Hooray for 7-months!

The other day, as me and my Baby Bjorn were walking into Target, I thought wow...how my weekdays have changed over the past 7 months! The Target I go to is right next to my old office building and I can't help but laugh at the irony of the situation. This as I adjust the straps on my baby harness. How different life is now! Worry and stress have changed (still there just a different source), and obviously so have my day's tasks; but a lot of these changes are good. Coops my little buddy, my sidekick, and sometimes the only person I talk to ALL. DAY. LONG. Yes, I talk to a baby, quite often actually, and you may think he doesn't talk back to me, but he does - I just can't understand it yet.

[caption id="attachment_512" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Sunday football day with daddy![/caption]

Alas, this week he turned 7-months old.

[caption id="attachment_514" align="aligncenter" width="300"] So exciting to be 7 months old! [/caption]

Y'all I love this age. Seriously this time, it's the best. Some facts about Coop this month - he started enunciating consonants ie "a-deh-dah-deh." (I still secretly teach him 'ma-ma' and he still laughs at me). He thinks the door jumper is THE bomb; and so do I because it's when I get to take a shower. He loves chewing on these rubber alphabet letters made for bath time. He laughs hysterically when you jump out from behind something and yell "BOO!!!" Every time he jumps like he didn't expect it, even though we do it over and over again. I am hoping this isn't an indicator of his intelligence. And finally, he is obsessed with cell phones and remote controls. He'll scoot himself across the room if he sees a cell phone. Then straight into the mouth. Then mom takes it away immediately. Repeat.

So, just a few things we are enjoying about Coop this month. He continues to be life's greatest joy and challenge. Happy 7-months Coop!

[caption id="attachment_513" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Our professional 6 month photos with Christina Dooley Photography. He's seriously adorbs.[/caption]

-Lauren

Falling in love with fall

It's fall y'all.

Football is once again on at my house (like, all the time), it is crisp and cold now in the mornings and evenings, and fall foliage is BACK. Hooray!

It's sometimes surreal that we have the Rocky Mountains in our backyard. Last fall we completely missed the gorgeous colors that the aspen trees turn this time of year up in the mountains. There is such a small window, literally just a few weeks, and once that cold-front comes through and officially welcomes winter- the leaves fall off and fall is OVER! Well this fall we were NOT going to miss it. We packed up the pups and kid and headed up the hill to visit Jeff's parents with a couple friends. And y'all, its seriously breathtaking. The drive itself was gorgeous enough, but we spent Saturday hiking in Aspen right outside of Maroon Bells and SERIOUSLY, it was the MOST beautiful thing I've ever seen.

[caption id="attachment_482" align="aligncenter" width="200"] Sun shining through the aspens. I mean, stop it.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_486" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Beautiful view of the side of the mountain.[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_484" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Goldenrod yellow.[/caption]



So, it's official. I've fallen in love with fall. Something about this time of year is just...warm and fuzzy. Its pumpkin spiced candles, crock pot winter soups, and UGGs replacing flip flops. It's FALL y'all, and I'm in love.

[caption id="attachment_488" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The original three.[/caption]

Happy week...
Lauren

*** Aspen-bound? This hike is a must: Cathedral Lake ***

Wisdom Wednesdays: Changing seasons

Here in Colorado, finally, finally we are starting to see the beginnings of fall. Colorful leaves are now sprinkled throughout the trees at the park, Denver temps dropped from a high of 90 to 60 degrees in two days (what???), and Starbucks now has the Pumpkin spiced lattes. Alas! Fall is on the way. A new season brings on new changes as we say hello to fall and goodbye to summer.

Also in this change of season, my family had to say goodbye to Grandpa "Bear".



Everyone who met him loved him- there is no doubt about that. He was the type of man you just loved being around- his laughter was contagious and his eyes sparkled every time he smiled. He was a man fiercely committed to his faith and his wife in a way that continues to inspire me and my husband. He was an extremely detail-oriented man. Like many young men of his time he proudly served his country. He loved cheering for his hometown of Syracuse and boy, did he love his scotch. Going through old photos and letters he kept last week- hearing stories about him from his friends and sister- it truly is amazing the depth of life that he lived.

[caption id="attachment_466" align="aligncenter" width="212"] My mom with her daddy.[/caption]

And so, seasons change. From hot to cold and from the end of one life to the beginning of another. I feel so blessed and grateful that my Grandpa got to meet his great-grandson and with joy I know where he is now, in Heaven looking over all of us and saying "don't cry for me! celebrate!"

[caption id="attachment_463" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Checking each other out.[/caption]

Well Grandpa, we will celebrate the everlasting mark you've made on our family and this life. Our children will hear about you and if we're lucky, will be half the man you were.

In any season, may we not take one single moment for granted. May we be sure to tell those we love just how much we love them, and be present in every second spent with loved ones.

[caption id="attachment_465" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Love always.[/caption]
-Lauren

Wisdom Wednesdays: "Being Thankful"

Be warned, I went a little “quote-crazy” today. You’re welcome.

This is on my facebook page and one of my most favorite quotes:
“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice.” -Meister Eckhart

The other day I was pinteresting (verb?) and I noticed several people pinning articles about how to raise grateful children. I clicked through some of these articles and they were really, really good. Now, of COURSE I want Cooper to be a child that is thankful for what he has, but don’t kids learn these traits from their parents behavior? While searching creative ideas on how to raise our kids online, how are we doing in the general “living our lives as good people” arena? Many of us thank God in prayers for what we have, but what about perpetually living grateful? It seems a bit ironic to try to instill character-traits into our child, when we may not necessarily have them ourselves.

"If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul." -Rabbi Harold Kushner

So back to Pinterest. It was at this point in pinteresting when I did a gut-check. No matter how many “gratitude boards” I make Cooper fill out, being grateful won’t be a trait that my child learns unless we as parents are living it. I read this article about how we can learn to make counting our blessings a part of life: http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/ten_ways_to_become_more_grateful1

I listed the main points but I encourage you to click on the link for more detail.

1. Keep a Gratitude Journal.
2. Remember the Bad.
3. Ask Yourself Three Questions.
4. Learn Prayers of Gratitude.
5. Come to Your Senses.
6. Use Visual Reminders.
7. Make a Vow to Practice Gratitude.
8. Watch your Language.
9. Go Through the Motions. (ie "fake-it-til-you-make-it", says Lauren)
10. Think Outside the Box.

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." -John Fitzgerald Kennedy

To me this was not only interesting but an important read, and like any habit we form or characteristic that we acquire reminds me that living gratefully starts with committing to make it a priority and continues with a plan. And like they always tell you: it takes repeating 20 times to become a habit. As for me, this is one habit that I intend to work on.

Gratefully,
Lauren