August 29, 2008
wim at play
little willem showing off his happy "hello" and his crazy baby head shake during an afternoon of fun with his big brother abel.
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August 19, 2008
wim
willem at 10 1/2 months
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August 12, 2008
first and second
today marked aidan's first day of second grade, and abel is now in first grade. they were so excited to put on their new backpacks and shoes and walk to school this morning. i cannot wait to hear about their day!
now, it is just the three of us at home waiting to pick up the boys:
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August 11, 2008
joy
our joyful baby in his favorite spot
ollie enjoying friends
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August 6, 2008
another first
here stands abel proudly holding the first tooth that he has lost.
we registered this little man for first grade today. he confidently walked to the designated table and greeted his teacher. what a great kid!
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July 26, 2008
loving abby
the boys with their cousin, abigail
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July 15, 2008
musician
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July 13, 2008
hvac tune
aidan singing into the hvac.
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scoot
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June 30, 2008
the babe
sir willem the smiley one will be nine months old on the fourth of july
recent accomplishments include: scooting all over the floor without actually crawling; mastering this interesting yoga-like position that resembles a downward-facing dog; ramblings with a lot of "da da da;" so many smiles; a few more grunts now that several teeth are emerging at once; continuing to wake mom up 2-3 times a night with pleas for milk (have you seen the size of this kid?); a new nasal, snorting laugh that his brothers really love; and the ability to recognize his name and the sight of those that he loves the most. he really is so much fun! thank you, god, for this amazing gift!
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June 29, 2008
catchin' up
well, there are no pictures to share. sadly, my computer has not been well, and i have to snag mark's laptop when he happens to bring it home. i have been feeling a little disconnected. we rarely watch television or listen to the radio. now with no computer, i am totally in the dark. at first, i was a little anxious at being separated from my email, my new facebook friends, and the extra noise created by the television that kept me from thinking long enough to become discontent. now that all of those things have been taken away, i have found myself completely drawn to the silence...well, the bits of silence that can be found in this busy home. the boys and i have been reading much more, have structured our days around fairly worthwhile endeavors, and we really do not seem to miss the distractions.....
as our summer rolls on, we have found ourselves out on the greenway that runs alongside the river riding with all of the bicycle gear needed for a family of six. the path is great for long rides, and we often stop midway for a picnic at a playground. the kids love it, and i am working toward getting the exercise that i need. we do tend to attract a lot of attention along the way. aidan rides alone. mark pulls abel on a trail-a-bike, and i have ollie and willem in a trailer behind my bike. one afternoon, we ran into some good friends who were out for a ride with their five children. we really were a sight that day, but it was so much fun! we have also been busy with different camps for the kids, vbs, and weekly trips to the library. this week we are looking forward to some time at the pool, visiting with my brother and his family over the 4th, and maybe a trip to the zoo.
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June 13, 2008
summer
this summer is already much different than the last. at this time last year, i was on bed rest nervously awaiting the arrival of the fourth cooley boy. this year i am enjoying willem and trying to create an exciting and structured summer for aidan, abel, and oliver. we have been on several walks, played at a few playgrounds, gone to the zoo, swam, and spent a little time with family and friends. the structure...well, i am still working on that.
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May 21, 2008
the end
the end of the school year is upon us. aidan completed first grade today, and abel made his way happily through kindergarten. presently, i am at home with three thrilled little boys. ollie cannot contain his joy at having his brothers around to play with him endlessly--or at least that is his plan. aidan and abel really do not understand that they will not be seeing their good buddies as often. all that they can think of is swimming, ice cream, no bedtime, and endless gamecube playing...maybe i will wait until next week to share my plans for the summer which happen to be quite different from theirs. tomorrow, we will head out in the morning, go to the zoo, the park, and have a picnic. that sounds like a pretty good intro for the summer.
in other news, i turn **30** next week. that sounds about as believable as me having a first and second grader. these days have really picked up speed, and i find myself grabbing onto my boys and inhaling each of them just hoping that i can hold these many sweet moments with them firmly in my mind. yes, having these kids creates an incredible amount of work but i truly cannot think of one other thing that i would rather be doing on my birthday than looking at these four faces...so, happy birthday to me! if you would like to celebrate with us, i am trying to come up with some fun birthday plans.
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May 12, 2008
camel riding
these pictures were taken while on a fieldtrip with battle academy's kindergartners to the knoxville zoo:
i am not sure what is funnier: the camel's expression or ollie.
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May 5, 2008
seven months
"wimbelton" at seven months receiving much love from his brothers:
little willem continues to simply exude joy. i love so much about him and this particular phase of his life. he is snuggly, chubby, wears his smile often and well, and brings joy to all around him.
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May 1, 2008
boston!
feeling grateful:
for my mother coming to care for the boys while we were away
for a safe trip to and from boston
for the comfort of good conversation with good friends
for time spent watching, holding, and talking with the pierce girls
for new sights and sounds
for the joyful baby accompanying me on the trip
for the sight of my children's faces upon returning
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April 19, 2008
*whoa*
so, this weekend has been much anticipated, is way full, and happens to be passing too quickly...but, of course, the boys are thrilled with the festivities, and willem is still smiling.
we started off our morning at the crabtree farms plant sale. the weather was amazing, there were friends to see and talk with, and our neighbor, rick, could be heard playing his hammered dulcimer. i really wanted to just pick a spot and stay right there. however, there were many other plans in the works for this beautiful spring day.
mark participated in a dragon boat race with his co-workers.
the boys were invited to celebrate a friend's seventh birthday...yea! for cake and ice cream!
i really wanted to make it to the 4 bridges art festival and ended up spending a couple of hours there with only willem in arms and quite a lot of time to talk with friends and neighbors and dream about which pieces of art i would chose if given the chance.
...is that it? well, i guess i forgot to mention that i was in bed all day yesterday sick with mastitis. i probably should have continued to rest today, but there was just so much going on that i could not miss. i love chattanooga!
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April 15, 2008
introductions
introducing sir willem to his great grandparents last month:
i would love to say that our trip to california was restful and full of just enjoying family. there were those moments in the mix, but there was also a very present sadness. it is difficult seeing those that you love grow older, especially when your mind is flooded with all of those childhood memories of time spent together and not being able to imagine a time without them.
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April 1, 2008
aidan
raising a seven year old is more than a bit overwhelming when i take more than a moment to actually reflect on the process. i am sure that many who have been there would roll their eyes and say that i worry too much. that may be true, but i am often so afraid of all that i am probably doing wrong. when we face all that embodies this age again next year with abel, i am sure that i will not be as concerned. i will then be obsessing about whatever uncharted territory we have entered into with aidan yet again. you know, it is that first time mom thing. i am confident in my ability to not cause injury to my infant, but i have absolutely no idea how to raise a growing boy while keeping in mind the man that i hope he will become.
aidan has become much more vocal these days about his plans for the future. he presents his ideas with such confidence and determination. he is fine with leaving our home but cannot imagine ever being apart from his best friends, asa and willem. he plans for them all to find an apartment at some point. he is also talking about his desire to learn to surf, move to hawaii, and grow his hair "out like vines." hope that his buddies are up for that lifestyle. aidan is also planning for his future family. he wants to get married and have about five children. at this point their names are asa and willem (no surprise there), cannon and speed (who are all boys). he intends for his fifth child to be a girl named either sally or electric-c (not electricity)...
each day he is usually eager to wake up, eat his breakfast, and head off to school to meet up with his good friends. it is so comforting to know that he spends his days learning with a kind teacher surrounded by people his age who are loving and encourage him to always try his best. last month, his class each chose a different historical figure to study for black history month. aidan and i decided that he should research pele, the amazing brazilian soccer player. each night he came home eager to look on the computer for new information on pele and watch videos of this soccer star in action. he also shared bits of information on his classmates' projects throughout the week. i was amazed at the amount of information that he retained and his eagerness to learn. at the end of the month, aidan stood before his class, and his teacher said that he gave a great presentation.
as i am sure i have said in previous posts, coupled with aidan's determination and confidence comes some stubbornness and aggression (particularly toward me). these aspects of his personality are often made worse by fatigue and/or too much sugar. bedtime can often bring out the worst in my little guy. a couple of weeks ago i was putting my guys to bed and was tucking in a very frustrated aidan. honestly, i do not have a lot of patience at the end of the day and was hoping to just turn off the light and have some down time myself. aidan wanted to rehash an incident that he had with abel earlier that day in which he felt that i did not discipline abel enough for his offense. after telling aidan that it was just time for bed and that i loved him, he looked up at me with eyebrows furrowed and said, "mom, it's just like i'm black history, and you're the white man!" now that was not something i could have expected! i then laughed and complimented him on a great analogy for a first grader...a bit dramatic, but so funny!
last night aidan had a difficult time going to sleep because he was thrilled reading through a book on the solar system checked out from the library earlier that day. mark was holding willem, and we both commented on how amazing it seems that aidan is no longer this infant but a growing boy learning and reading on his own and so excited about all there is for him to learn. a few nights ago, a star wars book captured his interest. in an attempt to convey his love for all things related to star wars, he said "dad, it's like star wars controls my whole body. you know, i am just sooo into star wars."
so, there it is: bits about my boy that i want to remember. i know i will be laughing at my worries once we have passed through this stage and are entering into a different and possibly more complex one....
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March 28, 2008
mini contortionist
i know that i must be at least a bit biased, but this kid has to be one of the cutest that i have seen...and he is just so smiley. you really cannot help but smile, especially when he reaches down, grabs a foot, and proceeds to suck on his toes. so cute!
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