"Sock Hoppin It" with the Cook Brothers

Colby and Cooper's Mom's Day Out program has a 50's party and sock hop each year around Valentine's. The boys dressed up in their 50's best (unfortunately we have a limited supply of this stuff) and had a blast. Colby even "practiced" some dance moves before he went to school that day, with little brother just jumping around behind him in excitement. He even showed me some line dancing he learned after the day's events.

Tis the Season for Sickness

It seems like since before Christmas, someone in this family has been sick! I used to brag about how we seemed to dodge a lot of the illnesses going around, but this year has proven different. No matter how much we wash hands, lysol and disinfect every thing, and take all the right precautions.....we have still managed to get everything from strep, stomach bugs, and fever viruses! Cooper usually tends to get it the worst, with his compromised upper respiratory stuff. I hear the sound of his nebulizer in my dreams often, after all the breathing treatments we have had to give him! Boy- will I ever be glad for the spring to come and the illnesses to go!

I thought it would be fun to remember how each child's personality is when they are sick....as they are so different. So, here is the "typical" when it comes to each one when they are sick:

Carson- Ultra dramatic, you would think he is at "death's door" with even so much as a cough. Needs lots of attention and wants someone close by. Typically, comes down to our room at least 2-3 times a night when sick. Likes to have the following items surrounding the head of his bed or in near reach: a flashlight, a full glass of water, extra blankets, an extra pillow, a full box of tissue, humidifier, barf pan, and a hand towel. We have to set up "shop" to accommodate.

Colby- Doesn't complain- the only way you know he is sick is if he actually has visible symptoms OR from the "look" in his eyes....they are usually droopy and red when he runs a fever. He may be a little more whiny than normal. His only request is to stay in his pj's all day, otherwise, you could basically just leave him alone. His typical response when I check to see how he is feeling is, "a little bit good and a little bit bad".

Cooper- I am truly convinced that it takes a WHOLE lot to get this kid down. He is a bit more clingy when sick, but the magic number for him is a temp of 102.5 or higher- if it's below that, forget it- you wouldn't know anything is wrong. He runs around like a wild Indian. He sounds like he is going to cough his lungs up and out of his chest, but is used to getting up throughout the night to get breathing treatments, so he just rolls with it usually. I feel guilty saying this, but if he's going to be sick then I would just assume he have a higher fever to slow the child down a little! :)

This is Cooper with a fever of 103.8 and pneumonia- Check out Carson's face (He's crazy). None of us know how to react when Cooper slows down this much, because it is so rare!

Colby's 5th Birthday

We celebrated our sweet Colby's 5th birthday on February 10th. He truly is such a joy to our family. He is definitely our most laid back, easy going one of the bunch. Colby is also very respectful and well-mannered. He is my big helper and will often go out of his way to do things, even without being asked! He wanted to celebrate by having his class from Mom's Day out and a few neighbors over for a Scooby Doo party. We LOVE us some Scooby around here- all of us!

Happy 5th Birthday Colby Watson Cook

"Mummy wrap game"

Dog bone relay

Cake time

Carson was really sick so he just had to stay in the room until the very end, when he came out to watch the pinata!

Nonny and Papa got to be here for the party

Lots of Snow!

Cooper ready to get out in the snow

Snow, snow, and more snow!!! Not only did we have a white Christmas this year, but have already used over 1/2 of our 10 allotted snow days missing school....and it's not even through January yet. In fact, my boys are starting to view snow as "not a big deal", whereas they used to get up at the crack of dawn, driving me crazy to get outside and play in it.

Colby with his snowman

My boys- Carson, Colby, and Cooper playing in the snow

Carson with his snowman

Colby with our neighbor, Zach

The boys with our neighbors- Zach and Alexandra

Cooper

Colby

Tiger Basketball 2011

Carson's 3rd year with the Tiger b-ball team

After the game they won this year- so excited!!

Carson is in full swing with basketball again and plays with the EWA league here in Franklin. This is his 3rd year to be on the Tiger Team with Coach Jeremy and Coach Mark. A lot of these boys have played together since the beginning and it is really neat to see how they have "grown" in their knowledge of the game. This year is a "transitional" year, as they have moved up to an older league, where a lot of the teams have older and much bigger kids, and things are much more intense. So, despite more losses than they are used to, it has been a great year for them to build on their skills. Keep in mind that they won the Championship for their age group last year, however, they have only won one game this year. Carson has definitely had a hard time with that, but it has really been a good lesson for him to keep giving his best effort, whether winning or losing! I'm super proud of him!

Carson's 1st year on the Tiger team
(Look how little they are- so cute)

1st year

2nd year after winning the championship!

Reflections on 2010

I always think it is a good thing to take a little time and reflect on the past year as you begin a new one. Most of all, it allows me to center my thoughts on God's faithfulness and the ways HE has provided for and guided me over the past year. It also helps me to think about my hopes and fears for what lies ahead, which translate into goals and things I would try to improve upon or change.

It truly blows my mind how life circumstances can drastically change from one year to the next. I feel like our family has lived out the saying, "You never know what tomorrow holds" over the last couple of years, and can honestly say that I am thankful for these circumstances, as they have allowed me to experience God in a real way, and probably more fully than I could have ever imagined otherwise. In fact, 2 years ago tonight, I was at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in the ICU with Cooper (then only 5 months old), who had just undergone his 2nd major surgery to remove the rare, cancerous tumor from his head and neck.
                                                  

Then, one year ago, yesterday (Dec. 31st), our entire family was at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital delivering the first of many "Cooper Trooper Caring and Courage Kits" to help other families impacted by childhood cancer; with TV crews, hospital staff, and Cooper's oncologist with us, celebrating what the foundation was doing.
                                        

Now, here I sit 2 years later, on this same night, thankful that my boy is cancer "clear" at this time. I here the hum of the monitor as he is sleeping in his room. I wonder where this child gets all his energy. My biggest concerns for him right now are making sure I don't miss a dose of antibiotic for the step throat he got last week, and trying to teach him why biting his brothers is NOT OKAY. God is amazing, faithful, and really does know the plans HE has for us!

Cooper now!

What I want for 2011

I know as a wife, I want to be all God intended for me to be to my husband. I want to be his support, showing him the respect he deserves, I want to be his best friend, his biggest cheerleader, his comfort, his advocate, his challenger, his love that is unconditional.

As a mom, I want to pour love into my children, show them the love of Christ and point them toward HIM, encourage them, discipline and speak truth to them, protect them while also allowing them to fail and learn from their mistakes, demonstrate a loving marriage to them, build into them the qualities and character that God intends, all while keeping my cool! :)

Me with my older 2 boys- Carson and Colby

As a friend, I want to speak truth in love, be myself, laugh often, cry when needed, have no regrets, and treasure the small amount of time that I get to spend with them in this crazy phase of life.

Most importantly, as a daughter of The KING, I want to make my time with Christ a priority, soak in HIS truths, pray more often, and spend more time thanking HIM for all the blessings HE has given me. I want to spend more concentrated time in Bible study and journal more often.

I have lots of specific goals that I won't go into, but that is a general picture. I have to say, while 2010 was full of blessings, there were certainly many moments of uncertainty, fear, sadness, anger, and frustration. However, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God uses all of the "hard" circumstances to mold us, press us, and prod us to fall completely dependent upon the Greatness of who HE is. I look forward to what HE has in store for me and my family in 2011!

A Precious Phone Call

Tonight our phone rang at about 9:30pm, with a call from Dr. Jim Netterville, the amazingly gifted physician who did both surgeries to remove Cooper's tumor. I just had to write a little about this man, who truly is a "hero" to our family and so many others.

I have sent a Christmas card to his office the last couple of years from our family, not necessarily expecting that he would even see it. This year he opened our card and called us at home to thank us, ask about the family, and about what all we were doing with the foundation. We talked for 10 minutes or so, and I don't know if he will ever realize the profound impact it had on me and Rod, that he would take the time out of his busy schedule to call (keep in mind, it has been almost 2 years since he did the 2nd surgery on Cooper). He was so kind and encouraged me with these words, "how wonderful it is that you and Rod listened and obeyed God's calling to help others, when you were going through what some would consider hell on earth."

Cooper with Dr. Netterville 

I have had the opportunity to know quite a few people in the medical field, and I must say that this man is truly one-of-a-kind! Not only is Dr. Netterville the Director of Head and Neck Surgery at Vanderbilt,  an international leading authority on treating head and neck cancer, one of the world's experts in the treatment of skull base tumors and has a vast clinical experience, he is a man of God, humble beyond words, with one of the most caring hearts of anyone I know. I look forward to the day when Cooper is a little older and can personally thank him for what he did. God has gifted this man with an amazing skill, and I still thank the Lord for placing us in Dr. Netterville's care.


We will forever be grateful to this man for removing the sarcoma (which he himself referred to as "the size of a tangerine in an infant's head") through 2 complicated surgeries on Cooper's head/neck. However, the magnitude of our gratefulness for the "person" he is, and not just the "surgeon" cannot really be expressed in words. What a blessing to get this precious phone call tonight!