9-months and always moving!

The Tuesday of Thanksgiving the Coop man turned 9-months old. However, I had the day off that day and was baby-free (thanks Joyce), so my day was spent getting my hair cut and nails done, ate lunch like a normal person, went to dinner with my husband AND sat at the bar, but MOST importantly I went to see Breaking Dawn. Seriously? Best day ever.

[caption id="attachment_790" align="aligncenter" width="2816"] Total lady-killer.[/caption]

So, back to Snoop.





Cooper is 9-months old and busy. Like a bee. This has been a big month, lots of new things have happened. He started crawling and got FAST, he cut two teeth over Thanksgiving, he gives kisses (and melts your heart), he waves when he sees daddy (and/or sticks his arm straight out), he loves listening to this one Sarah Bareilles song (random), and he has super-dramatic faces. In a nut-shell. Also, as you may have noticed, he has more hair now. Slightly. And finally, his most favorite play time activity is emptying, well anything. Cabinets, my make up bag, laundry baskets; you'll notice no toys mentioned here, because he is SO not interested.

[caption id="attachment_791" align="aligncenter" width="2816"] With my daddy. Drinking my bottle.[/caption]

It's so special to spend holidays with family and our new littlest member. Coop's first Thanksgiving was spent with Jeff's family here in Colorado. We had three kiddos all under 3 (one more to join us in April), and it was so special to get them all together. Great food, great company, and fun board games = a wonderful holiday. I always hate leaving Jeff's parents house.

[caption id="attachment_795" align="aligncenter" width="2816"] My one family picture on Thanksgiving. [/caption]

And now as we enter on December, even more special memories will be made celebrating Cooper's first Christmas. I can't even believe it. If our house decor is any evidence of our enthusiasm, we are going to have a great season!

[caption id="attachment_794" align="aligncenter" width="2112"] Christmas tree shopping![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_793" align="aligncenter" width="2816"] Touching my first tree.[/caption]

Merry Christmas...

[caption id="attachment_796" align="aligncenter" width="4272"] I want to help decorate mom![/caption]

...and Happy Holidays!
Lauren

WW: Worry.

Y'all I've been worrying lately.

To be fair, this has always been an "issue" of mine. My husband tells me that I need medicine or therapy for my worry-problem and I don't necessarily disagree, but who has the time, really, and come on it's not THAT bad. The problem is that now I have a kid, which is like a WHOLE other crazy level of worry possibilities.



Whether it is worrying about work, relationships, children, money, personal issues, whatever it is- we all do it, some more than others and some handle it better than others. I'm realizing that I tend to be a realist, not an optimist, and, okay, if I'm being honest I possibly err on the side of the pessimist when it comes to worrying. I only see worst case scenario. Fun, right?

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” -Corrie Ten Boom

Yeah, yeah we've all heard it: worry accomplishes nothing. I totally get that, but how do you control your feelings and thoughts? Found this awesome blog post written by Mike King that I'm pretty sure he wrote specifically for me called, and I quote: "Why Worrying Gets You Nowhere." There is so much I love about this article especially the 5 things he suggests for controlling and limiting worry.

"Most worriers do so with little reason. If you count up all the outcomes and results of many events that a worrier stresses over, it’s easy to see that this worrying is usually unjustified."-Mike King

I definitely don't want unjustified worrying hanging out at my house, and ultimately must remember that what will be...will be, and more than likely, it won't be the sob-story I've painted in my head. It will be okay. Hopefully this hereditary-worry-trait (thanks mom) will end with me. Cooper will look to and learn from me and Jeff, observe how we handle situations, so it's extra important that I am not such a debbie-downer. Gosh I hope he takes after his father.

"Only 8% of our worry will come to pass. 92% of our worry is wasted. DON'T PANIC." -Mark Gorman

So, here's to a worry-free Wednesday and all the days that follow...Coop says it's the only way to live.





Best,
Lauren

WW: Giving thanks.

"There is always, always, always something to be thankful for." -Author Unknown

It has been a rough couple weeks at the Kauffman house! I was down and out last week, sick as a dog, and try as I did to spare Coop, he got sick this week. Needless to say, we have been a fun group lately. Really, you would have loved to come over! But, alas, happy Turkey Day!

[caption id="attachment_745" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Thanksgiving 2011[/caption]

I don't know about you, but Thanksgiving snuck up on me this year! When you are younger you have a week off for this day, so the mental preparation is so much different than when you are older and it just becomes another day of the week. Thanksgiving has long been my favorite holiday. Every Turkey Day growing up my family would pack up the car and head to Houston to see grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. It was the one time of year that we were all together. We'd fry turkeys, watch the Dallas Cowboys, run turkey trots and eat pretzel jello. Some of my best memories with family are on this holiday. We were blessed to all be together last Thanksgiving, which turned out to be my Grandfather's last.
[caption id="attachment_746" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The fam on Thanksgiving 2011[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_747" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Me with my sweet Grandpa[/caption]

There is something special about a day that is all about giving thanks. We all know the general story of how "Thanksgiving" came to be- a meal between the Pilgrims and the Indians. But, if you think about it, the meal was so much more than that. So...history lesson: the Indians taught the Pilgrims how to farm the land and grow crops when they didn't know the land and were dying. The holiday we now celebrate with a Thanksgiving meal represents the meal shared with the first crops that the Pilgrims grew, and a thank you to the Indians for helping them learn to survive. So even in such a time of sickness in death, they got together to celebrate and give thanks. The Indians offered such a hand of friendship. There is such great history in this country, and in this story- of one group helping another.

I think a lot about the importance of living with a thankful spirit. I blogged about it recently and am convinced that living your days with gratitude is one of the secrets to a happy life.

"If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily." – Gerald Good

So, having one day to focus on giving thanks? I love it. But making it a daily practice? Let's live it.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Wishing you and yours a happy holiday! From me and this guy:



-Lauren

Happy Birthday to the hubby!

Today is Jeff's birthday so I thought it appropriate to write about him. Happy birthday Jeff!

[caption id="attachment_713" align="aligncenter" width="300"] On a scale from 1 to 10, how excited is he going to be about this picture?[/caption]

Here are just a few things I love about my husband:

1). He has to ask me how old he is. Every year. He was relieved when I told him he was NOT turning 35 this year.
2). Though he hates social media, he has a Twitter account and is addicted to following people (mostly sports related). The act of "tweeting" however would be participating in social media, which he does NOT do, obviously.
3). He tells me my cooking is good. Since pinterest has entered the world I try a LOT of new recipes...99.9% vegetarian. Only once has he told me: "Maybe no more kale this week, honey." I appreciate that.
4). I especially love how he gets up early with the nugget on the weekends after a full week of work, just so I can sleep an extra couple hours. He's the best I tell you.
5). And finally, he gave me Cooper. Our greatest joy, proudest accomplishment and most expensive valuable asset.

[caption id="attachment_712" align="aligncenter" width="1536"] Coop and daddy, 5 weeks old.[/caption]

"I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life." -Rita Rudner



“It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.” ―Friedrich Nietzsche

Honey, it is my privilege to annoy you day in and day out. You truly are my greatest friend.

xox
Lauren

P.S. You are 34.
P.P.S. This is your LAST year in your mid-thirties.
P.P.P.S. I will ALWAYS be younger than you. Like, forever.

WW: Perspective.

Greetings!

Over the past seven days so many lives have been changed: a colossal storm hit the northeast and flattened much of the coast there, we elected the 44th president of the United States, and most importantly, beginning January 5th I can now buy an ounce of weed legally here in Colorado. Hooray! I mean, when the governor has to tell its people not to jump the gun and "break out the Cheetos and goldfish quite yet," you know times are a-changing. For better or worse.



The past couple weeks have been so...emotionally charged- haven't they? I know I have had lots going through my head and just no real motivation to bring them to the blog. The word I kept coming back to however was perspective. Facebook has been crazy! I know you've noticed. Last week my news feed was filled with cute photos of kiddos dressed as animals, and this week with political back-and-forth of who in this country is ignorant and who is intolerant. I am positive many people have been "de-friended" due to political differences.

“There are no facts, only interpretations.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche

Politics is one of those issues; so personal it's best not to tout them in general, especially on the web. Similar to hard liquor...better to just stay away from it. This election has showcased people, good people, disagreeing on fundamentally important issues. So many different life experiences that have ultimately shaped people's perspective, each looking at the same issue and seeing very different things. If one thing is clear, the make-up and dynamic of this country is changing...has changed, social issues are taking a front seat and the values of this country are different from the values held in our grandparents and great grandparents' generations.

A little humor:
"Take our politicians: they're a bunch of yo-yos. The presidency is now a cross between a popularity contest and a high school debate, with an encyclopedia of cliches the first prize." -Saul Bellow

I am so grateful that we live in a country where we can agree to disagree, not be punished for our opinions, and we can choose our leaders. People are resilient, and it's been incredible to see all the passion and emotion lately. Speaking of emotion, let's talk about Cooper. He was a shark for Halloween...

[caption id="attachment_693" align="aligncenter" width="2816"] Check out that fin.[/caption]



...and he started crawling this week! We lowered his crib due to the whole "trying to get out" thing, and every time he wakes up he just sits on his bum and looks at the door, talking to himself. He continues to awkwardly stare at people, mainly strangers, until he decides what he thinks of them. Oh, and he's messy.

[caption id="attachment_685" align="aligncenter" width="2112"] Yogurt makes good hair gel mom.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_686" align="aligncenter" width="2816"] I can feed myself mom, see?[/caption]

Phew. What a week. Here's to good things happening, in country and in home, moving forward. As for me and my home, we will continue to instill values in Coop that we believe builds the character and the man; after all, it starts at home, in my perspective.

[caption id="attachment_687" align="aligncenter" width="2816"] Our brown-eyed angel.[/caption]

Best to you and yours,
Lauren