Looks Who's 2

I can't believe it but our "baby" Cooper is 2 years old today. Two years ago today James Cooper McClendon arrived 6 weeks early after being induce due to complications. We knew he would never make his actual due date...but his arrival on July 28 was a TOTAL surprise! Last night we sat and tried to remember the events of the weekend before his Monday birth. And how my regular doctor appointment turned into the DAY! He was born at 8:35 p.m. weighed 5 pounds 9 ounces and was 18 inches long. But WOW oh WOW how he has changed...

Today Cooper is 2 weighs 24 pounds and will not stand still long enough for me to see how tall he is. He LOVES mac-n-cheese, fruit snacks, juice boxes and french fries...I know not the healthiest things ever but hey he is really picky! He is learning to sing along, loves tractor and trucks, HAS to have his "bebe" (aka blanket) and is almost ready to potty train. He has totally earned his nickname "Monkey" which started as a sound he made as an infant, however now he climbs and clings just like a little monkey. Kind of reminds us of a spider monkey!

We can't believe the sweet little boy he is growing into. As with all of our children we are so proud of him. He was and is a WONDERFUL addition to our family:)

Happy Birthday Coopmando We Love You!

Aldersgate

Wow what a great trip we just returned home from....My family (all 5 of us) traveled to Charleston West Virgina for a Aldersgate Conference. What is that you ask? It is a United Methodist conference on spirit filled living. We have been blessed to be able to attend the last two years. It is a chance for us to be with like minded people that share our beliefs and learn more about being empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Michael and I are kind of new to this spirit guided lifestyle! LOL What I mean is until we were blessed by the arrival of our newest pastor who is ON FIRE for Jesus and helped usher a new found fire inside of Michael and I we hadn't heard/learned much if anything about being spirit filled. Now that is our one desire is for our lives and the lives of our children to be spirit filled and driven. We know we serve a God who IS and not a God who was or is going to be...He is and he can do the things he says he can do and he WILL do the things he says he will do. I know this first hand by two recent healing in my family.

Being Christan parents is something very important to us and going to this conference always fills us up just a little more so we have plenty to pour out to our children but also to others and our community.

I am blessed to serve a risen Savior and having weekends like this one just affirm that fact even more. I would love to blog more about the Aldersgate ministry so I might just do that one day! It is something near and dear to my heart as I believe God is calling us his church to rise up and do the things he said we could do!

Independence Day

Today we celebrate our countries Independence...As an American this entitles us to many freedoms that we sometimes take for granted. So today as you eat that all that yummy BBQ, hug friends and family, and enjoy your fireworks please don't forget to pray for all the men and women who make all those freedoms possible.

My family is celebrating to with friends. These friends are like family to us and we are happy to spend the day with them! We are going to enjoy a meal of pork, baked beans, corn, cucumber/tomato salad, apple pie and homemade ice cream...I almost forgot homemade salsa and chips. YUMMY We are also having the return of the redneck slip-in-slide. It is going to be TONS of fun. Then we will go to Michael's grandmothers at dark for the annual fireworks celebration. This is a long running tradition for his family that is being carried on with our children. It was always Michael's Pawpaws "thing" he would make a huge deal of the holiday and he himself would shop for all the fireworks and he would make his famous homemade orange sherbet. This year the celebration will be missing Pawpaw and most likely his sherbet. I know Michael will miss Pawpaw like crazy. But I am sure he is in heaven enjoying his own fireworks. It might not be the same with out him but his memory and tradition live on.

Happy 4th of July everyone...Enjoy every minute of it with the ones you love!

Summer structure...not free for all

Oh yeah summer is in full swing down here in Alabama complete with 90 degree and 100% humidity! School has been out of just about a month now and when it started I decided not to let my family fall into the old routine of "lazy summer syndrome" you know the parenting part of us that wants to let the kids sleep in and do nothing. Oh no that was not going exist around here not this summer. I have always been a firm believer in keeping my kids "busy" so they don't fall into laziness and boredom. So I have structured out somethings for us! We signed up for swim team, are planning a couple day trips when swim is over, taking a vaca to an annual Methodist Conference, and we are summer homeschooling to try it out to see if we want to make a way of life. And several other little things.

Now I know not everyone shares my opinion on keeping your kids busy. But I am a firm believer in the old saying "idol hands do the devils handy work". I believe nope scratch that I know if left the their own vices most children at some point would get into mischief and or act out. All children need structure of some sort ALL the time. School or no school they need to know what is happening and when...Thus NO free for all around here. We begin most days ( I say most because if my children have sleep over company I let the "schooling" go for a day) with breakfast followed by a writing assignment and then some reading and math work in their workbooks. Then we move on to chores. Then we are off to swim practice. So on and so forth I am sparing you the other details:) This has been working wonderfully for us. I am so glad to be offering this to my children. A little side note would be that I have always keep my children busy...I believe they need those opportunities to shape who they become.

There are many in this world who might think I am a lazy parent because I choose for my children to be at these activities. And to them I would say "WHAT" who do you think drives them there, sits through the activity, chases the toddler, and helps them practice LOL. For a couple of short hours everyday my children my not be with me...But that doesn't make me lazy! I am still the one giving them 90% of their care and meeting ALL their needs.

Enjoy your summer it will be over soon! And if you live in Bama stay cool;)