buckets for the basement. I grab the phone to call Terry, my "go to" in any crisis. I am talking to him on the phone and finally realize Raelynn is starting to cry and is trying to tell us something. She had been yelling at us but Steph and I had been so crazy and loud ourselves we had not noticed. She finally has our attention and as she is saying, "I have been trying to tell you! Cooper is doing it, nothing is leaking!" As she is talking we turn to see her standing by her brother in the bathtub pointing at him as he is pouring this large cup of bath water right out onto the floor of the bathroom. I guess he had been doing this repetitively and that is why Raelynn had been trying to interrupt Steph and I's conversation which caused the floor to be covered in water and the water to leak to the basement from a small area where the caulking of the bathtub was starting to pull away. Of course Cooper never stops, he continues to pour the water and just snicker at us. Poor Raelynn had been trying to make him stop and when he didn't she had tried to get my attention. Once we realized everything that had happened we all started to laugh which did not help in trying to tell Cooper he could not pour water out of the bath. Raelynn informed me "if I would have just listened to her none of this would have happened!" It was all quite comical after the fact. You can see the orneriness ooze from him!

DANCE PARTY AND YOGA TRAINING.....

After a very long Monday that started way too early and progressively got worse from a not to good start, we decided to end the evening with a little Dance Party!



Then Raelynn decided we needed to do some Yoga. The girl loves yoga and learned some in Summer Camp and then my Mom bought us the Wii Fit and now Raelynn is a Yoga expert! That girl kills me!!!!

Needless to say, our evening together was fun as usual, if only everything could be as fun and simple as our Dance Parties!!! I have a million pictures about our weekend and Father's Day celebration but I will have to save that for tomorrow....I am very tired and off to kiss Raelynn and Cooper one last time for tonight and whisper to them how much I love them. I always wonder if they hear me in their sweet dream land but even with my soft kiss and quiet whisper neither of them ever awake. It is the best way to end my days.

A LITTLE SET BACK FOR COOP AND HIS EYES....

Wednesday night Cooper had an eye doctor appointment. I was very excited and hopefully that everything was going well but instead he has taken a little step back. He is very dominant in his right eye which leaves his left eye less used and therefore will turn in to a lazy eye. This is all stuff that is genetically passed from me and I so wish Coop hadn't got it. It looks like we are going to have to start patching his good eye to make his bad eye do more work. I was so sad when she told me this. We are going back in a few weeks and she will check him again and dilate his eyes to make sure his prescription hasn't changed. He is growing so fast that I guess his eyes can change rapidly too. I am so sad for him but I guess if we can do things now that will help him later in life I am happy to do it.

I had a friend's Pampered Chef party to go to tonight so Terry rushed home after playing golf in the Bill Self Tournament and I headed out. It was was in Tonganoxie so I didn't get home until a little after 9pm. To my delight both kids had bathes and were crawling into bed. When I came in they both rushed over with so many hugs and love. There is nothing better. I finished putting them to bed and snuggled with Raelynn for awhile. I love doing things with my friends but I so love coming home. Terry was still all smiles from his day of golf too. He loves this tournament and always has a great time. He usually plays on Coach's team with three other of his good friends and they always have a great time.

This morning Raelynn, Cooper, Steph and I began working on a little surprise for Daddy and I just have to share a few of the photos that were snapped while working on the surprise.....

COOPER IS ALL BOY.....

Happy Monday to us!

And to think this morning I was upset with him because he scribbled marker all over his lenses. At least that could be fixed with a little windex! After Lisa called to tell me Coop bent his glasses I headed home to get his spare pair. Then tonight after work we headed down to Wink, again! The owner, Mike, is wonderful. He and his entire staff are nothing but kind and try to assure me that this happens all the time. His frames could not be fixed but because Coop has special transition lenses in these glasses to help his eyes with the sun, Mike took time to take apart both glasses and use the parts to make one good pair with the transition lenses. Then he'll send off to have the spare pair fixed. We are so lucky to have found Wink! He really has taken very good care of Cooper and today he saved Cooper from having to start earning his keep!

Sunday was the Ironman 70.3 Kansas. We had a group volunteer for Cooper's Cause and we helped with an aid station. We had a great time! I knew it would be interesting to see but I did not expect it to be so much fun!!! The athletes were amazing! My friend Kelly was on a team with Raelynn and Cooper's swim instructor and another friend of theirs, Crystal. Kelly ran, Claudine swam and Crystal biked. They took 2nd which was fantastic! Anyway, other than having to give up a day with the kids, it was wonderful and I can't wait to do it again!

A STORY THAT HAS TO BE TOLD.......

This week was a little weird. There seemed to be some really grumpy days, busy days, gloomy days.....it just was weird but the one thing that really stands out in my mind and makes me laugh hysterically is a little incident involving Steph and Terry. Now Steph warned me I could not post this on the blog so the following is just a fictional story about a morning at the Jone's house (wink, wink). In our story there are a few characters, we will call the first Harry. Harry is the husband, dad, brother-in-law. Then there is Sue the wife, mother, sister. Next is Peggy the younger sister of Sue. One morning Harry had to leave very early for work leaving Sue and Peggy to get ready and get Sue's 2 kids, Patsy and William ready too. Sue and Peggy were running around crazy trying to get ready. Sue had just got out of the shower and was in one bathroom getting ready while Peggy was in the other bathroom getting ready to get in the shower. Sue yells for Peggy to bring her some eyeliner before she got in the shower. Peggy comes out of her bathroom with a jog bra only on thinking the two girls and the two kids were the only ones home. Peggy brings Sue the eyeliner and then stops to tend to William who was being especially winy. As Peggy looks up there stood Harry. He had returned home. So there stood Peggy in a jog bra only, no pants in front of her brother-in-law. The story only gets funnier. So Peggy grabs William, the 1 year old boy, and holds him in front of her to try to conceal the area she is not comfortable exposing to her brother-in-law. Now Sue is right behind her cracking up! It takes a second for everything to sink in to Harry but when he hears Peggy say, "I'm naked!" He laughs and very calmly in a "no big deal" type of way, turns around and walks away. Steph, I mean Peggy, was so embarrassed I thought she was going to die. All I, or I mean Sue, could think was the fact that she was holding my son at her exposed crouch and that just couldn't be comfortable for him either. The whole thing was hysterical! I laugh every time I think about it. As for Terry, I mean Harry, he just laughs too!

We did get a few things accomplished this week. Raelynn has officially decided on a 4th of July Birthday theme which I am quite pleased with. It should make things very simple. We sat down and made her guest list and then her wish list. When I asked her what she wanted for her birthday there were the things I already knew about like the DSi and the Scooter but then she went crazy. She added to her list a pinwheel. A pinwheel? Really? But yes she wants a pinwheel which made Aunt Steph very happy because we had just seen some earlier that day and made for an easy gift. After that Raelynn says, "am I old enough for a cell phone?" I let her know she was not but could not believe she was already going to ask for a cell phone! Then she decided she wanted a club house. After inquiring about this she told me she wanted a big club house in the back yard. Well I guess she won't be getting everything she wants this year!!!

Coop had his 18 month check up on Wednesday and is doing great. He is 19lbs and 2oz and is still i the 0% for weight but at least he is gaining. He is now 29 3/4" and is actually on the charts in the 2%. He is doing great and is just getting funnier by the day. He is saying new words every day and repeating everything we say. The most excitement came when he said "Steph". She had been working on him saying that for weeks! Today when we were trying to get ready he looked and Raelynn and said "ets Gooooo" for Let's Go! It was so cute!

Today was a wonderful day as the weekends always are. I love spending the day with Raelynn and Cooper. They are so great and the days go by way too fast. Tomorrow Terry and I and several other volunteers are working an Aid Station at the Ironman. I think it will be fun and I am glad we are doing it but I am sad I have to give up one of my days with the kids. It is for a good cause though and we are earning money for Cooper's Cause also.

WE SPENT OUR ANNIVERSARY AT A HORSE SHOW.....

I would have never guessed that I would ever spend my anniversary at a horse show, but today was Raelynn's first horse show and it was so much fun. I was full of questions. I had never been to anything like that and it amazed me. Who knew so many people loved horses and were so into it. I am sure Bonnie was about to strangle me with all the questions but I was just so interested. Along with Raelynn, her Aunt Bonnie competed and her cousin Megan. It was great. Raelynn did so good for her first time. She had this completely cheesy smile and she even yawned one time but all in all it was great. She even placed 4th by both judges and got a little prize. I was very proud of her. We videoed the whole thing but I have not figured out how to download the video to the computer yet. The pictures are a little grainy because it was so dark in there, but you can still see how perfectly cute she was.



Cooper had a good time as well but would have had an even better time if he could have competed. All he wanted was to be on the horse! Of course at the end Aunt Bonnie saw to it that he got to ride.


It was a great day and Terry even remembered our anniversary! He also got me a traditionally 6th wedding anniversary gift of candy and a Calla Lily Flower. I was so impressed that he would research to find out what the traditional gift was; it was very unlike him. Then I heard him high five Steph in the living room and knew that having Steph here continues to have its perks :)! Regardless it was another wonderful day with the family and I don't need an anniversary to remind me how much I love Terry and how lucky I am to have him!

A LITTLE OVERWHELMED..........

Sometimes when I get down here to work on things from our personal stuff to the foundation I get completely overwhelmed. I really, really wish there were more hours in the day, it would help greatly!!! My mind is whirling with things that need done tomorrow, what is coming up next week, the ironman, various things for the foundation, Raelynn's birthday party preparations, the laundry that needs put away upstairs, the dishwasher that needs emptied....the list goes on and on and anything that can be done tonight has to be because I could never go to bed without the laundry being done or the dishes being put away. The only good thing about this is it is almost midnight and I am not tired at all. The bad part is, when the alarm goes off in the morning to go run....I will hate myself! I should be used to my crazy, neurotic self by now but it sometimes still overwhelms me.

Raelynn was exhausted tonight. She went swimming with her cousins, Kent, Kylie, Skyler and Cassie, today. She had a blast. It was so nice of them to invite her along and I tell you she thinks she is pretty big stuff when she gets to go somewhere without her little brother. Everyday I watch her grow up more and more. She is into music and she is starting to like grown up music now instead of all the little kids stuff. I am so thankful. I think if I had to listen to Vegie Tales or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse too many more times I might really consider breaking the car stereo myself! Anyway, she and I both love the new Miley Cyrus song, The Climb. I love this song but I love it even more when it is turned up loud just like Raelynn wants it and she is in the back seat singing along. Coop is into music just as much if not more. This morning when I got to Lisa's The Climb came on just as I drove into the driveway. I told Coop we could not go in until the song was over. Coop sat there in his car seat with one hand holding his sippy cup and the other tapping away. He was bobbing his head right along with the song. It cracked me up.

Raelynn has her first horse show this Sunday. I cannot wait to see how she does. I really won't know because I have no idea what they are looking for but it will be kind of fun to just think she looks so cute ad is doing wonderful even if she is not. I told her to just smile, sit up straight on the horse and if any of the judges looked grumpy to just give them the princess wave, you know the elbow-elbow-wrist, wrist, wrist wave, and they would hand out great scores. We practiced a little tonight. I was the horse of course! Tonight after our story Raelynn and I were laying in bed snuggling and she told me she loved me. I told her I loved her too. Then she said, "I'm not just saying that, I really love you." Then she kissed me on the forehead. What a grown up thing to say! I told her I knew just what she meant because I felt the same way. She smiled and gave a little giggle and snuggled even harder. I lay with her for a few minutes after story and prayers almost every night and still I can never get enough of it. I don't know how long she'll do this, but I hope whether it is laying in bed or standing doing our hair in the bathroom mirror we will always have that special time that just seems like ours and no one elses.

Cooper is a talking maniac! Today Lisa bought him a new bubble machine and he said "bubble". After work we went to the store and Raelynn was singing the Mickey Mouse song...."Hot Dog, Hot Dog, Hot Digittie Dog" and Coop said "Hot Dog". Tonight I asked him what story he wanted to read and he went back to his room, got his favorite book (Goodnight Moon), and as he handed it to me he says, "Goodnight Moon". It is awesome. We have waited so long to hear his sweet little voice. I really can never wait to hear or see what he will do next. He surprises me all the time. He is such a happy little boy and just wants to do just what his big sis is doing. They put puzzles together, read books, color....it really is the most amazing thing to watch. Sometimes I do the whole sad thing about how this is my last baby I will hear say his first words or watch learning how to do certain things but the truth is I don't think I will ever run out of seeing their "firsts" for either of them. Watching Cooper do things is just as memorable and moving as when I saw Raelynn do them and even though Raelynn is getting bigger there is still something new and amazing that happens every day!

Well Coop's surgery is officially scheduled. We will go in for pre op on Wednesday September 23rd and his surgery will be on September 24th. Due to the extent of his surgery, he will be their only case that day. His surgery is scheduled for 8:30am. It will be a 6-10 hour surgery. As of now, he will be their first Hybrid procedure. There will be 2 teams of doctors; the cardiologist team and the surgical team. Dr. Kaine and the cardiologist team will put angioplasty in the arteries on the right side of the heart and stints and angioplasty in the arteries on the left side. Dr. O'Brien and the surgical team will close the VSD(hole) between the two ventricles and insert a conduit. This is the valve apparatus they have been trying to insert since day one. This surgery is again complicated and lengthy but supposedly not as scary as the last. A lump swells in my throat every time I mention the upcoming surgery. I know things will go as they are suppose to I just hope "the way they are suppose to" is the way we want. I can't help but cry now as I think about it and I still wonder how I will hold myself together when the time comes. I surprised myself at the cardiac catheter because I did not really shed a tear but this is the scary one. I just hope by September I have figured out how to hold the tears back and just show Cooper that it is going to be ok and he has nothing to worry about, that is what Mom is suppose to do right? Well I have a few months to work on it so if I can just keep the million thoughts of what need to be done swarming in my head so there is no empty time to think about September 24th, I should be fine!

Well I think it is time to go start on the clothes and dishes. Cody came into town to surprise Steph tonight and he has made it so I guess there is no other reason to stay up as everyone is where they are suppose to be or sound asleep. It is quite a job keeping track of everyone,hahaha!

"IWuvOOOOO"!......................

On Sunday evening Cooper said "I love you!" It was not exactly 3 separate words but more like all one word slurred together, "IWuvOOOO!" but I knew just what he meant. Raelynn and Terry were gone so I texted them and called Aunt Karli. He finally said it for her and today he said it to Noah, Lisa's son. It is so cute and he is so proud of himself. When I try to get him to say it he just smiles and leans forward to kiss me as though to say, "not now Mom, I will tell you later, just settle for my sweet sloppy kiss for now". Tonight Aunt Steph got back from being in Manhattan for a few days and Cooper ran into her arms. It is was so cute!

Raelynn had her first day of summer camp. She said it was a lot of fun but come to find out Raelynn thought summer camp involved tents and spending the night out in the woods. When I told her it was just at her school from 9am to 11:30am she was a little disappointed. I told her when she got bigger she could maybe go to a summer camp where she spent the night. She was happy with that and said, "maybe I could just spend the night with Kaden and Kelly in their backyard". Kelly is a dear friend of mine and Kaden is her 2 year old son. I said well maybe and Raelynn said, "Let's call her!" The girl is dying to spend the night with someone and it is killing me to think of one night without her! There will be plenty of those come hospital time. So I told her kids couldn't spend the night with other kids until they are 5. She looks straight at me and says, "Ya right Mom!" When did she get so smart?!!! I just laughed and told her she could spend the night with me. Needless to say she was not thrilled with that idea and I don't think that is the last I will hear of that topic!

So I guess I have spurred some curiosity with my reference to the Chocolate Cake in a Mug so here is the recipe. Give it a try....it really is good!

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
4 Tbs Flour
4 Tbs Cocoa
1 Egg
3 Tbs Milk
3 Tbs Oil
3 Tbs Chocolate Chips
Splash of Vanilla Extract

In a large coffee mug add all dry ingredients, mix well.
Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips, add vanilla extract and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little and tip out onto a plate.

Enjoy!!!