Dodger Baseball with the Cook Boys

Colby and Carson

It's that time of year and Carson is almost done with his regular season of baseball with the Dodgers- complete with his dad as Head Coach and Colby as the official bat boy! We are going into the last 2 games undefeated and have had a blast with a lot of our teammates from last year, along with some new ones. Colby was not quite ready to play organized sports, so we decided that the bat boy position would be a perfect entry into all of it. He has loved it and when he is not too hungry or distracted in the dug out- he really does a great job running out to get bats! He is part of the team and makes sure anyone who asks knows that! We only had one wack in the head (of course he wasn't wearing his helmet) and coincidently it had to happen while I was away on my girls trip. No stitches were needed and after a little apprehension, Colby is back in the game!

Colby with his new helmet after getting hit in the head!

He is very serious about being bat boy!

Carson is quite a little ball player!

Coach Rod does an amazing job with these boys! He really loves these kids and has a "ball" with them!

Nothing better than getting the game ball and having a bag of chips!

Carson, Zach (next door neighbor) and Colby before a game!

Spider Monkey

Cooper has officially been given the nickname "spider monkey" by my husband!! A few weeks ago when the historical flood hit the Nashville area, my sweet hubby was on full-time duty with our 3 boys while I was away on a girl's trip with some dear friends. It was during this time, that my wild little almost-2-year-old, rocked daddy's world and hence received the nickname. I received a text from Bunky saying, "Cooper is like a caged spider monkey who has been cut loose". Cooper truly is into EVERYTHING! When I say everything, I don't mean toys, baby Einstein movies, or anything that little boys his age "should" be into- I mean toilets, coloring on the walls, destroying everything in sight, trash digging, climbing on tables, staplers, screwdrivers........ and the list goes on and on. He is non-stop and runs everywhere looking for the next thing to destroy!!

I came back from my trip to an exhausted husband, who truly has a new-found appreciation for my daily routine with the kids. And although I want to pull my hair out most days, I sit back and truly marvel at all God has done in his little life. I can't help but be thankful for his "high energy" and know that things could be very different with this little "Spider monkey", so I just try to remind myself of that on those days that I want to flush him right down the toilet along with all of the toys, food, toothbrushes, etc that he himself has managed to flush down!! :)

How many pieces can I tear this into??

In Daddy's office with the stapler!

The Impact of Teachers

Well, Carson officially finished Kindergarten last week! He had a wonderful year and the progress he made with reading, writing, and even math are simply amazing to me. Holding him back one year was, no doubt, a right decision. His teacher, Miss Mackenzie Riggs, complimented him so much on how well he focused and took responsibility throughout the year. I am so very proud of him! We are truly blessed to have had, what I believe is the BEST kindergarten teacher EVER! Unfortunately, she will be moving to New York City, so we won't get to see her next year. Carson's last day was truly devastating for him as he said his goodbye's to her. It was like a scene from a movie. We said goodbye and as we walked down the hall the flood gates opened and with tears streaming down his face, he said, "Mom, I might not see Miss Riggs again, I need one more hug", then proceeded to run back down the hall and grab her, bawling his little eyes out. He then cried the whole way home, telling me that when he got to Heaven, the first thing he was going to say to God was, "Can you help me find my Kindergarten teacher...her name is Miss Riggs"- how precious is that??

Being the kind of wonderful person she is and knowing that Carson's birthday party was the next day- she took a break from packing and she came to his party!!! Thank God for teachers who REALLY do love their job and care about their kids! OH, and Carson has a framed picture of him and Miss Riggs on his dresser and he prays for her every night- she had quite an impact!