THE COOPER FAMILY

The big 3-0!

2012-02-06T22:16:00.000-08:00

Well folks- we've made it to Thirty! It's funny- I don't feel much older, or I should say I don't feel much more mature. There are still days when I feel like a little kid that still doesn't have all the answers to life's questions and problems it throws at me. But there are also days when I feel really old and tired- but perhaps that's just carrying around this extra parasite inside me. (Not that I don't love this cute little leech). But I am feeling it! Whew -wee, two months left! But I had a great birthday- that ended with an even greater evening in which I spanked everybody at bowling and got a score of 154! That's right! I beat Josh by 4 pins! I think that might be one of my best scores ever- might need to bowl when pregnant more often. I have been in nesting mode I guess... because I have the urge to paint nearly every surface of the house. I am showing restraint for Josh's sake, but hope to get the Boy's room done before the little one appears. Other exciting news- Annabelle cut the corner of her eye on a filing cabinet and we had to take her to the ER. They had to sedate her to put some stitches in. The ophthalmologist came and did them- I was very grateful. And we were very blessed because it could have been much worse. It narrowly missed her eye and hit the very corner where the eyelids come together. She had 5 stitches put in, and should be good as new soon. It's scary when things like that happen, but it's also part of being a parent and having little ones! I am so grateful that it was not worse- someone was looking out for her. The boys continue to keep us entertained and are starting another season of soccer next month- bring on the rainy games! Josh is busy with work- which at times like this is a blessing! The chickens continue to grow- and we are hoping any day now we will get that first 'golden' egg! Extra worms to whoever lays it! I can't promise there will be an update any time soon, but at least there will be in 2 months!

Big Momma bowling!

Beautiful birthday cake courtesy of my amazing sister-in-law Dawn!

All stitched up!

Evidence of her favorite food- toast with JAM!

Annabelle with her favorite person!

The wall I stenciled behind me- have to take a picture of the whole thing-
thought I did, but pregnancy brain tricked me!

The cutest boys ever!

Family photos taken Dec. 2011

Chickens & A Baby!

2011-09-28T09:14:00.000-07:00

The girls!

First day of school

Making friends at the zoo!

A frog finds a home in my garden

beautiful savoy cabbage from the garden

How does your garden grow?

If you've checked my facebook page lately you will have noticed that we are expanding our family! We got CHICKENS- oh and we are expecting # 4! Due April 10th, 2012. We are so excited to be having another child. Although there is some trepidation too- not sure how I will be able to handle four little ones. But thankfully the boys are both in school now, and next year Ryan will be all day. This had been the hardest first trimester of any one my pregnancies. I have had constant nausea since about week five- unable to get out of bed some days. Thankfully I have had lots of support and help from my sweet Mom, sister and friends. I made it to 12 weeks and now and have been feeling MUCH better! So good in fact that I have been able to get some canning done, and am considering doing some scrapbooking. My last post was about my garden- and I have been so proud of it. Despite being severely neglected in August (not the time of year to neglect a garden) because I was so sick, it has given me tons of tomatoes, lemon cucumbers, broccoli, lettace/spinach, cabbage, carrots, etc. And I will be harvesting my potatoes in the next few weeks. Yum! Now on to the chickens... I have always wanted to have chickens. Convincing my husband was another matter. He finally saw the light of day and we got 5 cute fluffy chicks. A rhode island red, buff orpington, golden sex-link, blue laced red wyandotte, and a plymouth barred rock. I am so excited about those cute girls. They have currently taken over our downstairs bathroom with their giant cardboard box. They are still too young to go out to their coop. But are starting putting on some more feathers and will shortly will be entering their awkward stage! They should start giving us eggs right about when the baby is born. I can taste the omelets now!

2011-05-31T14:49:00.000-07:00

While I can't compete with the beautiful new babies that my sisters have ( which I am sooo excited about & can't wait to hold!), here is the latest of my hard work! I am so excited! My garden makes me smile every day- and I love tucking it in at night. Josh was laughing at me last night because it was raining and almost pitch black but I had to make sure everything was okay. Apart from the occasional slug, things have gone pretty well! I still need to lay down some more pea gravel, but it's looking good. I have been a little disappointed in the poor showing of my carrots, but since there hasn't been much sun I guess it's to be expected! But my broccoli and potatoes are going strong, and when my spinach and lettuce bolt I am thinking about putting in garlic. If you live close let me know if you want some salad greens! Happy Gardening!

beets & onions

Onions! Red, Yellow & Walla Walla sweet

Broccoli

beautiful cabbage

budding red potatoes

Tomatoes! Can't wait!

herbs- mostly cilantro

Thumbs up for Daddy and Annabelle

And I can't forget a big thank you to my husband for building the amazing garden beds, and a shed that will be coming this summer too (right honey?)

Oh life...

2010-11-07T22:28:00.000-08:00

So I have been chastised as of late for not keeping this silly thing up to date. Sometimes I wonder if deciding to blog is something that I should have undertaken. But here it goes... This has been a great summer! I can't believe how quickly it flew by! The highlights include Disneyland in June with the whole Kiser family, culinary adventures in cheese making, canning, a visit from my best friend who lives in another state- and sewing come cute pillows, and just enjoying being with my family outside! When I last posted I had all these grand schemes and ideas of turning my family into part time vegetarians. Did it work? Not really. But I did acquire some great recipes for my arsenal- and am grateful for a family that will try everything. And most of the time will actually enjoy it! (When your son asks you for seconds of cabbage and enjoys vegetable curry life is good)! I truly was busy most of the summer canning. And not to brag- but I did a great job! I am so proud of all my gleaming jars of beauty! I made (are you ready)... canned cherries, pears, peaches; strawberry, raspberry, & blackberry jam (both frozen and canned); blueberry & blackberry pie filling, blueberry & blackberry syrup; peach butter; canned tomatoes; salsa; concord and white grape juice; and two different kinds of spaghetti sauce! Wow- seeing it all written out makes me tired. But I am so proud of all my work. I love the peace of mind they give me too- because you know I am the disaster girl! I had the best intentions of making applesauce too- but store bought will have to do for this season. And now it's fall already! Riley is my adorable kindergartner! He just finished his first season of soccer and loved playing the goalie- he was pretty good too! He also just turned 6 at the end of October- holy cow! Ryan is loving pre-school (and I just had a conference with his teacher and she said he was academically advanced for his age- which I have absolutely no idea how, but am still proud of)! And Annabelle continues to dazzle us with everything she does- but she does have a little fire under her too when she gets upset. She loves yogurt and talking about everything she sees. She is starting to put 2-3 words together, and loves showing you where your eyes and nose are! My biggest undertaking last month was a Halloween Party! And I wish all my friends and family lived close so they could attend! I must admit- the decorations were pretty fabulous! And not to be forgotten- my amazing husband! Who is hilarious, exasperating, wonderful, a hard worker, the best father, and of course my best friend! So that's the life of the Cooper's lately- that should get you pretty much up to date in a nutshell! Sorry about the procrastination in updating this. I would promise that I will update it again soon- but I don't wish to break it! Love to all! (Oh- forgot to mention I cut my hair short too- I love how it turned out but can't find the pictures of it- Sorry Rachel. So I will take an up to date photo and post it soon)!

The guys take a spin in the teacups!

The whole gang!

Disneyland!

Mini Mickey!

Annabelle enjoys Disneyland!

A Wedding cake I decorated this summer

A Wedding Bouquet I made

And another one!

Annabelle after a bath!

Riley's first day of school!

Enjoying the summer!

Playing Goalie!

Running the Warrior Dash!

Summer 2010 Family Photos

The fruits of my labor!

Meal planning

2010-07-31T22:38:00.000-07:00

I have been reading a lot of cook books/ food books/ food blogs lately. It's been really fun and eye opening! I do enjoy cooking and the amount of control over what my family consumes. I think it's important that I have my finger on that- especially while they are young and establishing eating habits. I don't feel like we eat out a lot- but there are the occasional- "It's dinner time and I have NO idea what to make moments"! So subway or papa murphy's creep into our home. But I have a goal for the month of August- no moments like that! No eating out- not at all. I think it's a matter of planning my time/meals. When I think about what I am going to make at ten o'clock then it is a wonderful meal! I just need to think about dinner at breakfast! I also want us to eat less meat- no we are not turning into vegetarians (I think my husband would die before that). I know that our bodies do not need meat as often as we give it to them. We are trying to eat healthier/ higher quality meat less frequently. I am going to try and cook vegetarian meals 3/4 times a week. See- not super dramatic, but I believe that the benefits will be monumental in both my families health and our pocket book. (After all, soup is cheaper to make than steak)! This is where I need your help (if anybody's reading this...) I need some good vegetarian recipes! And I mean good! If I am going to get my husband to cut back on his meat intake, I better replace it with flavor and heartiness! So if you have any great ones please please share. (Or any great recipes for that matter). I encourage you to try this with your families as well. Who know's- they might not even notice you've cut back the meat. Oh- I made blueberry syrup and blueberry pie filling this last week. So fun! If anyone wants to can or make cheese with me just call!

Adventures in cheese-making and other musings...

2010-07-22T16:19:00.000-07:00

Curdling Milk (Yum)!

Dawn faithfully stirs the milk!

Curds and Whey!

The finished product! (The green is basil)!

So my sweet sister-in-law Dawn decided to indulge me when I called her and said, "Let's make cheese"! I can only imagine what she was thinking! It's been on my list of things to try- so why not! We made cheese and it was glorious! Well- we had a glorious time doing it. Evidently the milk cannot be pasteurized at too high of a temperature or the protein in the milk will not form a proper curd. You can knead and knead but it won't come together! The cheese will not have the stretchy consistency that we all love so- it will be more of a crumbly feta or ricotta. Which is exactly what we ended up with. So home cheese-makers will want to look to another milk source than your local supermarket. I went to a farm today and bought some raw (unpasteurized) milk that had just come straight from the cow! So I am going to give it another whirl and see what happens. I also chatted with the farmer and fromage blanc is another not so difficult soft cheese to begin with. I got some starter for that and will make that kind next. I know that making cheese is kind-of a weird hobby. But you all know that I am kinda cheesy- so I guess it fits. They teach cheese-making classes at this farm among other things. A class I am really interested in is processing your own chicken. You start with a live hen and bring home a nice chicken dinner (read kill, pluck, clean, cut- all very humanely of course). If there is anyone interested in taking the class with me let me know! I guess this all fits under the big umbrella titled "Preparedness". Chicken doesn't come from the freezer section- it's from a farm and at one point was flapping around eating grubs. I've cut up a whole chicken before, but never from the very beginning. I think it would be good knowledge to have- just in case...

You were always on my mind...

2010-07-16T22:38:00.000-07:00

So I am sure you are all aware by now that I am not good about updating this. But I just had to talk about some things that I have been thinking about lately... hopefully I won't sound too ramble-ly. (Is that a word)? I'll start with something that's pretty important to me- so don't laugh. A couple of months ago I was having trouble sleeping- I would wake up in the middle of the night thinking about my 72 hr. kits. I knew it had been a while since I updated them. I couldn't fall asleep because I was thinking about them- and finally when I would fall asleep I would just wake up thinking about them. (You get the picture- I lost a lot of sleep). So needless to say I know I was prompted to do something about it- so I did. I have become a self-confessed emergency preparedness nut. I love it! I love the silly little boxes of matches, and bars of soap and, face masks. I love my little matching buckets with our names on them, and most importantly I love the knowledge and peace of mind that I have gained through this entire process. My sister lead me to an amazing book called, "Preparedness Principles", by Barbara Salsbury (coincidentally a link to her blog is listed on mine, along with some other good sites). It is the preparedness Bible! I found lots of other great info. just online and at the local library too! I started by just going to the supermarkets and asking for buckets from the bakery section. I was able to get them for free, just by asking! They are a great container for your kits. Then I went around my house and started gathering supplies that I would need for each kit. There is a lot for each kit- but to be brief I have a change of clothes, TP, food, water, snacks, Toys/ Entertainment items, First aid supplies, flashlights... (I taught a class at church and if I do say so myself I made a pretty awesome handout if you want more info.) I am so grateful that I had the prompting to do this, and I am so grateful that I was able to teach that class because of all that I learned doing it! I hope I don't sound too crazy- but you need a 72 hr. kit! Hopefully you will never have to use it- but if you do, you will be so grateful it's there. (By the way, did you know after hurricane Katrina the president of FEMA is now encouraging people to be prepared for more than 72 hrs? The emphasis is now at least a week. Did you also know that the minimum amount of water that you should be storing is a gallon per person per day? ) Just things to think about. I know I sure have...

the current situation!

2010-04-11T20:03:00.000-07:00

So- I pretty much am a loser when it comes to keeping this updated! Our lives have been crazy and wonderfully busy and blessed since I posted last summer! We bought a house last November in McMinnville where I grew up. It is right next to the church and about a two minute drive to my parents house! I loved living in our quirky old farmhouse in the country- but it is so convenient to live in town- and in a house that isn't drafty! Our baby Annabelle turned one last month- and Ryan turned four last week! Josh has been busy with work- which we know is a blessing to have! I have been trying to stay sane while raising three kids, cleaning office buildings, decorating my home, scrapbooking when the urge hits me, cooking, cleaning, laundry, and getting hair brained schemes about putting in my garden! (I know I am driving Josh crazy)! I have also got this crazy notion in my head that I need to start running again. So I have been trying to do that more- I am actually almost to the point where I look forward to it. (I did say ALMOST)! I did cross-county in high school and I told a friend I would do a relay with her this summer. I guess now that I am posting this I am really committing to it! I have been so blessed and am thankful to have friends like you that will actually take time to read this dribble! Love you all!

Summer Synopsis!

2009-09-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

4th of July fireworks!
our cute jaybird!
petting zoo at the fair
this is a cake! how awesome!

my sweet sister Rachel! (and my new hair color)!
Gigi with Annabelle and Paisley

Family Reunion in Park City
Ryan gives Emily a pedicure
Aunt Susan with Annabelle
at the beach

top of Astoria column
pinata at reunion
Ft. Stevens!

pink throne!

Riley with a friend!

This has been a very fun and busy summer! Josh had his birthday in June and we also decided we would like to be homeowners and started looking at houses. It has been a long process and I assume will be much longer! We have put in several offers on five houses now to no avail! We have also been waiting over two months on a house that is a short sale. We wish we lived in the south where the market seems to get you more bang for your buck- but oh well. Hopefully prices will continue to drop! In July we enjoyed a great family reunion with the Coopers! We went camping at Ft. Stevens on the Oregon Coast. It was so much fun and Josh's cousin Linda was such a sweetheart to be the 'wagon master' and arrange everything! Highlights included a pinata for the kids, playing at the beach, the Astoria column and seeing the Goonies house! Fourth of July was nice and relaxing with the neighborhood BBQ and parade and sparklers with the boys out the back of the truck . We parked on a country road to watch the big city fireworks! In August the kids and I drove with my parents to Utah to enjoy a Kiser family reunion! It was great to see my awesome cousins that I hadn't seen in a long time! And I was also reminded that I have the most wonderful aunts in the world! We had a great time in Park City and I am grateful for my sweet Grandpa! The last weekend in August was the good ol' Oregon State Fair! We went with our good friends Mike, Jenny, Mindy, and Amy! The kids had a great time- a favorite was watching Mike and Jenny's kids doing the mutton busting! We have had a great summer and have much to be thankful for! The kids continue to grow- Annabelle is getting nice and chunky, Ryan is getting taller and opinionated, And Riley just started pre-school at Linfield! Next month he turns five!! Josh's work continues to keep giving him work- and for that we are truly grateful! Sorry I am so lame about keeping this updated- I love reading about what friends and family are up to. I hope everyone has had a great summer too!

2009-06-07T17:46:00.000-07:00

Our little Annabelle is starting to get cute and chunky! The weather was great last week and it was fun to put her in a cute sunsuit! Se has been such a good even-tempered baby! It has been a real blessing and we are so grateful for her! She is just starting to figure out the smiling thing- unfortunately I didn't get the biggest smiles on film. But you get the idea!

Sisters and Babies

2009-05-29T16:03:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy month and I have learned that when it comes to kids 1+1+1 does not equal three! It has been fun and exciting adjusting but I am so grateful! My sister Rosie and her husband Biff graduated from BYU and they moved far far away to Dallas, TX :( But luckily they stopped here for Mother's Day weekend before the job started. Bringing their adoreable girl Hazel! And of course we can't call it mother's day if the other new mamma isn't here. So Rachel and her husband flew in from Las Vegas with their cutie patootie Paisley! It was so fun to get the three girl cousins together- I am so grateful to have such amazing sisters! We had fun hanging out and hiking at Drift Creek Falls on the Oregon Coast. I love them so much and am looking forward to Christmas already!

One Month Today!

2009-04-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

That is a sweet couch!

2009-04-22T20:03:00.000-07:00

We love the show Everybody loves Raymond! We have the whole series and Josh and I enjoy watching episodes together in the evening and pretty much whenever we need a good laugh. While watching it recently it occurred to us that we have the same couch as Frank & Marie sans plastic! Sweet!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T18:20:00.001-07:00

We didn't have a family photo and attempted to take one with the timer. The boys thought it was really cool that the camera can take pictures by itself! We hope everyone had a great easter- we sure miss everyone and can't wait to see Jude, Hazel and Paisley!

More photos!

2009-04-12T18:10:00.000-07:00

Annabelle Rose

2009-03-29T16:18:00.000-07:00

The birth story:

I decided to have Annabelle at home (actually at my parents house- where there would be more help available after the delivery). It was the best decision I have ever made. I know that home birth isn't for everyone- and I definitely got mixed reactions when I told people that's what I was doing. But I was a low-risk delivery and I delivered the boys naturally at the hospital and decided I wanted a more intimate setting where I had control over the delivery. We also prayed about our decision and felt total peace and reassurance that we had made the right choice. I had been having contractions for weeks in advance- which helped speed things along. So early Wednesday morning (the 25th) when I felt my contractions coming closer together and stronger I knew it wouldn't be too much longer. They woke me at around 1:30 am and then I woke Josh up about and hour later to tell him we were having a baby soon! After calling my midwife Susie and laboring at home a little longer we drove into McMinnville where my parents' house is. The tricky part was driving down our mile and a half gravel drive- ouch! That really brought the contractions on! We arrived at their house around 4:15 and then one of my assistant midwives Caroline arrived about ten minutes later. I had her at 4:45 with Josh delivering her with coaching from Caroline. She was born inside her amniotic sac- in the caul, which is good luck in some countries. The funny part was that Susie my other midwife was driving in from Aurora about 45 minutes away and had just walked in the door to hear a baby crying. My mother-in-law Charmaine was answering the door and my mom was down in the laundry room heating some towels and blankets for after the birth. Everything happened so fast that they all missed seeing the actual delivery. But everything went so beautifully I couldn't have asked for anything better! Annabelle is gorgeous and perfectly healthy- we were so blessed by our Father in Heaven. It was an amazing experience!

Our little Angel

2009-03-27T20:29:00.000-07:00

Annabelle Rose Cooper joined our family on March 25th at 4:45 a.m. She weighs 6 lbs. 5 oz. and is 18 1/2 inches. I had an incredible home birth experience with Josh helping to deliver her! She is so beautiful and we couldn't be more grateful to our Heavenly Father for sending her to us. I will post more detail and pictures when I get some sleep (which might not be for a while)!

The Boys

2009-02-28T16:58:00.000-08:00

These pictures are from last November- but I realized I didn't have any updated photos of the boys! These moments are rare- but I love watching the two of them play and wrestle!

Mayor's Ball 2009

2009-02-23T13:33:00.000-08:00

Josh and I went with my parents to the Mayor's charity ball. It was a ton of fun- thankfully my mom bought me a more formal dress I could fit into! The ball is held to raise money for after school programs for elementary aged kids and there are all sorts of raffles and auctions. Our friends Abe & Sara went too and they ended up winning the raffle for a cruise to Mexico! I had fun dancing with my Dad but felt extremely sore the next day! It's hard throwing around an extra 20+ pounds!

Face it! I'm lame!

2009-02-23T13:07:00.000-08:00

I need to issue an apology because I haven't updated this blog in forever! I make no promises, but I do want to try and attempt to update it at least every other month. (It makes it tricky not having the internet at our house). Things are exciting at the Cooper house right now- I am 35 weeks pregnant with our baby girl Annabelle Rose! Josh has been so patient with me! I had both the boys at 37 weeks so I am starting to get a little anxious- but I definitely know she needs to cook a little longer! Josh has been hard at work being an attorney- he won a court case last week and was called a son of a b**** by the losing party! (I am so proud of him)! Riley and Ryan continue to entertain. Riley turned four in October and Ryan will be three the beginning of April. It will be fun having some pink in the house- but I know the dynamics of everything will drastically change! On other exciting news: My sister Rosie & husband Biff had their little girl Hazel in January (see their adorable blog), and sister Rachel and Brandon are expecting a baby girl in April (their blog is pretty cute too). So that will be three little girl cousins! Josh's brother Schmeed and Lindasy had baby Jude in December and Sister Dawn & husband Gene just gave birth to the cutest baby boy Landon! (Note all of the afore mentioned have great blogs too)! SO... keep checking back and I will try to update more regularly!

more for your money

2008-02-02T16:31:00.001-08:00

2008-02-02T16:14:00.000-08:00

eat your heart out dawn