Lifelong Learner

Two years ago, if you would have asked me what kind of tools I knew how to use, I would have responded, "a power drill, a sander, and a tile saw, with supervision."  Now my husband and I are arguing over who moved the tool out of it's usual location, who used all the screws, or who stole my drill bits, etc.

Albert Einstein said, "once you stop learning, you start dying."

When we moved into our current house, Will and I both knew it was outdated and was going to be a "fixer upper."  I spent the first year doing a lot of the easy cosmetic stuff such as painting, but I learned that I really hate painting large areas.  I don't have the patience; I just want it done.  I also decided that waiting on the hubby to get things done was not an option either.  He's busy working, bringing home the bacon to pay for all the repairs, and sometimes making repairs at rental units.  After looking at my ugly kitchen for months, I was tired of waiting on the hubby to get started, so I boldly said, "I'm going to start working on the kitchen, I can't make it look any uglier!"  So, I asked him to teach me to use the miter saw to help.  Then I needed a quick lesson on the nail gun.  After those two lessons...I was hooked.  I did cosmetically improve all the uppers in our kitchen this summer and enjoyed most of the time spent building and learning.  I've learned to use so many tools over the last few months and I love building things.  I still have to question myself and the hubby on the angled cuts, because "measure twice, cut once, right?"  In my case, have the hubby check behind you multiple times, then cut those angles!  I also have still only assisted in using the table saw...I mean, that's limb loss...eventually I'll get there.

Sometimes it's not about the books, or a college class, sometimes it's just about trying and learning something new.

Spring

Wow...we've been busy, but who hasn't?   We have survived the winter with very few illnesses or injuries.  Spring came with vengeance...a black eye and ridiculous allergy symptoms with all three children.   All three children are on allergy meds and two are taking regular asthma meds...tis the season!  Today was the first day of spring break and it was amazing!   We traveled to little Washington, honestly for a warehouse sale, but I will take any excuse to go to the waterfront!   It is beautiful!  We all went to the estuarium.  The estuarium was okay, but geared towards an older audience (as in 70+, jk, but older!).   The wildlife around the waterfront was awesome...the kids spotted multiple species of turtles, birds, and fish....we should've saved our money and just enjoyed a nature walk!  

We hope to have lots of big and amazing things to share this year, but at this point, time will tell!

2014 Year in Review

I can't believe another year has passed.  We've seen so many highs and a few lows.  This year started out with a pledge to blog more and that didn't happen.  We were all so busy with our jobs and life that blogging got away from us.   This year, we all ran our first 5Ks...yes plural for a reason; all of us ran at least 2!  We had so much fun doing it as a family!   We also had our first and second set of stitches!   I can't say "first trip to the children's Emergency Room," because Bella boo broke us in with that when the sewing needle that she had stepped on broke off in her foot.  Coleson rekindled our love/hate relationship with children's emergency department this year when we had to get two sets of stitches above his eye!  The first from jumping on the bed; apparently he didn't understand the message about the monkeys jumping on the bed!  The second from a freak accident with the same "healed" spot!   On a more positive note, Bella started "reading" with comprehension this year and the boys finally are potty trained!  Will and I have both worked very hard this year and between the both of us have earned grants and trips for our work!  We are very excited that our hard work and dedication is paying off.  We have very big plans for 2015, including a year of handmade gifts and can't wait to share it with all of you!

Mother of the Year Strikes Again

Mother of the year strikes again, but it wasn't a complete epic fail.  I seem to have the worst luck with vomiting at the most inopportune time...of course I'm not sure there is ever a good time.  Bella and the boys have thrown up on road trips and in restaurants like it was their job.  I've had to change both myself and my children in public more times then I can count. Today on the way to Will's parents, Kipton started throwing up everywhere in Will's truck.  Literally in the middle of some small town in NC, I proceed to strip my son down to just his diaper while I clean him up.  Then I allow him to sit in the front seat while I throw the seat and all the contents of the back seat on the sidewalk so I can clean the car seat and the truck seat!  Thank goodness I had a change of clothes for Kipton and a hoodie for myself so that I could remove my own vomit covered shirt...because if I'm being completely honest I have left a restaurant with a naked child and a different restaurant in Will's shirt!  Never a dull moment for this clan!

I laugh in the face of Chaos

Let me paint the scene for you...

I needed some stuff from Lowes (Home Improvement, not the food store) and I didn't want to get out the big stroller because there was too much stuff on it, so Bella agreed to push a small umbrella stroller along side of me.  The boys know how to walk in the umbrella stroller, so they don't truly contain them, merely slow them down.  As I'm coaxing Bella to stay with me and making decisions about exactly which pipe I want, one boy has decided to walk the stroller around the aisle nearly hitting an unsuspecting couple.  I make a decision and we start strolling around Lowes, because I like to look around Lowes for my next project.  Innocent people are dodging Bella and the boy she is pushing because let's face it, she is a simply a "bad" driver on her BEST day!  After walking halfway across the store, I change my mind and decide on a bigger(almost as tall as me) pipe and proceeded to put it in the storage basket of the stroller.  So as we're headed to the checkout, I get a phone call and have a brief chat while everyone in the store is looking at me pushing a child with a LARGE pipe sticking out of the stroller, while fussing at another child who is pushing another boy ahead without waiting on me.  A Lowes staff member stops and comments, "you have your hands full!"  I shook my head yes, because the only thing that could come to my head and out of my mouth was ridiculously sarcastic so I chose to keep my mouth closed!

This may seem like chaos to many, but this is my life and it doesn't even phase me!

Snow Day 2014

We got snow...it happens on very rare occasions, so what looks like a dusting to most, is a good size snow for us!

PS.  Bella Boo was out of town spending a few days with her Nana! 

Homemade Gifts

One of my New Year's resolutions was more homemade gifts, so here is the first homemade gift of the year...a mermaid outfit for an AG doll.  I made this pattern from scratch, so I will post the pattern and tutorial soon!

2013 Year in Review

So I can't believe it's been over a year since I've posted!  I had to let some things go this last year, because I was too busy to do it all, so blogging was the first to go, but as per my New Year's Resolution, I'm going to make much more of an effort in 2014!  Here are a few I missed blogging on in 2013...

"The Boys" are best friends! 

Our Easter spent with the Voelps!

Love M&M's

It's the middle of Summer...no clothing required!

Enjoying the new splash ground in Greenville!

Broke ground on "Cooper's Play Cottage!"

Our favorite girl twins graduated!

We love our mom's crazy spaghetti!  

July fourth and a little bit of farm and gator!

We mow!

Happy birthday to the boys!

Our Grandparents came back into the states to enjoy our company!

Robert and Kim became some of our favorite people in the world!

We climb!

We love a pirate tailgate...

Our parents love the pirates!

Magnet man become a member of our family!

Wagons are the bomb!

No love lost here between Owen and Bella!

The Voelps visited for homecoming!

We love each other!

Halloween, Panther style!

Loving the spaciousness of the new truck!

Self Medication!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yep, we're twins!

The lost colony!

Currituck Lighthouse!

Happy Birthday Bella Boo!

Merry Christmas!

Things We Learned Tonight

How could these two cuties reek havoc?  

 The answer is EASILY!

So here is what my little sweet trouble makers helped me discover tonight:

• Remote controls do float in the toilet!  Thanks Coleson for enlightening me.
• Small and large pieces of toilet paper would make suitable replacements for Hansel and Gretel's crumbs...they lead you straight back to the scene of the crime!
• Water is apparently much more fun when it is poured outside the tub. 
• Breathing treatments SUCK with 14 month old boys!  Even though they only last approximately 7 mins, it seems like an eternity when you are fighting to keep the mask on, while they are arching and trying to pull the mask off!  Then when one is finished, you still have one more to do, whew!

With all that said, it's just another night in the household of the Crazy Coopers!

St. Louis

Even though St. Louis, MO was the hottest vacation EVER...we had a great time hanging out with family as always.  Will and I always talk about how much we wish we got to see the family more often and lived much closer!  Here are some highlights!

 Bella Boo and Liam try badminton!

 July 4th sparklers!

 Ready for the Children's Museum!

 Father/Daughter paddle boating!

 Liam is such a ham!

Sassy pants!

Bella Boo's Swim Lessons

10 Months

Pure Bliss

I don't want to paint a picture that my life is perfect and there are not afternoons and nights that I don't want to pull out my hair, but my children make me so incredibly happy!!!

Take today for example; I did not have a good day at school, it was the kind of day where I question everything, but then I get to come home to my wonderful children who put the biggest smile on my face.  I have the boys, who are like little ducklings and follow the mama duck everywhere, which just warms my heart!  Then there is my high spirited 4 year old, who yells out "Mom, this song rocks!" while we were listening to James Taylor's "Mexico" and then proceeds to get on top of her stool and dance!  How could you not forget about the bad day and just smile!

Awww....this is Happiness!!!

Teaching

Growing up, I ASSUMED that teachers had an easy job...off in the summers and holidays, and worked from 8 to 3!  Boy was I wrong!  It wasn't until I became a teacher until I realized exactly what the job entailed.  Recently, our local paper put an editorial that was very negative about teachers in the paper; personally I think it was to stir the pot and sell papers, but that is beside the point.

Teaching, for me is a Love/Hate relationship.  I LOVE my students.  I LOVE watching their growth each year both physically and intellectually.  I LOVE the joy I see in their eyes when I see them master a skill and/or explore a new entity.  I LOVE their innocence on the playground as they imagine they are super heroes or Star War's characters.  I LOVE that I can give them something as simple as an atlas or a rock and we can have a scavenger hunt that will last for hours.  I LOVE the perspective and connections that they can make between texts, themselves, and the world without me even giving them hints.  I LOVE that when we play freeze dance, that we can all laugh and have an awesome time!  I LOVE that they LOVE technology, because I do too and I LOVE all that we can do with our smartboard!  I LOVE them as if they were my own children for at least 180 days and most of the time more!  Last, I LOVE that they can put a smile on my face even at 7:25 in the morning!

Hate...such a strong word, so let's go with DISLIKE!  I DISLIKE all the assessments I have to give, and so do my students...I always apologize in advance!  I DISLIKE that they can only have 30 mins of recess on Non-PE days because I think there is a ton of learning that can happen through imaginative play.  I DISLIKE that I have to assess them ALL the time...did I mention that already?!  I DISLIKE Read 3D, that is a very time consuming assessment!!!  I DISLIKE all the stress!!!

I got into teaching because I LOVED children...that has not changed, nor will it!  My fear is that we have become such a data driven society, that we have gotten away from teaching and more into assessment.

Nine Months

I have been so slack about updating the blog, but I have also been super busy! I'm hoping this summer I can get back into the groove. The boys are doing well...they LOVE to eat! Both boys are loving baby food and we are slowly working on more "real" solid foods!

Coleson, pictured below, has 3 more top teeth coming in. He is definitely using the army crawl to get around and "attacks" any foods put on his tray!

Kipton, seen below, has two top teeth coming in. He is gotten really good at sitting up and loves to smile!

Both boys are happy and healthy and we cannot ask for anything more!