THE OZARKS............

Finally I am back for another post.  Our annual vacation to the Ozarks was the best yet.  We love this vacation!  Tom and Jan are kind enough to let us stay at their house while we are there.  We left Wednesday night after work.  Thursday morning we headed to Big Surf Water Park.  We go there every year and I really wasn't looking forward to it because Coop doesn't really enjoy it and we can't all go do stuff at the same time because someone always has to stay with Coop and our stuff but Raelynn insisted on going and Coop agreed but I think just to be agreeing with Raelynn.  Anyway, we got there right around noon and boy what a difference a year makes.  We had so much fun and before we knew it they were announcing that the Park was closing in 30 minutes!  Coop loved it this year and we even were sending him down some rapids on a tube by himself.  It was so much fun.  Terry, Karli and I went on some of the slides we had hesitated going on in the years past and were glad we did.  It was all a blast!!!

We got back to the house Thursday night and it seemed pretty warm but we had been out in the sun all day.  We ate, bathed and put the kids to bed.  By the time I headed to bed I was just so hot.  Around midnight or so Terry wakes me up to tell me the AC was froze over and he had to shut it off.....it was 91 degrees in the house.  It was a long night but early the next morning Tom had someone there to fix it.  We just had to laugh because as long as we can remember, we always break something of Tom and Jan's when we are there.  Thursday we did some shopping and stopped by a new attraction called Miner Mike's.  It turns out it is this huge amusement center with a roller coaster, bumper cars, maze, ferris wheel and thousands of arcade games.  We spent the rest of the day in the air conditioned fun center.  Once again, the kids had a blast!!!  Karli and I enjoyed the shopping a little more than the fun center but it was still great to watch the kids having such a wonderful time.

Friday night Tom and Jan came down to meet us and then Saturday we spent the day on the lake.  Raelynn said this was the best day of the vacation.  I love this day and had planned to spend most of it jet skiing that is until we broke that too.  Karli and I flipped it hard and we loaded it will water.  It did eventually dry out and was fine but of course we never heard the end of it :) 

While we were playing crazy on the jet ski, Tom had the kids fishing. 

After the jet ski mishap we went tubing.....well we broke that too!  Seriously, if we are ever invited back it will be a miracle. 

I have to say even though it sounded like everything went wrong, the day could not have been more perfect!  We laughed a lot and Coop got to drive the boat which is all he has talked about for months. 

Saturday night after dinner out we returned to a night venture on the boat and watched some fireworks.  The day ended too soon as did the entire vacation.  It was a wonderful 4 days spent with the family......THANK YOU TOM AND JAN! 

All too soon it was Monday and we were back to the real world.  I always like to get back to the routine but this time it was missing something.  Cooper went to Manhattan on Monday morning to spend 4 days with Aunt Steph and Uncle Cody.  It has been a very long 4 days!!!!!  Raelynn and I have done some fun things that we usually aren't able to do but it sure has been quiet.  Raelynn acts even more mature when Coop is gone so she and I have really had some fun and some laughs but it is just not the same.  As she said tonight, "I miss his orneriness, he is our entertainment!"  She could not have said it better.  Tonight we talked to him using Face Time so we could see him.  After we hung up Raelynn started to cry a little and said she missed him, I felt the same.  Coop however seems to be doing just fine.  Steph said he has been great and not shed a single tear which I am thankful for.  He returns tomorrow as my Mom heads down and stops in Manhattan to pick him up.  Then we have the 4th Annual Golf Tourney on Friday and then both the kids head back to Western Ks with my Mom and Karli on Sunday.  Next week is going to be torture on me!!!

CATCHING UP.................

So if all goes well, I will get you caught up on the Keefer Family right up to our wonderful annual vacation to the Ozarks and maybe tomorrow night you will get to hear all about that!

So the week before last I left off with the kids at VBS every evening with their Aunt Bonnie.  They had a wonderful time and I survived the quiet evenings.  Coop is just growing up so much, it is so crazy to see him in VBS and doing all the "big boy" things that he is!!!

After a busy week for the kids we ended it with the Cooper's Cause Benefit Horse Show.  It went amazingly well considering the extreme heat!!!  Terry's sister, Bonnie, handled the whole thing and did a fantastic job.  It was fun for us all to see all the ins and outs of the shows.  We had never stayed through a whole show so it was really fun for us all. 

Paige and Raelynn
Paige came to watch Raelynn and that was very special to Raelynn!

Monday night was Raelynn's last Tball game.  I would say her last game for the season but I really think it was genuinely her last game, she was not a big fan :) !

Last week Karli was with us which is always awesome!  Not only is she wonderfully helpful she is great company.  She came down to help us with the horse show and to watch Coop since Mary Beth was closed.  She made it possible for the kids to have a great time and for me to even surprise them by joining them at the park for lunch one day! 

It was a fun week and then we headed to our annual vacation to the Ozarks!!! 

MY MOM'S AN ANGEL IN HEAVEN..........

Boy is it quiet around here.  Coop and Raelynn are attending VBS with Aunt Bonnie in Perry.  She picks them up every day and then we pick them up around 8pm.  You would think this would be a great time to get things done or do things I usually can't like go to the driving range or Dog Days.  But noooooo, instead I come home in a quiet car, eat dinner quietly alone and then start working because I don't know what else to do.  What is it about not having the kids around that makes me so sad????  I really wish I could enjoy this time but I really really don't.  Anyway, things will be back to the chaoticness soon and I will feel much better. 

We had another great but short weekend.  Raelynn had informed me last week that she needed some new books that were more appropriate for her age.  Not that we don't already have a million books that are quite appropriate but apparently she had read them billions of times.  So we decided it was time to visit the public library.  Saturday morning Raelynn, Cooper and 2 of Raelynn's friends all went to the library.  Raelynn got her own library card which she was very proud of and each of them chose 2 books to keep us busy for a night or two.  Then we ran some errands and headed back home.  Later that afternoon we visited some friend's pool and the kids had a great time.  They swam until almost 9pm when we drug them out. We got home and got them to bed but within an hour or so Coop started having nightmares.  He fell out of bed twice right in a row so I decided to lay down with him to see what was going on.  Minutes after he would start to doze off he would jerk and then would just jump up and cling to me like he was terrified.  He finally told me he kept dreaming he was falling in the pool and drowning.  I have no idea what brought this on because he had a great time and was jumping in and playing like crazy.  Luckily it only lasted this one night but I felt terrible for him! 

Sunday I taught Sunday School and let Raelynn stay in my room as my special helper.  I teach the 5 year olds and it is always a surprise what the kids say but on this day it was more of a surprise what I said.  We had a little activity where on a large white banner I wrote the words "THANK YOU GOD!" I then asked the kids to write or draw all over the banner things they were thankful for.  The banner was spread out on the floor and we all were seated around it.  I gave the kids examples by saying, "You might be thankful for the sun or the trees or our Moms and Dads......." when I had finished this adorable little blond girl with a pretty little bow in her hair who sat right next to me looked up at me and said "My Mom died."  In my head I was sad and I began to say, "Oh sweetie I am so sorry", but to my surprise as I spoke I had a smile on my face and what came out was, "Oh sweetie, that is awesome!"  I really can't tell you how confused I was that I said this but once i said it, it seemed like I just had to go with it.  I continued to talk, "so your Mom has already met God?!"  The look on her face was amazing.  She looked at me with this huge smile and shook her head yes.  We continued to talk and she was so excited that I was excited.  She then said, "I am going to draw my Mom with wings on the banner."  We finished drawing and then all went around sharing what we had drawn and why.  When it came to this little girl she says, "I drew my Mom because she is an angel up in Heaven with God." She then pointed to another image she had drawn and looked at me and said, "and this is you because you are not sad for us, we are happy Mom's in heaven with God".  All I could say was, "thank you".  After class was over and we were headed home Raelynn said, "Mom, you know that girl whose Mom died, do you think she misses her?"  "Absolutely!" I responded, "but God knew she and her Dad would be ok without her and he needed her in Heaven."  Raelynn responded, "I sure hope God doesn't need you in heaven."  I wiped my tears away without her seeing, "God has plans for us here and when we are done here than we will visit him in heaven."  Raelynn laughed a little and said, "Well I hope he keeps us busy for awhile."  You just never know who or what may touch your lives on any given day!!!

The rest of Sunday was filled with cleaning from the house to the car.  The kids and I washed the car but I think Coop did more "washing" of Raelynn and I than he did anything else.  As always Monday morning came too soon but then again we wouldn't enjoy the weekends so much if it weren't for the weekdays!

Here are some pics that I didn't get posted on the 4th! 

Raelynn and Coop danced in the wagon!

Then Coop lay in the wagon.....wouldn't it be so nice to be so small!

THE PERFECT BIRTHDAY........

So I had mentioned that I had the perfect birthday planned for Raelynn last Friday and it went perfectly.  She was so sweet this year and made all our efforts so worth it.  She told me more than once what a perfect day she had and thanked me for everything.  It was awesome!!!  Saturday we spent the day getting ready for family to come over and do a little more celebrating which was fun as well.  We surprised Cassidy with including her on the cake and a few presents which was all Raelynn's idea.  Cassidy's birthday is on the 7th and Raelynn did not want her to feel left out.  Cassidy was a doll and thanked Raelynn for "surprising" her.

Raelynn wakes up to her favorite cereal on her birthday!

New birthday outfit!

Lunch out with Mom at Raelynn's Favorite Restaurant, McDonalds

Mani and Pedi after lunch!

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The 4th of July was a little less exciting with all our weekend celebrating but it was pretty fun.  We went down to the park to watch the display.  Unfortunately Coop and Raelynn were exhausted and asking to go home before the fireworks even started.  We did make it for most of them but left a little early.  This morning was a little rough waking up but we did make it and everyone was in bed early tonight!  Overall it was a fantastic weekend with family, my favorite kind of weekend!!!