Pokemon646cooper

My cute little guy, Cooper, has been begging me to start a blog...you know, let his voice be heard. So, I finally got on the 'ol World Wide Web and helped him create it. If you want to put a smile on his face check it out (it'll only take a few seconds, really) and post a comment. It'll put him over the moon. His blog address is: pokemon646cooper.blogspot.com Thanks for taking the time to indulge us. :)

If your local hangout isn't Facebook...

Normally, I'm a girl who isn't afraid of commitment. I never was one to shy away from a situation where there would be responsibility...and yet, I'm falling prey to a non-committal relationship. It's called Facebook. I can log on at my leisure, stay as long as I'd like, make a comment or status update if I please...or not and get off. Now, my blog on the other hand is a serious committed relationship. It takes time, energy and yes commitment. I need to update the backgrounds, (errr. whit does...but I sooo make the suggestion--does that count??) think up blog-worthy stories, come up with witty titles and if needs be, upload pictures and such. I decided since my husband is out tonight, I would make a date with my blog and give it some of the TLC is desperately needs. I've been hanging out at the other place and uploading pictures there...and if you aren't a frequent visitor there, I thought I'd put them on here.

We decided to visit the much-anticipated Lake Michigan. We'd decided that we would take a trip out there for FHE; Just so you know it's not such an awesome idea. This was a couple of weeks ago and it was only colder than it is now--and darker earlier. We weren't smart enough to have a little forethought. No, for a moment in time we must have thought we were still in Amarillo and it's eighty degrees (that's my only excuse I can think if, because we couldn't be that mind-missing). Anyway, we trekked out there and was slapped with the colder temps and frigid humid air of Lake Michigan. Cooper insisted that he was "fine!" and didn't need his coat and settled with a jacket. You can tell in the pictures how that worked out for him. Albeit the lake was cold and freezing and gray and damp and did I mention cold?? we still had fun. We are seriously looking forward to warmer weather and the chance to take a swim in the lake.Sooo, blogger is underlining everything I write....alrighty. I didn't flip this pic..whoops. Here are my cuties. I think they are pretty adorable.Me and my girlie.Cooper showing off the castle he built. He was very insistent that I include the bridge he built. Yea, it's right...there. I'm about as sure of where it is right now as you are...My sweet Grey-Grey. He is too cute for his own good.Ella is in love with her name written out and was ecstatic when she saw that we could write her name in the sand!! What a cutie-patootie she is.Handome little Coop. He is always so good to pose for a second, or lots of seconds in my case, for a picture.As Phillip captioned...another casualty of the Chicago mob.

So, onto other things... We were able to celebrate Spring Break over the last week. We tried to do some fun things around the area to keep us entertained. We started with quite a bang. We went to the Science and Industry Museum of Chicago. I believe it's the largest Science museum in the western hemisphere. You can only imagine the whines of tired feet from me...errr, my kids. Seriously, it was amazing. It was so, so huge you could never see it all properly in one day. We decided to get season passes, so we look forward to visiting again. In one of the areas there is a large submarine display. Here are the kids showing off the bunks. True to form, they are showing off their personalities to a "t".Seriosuly one of my all-time favorite pictures of Greyson. He is such a riot. The museum has a circus display and Grey is showing off his crazy clown face?? Who knows...he is such a silly boy.Phillip decided to join in on the action...At the U-boat display...They have this really fun display that has incubators that show off the cycle of an egg. Ella wanted to take a picture with the newborn chicks. So adorable!!

Here are the kids catching butterflies on a screen. The butterflies land on your shadow. It really was so much fun. I even had to take a try at it. Ella loved having them land on her and then she would jump and scare them away. Greyson, of course, is having them land on his behind.Afterward, we decided to try some authentic Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. It was like no other pizza I have ever had! It was seriosuly like a pizza upside-down. It was pretty good and so filling. If you ever come to visit, we'll have to take you!!
One last thing I promise!! I finally finished a project. It went from start to finish in one day. I know, I know I could hardly believe it myself!! I did a couple of wordles for the boys' room. My mom has a friend that did some for her home. I haven't seen them myself, but thought that they sounded adorable. I put my own spin on it, I think and I hope that they turned out okay. You can't see all the embelishments very well because of the glare...but you can get the idea.

Anyway, happy blogging everyone. I hope that spring is blooming in your neck of the woods, because that can only mean it will eventually be up here... Until next time! :)

Food for thought...

Tonight while hanging curtains in my sons' room, I was standing on their bed and it fell through the floor vent. Me thinks that maybe Weight Watchers should be on speed-dial...

Home Sweet...Indiana??

I was looking at my blog background considering if I should change it. I took a glance outside at the dripping slush on my porch and was undecided if I should change it to a spring themed one, or not. The jury is still out considering the weather here in Indiana. That's right people. Indiana. Home Sweet Home. I am sure that my huge blog hiatus didn't go totally unnoticed. While the absence our world was turned on it's head. Up on our head, or not, we have truly realized that the Lord is aware of us and has provided. Being in Indiana is a blessing beyond compare. We are so lucky to be employed without skipping a beat. Anyway, we have traded our cowboy boots and hats of our beloved Amarillo, Texas for woolly mittens and fuzzy hats of Valparaiso, Indiana. We'll also be chanting "Go Crusaders" a whole lot more. We have settled into a bit of a routine and I'm slooooowwwly figuring out the odd placement (imo) of streets here. I've made it to the church house by myself a couple of time (huge victory here) and we've made the YMCA into a well visited place by our family. I'm enjoying the babysitting while I get to work out...without kids....Coop's getting the hang of Tae Kwon Do, Greyson's loving wrestling and swimming and Ella has become our little fish during her swimming lessons. We are loving our ward and Phillip's starting to scratch his head at being alone for the third Friday in a row. Sorry, Honey! I gotta fit in my book club, crafting night and GNO. He's okay with it as long as he gets me Sat. I don't have a complaint there. :) We enjoy serving in the ward and both have new callings that seem to be stretching and rewarding. The kids are getting used to their routine at school. it has been a bit of an adjustment, especially for Cooper. They are ahead in some areas and perhaps a bit behind in some. Overall, they are ahead, though. Cooper is a quick study and has picked up the information, but it has taken some adjusting. We are excited the the schools are so good here, though. The particular school the boys are going to has been awarded a blue ribbon for education. So, that is pretty pleasing to us. Overall, we are settling into place but miss our dear friends in Amarillo and the close distance to our families. We are gearing up for new adventures in Indiana and are excited to cherish this place as much as we did our last home. Here is a little pic of the kiddos the day that we moved from Amarillo. Sorry there isn't more...my picture taking has suffered a bit lately. Thanks to all that have sent notes wondering how we are doing and all the help that has been given. Love to you all!!

If you can't say something nice...

On our way home from school today, Greyson was lamenting having "to be nice for 8 hours to [his] friends," which, I suppose, is a reeeeally long time when you're only 6. He questioned me...

"Do you know how hard it is to be nice?"

Yes, Greyson, yes I do.

Today

Today, my baby got to play in the snow for the first time this year. She went out twice this morning. I had to get a couple of pictures even though I was bare legged and freezing! She insisted on wearing her dress coat. I couldn't resist because she just looked too darn cute in it to say no.

Today, I was driving and acting like a crazy in the car to this song. I was reminded of my sweet niece, Georgia, who said, "this song makes my bum wiggle!". I couldn't help but dance in my car, and yes, I looked like one of those moms driving down the road with carseats in the back. It was about then that I realized, "yea, I'm that cool.".

Just What I Needed...

I was planning on more catching up with the whole Summer posts, but this quote caught my eye. If I remember correctly one of my sisters posted the You-Tube link to this talk, and I wanted to do something similar on my post but life got in the way and I didn't get to it. Anyway, I was reading a friend's blog and she has this as a header quote and it was so nice to read-the boost that I need. So, I thought I would share it.

"Don't give up. Don't you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead. You keep your chin up. It will be alright in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come. Some blessing come soon, some come late, some don't come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of... Jesus Christ, they come." ~ Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

We are Faamiiily (as in the song...)

So. I decided that when I start having dreams (anxious crazy ones...not the good, fluffy ones) about my blog it is seriously time to update. So, without further adue, here is some major summer catch-up!!

We started off the summer in the best way, I can personally think of--with family!! Lib, Kit and her kiddos were able to stop by in Oklahoma before they moved to Virginia. Whit and her munchkins were also able to visit Mom and Dad's while we were there. We had such a great time. It always seems, that the visits are never long enough, though.
My parents were sweet enough to indulge their grand kids with a few summer playthings. One of them happened to be a large inflatable pool. {my camera ran out of batteries while I was uploading picture...shocker as the huge amount there are on this post... So, there are a few of the pool fun that I didn't get to. Hopefully I will add them on as soon as I get my new battery charger.} The pool was so much fun, especially for the older kids--and lots of fun for the littler ones when the big kids were out of the pool. :)

Here's a sweet picture of my beautiful sister, Whitney, and darling little niecie Emme. They are out enjoying the day while the kids are cooling off in the pool.

MiMi and my adorable niece, Scarlett. How beautiful are these girls?!

We tried to keep the kids busy--or else they make their own kind of fun. So, we packed up the troops and headed to a favorite destination--The OKC Zoo.

Here is a pic of my Coop. He is so great for posing for his mom. He is giving me a 5 star cheeser in front of the flamingos--one of his favorite things at the zoo.I personally get a kick out of the "stand in front of ...and look like a... In this case I believe it was a centipede. I know, I know they are supposed to bring great joy to the little tots...but it just looks so darn funny to see a kid sprout imaginary insect legs. Thank you Greyson for appeasing your mom.Here is my sweet, sweet nephew Jos. He was such a sport for posing on the bronze turtle. Most of my nieces and nephews look at me like I'm a crazy. :)My boys in front of the flamingos.They have an adorable butterfly exhibit. You and go into a netted "room" and there are butterflies that are flying free. It is really fun. The little girls especially enjoyed it. Ella loved pretending that she was a butterfly (something that she does often).I was able to catch a sweet picture of my adorable niece, Georgia.Who could resist this face?!! She is so sweet I could just squeeze the stuffing out of her!!Here is a picture that has been eluding me for a long time. He's cute, cuddly and fun to play with...nope, I'm not referring to the bear but my oh-so elusive nephew, Gavin! That little guy is a hard one to catch in front of the camera. I guess he decided to appease his Auntie to get a shot with a bear that appears to be nuzzling him. I believe that this picture happens to be one of my favorites. I took another one that doesn't have my water-bibber nephew {Gunner} in it, but then it just isn't nearly as fun. Thanks for the fun memories at the zoo, kids. {not pictured--Georgia and Emme} (I believe that G. was on a much needed potty break and Emme was well, being a little one ;)Another hot spot by our clan is the Cushing Aquatic Center. Now that I have moved away I realize what a gem that place really is. We had such a fun time there and got some great pictures.

Here is Miss G playing with one of our many inflatable toys.Ella decided that one of the inflatable rings was really hat. I guess she figured it has somehow been mislabeled. Also, on the left is my cutie-patootie nephew Ezra, enjoying the sprinklers.BFF's--oh, and cousins too, Cooper and Jos. I absolutely love this picture.Little Gun Gun had such a great time. It was so much fun watching Gunner, Ella and Georgia all playing together. They are so close in age they have built-in playmates. I was even able to get Gunner to go down the "froggie slide" a couple times. Small victories folks, small victories!Mmmm, I'd say she's adorable...but then again, I might be biased. ;)Here's my ever beautiful sister, Whit. I think I thought at the time that Scarli was smiling. I'm having my doubts now that I am getting a better look at the picture...There is always so much to do when you're at MiMi and Grandad's and there is a built in forest in their backyard. It is ready-made for imaginative play. Evidently the fairies/butterflies came out to play this evening.Also one of my favs. Ella just threw her head back and laughed at something her Auntie Whit said. These are the moments, to me, that make it all worth it. {Note: Dad in the background doing his ever present work ;)}While all the cousins were here Greyson celebrated his 6th birthday. If you were to ask me what would've been the very best thing about his birthday, he would've said being able to spend it with his cousins. I'm thinkin' he has a bit of a "boy crush" on 'em. He was so excited that they were able to help him celebrate his special day. We started off the day opening his presents. The kids were all pretty willing to indulge me in all my snap-happy picture taking. I currently have this picture in my house in a frame titled "The Boys". I would have to say this is a pretty priceless pic.
Now we couldn't leave Little Ell-Bell out...Greyson was in luu-uuuv with these sandals. He had showed them to Phillip and me quite a bit earlier and we decided to indulge him for his birthday. Parenthood makes you do crazy things, like buying unattractive, light-up sandals. He was thrilled, and I guess that's what counts.Grey with all his "loot".After the presents and the always favorite lunch at CiCi's we decided to take a small jont down to Pop's. I think that the adults love this place as much as the kids do. Greyson chose his favorite pop--orange creamcicle. I'd say any orange drink would've done it, though.My beautiful niece, Emme. Look at that sweet smile!!There is rarely a picture that is taken that doesn't involve some sort of child. While, I am a great proponent of picture taking (especially when it involves kids because they generally crack me up) but it is nice sometimes to get a picture of me with...gasp...other adults. This one just happens to be with some of my very favorite people ever.I don't think that Greyson would've accepted any other type of cake than one that said "OSU". That kid seriously bleeds orange (you should see his room...but that's another post for another day). Happy birthday, Little Man, happy birthday.

Ahh, it feels nice to get this post under my belt. Thanks for sticking with me, and if you didn't a really don't blame you. :) But, nonetheless we had a great visit with my sister and their kiddos. I can't wait for the next time this happens.