The Cokenour Family

Overwhelmed

2010-12-15T15:19:00.005-06:00

I don't know if it is because I have children of my own now, or if maybe by some miracle I am actually maturing :-), but this year it is really hard for me to get in to the whole Christmas scene. I'm not talking about a Grinch attitude where the sights of trees and lights repulse me. I am talking about a more humbling realization that there are so many children out there that are getting nothing. Scratch that. They are not even getting their basic needs met. I read an article that said that the Santa letter readers at the post offices are being bombarded with letters to Santa that are asking not for x-boxes and American girl dolls, but they are actually asking for things like winter coats and socks. Still some are asking not for things for themselves, but for basic needs for their parents and siblings. I'm sitting here with my heart broken for these kids.

I am not against buying nice things for our families and giving things to our children. But I am having a really hard time being holly jolly and excited when all I can see in my head are pictures of kids that are cold, wearing clothes that do not fit, and hungry, here in Weatherford. I'm more than humbled. I am heartbroken. I know there is more that I can do but am I too selfish to do it? Where do you draw the line in your life that says have a fun time with your family without completely forgetting that at the same moment you are having your holiday feast, there are children whose tummies are growling. I look at Eli and think, he is almost 5 months old and he is completely dependent on us for all his needs. Food, clothes, warmth, love. Yet there are babies his age and all around that do have the long sleeved onsies, socks, hats, food, and stuff we take for granted. Then I think about Caleb. He has such an innocence. He loves us so much and knows that when we put a jacket on him "it gonna keep me warm? it cold outside mama?" I cant imagine not having that option of a jacket and watching him shiver.

I guess I have the blessing and curse of empathy. I know in my heart that God has a special grace for those families, but at the same time the New Testament church "They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need." Acts 2:45 I guess I really don't know why I wrote this. I just wanted to get down what was in my heart. I guess that's what a blog is for right? I guess if you get nothing else out of this post, please join me in prayer for these people. Picture your kids going through those hard times and do what you can this season to help someone in need.

Caleb's Top Ten

2010-03-19T10:12:00.003-05:00

Caleb's Top Ten

1. I love that Caleb says "You you" when he means I love you.
2. I love when I look in the rear view and he is looking at his pirate cup going "Arrrr"
3. I love that he is such a mamma's boy in the morning.
4. I love that he leads us around and tells us when and where to sit down
5. I love that he dances when he hears music
6. I love when he sings the last word of every line in a song.
7. I love the fact he changes his voice to a sweet tone when he says sorry.."sowwwy"
8. I love that he likes to put himself to sleep but miss rocking him...
9. I love when he wants something he says "yeeeess" and smiles
10. I LOVE THAT HE IS SUCH A BLESSING TO US!!

Happy Birthday sweet baby boy!

Please Help

2009-08-27T13:34:00.003-05:00

I am sitting here thinking about motherhood and feeling pretty inadequate. Caleb has always been a little on the aggressive side, but it is getting a little out of hand. Between spankings, biting him back, timeouts and a few "talkings to" I am at my wits end. I even gave his pacifier back to him so that he would be less likely to bite people. I dont know what to do to help him. I am nervous every time I take him to church or he is around other kids thinking "What if he bites someone? What if he hits someone?" What makes it worse is that he is starting KDO in 2 weeks! I am not going to lie I am freaking out a little. I have prayed and prayed that God would help him be less aggressive. Can you guys pray for him? He is not a mean kid! If you know him, you know that he is sweet and that he loves to hug and kiss and play and have fun. I am afraid that he is going to have a stigma as "that kid who bites everyone" or "that kid who hits everyone". Please friends. Pray.

Zoo!

2009-05-02T14:36:00.005-05:00

Hello all! We had our first family zoo experience! It was a blast! It started out as a nice cool morning and turned into quite a warm muggy day.
We saw a big gorilla, lots of fishies, Watched animals eat, and fed the birds! It was a great time!

Birthday

2009-04-21T13:59:00.009-05:00

Ok, so it has only been a month since his birthday! We had a blast. We had some friends and family over for a very, VERY windy day. It was so windy that the outdoor activities didnt really work out but we had burgers and loads of fun anyway.

When we started singing "Happy Birthday" to little man, he started squirming around and trying to hide his face! He was all embarrassed! Here is a cute little video thanks to Aunt Megan!
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He of course had a blast with his cupcake and made a huge mess! We gave him a mostly empty Dr. Pepper can and let him loose with a straw around the house! He thought he was pretty special!

Who will it be??

2009-03-17T02:00:00.001-05:00

A few of my friends have posted this on their blogs and I think it sounds really fun and creative! Whooo will be the lucky winners?!

The first 5 people to respond to this post will get something made by me! Lucky you!

My choice. For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year.
4. You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or an article on properly cleaning your face before a mask. I may sew or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange. The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

He Walks!

2009-03-11T08:15:00.004-05:00

So Caleb has been taking a few steps here and there over the past month, but they were pretty sporadic. Thursday He just took off! He has a few knocks on the noggin but he is doing pretty well! Here we come first birthday!

Funny Boy

2009-02-23T19:38:00.015-06:00

My sweet little man will be a year old in less than a month! I cant believe it!! Here is a video that captures just a pinch of the cuteness that is Caleb! Enjoy! Its a little blurry cause its from my phone but still cute! Turn up the volume!

New House!

2009-02-16T17:02:00.010-06:00

I say its a house because we are in the process of making it feel like a home! It is definitely getting there! Let me first say that this house is a total gift from God! He is the reason we got it and we are VERY thankful! I am going to post some pics, but know that we are far from done! It has only been two weeks and for those of you with a child and have moved, you know what it is to make SLOW progress! Here ya go!

Front of the house!

Bonus of my cutie!

Kitchen...notice the poopie pants hanging on the trash! Need to wash! Gross!

Back porch

Hallway, notice the curtains on the floor...to be hung!

Living room from the dining room

Living room from front entryway

Bathroom

Entryway

Dining room

Sunday Funday

2009-01-19T10:07:00.004-06:00

Yesterday we had a fun-filled day! I started out the day with Caleb as normal. When it was time for his nap, I was going to take a nap becuase I was just worn out! Well, of course, he would go to sleep. So DanE took him for some Daddy-Son time and mommy got to sleep in! (Dont you love Saturday night service!) Then we got ready and went to Target to get a present for Alex (our nephew), and we headed to Cleburne for his birthday party! It was at a really nice McDonald's. I havent seen one tihs nice before! Caleb got to play in the toddler play area and ate his first Happy Meal! It was such a beautiful day, we went and found a park. We had a blast! Caleb rode the swings, slide, and play with Grammy! We headed back and went to Kohls so DanE could spend a giftcard that he had on some new work clothes. We got some great deals. To finish off the day, Jeff and Randi came over to watch the football game and eat some burritos. It was a great day! Here are some pics of the fun!

50 Years and Going Strong

2009-01-04T22:46:00.007-06:00

It is a little unbelieveable and very impressive that two people can stay together that long in this world and still show love and affection toward each other. I have such respect and love for them and the example that they have set for our family. Not saying that anyone is perfect, but they love God more than anything and strive to serve and obey Him with all their heart.

Not only that, but they love and take care of their family, they are great examples of having a servants heart and they are fun to be around to boot! Now that's awesome! A little history on my Papa and Gege (that's what they are known as around here!).My Papa was a Church of Christ Preacher for many years and my Gege is an RN. They have been serving in the mission field in Africa for many, many years. They have seen and led many people to Christ. My Gege has set up clinics and helped countless people heal and tries to teach them to take care of themselves. They have started churches, schools (my Gege even has a school named after her!), set up training to give people something to strive for and feel like they have accomplished something, and much, much more. It's amazing to me that just two people who are willing to say yes to God can make such a big difference in His name. And I haven't even mentioned the difference they have made here in the USA! They have taught us what it is to follow Christ whole heartedly. They have taught us that staying together is work. They have taught us about Jesus. They have shown us unconditional love. I love you Gege and Papa. Congratulations on 50 wonderful years.

I LOVE MY FAMILY!

2009-01-02T22:06:00.011-06:00

My Grandparent's 50th Wedding anniversary party is tomorrow and so I have much of my family in town. My sister and her family, my Aunt Becky and Uncle Scott with Natalie from Colorado, my Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Randy with their kids Johnny and Brian, and we will see many more tomorrow! I love times like this where you spend late nights playing games like Yatzee eating lots of good food and laughing until you cry! Karissa and I also enjoy a little Karaoke. We were listening to the 90's music channel playing games and my sister and I were jammin' out to some of the songs that were playing. DanE and my brother in law Matt caught some of the shennanigans on video that I will be keeping under lock and key FOREVER! haha! Bribe material all the way! Today we went to ride the train by the zoo. It was beautiful and such a blast! Here are some pics from our time thus far!

Holly Jolly Christmas!

2008-12-27T09:53:00.008-06:00

We had an awesome Christmas! Next week is my Grandparents 50th Wedding Anniversary Party. My sister and her family is coming up from Houston and other family from around. I am really excited! YEA!

Little update, my nephew is doing so much better! Its amazing to me how quickly kids heal! Here are some cute pics of my brother holding Kad while he slept on him! It was so precious!

Eventful Day..err...Week

2008-12-19T22:51:00.002-06:00

It has been an eventful week to say the least! Caleb woke up on Sunday and was really sick. We took him to the Dr on Monday and he had croup! No fun for anyone involved. He also had fluid on his ears(not an infection yet) so they put him on antiibiotics. He's over all that for now but now he is cutting his top two teeth! More fun for everyone! But life is good in the Cokenour home.

Well this morning I was all ready to go spend some much needed quality time with Aunt Megan (despite Caleb's fairly foul mood) and I get a call from my sister. She was walking down some steps at her apartment on her way to take him the the babysitter and her foot slipped. He fell out of her arms and tumbled down the concrete flight of steps! Ambulance ride to Cook's, xrays and MRI's, and a couple liver tests, he is all good! Just the worst busted lip ever and some cuts and bruises but he is fine! Praise the God! It could have been horrible! Here are a few pics to remind us to be careful when we are trying to be Superwoman and carry 10 thousand things and our children. Accidents happen!

Horton Hears a Who

2008-12-09T13:14:00.005-06:00

Caleb never ceases to amaze me! Horton Hears a Who came out on video and I rented it while at WalMart today in hopes that Caleb and I could have a movie day since its really cold out. I put the movie on and was doing some stuff in the kitchen when I turned to check on him...here is the video of what I saw:

I have the pillows there to minimize head injuries! Hope this makes your day like it did mine!

Laugh Out Loud!

2008-12-01T22:40:00.005-06:00

Caleb is starting to throw fits! Serious fits, especially during diaper time. Not fun at all. Well today was an especially good one and it was time for naptime. He must have cried and played on and off for about an hour before I heard silence. I went to cover him because I put him to bed pantless to avoid further fit throwing. What I saw made me literally laugh out loud! He fell asleep sitting up, slumped over into his bumper, holding his feet! HAHA! Here is the proof!

Oh and ps, I fixed his bed so he cant chew on the wood anymore. I looked at some of the products that were recommended (thanks girls) but I decided to make my own contraption. Here is what I came up with....

Handpainted signs!

2008-11-30T08:19:00.007-06:00

Hey guys! I started a blog to display my work! If you are interested in one or would like me to paint something for your childs room, living room, or for a gift just let me know! Also there is an open house this Friday at my friend Misty's house. There will be artisans from all around there to sell their work! There will be things like decorative candles, picture frames, signs, crosses, etc... I will send an email out to all my LifeGroup bible study girls but if you want info comment me your email and I will include you! It will be a blast! My new blog is: http://p31creations.blogspot.com/

Wagon rides, deer and other mischief

2008-11-10T22:28:00.010-06:00

Well first of all everyday is an adventure here in the Cokenour home! The other night I put Caleb to bed and he was not very happy about that. So I had the monitor near me and had it turned down so I could see the lights and see if he was still crying. The lights were flashing for a long time so I decided to turn it up and see what the damage was. I heard a whole lot of banging and not a whole lot of crying so I went to check on him and this is what I found...

Yea that would be the monitor. I think Lindsay is right, I may have a long road ahead of me...sigh...:-)

Saturday we went out to Millsap to viisit family and so DanE could hunt. While he was gone I watched Payton and Gracie and we took Caleb and Gracie out in the wagon. Here are a few cute pics...

Last but not least, DanE killed a 10 point buck! He also killed a doe. (which has a really sad story to go with it that I will spare you the tears I cried!) He dropped them off to get processed and soon we will feast on the deer jerky, backstrap, chili, and whatever else you can make with deer. Here are a couple pics!

Mystery scratches...

2008-11-06T15:26:00.006-06:00

When I went to get Caleb from his bed this morning I noticed there were some scratches on his crib that I have never noticed before. I started looking a little closser trying to figure out what in the world was going on when I noticed something very interesting. I noticed there was a distinct two line pattern. I tried to think of what could make this pattern then it all came to me. Caleb has two teeth on the bottom row and he has been pulling up on things in the living room. But I have never seen him pull up on his crib and succeed. I had to investigate. When he was about to wake up from his first nap today I went in ready with my camera. This is what I found.....he is eating his crib! Now Caleb is big for his age and loves to eat and I am pretty sure that if I dont find a way to stop the madness his beautiful crib will soon be toothpicks! Hahaha! What should I do?!?!

History and Sovereignty

2008-11-04T23:13:00.006-06:00

"1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves." Romans 13:1-2

Whether you voted for Obama or you voted against him, tonight we as a country have made history. Tonight we can mourn and be disappointed but as of tomorrow, as Christians we have a choice to make. We have to choose to respect, pray for, and submit to his authority. It is commanded by God. God has all authority in all the earth, and he chooses to whom he bestows authority in the earth. Please take some time and pray for Obama and his family, for now they face the challenge that can only be overcome with the guidance of our Lord.

When I say pray for the guidance, I also say pray for protection. A short 55 years ago Africans were considered separate but equal. A mere 44 years ago African Americans were given the right to vote. There are many African Americans that voted in this election that endured the hardships that came with separate schools, water fountains, separated buses, and senseless violence and much more. There are still people today who think that that is the America that we need to have today. Ignorant as that may be, people are blind. Pray for protection for the Obama's from these people that may scheme to harm and destroy. Now November 4, 2008 we have seen a complete 180 degree turn from the slavery that plagued our country and ended in 1865. Pray. Pray. Pray. God is good all the time and His ways are not our ways. He has a master plan and our faith in Him and his sovereignty will get us through.

Halloween time!

2008-11-03T10:28:00.017-06:00

Our Halloween started when I got ti watch Kaddliac my nephew. I got to dress him up for a fall fest at my parents church. Victoria and sherry came and picked him up and Victoria lokked great! She was a cute little flapper! What a neat night! With DanE's job our options were limited. We wanted to go somewhere close to his work so that we could enjoy the night as a family. I got Caleb all dressed up and drove to meet DanE at his work. When we got there he wanted to take him around and show him off to some of the people that he knows. We dressed him up as a sock money and he was the cutest little sock monkey ever! We lef this work when he got off and went to meet Grammy and Pappy at the Clark Gardens. It was such a sweet little place! If you have never been there you should take a trip. The garden is beautiful and if you have little ones they have a new train station with model trains that travel around a model town of Mineral Wells back in its prime! It was so neat! Afterwards we went to El Paseo's to eat and we gave Caleb his first sucker! He was obsessed! After a few minutes he dropped in on the floor and you would have thought that the sky just fell on him! So sad but it was great! Here a few pics of our fun night!

Abortion and the Election

2008-10-23T09:52:00.006-05:00

Just thought that with early voting, everyone should be taking the time to get to know the candidates if you havent already done so. This is a great blog that a friend linked to on her blog. I am not trying to start a Pro-life, Pro-choice debate but everyone needs to make an informed decison and decide what "evils" they are voting for when they choose a candidate. McCain isnt perfect, but when someone values life, I value them. Read up!

Randy Alcorn is a respected Christian author. You can read about his credentials on the web...

http://randyalcorn.blogspot.com/2008/10/not-cool-obamas-pro-abortion-stance.html

Good Times!

2008-10-10T23:06:00.012-05:00

Today was little man's first day in the park! We had fun on the swings, the slides, and the grass. Caleb really likes the grass and it was all good until....wait for it....he grabbed dried out DOG POOP!!! YUK!!!!!!! Disgusting! Isn't there some kind of law against leaving your animals POOO in the grass! If I ever have a dog, and take him for a walk, and he poops on the grass, I will surely bring some bags to dispose of it properly. I urge all of you to do the same! Nobody wants poo hands!
PS. I did get my hair done today for those of you wondering about the brunette locks!

Aunt Megan!

It's the POOOO!

Love those eyes!

I'm Hungry!!! Haha!

2008-10-02T22:13:00.002-05:00

Ok so this is an actual blog! I promise not to turn this into another YouTube but this commercial should be watched! Enjoy and smile!

Who am I?!?! (Not as profound as it sounds)

2008-09-27T22:54:00.002-05:00

This is going to be one of those videos that I will watch when I need to laugh! Seriously hilarious!

House & God's Will

2008-09-26T17:55:00.003-05:00

Well for all those who knew that we put an offer on a house about 2 months ago, here's the update. We didn't get it. DanE and I both know that if God wanted us in this house we would have gotten it, but it is still a little disappointing. I guess it's back to the search! If anyone knows of a house or land for sale, please let me know! Also, please pray for us! I most definately need patience. Love you guys.

Mom to Mom

2008-09-22T15:08:00.012-05:00

This one is dedicated to a truly amazing friend! Megan really doesnt get enough credit for the awesome woman that she is. Chad left today for Houston for an entire month. She called me, and Caleb has been upset and going through some awful phase. Megan, not only absorbed my verbal vomit, as if she didnt have issues of her own, gave me some amazing advice and then she met me at Target for some shopping then Chick-fil-a for some lunch and entertainment. And by entertainment I mean Caleb with a Biter-Biscuit. Anyone who has seen a child with one of these wonderful inventions knows what I mean by entertainment. Thank you Megan and I love you more than you will ever realize!I am so very blessed to have women in my life that have been where I am right now and can give me pointers. The Lord knows I need them! I am also very blessed to have women in my life that are right where I am right now that can relate immediately to the new experinces. I dont have it all together and I am not going to boast but it is beyond me why some women are too prideful to take advice from other women. Especially moms. I know that there are times that you really dont want to ask anyone because you dont want to look stupid. We ARE born with some intution but we are not, ARE NOT born baby experts and we definately do not automatically get the natural how-to novel embedded in our brain as soon as we are with child. I am a new mom and I know so many women that are new moms or about to be new moms. Please, please if you need help ask someone. Nobody can tell you exactly what to do in every situation, most of motherhood is trial and error I am currently convinced, but it so nice to have what others have done as a go to when you are at your wits end! I love you guys and happy day to all of you.

Vacation...sorta

2008-09-16T11:24:00.025-05:00

Needless to say, our first family vacation was an adventure! The view from our condo was beautiful but the condo itself could have used a little work. We got to swim and play in the sand, all the while watching Ike and wondering when and if it would effect us. It obviously wasnt stressing Caleb out too much!
Caleb had lots of firsts including tasting lemon for the first time!
We had been glued to the Weather Channel all week and it looked like Ike was headed right for us! By Wednesday we were the only people in the whole condo. The staff was trying to get us to leave without actually asking us. We were determined to stay just a little longer. Until they decided that they needed to put all the patio furniture in the condo with us. That did it! We packed up on Wednesday and started heading out. We knew we needed to atleast get off the island because of evacuating the ferry line would be ridiculous and the tide was already coming in and the road might be under water if we waited too long. So we braved to long, long ferry line and got into Rockport. Everyone was boarding up. All the signs outside resturants had clever little sayings about Ike.. We didnt get to Rockport until about 7:00 pm so we decided to stay there for the night and leave in the morning. We were the only ones in those condos as well. Ike still looked like it was headed for us and it was a weird feeling thinking that in the next few days a hurricane was headed right where we were! Crazy! Well when we woke up on Thursday morning Ike had turned and was facing toward Galveston/Houston area. I am not gonna lie, I actually was thinking that since we were out of immediate danger we should stay and get the rest of our vacation in. Then I returned to my senses and started packing up. We left and headed home. Caleb pretty much slept holding onto his puppy.
While DanE and I drove and talked..

My sis and her hubby live in College Station and were not sure how bad it was going to get there so they drove up and stayed till Sunday. We had lots of fun! I wantedd to get Caleb a shirt that said "I survived Ike!" for a keepsake for his first vacation but I guess he was actually an evacuee for his first vacation! Rock on!

Beautiful nieces!

2008-09-04T23:32:00.002-05:00

I have the most beautiful nieces! Mackenzie is the oldest and Kennedy is the baby! I love them!

2008-09-03T22:24:00.003-05:00

Family Pictures!

2008-09-03T07:45:00.003-05:00

Today is a Good Day

2008-08-23T14:05:00.003-05:00

Caleb seems like he is back to his old self again! Laughing and smiling and just being an all around sweetie pie. I am not happy that he has thrush but I am happy that it was actually something. I was starting to think that maybe I was spoiling him.

We are going on vacation in a couple weeks. I am so ready for a break! We are going to Port Aransas for a few days then to Rockport for a few days. We are staying at the Mayan Princess. It is really beautiful and I cant wait to get Caleb in the water! Here is the website if you want to see it! www.mayanprincesscondos.com We also are trying to plan to go to Cabo next June. My brother is getting married down there and they traded in soe time shares so we get to stay for a week free! Plane tickets is the objective now so if anyone knows of the cheapest way to go please fill us in. We dont fly very often.

I hear Caleb is getting up from his nap so I will go for now. Praise God for healing his little body!

And the winner is.....

2008-08-22T12:00:00.000-05:00

Thrush! Caleb really isnt just being fussy for no reason! We got his meds and have to sterilize EVERYTHING! Thanks for your prayers and encouragement.

Well, some good will come today! Caleb gets to see his Grammy! DanE's mom is coming by today then we are all going to dinner! We love Grammy!

So it begins...

2008-08-21T21:43:00.000-05:00

Well here we are! We are going to have a blog now! We will just see how it goes!

I am just going to start off by saying that we need your prayer. Caleb has been acting sick the past few days and just cries and cries! I found a bite on his toe that looks like an ant bite but he has what looks like a rash on his foot and leg. Can't figure it out but we are taking him to the Dr. in the morning. 3 days of fussiness is more than he has had ever and I am about losing my mind! I dont know what to do to help him! Anyway, I will keep you posted.

PS. I cant believe that Caleb is already 5 months old! Crazy!