PRESCHOOL HAS BEGAN......

Hello Monday! Today Raelynn returned to preschool for one more year. She just had a staggered schedule today so we took Coop out to Gloria's this morning and then Raelynn came to the office with me until 10:30am. Then we were off to preschool from 10:30 to 11:30 then back out to Gloria's and then back to work. Preschool was great. Raelynn loves it and her new teacher seems wonderful. I also love it because the Moms are awesome. It is amazing how you make friends with the other Moms. We all laugh and talk and just catch up from over the summer. Most of the kids Raelynn went to school with last year are back this year so she was super excited. Of course I snapped pics all morning.... you just have to document these big days!
Smarty Pants Raelynn!

Raelynn and Mrs. L


What today also gave was a preview of the chaos I am going to be dealing with. See I have always used my lunch hour to do the 100 things that need to be done such as get groceries, run to walmart, pick up medicines, go to the bank, call doctors, schedule appointments, call health insurance to square away billing, run errands for the foundation, do my nails :), the list goes on and on. Now that Raelynn is in preschool, I pick her up every day and take her out to Gloria's and therefore no lunch hour for my errands. Last year Lisa would pick Raelynn up 3 days a week so I still had that time. I am just not sure when everything is going to get done. I suppose just like everything else, I will make it work but I am still wishing the days were longer and everyone was available to do business 24 hours a day, hahaha!

So our weekend was good. Steph left for Manhattan on Friday and we took her out to Paisano's which was delicious. The kids really miss her. Last night while Raelynn was in the bath she said she wished Steph was still here. It was so sweet. Saturday Raelynn had another horse show and placed 3rd and 4th which was again great. After that we headed home to clean the basement which was a horrible mess because I had not touched it since Steph moved in. With Raelynn's help we got that all finished. My daughter is becoming a better cleaner than I am and on Sunday she decided to reorganize her own room. She did really good and even vacuumed her floor and baseboards again. I love that girl! After she was done with her room she moved on to Cooper's. Coop wanted to vacuum too but Raelynn wouldn't let him. Won't it be great if they both stay like this! After cleaning the basement we headed to the park. We went to a park about 1 1/2 miles from the house. Raelynn took her scooter and I pushed Coop in this car thing he has. Raelynn lasted quite a ways but by the time we got there I was pushing both the kids in the car and carrying the scooter. After that I called Terry to pick us up and luckily he was on his way home so he did. We did not make our goal of visiting every park in Lawrence so we will have to pick up where we left off next year.

Sunday I helped with Sunday school and then home to do some other odd things around the house. It seems like there is always things to do. I keep waiting for a time when there is nothing but I don't think that will happen.

Today I did talk with Jill, Dr. Kelley's nurse, about Cooper and his eating. Dr. Kelley does not feel like we can jeopardize Coop's weight by cutting back on the fortified milk he drinks. Therefore, we are not adjusting the amount he drinks but will just continue to present foods to him at every meal just as we have been doing. We are continuing to cut his milk overnight though in hopes that he will be hungry and eat something solid in the mornings. He has been doing pretty well with this. He eats cereal and graham crackers every morning. Anyway, I am perfectly fine with this. I too believe his size is much more important than if he eats a hamburger. I also assume that at some point he will decide food is not all bad.

So off to a little more work before bed and then start it all over again. Even though things are crazy, the things the kids do daily make it all worth it and keep us easily entertained. I cannot image life any other way than it is right now.

CHANGE, CHANGE, CHANGE.....

So things are changing once again at the Keefer household which really is nothing new. Aunt Steph leaves tomorrow, Coop's nutritionist is changing his eating, Raelynn starts school, and Terry is gone! Although this all may seem small, it has big implications.

Terry left early this morning for a little golf outing. I was happy he could get away and of course he loves golf but we miss him. Raelynn and Coop both talked to him on the way to Gloria's this morning and then again tonight. Coop even said "hi" ad "bye" to him which was really cute. He will be back late tomorrow so it won't be too bad. I did have to go to Parent's Night at Raelynn's preschool without him though and that seemed weird. Raelynn has a new teacher this year but I think we are going to love her. She is this German woman who has a thick German accent and it was so much fun to listen to her. She is very qualified and just oozes with love of children. I came home and told Raelynn all about her and she was ready to go to school tomorrow. However, they do not start until Monday. That is when things get a little crazy. Raelynn will go to preschool 5 days a week. Therefore, Terry will take her in the morning, I will take Coop to Gloria's. Then on M W F I will pick Raelynn up from preschool at 1:30pm and take her to Gloria's and then on T TH I pick her up at 11:30 and take her to Gloria's. This means I now do not ever have a lunch hour to run errands. I am not exactly sure how that will work but there will probably be more 10pm runs to the grocery store and walmart. I am not looking forward to that. I just wish days were longer or I could figure out how to function without any sleep at all. Anyway, we will manage as does the rest of the working Mom's in the world :)

Since surgery has been postponed until April or May, we are going to start trying to push Coop to eat more solid foods. We will take baby steps because it is also very important that he does not loose weight. This can be very tricky. We are starting by reducing the amount of calories he intakes during the night. We get up with him 3 to 4 times during the night for him to drink milk so we are not fortifying the milk as much over the night in hopes that he will be pretty hungry when he wakes around 7am or so. This morning went pretty well. He ate a small piece of graham cracker and a small bowl of trix cereal. We will continue to work on this until we can actually say he is eating breakfast. I think it will be so weird to actually have him eating. I can not imagine a normal eating schedule. It would be soooooo great but we will have to take it very slow. Stacy, the nutritionist, will be back in a couple weeks and we will do some food play. They will give Cooper other foods that resemble foods he likes in color and shape. Since he loves Cheetos we are starting with things that are shaped like a Cheeto or that are orange. She gives him these foods and literally just lets him play with them with no pressure to actually eat them. I know, a crazy concept. I was always told not to play with my food! Anyway, Raelynn will get to participate too since Coop seems to be very interested in doing what his big sis does. I am sure I am going to have to leave the house so I don't freak out over the mess, but other than that it should be fun.

Tomorrow is Steph's last day. It is hard to believe the summer is over already. We will miss her!

Well off to mix Coop's milk for the night, fold clothes, get my aerobics class ready for in the morning and then hopefully there will be time to get a few hours of sleep in before the alarm sounds at 4:15am. See what I mean, we need more hours in the day!!!

COOPER'S CAUSE 2ND ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT....

We had a great time Friday at the Cooper's Cause 2nd Annual Golf Tournament. Although I do not have all the numbers yet, I think it was another big success. Everyone seemed to have a good time and Terry and I got to play golf together for the first time in over 2 1/2 years. Everyone did a wonderful job organizing and hosting the event. It is such a big event and it seemed to have ran very smoothly. Thank you to EVERYONE involved. You are all amazing. I could go on and on about it but really it is all wrapped up in one big word, AMAZING! That is how I feel about everything involving the foundation. It continues to grow and inspire me daily. I continue to think how none of this would have came about with out Cooper or our friends and family, like I said.....AMAZING!

The rest of the weekend was fun but pretty worthless. Saturday we headed to Nebraska Furniture Mart with Kelly and Kaden and their family to see Diego. However, when we arrived we found a very long line. Thankfully before we stood in line too long we discovered you could get very close to Diego and see him without standing in line. So after the kids colored some Diego pictures in line we went to see him. You just couldn't have your picture taken with him. After we saw him I asked Raelynn if that was good enough or if she wanted to stand in line for 2 hours to have her picture taken with him. Luckily she was good with that. Kaden also was satisfied with that and even got a little scared with the idea of having to sit with Diego for a picture. So we headed home and we made home made pizza's and did nothing!

Today was more of the same. We had planned to go to the zoo with friends but it rained us out. Once my plans were ruined I just couldn't quite get myself started on any project. I did laundry and cooked but that was about it. I spent the rest of the day playing with the kids or napping on the couch. I know I should have enjoyed that, but I felt completely worthless. It will be good to be back to a schedule :)

This is our last week with Aunt Steph. We will miss her being around. The summer went so quick and it really did not seem like we had that much time together. She will head back to Manhattan on Saturday. Terry leaves Thursday for a golf trip and returns on Saturday. I am glad Steph and Terry's schedules overlap. I do not like being home by myself. Yes, you would think I was the little kid but I do not like being alone. We have a few other events this week to look forward to and then next week Raelynn starts preschool. Can the summer really be over????

COOPER'S SURGERY POSTPONED......

Yesterday we saw Coop's cardiologist, Dr. Kaine. It was the appointment to get the echo, EKG and other tests ran before surgery on September 28th. We completed all the tests and met with Dr. Kaine. The special "hybrid room" that is being built especially for situations like Cooper's is not going to be ready by the 28th. In addition, Dr. Kaine nor our surgeon, Dr. O'Brien, wanted a case like Cooper's to be their first procedure in the new room. They said their are bound to be "hiccups" and they wanted everything worked out before they did a procedure like his. Therefore we would be looking at December time to do his surgery. Since he is currently stable and they prefer to never do surgeries during the cold and flu season, they wanted to postpone his procedure until April or May. Of course I was thrilled. The longer we have surgery free the better to me. It was quite a shock however since we had completely prepared for it in September and we were not expecting that. Anyway, we will see Dr. Kaine again in February and then we will start the surgery planning again. We have at least 8 months more of no surgery issues, as long as his status does not change. I guess maybe this is God's answer to my prayers. :) By the way, Coop was an amazing little boy at the hospital yesterday. He did not even wine once. He looked like such a big boy having his Echo done and he just listened to the doctor talk and watched cartoons. Terry and I were very proud of him.

Tomorrow is the Cooper's Cause 2nd Annual Golf Tournament. It should be a lot of fun and it is just good to have another event. The foundation is doing great and we are growing everyday. We now have Facebook and Twitter accounts which are fun to watch. I love all the support the foundation receives. We are truly fortunate to be surrounded by such great people!

NOTE TO SELF......

Note to self...."Always check oven for toys, bowls, spoons or other items before turning on."


This evening was nothing but laughs around our house. Raelynn has a huge imagination and we are constantly talking about her imaginary friends in their imaginary world. So when Raelynn says to me, "What are those yellow sparks in the oven?" I completely disregard by saying, "I don't know, firecrackers?" She says, "No Mom there are sparks in the oven." I briefly glance down in between trying to cook and constantly trying to remove Cooper from inside the cupboard or climbing the drawers to get up on the counter or from the refrigerator where he now has discovered he can pour his own drinks. I see nothing and just respond, "Honey I am trying to cook, give me just a second!" Then there was alarm in her voice that made me take note, "No Mom look there are yellow sparks in the oven!!!" I bent down and those sparks were flames and she wasn't joking. I guess a few days back when Raelynn asked me if she could bake imaginary cookies in the oven and I said yes, I should have made sure those imaginary cookies were taken out of the oven. Now all that remains is a real pile of plastic!

RAELYNN'S HAIR IS GREEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Being the great Mom that I am, hee hee hee, I took the kids to the wading pool on Saturday. It was the last weekend they were going to be open and we met some friends there. The kids had a blast and it was a great way to spend a hot day. We left the pool and stopped for a bite of Ice Cream and then home we went. I put Raelynn directly in the bath tub because it was already getting a little late in the evening and I don't like them to sit around in wet suits anyway. She had played for a few minutes and then I went in to wash her hair. I put the shampoo in as we talked and seconds later I was freaking out. In the white suds of the shampoo all I could see was green hair!!!! Of course me freaking out freaked her out. I washed it again and conditioned it and then hurried her out of the bathtub as if it were the bath that turned it green. I called my Mom in a panic and explained what was going on. She was laughing at my alarm and suggested I wash it again. So I put Raelynn back in the bathtub, who by this time is crying loudly. We wash and condition again and back out of the tub. Hair is still GREEN! We blow dry it to see if that helps but no, still green hair. Not only was it green but it smelled weird. It didn't smell like the yummy shampoo or conditioner but like metal or something. Tonight my sister suggested washing it with tomato juice and beer and assured me this would take the green out. So once again Raelynn goes into the tub and I wash her hair with disgusting, cold tomato juice and rinse it with equally disgusting and cold beer. (No usually I do not think beer is disgusting, but pouring it over the head of my 4 year old was not appealing) Well even after this torture, her hair is still green. Raelynn and I have came to terms with it and I guess we will just have to let it grow out. Who would have known a few hours in the pool could alter her whole appearance!

Other than that excitement, we had the Gilbert Family Reunion which is on the Keefer side. It was a weekend event but we just joined them for lunch today. They are a super sweet group of people with many stories. It is crazy to hear how some of the families had 13 children. Can you only imagine? I truly cannot even wrap my mind around that. 13 Kids? That would be like heaven and hell all mixed together!
Anyway, it was a nice lunch and great people.

Cooper with Aunt Bonnie

DOUGLAS COUNTY FAIR NIGHT.....

Last night we headed out to the Douglas County Fair. It was family night so there were sooooo many people there and the lines were way too long. The kids had a good time but Coop was too little for any of the rides and would just cry everytime Raelynn got on one because he couldn't go. Steph took him on the Farris Wheel and the guy stopped her and said he was too small. Steph gave them the sob story that he couldn't ride anything and he really wanted too and she blinked her eyes a few times and showd some cleavage....(haha only kidding).....and they let her take him on. He cried like crazy! Steph was freaking out because she begged to get him on and now he was terrified. He finally calmed down but the whole thing gave us a good laugh. The most fun I had was getting the shaved ice when we were done with the rides and dancing with the kids while the band played. We finally got kids home, bathed and in bed by 10:30pm.






Tonight we bought Raelynn's school supplies. I cannot believe it is already time for school again. Raelynn is excited to see all her friends. She is just getting so big. Tonight she wanted to reorganize some of her stuff in her room. It was so cute to watch because she is so organized and wants things just a certain way. Towards the end she was getting a little tired and asked if I would help her finish which I did. When I tucked her in for bed she says, "Mom thanks for helping me organize my room. I appreciate your help." Yes this is what my 4 year old said! She just makes me smile! Coop was just as big tonight as he pointed to objects all through the house telling me what they were; "light.....chicken......door.....truck.....ball" it was awesome. He also got Raelynn's soccer ball out and was showing us how he could kick the soccer ball. I really was surprised he could kick it so well and everytime he did he giggled at himself. He is great entertainment.

We are off to the pool tomorrow and hopefully get some quality summer time in!

COOP CONTINUES TO EAT...RAELYNN CONTINUES TO GROW....

COOP HAS EATEN LIKE HALF A TAQUITA! That is the text message I got yesterday from daycare. I was so excited. I guess that Coop was wanting raisins so Kathryn told him he could have 1/2 a raisin if he ate a bite of the tequita and Coop thought it was a good bargain Before they knew it he was eating the taquita without any bribery. I was so excited! The funny part is I am reading these texts and getting so excited but I had no idea what a taquita was. I just knew it had to be some sort of actual food my son was consuming to generate so much excitement! (I did google it and now know what a taquita is) When I got the kids that night I asked Coop if he liked the tequita and he just grinned. I swear the boy knows exactly what he is doing and loves that he controls this little eating game!

Raelynn had her annual well check yesterday with Dr. Kelley. Our little premature baby is now in the 73% for height and 71% for weight. She is 41" tall and weighs 38lbs! She is growing up so much. She then saw the dermatologist today who was taking care of some issues on her skin and that is all healing up as well. After her appointment she just came back to the office with me. Although I know it would not work out to have her there all the time, I love her being there once in awhile. She is so good and just stays, for the most part, in our back office. She plays and watches movies and every once in awhile pops out to tell us she is on the phone or has a client in her office so we need to be quiet. It is so cute and to be able to get a little smooch from her in the middle of the day just makes everything a little brighter.

Tonight we had a meeting for the Cooper's Cause 5K committee. I am always amazed at the group of friends we have who are working so hard to make this a success. I look around and wonder how we got so lucky to have such great friends. Really I just don't know, if I could only explain how each of them are so selfless to work so hard at getting everything ready and organized and to give up their time when none of them have any time to give up to begin with. I always tell Terry I will never know how we will thank everyone for what they do. The 5K committee consists of all friends of ours from different circles most of who helped last year. There is one new member though that just heard our story last year and offered to help if we ever need it. She is so sweet and has a little boy of her own and another baby on the way. Once again I just sit and wonder what drew her to our story. She is a perfect fit for the group and has been a great asset in gaining sponsors. But aside from the foundation, we have met yet another wonderfully generous and kind person to add to our long list of those who have touched our lives. I know it sounds crazy but really I just can never get over what we have gained from Cooper's condition. However I must say the last few days, the reality of surgery is constantly on my mind. I found myself crying in the shower the other morning. I felt completely ridiculous. I just cannot think about surgery without thinking about how things went last time and how I am not sure I can endure that sequence of events again nor an outcome even worse than before. I know I shouldn't think about it and I know I should only think positive thoughts and that is what I pretend to be doing but I just can't shove the other thoughts away. I have told a few people before, when Coop was born and even at last years surgery I would pray that if God was going to take him to please just take him. Now I just pray if he is going to take him just give me as much time as possible before he does. I can't let him go now. He is this adorably cute little boy with a personality and laughter and a smile that makes you smile right back. He looks just like his Daddy and he is his sister's best buddy. He is ours now! .............I know, everything will be fine.

COOP ATE A CHICKEN NUGGET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok well he didn't eat the whole nugget but the point is he took a bite and that is a huge step. Gloria and Kathryn (Gloria's 16 year old daughter who is like another mother) told me as soon as they dropped off the kids. We were all very excited. While I was cooking dinner he ate a cookie, almost the whole cookie! Maybe he is finally figuring out food is not so bad. He is also talking sooooo much. Tonight he was in the bathroom and started to cry. I ran down the hall to see what was wrong. There he stood holding his leg saying "ouch". If you could only hear him talk. He always stresses the first syllable and sometimes does not even put the ends on words but it is so cute. I asked him what he hurt and he said "leg". I was thrilled to hear the words so I kept going. I am asked him how he hurt his leg. He says, "door...teeth...ouch...leg"! Raelynn and I cracked up. This was Coop's first attempt at a sentence and Raelynn and I knew just what he was saying. He scratched his leg on the cupboard when he tried to open the door to get his toothbrush so he could brush his teeth! He was so proud of himself that we understood what he was saying he stopped crying and started to laugh with Raelynn and I. This is the best stuff ever. I cannot believe the progress he is making. It is awesome to see!

With school nearing we are establishing some new routines and rules. Raelynn is far from a morning person and cannot stand it when I wake her up and expect her to jump out of bed and start getting ready just like I do. I was waking her up at 7:30 each morning and we were always late. She told me the other day she just wanted to get up on her own. So we talked and we decided I would start waking her at 7 am and then would leave her alone to get herself up until 7:20 or so. If she wasn't up by then I was allowed to get her up myself. It has been working pretty well. This morning was great and we were ready to walk out the door by 8am with very little nagging. In addition she has to make her bed on her own without me asking and has to feed Poho. Unbelievably it is going great! She has made her own little routine. She gets up, comes and tells me good morning. We do her hair and she returns to her room to make her bed. She gets dressed and then heads out to the kitchen for breakfast. After breakfast she brushes her teeth and then before we leave she feeds Poho. It amazes me how well things go when I am not constantly having to say "hurry up!". This weekend Raelynn found the music stations on TV. Now between the Disney Channel and Fox 4 News she sneaks a little music in. This weekend she would yell at me when certain artist came on that she knew I liked. This morning on the way to Gloria's she said "listen Mom" and she sang me the chorus to "The Climb" by Mylie Cyrus. It cracked me up! Her memory amazes me.

Monday is over, just Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to go! Hahaha!

IS TOMORROW REALLY MONDAY AGAIN?????

I cannot believe how fast the weekends go! As I put Raelynn to bed she and I counted the days until we had another "spend the whole day together" day. She said she felt bad for the Mondays because no one likes them. I chuckled and said then we should find something good about them. She says, "when they are over we just have Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday before it's SATURDAY again!" I like the way she thinks. We had a pretty good weekend. We spent Saturday in Manhattan helping Steph paint her house and do a few other things that she needs done. She will be back to Manhattan before we know it. I cannot believe how fast the summer has gone. Raelynn will be back in school before we know it too. She starts August 24th. I told Raelynn she would be starting school soon and she said Oh Great that means winter is here! She and I definitely share the same dislike for winter!

Last week was a little bit of a trying week. Coop ran a fever for about 3 days which seems to be coming a regular event every 6 weeks or so. He runs a really high fever with no other real signs and we just keep Ibuprofen in him and he acts fine. The frequency is a little troubling but we will just wait and see what happens. I did notice some of his last teeth came through though so maybe that was the reason this time. Raelynn is going through a little tantrum stage and I am definitely not a big fan. I am not sure what is causing her to act out but we are staying right on top of it. I assure her that this behaviour is no way acceptable and we talked about it quite a bit one night. She said she just gets mad and when she is tired and gets mad she just has a fit. I gave her ways to tell me she is angry and why and then we can work through them. Today at one point she started her little fit and then stopped mid scream and told me she was mad and why and then said "so how are you going to fix it!" It was so funny but I did not dare laugh. We worked through it and she agreed it was a much better way of handling things. We'll see what happens from here. I honestly am amazed at how daily I have to think of new and better ways to teach her to be a nice and respectful little girl. I love the challenge! It also is very rewarding when it pays off. I love seeing her learn how to handle herself. Raelynn is also having issues with going to the bathroom. She doesn't want to at daycare or really anywhere other than home. I haven't really decided where this is all coming from other that I despise public restrooms myself and cringe every time we have to use one especially if it is not clean. I am hoping that she will at least adjust to using the bathroom at daycare, holding it all day can not be good!

So we are off to another week. Looking at my calendar it seems to be a pretty boring week which I welcome. However, in this family, the boringest of weeks can turn into total chaos in seconds. So as I do everyday, I will look forward to the laughter, learning, growing and surprises we are sure to have!