Labor of Life

Having a baby is incredible in so many ways. Labor with Lottie really helped me prepare for life with my children. It was long and great. Some of you may understand that when you are having strong contractions close together that it's best not to think about the one you just had, or the one coming; but be in the moment. It's best to just enjoy the peace when it comes. That is all I can do at this point with my wonderful boys and a perfect new baby who all still need lots of mom's attention. Parenting comes in moments, some of them are like contractions, and then there are the moments of relief. I've had to chill out a whole lot, and realize that life is like labor. I'm still a work in progress. Anyway, thanks to those who came to help. I wouldn't have survived without you.

Welcoming Charlotte Kay Cook

Here are some pictures of our sweet, strong, and happy Charlotte Kay. She was born on October 29th at 1:13 p.m. She weighed 9 lbs. and was 21 in. She is precious. We are delighted that she has joined our family. She was born at home, which was a wonderful experience. Glen was such a great companion, and the midwives were perfect for us. Many of you have wondered why we chose to have her at home. I will briefly explain:

1. Glen and I studied and prayed, and felt it was the best decision for our family.
2. There were no hospitals in California willing to allow us a trial of labor after two c-sections (although research has shown that the risk of uterine rupture is probably close to 0% if labor is not induced or augmented. I can send anyone who is interested all kinds of articles that we have collected regarding VBAC's)
3. We found competent midwives we trusted, and found in our studies that home births are as safe as hospital births.

Anson and Hiram got their "sis." Anson was sure it was a sister from the first time we told him we were going to have another baby. We waited to find out, and were happy to report to the boys that they had a sister, just like they hoped. I have no idea how I am going to be a mother of three now, but I know Heavenly Father blesses us, and makes us equal to our task. I will definitely need His help. Thank you again to all who included us in their prayers.

Cook Children Update

Anson has really started enjoying coloring and writing. His favorite thing to color is Mickey Mouse. He also loves to type letters to people. We've been impressed with his ability to spell words, and even put together contractions correctly. He has a super sensitive spirit, and doesn't like to get dirty.

Hiram has a great sense of humor, and an impressive ability to tease with a smile. His imagination is always working. He also has a great ability to communicate. He is very good at saying thank you, and I love that fact that he tells me his food is delicious.

"Tiger" is healthy, active, and preparing to come soon.

I'm grateful to be a mother.

October Fun

Here are some pictures of fall fun in the Cook family. The boys have been trying out their thrift store costumes for over a week now. I'm not big into Halloween, but they've had fun dressing up. I took them to a "free admissions kids carnival/pumpkin patch/petting zoo". It was free, except for the fact that you couldn't actually do any of the above without paying for it. Oh well, we had fun.

Bike Outing With Dad

We finally got the bike geared up for a ride the other day. The boys were pretty excited. Isn't it great that we're headed into the winter, and biking is still a great option?! Wahoo. Lovin' the San Diego weather.

Spoiled With Grandparents

We miss living close to our extended family, but it sure is a treat to have visitors. Grandma and Grandpa Higginson graciously and unselfishly volunteered to come watch our boys for a night so that Glen and I could have a fun break. We took our first night away from children. Wow, what a refreshing experience! It was quite amazing for me to not be woken up several times during the night by little ones who are then ready for the day by 6:00 AM. It was a much needed retreat for us as we are headed into yet another period of an abundance of responsibility, and a lack of time together. I also have to mention that I am amazed at the charity that parents can give. You may or may not be surprised that my parents had the house in tip top shape, and the boys happy when we returned. I'm talking about stove scrubbed (thanks dad), fridge cleaned out and full of food, laundry done and everything else in the house sparkling. It doesn't get much better. I have been grateful for the perspective change even one night away from the boys has given me. I feel like I can be a more patient mother. Hopefully I can make that last more than a day. The boys sure love their grandparents, and were so lucky to spend some time with them. I didn't have my camera around much, I was having way too much fun. Here are a few pictures with grandma and grandpa.

Saxophone and Videos

The boys love to have dad play the saxophone for a family home evening activity. Hiram thinks it's a little too loud sometimes.
I also thought I would share a couple of more recent videos of these darling boys. I'm grateful to be their mom.

Fun with Nana

Here are some photos from Nana's visit this last weekend. It was so fun to have her here. Anson even took great naps with nana!
We went to the beach early Saturday morning. Glen encouraged Anson to reach up and touch the seagull's beak. I'm glad Anson still has his finger.

Kara, Cousins, and Parties With Grandma

If Kara's coming to town, don't plan on any down time. We had one event after the other with our little troop. We did Sea World, the Zoo, and Disneyland for two days. It included lots of stroller time and toddlers. I'm tired, and need a vacation. It was SO fun. Thanks for the trip, Kara, grandma and grandpa.

Home by 5:00!

I was dreaming of a husband's work schedule that was "normal" the other day, only to have Glen call and say he would be home by 5:00 and wanted to go to the beach. It was a delightful surprise, and a much needed outing.

Daddy's Birthday

Glen's birthday was over a month ago. However, we did have a fun day. We went to the zoo, and had a super yummy brownie cheesecake, cookie dessert. We love you, Glen!

Surprise Visit From Blatter's

I realize I haven't taken pictures for a long time. I am going to do better. We had a fun surprise visit from the Blatter's. We spent a morning with them at the beach, ate lots of yummy food, and played with cousins. It was really a needed blessing for me. We even had the chance to go to the Temple while they were here. It was a huge party. Thanks Blatter's!

Crayons Don't Wash Off All Walls

I overheard Anson reading the back of the crayon box to Hiram. "Hiram! You can write on the walls with these crayons! Here you go. It says it washes off easily with warm water." I hurried over to the situation to have Anson excitedly tell me that it was O.K. if Hiram was writing on the walls with these crayons. I took the crayon from Hiram, smiled, and tried to explain.

Cousins and Family

We had such a great trip to Utah. It was three days of one fun activity after the next. We left on such short notice that I didn't pack the camera. The Blatter's picked us up from the airport. We went to the splash park with Kara, Lisa, and Becky (and their children). We had a barbeque at Tricia and John's with the Loveless's. We had our Cook cousins and nana visit for a few hours. We played at Eric and Emily's house, and took a helicopter ride with grandpa. We still had time for walks and stories with grandma and grandpa. Thanks for all of the fun.

Activity Ideas

Help! What things have you done with your toddlers lately? I have to say that my boys seem to need a lot of planned play. I try hard to get them going with toys and activities they can do by themselves, but I haven't been very successful yet. Sometimes I just want five minutes. If you have any great toy ideas to pass along, I'm ready to purchase. As for activities to do together, I'm also in the market for ideas. Here are a few simple things we have done lately that have been fun. These haven't been my original ideas by the way. They came from a book called five in a row (it's actually a homeschool program).

Make a cave- learn about caves, bats etc. Set the cave up with wet rocks, bats, etc. Take some flashlights and popcorn.
Make trains- simple shoe box trains the boys can pull around. Let them decorate the train, and choose a driver. Hiram especially loved pulling his train around.

Rats

Yes, we have rats. And, the little critters were my last straw. After discovering them IN OUR HOUSE, I purchased some plane tickets to Utah. I left Glen here to take care of them--after his 30 hour shift, of course. Glen has done a marvelous job, I only spent one morning when we first came back, cleaning up their droppings in my home!. Here's how pest control Glen is taking care of the rat problem: He closed off their entrance to our house with wire and duct tape (FYI, rats chew through duct tape, so make sure to get wire as well). We have also set poison all over the place outside, and those rodents eat it up like candy. We did have pest control come out to deal with it, but all they did was set a few traps, and that wasn't going to do the job. They did take care of the ants though! We had four rodents in one trap this morning. I am not kidding that they must be here by the hundreds. They have eaten all of the apples off our tree (and there were a lot), and all of the grapes. That's fine, you little critters, just stay out of my house! I thought you might enjoy a picture. I took a picture of the four friends in their trap this morning, but haven't uploaded it yet. You can imagine...if you dare.

4th of July

The boys and I went to Poway for an old fashioned 4th of July. It was great, but they were both in tears with each of the gun shots; and there were plenty of them. Later we had some friends over.

Happy Birthday Grandma

We were so lucky to celebrate grandma's birthday with her on June 23. Thanks for coming to visit us, and grandma isn't really turning 3, but 23, of course.

Zucchini Soup

Try this recipe for a delicious, nutritious, easy soup. I omitted the sour cream, cheese, and bacon; and it was still rather tasty. I will make it again soon, and double the recipe.

While I'm passing recipes, here is another good one. It's the Glazed Chicken Lettuce Wrap recipe. You'll have to scroll down a bit to find it. I tried it with the homemade hoisin sauce, and it's a good one. I've made it with chicken breasts, as well as with canned chicken. This recipe fits my style because it's easy to throw together, and contains some nutritional value. Glen loved it.

Still Lovin' Watermelon