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A Man and His Dog

July 23, 2009 by

When I returned home from Florida Tuesday night, the first thing I thought as I walked through the door was NOT, thank God I’m home.

Instead I thought, What the *BLEEP* is that smell?

Ahem.

You see, the kids and I were gone for 14 days.  For 5 of the 14 days, Lee was also gone.  For the remaining 9 days that he was home, he worked long hours which means our dog had the run of the joint for 14 DAYS.

And our house smelled like a dog had been living in it for 14 days.  She’s a good dog so there were no accidents on the floor (bless her heart) but the house just smelled like a dog.  And an old person…I don’t know what to think about that…

I don’t know how Lee survived because I could hardly breathe.  The only room that didn’t suffocate me, thankfully, was my bedroom.  And her bed is in our bedroom, which leads me to believe that when we’re away, she sets up shop in the living room.

But not on the furniture because she’s not allowed. 

And I walked the length of my couch with my nose pressed to the fabric and my butt up in the air inhaling deeply just to make sure that she obeyed the rules while I was gone.  Unless she figured out how to cover her tracks (which clearly, given the stench in the rest of the house, she has not), it appears that she is indeed staying off the couch.

So yesterday I hauled my kiddos to the store where I stocked up on Pine-Sol, Swiffer Wet Jets, Pledge, rags and food since my husband apparently lived on chips and salsa while we were gone.  Since the weather here is still bizarrely beautiful, I opened the windows, kicked nudged the kids out the door and gave my house a good old fashioned scrubbing.

I think it helped a little.  But only a little.  Now I’m just paranoid.  I keep rounding corners and sniffing the air (a bit like a dog myself) and I swear I still smell that oldladymustydog smell.  Not that I think old ladies smell like musty dogs or anything.  You know, it’s just sometimes – oh, never mind…

I think we need to get new carpet, really.  But I don’t want to buy new carpet, because Lee and I are already talking about the trip we want to take next year for our 10th anniversary (it’s gonna be good), and I don’t want boring carpet to take the place of an awesome vacation.  Is that so wrong?

Honestly, I’ve illuded to it before, but we really are thinking about giving our dog away.  She’s a great dog – we seriously couldn’t have found a better family dog.  She’s sweet, great with kids, fun, obedient, hardly eats anything at all, which means it costs next to nothing to keep her and so on and so on.  The problem is that she is a bit needy.  She requires a lot of attention – a lot more than we’re able to give her.  And she’s extremely athletic and we don’t have time to give her the proper exercise.

In short, I feel like she’s leading a sad little life with us and would be better with a family that actually had the time for her.

But every time I think about giving her away I get cold feet.  She has become a part of the family whether we like it or not and it breaks my heart to think of abandoning her. 

So I’m not sure.  If I knew I could find a home where she would be loved and well taken care of, I think I’d be able to do it – but I won’t just give her to anyone.  And I refuse to take her to the pound.  There’s no way I could live with that.

What do you think we should do?  Should we tough it out and keep her with us or find her a new home?  Ah!  It’s a dilemma.

Filed Under: Family, Life, Random

Nine Years

July 22, 2009 by

To a man who constantly makes me laugh, makes me wonder, loves me well and is making all my dreams come true, I say Happy Anniversary.

This was us then:

July 22, 2000

July 22, 2000

 

Honeymoon in Orcas Island off the coast of Seattle

Honeymoon in Orcas Island off the coast of Seattle

Awwww...Ferrying to Victoria, British Columibia

Awwww...Ferrying to Victoria, British Columbia

And here we are now:
Sadly, I could not find a single recent picture of just the two of us - but given that our greatest accomplishment as a married couple are these three kids, I found this shot fitting...

Sadly, I could not find a single recent picture of just the two of us - but given that our greatest accomplishment as a married couple are these three kids, I found this shot fitting...

It hasn’t always been easy, but truth be told, it hasn’t been that hard.  God has blessed our marriage beyond my wildest dreams.
Lee, I love you.
And I look forward to the next 51 years, 4 months, 22 days +…
Filed Under: Family, Life, Marriage

Heavy and Light

July 21, 2009 by

Sometimes my heart whispers to me.  Does yours?

It usually happens in the still moments, most often at night, when all the commotion of the day is done and the quiet overtakes me.  Sometimes, my heart whispers so ferociously that I cannot sleep.

The whispers are often sweet, though I confess that when the darkness engulfs me, these whipsers can be terrifying. 

Lately, my heart has been aching.  And as I ache, the whispers have begun to move into my everyday thoughts.  It’s distracting.  But it’s also good.  You see, I find that when my heart is whispering, I generally turn the whispers into prayers.  If the whispers are causing fear, I pray for peace and sweet release (I’ve had terrible whispers of bad things happening to my children and I’ve spent many a night praying that the Lord free me from fear.)

If the whispers are sweet, I turn them into songs of praise.  Like last night, as I sat in a chair on the beach watching the sunset, my playing children framed in a halo of orange and red – the whispers were grand – very, very grand.

Were I not surrounded by a group of strangers, I may have voiced the whispers out loud.  But that is not my personality and so I just just sat, my heart swollen, and drank in the scene before me.

Sometimes, the whispers are sadness.  These are the heart whispers I have the most difficult time with.  The sad whispers are the ones that forbid me to sleep.  When the whispers are sad, I pray that the Lord turn the mourning into dancing.  But, in the still of the night, the sadness can sometimes feel too big, too great to become anything but a mournful hollow at the base of my throat.

When the light comes in, however, and the darkness has fled, the whispers once again remind me that I have a God who is far bigger than the whispers of my very human heart.  As cliche as that may sound, I believe it with all my might. 

Trusting God is hard sometimes.  It shouldn’t be, of course, but given my tendency to want to control and fix things on my own, such independence leaves little room for trust.  I’m working on that.  I need to work harder on it in the daylight hours so that the nighttime would be more peaceful.

Because I have bags under my eyes, and I’m much too vain to have bags under my eyes!

I’m excited to come home and be in my house, with my routine and my husband – that will help quell the sad whispers a bit.  As will time, and the Lord’s gracious healing that I await with expectancy.  (It’s a healing of a spirit that’s needed – we are all well.  And my heart whispers a litany of grateful praise for that…)

That was heavy, wasn’t it?  Writing about the heaviness of my heart eases the burden a bit.  There’s something grand in sharing a burden with others.

__________________________________________________

But enough of that.  Now for the light.

What is greater than a group of kids, enjoying ice cream on a hot summer’s day?  I’ll answer that for you…

img_6604

Nothing.

Filed Under: Family, Kids, Life, summer fun

Then and Now

July 20, 2009 by

Exactly one year ago, I took Landon to a small, relatively quiet section of beach and took pictures.  On Friday, I did it again.  In one year’s time, my baby has grown into a toddler brimming with personality and joy.  He is sweetness personified.  And he is growing up much too fast…

THEN - He was 7 months old and enjoyed immensely the taste of sand.

THEN - He was 7 months old and enjoyed immensely the taste of sand.

 

NOW - He's not too fond of the sand, particularly when it lands in his mouth.

NOW - He's 19 months and he's not too fond of the sand, particularly when it lands in his mouth.

THEN - He was still immobile. He hadn't even begun crawling.

THEN - He was still immobile. He hadn't even begun crawling.

NOW - He can walk...

NOW - He can walk...

Run...

Run...

And wave hi to the passing tractor.

And wave hi to the passing tractor.

THEN - He enjoyed showing a little crack at the beach.

THEN - He enjoyed showing a little crack at the beach.

NOW - Well, thankfully not everything has changed!

NOW - Well, thankfully not everything has changed!

THEN - He was funny, sweet and brimming with personality.

THEN - He was funny, sweet and brimming with personality.

NOW - That personality is (loudly) showing up in a thousand different expressions.

NOW - That personality is (loudly) showing up in a thousand different expressions.

Whether THEN or NOW, the fact remains…

He is one handsome little boy.
He is one handsome little boy.

 

Filed Under: blast from the past, Family, Kids, Landon, Life, Motherhood

Six Years

July 10, 2009 by

Six years ago at this very moment, I became a mommy. 

Six years ago at this very moment suddenly my life wasn’t about me any more.

Six years ago at this very moment I was in the worst pain of my life. But it was quickly followed by the biggest surge of joy I’ve ever known.

Six years ago at this moment, I was baffled, flabbergasted, nervous and excited all at the same time.

Six years ago at this time, I knew exactly what to do even though I had no idea what I was doing.

Six years ago at this exact moment, Sloan was born.

It was 6:21 am on a Thursday morning.  It was crazy and hectic as nurses scrambled to accomodate my extremely fast labor.  The house doctor was coaching me since my doctor didn’t make it in time. 

And out he came out, a wriggly, chubby little man with a head full of white blonde fuzz.  And we fell in love immediately.

Fast forward six years.  Sloan is a joy.  He’s smart, he’s funny, he’s friendly and he’s loving.  He loves people and needs companionship as much as he needs oxygen.  I can’t imagine life without Sloan.  In fact, it’s hard to remember life without him.

Sloan,

You are my first born.  You’re the one who made me a mommy.  You make me laugh every day.  You are a good, good little boy and it’s a joy to call you my son. 

Today you get to become a pirate for the day.  That’s your gift from us.  You told me yesterday that instead of taking a pirate cruise, you wish that we could find a Star Wars ship and fly into the galaxy.  I told you that maybe when you turn 12 we’ll be able to find a Star Wars ship to fly in.

I hope you grow out of your Star Wars obsession by then otherwise you will be sorely disappointed.

Since you were born, you have been the most loving, outgoing ,verbal little boy.  It’s been a challenge for me as my first inclination is not to say hi to everyone I meet and ask them to come and play.  But it’s a trait I love about you because wherever we are, you make a new friend.

Last night you told me that you were going to miss 5.  “It was a good year,” you said very dramatically.  Yes, it was a good year.  You grew up a lot this year.  You’re not a little kid anymore.  And while I’m going to miss 5 too, I look forward to 6.  It will be another good year.  I just hope it goes by a little more slowly because you’re growing up way too fast.

I love you, Sloan.  Have a Happy 6th Birthday.

Mom

Filed Under: blast from the past, Family, Kids, Life, Sloan Tagged With:

Yankee Doodle Went to Town

July 6, 2009 by

I sang that song to Sloan this morning.  His response?

“Why would someone call a feather macaroni? That’s a weird song.”

He then returned to his ever running loop of humming the theme to Star Wars.  So much for teaching him a little piece of Americana.

We had a lovely Fourth of July.  But it was missing something.  Lee had to fly to Arkansas last minute for the funeral of one of his dearest friends growing up.  Not having daddy around definately put a damper on our holiday spirits.  And knowing that my husband was grieving and hurting and I couldn’t be there with him made it even worse.

I have to say, I love Fourth of the July.  I love the way that it brings everyone together.  I love the smell of barbeque, the laughter, the music and the fireworks.  I love watching kids run around with Sparklers (other people’s kids – not mine because I don’t quite trust my little piro’s just yet) and I love to hear their delighted shreaks as the sky explodes in flashes of color.

This year, I took the kids to a local park where we enjoyed the company of good friends and ooh’d and aah’d at the fireworks.  I was a bit of a kill joy for the kids because I didn’t bring any cash, which means they couldn’t get a drink or a snack or a glow stick or anything at all. Mooooooommmm! (as you read that, let your voice go up about three octaves and stamp your foot and you’ll get an idea of just. how. traumitized the kids were at my lack of preparation.)

We didn’t get home until 10:30, at which point I had to throw the kids in the shower because they smelled like gun powder and mosquito spray.  This resulted in us oversleeping Sunday morning.  I was singing in church and had to be there at 7:45. I woke up to a quiet house at 7:30.  I walked into the church building at 8:05, with all three kids dressed.

I deserve a medal.  I nice, shiny medal.

Of course, those 35 minutes went something like this (clap your hands together loudly and repeatedly as you read this next paragraph out loud) – C’mon guys, get dressed.  Let’s Go, Go, Go. We’ll brush your teeth after church. I know you’re hungry, I’ll get you something to eat later.  There’s no time for a drink, we have to go now, now, now! And so on…

But we made it.  And at 8:40, Lee came to church after flying in on the 6:30 am flight.  And he brought my starving, neglected children some food.  As the kids saw their daddy walk in the building, they took off running toward him and nearly knocked him over as they tackled him.  I was on stage with a microphone in my hand and a lump in my throat as I watched them all take turns kissing and hugging on their daddy.

It was the perfect end to a good weekend.  I’m a blessed woman.

Filed Under: Family, Kids, Life, Marriage, Motherhood Tagged With: ,

Island Gallery

July 1, 2009 by

Our plane, which was scheduled to depart from Miami and 8:15 and land in St. Louis at 9:55 last night, did not leave until 11:40 and land until 1:15 am.  So I am tired today.  Really, really tired.  I can barely form a coherent thought, so I leave you with a few photos.  My pictures did not turn out quite like I hoped.  I am a little disppointed at how fuzzy many of them turned out.  I really need to take a photography course…

Here are a few of the images I managed to capture. I took about 150 pictures with my camera and equal that or more with my mom’s, so limiting this gallery to less than 25 shots was tough!  Click on the picture to see the enlarged image.

Filed Under: Heritage, Life, Random Tagged With: , ,

I’m Coming home soon!

June 28, 2009 by

The day before leaving for this trip, I found myself very anxious.  It’s funny how before I had kids I was ready and willing to hop on a plane anywhere and try anything.  But now that I have three tiny lives who are dependent on me, I find myself much more cautious.

But, I must say, this has been an amazing trip.  Yes, it’s been a vacation.  I’ve been childless for an entire week for heaven’s sake!  But it hasn’t been a lay-on-the-beach-and-drink-mai-tai’s-all-day-long kind of a vacation.

After seeing the work that my grandparents started 48 years ago, I feel a swell of pride bubbling inside me.  To have walked the path that the grandfather I never knew walked is so special and eye opening.  What they did and how they sacrificed is more than humbling.  My grandparents were 33 and 31 years old when they left for the islands.  Their children ranged in age from 12 to 2.  And they gave themselves wholeheartedly to their mission.

And I find myself wondering – what am I doing to carry on that legacy?  It’s sobering.

As we walked the streets of Kew, Bottle Creek, Lorimers, Bambarra, Conch Bar and South Caicos, we stopped and spoke with the people sitting outside (they all sit outside because my Lord it’s hot down here).  All my mom had to say was “I’m Jim Cooper’s daughter,” and people would throw their heads back, grin and say “Oooooohhh, I knew your daddy.”

They remember him.  After 48 years, they remember him.  He died 36 years ago –  but they remember him. 

More than a few people told us that my granddad worked harder and accomplished more in the 12 years he spent in the islands than most people accomplish in a lifetime.  “It’s as if he knew that his time on this earth would be short,” they said.

Perhaps he did – or maybe, he just understood and respected the call on his life and wasn’t afraid to tackle it with fervor.

Tonight we are back in Provo.  Tomorrow will be vacation day.  I’m going to park my behind on a beach chair and try and process the thoughts and emotions swirling through my overloaded brain. 

I’m coming home Tuesday night and I’m so excited to see the sweet faces of my babies and hear their precious laughter.  I love my kids and I can’t wait to hug their little necks.  Oh, and Lee?  Deep breath, babe – I’ll be home soon!

Filed Under: Life

Wordless Wednesday: What We’ve Been Up To

June 24, 2009 by

It’s been a busy summer so far…

Visiting Lone Elk Park and hanging with a herd of Elk

Visiting Lone Elk Park and hanging with a herd of Elk

 

Walking on the dock at Lone Elk Park to see a turtle. Suddenly, like a bad Hitchcock film turtles popped up all around us - no less than 20, including a rare and endangered Alligator Snapping turtle!
Walking on the dock at Lone Elk Park to see a turtle. Suddenly, like a bad Hitchcock film, turtles popped up all around us – no less than 20, including a rare and endangered Alligator Snapping turtle!
We also saw this baby Copperhead, which is one of the most venomous snakes out there. It swam inches from our feet - awesome...
We also saw this baby Copperhead, which is one of the most venomous snakes out there. It swam inches from our feet – awesome…
Sloan and Daddy got to go to Sloan's first Cardinals game with his baseball teammates. He thought it was the coolest. thing. EVAH!
Sloan and Daddy got to go to Sloan’s first Cardinals game with his baseball teammates. He thought it was the coolest. thing. EVAH!
Daddy and Landon hung out and watched the Gaithers on the internet. Yes, Lee's passing on his love for old Southern Gospel music to his offspring!
Daddy and Landon hung out and watched the Gaithers on the internet. Yes, Lee’s passing on his love for old Southern Gospel music to his offspring!
Tia's homedone haircut is finally growing out a bit and is actually looking quite cute.
Tia’s homedone haircut is finally growing out a bit and is actually looking quite cute.
And finally, we grilled out for Father's Day. Nothing says celebration like some juicy red meat, right?
And finally, we grilled out for Father’s Day. Nothing says celebration like some juicy red meat, right?

Hope you’re all having a lovely summer!

Filed Under: Kids, Life, Wordless Wednesday Tagged With:

The Fun, the Not-So-Fun and the Bizarre

June 15, 2009 by

That’s a fairly accurate description of our weekend.

Let’s start with the fun, shall we?  I mean, since it’s my blog and all…

Ahem.

Friday night we headed to the Zoo for the Jungle Boogie concert and some animal sightseeing.  And it was perfect.  The weather was spectacular, the animals were in fine form and the music was great.  And I’d LOVE to show you some pictures, I really would…but I can’t because my camera batteries died and I’m out of AA batteries. 

Seriously – who runs out of AA batteries.  That’s gonna be a big hit against my run for Mom of the Year.

Moving on – hey guess what!?  The time of day to visist the Zoo is late afternoon/evening.  We usually go in the morning and the animals are always napping when we’re there.  Friday night, all of the animals were out and were playing and interacting with the kids.  A bear waved at us, a gorilla flirted with us – particularly Tia – the tigers were wrestling in the pond and the leopards stared back at us through their wired cages with blood thirsty eyes.

It was awesome!

The Bizarre also occurred on this night, however.  In the form of an older gentleman dressed in drag, dancing interpretively to the music.  It was obvious that he had some mental issues so we tried not to make a huge deal out of it, but honestly, it was hard not to stare.  It’s not often you see a man in a wig, tutu, tights, makeup and ribbons spinning circles in public.  It just isn’t…

Sunday morning, I had the privilege bad luck of serving at my son’s baseball field.  Chalk it up to Lee and I being newbies at this whole baseball thing, but I have to say I’m more than annoyed at the requirements they put on parents to work a shift. 

It’s one thing to ask us to come work the concession stand on a Sunday morning, something I’d be willing to do, but instead Lee and I were assigned to field duty (Each child is required to have a parent work two seperate shifts-which means Lee and I both had to do this on different days).  Do you know what field duty is?

It’s cleaning up the crap all over the field from the weekend.  And what’s more – it was me and one other woman left to remove the overflowing trash bags from no less than fifty oversized trash cans and take them to the dumpster (the only plus being that I got to zip around in a golf cart).  We were also supposed to pick any trash up off the ground, wipe down all tables, clean both bathrooms and sweep the sidewalks and dugouts.   Again, there were two of us.   

All I could think as I pulled out ant infested garbage and spilled two-day-old soda down my front is that I paid them to do this.  Seriously, you can’t tell me they’re not making enough money to hire a company to come in and clean up the fields on the weekends.

Oh, and the kicker?  If we don’t show up for our duty – no matter what the excuse may be – they will fine us anywhere from $150-$300.  Yes, so not only do they require that I work, but they threaten me if I don’t.  Unbelievable.

Next year we will be buying out of field duty, which also makes me angry because on top of the fees I’m paying for my son to play ball, now I have to pay them extra fees so I don’t have to work – and what will they do with the extra money?  I’m not sure, but obviously they’re not going to hire help.

Honestly, I do not mind a little grunt work, and, if needed, I’m happy to serve.  I worked hard yesterday to have a good attitude and not complain about the situation – even quoting over and over that I shall do all things to the glory of the Lord!  But expecting two people to clean up 10 fields (and I’m not just talking trash cans – there was rotting food all over the stands, the dugouts, under the stands, etc…) alone is beyond ridiculous.  And to the men who used the Ballwin field bathrooms yesterday – sorry, but those didn’t get cleaned.  I just wasn’t going to do it.

There is a fine line between encouraging parents to get involved and alienating them into feeling frustrated and used.  If you want us to feel a loyalty to you and to want to help serve, then you really shouldn’t shove a piece of paper in our faces with an unrealistic check-list on it and leave us a job better suited to a team of people, not two lone women.

And that’s all I have to say about that…

Filed Under: Family, Life
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