CCF 5K-FUN TIME IN THE RAIN.........

Race Day 2013!  Saturday was the CCF 6th Annual 5K.  For the first time in 6 years it rained.  We are actually very lucky with the weather we have had in the past but Saturday's weather was a little wet.  It really did not slow things down though.  Although we had to delay the start and we did not have all the extras such as a jump house and all the extra booths, we had a race and that is all the mattered.  Amazingly the rain broke just long enough to get the 5K and the kids run completed.  It rained right up to the start and started right after the finish but we still had a great turnout which was amazing.  Once again the day was filled with so many touching stories and so much love it is hard to even grasp the emotional importance of the day.  For me, the foundation has become so much more than just a way for us to give back financially.  It truly is a miracle as grand as Cooper himself.  Every event we hold, family we fund or story we hear reignites the passion we have to keep doing we what are and hopefully also motivates the community to continue with it's amazing support!

Raelymn actually ran this year leaving Dad and Coop far behind!

Terry and Coop cross the finish line!  

Coop shows off his face paining.  He loved making it bite!

Coop stylin' with his necklace made by another "Heart Mom".

Jenny was a fantastic face paining artist!  Who knew?

Coop and his buddies just trying to stay dry!

Check this out........last Sunday was our churches Fall Kick Off and they had a rock climbing wall.  Our wonderful Pastor challenged Raelynn to give it a try.  To my surprise she was a natural.  She climbed all the way to the top on the medium level side.  The guy running it asked if she had climbed before.  We both laughed and said no.  To which he responded, "She's a natural."  I was very proud of her for trying something new and for not giving up when she got stuck about half way up.  She figured out how to keep going and made it all the way to the top.  It was awesome!

Raelynn and Coop spent most of the afternoon last Sunday building a lego city.  Legos have became a very popular past time in our house lately.  Except for tonight when Raelynn taught Coop and I how to play "Garbage".  It is a card game but I am pretty sure the rules were made up on the fly.  regardless we had a good time.

 Bring on the next week..................

SHE JUST DOESN'T NEED US BOO HOO......

Raelynn has been at State Fair since Thursday morning and we have heard from her once!  Yes only one time and she had nothing to say even then.  I have no idea how I am going to learn to accept that my daughter's world no longer revolves around me!  I must say my feeling were a little hurt this morning as I hung up the phone after a 10 second conversation and knowing that someone had made her call because she really had nothing to say.  The past week had been great.  After our little talk about hugging and kissing each other before school we seemed to have went full circle and she was super happy to have me around again.  Then this!  I can only hope when she returns tomorrow she will be full of hugs and stories to tell us.  Then maybe I will feel included again.

Besides my psycho crazy Mom emotions, the last couple weekends have been a lot of fun.  Last weekend my Mom and Grandma came to town and we all went to another horse show that Raelynn participated in.  It was not part of her circuit as that has ended for the year, but just a fun one to attend.

It was super hot and we were pretty miserable but afterwards, with much family arounds we laughed and laughed.  Sherri had sent an infinity dress for us all to look at.  She thought we would love it and thought she could easily make us all one.  Unfortunately we did not love it but it was really worth some great laughs!  Remember this is suppose to be an elegant dress but Steph just couldn't seem to get it tied up properly!

This weekend we went out with friends on Friday and then Coop had his buddy over tonight.  They have been having a blast and I have actually gotten some work done.  School is going great for both of the kids.  I love our school and feel very fortunate to be where we are.  Coop is loving Math which I did not expect so it is fun to watch him grow.  He told me last night that t.h.e spells the! He was so excited to know that.  I love watching their development.  Raelynn thinks Math is hard this year but she is very good at it.  She still loves to read and has moments that she shows so much maturity.  I can tell this is going to be such a year of transition!

IT'S HAPPENING, MY LITTLE GIRL IS GROWING UP......

So I have to admit my heart broke just a little bit.......today after I read to the kids in the gym and lined everyone up and started to dismiss the kids, I went over and gave Coop a hug and a kiss on his way out of the gym like I have done every day since school started.  Then I headed to Raelynn only to see her turn her back to me.  It was evident she was avoiding my hug and kiss so of course I grabbed her and gave her a big hug and tickle and she laughed but I knew.  I knew that it was probably the last hug I would get in the gym before school.  I have been feeling her push me away and pull me back in every since the first week of school.  It seems at times she is changing and maturing and then at times I feel like she is difficult and confrontational.  It's nothing I can put my finger on but I just have felt like she is pushing for more independence while still really deep down wanting me right there.  We have had some really grown up conversations lately, not in content but in the manner in which we have spoke.  We have also had some times when it seems she is pushing me away.  I have to admit it has been difficult at times for me to remember that this is not about me but all about her finding her new parameters.  So tonight I went into her room and asked her if she didn't want me to give her a hug and kiss in the gym any more.  She responded, "I don't care."  I knew she did so I pushed on, "It's ok to tell me that you don't, my heart will break and I might cry, but I will be ok.  Does it bother you?"  She gave me the wobbly hand sign indicating it did a little.  She also giggled at my admission that I would be a little sad.  We continued to talk and she said maybe just a hug would be better than hugging and kissing her.  I told her, "how about I hug you before we go into the school in the morning and that would be good."  She smiled and agreed and then said, "Thanks Mom!"  Oh how my heart hurt but it also felt good that it wasn't a big conflict for us and we talked through it just as we have every other situation that we have encountered.  I left her room and went into Coop's and begged him to cuddle with me.  He of course did and said he would always love me :).  After all that and Raelynn got done reading I went in to turn off her light and I told her she just needed to be honest with me and let me know how she if feeling because I would always be around, but how close she can help decide.  She smiled and asked me to lay with her for awhile so I knew I had handled this first test of independence well but I just hoped as I lay there she couldn't see or feel that little tear that escaped not because I was sad but because I was proud and scared and really not sure I was ready for the next test.  ~I love you sweet pea, rather I am close by your side or standing far away~

SO PROUD..........

Saturday was Raelynn's last horse show of the season in Circuit and I could not have been more proud. Going back to the beginning of the summer when she was timid and unexperienced.  She had a scare when her horse spooked on her.  Now, she is riding in control and it is so wonderful to watch.  She placed first and second in her show classes and has reached over 100 points in 2 of her classes.  However, I am most proud of her racing.  Racing is a whole new ball game.  It is fast and not controlled and contained like showing.  Raelynn has been scared and a horse can sense that but her pony she loves and her confidence has built little by little with him.  On Saturday, when it came time for racing I asked Raelynn what she wanted to enter.  She always does flags and rescue race and then it was between barrels (clover leaf) and lead back.  We have practiced barrels, sort of, but she has never ran them at a show.  Anyway, Aunt Steph encouraged her to do barrels so barrels it was.  As the other riders went I was so nervous for her.  I didn't know if she could get her horse to run the pattern and if she did I assumed she would walk them.  Raelynn enters the arena and puts her horses nose on the fence just like the big kids.  She turned her horse and off she went.  She rode the barrels and even trotted at that.  She loped him home and I was SO excited for her.  The circuit we are in were so encouraging as well as all the other riders cheered her on.  She beamed with pride!  I really have no way to express how I felt for her.  She has grown so much in so many ways.  We have so many to thank for that including Aunt Bonnie and her bestest horse buddy, Emma.  Having a friend in the circuit has been empowering to her and watching Emma has made Raelynn want to be better.  Emma's entire family has made this season more fun for us all!

Besides an awesome Saturday that ended with some grilled steak with Steph and Cody, yesterday was great as well.  Most of the pools close this weekend so we thought we would get in one last fun day poolside.  We picked a new pool with great friends and enjoyed the day!!!

Today is proof that we should only have a 4 day work week and 3 day weekend.  It does not matter whether we remove Friday or Monday from the work week, it just matters that we have 1 more day with the family!  I started the day with a 5K Run at 8am.  Then it was home to make muffins for breakfast which Coop helped me with.

Then outside we went to work on the yard.  I finished up my portion and had the car washed by 1pm.  Raelynn and Cooper literally played all morning.  They had more toys out than I even remembered we had.  This afternoon they decided to help Dad and it was so cute.  Terry was re-rocking the flower beds and Raelynn became his right hand man.  They were out all afternoon.  Coop finally joined the fun late this afternoon.  I now have Lasagna ready and just waiting for everyone to finish bathing.  Our family has had time to get done what is necessary and enjoy one another without the words "hurry up".  If only every week could be like this.  I feel refreshed and ready to be back to work tomorrow but what I feel most is that I am soooo lucky to have the family I do!!!!!