CLICK HERE FOR THOUSANDS OF FREE BLOGGER TEMPLATES »

Sunday, February 26, 2012

EVERYONE SHOULD WATCH THIS.........

Everyone needs to listen to this and think about why you do what you do!  I even made my kids watch it and Coop just looked at me as I expected but Raelynn even got it!  She actually said to me, "This is why our foundation has so many people that help us!"  Wow, how I hope so!


Friday, February 24, 2012

SADNESS OVERSHADOWS OUR DAILY SMILES.......

Tonight I planned to make a post because my kids make me smile every day and today was no exception.  I keep this blog not only to keep my family up-to-date on our lives but also to keep a journal for Raelynn and Coop so when they are my age and raising their children they will have it to reflect on.  So today I picked Coop up from Mary Beth's.  As we are driving to get Raelynn he is telling me in true boy fashion about the fun he was having with his friends.  He says with a smile on his face and almost a laugh in his voice, "Today I was playing basketball with my friends and when I was sitting in time out Kaden's ball got stuck on the goal and he hit it and it popped right out, it was so funny."  I am sure he was expecting me to laugh along with him and ask a couple pertinent questions as I always do but instead I had focused in on the part where he said "when I was sitting in time out".  So I said, "When you were sitting in time out?  Why were you sitting in time out?"  Coop says, "Oh, I shouldn't have said that part."  I couldn't help but chuckle a little before I continued to peruse the reason for the time out.

So these are the cute things I experience with my kids every day.  Every day is something new and better than the day before.  So tonight when I took a call from my Mom, my heart sank.  My cousin is pregnant with her first biological child.  My Mom and sisters had just been out to her baby shower last weekend.  She is due in 2 short weeks and so happy.  I am FB friends with her and I love her posts.  She is a nurse in Colorado and through her posts I have watched her beam with happiness through this pregnancy. So tonight when I received a call from Mom telling me that she had lost her baby I could hardly breathe.  I sat down immediately and tears came to my eyes.  I instantly felt pain for her and yet knew that the knot in my stomach did not compare to a fraction of what she and her family felt.  Tears run down my face as I type now, I don't know if it is because I am a Mother and know how incredible it is or if it is because we have been so close to loosing a child of our own but I cannot help but hurt for her deeply.  I know God has a plan and I always keep that in the forefront of my thoughts but it does not make the pain go away or the sadness disappear.  I know she will be ok, she is a strong woman, but I will pray hard for her.  I have always believed that death is painful for us left behind but for that beautiful baby, he was able to skip everything here on Earth and skip straight to extraordinary bliss where everything is as perfect as he is.  We should all feel joy for him and remember the pain we feel is our own and not his.  He will be waiting to meet his family someday but for now will always hold a special place in the heart of his Mom, Dad and Brother that will give them strength they never knew they had and love they never knew possible.  Our thoughts, prayers and love are with you all.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

SICK DAY.......

Today did not go as planned but was much better than I had ever expected.  I got back from the gym this morning to Raelynn lying on her bed saying she didn't feel good.  I let her stay in bed while I showered and then checked in on her.  She seemed to be feeling a little better but was not herself.  She had no fever and her eyes didn't look sick which are the two things I look for in both of my kids as they always have a fever when they are sick and their eyes look horrible. The truth is I probably would have kept her home just to see but Tom is in L.A. and Valerie would be at the office by herself and I didn't want that.  In retrospect, not one of my best parenting moves.  Anyway,  I read to the kids at school as we do every morning and as I dismissed them I asked Raelynn how she was feeling.  She said better and went on her way to class.  I had told her sweet teacher she was being a little meek and to call if she got to feeling worse.  I headed to work and at 8:50am my cell rang and it was Raelynn's teacher, she had thrown up in class.  I felt horrible for her and was mad at myself for sending her to school in the first place.  This is when being a working Mom and trying to balance being a good Mom and a good employee is impossible!!!  Anyway, I got her home and situated on the couch. I quickly got myself situated to work from home and got busy.  Now this is one of the amazing things about today's technology, I can do everything I do at work right here at home AND I have little interruptions.  The day turned out to be amazing.  I got some things done at work that I have had pending for far too long.  I got so caught up on both work and the foundation I am actually going to bed as soon as I finish this post, note it is only 9:40pm!!!!  That's awesome!!! I also snuck in a little snuggle time here and there with cuddly Raelynn.  So a day that started out a little hectic turned into one of the most productive days yet!!!  Makes working from home a day each week look really appealing!!!  (Just joking Tom!!!! :) )  Raelynn is doing just fine tonight and ready to be back to her normal self tomorrow.  A successful day all the way around!

Sunday, February 19, 2012

VALENTINE'S DAY WEEK.....

This past week was filled with excitement.  We started the week at Coop's preschool where they held a fundraiser for Cooper's Cause Foundation.  For the past month they sat out jars and collected spare change.  On Monday they presented us with a check for $231!!!  We are always so touched by support like this and for these little kids to raise this much money was really something.  Cooper is really starting to understand what the foundation is all about which makes things like this even more special.

Tuesday was Valentine's Day which means a whole day of love.  The kids started their morning with pancakes with heart made on them with pink frosting, Dad did a great job on these.  We also started them off with a few gifts.



Valentine's Day also means school parties which I was able to be at, yea!




After the parties it was "Grand" Day at the book fair.  This is a day they get to invite someone special to go to the book fair with them.  This year Raelynn invited Aunt Karli.  They had a lot of fun with the camera I think :) Not to mention Aunt Karli completely spoiled Raelynn with books!


By the way, the theme was Luau in case you were wondering about the outfits!

Valentine's Day also brought quite a lesson for both Raelynn and I.  Raelynn decided she wanted to buy a couple of her friends a Valentine's Day gift with her own money.  I took her to Walgreens to pick out a little something.  When we got there she fell in love with these stuffed dogs that were much bigger of a gift then I thought necessary.  She and I went back and forth about it for some time.  She wasn't changing her mind.  I finally "put my foot down" and just told her no that she was not spending that much money on these gifts.  Then in a completely mature manner my 6 year old daughter says to me, "Mom you always say it is more important to give to others than to keep for ourselves and Valentine's Day is a day to show others how much you care about them.  I want to use the money that I have saved, that you say we can use to buy anything we want, to by these dogs for my friends to show them I care about them."  I stood there in the middle of the store face to face with my daughter and had nothing more to say.  She was right and with calm reasoning like that, I could no longer stand my ground.  I complimented her on her calm tone, persistency and use of my lessons against me and with a smile helped her carry the dogs to the cash register.  I knew I had made the right decision when she gave the girls their gifts.  I don't even know what the reaction of the girls were but the face of my daughter as she gave them was all I needed to know that she got more joy out of giving those gifts than she had received all day from the gifts Terry and I had given her.

This weekend was pretty good.  I got caught up on a few things and found even more that needed done.  I sometimes really think all weekends should be at least 3 days long.  There just is simply not enough time in two days to get everything done that needs done and do all the things I want to with the kids.  Coop has found a new love, the Wii.  He just started playing it and loves to golf, bowl, play baseball and even tennis.  After today, I think Terry and I have decided there may need to be some time restriction placed on the Wii. It is just so funny how different Raelynn and Coop are.  We never would have to limit the Wii with Raelynn as a little Mario Cart once in awhile and she has her fix.  Anyway, all in all, the weekend was great and we are ready to face the week ahead!

Monday, February 13, 2012

6 News - Lawrence :: Cooper's Cause awards local family $6,000

6 News - Lawrence :: Cooper's Cause awards local family $6,000