Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween, BOO!

Dan had a class last night, which left mom to take care of "daddy type jobs" around the house - the night before Halloween! (Daddy is typically in charge of this kind of stuff)

Eyli and I carved a pumpkin.

And Tyler told me (at 8:30 pm) that he needed an entire DUCT TAPED outfit for his Halloween Costume. The key to the outfit is the "duck" taped to his shoulder. The costume was his own DESIGN - He kept saying - "you get it, right mom?"

(Don't ask me, he is almost a CLONE of his father)

The shirt zips on and off - thank you very much - I am an over-achiever.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

What's wrong with my children?

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Love you, And

Today


Today, I saw my brother for the last time in 7 months.
He will spend the next 9 weeks in bootcamp, and then he will attend school in Chicago.

Today I asked him the following ?'s -

Can you take an ipod?
Can you bring pictures of your kids?
But, you can email us, right?
What do you mean there is no computers?
Can I visit you on your birthday?
Can you call us to let us know you are all right?
What if you want to watch TV?
Can you bring your phone?
What do you mean you can't bring your phone?

And every ? was answered -
No.
No.
No.
No computers.
No.
No.
I can't.
No.
If I can't bring pictures of my kids, they won't let me have a cellphone.

I just found out today, that he can't even keep his own underwear.
The US NAVY will provide him with NEW TIGHTY-WHITEYS on Wednesday.

Dear Lord, keep my brother safe as he ventures through this phase of his life. Be with him always, and watch out for his family while he is away. May their family stay strong in this time of being apart.

Love you, And.

Clownin' Around

Dan and I went to a Halloween Party this weekend! We WON the grand prize for our costumes!




Just because I promised I would flash this all over the World Wide Web - this is my Worship Pastor, AKA Napoleon Dynamite. NICE!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Over 30


Dan's back playing indoor soccer this fall. He plays on an "over-30" league. I enjoy watching the guys make a spectacle of themselves, and it reminds me of the old days - when I used to go and cheer for him.

They lost their first game 13-7, but they are just getting warmed up.....

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Friday Nights

We have been diligently studying God's Word in our home on Friday Nights. Through this series of "Spiritual Gifts", Randy offered to take notes. Lucky for those of us that need a re-cap every week!
Check out Randy's BLOG and "Let's Think Through It"

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

You know you're addicted to starbucks when....

You type -
"you know you're addicted to Starbucks when"
into a GOOGLE search
And out of 204,000 results
your BLOG comes up as #10

No, for real - try it.

Weird things YOU DON’T KNOW about me

Every time I walk up or down steps – I always count them.
(Up or down
Even the ones in my own house
I know there are 7 in each set
but I re-count them every time I go up or down
in my head
Every day)

I won’t drink my STARBUCKS without a ‘sleeve’ on the cup.
(Ok, maybe I will-
But, I would actually drive
Back through the drivethru
To get a sleeve
If they forgot to give me one)

I cannot finish the chips without the dip – or the dip without the chips.
(Which means I will continue to eat
until everything is even-
I may get up 3 times
To get more food
Just trying to EVEN out the
Ratio of chips to dip)

I make a living as a school secretary – but, I can’t type at all.
(yes, I took typing in highschool
but, was anyone really paying attention to Mr. Carlson?
Or was he just standing in the room for decoration?
Seriously, I can’t type without looking at the keyboard
No, my new boss does not know)

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Sacrifice

Ya know sometimes dads have to make little sacrifices for there children...:) Like you know,perhaps putting an x in the wrong place so that your little one can win three across.How about not tripple jumping in checkers if it means winning the game. Ok you all know me to well,I love a challenge and T Man smoked me....Good job Ty...Thank God for mom.We would be in serious trouble without her.:)

Monday, October 20, 2008

"Math" OFF


Although A TEXT OFF seems more exciting, we also have educational "fun times" at the Cook house.

Tonight, Dan and Tyler had a "MATH OFF".

(Tyler probably gets tired of mom having to help him every night, because - let's face it - Dad is just a FUNNIER person all-around, and I'm sure "homework" would be alot "funner" if DAD helped)

Tonight we decided to test their MATH SKILL. They each got the same 4 problems.





In case you can't decipher the above scoring -
Let's just say....
mom will continue to help Tyler with MATH every night.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Dear "Uncle Jeff" -

We thought you were coming out to the best soccer game ever.....
Well, you missed out. Tyler scored a HAT-TRICK yesterday.


I keep thinking he will become an 'All State Defensive Sweeper' someday -
But, DAN always says, "With his speed - he'll be a forward".
(We actually argue about this every week)

Grandpa plays him in ALL different positions.
Yesterday, he played forward and scored 3 goals.

I'm not willing to admit I was wrong, yet.

(UNCLE JEFF - there's only one more game!)

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Saturday SNAPSHOT

I miss my best friend
(he thinks "shooting ducks" seems funner than "sleeping in")




I smell burnt coffee and fresh air
(I have the screen door open so my 2nd best friend can go in & out)





I hear gun shots outside
(many are hunting all around us)
& the piano playing
(Eyli is practicing, she has lessons on Tuesdays)





I feel the keyboard of a MACBOOK Pro
& a soft robe
(I love the weekend)





I see dirty dishes
(I should wash them)
& chairs all over the living room
(from Bible Study last night - our group is GROWING! Wow, we will need a bigger house soon)





I taste coffee with 2 tablespoons of FRENCH VANILLA creamer & 2 tablespoons of CHOCOLATE creamer
(mixed together)

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Reading Buddies


Eyliana is a READER!

She LOVES to read.

Her new thing is to get up at 5:45 am (when mom starts the coffee).
Then she proceeds to "read with daddy" in bed, in order to get extra "reading minutes".

Daddy is thrilled with this arrangement.
Especially since he LOVES getting up really early,
on days he doesn't have to work.......

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Honor


So, who do you like?

I’m in the “undecided” group.
Mostly because I ignore the issues, and pretend like they aren’t my concern.

Maybe,
I WANT to vote for the one who has the most “yard signs” on my street.
What is the purpose of putting up these little yard signs all over the place?
What about the people that have more than one of the SAME signs in their yard?
Like my husband. (He is NOT in the undecided group with me)
He insists he needs to put 3 signs in the yard instead of just one.
I think it is ridiculous.
But, maybe,
I’ll just drive down the street
Count the yard signs for each candidate
And vote for the one that has the most?

Actually,
I SHOULD vote for the candidate
That agrees with ME on the hard issues.

I guess I would actually need to know where I stand on those issues first.

Honestly,
I WILL vote for the candidate
That supports keeping my brother as SAFE as possible.

My baby brother enlisted in the US Navy last month.
He leaves for Chicago – boot camp – on October 29th.
He is an honorable man, dedicated to serving his country and family.
We will miss having him around, but we respect his decision and enthusiasm.

What does the FAM do for fun?

Last night we had some time to kill, so we went to the cemetery for an hour.
(no pun intended)

We played the "find the oldest person" game.

(Not the person that lived the longest - the person that was born before anyone else)

Tyler won the game-

He found:

Mr. Joe Sargeant
Born in 1794
He was a - HERO of the WAR of 1812

Did you know this guy?

Sunday, October 12, 2008

When your Coach is your Grandpa.....

Or when your Grandpa's your Coach......

Either way, Tyler's getting a dose of it.

Dad has been coaching Tyler's Travel team this fall, along with Coach Todd and Joe.
Now that they are a little older, the boys are being pushed to be more competitive.
Tyler really takes this sport seriously, and works very hard. Most of the time he plays defense, but sometimes he plays center mid-field. He takes after his dad I guess......

Here is Grandpa, coaching them through a warm-up.






Thursday, October 9, 2008

If home is where the heart is,

then I am HOME when I'm.........

Sitting next to Dan
on the side of a soccer field
in 72 degree weather
watching our future All-State Defensive Sweeper
play the greatest sport invented.

Sitting ‘criss-cross applesauce’ on a hard floor
in the middle of 44 first graders
(who all want to sit next to me)
taking yearbook pictures of an 8 year old
singing on stage at the top of her lungs.

Standing on the stage at MCC
with my shoes OFF, and my eyes closed
singing ‘Here I am Worship’
because, I am ….
and I even know what that means now.

Sitting in a large booth
at a local restaurant
playing the “name things in the ocean” game
with the greatest FAM ever - laughing
when Dan tries to justify that “goldfish” could fit in that category.

Sitting at an outside table of a STARBUCKS store
300 miles from my house
holding hands with my best friend
wearing a motorcycle helmet, and yellow shades
not knowing where we will lay our head that night.

Sitting on my front porch
watching the leaves fall
drinking coffee
while my 2nd best friend
sits at my feet.

ahhhh, love.....

Jealousy

Here is my "green-eyed" monster.

Every time my nephews come over, and I talk to them in my "baby voice"
- my 4th child (Mr. Dudley) wants to get as close to me as possible. He tries to climb right on top of me and nuzzle the babies off of my lap.

Grandma says he's a spoiled "only child".

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Wednesday Worship - 'ROMANS 12 THAT'!!

Wednesday Worship is coming to an end, as I have a clear understanding of what WORSHIP really means.

If you’re interested – Let’s recap:

1. Worship is coming face-to-face with God, as Christians we encounter God with an ‘unveiled face’.
2. Worship happens when we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, for the purpose of shaping us from ‘Glory to Glory’ in order to be more like Jesus.
3. Worship is not the same for everybody, and often, different people 'experience' worship in different ways.
4. Worshiping in Spirit and in Truth means something different than worshiping in spirit and in truth.
5. If I am truly worshiping, then I am ‘renewing my mind’ by reading God’s Word. And I should look differently than non-Christians, as I should NOT conform to this world.
6. When I am practicing my spiritual giftedness by a measure of Faith that God has given me, I am worshiping.
7. I need to demonstrate biblical love to others. Even the ones I don’t like. Romans 12 says I should bless those who persecute me, and overcome evil with good.

#7 will be the hardest for me. So, I’ve dedicated the next few weeks to re-reading Roman 12 every morning.

I am hoping to drill it into my head.

I’m also hoping that when a difficult situation arises in my life, I remember to think -
“ROMANS 12 THAT”.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Eyliana's Performance

This is a cool thing about Eyliana's school - WMAAA!!

ALL students have the opportunity to perform at weekly assemblies. They prepare a performance piece, on their own, and then audition for a spot during the week. Then they get to perform, on stage, in front of their peers at Friday Assemblies.

Eyliana and her friends prepared a Christian Worship song and dance, and performed yesterday for the 3rd through 5th graders.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Where is your "HOME AWAY FROM HOME"???

My Grandma always says that her “HOME AWAY FROM HOME” is Fruitport Foods (A local Super Market). When I was little, I always wondered what she meant by that.
I thought she meant she wanted to LIVE at the store.
But, I guess its just her way of saying, she probably spends too much time there.

If I’m not home – YOU WILL PROBABLY FIND ME in one of these places:

  1. Starbucks Drive-Thru (Of Course – you all could’ve answered that for me)
  2. WMAAA (I shouldn’t count the workplace, but I spend a lot of time at the school – for many different reasons)
  3. North Muskegon Meijers (A local supermarket – like Grandmother, like Granddaughter, I guess)
  4. SOCCER ~either practice - 4 per week - or games - 3 this weekend. (I refuse to get a SOCCER MOM sticker on the back of my car)

When you're not home, where are you?
Is it where you WANT to be?

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Soccer Schedule

Soccer is half way done - but here is 1/2 of their SCHEDULE.
Better late than never, huh?


Katie –

Saturday 10/4 – 9:30 am – H – Edgewood Elementary School
Saturday 10/11 – 9:30 am – H – Edgewood Elementary School
Monday 10/13 – 6:25 pm – A - Montague Township Park
Wednesday 10/15 – 5:15 pm – A – Montague Township Park
Monday 10/20 – 5:15 pm – A – Montague Township Park



Tyler –

Saturday 10/4 – 1:00 pm – A - Georgetown 6894 28th Ave. 49426
Sunday 10/5 – 3:00 pm – A - SCOR – 3900 Kroes St NE 49341
Saturday 10/11 – 5:30 pm – A - Sailors – 481 Porter Rd 49441
Saturday 10/18 – 4:30 pm – H - Beach School
Saturday 10/25 – 3:00 pm – H – Beach School

Wednesday Worship - Living Sacrifice

Romans 12: 1-2

1-Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.
2-Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Philippians 4:8-9

8-Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
9-Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

These are some of the verses we studied last week.

To continue on my quest – I need to add to my “What is Worship” list.

In order to be WORSHIPING – here are some things I should do:

1. Renew my mind, and NOT conform to the world
2. Practice my spiritual giftedness by a measure of Faith that God has given me.
3. Demonstrate biblical love to others

WOW – that’s HARD!
It’s much easier said than done.

But, think about it – would my body be a living ‘SACRIFICE’ if it WAS REALLY EASY to do all of those things? As many times as I have read that verse, I guess I never thought about the actual words – LIVING SACRIFICE. We have to “give up” what we WANT to do, and let the Holy Spirit do what he wants to do by using US.