ENT update.

Welp, its official. I have lost count of how many ear infections Cooper has had. But he has one yet again and with it so early in the cold season, his doctor thinks tubes is the best choice. (We kinda all knew this would happen.) So October 18 will be the day he says goodbye to constant fluid in his ears and equilibrium problems (we hope!)

His best friend got tubes just a few days ago and recovered within the day and is waaaay happier since. I am definitely more confident about getting tubes than I was 8 weeks ago. I am definitely looking forward to relieving the discomfort my sweet baby has been in.


Since we haven't heard much improvement with his stridor, they have once again extended the window, now we should expect he will grow out of it by age 5. This was beyond disappointing but also not that much of a surprise, either. I'm just so thankful he is hitting milestones like he's supposed to. We are continuing to cherish every moment since time is definitely not slowing down!

Here's to tomorrow!

I can't get through posts without a few tears anymore. Each one is about how much my life, cooper's life and even our life as a family has changed and (usually) improved.

Last night, Cooper blew me a kiss. I instantly teared up. He is turning into such a sweet, sweet boy and it is hard to keep the tears at bay.

We have said good-bye to the bottle, baby food and most recently, the paci. We have said hello to walking, talking (and talking back) a little bit of hitting and defiance and sadly I am sure biting is just around the corner.

Every night there is some new moment that Rick and I look at each other, utterly excited, that tomorrow is going to be even funner (oh, its a word!) than the day before.

I just had no idea how amazing being a mother would be. I had no idea how much more fun our little family was capable of!

So here's to tomorrow! And the absolute joy our dear Cooper has brought into our lives!

This message has been sent using the picture and Video service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, Quicktime@ 6.5 or higher is required.

Thank You Mike!

In lieu of a long, drawn out post about the difficulties we all have experienced with the death of Mike Fawell and the value of life we have been reminded of, I would just like to say...

Tonight, I am thankful for my amazing boys, for the time I have with them and for the ability to cherish them a little more in light of tragedy. I will hold them a little longer, hug them a little tighter and remember to forgive them quickly, for it is not up to us what tomorrow will bring.

Thank you, Mike, for helping me to remember this.

so beyond blessed.

So yesterday was about summing up my sweet baby's first year. Today is about summing up the best school year. Ever.
I am pretty sure the latter was easier.
We have had the year. The year you beg for and the year you dread. I have had 6 years of class "families". I have had more co-teachers than I care to count. I have had a handful of bosses and a few different styles of curriculum in a few different kinds of schools.
But nothing will ever amount to this school, with this co-teacher, with this curriculum, these parents and these kids. These kids.
These kids that we miss when they leave for the summer. These kids that quote us and pretend to be us and maybe sometimes call their parents us.
And these parents, oh these parents. That spoil us with wine parties and gift cards and "comfort" treats because they know how difficult today would be. These parents that tell us how we taught their kids to be better people and them to be better people. These parents that not only value our line of work but are convinced (because its true) we were born to teach and who are trying to figure out ways to get us jobs at their public schools (even if its not true, its still nice to hear!).
This classroom family that went to hell and back and can still laugh and cry and still laugh some more. That slides down the water slide with us and plays tag and duck, duck, goose and may be a little sadder than their kid to leave our room.
If I ever have a moment of weakness and question my path, here is the year that will prove it. I am a teacher, was born a teacher and will always be a teacher. It is said to be the hardest job, but this co-teacher and these families and these kids make it oh so easy.
We, my dear Lauren Moreno, are so, so, sooo beyond blessed to have a year like we did. Cheers!

Happy First Birthday sweet baby Coop!

How do I sum up the most amazing year of my life? It's hard for me to remember what life was like before Cooper, before motherhood.
In the past year, Coop has kept me up countless nights, caused serious physical discomfort in various ways including causing my feet to swell up like jimmy dean sausage logs, been on at least 12 sick visits and a weekend in the hospital, with many diagnosis ranging from ear infections all the way through his floppy voice box aka laryngomalacia, ruined various items of clothing with mushy peas and green beans, has probably given me my first gray hair trying to hear him breathe over the monitor, has even started hitting/pinching and has still brought more joy to my heart than I ever knew was possible.
He is more than walking-ish. Each day he has a little more confidence than the last (what a man, right?) and will be running any day now.
He is more than talking-ish. He says: mama, dada, dog, uhoh, byebye, thank you, and countless other things that I have yet to decipher.
He is definitely more than siging-ish. He signs: byebye, milk, more, eat, all done, dog, and is very close to please and thank you.
I just cannot believe how challenging/fun/emotional/exciting this year has been. How having this beautiful baby has made me a better person, woman, wife, daughter, friend and teacher. Each day is better than before and each day he does something equally as amazing.
Today was the birthday dance. It consisted of Coop stomping his feet, bouncing on his knees and throwing his body onto the bed while I sang him happy birthday. (Don't worry, I got a video!) The day before was me asking him why he was crying and him instantly showing me the sign for eat. Each night I go to bed, I am so excited to see what cool thing will happen the next day.
So happy birthday sweet Cooper James and thank you, thank you, thank you for choosing us to be your parents!

peace is calm in your heart.

In the midst of an earthquake, a hurricane and many tragedies, this past week has challenged my core in the most chaotic sense. Just thought I would share the mantra that I am repeating to keep myself steady and grounded. May you all find a calm in your own hearts.

The best classroom family...

There are a million things I have missed blogging about... Cooper got his 7th? (I may have lost count) postcard in New York, he is walking-ish, talking and throwing 3 year old fits, not to mention Rick and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary (we lost count on that, too!). But tonight with tragedy weighing heavy on my heart I must blog about my classroom family.

I should've met my co-teacher a million times before. She and I have crossed paths so many times its a little bit ridiculous we didn't meet. Between VCU, common friends and even hanging out with her brother a few times, it just didn't make sense why we kept missing each other.

So when we did finally get together, we instantly realized it was a relationship long overdue. We brought (and still bring) the best out of each other and with that we have brought out the best in every single kid in our class. We have had (as you have previously read) one of the best years a teacher could ever ask for.

All year we have questioned why it took us so long to meet. What is it about our kids that have touched us more deeply than any other group of students? What is it about us that has touched this group more than any other teacher?

For a long time I thought it was the success in our diaper drive. We exposed a group of families to economic difficulties they may not have been exposed to and the beauty of making a difference. But that wasn't it at all...

Last night, a father of one of our students was hit on his bicycle by a truck. He is finally stable but has a long recovery and we aren't even sure the details of that recovery after such serious brain trauma. Every bone in his face was broken along with many others in his body. A part of his skull was removed to make room for brain swelling.

In the face of tragedy I can safely say, this is what it was about. We were being prepared to come together for this family. This is the true test of why it took us so long to meet, why we have spent 12 months touching each other and creating the deepest bond I have ever felt in a classroom family.

So here we are, ready for the next challenge. We are a family and we will get through this. We will face this tragedy and not only come out of it stronger, but better because of it. And I will continue to trust that everything happens for a reason.

my big boy...

...walked today! Like full-fledged walked. He has been thinking about it, he has been wanting to, but he hadn't quite gotten it together. He is super fast at crawling and cruising but today was the first time he took multiple steps in a row.
When I pick him up from his class, I usually wait for him to realize I'm there before I walk all the way in. Today, he was standing when I came in and when he saw me he walked right on over.
I couldn't believe it. I started crying/screaming/kissing him all at once while I scooped him right up into my arms. I have never been so proud! And its only just begun. I am so blessed. We are so blessed. My big boy... :)

Wouldn't change a thing!

Usually I am excited to go to the doctor. We find out how much Coop has grown and they often spend a solid 5 minutes of our 15 minute visit talking about how beautiful/handsome he is (which they probably say to all the moms but I believe it anyway!)
I don't even mind the shots so much now because Coop handles them like a champ and I know how important they are especially for a kid that catches EVERYTHING!
But the ENT is a different story. As you have read before, the throat scope is definitely heavy on the heart. I am not too proud to admit that I don't like to handle this on my own. Even with someone there to support me (usually my dad) I still have a hard time keeping it together.
But... today they skipped the scope! I couldn't have been happier. Even with my dad's muscles and the nurse's help, it is difficult to hold him down for the physically painless procedure and often times even more difficult to watch. I could've cried that we, Coop especially, didn't have to go through that once again.
I asked the doctor about the incessant cough that Coop has, even on his healthiest days. He thinks it might be linked to reflux so they are putting him on a daily medication that should help.
He also said that Cooper still has a significant amount of fluid in his ears which explains his regular ear infections. He is pretty sure Coop will get another one once cold season hits in which case he thinks tubes are the best choice.
When they first brought tubes up, I was fine but that was when I thought it was a procedure only requiring a local. Today the doctor said they would have to put him to sleep for the procedure. I'm pretty sure the doctor saw the sadness in my eyes because he was quick to tell me they do it all the time and not to worry.
I feel way more confident in our choice of doctor now that we have built a relationship with him. I am starting to feel like Dr. Brager remembers Cooper and his symptoms which makes me trust his opinions and the prognosis. We go back in 8 weeks unless an ear infection comes first. And we will cross those bridges when we get there.
Fingers remain crossed for some improvement in his stridor, because so far it seems pretty stagnate. The outlook is that at 12-18 months we should start hearing a difference (the window keeps getting extended...)
I have to admit, I am starting to get really sick of people assuming he is sick and congested. Honestly, I prefer you to ask why he sounds this way instead of giving me judgmental looks and pulling your own children away like he is a leper (you won't catch it I swear).
I said a long time ago that this would probably resolve itself the minute I let go. Not only letting go of what people think but also letting go of the feeling of constantly wanting to explain. Guess I still have some work to do.
Until then I am going to enjoy my sweet little squeak toy who is definitely more a toddler than a baby, with all the fickleness and attitude that comes with it. And remind myself that even with all of these throat scopes and ENT visits and awful stares... I would not change a thing about my sweet baby coop.

hello sippy goodbye bottle!

Cooper has never been attached to anything. He has never been crazy about the paci nor does he have a blankie that he can't live without. The closest thing to any kind of attachment would be his teddy. He gets really excited when he sees it and instantly tries to love on it, but when its not there, he doesn't seem to notice.

One would think with that being said, he couldn't possibly be attached to his bottle.

Boy, were we wrong.

With his 12 month birthday coming way faster than we would like, it seemed the best choice to start figuring out when we would make the switch. The doctor said we should start 2 weeks before but that would be days before our long weekend to NYC and coop's first night without one of us.

I didn't want to do that to my parents or to him. So we decided with his 11 month coming up, to just cold turkey the bottle.

It was awful.

Apparently my precious son picked the bottle to be attached to. The first bottle free day, we did soooo much trying to wear him out and I'm not sure if the affect was positive or negative. He didn't seem to mind skipping the day bottles BUT that night he screamed for at least 2 hours.

I thought night 2 would be better but it was wayyy worse. He screamed for over 2 hours and was beyond angry. He swatted at my hands when I tried to comfort him. I had a melt down. We are talking full-fledged bawling (in the hallway of course). To make matters worse, Rick took him during night and ended up giving into to a bottle filled with water.

I won't get into how fun that was to find out about the next morning...

This by far has been the hardest thing for me to navigate. Everything that I have believed in as a teacher and parent about consistency and firmness has been challenged. I want to give in. I want to just give him what he wants. But I can't. I would be a hypocrite if I did.

But last night (night 3) was a little bit easier and already tonight is even a little better. So, I think it is safe to say we have officially said goodbye to the bottle!

This message has been sent using the picture and Video service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, Quicktime@ 6.5 or higher is required.

getting to the good part.

We have passed 10 month's in Cooper's sweet, sweet life and nearing a year faster than I would like.

I can't believe how quickly things are going (will I ever?) Coop is getting cuter, funnier, LOUDER, busier and definitely smarter by the day.

And with all of these mostly adorable qualities comes some of the realizations that I had no idea what I was in for.

Like how I am currently typing while Coop is either banging on the keyboard (I have had to retype this at lease 5 times) or laughing as he figures out he can close the screen. Or how he has definitely learned the word NO but when I say it will look at me with this blank stare and bat his eyelashes, the look that I am sure he will use for the rest of his life and will work for at least half.

Or how he has figured out how to snuggle, like really snuggle, with me or Daddy or even Fletch and he looks so proud when he does. Or how he has figured out how to wave and does it pretty regularly and it just makes my heart melt. (How can a simple wave be so cute?)

But my favorite new thing has got to be the dancing. Oh my sweet little dancer. Usually its Jack Johnson that gets him going but most everything with a good beat will get his hips bouncing. Sometimes he will even dance and drum his hands at the same time.

Babies are nice and all and I am a little sad about Coop growing up (Did I mention I had a melt down when I ordered his first birthday invitations?) but we are starting to get to the good part. The really good stuff where we can explore and play and make messes and have a blast! I am so happy to be his momma.

Shelton Beach Week..filled with traditions.

Cooper's 6th postcard is a doozy.


My dad is 1 of 6 children. Each sibling is married and has between 1 and 4 children each and now 2 of the grandchildren have children of their own. 

We have been taking this annual vacation for 30 years. The stories range from stories of all 6 kids and their parents sleeping in one hotel room all the way to people having to sleep on balconies, in bathrooms, wherever they could find a place to rest their head.


I barely remember a time when we all fit in one beach house.


Today, there are 33 of us! My grandmother's brother and his wife usually attend every year as well which makes 35!

Within this week, there are a million traditions packed in, like getting the annual Brew Thru t-shirt and picking bushels of crabs for hours sitting around one two tables. Some traditions are newer like fishing in Oregon Inlet. There are other traditions that have died like shooting off fireworks Uncle Steven smuggled in from South Carolina and building fire-camps on the beach while the young cousins (we are actually the old cousins now) put on shows and sang "Roll the Old Chariot Along" but the memories have far from died. 


One thing remains the same. We have a wonderful time and we all eat WAY too much.


This was Cooper's very first beach week and he had a blast! If I was ever worried he wouldn't enjoy the beach as much as his daddy and I do, I will not worry again. He had a blast watching Delaney run around the surf and if he could walk on his own he would've learned to run trying to keep up with her. 


At one point, he was on all fours crawling into the waves, letting the waves crash on him.

 It was perfect. I am tearing up as I as I write, just now beginning to fully grasp the importance of this family vacation. The fellowship and quality time that is created. I am so thankful. I cannot wait for Cooper to grow up doing this every year, just like I did.

chitown... a best friend tribute.

So as you probably remember, my best friend, Shannon (who also happened to be my maid of honor and happens to be Cooper's godmother) moved to Chicago shortly before Cooper was born. In fact, I distinctly remember endlessly praying that she would have to cancel her going away party to spend the weekend in the hospital with her newborn godson. Not so lucky as you can see...

So my wonderful best friend flew back the following weekend to visit us and meet Cooper after his birthday. In fact, she even surprised us on Christmas Eve for Cooper's Baptism and has visited us every chance she has gotten. 


To say we owed her a visit in Chitown is an understatement! We made plans for Cooper and I to have a weekend in May only to realize a few months before that it was Mother's Day weekend. Whomp....


We scheduled for us to come Memorial Day weekend, but the prices were absurd. We waited and waited and then all of a sudden it was the week before and the prices still hadn't come down. I had conceded that maybe this just wasn't going to happen. I needed a break from Richmond so bad, but it just didn't seem feasible.


Then, on the Tuesday before Memorial Day weekend, Shannon sent a text saying there was a deal running on American for $69 each way. I called Rick immediately and before I was home from work that day. Coop and I were headed to Chicago!

Of course the weather was terrible while we were there, but it didn't matter. Turns out all I needed was some one-on-one time with my best friend. I didn't realize how much I missed her until we got to spend 3 days together. We drove around the city, walked around the shops, swam in her indoor pool and even ate at the BEST Nawlins restaurant. But by far the best part was laying in our jammies, watching old reruns of Beverly Hills 90210 and talking endlessly about anything and everything all over a bottle (or 2) of wine. 


It was a wonderful weekend. Cooper even knocked Illinois off his state list and added a 5th postcard to his travel box!


I hope everyone is lucky enough to have a friend like Shannon.

Shannon and Coop in Chicago

One of my most favorite pictures. 

Right before this, Shannon asked if she would be my maid of honor (This was at least a year before I met my husband!)

lazy saturday!

I owe a few blog posts. One on Coop's first trip to Chicago and one on how he has really started signing. I should probably write a post about how I started on Coop's year one photo book and I had to quit because I cried about the thought of my sweet baby coop turning a year old! Oh, and I can't leave out the first stare down that Coop and I had today over him banging on our DVD player and not liking the fact that I said no.


But right now, I am enjoying the fact that we had a lazy saturday. One that had absolutely no plans or commitments, something that we haven't had in a long time. And I am celebrating the fact that Coop slept 8+ hours the last 3 nights and has eaten mostly table food this whole weekend.

So the blogs will come, all those moments will be memorialized. But for right now, I am enjoying the last few moments of this lazy saturday with the most wonderful boys a girl could ask for!

Ps. Happy Father's Day (tomorrow) to the Most Wonderful Father I know.

still my little squeak toy!

We went to the ENT back in March to get a clearer picture (literally) of Cooper's noisy breathing a.k.a. his stridor. Today was our follow up visit and definitely didn't go as well as hoped.


The doctor had hoped we would notice significant improvements over the last 3 months and that he wouldn't even have to re-scope him. Sadly, that was not the case. 


In fact, during this second scope, they also discovered yet another reason why his breathing is so noisy. He also has a mild case of subglottic stenosis a.k.a. narrowing of the airway. So not only is his voicebox's cartilage weak and floppy but his vocal cords are narrower than average, both of which contribute to the stridor.


What does this mean? Well, it means we will be going to the ENT every 3 months until there is some significant change. It means we have to be extra careful about food allergies because the reactions could be life threatening for Cooper. It means Cooper is going to remain our human squeak toy until about 3 or 4 and will probably have to sit out of quiet games like sardines and hide-n-seek. (Thankfully surgery doesn't seem to be a concern unless it starts to worsen or interferes with his development.)


So hopes of Coop not remembering all of this are sort of evaporating. In fact, when we walked into the dimly lit procedure room where they do the scope, Cooper flipped out, like he knew or remembered something bad was going to happen.


But it could be worse. He could be refusing food, having difficulty swallowing and this could interfere with his ability to thrive. And it's not. He is definitely a healthy, growing, strong boy, with more perseverance than I have seen in a baby.


I am confident his thriving will continue and that one day he will be able to play hide-n-seek with his friends! :)

I said I'd save the world...

My class and the other teacher in my classroom are pretty much rockin'. And just when the excitement surrounding the class starts to die out, it booms. And when I say boom, we are talking like slam-in-your-face-this-is-waaay-bigger-than-we-ever-expected kinda boom.

Let me explain...

Rainbow Station was asked to present a 13 minute presentation as one of the leading innovative business as the Richmond Chamber of Commerce (alongside business like BioTaxi and The Martin Agency). The presentation is to be on the inspiration of the innovation, what kind of innovations come from that inspiration and what impact the innovations make.

Well as you read before about being exactly where I am meant to be, our innovation is obviously the 7 Habits of Happy Kids. They are life lessons, teaching children (basically from the first moment that can speak) to be leaders in their own right. In some cases, such as the Diaper Drive (or another class at a different school organized and raised money through a Trike-a-thon for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital) they are teaching children about the world around them, learning compassion and understanding that generally aren't usually considered age appropriate emotions.

What makes this innovation even more amazing, is that it isn't just the kids that are impacted. The children are impacting their TEACHERS, parents, siblings, extended families, too. They are impacting their local communities and even other communities around the country which lends itself to economic impacts as well.

This is a small seed that is blossoming in ways that can't ever be measured, in some cases no one will ever even realize.

These children will have these habits or paradigms or tapes playing in their minds about how to approach people and conflicts and life in general. They will be better people because of it and with this amazing wildfire catching on, they will start changing the world. 

Three teachers from all of the Rainbow Station schools were selected to assist our 8 preschoolers and 8 school-agers prepare and help Gayle, the brains behind all this innovation, deliver this 13 minute presentation to over 200 people. Oh, did I mention we have 2 weeks, which is apparently A LOT of time for things like this! (Ironically enough, we are presenting on our graduation day, June 23. Details to follow because it will be streamed online live!)

I said when I was about the same age as these kids, that I wanted to save the world. This might not save the world but it is the step in the right direction and I am so excited to be a part of it.

[This is me with my amazing teacher at our Diaper Drive Bake Sale. She is the best teammate I have EVER had. This school year, would've only been half as successful if it weren't for her! :)]

Best Brothers!

I think maybe my two "sons" have graduated from best friends to best brothers. I am not sure if it is the amount of time the two have spend together or if it that Cooper can interact with Fletch more (probably a little bit of both) but I am unsure of who is having more of an impact on the other.


I used to call Fletch my K-9 son, but now I think it is appropriate to actually refer to Cooper as our human pet. Coop spends most of his time at home crawling behind Fletch on all fours. I swear he even shakes his behind as if he has a tail. And more recently his incessant tongue thing has graduated to a full fledged tongue hanging. We are talking all the way down to his chin. Our bold human pet has even gathered enough confidence (and motor skills) to play tug-o-war with Fletch and his chicken aka Fletch's Sophie giraffe (This is actually Chicken II much like Sophie II.) 

As if it could get any more obvious the love the two of them share... Cooper will now choose the chicken OVER Sophie and I am embarrassed to admit, we have even caught Cooper trying to eat Fletch's dog food. He may or may not have slipped one in his mouth, but that is a whole 'nother post.


I guess if I have to go through a dog-food-in-baby's-mouth-scare once in a while to have a dog and child that get along so well, than it is worth it because they truly are the best of friends brothers and I am sure there will be more stories were these came from!

postcard project take #4

We have added New York to Cooper's last of states visited bringing the total to 7 states in his short not-quite-9-months life. With this new state, is also the 4th installment in the postcard project. (You can also read about  installment #3, but it seems I never blogged installment #2 i. e. Key West- must of been during that blogging hiatus I took. So that has been added to my lengthy to-do list! :)


We traveled through the night on Wednesday to Long Island for my sister-in-law's Southampton beach wedding. We weren't in town very long because I had a class Saturday morning but it was quite the wonderful mini-vacation even with over 14 hours in the car and 1,100 miles we put on my car. It was all worth it to see Jennie and Brian tie the not as well as get to take Cooper to his very own Beach.


It is true. The #1 Beach in America is called Cooper's Beach so of course we had to take Coop. He was definitely unsure about his toes in the sand at first but he warmed up to it, which is a good thing because this family loooooves their toes in the sand!


The funny thing is, Rick and I realized we had been to Cooper's Beach before when we went to Long Island in 2007. Kinda crazy, right?


I am really excited for Cooper to have these postcards as he gets older. He is going to have the pictures and wonder about the details. Along with the postcards he will have all kinds of little mementos to remember (or pretend to remember) all the fun times we have together, as a family. Hopefully they will help remind him that life is about adventures!

And for posterity's sake...

Cooper's Beach circa 2007

Proud Momma!

August 30, 2010 was the best day of my life (and I have had a LOT of wonderful days!)
It is so unreal the amount of love I have for this child. It was on this day that I finally got a glimpse, if only a small one, into the amount of love that God has for each and every one of us.
I really must say thank you to my own mother and every other woman that has touched my life to help me be the mother I am today. Even those that don't have their own children have still managed to teach me how to love a little more deeply.

I am so thankful to be exposed to many different women with their many different mothering ways and their many lessons learned.

I am so beyond proud to be the mother of my sweet baby Coop! :)
Happy (First) Mother's Day! :)

all you need is love.

Two wrongs don't make a right.


I get it. I get that lives were lost and awful things are attributed to this person, and he may even be responsible for every single terrorist activity that has occurred. I get that those lives will never be replaced and the damage will never be taken back.


But somehow, I just cannot wrap my head around feeling happy about a murder.


We are supposed to be happy about a baby being born and happy about getting an A on a test and happy about having an article written about your young philanthropists. But a murder? 


I guess we could get really deep into politics and personal beliefs and conclude that everyone feels a little bit different. I have no intentions of changing anyone else's thoughts or feelings about this. In fact, I am trying to understand other's opinions. I will be the first to admit that I didn't lose anyone close to me at 9/11 but even if I had, I pray this still wouldn't make me happy.


My God has taught me that he loves EVERYONE. There are no exclusions, ifs, ands, or, buts about it. EVERYONE and as much as it is hard to say, even Bin Laden.


All day, I have struggled with how I am feeling about this situation. It wasn't until I read this quote by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that I felt like I had figured it out.


‎"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."


So I choose love. I choose to pray for those who choose hate and love them anyway. Love them they way I was loved and the way that I have been taught to love.

upside to everything.

Our doctor was able to get Coop in at 8:45 this morning. His fever was up to 102.6 last night so we were sure a sick visit was in order. I am so thankful for an amazing practice who would rather see my baby on a Sunday than send us to KidMed.

After a quick assessment and a strep test, our doctor concluded that he has a virus of the coxsackie kind, ie. yet another waiting game! Ya know, lots of fluids, tylenol and ibuprofen. Great! (Can you sense my sarcasm?)

The virus usually consists of 3-4 days of fever and blisters in the mouth and throat. She said not to be surprised if it gets worse tomorrow. Even better! (Now you gotta hear my sarcasm!)
Today there is an additional treatment that we haven't gotten before... our lucky (sick) duck also gets sherbet to soothe his throat, doctors orders. There truly is an upside to everything.

positive people with a splash of 80s

Sadly, there are always those people who try to rain on your parade. Ya know those unhappy people I am talking about... Whether its snarky comments under their breath or extremely mean ones behind your back, they are there. I try to stay focused and remember that I am doing what I do best and shouldn't let those negative people or their thoughts effect me. Some days are definitely easier than others and when I am tempted to stoop to their level I read my favorite Mother Teresa quote.


People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.


If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.


If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.


If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.


What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.


If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.


The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.


Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.


You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway.


Because it really isn't about my relationship with anyone else but God. But surrounding myself with positive people and their positive vibes (with a splash of 80's music) doesn't seem to hurt at all!

exactly where I am meant to be!

This week has been one of the most amazing in my teaching career. I don't use the term career lightly because officially it feels like an actual career. I am making a name for myself and a long list of experiences and accomplishments to go with it.

This week my class won the NBC12's Acts of Kindness Award and was awarded $300 for their cause. The cause? Supporting the Capital Diaper Bank. 

I came across the Capital Diaper Bank back in the Fall when they first opened. I was extremely interested in helping and thought it would be the perfect philanthropy project for my school.

When I presented the idea to my bosses they mentioned a new program to be implemented called Brainworks and thought this would fit in perfectly.

[A little bit of background: This school year, my school started some special training by Stephen Covey called 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Long story short, it has been introduced on a kid level in a book called 7 Habits of Happy Kids in magnet schools throughout the world. Rainbow Station's founder thought it would be brilliant to try and introduce it at the preschool level as well which has never been done before. We spent MLK Jr. Day learning ways to implement the 7 habits into our daily curriculum and teaching styles.]

Enter Brainworks. After all the kids learned the 7 habits (it is unbelievable how they really got them.) We began our Brainworks Brainstorm. I told the kids about the mommies in need and how the Capital Diaper Bank helps those mommies and babies too. The kids loved the idea. They decided they could collect diapers, money and even sell stuff to raise even more money. They organized a bake sale complete with hand written posters to pass out and coin jugs they painted. They went from classroom to classroom to tell the other kids and teachers about their cause and raised over $242 at their bake sale and already a pack-n-play full of diapers.

One of the parents wrote an article for the Wyndham Wire (the community newsletter) and I even sent some information to our franchise PR person to nominate them for the NBC12 Award. AND WE WON!

Sabrina Squire and her camera guy showed up last week to award the class with $300 for their cause and even interviewed the kids. 

I am so beyond words. This class is amazing. One of those classes that is going to be VERY difficult to let go. They are so special to me and this is all just amazing. Ms. Lauren (my co-teacher) and I just couldn't be prouder.

Kristi Stilson over at Children R First is even writing about us and is also doing an article in Richmond Family Magazine about the Capital Diaper Bank where we will also appear.

This another one of those moments where I look around and realize I am exactly where I am meant to be!

Look for us on NBC12 Tuesday, May 3 at 5:00pm.

no slowing down!

In the last few weeks, Cooper went to Kings Dominion for the first time, celebrated his first Easter and went to his first concert, Jimmy Buffett to be exact.


He went from scooting to full fledged crawling on his knees today and is now being offered real food (even though he seems to choose puffs over everything).


He even had his first high fever which is really not something to brag about. Apparently he wants to go ahead and get ready for his May sick visit, since we will leave no month out. Our doctor is going to meet us at the office tomorrow because, well, we have the best doctor. 


He is also making his first transition into a new classroom with a new teacher. (Which brings on a whole list of other feelings because we will have to say goodbye to his amazing teacher, Ms. Tiffanie. I KNOW his next teachers are going to be wonderful too but that still doesn't make it easier to let Ms. Tiffanie go. I definitely spent the better part of the last 2 weeks trying to convince her to move up with him, but to no avail!)


So as you can see... we have been quite the busy bees and show now signs of slowing down! We have lots to trips coming up including Long Island and Chicago in May and Virginia Beach and Outer Banks in June. This family doesn't slow down for anything!

Cooper riding rides at KD

 Celebrating Grandad's Birthday at Jimmy Buffett in Raleigh

 Rocking the bunny ears with Emery

Hanging out at the Monument Easter on Parade

Ms. Tiffanie with Cooper and Emery :)

digging our lifestyle change!

We got rid of the cable.


Its soo expensive and we really aren't home enough to use it, especially that the weather is nice, we are spending more time outside. We want to raise Cooper with mud pies and worms not spongebob and power rangers. 


We are spending more time together and it is the good quality time. We are talking to each other more and just overall interacting more as well. And we even added a Saturday night movie to our weekly routine.


Who knows if we will do this forever... (definitely not during football season) But so far we are digging this lifestyle change.

tissues in hand...

I just can't keep it together anymore.


I am a sappy mess.


There I said it. I admit it.


I walked into Cooper's classroom to get him after school and as soon as he saw me, he kicked his feet, started hitting his hands on his legs and squealing in delight. The closer I got to him, the more excited he got and when I picked him up, he hugged me, like really pulled me in close.


And what did I do? I cried! Happy tears of course, but still...


I never, ever understood moms before now. I thought I knew everything. I swore I would be different. I said I wouldn't be the one that cried at, well... EVERYTHING.


But now, now I get it. I get why moms cry on their sweet baby's first day of Kindergarten and why my mom cried as she watched me walk down the aisle. I get it. I am actually crying as I even try to fathom the amount of love and happiness I feel toward that sweet, sweet boy.


So thank you, God. Thank you for giving me this beautiful gift. Not just the gift of having my baby but of being able to experience this amount of emotion and to do it with the man that I love.


I have never felt so blessed.


So I guess now is a good time to go ahead and attach a box of tissues to my hand, for life.