All of our bobble heads...

This weekend was Cannon and Gunnar's first football game! Eric was unable to attend (his football season is also back in session), so I was asked to describe how the game went...
I was not then - and I am still not now- real sure how to describe the game! I think it is impossible to put into words a bunch of bobble heads running to a big pile! Even more, Cannon and Gunnar could not either! Gunnar told Eric, "Well, it was just real hot, and my head hurt a little." It was REALLY hot...
Grayson was undeterred by the heat...He was insistent that he should go in on the next play and that Cannon was going to bring him his helmet; however, once we introduced him to the playground this cheerleader lost interest in the game!
Ella is a bobble head herself these days...She holds her head up so well! In fact, she hates when she cannot see, and would rather be held on the shoulder than like a baby any day!

Today was a big day for Cannon. It was promotion Sunday at church, and Cannon received his own Bible. I doubt he knows or understands that this is one of the first steps in his personal faith. He can now read the Bible on his own! I pray he takes to heart the words he reads begins to understand what it means to be a Christian.

First Days of School

This past Monday was Grayson and Ella's first day of school for the upcoming school year. Needless to say, it was a pretty emotional day for me!
Both Eric and I have been back at work for a little over two weeks, but they have both been staying with family. Our daycare is affiliated with the school district, so it does not open until those on a regular teaching contact return...and Ella was not quite old enough to attend.
I think that is what makes me the most sad...She is only 7 weeks old! I have every confidence in the care they are in during the day (shoot, it is probably better than myself, and they are in classes with kids/babies of parents I work with), but not being able to be there with your kiddos is extremely difficult.
They have, however, had an awesome week. In fact, Grayson tells us he now has a girlfriend at school!
When he got in the car Friday, I asked him how his day had been. He said it was "pretty good," but that he was upset that a "friend" of his could not come over an play tonight because we had to go to the Meet the Teacher at Cannon and Gunnar's school. I asked him what friend he wanted to have over...and said that we might be able to do that Saturday. He said, "Well, my girlfriend."
"Oh, you have a girlfriend?" I asked.
"Yes, Mommy. I do."
"Oh, what is her name?"
"Karsyn..."
I found this story to be a little sketchy...Karsyn was what we were going to name Ella once upon a time...so, I asked him what she looked like, if she was in his class, if he loved her, etc. All of the real annoying questions a mother would ask their son about their first girlfriend.
He told me she wears pink and has black hair. She WAS in his class, sat next to him at lunch, took a nap next to Riley, liked to play with the books and connect blocks...and he DID love her a LOT!
"Oh," I commented, "that is wonderful!"
"I know Mom," he said, "I like having a girlfriend."
He has told all sorts of people today about his girlfriend, Karsyn. He seems to be very proud of her! However, just a few minutes ago he sat on the kitchen floor all sad, and when I asked him what was the matter he said, "I am just really missing my girlfriend."
I did not really know how to respond. I said that I understood and explained that I sometimes miss Daddy too when he is not around. Grayson looked at me like I was a freak! "Daddy is not your girlfriend," he said.
"I know," I rebutted, "but I love him too like you said you love Karsyn."
"But you and Daddy are married," he said still still confused.
"You are right...Daddy and I love each other, that is why we got married!"
"Then I DO NOT love Karsyn!" he proclaimed. "I am NOT getting married. I am a kid, and kids do not have weddings. That would be crazy."
Giggling...
"You are right...that would be a little crazy," I agreed, "but it is still okay to miss her."
"She is not real Mommy...so I guess it is all okay!"
He then got up and was ready for our walk. He has not mentioned Karsyn since...However, I will always remember that his first girlfriend was imaginary!

Our last hurrah!

Today Ella went to the doctor for her first round of shots! I am having such a difficult time believing that she is already six weeks old!

We had to have shots before Monday...when she goes to school for the first time. :(

Grayson was incredibly interested in this whole "shot thing." He felt strongly that he and I should also be having shots. It seemed so weird to me that he wanted so badly to get a shot! However, as we left I realized...It was all about the suckers and stickers! I should have known!

Ella now weighs over 10 lbs., and is over 23" long! The doc says she is perfect...but we knew that!

This afternoon was all about Grayson...

We spent it in Brenham at Blue Bell, and then came home and played some "wonderful" music for far too long! :)

Lazy Days of Summer

Every summer I have such big plans...This summer was no different. We had much on our calendar, and we had even more surprises. Between summer school, saying goodbye to my grandfather, moving, having a baby, and everything else this summer had to offer, it was sometimes hard to enjoy. (I will not even mention the 101 days of rain we seem to have had!)

Yet, we did have some lazy days...and they were PERFECT! Of course, I was only as lazy as my two youngest friends, but we had an awesome time...vacationing in our backyard! :)

The last hour...

Sometimes being a mother you just have to laugh! Just when you think that nothing else can happen...that your life cannot get any crazier, it does!

So about 45 minutes ago we came in from playing outside with the neighbors. Ella was hungry, so I sat down to feed her on the couch. This is when I noticed that the couch and five (yes FIVE) pillows were covered in urine! Yep, Grayson must have peed himself during his nap. (how does one manage to get it on five pillows?)

I was not too disturbed by this. Afterall, this is what 2 year olds do.

I get up to move the things off the couch...still trying to feed Ella when I feel something warm dripping down my arm. Yep, she too had decided to dirty me. Awesome!

As she screams (leaving the couch a mess), I head to her room to clean her. I then discover that Grayson had thrown the wipes all over her closet, and subsequently, they had all dried up! Yes, I was wipe-less with a dirty little girl!

To the master bath we went.

In route I asked Grayson to join me there. As politely and as mature as he could be he said, "No thank you Mommy, I am busy with something you cannot see." Wonderful I thought, but there was poop dripping down my arm.

I took care of Ella quickly and rushed back to the kitchen to discover Grayson naked on the kitchen counter with a banana in one hand and M&Ms in the other. Once again, in a real matter of fact manner he says, "I didn't ask...I know...I know you are angry Mommy, but I wanted a snack...Okay, Mommy? Okay?"

I just looked at him there naked on my counter and watched as he opened the M&Ms and began to pee on my stove! (Who wants dinner at my house?) I was too flabbergasted to speak, and in shock, I almost dropped Ella! He said, "Sorry, Mommy...didn't mean...sorry."

I calmly walked over to the counter and lowered him to the floor, and I watched as his naked self went to his room proclaiming the entire way, "I just need some Scooby Doo underwear...just Scooby Doo!"

I began to clean.

I had laid Ella on a blanket on the floor (not a smart move), so when she began to cry when I was cleaning Grayson simply went and picked her up! Before I could get there, he was running with her across the living room (her feet dragging the floor) telling me to get her some milk.

I snatch Ella from him and head to my bedroom to sit and feed her. He says that he is going to watch t.v. (Who believes he was really going to watch t.v.?) Surely I will not be interrupted this time! However, less than two minutes later I Grayson walks in with his underwear off and tries to climb in the bed with me. Something did not seem right about his wanting to get in my bed so I asked what he needed. He said (as he sat on my pillow I must add), "I pooped, and I need you to wipe me."

I screamed, "What?" And, as I jumped up, I guess I started Ella because she spit up everything she had just eaten! Grayson had started running back to his bathroom...and I was in hot pursuit...However, I was sidetracked by the trail of poop from my room to his bathroom...I simply could not believe it!

Yet, the bathroom would prove to be much more shocking! There was poop everywhere!
I turned the tub on an put him in. I grabbed his dirty Scooby Doo underwear, the rug he had squished it all in and ran to grab some cleaner.

This story could continue...There was then a startling episode in the bath as Grayson pulled down the shower curtain, a scared cat hissing, a neighbor's we dog running through the house, someone knowing at the door wanting needing some help outside...I finally just gave up and started laughing...and writing!

Being a mother is the most incredible job in the entire world. Nothing can compare! :) Even during hours like this I know how blessed I am, and I cherish even these times! I know they will not last long.

Ella is now a month old...it seems so hard to believe. I wish time would stand still...I already miss hours like these.

Starting Back

This afternoon I go back to work.

I love my job...Yet, no matter how passionate I am about my work, how much I enjoy being at there or how dear my co-workers are to me, it just cannot compare to being at home with my family.

It is always difficult to go back in the fall...to get back into the swing of things; however, I am struggling now more than I ever had in the past. Perhaps it is because I have a barely 4 week old daughter...or perhaps it is because I have a son that for the first time understands...maybe it is because we did not do anything super special this summer...or maybe it is just because I just need more time...

Nonetheless, I am struggling...

The kids are both sleeping. I want so badly to wake them up...but I have too much to do.

I have complete confidence that I am not being a bad mother by returning to work...I know I probably want to be home more for myself than I do for them! In many ways I know that it is better that I have an outlet for myself that I love. I just pray they will someday come to understand that I did it for them.

Until next time...

It has been a while...

So, it has been a while since I have posted anything...Imagine that! In fact, the last time I posted I has just learned I was expecting...and now Ella Reed is here! I am awesome at this blogging stuff! Just like everything else in my life...I do it half way!

Lately I have been thinking a great deal about how blessed we are, and I have felt the need to share all of our blessings. I feel as if we have been taking all we have been blessed with for granted, and it deeply saddens me. We have a wonderful new house, jobs we love, three dynamite little boys, a precious new baby girl, tremendous families...the list could go on! It has just seemed lately that in the hustle and bustle of things not only have we not taken the time to appreciate what we have been given...we have gone as far to loose faith and be angry when we are not granted the things we desire.

The sermon at church this past Sunday was about the silence of the Lord. Jerry spoke about how the faithful often pray so hard for something they do not receive, and when it is not received they simply loose faith. I do not think we had lost faith, but we had been frustrated with it!

As I reflected, and as the sermon clearly indicated, there is a reason for all of those unanswered prayers...if we just keep the faith. Our new house is a perfect example...I we had the worst "luck" selling a buying a house. We had all but given up on the venture! Just then and investor comes along and buys ours and we purchase a house we had not given a first thought to...that has turned out to be one of the best decisions we have ever made!

There are some things that I might always wonder why they had to happen to us; however, I will keep the faith that there is a reason, and in between I will remember to appreciate all of our blessings...

Some of our most recent blessings...

So, we have not posted in a while...

So, I figured since my last posting was sometime this summer that it was about time to make another one! It is, afterall, two days from Thanksgiving!

The Coker world has been pretty busy this fall...So what have we been up to?
Eric and the fine Navasota Rattlers have had another football season (notice that I said have HAD another football season...not that it was a good season or anything like that)
Cannon is now in the 2nd grade. He has loved playing soccer this season! He told me that it is so much better to play soccer on a big field.
Gunnar in in KINDERGARTEN. Yep! He is all grown up!
Grayson is a CRAZY MESS. He turned two yesterday, but I am fairly confident that he thinks he turned twenty-two! He told me today that he does not "need" to go to school becasue he "needs" to stay home and watch t.v.
We also learned that we are expecting Coker Baby #4 this summer!

Other than that, not too much else has been going on! I will wirte again when I get bored!

Hope all is well!

Yep...we have a blog

So, I have decided that my family needs to have a blog. Thus, I have created one! I know, you are all very impressed with my technology know-how! I am thinking that Kason will be especially impressed! Let me know what you think of my blog idea...I think that this will be a great way for us to communicate with each other! :)