Bless this Child

Months ago we decided that while we were with family in Utah for Christmas, we would bless Cooper (similar to christening for those of you who are more familiar with that). We chose to do it there so we could have family with us for the occasion rather than being alone in GA. Baby blessings in our church take place on Sunday at the beginning of the other meetings. So our last day in Utah Cooper was blessed by Nathan in my parent's ward. It was a beautiful blessing and I was reminded that my husband and my son are mine forever. What a wonderful thing.

After the meeting, we had limited time before we had to go to the airport to catch our flight home. My Dad had meetings he had to attend to as bishop, so we took pictures in the hallway of the church.

Here is Cooper with his Papa and Grammie (my parents) after his blessing.

Papa, Dad, Momma, Grammie and Cooper
Momma and Dad with Cooper on his blessing day

Nathan thought the outfit was cheesy, but what other time does a mom get to dress her little guy up so cute? (Thanks, Grammie, for the blessing day outfit!)

Cooper's First Christmas

We were fortunate to be able to travel to Utah for Christmas. It was wonderful to be together again with my family. Cooper did pretty well with the travelling—as well as can be expected for a 3-month old. We had such a great time, and Cooper met lots of family for the first time.

Aunt Cassady and Cooper

Aunt Camyll and Cousin Calvin (10 months)

Cousin Tyler

Cousin Aspen and Cooper

Great Grandma & Grandpa Christensen & Cooper

After 2 days in Utah we thought we had lost our new camera. You can imagine our happiness and surprise to find it the night before we were to leave--in the bottomless depths of my purse. So my current pictures of Christmas are few until I get copies of the pictures I took with my sister's camera. (Not rushing you, Mom. Know how busy you have been! Just mentioning why we don't have pictures of Christmas morning, etc. on here for the rest of the family to see yet.)

Cooper's first time to church

As our pediatrician ordered, we didn't take Cooper to many public places where he would be in close contact with people until after he was 2 months old. This meant that his first time to church was in December. This was Cooper and Daddy ready for church that first time. Don't they both look so excited? I think they were both ready for a morning nap...

FRIENDS

December was very busy for us, but we did find time to have some fun. We had our friends over for a country shrimp boil one night. (Thanks Nathan Sr. and Michele for the shrimp!) My friend and I were pregnant at the same time. They had moved out of state for a short time, so we were finally able to get together with them in December when they returned. Cooper and their little guy, we’ll call him “M”, are about 9 weeks apart in age. M is HUGE compared to Coop, which is funny because Coop seems so big to me. It was fun to see their differences and similarities, and to see our friends again. Hopefully there will be time for plenty more play dates in the future.

P.S. My hair in this picture reflects the kind of crazy day it had been. Wow..that's all I can say...wow.

Aunt Denise & Uncle Jim Came for a Visit

In December Nathan's Aunt Denise and Uncle Jim came for a visit. Last time we saw them Cooper was just 1 day old. Cooper had such fun with them. And they brought us lunch and presents. It was SO great. We had a nice afternoon of visiting. Can't wait for them to come again!

I HAVE BECOME ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE

I have become one of those people...the ones you see sitting alone in cafes typing on laptops. I always wondered why people would want to sit in a cafe and surf the internet rather than be at home. Well, now I understand, even if my reason is a little unconventional compared to the rest of the people in here.
You see, today Nathan granted me a couple hours of FREEDOM, personal time to do whatever I want, while he volunteered to do the full taking care of Cooper. It was supposed to be 3 hours, but since Cooper didn’t cooperate this morning with his nap schedule, my 3 hours has been chopped down to 1 so we can get to an afternoon appointment on time. And what did I choose to do with my hour?
I knew if I stayed in the house I would be tempted to do things I HAVE to do or NEED to do, rather than what I WANT to do. So I left the house and drove to the nearest place with internet access that I know of—Atlanta Bread Company. It’s quite cozy sitting in here by the fire, eating my lunch in quiet solitude, and blogging—finally. So this is why I have become one of “those people.” [Blogging meaning typing several entries in Word to post tomorrow, because as luck would have it, I can’t get my laptop to connect to their internet. It SO figures.]
Being a mom and working full time are about the only things I have time for anymore. Back in November, just before Thanksgiving, I even went to the extreme of giving my dog up for adoption. I found Lola a very nice home with kids to play with her and another dog to run around with. I knew once I returned to work I wouldn’t have time to give her the attention she would need. Boy was I right! As depressed as I was about it, and as hard as it still is to think of her and not get teary eyes, I am glad I bit the bullet and just did it. Now when I come home from work I don’t feel guilty for not getting out to walk her or to play with her. It’s just best for everyone.
I had always heard that being a mom meant putting everyone else before yourself. It’s true. There’s just no way around it. And therefore, this poor blog gets neglected day after day. I often think of things to blog about, and just have to blog about it in my head while I’m driving or doing dishes or laundry, in between soothing or entertaining my little baby, of course.
I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but I am not a big fan of working and having a young baby. It is “possible” for me to quit, but if I do, it will take us at least 3 more years past our current goal to get out of debt, and it’s quite possible another kid will come into the mix well before then. So Nathan and I are both sticking it out for the time being. It really will be better in the long run, and won’t be for long. We can do it! Budget, budget, budget. That is the key.
So in the mean time, I’ll cherish my personal time once every few weeks when my husband takes pity on me; which means that every so often I’ll get on here and you’ll be blasted with about 20 blogs/updates, or a slide show of photos from the month or two prior. If I don’t respond to your emails/facebook notes, know that I only get to check those things about once a month now. They are even further down the list of priorities/wants than blogging…you get the picture. OK. Enough about me…I know what you really want is pictures and info on the star of the show…Cooper. More to come…much more. :)

A New Year's Eve to Remember

As 2009 draws to a close, and we reflect on our lives and our families, I have an extra reason to do so. Tonight at about 6:15 p.m. my Grandpa Mower passed from this life to the next. After nearly 2 years of living after a major stroke, Grandpa finally found relief in death.

My mind tells me I should be sad, but my heart is rejoicing tonight as I think of the ultimate New Year's Eve party happening on the other side of the veil (we believe in the afterlife and that families and relationships continue beyond this life into the next). You see, my Grandma passed away nearly 46 years ago, and Grandpa has often talked of how much he missed her. Tonight they were reunited. In addition to their reunion, I'm sure there were many others to greet Grandpa: his twin who died at 11 days old; his parents; all of this brothers; his in-laws; and many, many others.

As we went to Utah this last week for Christmas, we were able to go visit Grandpa and introduce Cooper to him. Grandpa wasn't doing well that day and didn't know who we were, and cried while he sat with us before he fell asleep. It was heart wrenching and we all prayed that he would pass away soon to free him from the body that had become a prison to him. I knew in my heart that would be the last time I would see my Grandpa living. I was so happy to be able to get pictures of Cooper with his Great Grandpa.

Things I remember about my Grandpa:

• His AMAZING blue eyes. His eyes were more blue that any others I have ever seen--so blue they were piercing.
• When I was young it seemed he often had salami in his pocket along with a pocket knife and often cut off chunks of it and gave it to me.
• When I was young Grandpa was still killing cows for the butcher for a living. I'll never forget watching him crank the wench on a trailer, pulling a big dead cow up onto it to take to the butcher. I remember how big and strong he seemed and was amazed that he did this every day.
• I remember one spring when Grandpa's pig had babies. We went to his house and he took us out to the barn to see the piglets. I must have been about 6. I thought the piglets were so cute. It was the first time I remember being in Grandpa's barn and having him show us around it.
• Grandpa always grew a HUGE garden. He always had lots of tomatoes and cucumbers to share. He knew how to grow the most beautiful, juicy, red tomatoes. They were so tasty and in the summer he always sent us home with some.
• Grandpa knew how to cook very well. He did a lot of the cooking in his home. Often when we went for a visit he would make a nice dinner of ham, potatoes, the best rolls I've ever had, and more food than we could ever eat.
• Grandpa was always a huge advocate for reading. He didn't become literate until later in life and was always looking out for us grandkids to be sure we knew how to read.
• Grandpa was a very hard worker. He worked several jobs at a time, and worked up until he couldn't work any longer after his stroke.
• Grandpa was an example of service. He served two 18-month missions for our church with my step-Grandma, one in Perth, Austrailia, and another in Delaware. They also served as temple workers in the Bountiful, UT temple for several years. Grandpa was diligent in his service to the Lord.
• Grandpa always had advice to give when we would visit. He most often liked to tell me to be sure to buy two tubes of toothpaste and it would save my marriage from one less fight because if Nathan and I squeeze the toothpaste differently, two tubes would resolve it. We don't have a problem sharing one tube of toothpaste, but it was Grandpa's way of telling us how to compromise and find solutions and humor in living.

I could go on and on with memories of my Grandpa. He was always so happy and I know how much he loved me and the rest of his family. What a special way to remember the turning of a decade.

Cooper meets his Great-Grandpa Mower (Dec. 23, 2009).

Grandpa meets his two newest great grandsons, Calvin and Cooper, both born in 2009.

4 generations

My last picture of Grandpa. I love you Grandpa and will miss you!!!