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.