Flashbacks and Giving Thanks

Woohoo-yay for Thanksgiving weekend!! Our bags are packed, chores are done and we are ready to go. My hair is wet as I'm typing this, and I had a million other things I wanted to do during my limited hours of coveted "naptime." But I am scheduled to work tomorrow, we will probably not make it to Idaho until the turkey is gone, and the thankful celebrations are over. My mind couldn't stop begging me to come to my little blog world, and write a cliche post about some of the things I am so very grateful for.

I am grateful for a job that I love. I am thankful for the patients and families who I meet everyday. I am thankful for Thanksgiving in that place where miracles really do happen.
I am thankful for the families who step away from a bedside for just a few short hours and eat their turkey at a table with a sad heart and an empty chair, but yet they are counting their blessings, and they come back happy.
I am thankful for the families who eat Thanksgiving dinner in a quiet PCMC cafeteria with a wheel chair pulled up to the table, and IV pole beeping halfway through dinner. I am thankful for the families who cram as many siblings as they can into a room to eat their turkey around a hospital bed.
I am even thankful for the patients who have no visitors on Thanksgiving. They are obviously special little people in their own right, who have more strength in life then I could ever have.
I am thankful for my newest cousin Dylan, who lost his twin brother and who is spending his first Thanksgiving in the NICU. I am thankful that he is a 4 pound huge giant miracle to his mom, because she just so happens to be one of my very favorite people in this world. I am grateful that he and I will be together under the same roof tomorrow, so that we both know we are close to family for the day. I am grateful that I can go peek at him after I eat my turkey before I rush back to work.
I am thankful for Primary Children's Hospital. I don't always love working, but it's a good place to work. When I started I was barely 20 and terrified of even walking the halls. I have learned to be a nurse inside those halls, and I have learned from the best. I will always consider it my nursing home.

I am thankful that last Thanksgiving Eve I learned that little Cooper was going to be part of my life. I had such a great year anticipating him, and finally meeting him. He is the best little buddy and I could spend every day all day just home alone with him and never get sick of him. He is very good to us. Although it was an adjustment time and time again, he turned two little newlyweds into a real life family-and he did a very good job.

Last night Shawn and I sat by our half lit Christmas tree and stumbled upon some old videos on my computer that I didn't even know existed. We took them when we were dating and had never even watched them. I was reminded of all the feelings of excitement I had when I was dating him and wondered what life would be like if we never had to part ways. I am grateful everyday that he happily pulled me along and he is here every morning when I start my day.

This year I am leaving my list at that, although there are many other blessings rumbling around in my head I will spare you. I am thankful for good friends, the best families, and another year of health. I am grateful my brother serves our country and that he came home to visit. I am grateful for healthy grandparents who I adore. I am grateful for the examples all around me in the blogging world. I am grateful for all of my blog friends whose lives I love to learn from and keep updated on, and for everyone who shows interest in ours. I have loved reading everyone's grateful posts..there is lots to be thankful for!! Here's to another successful year, whatever success just so happens to mean to you this year.

Happy Happy Thanksgving!!

Just a little favor

To My Cooper Man-
you are very good at making us feel like a million bucks.
Like you think everything we say couldn't be more interesting and entertaining,
Like you can't wait to tell us all the stories from your day
Like you think my hair is so beautiful-my knowingly unbeautiful, thin, pulled back hair. Hair that you just so happen to love.

Do you mind just always wanting to be right in between us
and cuddling in our bed in the morning after breakfast
and taking long walks just me and you??
Do you mind just making dad's day a little better when he walks through the door and you don't take your eyes off him until you go to bed
and you sit on his lap and stare at college football and hold his arm so he doesn't go too far.

How about you sit and watch me make dinner every night for the rest of your life,
and you laugh when I clink the pots and pans and open and close cupboards.

How about you keep cracking your eyes just a tiny bit when I say goodnight to you, making sure that I am not sneaking out the door before you're fully asleep.
It always makes me a little bit happy to see that naptime sleepy eye, even if I would give anything to get some things done.

I'm having this crazy idea that maybe someday you might scoot away from me on the couch, and you might roll your eyes at my jokes. That maybe you might not be home when dad gets off work. Maybe you will tell your friends that I am a teeny bit annoying. When I find out about these things Coop, I'll pull out my little blog book, and I'll point to this page.
I might even sneak back a few pages to show you how excited about you we are.
And I will say, here is all the proof you need my dear. Proof that once upon a time we were very happy being each other's whole world.

And just so you know Coop, that's when you say-oh ya, I almost forgot but now I remember. Mom and Dad you are my whole life still I almost forgot, even though I am fifteen. I still want to cuddle and take long walks and watch you make dinner every night and never leave you guys. You are my perfectly beautiful, wonderfully hilarious, ever-charming parents.

And we will all go to bed happy, just like the good old days. It's just that easy.

Rough Life

Mr.Coop just recently learned the beauty of sleeping through the night. Thanks to lots of tricks from lots of people we finally started making some progress. He has never thought sleeping was very fun, and he just realized he doesn't need to be terrified and start crying when he begins dozing off. For a quick few days he was waking up bright eyed in the mornings, well rested (as were we for the first time in a few months), and even happier then he was before.

Unfortunately our success was short lived..Cooper has himself a little cold, but he doesn't yet know how to sniffle. I feel bad saying it's a little bit funny at times. He looks at me so confused as he tries to figure out why his main source for air is blocked! I can hear him in the monitor trying to breath through his nose, he hasn't quite figured out yet to just open his mouth. Sadly, the suction bulb has become our new best friend. Thank you to 3 years of mastering that thing during RSV season at PCMC. Sleeping through the night again was just a tease.

It's a rough life Mr.Coop, when your bath isn't warm enough, or your nose is a little runny, or you can't eat fast enough. Don't worry, we're here for ya.

Halloween Memories.

This was the first year we didn't dress up for Halloween. How lame. I have to admit dressing up is WAY more fun. I thought I was going to have to work Halloween night, so we crossed a party off our list. Then at the last minute my shift was traded. I was happy to have a bonus night at home with two pretty fun people, but a little disappointed we missed out on our opportunity to dress up and party this year! In the end, this is what our Halloween consisted of..

If you can't tell, he despised this monkey suit.
We laid Cooper on his blanket while we went to finish making dinner. Surprise! He rolled over, we were not even expecting it-he has never tried before, and we kind of forgot he would be doing that someday. I was bursting with pride, I wanted to call and text several people and I stopped myself. I realized I need some self control, and every baby rolls over, it's not that awesome. Ironic that I'm now posting it on my blog right? oh well I had to. GO COOP!
The monkey suit made it a little harder..

Shawn bought the candy this year on his way home from work. Salt water taffy, bit-o-honeys, and airheads. No Chocolate?! Seriously, that's like trick-or-treat at the nursing home-I actually know because I have done it. Anyway, I let him know salt water taffy is not really for this generation of trick or treaters, and he just laughed because he just got whatever was the cheapest. The usual for us. At least I'm not tempted by any candy leftovers!

We put Coop to bed and turned on our recent addiction, Friday Night Lights. We fell asleep in the front room in a bed made on the floor, and stayed up late, just because it was a holiday so we could. Shawn spilled his Dr. Pepper not once, but TWICE. Two huge brown spots on our carpet. I just laughed this time, because the carpet cleaner ditched me last week, therefore he we will be back this week and it will all be taken care of.

I started making an orange burlap wreath from pinterest with my sister. It was so cute, she finished hers (unlike me) and I love it! Her house was all decked out for Halloween, as usual and it totally set the mood. I have been in kind of a weird mind set this Halloween. It's like all I care about right now is Cooper and his little everyday happenings. I didn't decorate much, I didn't put together any great costumes, it didn't actually feel like Halloween at our house. I am ready to NOT make that same mistake this Thanksgiving and Christmas.
So, after three months of being in my own little place, I am welcoming myself back into the world.. it's sad, but it's about time.
Not only did Jaimee's house look adorable, she went all out with Sophie's oompa loompa costume. Of course it couldn't have possibly been cuter.

We have been loving this weather. Out street is amazing this time of year. We found this house in the fall, and I was sold. This little place has squeaky floors that wake up a sleeping baby, it has closets seriously the size of a small linen closet in our old apartment, and our bathroom literally doesn't even have enough space for a straightener and a tooth brush on the counter at the same time. Welcome to the 1920's. It's the old fashioned charm that I love, despite a few things that drive me insane.

This is Cooper seriously staring at ESPN one night. It was hilarious. He acted like he was on the edge of his seat and this lasted a good ten minutes. We were laughing so hard. He looks so cute right after his bath, he still has those tight little curls that I love when he gets out, but his hair is much lighter then it used to be, it changes all the time so we'll see.

I have always loved fall-but this year I have more to love. I love Coopers cold rosy nose and cheeks, his big smile, and his little kicking feet getting excited over every little thing. I love cuddling up with Shawn after a long day knowing Cooper is safe and sound tucked peacefully in his bed. Speaking of Cooper's bed, he apparently seems to hate sleeping. He fights it like you would not believe. Have I said that I love being a mom? I actually had no idea I would love it this much, sleep deprived or not.

We have lots to look forward to, and lots to be grateful for as we look back on another year that has flown right on by. Happy fall to anyone who stumbles upon our little blog.