Monday, May 28, 2012

Memorial Day



Hope your day is spent with people you love doing things you love. Remember to take a moment to remember why we celebrate today, and to be thankful for those who have so bravely fought and gave their lives for our freedom.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

how do you eat this???

We went to a party yesterday...a surprise 50th birthday of epic proportion. The unsuspecting birthday girl was treated to about 150 friends and neighbors who turned out to celebrate in her honor.



We had a great time, met a ton of new people, ate amazing food and were entertained by a band who played until the wee hours of the night.



But quite possibly the most memorable part of the night was when Cooper tapped me on the shoulder and said,

"Hey Momma, how do you eat this??"



Jon and I have fond memories of attending an annual craw fish boil in our pre-Cooper years.....




And were more than happy to pass the experience on to him!

Here's to good friends, good food and making new discoveries!!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Happiness is-

Seeing pure joy on the face of someone you love...

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knowing how far they've come....

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and thinking about what may be on the horizon.

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(besides braces)

Hope you're having a great week!

Saturday, May 19, 2012

tough lessons, big heart

Life hands us lessons to learn and make us stronger, better humans.
Sometimes those lessons are tough....

Today Coop hit a home run.
It was his first hit all season long (we're 9 games into a 13 game season).
We've talked to him, bribed him, tried to build his confidence, and have even (sadly) been disappointed in him....nothing mattered.

He's been watching that ball and waiting for his pitch. He's let beautiful pitches come right across the plate and hasn't moved a muscle...he's swung and missed....he's had some bad calls here and there, but at the end of the day he either strikes out or gets walked.

Until today.

Today he connected with the ball.
Today that kid hit a to the fence drive that was beautiful!

He ran to 1st base....rounded to 2nd....



ran through 3rd.....





and was waved on by the 3rd base coach because of an overthrow....
and when he got to home....



he was called out by the ump.

Was it a bad call? I think so.
Did he take it hard? Absolutely. Harder than I ever expected.

It was horrendous.
Everyone was SO excited for him, the crowd went wild, the coaches were jumping up and down, I was screaming at the top of my lungs and he experienced about 2 minutes of complete and total elation.

Until reality set it and so did devastation.

This is about 20 minutes later....after the game ended and he was chosen to "break it down for the team"...after everyone there congratulated him and told him what an amazing hit it was....after his shoulders stopped heaving and the tears stopped falling.



A tender moment with his coach telling him that he KNEW he could do it, and that it didn't matter the call, what mattered was that he hit the ball and did what the coaches told him to do. Was he out? Sure, but that's not the point.

The point was that he did it. He accomplished something that he'd been working towards for months. He did it and he did it well. And nobody can take that away- ever.

How to handle disappointment and anger with grace....important life lessons that we'll need to perfect in the coming years.

Congrats on an awesome hit little kid....that and Life 101.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Two Word Tuesday

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Silly pup!


(I can't just say 2 words...this is what I came home to today. I think it may be illegal to be jealous of your dog, but I am!!)

Monday, May 14, 2012

The 2nd 1st Day of 4th Grade

When we moved, we made the decision to leave Coop in school in Richmond. We thought it would give him some continuity and lessen the stress of moving. It was the right choice, for all of us at the time.

As the months have passed though, Cooper developed an interest in changing schools and that interest turned into a question about when he'd go to the new school...and then a request, "can i go to the new school". And Jon and I decided that if he was asking it was probably a sign.

It was- and it's been the best decision for all of us.

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The 2nd 1st day of 4th grade was fabulous and full of change.

It started off with a good luck snuggle from a really great pup.

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Notice that he's wearing a t-shirt. No t-shirts in private school....but in public school they are allowed. Cooper is over the moon about that!

No bus stop at private school either....

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And if there is no bus stop in private school, that means no bus.

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I felt like he was in kindergarten as that bus pulled away. I managed to hold it together but did follow the bus to school to meet him and make sure he was settled!

Day 1 went well.....the kids were so welcoming, his teacher is a doll, the bus driver is kind, the cafeteria holds promise (another 1st for him), and he's feeling completely comfortable (which is HUGE!).

Best thing for him about the 1st day? Not getting assigned the "haunted locker". What a good thing THAT is.

Can't wait for Day 2!

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Mets Win!

Baseball is in full swing and games in this league seem to be a little more intense than they've been in the past.

One reason may be that they use different rules... another may be that people here take their baseball seriously. His coach is one of those people. He's great with the kids and balances his serious coaching with a bit of funny.

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Regardless, Cooper is a fan because more intense evidently means better uniforms.

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I wish it meant that he was knocking it out of the park...but hitting is giving us some trouble this year. Getting walked however is becoming an art.

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At the end of the day, all that really matters is that he's having fun and learning skills- not just baseball skills- life skills.

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I think we're meeting the goal....

AND....we won!!!

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

CIAA

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One of the benefits of driving for hours each day with Cooper is that we have some really great conversations. It's the only thing that I'll miss when he transitions to his new school.

We were chatting yesterday and he started asking me questions.

Cooper- "Momma, do you know what SMPA is?"
Me- "Yes, St. M Parents Association"
Cooper- "That's right. What about the SMBA?"
Me- "Yes, St. M Basketball Association"
Cooper- "Ok, this is a hard one. What about the CIAA?"
Me- "Ummm...Colonial something Athletic Association?"
Cooper- "Nope, not even close"
Me- "I give up, what is it?"
Cooper- "It's the Cooper Is Awesome Association"
Me- "Well, I absolutely need to join!"

I love that little kid, he really is awesome!