Project Time

Today, my Aunt Mary is coming to help me make cushion covers for my glider rocker. I am so excited to do this project! First for the satisfaction that will come with the accomplishment and second for the fact that the chair will look like it actually belongs in my living room. When Katy was born, I chose a glider that was covered in an ABC pattern (Darren said, don't buy that one, it won't go with house later) but NOOOOO, I just had to have it for my new baby's room! Dumb decision on my part. Now it looks aweful, it is stained, and ugly, so I will now re-cover it! One of those things I have to admit that I should have listened to him in the first place! Anyway, here we go! I will post pics of the finished product as soon as it is finished!

Today is February 4, 2012....I am updating this post to say that we finished the chair and it looks amazing! Just like I knew it would! Everything Aunt Mary does turns our well!!!! I love her and am so fortunate to have her in my life!!!!!!

Once Again...I have fallen behind!

Okay, so, it looks like it has been over a year since my last post! Wow, how things are changing and moving forward. Katy is now a second grader, Mason is in Kindergarten, and Adam is in Preschool! Darren is still working at Hinton Center, and Me, well I am at home right now. My job as an Early Learning Specialist (mom/child learning group coordinator) was not funded again afer 9.5 years because of budget cuts in NC. It has been a challenge financially, but I have also found many blessings woven into my life over the last few months of being home with my family. I feel like I am so much more connected with my kids, available for them and for Darren, a better mom and wife! I continue to look for a job, and know that I will go back to work one day (unless we win the lottery, then I am home for good, LOL)! I feel like I should give a racap of our past 14 months to catch everyone up to speed. Where to start????

Well, last Christmas was our first Christmas morning away from home. I thought it would be "lacking" because I always wanted the kids to experience Santa and Christmas morning in thier own home. I was wrong, It was great being with family who was excited to see them excited on Christmas morning! A pleasant surprise!

We went to Florida last January to visit Dad. The weather was nice! We had a great time! We went to the beach, found sharks teeth in the frigid water, went to the aquarium, and canoed down the Myakka River with the alligators (Papaw Cook threatened to take the kids away from us over that one, haha)! We love getting to go down there in January, it is alway a great trip for us!

We took the kids snow skiing in February! Katy skiied and Mason snowboarded! We were so proud of them! We had a lot of fun working with them and teaching them! It was an awesome day for everyone!

Katy turned 7 on March 16. She chose an Arctic animal birthday cake. Then we moved into a girly spa party where the girls made thier own lip-gloss and sugar scrub. They paired up and gave each other foot treatments with a foot bath and thier sugar scrub. The girls sang and danced and had a great time!

Adam turned 3 on March 21. We had a family party for him (and included the other two for family birthday time). Adam had a Pirate birthday party with a big Pirate Ship cake! It was super cute! He wore his big pirate hat the whole time and was all smiles. He loved the attention his birthday brought!

Mason turned 5 on April 18. He had a Bull Rider cake and a water gun shoot out in the back yard with his friends. This was Mason's first year to have a "friend" birthday party. He was so excited and had a really great time!

Darren and I went on a cruise with our friend Steve and Stacy and Craig and Jeannine! It was a lot of fun! We had never been on a cruise before! We enjoyed it, but I don't think Darren will go on another one, he doesn't like being stuck out in the middle of the ocean with no way to get to his kids. I agree with that part, but I would go on another one!

Our Spring was pretty hectic. Darren was President of our little league baseball/softball teams and that took a lot of time and energy! I am glad to say he isn't doing that again this year!

We changed churches in March. We just felt that we needed to be somewhere where we could be fed and a part of something that was alive and moving for God. We miss our friends at our old church and love the poeple there, but we love our new church and the people there and are exited about moving forward with them. They have so many opportunities to grow and learn and to serve. The kids love the programs they are in as well! It has been a good move for us!

We got a new to us boat in April and spent lots of time on the lake this year. The kids (Katy and Mason) learned to ski. All the kids wake boarded with Darren. We packed lots of picnics and spent lots of time on the water! I love the lake!

Austin and Kinzie came up for 2 weeks. We went camping and out in the boat a lot. It was great to have them here! We haven't had them for a summer visit in too long!

Once again, we had a great 4th of July here at home. Matt brought his firework display and it was amazing! Our 4th of July bonus was the newest addition to our family, Gracie Rose Best. I now am a GREAT AUNT! Really? I am getting old! She, however, is precious!

In late July Darren and I planned a trip without kids to Charleston SC. What a trip it was! Our truck was hit by lightening with us in it (we were parked on the off ramp). The lightening blew all the computers in the truck, all the electrical stuff... WE were towed on to Charleston where we dropped the truck at the Chevrolet dealership and rented a car. Aside from the stress of the truck, we had a GREAT time! I loved it there. We were told the truck would be fixed in a few days, so we opted to stay, the kids came down and we took them to the beach for a few days. As it turned out, the truck was not fixed in a few days, and Dad had to come pick us up and bring us home. 4 weeks later, we got the truck back. It still wasn't fixed! We continue even now to deal with things messing up and insurance troubles.....UGH!

We also had the opportunity to go to Myrtle Beach for a long weekend this summer right before school started back. We had a great time with Papaw Cook and John and Judy. Katy found a fairly large hermit crab and brought it home with her. We had a very relaxing, fun in the sun kind of time!

The kids went back to school in August. Summer began coming to an end. Where our days had been filled with sunscreen and swimming pools, they were now filled with school days and homework. The kids all like thier teachers and are enjoying and doing well in school this year!

Katy got a new dog in September, a toy poodle from some newly found beloved friends! He is black and his name is Cooper! He is super cute, and very hyper! We love him!

Katy and Mason both played soccer this year! We all enjoyed playing together and watching them play thier games!

Nana and Granny came to visit us for a week in October and we had a great visit with them. It was so nice to have them here and be able to spend that much time with them.

Darren and Papaw Cook took the boys for their first adventure to "The Cabin" in October. They loved it! They all had a great time! Katy and I enjoyed a girls weekend with a little shopping and movie time! It was a good weekend for everyone!

We went to Virginia to Granny's house for Thanksgiving this year. We had a great time there and got to tour the base which is right beside Granny's house. Jimmy made us some wonderful clam chowder and we had some fresh steamed oysters, yummo!

And now, back to Christmas again! We did our Burch Christmas the weekend before Christmas at Dad's house and enjoyed the most wonderful Prime Rib dinner you can imagine! Then we went to Mocksville for Christmas weekend. Christmas Eve at Vivian and Richards and Christmas day with Papaw Cook. It snowed on Christmas day this year and we all ended up snowed in at Papaw Cooks! It was fun! We spend the next day playing together in the snow!

And now that brings us up to date on the ins and outs of our lives for the past year! We are hoping that 2011 will hold many new adventures and blessings for our family and for our loved ones!

Halloween 2009

This year we were the proud Halloween chaperones of one beautiful Miss Cleopatra, and two roudy Ninja Turtles! After working for three weeks on thier costumes, I finally finished them up just in time to put them on and go to our much anticipated "Trunk-or-Treat" at church. The kids all loved their costumes and looked great in them! The boys definately played the part of Ninja Turtle, they were totally "in character." Katy joined her other little friends for lots of laughs and giggles and posing for pictures together. Everyone was so cute!

We ate hotdogs and chips and then the kids went on a hayride. When we got back, they went trick-or-treating to all the "trunks." We then moved on up to the fire pit where we roasted marshmallows. We all had a good time together.

On Halloween night we went to a Halloween party at Jason and Laurie's house. All the adults and kids dressed up. There were about 15 or so kids there, needless to say, they had a ball together. We all had a really good time.

So now Halloween is over and the costumes will be used for dress up play and possibly incorporated into a Christmas play. I wonder what my babies will come up with for me to make for them next year! Only time will tell!

Adam Bomb

What can I say about our Adam Bomb, other than the fact that he undoubtedly the cutest thing! He has got personality popping out of his ears! You never know what you are going to get with Adam. You may get a great big smile and a big hug, or you might get a miffed "hmmmmmph" and ignored. You can tell what the day will be like just by watching him round the corner when he gets up in the morning. If he has a little grin popping out from behind his passy and a little sparkle in his eye, the day is sure to be a good one. However, if he happens to come in with with his eyes drawn down and his passy held tight in the pinch of his mouth, the day is sure to be a doozie! He is the funniest thing, and has a mind and an opinion all his own.

He is smart too! He has a good vacabulary and has no problem getting his point accross. Like when he wants something, milk for intstance, he says, "I want milk, I want milk, I want milk, mom, mom, I want milk, mom, I want milk........" a million times (getting louder and louder) all while he sees me pouring his milk. He never stops asking until it is sitting in front of him. Do any of you out there know his father....well, there ya go, patience is not thier strong suit.

Adam's favorite phrase at the moment is, "I do it self." He wants to do everything by himself. Get this, he even changes his own diapers. If I am not in the room, he will remove his own clothes and diaper, take the diaper to the trash can, then come find me to say, "I poop mom." Really! Lovely! Now lets make sure that I check all the floors, furniture, and carpets! Then clean up the boy and get him dressed! You might think, "hey, if he can do all that he should be potty trained!" Well, I challenge anyone to come try that, he pretty much refuses, unless it is his idea. So, like every thing else, he will do it in his own time!

Adam loves books. He would sit and let someone read to him all day, that is unless he takes a notion to read it "self" which is often. He will sit on the couch or lay in the floor on his belly and read books forever. He loves "Llama Llama, Red Pajama."

Adam....he is the glue in our family, everyone is drawn to him and we all stick a little. We all have this notion that since he is the youngest that he needs to be looked after more, that he needs a little special attention. Truth is, he's gonna do just fine all on his own. You know why, because he knows he can! As parents, we strive and desire to instill confidence, persevereance, possitive self esteem in our children, and I believe parents do give these things to thier children. But, I also think some are just born with a little extra, a little confidence built in for a rainy day! That is Adam, he has it.

Lord, please help me to be the mother that Adam (and Katy and Mason) need. Help me to encourage them, to support them, to believe in them, to be attentive to them, to guide them, to educate them, to stand by them, to love them so much that they never doubt how much they are loved and valued. Help us to be the very best parents we can be for each of our children. Help us to recognize thier idividuality, and their strengths and weaknesses, and help us to parent them as individuals, not as a whole. They are each special and different and the same, and we love each and every ounce of them!

So, here we go, facing each day together. Preschool and spelling tests, diapers and attitudes, arguments and kindness, protectiveness over each other and kicks and screams at each other, tricycles and two wheelers, skinned knees and bee stings, smiles and giggles, and six little blue eyes full of possibility, hope, and confidence in the fact that thier mama and daddy are the rulers of the universe (and they still like us)LOL! Lord, help us not to let them down!

Katy C First Grader!

Our Katy went to First Grade on August 25, 2009. She was very excited. She got herself a cute new haircut just for the occasion. She got up on Tuesday morning, took her shower, ate breakfast, got dressed, brushed teeth, dried hair and strapped on her backpack like an old pro. She was super excited, but a little nervous she said. She had said she was a little nervous for a few days before going as well. But she loaded up in the truck with Daddy and went on her merry way to Fabulous First Grade. Her teacher this year is Ms. Krishna Allison and Mrs. Joyce Hogan. She is going to have a great year! She is lucky to have a few friends in her class, not any of her close friends, but some friends she knew from last year. What a great time to expand her horizons and make some new close friends. I know she will love it and will do GREAT!

Katy,

We love you so much and are so confident in your ability to conquer first grade with flying colors! You are going to learn so many new things this year. You are going to grow up so much! Slow down, I can't stand it! I wish for you the very best 1st grade has to offer. I want you to learn new things, meet new friends, accomplish things you never thought you could! I want you realize how wonderful and smart and talented you are and to embrace the life in front of you! Most of all, I want you to have FUN! FUN! FUN! This is your only year to be "6," so take advantage of it and make every second count!

You are the most precious and most special girl in the world and we love you more than you'll ever know!

You are the best! I love you more than the man in the moon!

You and Me=Peas in the Pod!

Rockin' the World of Pre-School

Mason Burch Cook started Pre-K today and totally rocked the world of Pre-K with his amazing blue eyes, long eye lashes, and a smile that could melt the Statue of Liberty! Mason was so excited about going to see Mrs. Weesa (Lisa) and his new classroom. He was proud to be going to Katy's school! We walked in and he was a "wittle bit shiney" (shy) at first, but he found his cubbie, hung up his backpack, gave us some kisses and hugs, and headed to play with the dinosars! And there he was.....growing up a little more right there in front of me. Sigh!

I offered to pack his lunch, he said he would just eat in the cafeteria. I offered to come pick him up from school, he said he would ride the bus with Katy. I wanted to offer to wrap him up in his blaket and take him back home with me where we could snuggle together all day, but I knew he would just say something like, "no mom, you need to go take care of Adam, I will see you this afternoon," so I just let him go and wished him a fantastic day! And that, he had!

Mason,

We are so proud of you! You are the sweetest little boy on the planet! You are so smart and so funny, and so talented, and so.................AWESOME! We love you and wish for you the best the world has to offer. I hope you take this year to be completely and totally "4." Play, make new friends, learn new things, get dirty, get wet, make new things, read lots of stories, sing lots of songs, and............did I say play! This is your time to learn through play, so play with everything and everyone available to you!

Always know that we are here for you, loving you with all my heart! Always believing in you, always praying for you, always seeing the best in you! We wish you all the greatness in the world!

We love you Mason! Pinky Promise!

Big Lagoon State Park

I mentioned earlier that we had visited Big Lagoon State Park in Florida for Spring Break. Well, I wanted to talk a little more about the trip and add some more pictures.

We had an excellent trip! We were supposed to leave on April 10 (Friday) however, due to the storms and tornados, we elected to leave early Saturday morning (3:30). We met Chad and Heather and traveled together. We stopped for breakfast at a Cracker Barrell (it wasn't very good though). We arrived at the park in the afternoon. We set up camp and went down to the small beach at the inlet. Our first night, we grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. That night we built a fire, roasted marshmallows, took showers, put the kids in for a movie and quiet time, and the adults played some cards. Sunday was nice at the campground. We started the day off with riding our bikes around and playing at the playground. Then, we decided to venture out to the water, BAD IDEA! The wind was terrible, so needless to say, we didn't stay long before going back to the camp sites. We spent the afternoon just hanging out together. Monday, it was RAINY, so, lucky for us, the National Aviation Museum was located in Pensacola, so we spend the day there. We returned the following morning for an air show presented by the one and only Blue Angels! It was AWESOME! Tuesday afternoon we were able to spend at the beach! It was beautiful and we practically had the beach to our selves. Problem was, Adam had a tummy ache so he wasn't too happy! We were originally supposed to leave on Wednesday morning, however, since we had only had one real day at the beach, we were able to reserve two other sites (yes we had to move for only one night-UGH)! We ended up staying until Thursday. We got to spend all afternoon at the beach on Wednesday as well. Beautiful weather. The kids had a great time! They found sea shells and played in the water and the sand. And what beach trip would ever be complete without burying kids in the sand! So, we had 4 kiddos buried up to thier necks in sand. Two mermaids, and two sharks. Adam wasn't really into the whole "burying" idea.

All in all, the trip was a total success! The kids loved it. They had a great time together and loved riding thier bikes at the camp groung. I tell you what, families who think vacations are only made up of high rise hotels and condos are doing thier children an injustice. The experience of camping in all kinds of locations are the things that memories are made of. Hotels and indoor plumbing are nice and will always be available, but spending time in the great outdoors (even if you have to squat), building fires and roasting marshmallows, riding bikes and playing in creeks, climbing trees and taking hikes, spending time with your family without interuptions or schedules are so much better!!!!! You just have to be adventurous enough to give it a chance. Trust me, your kids will thank you for it one day!

So there you have it, my senopsis of the trip, and my lobby for camping in the great outdoors will now come to an end!

I am thankful to have these opportunities to spend with family and friends!

So Much Has Happened!

Okay! I am a slacker! I haven't blogged in FOREVER! Danielle even had to email me to ask if I was ever going to post again! Sorry for those few family members who log on ever so often only to find "Nothing New!" So, here is a bit of an update.

All the kids have had birthdays! Katy is now 6, Mason is now 4, and Adam in now 2! I can't believe my babies are growing so fast.

Katy had her first slumber party for her birthday. She had 5 friends over, 4 spent the night. They had a great time! We started with making our own party hats, moved on to Pizza and Cake (Puppy Cake). Then we played a little Limbo (Katy's request). Then the girls got on thier PJ's and watched "Barbie and the Diamond Castle." They all went to sleep around 10:30 or so. We got up the next morning and enjoyed animal shaped pancakes! The kids all went home around 11:00. We all had lots of fun, the girls were great!

Adam had his 2nd birthday party with family and friends. Papaw Cook even came up for a visit. We did the regular family thing, family and a big dinner. He had a Football birthday cake. He enjoyed opening his presents! Katy got to open her family presents too. It was a great party!

Mason also had a family party. Hamburgers and Hotdogs, with a little Dinosaur cake for desert. The highlight of Mason's birthday party was the fact the Will brought out his old little 50 4-wheeler for Mason to ride. He loved it!!!!!! Of course! The weather was beautiful and all the kids had fun playing outside and riding the 4-wheeler.

We also went to Big Lagoon State Park in Florida for Spring Break. The Plemmons family and we packed up our campers and headed for the beach. We had a wonderful time! The first few days were a little cool, rainy..., but the last few were beautiful. The rain gaveus the opportunity to go to the National Aviation Museum. We all loved it! Very interesting and educational. We also had the opportunity to see the Blue Angels practice one morning, AWESOME!!!!!! We spent our last 2 days in the sun, on the beach! We came back on Thursday, we had a little trouble with the truck. The camper sucked our battery dry, so we had to unplug it, jump off the truck, then head on up the road. It was a little scarey, we sort of broke down in a bad part of town (Montgomery Alabama). But all was good, we got moving and never had any other problems. We got back on Thursday, the following Saturday was Mason's birthday party.

Katy is playing Tee Ball. She loves it, thinks it is lots of fun. She is doing GREAT! She is on the Red Socks (coincidental since that is her daddy's favorite team)! She has had a few games so far, and will play through the beginning of June. Mason is a little upset (to say the least) that he can't play this year, he'll be ready next year though. He is already better than I am!

Adam is talking a lot more! He jabbers about stuff all the time, he knows exactly what he is saying, I just wish I could figure it out! He is about cute!

What can we say? We are so blessed, beautiful and perfect kids (as far as we are concerned).

Ta Ta for Now!

P.S. I will add pictures of Mason's birthday later, they are not uploaded to the computer yet.

Got to catch up!

Okay, this a quickie. It is now February, I haven't posted since November! Bad! We are all doing well. Christmas was good (pictures later), New years was good, in bed before midnight this year! We went to Florida in January (pictures later), and now it is February and I will be 35 years old and it is a little depressing. Oh well, what can you do? The kids are great, Adam is starting to talk and is a funny boy. Mason is crazy as ever, you never know what he might come up with, and Katy is a little ole sweet girl, to the bone! They are all good and make us smile every day, we are so blessed to have them as our babies!

Well, that is it until I have more time. Just a quick update!

Halloween 2008

Happy Halloween kidos!

Adam pulling the Trick-or-Treat gang!

The girls all decked out!

The boys all decked out!

On the hayride!

The Cooks!

The Lohr's.

And the kids, one more time.

The Plemmons'

Cook kids carving the pumpkin, bofore the party.

Okay, so I am just now getting around to adding Halloween pictures and it is the middle of November....shoot me!

We had a really great Halloween this year. Aunt Mary and I made Katy a beautiful princess dress, which she loved! Mason and Adam were both Batman (or according to Mason, Adam was Batman's cousin, Batman). I made Batman capes for both boys. We celebrated Halloween by having a small Halloween party for the kids at our house on the Sunday before Halloween. Everyone dressed up (parents too) and we started by taking a hay ride around our neighborhood and trick-or-treated at about 5 houses close by. Then we came in and had pizza, chili, and chicken stew, followed by spider cupcakes. The kids had a great time playing together and they loved the fact that the moms and dads were dressed up too. It was a lot of fun for everyone.

On Wednesday before Halloween we went to church to our Trunk-or-treat. The kids had great time going around and trick-or-treating out of everyone's cars. Then they got to go on a hay ride. Adam and I ended up getting off the hayride just in front of the house and coming in to find that he had a temp of 103! Imagine that, one of the kids is sick. He remained sick for 5 days straight with a fever, he is still a little yucky.

On Halloween Night Katy spent the night with Sidnee and went Trick-or-Treating with her on the town square. Needless to say, we have lots of candy. Me and the boys went to the football game but then came back home where it was warm. So, our Halloween lasted a full week and was lots of fun for everyone!

It is so much fun to see the kids dressed up and excited about getting to pretend to be someone else for a little while. What fun it is to be a kid!