Cooperisms

Nerd alert. I love language. I'm a speech path. I just can't help myself.

*Disclaimer: Please excuse this silly post...it's just that I really, really want to remember these things when I'm 87 and sitting on the front porch of Cracker Barrel with my orthopedic shoes, hearing aids, and AARP card.*

We started a list of Cooperisms when he was about 14 months old. Hilarious things he says that we just don't have the heart to correct. Ever. (Bad SLP).

  1. "Teaf" Translation: I want some more sweet tea please.

  2. "Rain, Rain Go Gah-way".

3. "Chachi-nip" Translation: Chocolate Milk

4. "Tommy" Translation: Thomas the Train. They are real good buds. Nick name status and all.

5. "Can-Canes" Translation: All things "candy" related. Except for "la-pops".

6. "Biaper" Translation: Diaper.

7. "Boccah Ball" Translation: Soccer Ball.

8. "Ba-lelly" Translation: Peanut Butter and Jelly. Daddy's all time fave.

9. "Soft Pillows" Translation: Marshmallows.

10. "Swocks" Translation: Socks.

11. "Down Nares" Translation: Downstairs. Or down your nares. Either whicha way.

12. "Boogah". Translation: Ugly green boogers.

13. "Famote" Translation: Remote Control.

14. "Alligator" Translation: Elevator. In Macy's.

15. "Beench" Translation: Bench. Country Bumpkin. I will never ever correct this. Mostly because I love to see other people's faces at the park when he says he's going to go sit on the beench and take a rest.

16. "Goggles" Translation: Bugles. Chip off the old block. He's hooked.

17. "Fire-n-rice" Translation: I would like to go out for Hibachi, please.

18. "Pissy-Wasser" Translation: Pressure Washer. Mimi's all time fave. It's terrible.

19. "W" Translation: His Spring Horse's name down at the farm.

20. Our forever favorite. "Sgwgwy". Sound it out. It will make you giggle. Translation: Squidgy.

I will be the first to admit that I can't help but shed a tear or two when he loses a Cooperism. I also cry when he puts his toy trains down the toilet and when he takes Chris' hand and calls him his "best friend".

Love this little man to pieces. Pictures are from our fab day over at the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth. It was almost more fun that we could handle. Best $19 spent in a long, long time.



Mustard Seeds/Revisited

Remember when I wrote about mustard seeds and faith way back when? http://betweenthelines-alidavis.blogspot.com/2010/06/mustard-seed.html

I had almost forgotten. Almost.

I was reminded of them again this morning at church. Those tiny little mustard seeds.

Remember when a mystery friend prayer warrior dropped some off in our mailbox to remind me? http://betweenthelines-alidavis.blogspot.com/2010/06/mustard-seeds-in-mailbox.html

Those mustard seeds. They just keep coming back. And I am so glad they do.

On Friday I tripped over my own feet in the garage on the way in from the grocery store and stomped and shouted obscenities until I was crying so hard I was laughing. It hit me like a pie in the face that I feel ungraceful again.

Tripping over your own feet will do that to you.

But truthfully, it's not just the simple fact that I am clumsy.

It's my soul. I'm trying to be graceful I really am. I find myself drawing closer to Him and farther from my self and I instantly know that His grace is carrying me. But when I tripped, well, I had just realized that it was Friday the 13th and the last Friday the 13th we had, we found ourselves at Northside, losing Ella Grace.

WhateverhappenedtoonlyhavingoneFridaytheThirteenthperdecade?!??!!

Amazing that 3 months later, He is still teaching me so very very much from a tiny little baby girl who I never even got to meet.

Kevin Queen reminded us to ask ourselves if we are loving our blessings more than we are loving the bless-er.

Pie in the face right there on the church pew.

I have been crying out to Him to please please please heal me. To please please please give us the desires of our hearts. To please please please let us experience the joys of bringing another little one into this world.

I've focused more on praying for the blessing than on drawing nearer to the bless-er.

I had stashed my jar of mustard seeds in the break-up-with-Kudzu-cardboard-box way up high in the tip top of the closet. It's only now that I realize I am right back there again. In need of mustard seed faith.

If you need me, I'll be that girl re-aligning my heart and my priorities, avoiding pie in the face moments, in the name of drawing nearer to my Jesus. The bless-er who has already blessed us beyond measure.

Mountain Top

     Coop climped to the top of the Chick-fil-a playground tonight.

So did a girl with Chicken Pox.

Right behind him.

They high fived at the top.

Infectious diseases or not (aren'tyougladyouvaccinate), it was a milestone. A big one.

I mummy-wrapped him in Purel Wipes and we came on home and had laundry basket races on the balcony.

He only called me Ali Wyatt Davis twice today. Oh, and he didn't lock me out of the house in the 102 degree heat while he tried to tee tee on the carpet (again). 

I'm thinking DFACS will probably wait to do their follow up visit.

Score.

Red Robin

It's a crazy joyous celebratory kind of few days for our fam.

Haaaaaappy Birthday Mimi! Haaaaaaappy Birthday Poppy! Haaaaaaappy "verserday" you two crazy kids!! Haaaaaaappy Birthday Aunt Wendy! Haaaaaaaappy Birthday Jennifer! *Spirit sprinkles! Party horns! Birthday love!*

We probably won't be spotted in public with Cooper again until he is in middle school.

Let me preface this by saying, he has been a rockstar this weekend. Total gem. Went from terrible twos to an absolute doll in absolutely no time. We have been praising him and beaming and gloating and walking on sunshine for three days.

"Cooper, we are so stinkin proud of you for not hitting or growling or gnashing your teeth today!"

"Way to go Coop! We love how you are using your manners and being so sweet!"

"Thank you for blowing kisses instead of scowling at innocent bystanders at the store! Such a sweet boy!!"

Then we went to Red Robin for Aunt Wendy's birthday bash.

The horns came out.

His, then ours.

I thought I was super mom for approximately 33 seconds. Packed treats and choo choos and train tracks and crayons and stickers and games and fireworks and swords. Surely he would be so entertained that he would sit sweetly in the booth and eat his pizza and drink his chocolate milk.

Um, no.

Chris and I took turns walking around outside with him while he growled and wriggled and whined and pouted. It was 102 degrees out. That really helped things.

The minute we got back in the car to come home, our angel reemerged.

He was all "Tank you for dinner, mama" and "I love you so much, daddy!"

Stinker!

We said that we know now why some species eat their young.

Our sermon this morning was on "Going one more round". If you have a pulse, you have a purpose. Be the kind of man or woman who, in the face of adversity, "gets up" not "gives up".

I sat there staring at my dear husband. Right there in church. In awe of his warrior spirit. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. It's no coincidence that chemotherapy comes in "rounds". You're practically boxing, after all.

I am so thankful that he is who he is and who's he is. Because he spent "time in the corner", praising God and drawing strength and grace from Him, he is alive and healthy, sitting next to me right this very second. I am forever grateful that he is a "get up" man, and not a "give up" man. Forever thankful that I get to be in his corner, cheering him on, watching his hair grow back (still), waking up next to him knowing that we don't have to go and spend the day at the Cancer Answer.

I heart you, Chris Davis.

And your mini-me too.

Firecracker, Firecracker, Boom Boom Boom

We had an absolute blast tonight.

We laid in the grass under the night sky and watched fireworks. Just the three of us. On a blanket. Counting firecrackers and blessings, all at once. Coop was too busy peeping for fireworks out of the corners of his eyes to look at the camera. He thought we were under attack.

Our neighborhood does it up big and we sure did have a ton of fun. From afar. Waayyyy up on the hill. With our strawberry icebox pie and Liken A-Queen cars.

Coop was in aw. Complete.

We let him stay up late. And eat 4 brownies. And lay on his belly on his bed watching even more fireworks from his window after we drug him away from the action outside.

His feet may just about touch the ground when he sits in my lap these days, but he fell slap asleep in my arms tonight. Hasn't done that in the longest time. My heart just about exploded  as I laid him down and prayed over him tonight.

Thank you Lord for these sweet, sweet blessings.

"Clean Eating"

I'm two bags of Ranch Bugles in and I somehow randomly just lost 30+ minutes on a "clean eating" blog.

That's ok though because I ran across some fabulous 10 minute "inner thigh" workout on Pinterest this morning and jumped right on it. I was about 23 jumping jacks in when Coop and I decided we needed to hit up Yogli Mogli instead.  

Then we went to Pirkle Park, had a picnic, and played at the pool.

About the pool. Let me just say: #epicwaterwingfail.

I taught swim lessons for like 6 years. For this reason, I feel that I should not be the lady at the pool with the toddler thrashing and scraming and clawing and climbing his way to the top of my head.

Don't let him fool you. This was from the safety of the baby pool.

He was practicing his bubble cheeks. Which he is a pro at.

He's also super great at blowing bubbles.

Epic fail didn't start until we put the blasted water wings on. In the big pool. Pre-marshmallow bicep pillows, he was happy as a sailor splashing around.

Today, not so much. I tried to take a picture but I am pretty sure someone put a call into DFACS, so I didn't dare stop to capture it.

You can imagine it.

Room 519

I love Ranch Bugles. That's right. Ranch flavored Bugles.

Love them.

They are ridiculously yummo and they are ridiculously hard to find. Cheddar Cheese doesn't cut it. Original definitely doesn't cut it.

Once when I was pregnant with Cooper,  I even tried the Buffalo flavored ones out of desperation. Bleh.

But the Ranch ones. Ahh.

The last bag I can remember having was circa 1987.

But we were down at Tybee Island this weekend for a wedding and when we got down there I realized I forgot my toothbrush. Chris rode off on his white horse to fetch me a new one. And get back Jack, guess what he found?

I was excited.

I ate them one by one grinning from ear to ear while Chris stared at me like I had two heads. Crunch.

*I might have gone back and bought the gas station slap out of them. 4 bags. Scooped 'em up and didn't look back.*

My step-brother Brian married his little darlin' this weekend down in the sand. It was beautiful. And hot. Shoo-wee.

After the wedding we came back to our room to shower and cool off. We slipped our key in the door but the door wouldn't open. We tried the other key. Nothing.

We traipsed back down to the front desk and they told us we probably deactivated our keys by putting them near our cell phones. Whatev. They also verified our address twice. Whatev. New keys in hand, we came back up to the room and immediately noticed something was up.

There was stuff in the room that didn't belong to us. A wet towel on the bed. Some one else's makeup on the counter. The iron was out. Some Forever 21 tags were thrown around. Someone else's room keys were on the desk.

Mysteries.

Suddenly we realized someone had been in our room. With our stuff. Without us.

We called the front desk and became foul tempered and started ranting and raving about security and privacy and wet towels and used toiletries. They came right up to our room and admitted that. they. gave. our. room. away. while. we. were. out.

Insanity.

There are no words. Thank heavens to Betsy our mystery roomates were only weirdos and not thieves. They showered and did their make up and ironed their clothes. All while OBVIOUSLY in OUR occupied hotel room.

Did I mention there are no words?

We got a full refund (duh) and assured the Hilton folks that we would not be back. Ever. Evvver.

Oh and I am totally calling John Quinones over at "What Would You Do", our fave Friday night show, and turning this in as a future episode idea. I'm probably going to be on TV. Look for me. I will be the girl crunching on Bugles in the background of some hotel room.

Only us, y'all. Only us.