EXCITING WEEK AHEAD

I am so excited this week it is ridiculous.  Raelynn's birthday is Sunday.  She will be 7 and I can hardly believe it.  She kept telling me a few months back that she wanted a surprise birthday party but of course it is hard to plan a surprise party when she is the one asking for it.  I explained this to her and she was disappointed but understood.  So we booked her friend party at a Bed and Breakfast that has a tea party for them and then they go up into this suite with this huge closet of dress up clothes and they get to dress up with all the accessories and such.  She is very excited about it and it is a few weeks away because that was there first available date they had.  Anyway, that is the birthday party she knows about but because I am an awesome Mom I am planning a surprise as well (heeheehee).  Raelynn's favorite summer treat is our annual trip to the Ozarks to Tom and Jan's house.  Every year we take a family vacation there and Raelynn and Cooper love it.  This year we are planning our family vacation to Colorado instead and although she is excited she keeps asking when we are going to the Ozarks. Sooooo since her birthday is on Sunday we are surprising her with a trip to the Ozarks!!!  She is going to be so excited.  So this is how it is going to go.....I hope.  Aunt Karli is coming to Lawrence on Thursday and picking Raelynn up from her riding lesson around 3pm.  Then she will surprise her with her annual pedicure and manicure and then maybe a trip to Orange Leaf.  After I get off work I am picking up Raelynn's best friend from preschool and heading home.  We are letting her best friend tell her where we are going and that she gets to go with us.  She will also get a present at this time which consists of water toys and water shoes.  The look on Raelynn's face is going to be awesome!  Then Thursday night we will head to the lake and get settled in.  Friday we will visit Miner Mike's, one of Raelynn's favorite places.  Saturday will be lake day with Tom and Jan and then Sunday her birthday party complete with presents and cake.  I hope she loves it as much as I think she will.  I haven't been this excited about a surprise in a long time!  Thank you so much Tom and Jan for letting us visit!  Now if I can just pull it all off.  Trying to pack and get things ready so she doesn't notice is a little trickier than I thought.  My daughter recognizes if anything is out of place or missing.  I was making a grocery list tonight and she was sitting beside me, all the sudden she said, "why are you putting all that good stuff on the grocery list?"  Ugh, I curse those teachers for teaching her to read!!!

So even with all the excitement of the weekend we still have the same weekly chaos as usual.  Tonight Coop had Blast Ball and his amazing soccer coach came to watch him.  I was blown away how connected his soccer coaches are to these kids.  Coop was beaming that he was there and even got to throw the ball around with him a little.  Both of his soccer coaches are extraordinary people and I am blown away by there love and dedication not only for the soccer league but for the kids.  We are so fortunate to have enrolled Cooper in the Happy Feet League!

A friend of ours also captured some great pictures of Coop on Saturday, Thanks Sarah!

Tonight I was getting after Coop for something he did.  In the midst of my scolding, he looks at me with open arms and a little grin and says, "I love you Mommy?"  I told him to just get in the bath and he responds, "What? Mom I'm not feeling the love, where are my cuddles?" I could not help but laugh at which point Coop knew he was off the hook which is exactly what he wanted.  Oh boy, I have no idea what I am going to do with him.  Fortunately he is a pretty good little boy but if that changes we are going to be in soooo much trouble because his cuteness and sense of humor gets him out of so much trouble!

COOP IS CLEARED AND NOTHING IS SLOWING HIM DOWN.....

I am sorry I have left everyone hanging about Coop.  I received a few texts and emails asking for an update so again I apologize, we just got a little busy :).  I did decide to call Coop's doctor about the things we were seeing in Cooper.  They had him come in on Friday and we ran a full set of labs.  To every one's surprise, the labs came back perfect!  We were very happy about that.  Basically Coop's trouble is stemming from an issue we have dealt with since he was born.  Coop's body's temperature mechanism does not work properly.  This is not uncommon with heart kids but Coop's seems to be a little extreme.  So basically Coop's body temperature goes from one extreme to another and does so very quickly. When his body gets too hot for too long and it cannot cool itself, his body slows it's functions down and that is when Coop becomes exhausted and sometimes a little dusky in color.  This is something Coop is going to have to learn to deal with.  He is going to have to learn to rest once in a while.  All we can do is follow his clues.  He wants to drink so much because it is his body's way of cooling but he is not dehydrated so he is drinking more than his body needs therefore causing the increase in bathroom use.  Because we refuse to cater to Coop's heart defect, we have no intention of making him slow down.  Instead we will help him learn why he feels the way he feels at times so that he might learn to take a few breaks here and there to prevent his complete exhaustion.  I think he will catch on quicker that we might think.  On Sunday late afternoon/evening he was playing outside pretty hard and was getting pretty hot.  He all the sudden headed inside.  I asked where he was going and he said very sternly, "I will take care of it."  I followed him inside not knowing what he meant and found him crawling up on the couch and covering up with a blanket. This is the hardest thing for me to understand when he is red and sweaty and yet he feels cold.  Anyway, a few minutes later he was back outside going strong.   Coop understands his heart is special and because of that special heart there are some differences in him compared to other kids.  He also understands that these differences are nothing that needs to limit him but it may make a few things a little more difficult for him.  Tonight as I put him to bed he said that his heart is working good.  I agreed and said "thanks to some amazing doctors." To which Cooper responds, "Yea but sometimes it beats too fast and sometimes it beats slow so maybe they didn't to as good as they should have."  I could not help but laugh and I told him we would leave all the little stuff up to God!  Coop said, "well you better tell him because I don't think he knows that!"  I assured him he knew but also promised him that I tell God every night!  So in a nut shell Coop is doing great and this is just one more little thing we will need to watch out for.

Our weekend was a busy one.  Terry is rebuilding and enlarging our deck.  I am super excited but it is a much bigger project than I ever expected.  My Dad, Terry and Cody worked all day Saturday and Sunday to get it framed.  While they were working crazy hard, my Mom, sisters and I were running the kids around and running errands.  I was able to spend Father's Day with my Dad which has not happened in years! The kids made an Ice Cream Cake with a golf club made out of Peanut M&M's for Terry and sent him on a scavenger hunt for his gift!  Even though the guys worked really hard, my Mom, Steph, Karli and I had a lot of fun not working so hard :)

This was before demolition.

Terry on his scavenger hunt!

It looks a little hot!

Still working on demolition....the guys the deck, Coop the tools.

Uncle Cody showing Coop how it's done.

Now framing the new one!

 Raelynn had a horse show of course Saturday morning and Coop had soccer at 10:30.  Coop is so happy to be back in soccer and loves it.  Mom and Aunt Karli said he did great!!!  Raelynn is doing incredible as well.  I had to chuckle when Aunt Bonnie asked Raelynn where she wanted to hold the hand that wasn't holding the reins.  There are 3 different positions that are acceptable.  With no hesitation Raelynn immediately responded, "which will give me the most points?"  It was the perfect thing to say and really gave me a glimpse of Raelynn's competitiveness which I love to see.  She walked away with a 1st, 2nd, two 3rds and a 5th.

Tonight Coop had Blastball again and then we went to CiCi's with his friend Chase and their family.  We had a great time and it was sooooo cute to see Coop interact with his buddy!  I hope to have my camera this weekend to catch some pics of Coop at soccer and blast ball.  He is loving his summer sports!

RAELYNN IS GROWING UP.....

This week has been a real eye opener with Raelynn.  It is crazy the questions she is already asking and subjects we are already addressing.  She will be 7 in July but sometimes I feel like she is 12!  On Monday I pick her up from BGC and she asks me, "Mom, when can I wear deodorant?"  As most of you know in our household honesty comes number one regardless what the subject so I responded, "When your arm pits start to stink."  She informs me that some of her friends have already started wearing deodorant.  I told her then they must stink.  I promised her I would smell her arm pits when we got home and I would let her know.  She always thinks I am so funny and not taking her serious, but when we got home I did as I said.  There was no odor and her response was, "Well we didn't get to play outside very much today so I didn't really sweat."  It is amazing to me how eager little ones are to grow up yet when we are grown up we would LOVE to not have to shave or wear deodorant or anything like that.  So I told her I was happy to get her some deodorant and she was welcome to use it anytime she likes but as of now she did not have to wear it.  The other rule I thought I should address up front was that you DO NOT share deodorant, not with me, not with your Aunts or Cousins and definitely not with your friends.  She had no problem with this rule as we do not allow sharing drinks either!  So anyway, today we get to BGC and as we are walking in Raelynn says, "Mom when do I start wearing a bra?  Some of the girls in my class are already wearing a bra but I don't know why."  So once again we discuss the purpose of the bra and the fact that if she inherits anything from me she will be in High School before wearing a bra is necessary but if she wanted to get some little girl jog bras I was fine with that.  Raelynn takes my hand and says, "Thanks Mom, I am glad you know all this stuff because I haven't learned anything yet!"  If she only knew that at 7, I didn't even know to ask these questions!  I am so happy she is choosing to talk to me about it however, I fear how our conversations will progress as she grows up.  I just hope I can continue to play it cool and seem to address her questions in a direct but light hearted manner.  I think having a girl is a direct expression of God's sense of humor.  You know he watches me and just laughs!!!

So while Raelynn is busy keeping me on my toes about her body, Coop is keeping us on our toes about his but in a different manner.  All week he has complained about a "stomach ache" that is really much closer to his chest than stomach.  In addition, the past 2 nights he has been exhausted when I pick him up and today even turned a little dusky on me around his mouth and nose area.  He can't seem to drink enough liquids and all of this combined with the "seizure" a couple weekends ago are getting me close to making a call to the pediatrician.  I always feel like I walk a fine line between being a cautious mother of a pediatric heart patient and an over reacting paranoid mother.  However, my gut instinct has never misled me yet as Terry reminded me that with Coop we probably cannot be too cautious and to go with my gut instinct.  I will sleep on it tonight and see what happens tomorrow.  It is crazy though how such little signs that things may not be just perfect sure do lead me to give a few more hugs and stop to enjoy the little things more with each of the kids.

As usual......I can't wait to see what tomorrow holds for us :)

I NEED JUST ONE MORE DAY........

It is unbelievable that the weekend is already over!  I so need one more day! As so many know, when you are a working Mom there is just no way to pack everything that needs to be done in 2 days and that leaves me to sometimes feeling like I did not make enough time for the kids.  So as they are now asleep and we start another work week, I just wish I had one more day!

Last week was a fun one and a glimpse of what the summer is going to be like.  Coop started Blast Ball which is a form of T-ball for little ones.  He did great and the coach was surprised at his strength compared to his size.  Coop absolutely loved it.  Two of his friends from daycare are playing as well so it really was awesome.  Coop is just growing up so fast and is such a great kid.  He is so laid back and such a clown.  I just love this age!  So now every Monday night we are playing Blast Ball!

Then Tuesday nights are reserved for swimming.  Both Raelynn and Coop are taking individual lessons now as oppose to swim team.  We do this during the summer just to break things up a bit.  Raelynn loves individual lessons and I see drastic improvements.  Coop always does the individual lessons and has not made it to swim team level yet.  But on Tuesday he decided he wanted to learn to dive and his coach went along.  Coop was cracking up the hole time.  He has no fear of the water any more which only makes him dangerous however he strength in swimming is improving rapidly.

Wednesday was suppose to be an evening at home but during the day I received a call and the LJWorld wanted to do an article on the amazing teen that had raised over $1500 for CCF.  They wanted us all to meet up at the park so they could get some pics.  It was a great evening and the kids just got more time to run and play which of course made them happy.

Thursday was Terry and I's 9th Wedding Anniversary.  It still amazes me how our lives have changed in 9 years!  I am the luckiest wife in the world and know that my greatest gift is simply our day to day lives.  But Thursday I got a little spoiled.  Terry surprised me with beautiful roses and licorice which I love.  We also got to go out for dinner just the two of us.  Tom and Jan offered to keep the kids while we went out to eat.  It was so nice and we enjoyed our selves.  We really should do that more often !!!!  The kids also had a great time and when I asked them to get the toys picked up so we could go home Raelynn says, "Mom you're such a buzz kill!"  I couldn't help but laugh and then ask where she had heard "buzz kill" which she prom[tly responds, "TV".  Of course, and my kids don't even watch much TV!

In addition to Terry and I's Anniversary, Thursday also was pretty exciting for Raelynn.  Aunt Bonnie has decided that it is time Raelynn to have real riding lessons.  So Bonnie had set up her first lesson for Thursday afternoon.  When I picked Raelynn up and I listened to her tell me all about the lesson, tears came to my eyes just listening to the passion and excitement in her voice.  She truly loves this!

This weekend I have to admit was a little hectic.  Satruday morning I helped with a 5K at our church and was there by 6:30am.  Bonnie picked Raelynn up for her horse show at 7am.  Then when I finished the 5K, I met Terry and Coop and Coop and I went to Ottawa to watch Raelynn at her horse show.  She did awesome and really started to apply what she had learned at one lesson.  She ended up with 2 Thirds, 1 First, 1 Fourth and 1 Fifth.  She is just doing awesome!!!  After the horse show we rushed home to meet Steph and Cody who came up to help us start on our new deck project and then over to friends to grill by 5pm.  Needless to say Saturday flew by.  Today was filled with cleaning and organizing and getting ready to start another week.  I have a feeling as the kids continue to get older and more involved in activities this will only get worse.  I just hope we(I) remember to stop, breathe and remember how important it is to just enjoy our time together wherever we might be or whatever we might be doing.

AWESOME WEEKEND.........

The weekend ended great.  Thursday and Friday evening Coop and I came home and watched movies.  Coop loves movies and never gets to watch them because every movie he likes is too sad for his sister and she refuses to watch them.  So given the chance to watch any movie we have, Coop chose Annie.  It was awesome, it took us two nights to finish but it was great snuggle time.  Friday night Raelynn got home which was the perfect ending to a great week!  I missed her soooo much!  Thank you Mom and Karli for bringing her back to me.  Then we were up early Saturday morning headed to our first horse show of the season.  The kids had not practiced because Aunt Bonnie, who does all the training, had taken a bad fall back in April and has been unable to do anything.  Even with no practice Raelynn and Cooper placed in every event they were entered in.  Raelynn is even in riding classes this year which gives my heart a rush but she LOVES it.  They both did wonderful and we are so thankful to Aunt Bonnie for giving our kids this opportunity.  We also picked up 4 tickets to Schlitterbaun in a silent auction for a steal so I am super excited about that :)

After the horse show we came home and just did "Saturday" things and hung out with the family.  Coop and I were wrestling as we often do.  Coop is a pretty tough little boy and loves to wrestle.  We had been wrestling for a bit when Coop ran at me just as he had been doing and I caught him with my hands and lifted him up and then laid him on the floor like a wrestler.  Only this time, I am not sure, but I am assuming when I caught him with my hands I caught him more in the stomach than on the sides.  Anyway usually as soon as he hits the floor he is jumping up laughing but this time he didn't.  I instantly grabbed him and lifted him up.  His eyes rolled back in his head, his body went limp and his lips turned blue.  This has happened one other time, a few years ago when he fell off a slide and the wind was knocked out of him.  I don't remember exactly what they ended up diagnosing it as but it is just like a seizure but really is not.  Anyway, Coop's behavior mimicked the last time exactly.  I think this could happen daily and I would never get used to it.  It is just like Coop is not there; you look in his eyes but he is not there.  This time I lifted him up quickly and spoke sternly to him and seconds later Coop seemed to come back and then he just started crying and sweating profusely.  It was so good to hear his cry but I just cannot shake that distant look he had for those few seconds.  My heart goes out to families who deal with frequent seizures because it really is so scary.  I am still unclear why this happens to Coop when the wind gets knocked out of him but one thing is for sure, Coop and I's wrestling is going to be a lot gentler regardless if Cooper likes it a little more aggressive!

Today was an amazing day.  Late this afternoon we met a family whose son had raised money for CCF.  This story is a fantastic one.  Dallas Hunt had found $300 in a parking lot of a business, he returned the money to the business but after they held the money for sometime and it went unclaimed, they called Dallas and told him the money was his.  As he and his father went to pick it up Dallas said he would like to donate half of the money to a charity.  His proud parents told him to do some research and find the charities he would like to donate to.  This is where CCF comes in.  He found us and decided to donate the entire $300 to us but didn't stop there.  He asked his principal if he could raise money at school.  His principal told him he could present the idea to the Student Council and by the time this young man was done he had raised over $1500 for Cooper's Cause Foundation.  As we spent time with the family this afternoon it was easy to see how this 14 year old was driven to do this.  His parents were fantastic loving and caring people.  He has a darling little sister who befriended Raelynn quickly.  The entire family was outstanding.  We were so touched at so many levels and as a parent I could not help but be proud of him.  The money he raised was only the tip of the iceberg with this kid.  He spent the afternoon playing football with Coop and pushing him on the swings and then just sitting and talking with us.  It really was a wonderful afternoon!  Once again Cooper's Cause Foundation has led us to a family we may have never met and they have not only touched us but so many others through us.  We literally have to be the most blessed family ever!