Days at the Beach (1)

Papaw Cook came to the beach and spent some time with us there. The kids loved having him there to play with them at the beach and at the pool. Of course, Papaw insisted on WALKING 2 miles just to get to us each morning, then was able to spend some time playing. He would not hear of riding abike or especially, not a car/truck. Papaw got the kids some boogie boards which they loved, Adam loved them too.

Papaw made special effort to spend time with each one of the kids, individually. He is good at that. They loved having him there!

Mason ran around on the beach like a maniac, laughing and smiling and talking about "who knows what!" Katy enjoyed going out to jump the waves with Papaw, and Adam also enjoyed going out into the ocean with him.

Having Papaw around was great!

Hello, Is anyone here?

I have not blogged in so long that anyone who ever did consider looking at this blog has long since lost interest. Oh well, I only do it for the family and for the kids to be able to look back one day and be able to read about moments in thier lives they may have forgotten. The thing is that we are making the memories, but I am failing to capture them in words. Today, I plan to do better, to write more, to capture moments, to preserve time, right here on this blog. I owe it to my kids, and those random folks out there who like to read about my kids.

We have been on Vacation to Cherry Grove (Myrtle) June 14-21. It was great! We had a good time and it went by too fast. I plan to add more beach stories in days to come.

Tradgedies are hitting us right and left, we began our vacation with news of the death of Darren's Papaw "Hugh McDaniel" and ended our vacation with news of the death of Darren's first cousin, "Mark Grubb." Two wonderful people who will be missed greatly by those whose lives they have touched. These deaths, along with three others, "Chet Zwierzchowski" (a close family friend), "Larry Brittain" (a close family friend), and "Lois Burch" (my mother) make 5 deaths in our lives since the end of March. Saddness, loss, pain, peace, thankfullness, fear, encouragment, empathy, sympathy, love... are all feelings that have touched our lives in so many ways during these few months. We are blessed to have a God to love us, and care for us, and comfort us in these times. We are blessed inside the loss!

Rambling, I know.

The kids! Of course, the kids are GREAT! They are the bestest, most cutest, most precious, funniest, snuggliest, lovable kids in the whole entire world, and again, we are blessed because they are ours!!!!! Yippeeeee!!!!!

They are so much fun. Adam (15 mos now) NOT WALKING! Bear crawling around on his hands and feet like crazy! "Hey buddy, stand up!" He smiles all the time and was a total sand crab at the beach! Mason is CRAZY and comes up with the funniest things to say and do, of course keeping us on our toes all the time. Katy, she is just Katy, she is growing up way too fast, loves to get dressed up and put on her lip gloss! She is changing so much every day I can't keep up, she makes me smile so big my cheeks hurt! Proud, that is what we are, Proud to the bone! Blessed way more than we deserve.

Thank you God for our family and for trusting us to raise your kids in our home. We are unworthy but grateful for the opportunity to be parents to these precious kids, please lead us each day to lead them in a way that is pleasing to you!

Who Wants to go CAMPING

Our family and some friends (Chad and Heather) set out on our first camping adventure last weekend (May 9-11). We traveled a whole 5 miles down the road to a Jackrabbit campground located on Lake Chatuge. We set up our Pop-Up campers and all the other things that must be done to ensure a good camping trip, canopies, cover picnic tables, make beds in the camper, set up fishing poles, unload fire wood (make sure we have marshmallows), unload bikes, and lots of other things that needed to be done. We had a perfect camping spot with our camper on one spot and our friends camper in the next spot, with a large open grass area and picnic table between. We also had a perfect place for the kids to go down to the lake and fish or play safely in the water. They loved it.

On Friday night we grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. We fished in the lake. We found that Katy is an excellent "caster". She could cast her fishing line a good 30 feet or more out into the water. We were all very proud of her, especially Papaw Burch. Mason did pretty good too, and Adam enjoyed sitting on the rocks and watching. Maggie and Nathan (freinds) enjoyed fishing too. Then we enjoyed roasting marshmallows around the campfire.

It stormed a little that night, so we got up to a wet, muddy mess. However, the sun was shining, we wiped down the camp and got started on breakfast (pancakes and bacon). The rest of the day was spent playing and riding bikes with some other kids who were camping behind us. Maggie and Katy also had to leave for a birthday party in the middle of the afternoon.

As it turned out, the weatherman was calling for severe thunderstorms, hail, tornadoes, wind.... for Saturday night and Sunday. So, we decided to stay at camp through dinner, then we packed up and came home (the advantage of camping close by). We gilled Deer ham and shoulder and invited Dad, Aunt Mary, Aunt Tommie, Jo, and Ann up for dinner. We ate like kings, enjoyed the campfire, then packed up around 9:00pm and came on home. It did storm that night, but not terribly bad, still it was good we came on home, the wind was horrific on Sunday.

All -in-all we had a great time and are looking forward to going camping again this comeming weekend. Looks like we will be heading out Friday, we are camping with 2 sets of friends, we will have a good time, no doubt.

Called Home

I lost my mom to a heart attack on March 21, 2008, my son's 1st birthday. She was a diabetic, on dialysis, not super healthy, but not really sick either. So, her death was unexpected. I had prepared myself for a long time that it could happen any time, I knew it could happen when I least expected it, it did. I was at home, making my son's birthday cake, my sister was there (up from Atlanta), my dad called and said mom had gone into cardiac arrest during dialysis and he was going to the hospital. My kids were sleeping, so my sister went with him. I was afraid, I did not feel good about it, I prayed for her to be okay, somehow, I almost knew she wasn't. 30 minutes later, my sister called and said she did not make it. I literally fell to the floor, I cried, my husband was there, he held me, and I cried. I had to go up the hill to tell my oldest sister, we then went together to the hospital. We were able to see Mom before she was taken away. She did not look bad to me, she looked peaceful. It was worth going to see her, to me anyway. Before we left, I spent some time with her, by myself. I knew she was in a better place, feeling good, walking the streets of gold. She is an angel now, a guardian to us all.

The next few days proved to be almost surreal. Is this really happening? I kept asking myself? And the answer was always yes, just hold on, make it through the next thing. My Dad seemed okay, considering, he is strong, logical, determined, and yet soft, kind, real! He will be okay, I know, I still worry a little, it isn't easy for any of us, but after 50 years with someone, I can't imagine.

We made it through the decisions, the planning, the visitors, the phone calls, the food.... We made it through despite our saddness. Even though it was hard, the love and care we felt from others was a comfort, and we appreciated everything. We made it through the funeral, the burial, the dinner... We made it through that night.

The following days, my sisters and I banded together and did all the thank you cards. Then we went through all of Mama's things and distributed them to appropriate locations. We did so Dad did not have to, we did it because we are the daughters, we did it because we love them both. It was good for us, the time it gave us together was time we needed, but rarely get. Good in the midst of bad, happiness in the midst of saddness, laughter in the midst of tears. TIME WE NEEDED.

The days go by, the weeks will pass, our loss no less, no easier. Yet, I find comfort in knowing that she was saved, she is in heaven, she is watching over all of us, I will see her again one day. I have a sense of peace, I know she is with me now, and will always be.

I love you Mom!

Kristi

Happy Birthday Adam - 1

My sweet baby boy is one today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADAM! It seems like no time since we went to the hospital to have you one whole year ago. We were so excited to see you, and you were beautiful! You were 6 lbs. 15 oz, just a little thing, and you were so snuggly. Over that past year you have brought so much joy and love into our family, I can't imagine our life without you! Katy and Mason have loved getting to be a part of your life as you grew. From a tiny baby, to being alert and smiling at us, to sitting, to crawling..., you are precious. Now you are one, you will soon be walking and mommie's baby years are over, it is a little sad.

We love watching you explore

We love watching you dance whenever you hear music or we sing to you.

We love the way you bounce up and down when you eat something you like (almost everything)

We love to hear you laugh, you have a deep laugh that is so cute.

We love you beautiful blue eyes

We love the way you pull up to us when you want to be held

We love to watch you as you sleep peacefully

We love you, everything about you, and are so blessed to have you in our lives!

We wish for you many more years of happiness, explorations, skint knees, endless laughter, fishing poles, digging worms, riding bikes, camp-outs... all that boy stuff that lies in your future that will probably drive mommie crazy and make me a nervous wreck, but I will cherrish the chaos and love you through it all.

Here's to life! We love you!!!!!

Hard Worker

Mason and Dad worked hard spreading mulch before Katy's birthday party. They spent one whole afternoon together, shovels in hand, working hard. Way-to-go boys, job well done. They also climbed a ladder and fixed a shutter that had come loose from the house. After a hard day's work, the new extended daylight lent enough time for them to go fishing together in the canoe on the lake. What a great day for the boys!

We love you!

Happy Birthday Katybug

On Sunday you turned 5, wow, 5, I can't believe you are 5. What a beautiful and wonderful and perfect little, um I mean BIG girl you are. Watching you at your birthday party made my heart almost leap out of my chest, you laughed, you ran, you jumped, you played, you LIVED only in the moment of that wonderful day. You were beautiful in your pink cowgirl hat, with your blonde braids hanging from underneath. With your pink shirt, your tight little jeans and your pink cowgirl boots. You always have said then when you grow up you want to be a cowgirl, so today, you were a cowgirl, at your very own cowgirl party. Watching you as you played with your friends, you were kind to each of them, you spent time with everyone. As you and Dad opened your presents you were excited, you smiled the whole time, and you were patient and kind to your friends as they "helped" open the gifts. I must be the most proud mommie in the world, you are perfect! As the day came to an end, and your friends left one by one, it was just us, you, me, Dad, Mason and Adam, our family. You and Mason put on your bathing suits and played until you could not play any more. We ended the evening with a nice bath a few minutes of Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium.

I can't believe you are 5. Next year you will be in Kindergarten, and so it starts, I will turn around twice and you will be in middle school.

We want the best for you!

I hope you always feel our love!

We hope you always know you can do anything you want to do!

You are smart!

You are special!

You are interesting!

I want you to choose your friends wisely, but I hope you will be friendly to everyone.

We want you to like school and to love to learn.

We wish for you all the happiness life has to offer.

We hope you always trust us first, know we are here for you.

We hope you always know we are on your side.

You are more than you will ever know, believe that, we do!

Congratulations on turning 5, one of many milestones we will pass through together in this life.

We love you Katybug!!!!!

For a Friend-Win a quilt

A friend of mine is giving away a beautiful quilt she made with her own hands for her 200th post, go to http://www.oldredbarnco.blogspot.com/ and enter there to win this georgous quilt. She is super crafty and talented! Good luck!

The Epizutics

I have always heard older people talking about having the "epizutics." Well, we have definately had the epizutics for the past couple of weeks. Our whole family was sick with something that was sort of like the flu, Darren and I were both sick for about a full week, Mason and Adam both had double ear infections, Adam's right eye swelled up as a result of him being sick. Bless his heart he looked like he had been in a boxing match, and lost. Then this week Mason got a stomach bug which resulted in him being sick all night one night, and now Adam has the same stomach bug. I am now wondering who is next. Katy is the only one who has not gotten sick the whole time, I hope she continues to escape the wrath! So, like I said, we have definately had the epizutics!

Other than being sick, things are going well. Darren and I got to go out on a date last night, so we got wings and went to a movie. It was nice to do something together, just the 2 of us. The movie was great, we saw "Gold Rush." I can't believe Darren went, I guess he might take me again next year! LOL!

I am Proud of the girl

Katy's Preschool teacher sent home a list of names of kids in her class to she could make valentines for everyone. So we got colored paper and stickers and Katy sat down for her first real school project. She took her time and looked at each name on the list, and then proceded to write the names of her friends on each card and sign it from Katy. She did a wonderful job writing each child's name, then she decorated each card with special stickers. She really enjoyed makeing the cards and was proud of herself! I was super-proud of her. By the end she was getting a little tired and got a little upset with herself because she messed up, but she got a new card and started over, she did great.

She was so excited to get to take the cards to school. The next morning I took her to school and walked her inside. She then took out each card, read the name, and then found the box that it should go in. She was proud of herself and excited about what a good job she had done. She is smart girl. Later that day I went to her valentine party at school where she had cupcakes and chips a lots of goodies in her homemade valentine box. She gave valentine hugs to the kids in the class and even got a special hug from her chosen valentine, Kelton. She thinks he is great and is "super-funny" to hear her say it.

And so it begins.

Heaven help us.

Trip to Florida

We left on January 23 to visit Gran and Papaw Burch, we arrived in Florida around 2 in the morning. We stayed until Sunday. It was a great trip, but sad so say, I FORGOT MY CAMERA, what kind of camera bug forgets her camera when going on a great photo op vacation to Florida, that would be me. So there are no pictures for this post. I did buy a throw-away camera but haven't gotten the pictures developed yet. Anyway, enough about my mishaps. The trip was good, the kids had a chance to swim in Gran and Papaw's heated pool, which they loved. They were doing "cannon balls" off the side into the water, then Mason started doing the "dinosaur" where he jumped in showing his claws and roaring like a dinosaur. Adam even joined in the fun, he liked the water too.
Papaw fixed the kids favorite dinner on Thursday night "RIBS." They love papaw's ribs. Then we went out for seafood one night and to Outback one night. The food was great.
On Saturday we took the kids to Myakka State Park in Sarasota where we walked the tree tops viewing the park from 82 feet in the air. Katy was a little timmid about being up so high, Mason did not want to come down, Adam just rode in the backpack and smiled. We saw alligators in the river and lots of different kinds of Cranes. We also saw a group of about 20 turkeys. After Myakka we went to the beach. It was beautiful! It was about 74 degrees and the kids loved the sand and water, even though the water is cold. The kids put on their swimsuits and ran around in the edge of the ocean and played in the sand. Mason actually went in a little deeper than Katy, he was cold but it did not seem to bother him. We then went back to the house and swam in the pool a little bit.
Sunday morning came way too fast, we left around 6:30 and came on home. We made a few stops and did not get home until about 8, but we had a trip.
We are hoping to get to go again next year!

Highlights

Wow! The Christmas Holidays were exciting, fun, hectic, traveling, loving, funny, memorable and went by too fast. Now we are in the process of getting back into the swing of "normal" everyday life. So, here are some highlights of the holidays.

We started our Holiday adventure with a trip to Papaw Cook's house for a few days where we spent lots of time with family and friends. We visited Darren's uncles shooting preserve and I got the chance to try my luck at shooting sporting clays, needless to say I won't be entering any tournaments any time soon. And we got to go along on a Pheasant shoot, it was a lot of fun. We had a great Christmas there and spent lots of time "in the kitchen, laughing!" (The kitchen is the gathering place there, it always has been. It is nice, it brings a great sense of "togetherness." The kids really enjoyed thier time with Papaw and cousins, Austin, Kinzie, and Briella.

On Christmas Eve we went to the Cook Christmas then headed home. We made it back around 12:00 am. We got the kids to bed so Santa could come and work his magic. He brought Katy a Butterscotch Pony, Mason a Train set and table, and Adam an airplane. Santa usually brings each child one special thing, and stocking full of surprises. This excitement is later followed with 3 gifts from Mom and Dad (these 3 are representative of the gifts brought to Jesus by the Wise Men). That is our way of trying to keep it simple.

On Christmas morning the kids got up and were amazed at thier new found treasures from Santa. They loved everything. Then we opened our gifts for each other in our living room around our Christmas tree.

Then we were off to my sister's house for Christmas morning breakfast and Christmas with the Burch side of the family. We draw names there and everyone had a great time with each other and watching everyone open gifts. We open one at a time. We did catch gran sneaking a peak at one of her gifts before we started opening. We all got a good laugh out of that. After we opened gifts and spent some time together we headed back home for some rest, for the kids at least. Darren and I had to get busy putting things away, doing laundry and getting things ready for his mom, her husband and 3 teenagers who were scheduled to visit the next day. On top of all that Adam was pretty sick, Katy and Mason had also been sick and Mason still wasn't feeling well. That afternoon we were scheduled back at Mom and Dad's for Christmas dinner, Prime Rib, baked potatoes, salad...it was great. That is my favorite meal of Christmas. Most of our family was there plus some neighbors who classify as family.

The day after Christmas we had to take Adam to the Doctor and ended up meeting Darren's mom and family for lunch. Then we all headed back over the mountain to our house. We had a really good visit with them. The older kids got a chance to do some things they had never done before. They rode the ATV a lot and Dillon learning how to shoot a bow, he was pretty good. We had lots of good food and spent both nights playing games together. It was a great visit and one we look forward to each year.

By the weekend, Darren went hunting for the last time and the kids and I spent some time vegging out!

We had a good New Year's and got a little bit of snow to boot. The kids were out of school for 2 days, mostly for ice on roads, not so much the snow.

Now we are getting back into the swing of things!

I check in to a mental and physcal rehabilitation center on Monday!

Hahaha!!!! Just kidding. Christmas was GREAT!

Gingerbread House

The whole family joined in making a gingerbread house for Christmas. This is the first one I have ever attempted, don't get too excited, I did not make it from scratch, I bought a kit and put it together, then we all decorated it. We had lots of fun, especially Katy, she was really into it and worked hard on the decorations! She did a GREAT job. We added a cross to remind us of Jesus and the true meaning of Christmas. Katy was very intent on making the "walk path" to the house, then we used lots of other random candies for the rest of the decorations, needless to say, we ate a few items as well. It was a lot of fun, and a good time spent with the kids! After all, that is what it is all about!!

Merry Christmas!

Cook Kid Update

Adam is growing like one thing. He is about 17 lbs or so now and is eating anything he can get his hands on. He is crawling all over the house, from one room to the next. For some reason his favorite hang out is the bathroom, playing in the trash can (GROSS), needless to say I have to keep that door closed! He has the sweetest, most infectious smile ever, his face just beams with his big smile, of course it is contagious and I can't help but smile right back at him. He is growing way too fast, it is sad, especially when I anticipate him to be our last! He is a cutie.

Mason has been sick, a stomach bug of sorts. Not fun! He is doing better and is wide open as ever! He is our dancer, he has some rythem and is always dancing when he hears any kind of music. He is really good at shaking his hiney! Of course he thinks he is super funny and he knows he is cute. He is also into taking batting practice most nights before bed, I am just waiting for him to bust out a window! He only wants to hit the real ball, need I remind you, this is at night, before bed, INSIDE! He does well, he hits the ball about 4 out of 5 tries, he is also ambidextrious, he throws almost as well with his left hand as he does his right. He is a mess! Gotta love him!

Katy is doing great in school and loving gymnastics on Tuesdays. She is really developing her coordination skills, which is sometimes difficult with her being so tall! She is beautiful and loves her "animals." She is always playing with stuffed animals, or her ponies or pet shops! She has her own agenda. Katy in her own time-she does most everything at her own pace and in her own time. She is great, I could never ask for a better daughter! She is really in to walking up to Gran's these days. Gran and Papaw Burch live right behind us at the top of the hill. About 3 or 4 times a week she asks to walk up to Gran's. So, there she goes up the hill, in the house and crawls up on Gran's walker for a chat. She tells gran a lot more than she tells me, typical huh? I am so glad she enjoys going there and spending time with them, it is good for her and them too. I want her to "know" them! And she will, they all will! I will make sure they do! We are fotunate enought to live close to them, we should take advantage of it.

As for the rest of us, or the family as a whole, we are gearing up for Christmas! It is just around the corner!

Roots of a Country Girl

I had to write this as part of our staff retreat. I thought I would share it!

Nanaw and Papaw’s place
An old red barn high on a hill
A loft, old toys left behind by my mother and her sister
Hay bails, a church pew, an old children’s kitchen set
An old iron bed, now mine
Smells of corn, dirt, manure, wonderful smells

An old white house
A spring fed well
Papaw asleep on the couch on the porch
Nanaw in the kitchen, most always in the kitchen
Smells of fried bologna, dog, wood stove, wonderful smells

A world of adventure waiting outside
Hours spent along the creek bank
Lunches missed at the old red barn
Blackberries picked in the holler behind the house
Smells of freshly plowed soil, fragrant wild flowers, musty garage, wonderful smells

Granny and Grandaddy Burch
The old home place, my home place
What were they like, I wonder
How did they sound, I wonder
How did they smell, I wonder

Stories told, passed through generations
Stories of a large family, an old store
Sacrifices made for their kids, and in time, their kids
Sacrifices made to insure an education
Hard work, hard times, hard lives, enduring love

Educators, Educators, and more Educators
Teachers and administrators
Passion for young children
Passion for learning
Passion for the possibility of an educated child


Independence
Learn to do things for yourself
Don’t depend on others to do for you
Make good decisions
Learn from bad decisions

Have fun, Laugh
Embrace spontaneity
Embrace life and love
Be patient and kind
Truly LOVE the ones you love the most

Be at home in the kitchen
Know a measuring spoon from a soup spoon
Be able to use both
Try new things
Cook without a recipe

Open your home to everyone
To Those you love, and those you don’t
Entertain with a pure heart
Share what you have
Welcome, Welcome

Marriage is hard, very hard
But worth it all
The fights, the tears, the sleepless nights
Worth the time
Worth it all

Marriage is great, wonderful in fact
Laughter, playfulness, smiles, intimacy, quiet
To feel home no matter where you are
Assurance, trust, longing, love
Worth it all

Kids grow too fast, way too fast
0-18 in 2 years, that is what it feels like
They grow so fast, you miss so much
They learn new things, you didn’t teach them
They teach you things you thought you knew

They are sweet, and soft, and precious
They are nerve racking, and stubborn, and precocious
They are smart, and sensitive, and kind
They are inquisitive, and independent, and dependant
They are perfect

They carry your heart with them
Into the sandbox and red clay mud
Along the creek bank and into the water
On the swings and down the slide
Every step they take

Live your life
Know that each decision you make effects someone else
Love the ones you love today, they may be gone tomorrow
Practice random acts of kindness, what comes around goes around
Respect your elders, and your unders

Trust in God
Know your imperfections by far out-weigh your perfections
Ask for forgiveness
Hold his hand
Walk with him each day

Catch Up!

Wow, it has been forever since I have blogged!!!!! Sorry to those of you who take a look from time to time. Well, lets see, what is going on in our lives? Lots! Thanksgiving was good, Darren went hunting with his dad, Larry got a 6 point and Darren got a doe, they are being processed now. We had Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday night after Thanksgivning with my parents and my Aunt and Uncle, it was a nice dinner and good time spent together. Christmas shopping and preparation is all consuming and could prove to be the death of me. Katy is really into it this year and loves decorating and making ornaments and telling me that she wants everything she sees on TV, but no babies! Wierd huh? Mason is great, running around making us all laugh, and Adam is sitting and crawling around EVERYWHERE!

The kids are going to be in our Christmas pageant on December 16. Katy is "Mary," Mason is a Shepherd and Adam is a lamb. I am really excited, I think they will be so cute. Of course I am biased! They are excited! We will be traveling to Mocksville over the Holidays, spending time at home, and having Nana come for a visit. Lots of excitement!

I will try to do better in December than in November, but no promises!!!! Thank you for keeping up with us through the blog.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BOYS! Will I Survive them?

So, get ready to laugh! Mind you the fact that this story may be funny to you, but to me, not so funny. Okay, picture this. Katy and Mason were upstairs playing, I went up to check on them and all was well, happy, playing together, perfect siblings. 10 minutes later I go back upstairs only to find Mason NAKED, no diaper. I begin to look around, oh s--t, literally, his diaper is laying on the the couch, with a nice trophy beside of it. Not to mention the nice streak on the CARPET where he attempted to clean his self. MAAAAAAAASOOOOOON!!!!!! What have you done? He looks up at me and grins, (he did not grin for long). He was instructed NEVER to do that again. "I'm sorry Mom," he said. Tearfully he waited for a new diaper. (Bless his heart). I asked Katy why she did not hollar for me to let me know what had happened, her response, I very casual and unconcerned "I don't know." I then, spent at least 20 minutes cleaning and disinfecting the upstairs! What a lovely morning! Okay, I hope at least some you got a kick out of that story, and I hope you all pass along a little sympathy my way!

All that said, he is still the sweetest thing, and of course I love him to pieces, the good, the bad, and the ugly! But all together he is mostly good!