Pictures- 19 1/2 months

Our great friend Bri took some pictures of Cooper last weekend (the weekend before Easter). Eric took an adorable picture of Cooper last Easter, which is one of my favorites of him, and I wanted something 'springy' from this year.

I texted Bri the night before and asked if she had any time to take a few pictures the next day...and she did! She even got us 7 images in the next couple of days so we would have time to get them printed and sent out in Easter cards to the grandparents/great grandparents. 

And seriously, she captured great pictures! The weather was perfect, there was great lighting, and Cooper was pretty cooperative. We planned to meet downtown after Cooper woke up from his nap--which apparently everyone else was doing also. Bri said there were 2 weddings, an egg hunt at the governors mansion, and TONS of kids taking prom pictures at the governors gardens. We steered clear of the governors garden and instead got some pictures at the capitol and then at some buildings down across from the old state penitentiary. 

Cooper- 19 1/2 months

Thanks Bri for the pictures! You are so talented...and the fact that Cooper loves you made the photo shoot much easier!

And here's last year's picture....he's grown SO much!

Lunch at Bennett Springs

We planned to stop at Bennett Springs on our trip to Springfield over the weekend. Eric and his family have been to Bennett Springs (outside of Lebanon) a lot and he came up with the great idea to stop there for a picnic lunch, let Cooper have some play time, and then feed the trout in the hatchery.

The weather was great, although Cooper was pretty distracted by the looming slide that he didn't eat much of his lunch. He loved sitting at the picnic table--although he turned around for every "truck, car, bus" that drove by. 

After we finished lunch, we went to a little playground and enjoyed a few trips down the slide.

(And for the record, our pale child has sunscreen on....but he is just a hot-natured, red-faced, sweaty child! And it's only in the 70's)

We gathered some quarters and bought some fish food to feed the trout. Cooper loved this! Eric would help him throw it in and he would laugh, saying "splash, fish, bubbles!"

We had fun at our quick stop at Bennett Springs! Eric and his family did a lot of camping (and fishing) growing up, and hopefully Cooper will enjoy that too in the days to come.

Eric's 1/2 marathon

A couple of weeks ago, Eric ran the St. Louis GO half marathon. Eric has ran 1 half before and 3 full marathons, so this long road race wasn't anything new. He decided back at the beginning of the year that he wanted to do a race before the new baby arrives. This was his first spring race, so instead of lots of outside running in the hot weather, he did most of his training on the treadmill. I'm proud of him for getting up early to go to the gym before work--not wanting to give up evening time with Cooper and me. I'm also proud of him for doing long runs on the treadmill--yuck! I don't enjoy more than a few miles on the treadmill.

The race started at 7am on a Sunday morning, so we stayed in a hotel in downtown St. Louis. I figured Cooper wouldn't be up in time to make it to the start, so our plan was to be up around 8, grab some breakfast, and make it to the finish line. Little man woke up around 7:30, so our plan worked pretty well. We got ready and set out for St. Louis Bread Co. 

I had signed up for updates on Eric's progress and got one right as we left the hotel that he had passed the 6 mile mark. He also sent this text from the beginning of the race.

So after we ate our breakfast, we headed towards the finish line. I got an update that Eric had passed 11 miles, so we had 2 miles (and based on Eric's pace about 17-18 minutes) to get to the finish line.

We hustled and during the walk, I got a text from Eric that he was at mile 12. Whew! I almost had to start running to make it in time. We made it to the finish a few minutes before Eric came in and got to watch him cross the finish line.

Eric finished in just under 2 hours...which was a goal...and he said the run felt pretty good. It ended up being great weather too!

Way to go, babe! 

Reading

Cooper has a new fascination with reading books. He hasn't been anti-reading, but just in the past couple of weeks, he has taken a liking to reading much more. We always read his Jesus Storybook Bible at night, and he usually gets it out to flip through several times during the day, but he is hit/miss on how much he likes to read other books. Lately though, I have found him sitting down just flipping through books, calling out what he sees, or remembering parts that we have read together.

I wanted to upload a few videos so you can see him reading through a picture book. Sorry the quality isn't the greatest (and I forgot to turn my phone), but I thought those who don't live near us would enjoy hearing his sweet voice. 

Reflection--April 5

Here is my blog post from this day, three years ago. Even more has changed in my life--buying 2 houses (and moving), running a marathon, having a baby, being pregnant with another baby, learning how to be a mom...the list goes on. And my heart is still grateful, even when I don't understand why things happen like they do. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

This Day in History...

Today is a day of reflection and gratitude.  A lot has happened in the last 10 years.  Let's see:
-got my driver's license
-traveled in an airplane for the first time
-graduated high school
-went to college
-moved 6 times
-got my first job 
-graduated college
-traveled outside the United States 7 times 
-met some of my closest & greatest friends
-got married to my best friend

...and that's just what I can think of off the top of my head.  Not to mention all the things that have happened (nothing to do with me):
-September 11th
-Cardinals won the World Series
-two ongoing wars
-America elected it's first black president
-Hurricane Katrina
-invention of the ipod, iphone, ipad....crazy advances in technology
....and on and on....


But why do I choose to reflect on this day?  Because it's the day I was diagnosed with leukemia. 10 years ago.  Even though it isn't my remission date, I've been waiting for this day for a long time.  It means I'm just a few months away from saying, "I've been in remission for 10 years!" I'm just a few months away from qualifying for normal health insurance.  And I'm just a few months away from being in a "safety zone" that comes with being 10 years removed. 

God is good.  April 5, 2001 was a hard day for my family....and began a hard season in our lives.  The Lord chose to heal me completely.  He chose to use a miracle on me when treatments weren't going well.  I'm grateful.  I want to make much of Him today! 

Sewing project for baby

Eric was out of town for a few days last week, so I decided to take on a little sewing project.  I got a sewing machine for my birthday back in December and one of my goals for 2014 is to learn how to use it.  Eric and I have already pieced together the baby quilt (and it is actually being quilted right now), but I had him there to ask questions or get help from when I was sewing (and he did a majority of the work).  My friend LeAnn helped teach me some sewing a few years ago, and I had sewing in junior high, but I have this desire to already be perfect at the skill.  So this was a big deal and a challenge for me to take on alone (no one to consult or help me).

I started thinking about what I could sew. There were some scraps leftover from the quilt and I began to think about those taggie blankets. I decided I would make a taggie monogram letter and started looking online for a tutorial. I decided to make it about 8 inches by 8 inches. I just got a sheet of paper and ruler, and started to make an H. It was a little bigger than I wanted, so I folded the bridge and then used the pattern to cut out a letter from the fabric

I also received a gift card to Joann for my birthday (accompanying the sewing machine) and went the next day to find a softer fabric to use for the back. I wanted either flannel or fleece, and while I think minky would have looked good, I've heard it isn't the easiest for a beginner. It stretches and can be hard to sew properly. I ended up picking a reddish/orange flannel and I also picked out some coordinating ribbon to use for the tags. 

I used my pattern and cut out the back piece of fabric and also cut 4 inch ribbons. I folded the ribbons in half (with the fold towards the middle and pinned the ribbons to the right side of the fabric. I then pinned my right sides together and began sewing. I took pins out as I went along and left a gap to be able to flip the letter inside out. The sewing went pretty well, although it did pull some in the middle. Probably the biggest accomplishment (in my opinion) was that the bobbin ran out of thread and so I had to refill the bobbin and rethread the machine/needle. All in all, I think it turned out pretty good! It's just a little bowed! 

I decided after I finished it (all except for closing the hole) that I wanted to put some batting inside. I filled it and pinned it shut...and then asked Eric to do the final sewing, since I was little uncertain about that part (and it would be visible). 

I think the final product turned out cute! I added a little link so it could be connected to a bag or the car seat or whatever! 

The final product:

And here is a picture of my supplies:

After I posted the picture on Facebook, I realized that we have never said the baby's name on social media. It isn't a secret and we tell when people ask, so I don't really know why it hasn't been posted. I guess this sewing project can be a reveal that our little guy is going to be named Hudson Christopher. Hudson is just a name that we both like and then both of our brothers are named Christopher (and several of Eric's close friends)...so that part is named after them. Well, there you have it. I'm 2 months from my due date and we are excited to meet Hudson soon!