UNBELIEVABLE KIDS.......

I think I have said this before, but I have to say it again. I don't want to make it sound like we have no difficult times or rough days with the kids. Raelynn sometimes makes getting dressed in the mornings the most frustrating thing I do all day. She won't wear jeans, shirts can't be too tight around her arms, she can never wear two long sleeves together including her coat....the list goes on and on. Coop will throw toys and markers and when I tell him no, he turns around and does the same thing again. Sometimes he just wines until I pick him up when I am trying to make dinner, put away clothes, bath Raelynn, etc. So no, things are not always perfect, but even during these times I think I have the best kids in the world. Not only do I cherish these times but I think each challenge helps me learn to parent them better. Even when I am most frustrated, there is no place I would rather be. I guess it is because of this I feel like most of our days are so amazingly special that I wish I could freeze them in time. The past couple days have been some of those very special days. On Sunday Raelynn and I headed to church. Typically Raelynn goes to Sunday School and I go to church. When we were walking into the church Raelynn looks up at me and says, "Mom can I go to church with you today, I feel like spending some time with you?" Well who could say no to that. So I remind her that she has to sit quietly the whole time or I would take her to her Sunday School class. She did sit quietly and cuddled up to me most of the service. She even laughed at Pastor Bill's jokes and said he was funny. What a little adult. Equally as sweet has been Cooper the last few evenings. We moved him to a toddler bed which led us to a slight change in routine. Before we would hold him for about 3 to 5 minutes before kissing his sweet face and laying him in the crib. Now that he is in a bed I can lay him down and still be knelt beside him so instead of standing and cuddling I just laid him down and knelt beside the bed. He said, "Mommy" and patted the mattress beside him. With a smile I laid my head down beside him. He proceeded to put his arm around my neck and then started rubbing my back. It was so sweet I couldn't move. He then put his two tiny hands under his face and lay face to face with me. He looked at me and just gave me the most pure and simple smile. My heart melted. Now I remember what lead to me lying with Raelynn every night for a few minutes and just talking about the day. There is something about their calm sweet demeanor as they lay right before falling asleep. This is another time that is indescribable if you have never been a parent. Thank goodness someone decided I needed to be a parent even when I wasn't necessarily thinking so.

Tonight Raelynn started tumbling. She was so excited she was up 45 minutes early this morning! It was so fun to watch her not only tumbling but also her interaction with her friends. I love to see how their little relationships develop. Cooper took another step in eating. Tonight Raelynn requested a banana for bedtime snack. Of course her bedtime snacks are always custom ordered and tonight she wanted the banana sliced and then halved and served with a toothpick. I guess Coop thought this looked good too and when he asked Sissy if he could have a bite, as always, she gave him one. He ate it and even asked for another. He ate 2 to 4 bites. It may not seem like much but for Coop this is HUGE!

I know the world will not always seem so perfect with them, but I am sure enjoying it right now!

A BIG NIGHT FOR COOPER......

Wow was tonight some big steps for Cooper. As you know, Coop still does not eat anything but chips and candy. Of course there are a few other things like crackers and an apple slice once in a great while but tonight at dinner I gave him a few of the things we were having as I always do. Raelynn was playing the waitress which she often does. When she delivered Coop's bowl which contained a few peas and carrots and some pasta, she set it down and took his little spoon and said,"here Coop Sissy made this for you" and gave him a pea. HE ATE IT! And then he proceeded to eat more. He ate all the peas and carrots I gave him. Of course he did not want more but it is still a huge deal that he ate what I gave him. We were all celebrating! Then tonight we changed Coop's crib from a crib to a toddler bed, or "big boy bed" as Raelynn and he are calling it. He has been down for about 20 minutes and so far not a peep from him. Could it be that Coop would handle transitions as easily at Raelynn did? Could we be so lucky? I guess only time will tell. I still remember the first night Raelynn slept in her "big girl bed". We heard about 3 thuds followed by crying. It was really kind of funny! She never minded sleeping in her big bed though and eventually she did quit falling out!

We had a pretty good week. Raelynn and Cooper got their Christmas presents from Aunt Barbara which consisted of some cute clothes, pj's and an electric keyboard. The keyboard was a huge hit. It caused a little discontent however. Both kids wanted it ALL the time. They are learning to take turns and be patient but it has had to be put up a couple times. Aunt Steph and Cody came in for a surprise visit on Wednesday night. Cody came up to help some friends with snow removal. The kids loved seeing them. Steph watched the kids on Thursday so they got some good quality time together.

One of the most exciting parts of the week came when two families were selected by the foundation to receive benefits. I got to place a call to the families to let them know and I cannot even explain how great it felt to make that call. This is what we have been working so hard towards. It makes every late night and all the hours of work so worth it! A good friend of mine said in an email to me earlier this week; "God is amazing as he knows where each of us should be right now and has surrounded us with awesome friends and family!!!". Isn't it something, God has given us some great challenges but he also has given us everything and everyone we need to get through them and not just get through them but shine as we do. I have learned so much and grown so much. We are blessed beyond belief.

The other night Terry and I were cleaning up the kitchen and discussing the days events when we realized the kids were being much too quiet. We walked into the living room and there they sat together on the couch completely involved in what was on TV. The problem......they were watching Desperate Housewives!

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HAPPY NEW YEAR........

The last week of 2009 was a fun one. Our daycare was closed the week between Christmas and New Years so the kids were shuffled from place to place but had a great time. I took Monday off work and spent the day with them. There was still so much snow on the ground and it was cold so we spent the morning playing with all the new Christmas presents. Raelynn decided that Coop's shoe drawer needed rearranging so she stayed busy with that (kid after my own heart) Coop decided to help her and started throwing his shoes at her. I told him no twice but he continued (no surprise there). Anyway, after throwing the shoes a third time I told Coop, "that's it, you need to sit in time out!" We designated the 2nd stair down on our stairway long ago as the time out chair, but Cooper has never been put in time out and it has been quite some time since Raelynn has been. To my surprise when I told Coop he needed to sit in timeout he replies, "O Tay" and marches himself right to the second stair and sits. Now how he knew where time out was is beyond me but it also became very apparent that he has done time out before. That leads me to believe that when Mary Beth tells me everyday how good the kids were, she may be fibbing just a little :) Anyway, Coop sat there in time out for quite awhile with not a sound. Then he says, "Mommy! I sorry, I get up now?" I thought I was going to crack up. I asked him if he was going to throw his shoes at Sissy anymore and he quickly responded "No!". I never thought putting your child in timeout could be so darn cute! Later that afternoon we headed to Walmart to return some light up shoes we had gotten for Raelynn that were too small. (Her feet are going to be bigger than mine by Kindergarten!) We went back to shoes and found an entirely different pair that she liked better. We headed to customer service for the exchange. Raelynn was holding both pairs of shoes. We were waiting in line and Cooper was trying to get out of the cart and wanted his coat off and so on. I was dealing with him when I realize it is our turn and that Raelynn had already walked up to the counter. She puts both shoes on the counter and says to the clerk, "I want these shoes instead of these, they are too small. Do you need my receipt?" The clerk looks up at me with a huge smile, I smile back. She tells Raelynn she would take the receipt if she has it. Raelynn looks at me and says, "Mom we need the receipt please." I hand her the receipt and she carries on with her business. The clerk puts the exchange receipt down and says she needs me to sign it and Raelynn says, "It's ok, I can sign my own name." The clerk and I both start laughing. I have decided that once a girl knows how to exchange items and use a credit card, she is ready for the real world! It was all way too funny!

After our fun day on Monday, it was Dad's turn on Tuesday. They had a fun day together as well. They put together Coop's new Handy Manny work bench which I think was equally fun for all three of them. Then they spent some time out in the freezing cold playing in the snow. Terry said they didn't last long but at least they got to play a little.




Tuesday night we headed to the KU game. I love going to games. It is so much fun. Raelynn loves the pregame and stays interested for awhile but her attention span is not too long. Cooper on the other hand could have watched for ever. He just stood there and clapped and watched not only the game but people in general. He is just so laid back.

Wednesday the kids headed over to Jan Pollard's. When we were trying to get this week covered I had asked Raelynn who she wanted to stay with and Jan was the first name she gave me. Fortunately Jan was willing to do it. They had a great day. They got to play with Jan's granddaughter Emma who is almost 3 and made Snicker doodle Cookies. They were all smiles when I picked them up and both had a great time. Thanks Jan!

Thursday Terry's niece Emily came to the house to stay with them. I think they had a good time too. They got to play with their cousin Jaxson and other than a few mishaps :) things seemed to go well. Raelynn had been looking forward to New Year's Eve all week. I had told her that she could stay up with us to celebrate this year. We made snacks and even let Raelynn have a soda (Diet Sprite). We played games and watched shows. At 11:40 Raelynn says she is going to lay down because she is so tired. No way was I going to let her when we were so close. So we started trying to keep her awake and made a special drink in champagne glasses (OJ and Diet Sprite). We had told her all about the "ball dropping" and when the count down started she was so excited. When it hit midnight we were hugging and cheering and having our toast, she missed the ball drop. She was a little disappointed but still loved it. I would have never imagined a night at home with a 4 year old would be a wonderful way to celebrate the New Year but it was great!

We spent New Year's Day and the rest of the weekend trying to get the house back to normal and caught up on paperwork. I think we are finally almost there! I am excited to see what the New Year holds for us and cannot wait to see how the kids learn and grow. I know the year will go by much too fast and that is why my New Year's resolution is to cherish every minute of every day because it will be a minute I will never get back.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!

WHAT A MERRY CHRISTMAS......

We had a wonderful Christmas! Christmas Eve is always our big celebration and it was just as wonderful as always. We went to Christmas Eve services, ate way too much food and opened gifts. The kids are so fun to watch. We all were so happy with our gifts but this year my sisters and I actually got great gifts for our parents. We hardly ever are able to find perfect gifts for them but this year we did so it was awesome. Steph and Karli also gave Sherri and I an awesome gift. We had gotten each of them a "sister's" gift for their graduations. We got Steph a bracelet and Karli a necklace. Well this year they got Sherri and I a sister's bracelet. It is beautiful!

Anyway, we had a great time and then yesterday we went over to Sherri's house for Christmas dinner and some card playing. Raelynn and Chandler made a Ginger Bread House which was really messy but I think they had fun. My Aunt Barbara was suppose to be there as well but didn't make it due to the weather. Hopefully we will be able to see her before we leave.

Today is just a day of relaxation before we head back home tomorrow. With all the fun and excitement behind us we will be happy to get back to a normal routine.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

FUN START TO CHRISTMAS.......

Well let's see.......last weekend was filled with fun. Saturday the kids and I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned and finished up our Christmas shopping,wrapping and baking. Then Sunday after church we went to our friend's Jill's Sprinkle Party. Jill actually has moved to Wisconsin but came back to host her annual party. The kids all bring sprinkles and then decorate sugar cookies. Raelynn and Cooper had a great time and it was fun to see Jill again. She has not changed at all! She is crazy as ever! Then it was off to Popo's for a little pre Christmas celebration. We ate and sang Christmas carols. We finally made it hope late Sunday. Monday was back to work. Dad called and said there was a storm moving in to Western Kansas and we should consider leaving Tuesday instead of Wednesday night. Well that just set the tone for the week. Terry had been trying to finish a carpet job and had work into the early hours of morning all last week and now he was trying to get everything caught up and done before we left Wednesday. So needless to say when I called him to tell him what Dad was advising he was less than excited. He was a champ though and we started getting ready. Dad kept us posted and we did end up leaving last night after work. We stopped in Abilene to pick up my niece's that had been with their Dad. We had a packed car load but it was all going great. We were just cruising along. It was misting/raining and foggy but seemed ok. The next thing we knew we hit black ice. It was the scariest thing ever. I have no idea how Terry managed to not roll the truck but we went from side to side, hit the ditch and then to the center median. It was terrifying! That is the worst "accident" I have ever been in fortunately. Anyway, everyone was fine. The funny part was Raelynn never woke up and Cooper never quit watching his DVD. We were thrown a little side to side and Coop just held tight to his movie and never looked up. Cassidy, Chandler and Terry and I were scared though. When we went of the road we hit a reflector so the front driver side of the truck is a little beat up but we have not taken the truck in yet to have it looked over. Anyway, the rest of the way home, about 75 miles, we drove 30 to 50 mph. It took us over 7 hours to get here. It was a very long trip but I am just so glad we made it.

So that is the exciting start to our holiday! I can't wait to see what the rest will hold!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!!