Grandpa Cook

My Grandpa Cook (mom's dad) has been struggling with health problems for several years and has really gone through a lot. A week or so ago he started to become more and more weak and so I decided to stay up in Idaho for a few days last week to spend time with him. I really felt that those last few days would be the last time I saw him alive. He really took a turn for the worse a few days ago so all of his kids were able to make it to Idaho Falls to see him. Matt, my youngest uncle flew in from California late Friday night. This morning while I was in the shower my dad called and dear, sweet Grandpa Cook had passed away in his sleep this morning. It was a bittersweet moment because he has suffered through so much pain the last few years but yet we will miss him terribly. I really feel for my Grandma, she married my Grandpa about 10 years ago and she has really helped him to live as long as he did. The funeral will most likely be Thursday or Friday so everyone can make it. He was such a sweet man and I am really glad that most of the fammly was able to spend a few moments with him before he passed. We will miss him but look forward to seeing him again someday.

Baby Update!

Waving hi to mom, dad, and big sister!

We had another doctor's appointment yesterday and everything looks great! The little babe is still measuring a week big and...... the doctor checked to see if he could tell what the sex was and there was definitely something there in between the legs. It is still early (I am only 12.5 weeks) but my doctor is pretty convinced that it is a boy! Ryan and I have felt like this one was a boy so we are excited, of course we will wait for more definitive answers before any major purchases :-) but we are excited that everything is going great. I have appointments every two weeks from here on out for a while until I improve on my weight gain, or shall I say weight loss since I have already lost 5 1/2 pounds. The little guy is sucking the life out of me and if I could keep anything down then I know I would start feeling better so hopefully the light is at the end of the tunnel in that area. We are so grateful everything is going well, we still get extremely nervous for every ultrasound just because you never know what can happen. We still feel great about the pregnancy ane are grateful for another little one!
Here "he" is sucking his little thumb!

So true!

So as you all know, Emma is blessed with a very good vocabulary, sometimes a little too good. The wonderful vocabulary mixed with a very clear speakiing capability makes for some "fun" experiences. I found this story on someone else's blog (I have read it somewhere else too) and I thought it was hilarious. I have had this happen to me (thank you Emma) but not near as bad.

A 3-year-old tells all from his mother's restroom stall
By Shannon Popkin

My little guy, Cade, is quite a talker. He loves to communicate and does it quite well. He talks to people constantly, whether we're in the library, the grocery store or at a drive-thru window.

People often comment on how clearly he speaks for a just-turned- 3-year-old. And you never have to ask him to turn up the volume. It's always fully cranked. There've been several embarrassing times that I've wished the meaning of his words would have been masked by a not-so-audible voice, but never have I wished this more than last week at Cosco.

Halfway, through our shopping trip, nature called, so I took Cade with me into the restroom. If you'd been one of the ladies in the restroom that evening, this is what you would have heard coming from the second to the last stall:

"Mommy, are you gonna go potty? Oh! Why are you putting toiwet paper on the potty, Mommy? Oh! You gonna sit down on da toiwet paper now? Mommy, what are you doing? Mommy, are you gonna go stinkies on the potty?"

At this point I started mentally counting how many women had been in the bathroom when I walked in. Several stalls were full . 4? 5? Maybe we could wait until they all left before I had to make my debut out of this stall and reveal my identity.

Cade continued, "Mommy, you ARE going stinkies aren't you? Oh, dats a good girl, Mommy! Are you gonna get some candy for going stinkies on the potty?

Let me see doze stinkies, Mommy! Oh .. Mommy! I'm trying to see in dere. Oh! I see dem. Dat is a very good girl, Mommy. You are gonna get some candy!"

I heard a few faint chuckles coming from the stalls on either side of me. Where is a screaming newborn when you need her? Good grief. This was really getting embarrassing. I was definitely waiting a long time before exiting.

Trying to divert him, I said, "Why don't you look in Mommy's purse and see if you can find some candy. We'll both have some!"

"No, I'm trying to see doze more stinkies. Oh! Mommy!" He started to gag at this point. "Uh oh, Mommy. I fink I'm gonna frow up. Mommy, doze stinkies are making me frow up!! Dat is so gross!!" As the gags became louder, so did the chuckles outside my stall. I quickly flushed the toilet in hopes of changing the subject. I began to reason with myself: OK. There are four other toilets. If I count four flushes, I can be reasonably assured that those who overheard this embarrassing monologue will be long gone.

"Mommy! Would you get off the potty, now? I want you to be done going stinkies! Get up! Get up!" He grunted as he tried to pull me off. Now I could hear full-blown laughter. I bent down to count the feet outside my door.

"Oh, are you wooking under dere, Mommy? You wooking under da door? What were you wooking at, Mommy? You wooking at the wady's feet?" More laughter.

I stood inside the locked door and tried to assess the situation.

"Mommy, it's time to wash our hands, now. We have to go out now, Mommy." He started pounding on the door. "Mommy, don't you want to wash your hands? I want to go out!!"

I saw that my "wait 'em out" plan was unraveling. As I sheepishly opened the door, and found an open sink, I thought, Where's the fine print on the 'motherhood contract' where I signed away every bit of my privacy?

But as my little boy gave me a big, cheeky grin while he rubbed bubbly soap between his chubby little hands, I thought, I'd sign it all away again, just to be known as Mommy to this little fellow.

(Shannon Popkin is a freelance writer and mother of three. She lives with her family in Grand Rapids, MI, where she no longer uses public restrooms )

Mark Your Calendars for 08-08-08!

It's official, we are expecting! We are so incredibly excited and continually pray that everything works out but we really feel good about this one! Let me start at the beginning. I had my third miscarriage at the end of October (6 weeks along)and we were very confused about what to do next. I went through all of the routine miscarriage tests and everything came back normal. We were grateful that everything was "normal" but didn't know what our next step should be. We decided on two choices: try one more time or go the adoption route. I spent a day in the temple and both Ryan and I felt that everything would be okay, and to try just one more time. Surprisingly enough I found out I was pregnant the end of November! It usually takes my body anywhere between 1 to 3 months to return to "normal" and then another 3-10 months to get pregnant again. It was quite the surprise but we really felt okay about this pregnancy. We were super paranoid in the beginning (and still are) but I have had around 6 ultrasounds already and the doctor says everything looks great! Of course I still panic about every little thing but since I haven't been able to keep anything down Ryan feels pretty good about the situation :)! We just had our official "big" appointment and the baby is measuring a week ahead (our guess is a big boy), the heartbeat is very strong, and the umbilical cord looks good! I couldn't have asked for a better doctor and he has helped us through this whole ordeal. We are so excited! The last time we made it this far in a pregnancy it was with Emma, so we are keeping our fingers crossed! Thank you so much everyone for your prayers and thoughts, they have truly helped us through these tough times. Emma is excited although she thinks she has a baby in her belly too. Our next appointment is in two weeks (hopefully we can make it 2 weeks, we are used to 1 week appts) We will definitely keep you updated!


This picture is showing that precious little heartbeat that we pray we see every week.

Merry Christmas! (Finally another post!)

Sorry it has taken me so long to post! I am going to be better from now on :) Christmas was so much fun. It was our turn with the Erickson's and mom and dad rented a cabin for us all, it was a blast! Stacie and Whitney and their 4 girls, Kim, Sean, and Carter, Ryan, Emma, and I, and Scott and Kylie plus mom and dad, made for a very full house (but we wouldn't have it any other way)! We had snow machines and tubes for sledding in all of the snow. We all went up there the Friday before Christmas and made it back down to Rexburg Christmas Eve. A huge snow storm decided to give us some trouble getting out, but we made it safe and sound with only a few tears shed :). Christmas Eve was spent at Great Grandma and Grandpa Erickson's house with the Parkinson's. The little girls sang some Christmas songs for us which was super cute! Christmas morning was crazy! Emma was sooooo excited for Santa to come, so she woke up at 6am! It was a chore to keep her quiet until everyone else woke up but it was all crazyness when we all got upstairs. Santa brought Emma a fun play kitchen and a ton of Disney Princess accesories. She also recieved her Bitty Baby doll from Grandpa and Grandma Erickson which has become her new favorite "baby sister." The pictures don't even do it justice, we were all spoiled rotten, but what else is Christmas for? Ryan and I had to leave Christmas Day so Ryan could work the next day so we stopped by my parents house for a few hours before we made our trek home. The Skene's had a good Christmas as well, and of course Emma was spoiled with many more "princess" presents. She was too cute trying to open all of her presents. I think Grandma Skene had too much fun at the Disney store :) My parents gave me a super nice piano keyboard for Christmas so I can freshen up my piano playing skills (since I am kind of the catch all person for Primary, Nursery, Piano, Chorister, Secretary, you name it I do it!) We were so very sad to come home, but we get to go up this weekend again for the Rexburg Temple open house. Don't get me wrong, we love living here in Utah, but our "home" will always be Idaho! Our Christmas was absolutely wonderful, and we are so blessed to have such wonderful family. We have truly been blessed this year in so many ways and we know that without the gospel in our lives we would be lost! We hope everyone had as much fun as we did this past Christmas and can't wait to see everyone again (escpecially Whit and Stac)!