Happy Birthday Cooper!

These pictures were taken 4 years ago on the day Cooper was born:




Cooper would have turned 4 this year. We sure miss him and can't wait to get to know him. We always celebrate his birthday-we want Cooper to know we love him and we want our kids to remember him and look forward to seeing him again. We always go out to eat on his b-day and this year we had lunch at the Sushi Garden.




We get Cooper balloons every year and send them to heaven for him. We get him the number of balloons that he would be turning that year, so we got 4, but the yellow popped (giving me a nice little welt on my arm).

Marlee isn't sure why the balloons won't float away-she is stepping on the one that popped. We had to tell her to pick up her foot:) Last year the balloons got stuck in a tree for awhile-maybe next year we will get it right. It is the thought that counts, right?

Marlee was happy to be chosen to release the balloons:


It was such a windy day and they disappeared fast:


Another tradition, we each pick out a flavored milk. When Coop was in the hospital, Laun used to take our boys to the cafeteria and get them flavored milks. It just kind of stuck and we do it every year. Here's to you Cooper:

Thanks to all who remember our sweet baby boy! Since my parents can't give Coop a gift, they give us money to put towards our day of celebration, such a great idea. And my brother Andy's family gave us such beautiful flowers to help brighten our day. This is a very special day for our family, not only is it Cooper's birthday today, but it is also Mike Hall's birthday (Laun's Dad). Happy Birthday to 2 great guys, we can't wait to see you both again!

*Even though you may notice wardrobe changes on Laun and Marlee, this is all on the same day. Laun works with cows, so he goes through lots of laundry and Marlee...she just gets messy a lot:)

hammock happy

We picked up a hammock yesterday and the kids are loving it:

birthday celebration for Port-Part II

Porter chose egg rolls for his b-day dinner (and we had chicken stir-fry with noodles):

He saw a cake at Costco recently that looked like a doughnut to him (hole in the center), so he asked for that instead of a homemade cake:
He was happy to light his candles and blow them out.

Chocolate over kill:

He asked for enough whipped cream to cover his cake, strawberries, and ice cream:

Porter is SEVEN!

Porter requested crepes for breakfast:


He got to use a b-day cow to pour his milk:

When Laun was growing up, his mother used to let her children use the cream cow on their birthdays. I would like to pass on that same tradition to my children. I have been collecting cream cows, so that all of my children have their very own to take with them when they get married.
There was some spillage and lots of laughing from Marlee as she watched milk pour out of the cow.


Another birthday tradition we have is lunch out with Daddy. Porter chose Panda Express and was so excited to have one-on-one time with Laun.

His Turley Grandparents gave him this cool insect book:

We got him a book (one of my childhood favorites-Tikki Tikki Tembo):

We also gave him some cash and so did his Frost Grandparents (he really wanted cash this year). We took him to Sportsman's Warehouse tonight and he used his cash to buy some candy, a headlight, and a remote control truck:

Beech didn't know what to think of this truck:

This is one happy birthday boy!
Porter really wanted to buy his gifts tonight, so we were out too late to have his b-day dinner and cake. We settled for dinner at Sam's Club and will have his special meal tomorrow.

We are so blessed to have Porter in our family and can hardly believe he is 7! This boy is full of energy and laughs. He always has something to say and uses great facial expressions when telling a story. He is one smart boy and loves to learn. He is very flexible and reeks of confidence. Nothing can stop this boy from achieving his dreams. We love you Porter!

Copper Country-Antiques

The other day I was at a thrift store in search for a cream cow, I collect them (hobby...obsession, whatever you want to call it). Anyways, I couldn't find one and I asked the cashier if she had seen one, she told me to check out Copper Country because they usually have them. What?! Why haven't I ever heard of this place? I was so excited to check it out and find some more cows for my sweet collection. Laun on the other had was probably not as excited as me, but hey, it is kind of his fault since I got this love for cream cows from his mom. His mom used to have a cream cow that she let her kids use on their birthdays. But Laun likes to remind me that she just had one, that everyone used. I really want every kid to have their own and enough leftover for me when they all leave the nest-selfish but nice all at the same time:) Plus, I like the cows because Laun does research with cows and I am sentimental like that. I promise I am not a hoarder-maybe with cows but that's it. So...today we went to Copper Country and it was awesome...and kind of expensive. There was tons of unique antiques-Laun and I really liked this old retro couch (but when you read the price tag and it is over 3 thousand dollars, the cool factor goes down a bit). Okay, Okay, enough blabbing-I found 2 cream cows I liked and they were on sell, even better. Can't wait to go back again...

Laun claimed the white cow^ (notice how buff it is) and Porter ^ called dibs on the short stout one. My cow count is now up to 8 and they don't all fit on my kitchen window sill, so one sits on my dresser and kindly holds my bracelets.

taste the rainbow...

These sugar cookies were tasty and labor intensive. Not really hard to make, just lots of steps.
I thought they were perfect for St. Patrick's Day.
I can't decide if I like the flat^....... or crinkle look better^


Breakfast was green waffles and eggs-I think the cookies topped that.

We had dinner at the park tonight. Laun played soccer with the kids-the boys love soccer.


This picture is fuzzy, but I love Marlee's big grin as Laun helped her kick the soccer ball.
It was nice to have my parents here, they headed home tonight.

Thinking of Cooper

Elizabeth and Andy got these flowers for us, since Cooper's birthday is this Monday. I hope they get extra blessings for always remembering our little boy. We are so thankful for their kindness and love towards our family. This is a hard time of year for me, I miss Coop more than words can say. I am so happy that others miss him too. It is gonna be one great reunion in heaven someday.


Thank you Elizabeth-for hand delivering these beautiful flowers.

Laun's projects...

Laun skinned this bobcat back in November:
Marlee loved the big cat^


The kids had so much fun looking at the bobcat up close:

The inside was whitish:

The end result:




Today Laun finished his Jersey Cow skin-here's the process:




Finished product (well almost finished-Laun trimmed it up after this picture to make it even):

Still trying to decide if it should go on the ottoman or be our bedroom rug. It will get softer and lay better over time.