Speedy Little Reesie

Gpa Beav- Probably shouldn't read this! (Love you!!!)

Yesterday we were at the park watching Kaitlee's soccer practice. The playground at this park has one of the tallest, steepest slides I have ever seen. Sonrisa kept crawling up the stairs to the top of the slide and I just kept bringing her back down to the bottom because it is such a fast slide. Well, after following her up and going back down the stairs about four times I decided to just send her down. She zipped right down to meet her daddy with a HUGE smile.... surprisingly, she actually liked it. Jared took her and set her on the grass about 30 feet from the playground and we looked away to watch Kaitlee in action. Not even a minute later, my little Reesie was laying at the bottom of that slide screaming at the top of her lungs. She had crawled up the many stairs to the top, went down head first and smashed her face right into the wood chips at the bottom of the slide. Are we horrible parents or what!?!! I'm not kidding, this all happened in less than a minute. She only cried for a little bit and was completely over it and ready go again, but a whole day later I still cringe just thinking about it. SO SAD! :( This little baby is an active one... a little dare devil. She is definitely going to keep me busy, that's for sure!

Blaze Game

Our buddy Dave had some extra tickets to the Blaze so he and Jared decided to take Kaitlee and his daughter Abby to the game. I guess the seats were pretty bad and the girls got bored so they left early and took them to The Gateway instead. I am LOVING all the time that Jared is spending with Kaitlee. Honestly, she's never been very fond of Jared but within the past couple months they've grown really close together. I think he's finally figured out how much fun being a dad can really be. It took a few years, but these girls have finally softened up my Jerry Bear.





Last weekend we finally got to go swimming for the first time this year. It was Risa's first time and she absolutely loved it. The water was chilly so we didn't stay very long, but long enough for Kaitlee and Ivy to go down the slide and around the lazy river with dad a few times.

Kyle Neil Buckingham

My sweet little nephew was born on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at about 6:20 a.m. to my brother Timmy and his wife Nellie. This tiny little guy only weighed 5 lbs 3 oz and was 18 inches long. There were complications during labor so she had to have an unexpected C-section. Unfortunately Kyle is in the NICU right now with a few complications of his own. My heart goes out to Tim and Nellie because I know how incredibly hard it is to watch a tiny little person that you love so much struggle for their life. I pray for him that he will heal quickly and be able to go home with his parents soon.

Dinner with my Family

Clockwise- Nellie, Timmy, Scott, Jen, Jared, Jenni, Ryan, Alisa, Dude, Mom, Kim, Kerry

My mom and dad are the greatest parents ever! They decided it would be fun to take just us "big kids" out for a nice dinner. The Dude (that's my dad) made it very clear that NO grandchildren were invited, especially the babies. Not that he doesn't love them but I think he just wanted to be able to enjoy our company w/out all the chaos for one night. We went to Ruby River for some delicious steak and ribs. It was actually quite nice not having any kids around. Usually I'm so caught up keeping Sonrisa happy or making sure Ivy and Kaitlee are eating and not making ginormous messes that I have no idea what is going on around me. So thanks Mom and Dad for making this an unforgettable evening with you and all my brothers and sisters. My dad may be a crazy old kook but I love him more than anything and I can't help but love the sweetest mom in the world. I am so blessed to have such great parents, and in-laws for that matter. Beav and Lynn were sweet enough to drive all the way out here to watch our kids while we were gone. My girls love to have grandma and grandpa over for treats and a movie. And Sonrisa was actually healthy and happy for them this time. Yay!!!

Short Tokens of "Sweet"ness

Kaitlee's Big Day

Saturday April 12th, 2008. It was a day of 1st's for my little princess. Here is the magnificent sequence. She had her 1st soccer game @ 11:00 am. She didn't quite get how it worked, but that will come with time. After following the crowd around, she got one chance at a goal but was denied by some other guy's stinking cute daughter. That Brat! She did however love it and enjoys going to practices also.

Next @ 12:56 pm we went golfing all by ourselves. A daddy daughter date if you will (and she made sure we got a cart so she could drive). I let her tee off on all 9 holes and then we picked up her ball and let her hit on to the green and finish out. She is really good and she even hit a few shots at the end about 40 yards or so. I will confess, I made up most of her scores because on some of the putts it was more like hockey than golf. But none the less, she played all 9 holes and still wanted more. It was great just to spend 1 on 1 time with her.

As if that wasn't enough for a little girl in one day, when we got home she wanted to take off her training wheels on her bike. So @ 3:32 pm I unbolted those comfort giving peices of plastic and set her FREE. I actully did nothing more than hold her up and say, "Peddle!" Off she went down the road and she looks like she's done it for years. Man, I am a great teacher huh!?

Fwew! What a day. It was pretty cool to see my Kaitlee growing up. I love you sweetie!!

GIRLS AND PINK


If you haven't noticed yet, my girls LOVE pink. My mom bought them these really cute hats for Easter and I think they look so stinkin' cute in them! Kaitlee and Ivy absolutely loved theirs but as you can see Sonrisa, not so much.



THE COOPER BOYS AND JESSICA



Kaitlee and Ivy love "the boys"! Casey is now 10, which is sooo crazy to me! Skylar is 8, Brady just turned 6 and Will is a busy little 3 year old. Jenni and Ryan have finally been blessed with a long awaited little girl Jessica and she is now 10 months old. They live next door to my mom so my kids get so excited to go to Grandma Bita's because they know they'll get to see "the boys" and Jessica.

KAITLEE'S 1ST SOCCER GAME



Kaitlee had her first soccer game on Saturday and she did such a great job. She definitely isn't the most agressive player but she got in a few good kicks and sure did a lot of running. She's lucky and gets to play on the same team as her cousin Zeke so we have twice the fun watching these games. Kaitlee had a very busy and exciting day on Saturday but Jared said he wanted to write about the other things that happened so I won't spoil the great news. I'll make sure he does it SOON!

Simple Pleasures

List 5 simple pleasure that you couldn't live without in your daily life.


HAIRSPRAY- I'm sure this comes to no shock to all of you that know me. I don't know what it is, but I like poofy hair and I like to know that it is going to stay that way all day.

CLOROX WIPES- I'm stealing this one from my sister-in-law Marissa but what can I say, she's right! These things are the best thing ever for people who have kids. I can't even tell you how many times a day I'm wiping up a mess on the floor, counter, walls or even the bathroom. It saves me from doing a lot of extra laundry, that's for sure. These things are great!

SLIPPERS- My feet are always ice cold, even in 90 degree weather. If I'm at home, I'm in my slippers, no doubt about it!

CARMEX- I slather this stuff on my lips like 30 times a day. It drives Jared nuts! I like having soft, smooth lips, even if he doesn't. When he kisses me goodbye it's kind of like kids pretending to kiss... he'll stay about an inch away so he's sure not to get any on his lips. He's so funny!

CRYSTAL LIGHT- I try really hard to not drink too much soda and other sugary drinks but unless I'm super thirsty, I'm just not a huge water drinker. Crystal Light helps me stay hydrated w/out all the sugar... even though I'm pretty sure it's made with aspertame which really isn't good for the body either. Oh well, at least it's low in calories, right!?!

Now I want to see what KRYSTAL, KIM, MELISSA and SARAH can't live without.


I think this picture of Sonrisa is so cute I just had to post it... even though it has nothing to do with the tag.

Grandma's Collection

My Aunt Neva got my mom hooked on collecting beanie babies. She usually will buy them and then throw them into a bin to store them away, and this isn't even half of them. She was nice enough to get some of them out for my girls today and it entertained them for hours. They had so much fun making piles of each kind of animal. While Kaitlee sorted out the kitties and and bunnies, Ivy picked out all the bugs, spiders and monsters and Reesie was just happy with any that she could get in her mouth. My girls are so much fun to watch. They each bring me joy in so many different ways and I feel so blessed to have them in my life.

Another Girl's Night

We have a tradition here to celebrate with a girl's night out any time me or one of my friends is having a baby. Since there is always someone having a baby we seem to get out quite a bit. It is the best tradition ever! I love my friends and love having a night out with just us girls. We ate dinner at Johnny Carino's and then went Cold Stone afterward. You can't beat a night like that! My adventurous hubby thought it would be fun to take the kids to Tepanyaki while I was gone. What dad does that by himself w/three little kids? He's so funny. Jer called and said Sonrisa wasn't loving the whole atmosphere of Tepanyaki so I decided to rescue her since they were just right next door. She was much happier eating ice cream with us. Then on Saturday, I got to have ANOTHER girl's night with my family. It is something that me and my sister and sis-in-laws look forward to every General Conference. While the boys are at priesthood session, we get to go have fun! I love my mom and all of my sisters so much!!! We all get along so well and have such a good time together. Jer is always so good to let me go out with my friends. I guess it's my turn to babysit and to let him go golfing with his buddies since I have had four nights in a row without the kids... which doesn't happen very often so I really don't feel too bad! :)

Mommy Tag

1. Typically what time do you wake up? Somewhere in between 6:30 and 7:00
2. On a good night what time are your kids in bed? The baby- 8:00, the others- who knows, we're lucky to get them down by 10:00. I know, that's horrible!
3. How long have you been a mommy? 4 and 1/2 years, and loved every second of it!
4. How old were you when you became a mommy? 21
5. What is your favorite kids tv show/movie? Hannah Montana and I love all the Disney Movies
6. What is your least favorite kids tv show? Anything Barbie- They have the most annoying voices.
7. What is your favorite chore? Making the beds
8. What is your favorite meal to cook? Hmmm... I actually like to make chicken tacos.
9. What is the meal you cook most often? Frozen chicken nuggets
10. What is your kids favorite meal? Cottage cheese. I'm not sure that really counts as a meal, but they sure love to eat it.
11. What is your favorite thing your husband does with your kids? I love it when he snuggles w/them, especially Kaitlee. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, it's beautiful!
12.What are 5 things that make you smile when you're being a mom? 1. Holding them while they are asleep. They just seem so angelic while they are sleeping and it reminds me why I do what I do. 2. Being able to take a nap. Sadly that's a rare occasion. 3. Watching them do something for the first time. They absolutely amaze me! 4. Listening to Ivy say her favorite words like bummer or cool... it's funny. 5. Seeing how tender and loving Kaitlee is with her little sisters. She really would do anything for them.
14. When was the last time you went out without your kids? Jared and I are lucky and get to go out a lot w/out the kids. We have two babysitters that beg to watch our kids and they're both named Grandma.
15. What is your favorite past time/activity to do with your kids? Go for a bike ride.
16. Name 1 thing you said you'd never do as a mom: Drive a mini-van. Didn't we all say that before having kids, but now that I have three a mini-van is looking better and better!
17. What is your favorite quality that your mom has? What can I say, she is a saint! It's hard to pick one thing when there are thousands and thousands of wonderful things to say about her. One thing that does stand out that I really admire is, I have never heard my mom gossip or say anything mean about anybody. EVER! Not something many people could say about someone they know.
18. What is your advice for new moms? If at all possible, stay at home! As hectic as it can sometimes be, it's worth it! They grow and learn so much every minute of every day and I am so grateful I'm able to be a part of it.
19. What is the scariest or most heartbreaking moment as a mom? The scariest moment by far was the morning I rushed my tiny one month old, unconscious and purple Ivy to the hospital. Her heart rate was dropping and "they didn't know if she was going to make it". Jared and his dad gave her a blessing about one hour after we got there and she immediately started to improve. I have never witnessed a miracle like that before. I was scared to death we were going to lose her. I would have to say close seconds would be that night Ivy pinched her finger off in the door, or when she sliced her head open in Sunday School, or when my brand new little Sonrisa had to be life-flighted to another hospital. I am extremely grateful for modern medical technology... and for Chad! ;)
20. What is your most joyful moment of being a mom? It's all great! I love looking at these perfect little creations for the first time and knowing they are mine. I love watching them when they don't know they're being watched. I love seeing all that they have accomplished so far and knowing that there is so much more to come.
21. When was the last time you were told 'I Love You' by one of your kids? Right before I put them to bed. :)

Thanks a lot Jessica! I felt like I was writing a freaking novel about myself. Now I'm going to be mean and tag: CATHIE, BROOKE, JEN, HOLLY and HILLARY. Have fun! (Actually, I think it's really fun to read this stuff about other people.)

Girl's Night Out

ASHLEY - I'M GOING TO MISS YOU!!! The gorgeous, pregnant girl in the front... yeah, that's Ashley. She is my closest friend and now she is moving far, far away. SAD! :( I'm glad we got one more girl's night in before the big move to Oregon. I love all you girls and I had so much fun!

Poison Ivy

There is a sweet lady in my ward that Kaitlee and Ivy love to sit with during sacrament meeting (my girls call her Miss Kathy). She always brings books and treats just for them. The other day she brought some recipes over to my house (she knows I struggle w/the whole cooking thing) and while she was there Ivy ran over to Kaitlee's friend and smacked her right across the face for no reason and ran away laughing. Miss Kathy giggled and told me that in church when Ivy will growl or pull Kaitlee's hair or do any other mean thing you could imagine, her husband will lean over and whisper to her, "here comes the Poison Ivy". I know that probably sounds really mean, but for those of you who know my little Ivy it's actually quite funny. For the most part she really is a little sweetheart and I I wouldn't trade her for anything. She is always doing things to make me laugh and she is actually super cuddly, but she definitely does have a mean streak. My cousin Katy captured this beautiful picture of Ivy last weekend. You'd never know a Poison Ivy actually existed in that little angel face, would you!?!