ReCOOPing with Walkers

My sweet, sweet, mama had to have surgery. She has a brand spanking new hip! Now, let me tell you how this effects ME! I spent a few days away from my babies in the hospital with the lady. I have been washing, cooking, and cleaning for the parents. Poor sweet fluffy dog Bella has also recently had her lady parts sealed shut, so I have been lifting her and putting her down. Spent the day with in-laws, spent a day with my bestie seeing our other bestie's new baby, and spent a little time with some Gilfoils. I have had such a wonderful two weeks getting to be with my family, serving my mama in anyway I can, and getting to see some of the peopleI love the most. I am ready to take my babies home for a few days so that Lee can play his last Tee ball game. We will return to help Mama on Monday, which is the most important thing to Lee. Here we come Zachary Ryan. Better get your rest tonight!

Oh, How Times Have Changed

***This was written last week. The babies turned two Saturday!***

So this time two years ago, I had the life! I had one baby in my house, two babies still safely inside me incubating, and I was on house rest, which basically meant the doctor didn't want me to work. Lee Cooper was two years old and that was work, but nothing like what was to come. DUH DUH DUH!!!! (I mean that as in doom and gloom, not like airhead.)  Anyway, the babies will be two on Saturday, and it has caused me to think about things that have changed in my life over the past two years. It has also reminded me of the fact that I must be a daily joke to the One above. I mean if I had to give advice to a mother expecting twins, I would say organize, organize, organize. There is the humor in all of this. If you know me at all, then you know that organizing is probably not a strength of mine. Well, it wasn't anyway. Here are few things that I have to do just to keep an illusion that I am a mom that has it all together.

1. Make list of things. I have to write everything down. Groceries, chores, important dates, everything.
2. I have things that I do every week that are the same every week.
Monday-Clean house thoroughly after the weekend, laundry, trash day.
Tuesday-laundry, sweep, pick up toys, make beds, mop sticky parts of the floor, grocery store.
Wednesday- laundry, sweep,pick up toys, make beds, handle the business of bills and paper work.
Thursday-Clean house again to get ready for the weekend, wash sheets, laundry.
Friday- Special fun with the kids. Even if it is playing outside all morning. I try to put everything down on Friday morning and do something special.
3. When I go to the store, I park beside the buggies, even if this means a long walk to the front door. I also try my best to find the big buggies with the places for kids to ride. I have left the store before because I could not find the big cart, and I just gave up.
4. When getting the kids dressed, I lay everything out first. There is nothing worse than being in the middle of trying to get clothes on a screaming kid and not being able to find what you need.
5. When loading the kids up in the car, grab a kid and go straight to the car seat behind driver seat. Buckle them completely in so they can't make an escape. Grab second kid and go to the back carseat. Buckle them in so they can't make an escape. Yell at four year old that he has had ample amount of time to put is little arms through the carseat straps and that I shouldn't have to be waiting on him to do this. Buckle him in and then go buckle myself in. I have been headed out of the driveway and Lee yell up to me, "UHHH, Mama. You forgot something." He will be riding free in the car, and this CAN NOT happen!
6. I rotate the things that I cook. This sounds pretty boring, but it works for us. I cook four times a week and the other days we eat left overs. I have 8 weeks worth of menus then we just rotate. Every two months we start back over at week one. This works and makes it much easier for me.  For breakfast, I make a warm breakfast on Monday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The other days are poptarts, cereal, or breakfast bars. Eat it and enjoy it. No complaints will be heard or accepted!

Most of all the thing I try to remember is that unless it is life threatening.....it will be okay. If I'm running late, it will be okay. If the kids look like they have been to a tattoo parlor, it will be okay. If I don't have time to make the beds, it will be okay.  If Lee is reorganizing the den furniture, it will be okay. (However, not appreciated!) If Kate potties in my room, it will be okay. If my house is full of laughter, talking, playing, running, love, tickles, and giggles, we will all be okay, and one day we will look back at this chaos and smile and say thank you Lord for the memories!

Two years ago

Best things that ever happen to me.

First day home from the hospital

Yeah, I Said That

Today was a fairly normal day at the Cooper house. I mean there were no traumatic experiences, and no one was hurt beyond minor scrapes and scratches. HOLLA!!! I count it a success everyday that I can say that and go to bed at night thanking the dear Lord that he gave me these beautiful babies and that we survived another day.  Which I should say that I always thank Him for my babies, I just sometimes beg Him for more energy and wisdom. With that being said, I was thinking about some of the things that I actually said to those beautiful babies, and yes they are sure to need therapy. I decided to share just a few with you.

"Quit stealing dough out of the refrigerator. I promise, Lee, I will feed you!"

"No, you can't eat that it is still hot."

"Okay, just sit there and cry. CRY CRY CRY. AHHH"

"Lee,  please please go get the broom out of the van."

"When, will your daddy learn to pick his own shoes up."

"You are my best friend too."

"What is wrong with you people?"

"What do you mean you see a fire?" (This was said by Lee as he is playing in his room. He started yelling fire and then when I take off running to his room he tells me he was just pretending.)

"No more screaming in this house." (This was said in a slightly elevated voice.)

"Put your balls in that bucket."

"I don't think we really need a base drum. Maybe one day."

"Quit slamming the door."

"Close the door."

"I love you baby."

"Quit scratching your sister with the dish scrubber."

"Will you come scratch my back with the dish scrubber."

"No! No! You can't unplug the dishwasher."

"Don't eat that diaper." (Said to Jake.)

"You look pretty, pretty, baby girl!"

"Kate, please put mommy's phone back on the counter and close the curtain and let me finish my shower."

"Do y'all want to watch Nick Jr."

"Lay there and watch your shows. You don't have to sleep."

"Okay, I'll lay down with you. You little mush face."

"NOOOOOO!! STopp! Waitt!"

"Oh well, we missed the garbage man."

"No that isn't guacamole that is old yogurt."

"Please don't drag the wet mop through the dirt pile."

"Agent land is a cool place to live, Lee. Now can we clean it up a little."

"I had a great day, babe. How was your day?"

Makes everything worth while. Love them.

Hope y'all have a great week!

A "Weighty" Issue

Okay, so last summer I started Diet Center. Basically, I watched how many starches I ate, ate lots of veggies and fruit, and was sure to exercise. By Christmas, I had lost 60lbs. Yay me! Since Christmas, however, I have gained about 20lbs back. Scary! Yesterday, I started back. I walked my 2 miles and did good on the diet. It is just always going to be something that I deal with. The main thing to me is I want to be a good example for my kids. I want to teach them that you have to exercise to stay healthy.

I guess I have always been "fat." I just didn't know it until the fifth grade. My mama and daddy had done a pretty good job at keeping that little secret from me. They always made me feel beautiful even at a young age. I can still remember the exact day that I found out that I wasn't like all the other "little" girls. We were playing kick ball in the gym, and it was my turn to kick. This was a bad enough day already. I hated kick ball! When you never make it to first base, it really isn't all that fun. Anyway, the pitcher on the other team didn't know who to pitch the ball to, and a kid said, "Throw it to her. The one with the pot belly." Ouch! I looked around to see if anybody else had heard. They did. Oh dear Lord get me out of here. Which he did. I was out by first base and was able to go back to the back of the line and sorta blend in. Now, I have no ill feelings toward the little boy that told me I was "fat" because he was just a kid too. He didn't know the damage he would be doing. The funny thing is that I never talked to anybody about it. I didn't want anybody to feel sorry for me. (I still don't, so it is kind of hard to share now.) I don't know why I didn't tell my mama though. She would have made it better.

Another time that I was reminded of my imperfection was when an older boy made fun of me from the back of the bus. He was a year or two older than my sister, so I didn't know why he was picking on me. That was maybe the worse. When I got off the bus at the church, my mama wasn't there to pick me up, so I quickly started walking home through the alleys so that nobody would see me. To my surprise, when I got to the corner of the street, there was that boy's mama in a truck with the boy. She was offering a ride. I said, "No, that's okay. I'm almost home, and I don't really mind the walk." She said that she insisted and to hop in. It was a single cab truck, so I had to sit next to the boy. Secretly, I thought it was kind of funny because the kid was a nervous wreck that I was going to tell on him. I also was thinking, "See you scum bag. Even though you are 5 to 6 years older than me. I am more mature than you will ever be. I'm not going to tell on you. I'm not going to get you in trouble because I don't really care what you think of me." That is what I told myself anyway.

There are other little moments or flashes of being picked on as a child that I remember. There was one time after I had lost a bunch of weight, was a cheerleader, and once again thought that I was finally like all the other pretty girls, when a girl said about me, "Of course Elizabeth is eating pizza. She is always eating." I only know this was said because I was standing behind the group of girls and heard my name. I heard the laughter and noticed that my best friend wasn't laughing. This told me something was going on, I was the target, and it wasn't nice. I made my buddy tell me later what was said. She really didn't want to tell me, but she did. She was so sweet about it to. She said, "Elizabeth, so and so was just being mean because she is jealous of you because you are one of the sweetest funniest people in our class, and she is not." I'll never forget that feeling of knowing that my best friend felt that way about me. It made me not really care what the old meanie had said.

The only reason I'm sharing this is to say, that this is something I have always dealt with that I feel like I'm finally figuring out. Most overweight people have major issues. I do not. It is just something that has always been.  My sister and I were talking about why we can't just accept ourselves for who we are. (She is a bean pole by the way, and is currently running so she can be in shape. I'm so proud of her commitment to it.) These are my goals: get healthy, teach my kids healthy habits, accept myself the way I am. (Which shouldn't be hard when you are as smoking hot as I truly am!!!) 

Elizabeth Lee

I am fearfully and wonderfully made (even with no make-up)  because Christ made me.