Can You Cope

It's been a wild ride...

2009-11-30T21:07:00.000-08:00

Well folks (assuming there's anybody out there) echoo....echo, echooo! I've been doing some long and hard thinking about the use of my time and some changes that need to happen and I've decided to bag the blogging for now. It's been a real fun experience, but I think I'm going to go with a different format. For my own enjoyment, and that of my family's, I'm going to stick with photo albums...I figure better to get 'er done, than to have photos lying in stacks 'n' heaps waiting for the day when I'll have the time to scrapbook them. As for keeping my friends and family current, I haven't decided on a format yet, but I'm considering uploading photos to a free host site, or just using facebook. I'll make one final post once I decide which of the two I'm going to go with. Hope you and yours have a fantastic Christmas!

She's coming to the big city

2009-11-21T17:53:00.000-08:00

It's official folks...Ree Drummond has one hot-selling cookbook
and she's bringing her book signing tour to the big city ( if you want to see if she'll be in your area check out her tour info. here). I started following her website about 3 months ago when I happened upon it by chance...I know, I know. I'm always a little slow to see the smoke and find out what's going on. Anyhoo, I've been begging Jonathan for a night in the city planned around her book signing tour (Dec. 12 NYC), and he finally relented. So me and Jonathan are going to go check her and Marlboro Man out. I'm VERY excited!! I have only ever met 3 legitimate Ranch/Farmer women in my life, and they all have left their mark. Today for Macy's birthday (more to come on that) we went riding at The Ridge Equestrian Center with some of her friends. When Anne (stable owner) approached us for our first meeting, I was just tickled. In my own fantasy world when I'm not dreaming of building that shared secret garden between my backyard and Elke's, I'm dreaming instead of being a stylish country girl with a little Texas kick and a little New England sophistication. Anne seemed every bit the fantasy incarnate. She looked like she stepped right out of a J. Crew catalog (or was it Brooks Brothers) but her speech and demeanor were charming and carefree. I met a little girl there, about 9, who had just started riding. I told her that was always my dream as a little girl and I hoped she was having a ball. So maybe someday between Connecticut and Washington somewhere in the vast expanse of the great United States of America where hard work and a good idea can really get you places, I'll have that little piece of space big enough for two horses and a dream fulfilled. Until then I'm gonna soak it up vicariously through Ree and her fresh midwestern take on things.

Heavenly Majesty

2009-11-06T18:31:00.000-08:00

While in D.C. with Mike, we couldn't pass up
the opportunity to visit the grounds of the
gorgeous temple there, and have yet another
opportunity to let the girls feel the "specialness"
of temples. It was a choice experience made all
the better because we availed ourselves of the
opportunity to have Mike as our guide while he
was still residing there.

My little Man, he truly is
adroolable!

Hard to see, but it is always a favorite
for the girls to get up close and personal
with the Christus whenever we are in
visitor's centers that have them. I love
the teaching and bearing of testimony
opportunities that such occasions present.

Which brings me to the aptly named title of this post.
The timing of our trip coincided with a special
exhibit of images taken with the Hubble Telescope,
called "Heavenly Majesty." I have included snapshots
of a couple of the GORGEOUS photos on exhibit.

Each photo was accompanied by a brief explanation
of the subject and a scripture that corresponded
with it.

The images were breathtaking, and likely some of
the finest available that illuminate man's mind on the
expanse of space. We really had a great time seeing
so much and spending Mike's last days before he
officially became an expatriate! Thanks for hosting
us uncle Mike!

Where in the world is Carmen San Diego?

2009-10-28T19:28:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a post with pictures, but in the meantime I'd rather just get down in writing what we've been up to, as I always seem so FAR behind with this blogging hobby.

After D.C. with my brother Mike, which was in early September, we were supposed to return again the following weekend for the 9/11 March on the capitol. We had our hotel booked at a Kimpton boutique hotel through priceline, and were all set to go. The morning of I awakened to a sick little girl, who threw up not once, but twice in a matter of fifteen minutes. Afraid she may have contracted the swine flu, I immediately called Jonathan and he fanagled (sp?) a cancellation due to sickness with priceline. I think we were charged a minimal fee. Phew!

In the following month we went apple picking at March's apple orchards and picked THE most delicious pecks of cortland and macoun apples. They were so fabulous I was inspired to learn to preserve my own food and go farm picking more often. The stars must have aligned in my favor, or providence simply was smiling down on me, because two weeks after our farm excursion the Relief Society (women's service organization at church) had already scheduled a bagel making and applesauce preparing/canning mini enrichment evening. I got to learn a delicious recipe from a very talented and admirable woman at church (mother of nine, fit as a fiddle, nurse extraordinaire) and mingle with friends. I haven't tried the recipe yet, but I'm eager to roll my sleeves up and try my hand at it.

I spent a lonely and hectic General Conference (semi-annual worldwide meeting where church members are instructed by prophets and apostles) while Jonathan had his 2nd annual Cope Brothers reunion. I'm so glad he enjoys the company of his brothers, and they enjoy him, and that they've all decided to enjoy each other's company on a different weekend from now on! Hence forth, we have decided to reserve this special weekend to be spent as a family, teaching our children the importance and significance of the event, discussing topics shared and feelings felt, and establishing our own traditions pertaining to this sacred event.

Immediately following General Conference weekend, we had a quick and wonderful trip to Vermont for the fall foliage. It was a magnificent display of color, and I learned visually the definition of a bucolic life. Vermont is absolutely wonderful...imagine the vivid imagery of Anne of Green Gables come to life! If you're a romantic and an idealist, you MUST see Vermont in the Fall. We stayed at a FANTASTIC slopeside condo in the Green Mountains. The name of the resort was Sugarbush and the accomodations DID NOT disappoint. My favorite realtor of all time once said, " You get what you pay for, and you'll NEVER regret paying for quality." I have really come to appreciate how true that is. The lovely trip provided some much needed R&R, and while there, we enjoyed a side trip to Ben & Jerry's for some ice cream, and a visit to Sharon, VT., birthplace of the prophet Joseph Smith.

The next weekend the girls did a splendid job reciting their respective parts, which they both memorized, for the annual ward primary sacrament program. It is always such a special time to hear the developing testimonies of the the children in both song and word. We were so proud of both of them for facing their fear of public speaking (something they inherited from me) and doing their very best!

And finally, this past weekend we had the Fall Festival at Kennedy's school. It was a nice opportunity to meet some of Kennedy's classmates' families and enjoy some fun times with the girls. Max pooped out on us only fifteen minutes into the evening (which we suspected might happen), so Jonathan and he returned home, while the girls and I stayed at the school for the evening's activities. We had a great time! I also have recently begun volunteering in Kennedy's class on a monthly basis thanks to a wonderful high school friend who has agreed to babysit for me during that time. It has been a blessing to be able to see some of what goes on in Kennedy's class firsthand and become better acquainted with her classmates and Teacher.

So you see, if my agenda would just stop slamming me with action items, I might find the time to detail these activities individually, accompanied by pictures. For now, this wordy monologue will have to do...

P.S.

2009-10-04T18:50:00.001-07:00

If you didn't notice, I did two other posts before
my examination of laundry. Feel free to look
back at those, too. Subjects covered: Washington
D.C., Uncle Mike (:

Laundry and such...

2009-10-04T18:13:00.001-07:00

You'll excuse me, please, for not having a picture
for this post; who wants to look at pictures of
someone else's piles of dirty laundry anyway...

About two times a year I have this convergence
of cold weather clothing and warm weather clothing
in the laundry room. I feel like I'm drowning in
dirty clothes. It is always such a relief to get past
that point where the weather won't commit, and
FINALLY pack away last seasons clothes for another
year. I'm experiencing that drowning sensation
currently, and have been carefully selecting summer's
items to pack away, that will no longer be worn
despite the days when the temperature suddenly spikes.

My whole house can be in disarray ( as it has been the
case pretty much since Max arrived), but in this one
area, if I can have control and keep up, I retain my sanity.

Piles of clean smelling, and LOOKING, folded laundry
are somehow therapeutic to me, even more so when
they are deposited in their respective homes until such
time as they are called upon again. I used to try and do
all my laundry on a certain day, and then hold off until
the next week. But somehow, as the days have progressed
and the laundry has piled more quickly, I find the machine
is constantly in use.

Which brings me to my next point. Cloth diapering. I've read
so many blogs that are a bit OVERLY enthusiastic about
cloth diapers, that understate the truth, and extoll its virtues
to the extreme. So I'm going to try and be moderate in
my examination and report on my experiences thus far.
So by now you're wondering if I'm really doing it or not: I am.
But that doesn't necessarily mean you should, or that I
believe everyone else should and those who don't are earth
haters.

It has been almost two weeks since I've used a disposable
diaper. While my purpose for looking into CD's was motivated
by preparedness, I did intend to actually use them, thus
justifying the expense and hopefully saving some money to boot.
But the waters regarding the virtues of cloth diapers are quite
muddy. Some claims and analysis:
1). It is more environmentally friendly. I suppose that's subjective,
depending on how many you buy, where you purchase them from,
how often you launder, and HOW you carryout that laundering
process. Most cloth diapers recommend special detergents
to keep them clean and absorbent. They also require A LOT of
time to dry (70 min. on HIGH in the dryer) or up to 2 days on your
drying rack. And they're not immortal; eventually they die and
need to be replaced. Thankfully, this wasn't my reason for trying.

2). You save SO much money. Well that depends on how old your
baby is when you start, how many children you'll still be having
that you will pass your CD's on to, how many you purchase, what
type(s) you buy, and how enticed you are by all the extras available
in the CD world, i.e. wetbags, inserts, liners, snappis, etc. If you have
a reasonable amount of self control, I think you probably do save
money. If you buy every new thing that hits the market, I think
you don't. As I said, muddy water.

3). It's better for your babies bum. Well word has it that disposables
are filled with an array of toxic chemicals that lend them their
absorbent properties and fresh scent. I really take these claims
with a grain of salt. While I do think it's a good idea to try and
get back to basics and simplify, I don't think the gov't and the
diaper manufacturers are covering some grand conspiracy to
profit at all costs despite the risks to the rising generation.
I've never been one for conspiracy theories anyway.

4). So now we come full circle with the preparedness side of Cd'ing;
one point, I rarely see mentioned, and the only point I think
that really merits some serious consideration. While the other
merits are debateable, this one stands to reason. IF you could
suddenly no longer rely on your regularly scheduled trips to
Target, Costco, or the likes, you COULD continue to maintain
some semblance of hygience and cleanliness in your home by
having a stash of cloth diapers to rely on. This gives me peace
of mind, and the resolve to continue. I guess I should mention
here that I DO plan to have more babies too. So I find it
infinitely more manageable and reasonable to stash a supply
of cloth diapers than to try and have boxes and boxes of
disposables in all the various sizes.

Next time I post I'll discuss how I launder them, and
the convenience factor.

D.C. cont'd

2009-10-04T17:44:00.000-07:00

I hate that I am never able to capture in picture
beautiful architechture. Maybe someday I'll be
able to afford a camera that can do better justice...

In any case, this is a portion of the ceiling in the
Library of Congress. You really must go, I'll leave
it at that. We were going to see a first edition copy of
the Book of Mormon, but we were visiting on
Memorial Day, and that portion of the library was
closed for the holiday.

Uncle Mike and Max...they like each
other a little bit...

We snagged a fellow tourist to take this picture
of all of us inside the Library of Congress.

Arlington Cemetery was a solemn and hallowed
place.

It was raining, not a torrential downpour, but
pretty steady, but we stayed long enough to see
the changing of the guard anyway. Amazing:
a beautiful and noble tribute that this scene is carried
on day in day out around the clock to remind us
of the tomb of the unknown soldier and the countless
lives lost in battle who were never identified.

While memorials and speeches are always nice, the
NICEST thing I think we can do to honor all
these men and women who "died to make us free"
is to live worthy of that freedom. May we always
REMEMBER to do so, and may we always REMEMBER
the cost of that freedom.

Washington D.C.

2009-10-04T17:08:00.000-07:00

Yes, 2009 will go down in Cope family history
as our most travelled year...thus far, anyway.
We kind of expected as much, since several of our
friends who have sojourned in the northeast
temporarily, told us they took mini trips as frequently
as they could to see and do as much as they could
that is unique to this part of the country. I'm
afraid we haven't even scratched the surface....

My brother Mike, who was recently hired on with
the Foreign Services, was scheduled to depart for his
first post in Guatemala City, Guatemala on Sept. 9th.
We couldn't let him go without a proper sending off,
so it seemed a good time to take the family for a trip
the the capitol city. It was a fast weekend, but we
managed to take in SOME of the sights. Pictured above
is the WWII memorial.

Kennedy, Macy and Max were all such troopers.

MOST of what we saw and did was really beyond

their ability to appreciate, but they DID appreciate

the time they got to spend with uncle Mike. Not

living near family does have ONE perk, I guess.

When you DO get to see them, it is such a NOVELTY!

Aunts, uncles, cousins, and Grandparents get celebrity

star status in my kids' eyes!

I really like this picture because

of the pre-eminence (as it appears)of the

flag next to the Washington memorial.

It serves as a reminder to me of what

all these memorials are really all about

anyway. The men and women represented,

honored, and remembered LOVED God, and

Country. I don't think we really honor

their memory and sacrifice as we should,

by living as we ought...(another post for

another day).

The Library of Congress. At my mother's

reccomendation, we visited this site.

My brother thought it would be a bore;

how little he knew about my love for all

things OLD. A really great thing about

Washington D.C. and the northeast is

the sense of history. As a country we are

so new, it is often difficult to really feel

that. The archictecture was classic and

beautiful. The messages and spirit inside

were inspiring and timeless. After visiting

a site like this, I can't help but see how

degenerate we are as a people compared with

the vision of what we could become that

propelled the founding fathers through their

darkest hours. It was a spiritual experience

to read their words and feel the energy behind

them.

Visiting D.C. heightened my sense of duty as

a citizen, and love of country as a patriot. It

is a singular experience and one I recommend

HIGHLY, but after an appropriate age has been

reached. Probably either high school aged, or

even older. When we were walking to the mall

one evening, I overheard a guy, early twenties,

talk about his first experience in D.C. having

been wasted on his youth. There is a lot to take

in, to ponder, to appreciate, and to comprehend.

Hope you get the chance to go, if you've never been!

Kennedy the Kindergartner

2009-09-27T18:42:00.000-07:00

I had hoped I would be better prepared
when this day arrived; but ready or not
it came. Kennedy didn't miss a beat,
and was fearless regarding all things
school related. She LOVES riding the bus
to school (when only the other Kindergartners
are on) and wishes I would allow her to ride
it home as well.

I am prayerfully considering this wish,
and the jury is still out. In the meantime,
Macy, Max and myself all take an afternoon
walk across the street and down a bit,
to the cul-de-sac that has enough room
for the bus to turn around since Kennedy
is the last to be picked up for the afternoon
Kindergarten run. While we wait, she daily
picks me flowers, finds me bugs, and gives
me beautiful leaves for safe keeping. We all
enjoy a moment in the fresh air and our little
walk to and from the bus stop. We share a
prayer and some kisses, and she is off!

She loves her teacher, and has made
MANY friends. On Friday I had my
first opportunity to volunteer in her
classroom for a writing workshop, and
got to put faces with all the names she
so frequently mentions.

About a week before school started,
we had a good rainy day. The drizzly
weather was too inviting to resist for
my sillies, so they suited up in their
rainboots, pettiskirts, and raincoats
for some good fun. They have vivid
imaginations, and are the best of friends
most days.

I'm so thankful everyday to be
their mother and pray for the
wisdom, love, humility, blessings,
spiritual power, and strength of
character to be equal to the task.

Last days in San Diego

2009-09-25T17:50:00.000-07:00

I have never lived near or in a city with a navy presence,
so I was unaware of the practice to stand at attention
and in formation when coming into harbor.

For me it was a patriotic moment; made me count my
blessings and thank Heavenly Father once more that I live
in America, home of the free & the brave.

My heartfelt gratitude goes out to all the men and women
who courageously and selflessly serve their country and their
countrymen...

so that you and I can enjoy our day to day lives, relatively
untroubled by the threats that are made daily on America
and our way of life, at home and abroad.

so that we can have a peaceful and carefree
family vacation like the one we enjoyed

playing in this pool,

I just saw the press coverage of the man from
Colorado who was arrested on terrorist charges.
I accept it as a fact that there are enemies at home
and abroad who are resentful and bitter because
of the lifestyle broadly enjoyed by the American people.

It is a terribly frightening and stark reality that the
blissful ignorance widely enjoyed today, could be gone
tomorrow.

As I write the world is trying to decide how to respond
to the newly publicized knowledge of a secret nuclear
facility in Iran.

The world is in turmoil. I guess it always has been...
The freedoms enjoyed today are threatened not only
by the threat of terrorism and nuclear arms, but also
by our own misdeeds as a nation; the refusal to continue
to acknowledge God as the Founder of our freedom as
our forebears freely did, the notion that believing in right
and wrong and the universal application of truth
makes one a bigot---narrow-minded, an
ignorant religious zealot, pop-culture in general which
rejects anything Godly and embraces all ungodliness,
enthrones it really, the way in which we busy our lives
with doing so much of the meaningless that we have NO
time left for the meaningful, hurt children who grow to
become embittered and violent adults, a general
permissiveness in society that has led to the abandoment
of virtues and opened the floodgates to a host of destructive
addictions.

Our freedom hangs in the balance, but many Americans
can't be troubled to consider the implications of
their own inertia.

We need to get our acts together; the wake up calls
have been frequent and many.

I pray we will make changes to correct our course
and preserve our nation and freedoms for my
children, and yours too.

My stinkin' camera is broke(n)

2009-09-23T19:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry no pics of the cloth diaper stash yet; my camera is giving me fits and I really haven't had the time to fiddle with it and try and figure out if it is something minor or major.

In the meantime, I have officially run out of disposable diapers, and am experiencing life without them. Today was my first full day. It is a little tricky with such a small stash (only 8 diapers) to try and figure out when to do the laundry to keep the ball rolling. I've been using them for a couple of weeks now, but I was sneaking in a disposable or two when it was time to launder. Now I have to figure out how to manage without that crutch. I have been through many big, NASTY poops (did I mention I keep my babies on a veggie and cereal ONLY diet for the first year of life?) and used the diaper sprayer I purchased on several occasions. It is definitely a must for me. If I had to swish or concoct some other means of getting the sticky poops off, I'd have thrown the towel in after the first day. It does sometimes get water all over the toilet, but it is efficient and effective at poop removal.

I'm going to continue using what I have through the end of September, at which time I will decided with diaper(s) I like best so I can augment my supply. I wish I could insert a picture here of those I currently have...you'll just have to wait. The jury is still out on my reviews of each product, so I guess I'll post a picture when I tell you about their performance, trimness, and ease of use.

I am enjoying this experiment and have firmly placed both of my feet on the road to conversion; barring any major derailment, I believe I am going to take the leap permanently. The last major part of the experiment I must undergo before giving my full commitment is to cloth diaper away from home (i.e. a weekend trip). I really don't know quite how that will go...I'm very curious to see. Away from home I will have to experience poop removal sans the diaper sprayer; it could present a real dilemma. It's my last major hurdle; wish me luck! As far as what I do away from home for errands and such, I carry a small wetbag with me and bring the whole stinky thing home to tend to it. It really isn't bad at all. I feel very organic and happy about this little change. I recently came across a new term that I feel is aptly applied to my chosen lifestyle. Flexitarian. It generally refers to someone who eats mostly from the the abundance of the earth, but doesn't shun meat entirely. I'm applying the term broadly to all aspects of my life with regards to going green & organic. I really feel like extreme lifestyles usually lead to an imbalanced and unhealthy person. Therefore, I take a hybrid approach to most things. I try and do what I feel good about for my family without branding myself. For instance, while looking for diaper laundry solution for my very hard well water, I came across a site recommending its products for all the earth loving, cloth diapering, environmentally responsible, crunchy, co-sleeping, attachment parenting mommies out there!

I don't even know what attachment parenting is, and I'm not a co-sleeping momma (preferring to have my bed reserved for my husband and myself only), and I only recently gained a vague understanding of what "crunchy" means in this context. I wouldn't even go so far as to say I'm environmentally responsible, though I do aspire to be a good steward insofar as is reasonable. BUT, I do love the earth. I try to recycle whenever possible, am being more consicous of my water consumption, and am becoming more savvy when it comes to chemicals and my family. However, I still have an arsenal of cleaning products I'm not ready to part ways with, and don't spring for every organic product the supermarket carries. I DO try to wash my produce thoroughly, and OCCASIONALLY treat my family to organic produce if it's an item that is particularly vulnerable to pesticides, etc.

So now you're saying to yourself, WOW! Where the heck is she going with this post? Well that's a great question. I didn't set out to come full circle with this, but it appears the point of all my rambling is that cloth diapering just became a natural next step as I have been taking steps to become more self-reliant in my family and a little kinder to the earth to. I'm not a vigilante. I guess that is also one of the points I'm trying to make. There are plenty of those out there; I'm intimidated by them and a bit turned off by their all or nothing approach. I'm not consumed or defined by these changes we're making, just feeling a lit bit better prepared than before and little bit more responsible as a steward of the earth and my family.

Sea World San Diego

2009-09-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you're getting the picture that we had quite
a whirlwind of a summer this year! It seems like
we were gone long enough to miss Connecticut's
summer almost entirely! The final leg of our So. Cal
trip was spent at Sea World before we drove to Sac.
for our trip home. Above the girls are enjoying a
frozen lemonade...very refreshing on a HOT SoCal
afternoon!

We LOVED all the exhibits and shows at Sea
World---especially the Shamu and dolphin shows!

Shamu going for a jump,

and the splash that followed!

If you look closely, you can see the trainer in
the air ABOVE the killer whale. This guy was a
phenomenal swimmer and the whale was a
phenomenal showman. Can you imagine how
fun this job would be?? One of my childhood
dreams was to take care of dolphins. I've
always had a fascination with them....and horses,
but that's a story for another day (:

Cloth Diapering Update

2009-09-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

Just in case you're oh so curious...

I am now the proud owner of 6 cloth diapers, and 2 still in transit

This should be about one 24 hr. period's worth of diapers. I have heavily researched (have I mentioned I am a research nut when it comes to products I am considering purchasing?) and selected 8 different brands to try. Pictures and descriptions to follow...

I have experienced my first trial run, and am not yet deterred, though I had some setbacks. Lots of leaks on that first day, so I did some more research and contacted a few companies and am now armed with the information needed to hopefully overcome the leaks. I am now going to summarize all of my research in a lengthy, no pictures included, post. This is where you might want to stop reading and go back to your blogroll for other updates if you are entirely uninterested in the world of Cd'ing.

Okay, here goes:

Cloth diapering consists of several different diapering strategies/options. The choices run the gamut of very economical to high-end couture (yes I used that word to describe a diaper) options. In a nutshell the very basic nuts and bolts of cd'ing are your grandmas prefolds and flats with the old-fashioned pins; today you can also use a device called a snappi to hold your diaper in place. These dipes require a waterproof cover, most of which are made out of institutional grade PUL (polyurethane-something or other), the other options are wool & fleece. Beyond the basics your choices are contours (like prefolds only shaped like your baby's bum), fitteds (with cover), pockets, AIO, and AI2 dipes. I didn't really look into the very basic options b/c they sounded like more work and hassle than I was interested in. I can tell you that if you were to choose that route, there are higher quality prefolds available online than what you will find at your local Target.

My research led me to choose mostly pockets and AI2 dipes, with a few AIO for quick convenience during the day. I thought this might also work for nighttime diapering; however, my initial trial run has caused me to second guess that. Every choice beyond contours are more fitted and sized to baby's proportions and come with the fasteners sewn in. The two fastening options beyond a snappi are aplix (generic velcro) and snap. I have read the velcro doesn't wear as well as snap, and I personally have a disdain for velcro as it tends to snag everything it comes in contact with in the wash, so I chose snap diapers (with one exception b/c of the rave reviews). Pockets/AI2/AIO goes a step beyond the fitted by having a waterproof barrier sewn into the diaper, so you don't need an extra cover over it. I appreciate this type of simplicity, especially for daytime when I'm on the run! AIO diapers are the most complete option, but not the best in my mind. They have the soaker sewn into the diaper and eliminate the option of customizing absorbency, other than adding more bulk. Pocket diapers consist of a PUL outer/fleece or other soft fiber inner, with a "pocket" near the rear or front of the diaper where a soaker is stuffed. These are customizable to the amount of absorbency your baby requires...I like that. There are so many types of soakers/doublers/inserts
on the market. Which leads me to one of my aha moments with my trial run. Several of my soakers are hemp. Hemp is supposed to be very absorbent, rivalled only by bamboo, but hemp has to be primed before use. I didn't know this, and therefore experienced a lot of leaking. Priming a hemp soaker consists of washing it in HOT water and drying it 5-10 times. I won't go into the scientific reasons why this is necessary, but I can assure you it is! I am now in the process of priming and preparing my dipes and soakers, a step I didn't do before the trial run and something you must do if you want optimal results the first time. AI2 are like pockets only the soaker snaps into position and is a point of contact with baby's skin. The jury is still out for me if I prefer AI2 or pockets. I plan to use my minimal stash for about a month before I make any product judgments and boost my supply. Ideally, a full-time cloth diaperer requires about 12-24 diapers to get into a 2-3x a week wash cycle. I'm aiming for 18 because pockets and AI2 outers can be reused before washing if they are aired out between uses ( I have read between 2-6 times) and used with clean soakers.

Now for another revelation from that trial run. Daytime diapering and nighttime diapering are not the same when it comes to cloth. You can wing it during the day, but you've got to have a game plan for nighttime diapering. This is serious stuff when you're goal is about twelve hours in a single diaper without any leaks. So I have realized that because Max is such a heavy wetter, I will probably have to have some fitteds w/ covers or fleece soaker diapers for nighttime. I won't say definitively until I've primed and reused everything, but the first two nights weren't acceptable. He needed too frequent changing of clothes and diaper for my preferences.

For simplicity's sake, I've also purchased a roll of disposable diaper liners (looks like dryer sheets in the packaging) for thos times when I know I'll be away from the house long enough to need a diaper change. These liners allow moisture to penetrate, but keep solids from coming into contact with the diaper; I'm sure you can guess why that's a nice feature on the run...

Should you choose to look into the cloth option which is economical, eco-consious, self-reliant, and actually quite fun on some levels I recommend the following sites in your quest to find the perfect diapering strategy:

diaperpin.com
diaperswappers.com
allaboutclothdiapers.com
theclothdiaperwhisperer.com

From there you learn about different types, brands, etc. and you can google what you're looking for beyond that. There is a whole community of people who LOVE cloth diapering and feel very passionately about it; I haven't decided if I'm joining them yet, but the prospects are good!

A final word,

Cleaning cloth diapers is also an art. If you don't want to swish your diapers in the toilet (ick), then you can invest in a handy gadget called diaper sprayer. It looks like the dish sprayer mounted on your kitchen sink, only it attaches to the water line on your toilet and is used to spray messy diapers clean! What a great idea!

Cloth diapers require some TLC in the laundering process for optimal performance. NO softeners, optical brighteners, etc. can be used and some of your average detergents aren't okay for cloth diapers. There are several lists out there of detergents generally viewed as safe for diapers. Why all the fuss? Because you don't want your diapers to repel; you want them to absorb. If they get all bogged down under additives and such they won't do their job well. There are all kinds of schools of thought on the best procedures for cleaning diapers, and most of them include a prewash/rinse of some sort to remove debris, a HOT wash to thoroughly clean and sterilize with 1/4-1/2 the recommended detergent for a regular load of laundry, followed by a second rinse to ensure no detergent has set up camp in the diaper. Some people hang their dipes to dry (which can take quite some time) and some dry them. I'm going to take a hybrid approach on this for two reasons: 1) it is recommended that you dry on HOT any diapers containing PUL because the heat seals the pores (something I didn't know or do before the trial run) and makes the waterproof barrier more effective. 2) do this too often can eventually break down the elastic prematurely, hence the hybrid approach.

I have found learning this new skill very rewarding, and yes, Fun! We'll see if the charm wears off...

La Jolla Shores

2009-09-09T18:52:00.000-07:00

On our visit to sunny San Diego, we took a lazy
day to soak up some sun and enjoy the beach.
We asked around and were recommended La Jolla
Shores, a small beach just north of San Diego. The
girls had a great time burying Daddy in the sand...

watching the new surfers try their luck or hone
their skills,

watching Daddy grow an awesome
six pack in a matter of minutes,

and rollicking in the very gentle waves
with their hero, Daddy.

We borrowed the hotel's pack'n'play and Max slept
for a little over two hours on the beach! When he
woke up, he was in great spirits! He has one
of the most expressive little faces. I can't decide
what he is thinking here.

The only drawback for us at this beach was the shores
were riddled with huge seaweed drifts...I don't know
if it's always like that here, or if it was a fluke caused
by the tides. Parking is also slim pickins', but we
managed to find a good place relatively close, so
we must have had Jonny's good karma that day...
he claims to be a good luck charm for finding VIP
priority parking spots.

The weather was oh-so-perfect and it was a nice
treat to have a leisurely day without rigid scheduling.

Next stop...Sea World San Diego!

Temples & Kisses & such

2009-09-02T18:19:00.000-07:00

During our sojourn in San Diego, we couldn't pass
up the opportunity to take our children to see the
lovely temple there.

One of the sr. missionaries on site was good enough
to offer take a picture of all of us in front of the
temple.

Max gave me lots of loves & hugs & kisses...

There aren't words to express how much I love
him...and my other babies too!

The San Diego temple is so stunning, even an
amateur can take postcard worthy pics.

We thoroughly enjoyed strolling the breathtaking
grounds, smelling the flowers, holding hands,
giving and getting kisses, and feeling of the spirit
there.

Just gave me yet another reason to love San Diego!

I've decided to test the water...

2009-08-27T19:46:00.000-07:00

For several days I've been feverishly researching, and learning
a new language.

My scribbles contain the following below:

Cd'ing
sposies
soaker
rise
gusset
flannel vs. wool vs. hemp
AIO, AI2, fitted, flat, prefolded, pockets
super trim
aplix vs. snap
zorb liners
NO to microfiber and microsuede
longies, shorties,
baby legs
PUL covers
pins & snappis

Oh, and YES, Bamboo too...

What's all that you ask?

It is the language spoken by the underground sub-culture
known as the cloth diapering movement.

Everyone has their reasons for investigating
the alternative to the disposable a.k.a. sposie
diaper. Mine are probably not as vogue as
you might think. I'm not interested for its greener
properties (some say that argument is debatable
anyway when you factor all the extra water
being used to clean cloth diapers), nor am I
economically motivated, per se, though that does
appear to be a possible silver lining.

I've been taking stock of my family's emergency
preparedness and find myself wanting in so many
areas that it is daunting just selecting where to begin.

Having had Max recently has put a new spin in the way
I see my preparedness, and I've been pondering how
caring for my children would be different in a world
without a Target just up the street. Whether or not
that day ever actually comes doesn't really matter to me.
I have been called to prepare.
So, in that vein, I've been researching recipes for babyfood
and methods of safely preparing and storing babyfood...and
that's how I got to this diaper thing. I thought, "What would
I do if I couldn't just go purchase a box of diapers for Max?"
I DO have some prefolds artfully disguised as burpies, but
I wouldn't be prepared to use them in a pinch as a diaper.
I got to thinking about it ( and yes it did conjure up some pretty
icky and stinky images), and I decided I would dip my toes
in the water and test it out.

I'm not making a commitment. I haven't suddenly become
the green queen, nor am I loudly advocating this alterna method
and preaching damnation to the naysayers. I'm just giving it a try.
I've come up with a small list of beginner supplies and am armed
with what I hope is good information on cleaning, drying, and
maintaining a cloth diapering home.

I have already experienced the worst of it as far as blowouts and
nighttime leaks are concerned with the disposables I'm currently
using. I really don't see much difference b/w regularly laundering
poopie prefolds or pooped clothes and soaked sheets. Laundry is
already, sadly, a regular part of my daily existence...and it's here to
stay.

The two things I am most unsure about so far are:
1). What does tent camping look like with a cd baby,
and 2). What does vacationing of any kind look like
with a cd diaper.

I feel like I could probably establish a home routine
that worked for me, but I fear the away from home for long periods
aspect of it.

It could derail the entire experiment. For now, I'm going to make
a small investment and plant the seed.

This will be a well-documented journey...

If you or someone you know has anything informative
to share on the subject I'd love to hear!

Magic Kingdom Take 2

2009-08-27T17:39:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my SIL Brandi, we had the 411 that staying
onsite was worth the cost, especially with little ones in tow.
I can't say enough how much more relaxed that made the trip
for us. It was so nice at the end of a LONG day to just
stroll back to the hotel, take the elevator up, and deposit
our sleepy babies into their beds. We bought 3 day park
hoppers (thank you Brian's mom for using your Cali discount
for us!!!) and checked into our hotel Wed. afternoon. We had
originally planned to have Wed. be the first day of the hopper,
but we got a later start than expected, so we opted to stay out
of the park until Thurs. It worked out just fine because Jonathan
took the girls to the Neverland pool, while Max napped and I
planned the next days schedule. Again, Brandi's wealth of
information about all things Disney was so helpful in plotting out
each day's events/attractions. Max and I joined the rest of the
family at the pool after his nap, and later that evening we took
Brandi's advice and strolled downtown Disney to search for the
girls' souvenirs. Kennedy was quick to identify the Belle doll as
her souvenir and the two of them were inseparable for the
duration of our trip. Macy wanted so badly to find a "Silvermist"
doll from the TinkerBell movie. Sadly, there were none to be
found. Later the next day she fell in love with the Buzz Light year
with retractable wings, and he became her constant companion.

Once inside the park, we didn't stop for many photo-ops,
but we couldn't pass up a picture in front of Sleeping
Beauty's castle. Unfortunately when we were there
there weren't any English or Portuguese speakers around,
so we couldn't ask someone to take the pic with all of us
in it. Darn...we'll get that next time. And there WILL be a
NEXT time! We spent all of day one at Disneyland.
Unfortunately we made the unsavory mistake of having one
of Macy's first rides be Space Mountain. I didn't even
remember what that ride was all about. That set the
tone for the remainder of our trip. From that point on
Macy frantically asked at each stop if the ride was a) dark,
b) fast, and c) scary. I did my best to investigate the answers
to these questions for each ride (it has been almost 20 years
since I last visited the MK) but sometimes I was misinformed.
For example, even the Peter Pan ride is DARK and the lovely
stars in the night sky DO resemble the little lights on Space Mtn.,
especially if you are a traumatized 3 1/2 year old. In fact,
almost every ride that involved being indoors was dark, except
for It's a Small World. Needless to say, poor Macy didn't enjoy
the trip as she could have had we not made that fatal mistake.
Thankfully I don't think she'll be warped for life. She IS
still excited to return and assures us she'll be ready to try
some of the bigger, FASTER rides next time. Thanks to Fast Pass
and Rider Exchange, we were able to enjoy all of Tomorrowland,
New Orleans Square, and most of Frontierland during Day 1.

On Day 2, we enjoyed breafast with Ariel and all of her
princess friends at California Adventure. We enjoyed
sleeping in a bit, and the laidback atmosphere and smaller
crowds were a nice break from the nonstop excitement
of Disneyland. I got a lot smarter on Day 2, and made
better use of the fast pass system by only using two tickets
at each kiosk (we had four in total). This way I could walk
from one ride to the other and immediately fast pass again
using the two not used previously. If you know how the system
works, you have to wait a period of time between each fast pass
you get. By interspersing the two sets of tickets, I got fast passes
at Soarin', Grizzly Rapids, and Screamin' in a period of a little over
an hour. I LOVED the screamin' coaster and since we had two
fast passes for it and a Rider Exchange, I got to ride it twice
without the fuss of long lines! Soarin' was also REALLY COOL,
and one of the all time favorites since it also made Macy's
SHORT fun list (: I should mention here that Max and I
got the fast passes while Jonathan and the girls waited in line
at the Toy Story ride, which doesn't have the fast pass feature.
They had barely finished getting off their ride by the time
I had been to three attractions for fast passes. And just as
I strolled up, I got to skip the line and ride the Toy Story ride
with K since Jonathan got a Rider Exchange ticket for me.
I must sing the praises of these two programs. They are so
family friendly. Had it not been for FP and Rider Exchange,
we wouldn't have enjoyed the Disney experience nearly as
much, since one of us had to sit out each ride to be with Max.

On the last day, we availed ourselves of the Magic
Morning early entry, and went straight to Fantasyland
(which we had intentionally saved for last). We rode
pretty much all the minor attractions there in the space of
about 45 min. It was so great to hop on ride after ride
with no lines!! Gotta love Magic Morning, another
CONVINCING reason to justify the $$$ spent to stay
at the Disneyland hotel. After riding the rides of Fantasyland,
we went to the Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique so each girl
could pick out a princess outfit. I should say here that
we prepped the girls before the trip that they would each
get ONE souvenir item of their choosing, and ONE dress up.
Since I have never purchased ANY dress ups prior to this (we do
have an assortment of halloween costumes and castoffs from
friends that we dress up in), I felt it OKAY to spend the money
for a TRULY magical final day at Disney. Kennedy chose
Jasmine and Macy chose the generic princess bride dress, which
we dubbed the "Gisele" dress because it looked like princess
Gisele from Enchanted. This was definitely a highlight of the
trip and an appropriate crescendo to our magical family vacation.
The girls were even stopped by a group of Japanese tourists for a
snapshot (: It was really rather funny, since the same thing
happened in Hawaii with Kennedy when she was 8 months old.
I guess there's just something novel about my darling girls that
tourists find irresistible??!

After Fantasyland, our "princesses" accompanied us back to
California Adventure to visit Bug Land, the only part of the park
we didn't see during Day 2. We enjoyed a leisurely afternoon
there, and spent a lot of time in the water features during the
hottest part of the day. Once again, we were glad to be on site,
since I didn't realize they had water features and hadn't packed
for them. Jonathan did a mad dash to the parking lot, and
retrieved (with some coaching from me) the swimsuits, towels,
and sandals, so the girls could get wet without ruining there
brand new princess duds. When we'd had enough of BugLand,
we strolled back over to Disney to Frontierland for the evening.
We enjoyed the Mark Twain riverboat, and a few rides we hadn't
had time for on Day 1. I must insert here that you MUST stop for
a Dole Whip in Frontierland and here's a very helpful pointer:
the line at the Dole Whip stand is almost as bad as the line for
Splash Mtn, UNLESS you agree to spend 20 min. in an air
conditioned tiki room for a cute little ditty by some friendly
parrots... in that case, you can enter the reserved waiting area
for Tiki Room guests ONLY and cut right to the front of line for a
Whip on th other side of the stand. I highly recommend coming
here during the hottest part of the day. Not only will you get a
taste of Hawaiian heaven, but you can enjoy the cooler that is
the Tiki Room...an oasis in the hotter than hot SoCal sun.

Trust me.

You. will. thank. me.

I have had a Dole Whip before at the Dole plantation on Oahu.
To my knowledge, this is the only place you can get them in the
lower 48.
So go.
After our whip, I lined up 1 1/2 hrs. BEFORE showtime for
the Fantasmic show over Tom Sawyer's Island. It is WORTH
IT. We saw the show the 1st night, but decided to come back for
better viewing. I LOVED this show...and I LOVE DISNEY. After
Fantasmic, we headed towards Main Street, with a clever little
detour near Aurora's castle for our 3rd viewing of "Magical" the
daily fireworks show. It was the perfect way to finish a lovely
Disney stay. We had checked out of our hotel earlier in the day,
so we packed the kids in the car and drove 2 hours,

South,

to San Diego.

Stay tuned...

I was a little leary about taking Max on a nonstop
thriller vacation like this, but really I had no choice.
He did EXCEPTIONALLY well, taking good naps
in the stroller and the bjorn. Oh, and I nursed him
on the go: standing in line at Nemo's adventure,
eating lunch, outside the bathrooms, etc. How
did I accomplish this discreetly you ask? Because
my fantastic MIL bought me one of these.

Max really was a dream, and I'd say that this
first REAL family vacation with an infant so
exceeded my expectations that I'd do it again
in a heartbeat. The top ten things that made it
possible:

1) uppababy stroller (to be highlighted in later post)
2) rumbleseat for said uppababy
3) hooter hider (did I mention it doubles as a sun
shield while baby is in bjorn?!)
4) pacifier
5)pacifier clippy
6)bjorn or other carrier
7)breastfeeding (no bottles, formula, prepping,
planning, etc.)
8)rider exchange (THANK YOU DISNEY!)
9)Fast Pass
10) huge diaper bag to accomodate all the necessities!

Origins of name...

2009-08-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite questions to ask new moms is "Where did you get the name?" I am really quite horrible at remembering names (I often need to be reminded on several occasions before it sticks) but sometimes knowing how they got it in the first place galvanizes it in my memory; it's also usually interesting to find out about the deceased relative, favorite character from a book (Barry Manilow song in my case), etc. People have such varied and interesting reasons for selecting the names they do. So I thought I'd explain the names in our family, particularly since we have made Max so confusing to so many (my pediatrician still calls him Joshua everytime I go in).

Kennedy Reese: Jonathan and I were at Costco in Provo (dating, not even engaged), when a darling little girl, long blonde curls, probably age four, went dashing down the aisle as her mother hollered after her "Kennedy!!!" It was love at first hearing. I knew right then and there that my first daughters name would be Kennedy. Roughly around this same time the movie Sweet Home Alabama was out (on the big screen or DVD I can't recall) featuring Reese Witherspoon. Having just returned from serving my mission in Alabama, I rather enjoyed the movie and was reminded how much I enjoy Reese as an actress....hence the moniker of my first child was born.

Macy Cleo: This name came about in kind of reverse order. Jonathan declared after Kennedy was born, that our next daughter (should there be a next) would have Cleo in her name. Why?? Because "Grandma Cleo is an upright Christian woman possessing all the noble traits we could ever wish for in a daughter" (or something like that). Well I couldn't argue with him, Grandma Cleo is an angel even if she's declared on a hundred or more occasions that she's methodist born and bred and will most definitely finish out her life as a methodist dead. At the time, our neighbor down the street had a sweet little pup named Cleo too, and I just couldn't bring myself to give my baby the name as her first. Having decided Cleo would be in the middle, I needed a name retro enough that it would seem to fit well with it. We moved to Texas from Louisiana mid-pregnancy (I had only six weeks left) and I discovered Macy was an anchorwoman for a local broadcast of the nightly news. Seemed like a good fit, and I was running out of time to decide. So Macy Cleo came to be.

Joshua Max: You know him as "Max" and that's exactly how we intended it. Odd I know (my elementary school teachin' mother-in-law said I shouldn't have done it that way), but it turns out it's a family tradition. My paternal grandmother's name is Mary Diane, but she's known to all as Diane. She calls both her sons by their middle name, and I decided to continue the legacy. Cruel, maybe. I hope not though. As for the names themselves: My first mission president's name was Perry Max. I almost would have just named him that exactly, except he had a son by the same name whom I dated and am NOT married to. Might have been bothersome to my husband...but I still liked the name... Well it turns out Jonathan's maternal great grandfather's name was Max too. We really stewed and stewed over what to call this little boy, and it came right down to the wire before we decided. I must have suggested hundreds of possibilities. Apparently Jonathan just knows too many people though, because he had known a guy who did a dumb thing by the same name of every other one I suggested. We were getting nowhere. Luckily we still had Max, a name we were both happy with that had the added bonus of pleasing the extended family. My mother suggested, rather forcefully, that we follow her tradition of tacking on a name that was biblical in nature since that was the tradition she'd started with her boys. We agreed Joshua went well with Max, but for some reason Max Joshua just didn't sound as good to us.

If you have a hankering, I'd love to hear how the creative process of babynaming takes shape in your family!

Sir Max-a-lot

2009-08-15T19:29:00.000-07:00

Just kidding...

we haven't called him that. yet.

But he has been called by the following:

Maximo

Maximillian

Macsimiliano (or something like that)

Max Master or Master Max

Last week we went to his well baby appt. that should have occurred at 4mo.,

but we were out of town.

Here's his stats

18 lbs. 1 oz.

26 in. long

I feel like he's rather large for his age, but I'm relieved to have discovered he's proportioned well. 75th percentile on both height and weight. He's a lover, not a hater. Jonathan took the above pic with his new Blackberry Tour. Not bad for a cell phone picture, eh?

From the looks of it, he enjoyed the gourmet pink lemonade cupcake from Crumbs...so delish!

I'm not sure if I'm grateful or resentful that Jonathan introduced me; it was wickedly fabulous. I'm having a hard time saving the one I bought for "later". Wish me luck...

You know you're a mormon if...

2009-08-15T10:42:00.001-07:00

I have lots of friends in the blogging world, and most of them are LDS. I know which of my friends blog with REGULARITY, and which ones, like me, don't. I never think much of it when the irregulars haven't posted in awhile. They probably are either neck deep in dirty laundry, have a sick (or multiple, as the case may be) baby, or are sick themselves. Or maybe their excavating the playroom yet again...the list of possibilities is so numerous I rarely spend much time thinking about it or trying to figure it out.

BUT, the ones who are the regulars somehow manage to move mountains and keep up on their blog at the same time. I aspire to be them...but I'm not. So, when they mysteriously drop of the scene for weeks or even months, the thought almost always crosses my mind, "I wonder if so-and-so is pregnant....again."

And my hunch is usually right.

The long awaited, but never duplicated...

2009-08-10T20:16:00.001-07:00

Disneyland...of course!

The Magic Kingdom somehow hasn't lost any
of its magic in the intervening 18 or so years
since I last visited. Truly, I marvel at the imagination
of Walt Disney. We received a special invitation
to dine with Mrs. Ariel herself during our stay, and we
couldn't pass up the opportunity!

She was so EXCITED when we arrived and saw
to our every need,

She enquired diligently about our stay at the
castle, the acceptability of the accomodations,
and so forth. She got to know us personally as her
special guests and made us feel welcome at our coronation
as the newest princesses to the castle.

Then,

she introduced us to her famous friends!

First there was Snow White who showed us
proper posture and poise,

Then Belle whose gown and coordinating gloves
were to die for,

Shortly thereafter the lovely Cinderella who
immediately put us at ease with her
gentle and endearing manner,

And last, but never least, the missus whose
personal estate is the crown jewel of Disneyland...

The Unforgettable Aurora!

It was truly sublime-- a moment never to be
forgotten in our young and furtive minds!

After our introduction to the princesses,
we were indulged with fare fit for King
Triton himself! (Well that one might have
been a bit of an exaggeration, but it
was a hot breakfast at least, and fueled us
for the many more adventures yet to come).

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit under the sea
and promised Ariel we'd come again!

West Seattle with "Bepelle"

2009-08-10T19:39:00.000-07:00

My best friend from high school married a high
school friend of ours and they still reside in the harbor.
It's always fun to catch up when we're in town and
see how each other's children have grown! Her husband
has recently started a new career in Seattle, which makes
for a VERY long commute from the Gig Harbor area. So
naturally, they are looking to relocate. She found her utopia
in West Seattle; so she decided to take me there and sell
me on the place!

Grandma graciously agreed to chaperone
the outing; without her, it would've been
all work and no fun...so a BIG thanks to Grandma
for being super fun and playing with us on
MANY occasions during our month-long
stay in the harbor! ( I should mention here
that she also brought me back to good health
from a near-death episode of mastitis...that's only
maybe a tiny bit dramatic. Seriously lousy...so
thankful I wasn't in CT alone!)

I'm envious of my carefree 5 year
old for a lot of reasons I won't mention
here. One of them I will mention is
the ease with which friendships are
forged and renewed after a long
separation.

The old school park in WS had this fabulous
zipline swing! Out of control; most modern
parks today would ban such an amusement
for the liabilities sake...

Check out the sweet air Grandma and Macy
got!

After a HOT (seems to me the temp. was in the 90's) morning
playing at the park, we spent a lazy afternoon cooling our
jets in the wade pool. Finished off a near perfect day
with a gorgeous return trip on the ferry!

And here are the stars of the day!
Bepelle is how her baby brother Rigby
pronounces Bethelle, her real name (:

More from the zoo

2009-08-08T20:36:00.001-07:00

This year I've really come to a greater
appreciation for all the grandmas in my life and
the lives of my children. We are all better people
because we love and are loved by them. So thank you
to each of you for the unique ways you have blessed
our lives this year and always. We love you Grandma
Cleo, Mama Toby, Nana Cope, Grandma Johns,
Great-Grandma Johns, Great-Grandma White (
and the grandpas too, naturally!)

One of the new species we discovered this year...
real reindeer! There fuzzy antlers and size
are really something to see! And I thought they
were make believe!

Pt. Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

2009-08-08T20:21:00.001-07:00

Grandma Johns took us one lazy afternoon to the local
zoo and aquarium. It was very nice. There isn't so much to see
that you feel it's a chore, but there also isn't too little. It's a great
combination of land & sea life. Of course, who could pass up the
opportunity to have a ride on the camels? The girls thought they
were with Prince Ali and his menagerie....wink

And they were so excited to identify the reef dwellers
to Grandma; she was a gracious and thoughtful student,
of course!

We snapped this cameo of Max in the parking lot
when it was time to go...angel baby of mine

He has been the poster child of what good looks
like for roadtripping/coast-to-coast flying/ all day
strolling infants. Love him all the more for his flexibility
with the nap schedule so we could have a memory-filled
vacation as a family!

Independence Day

2009-08-08T20:01:00.000-07:00

I feel a tremendous sense of relief to be over my post layout mishaps...moving on now...Grandpa Johns holding the first male grandbaby. Guess that's one good thing about being the oldest on my side, I've had a lot of the firsts for the family!

Kennedy took an immediate liking to Uncle Sean and acted as if he'd never been gone serving a mission for two years! To my knowledge she's had two crushes in her life: uncle Brandon and uncle Sean. I hope that trend persists at least prior to the tween years. If she maintains this kind of taste in the opposite sex, I have no worries about the dating years.

See what I mean?

Totally enamored!

We all enjoyed ourselves at the 4th of July

pancake breakfast!

And unfortunately (sorry Jonny) this is the only pic

I got that evening before the fireworks show. Guess

you'll just have to believe me that we went to a great

venue with live music, terriyaki and pit bbq, corn on the cob,

kettle corn (yes there does appear to be a food theme here),

port-o-potties, teenage dance-offs, and of course, FIREWORKS!

I LOVE the U.S.A. A heartfelt thanks to my friends and family

who have or are currently serving the armed forces to protect

our FREEDOM. IN GOD WE TRUST!

Visit to Grandma & Grandpa's

2009-08-08T19:22:00.000-07:00

Daddy found a jellyfish at Owen beach during our trip to Washington. Good thing it was dead because it appears to be one of the poisonous variety!

Me and my surfer dude at Owen beach...Jonathan will go on record to confirm that one of the names I pitched during the baby name game was Ryder Crush (as in Finding Nemo). Guess I'll always be a beach bum at heart! You can take the girl out of California,

but you can't take the California out of the girl!

Max at four months...pour fella has spent one quarter of his life so far on the road. Vacation was so much fun, but I'm ready to get back into a 'routine' again.

Feeding the duckies at Pt. Defiance. Just look at the cute little family we discovered; in that moment, I felt a kinship with the mama duck!

And gorgeous Mt. Rainier...a constant reminder of the grandeur and glory of God's creations. It's a familiar friend that reminds me where home is!

More Block Island

2009-08-04T20:09:00.000-07:00

Did you notice that my little experimentation with different

blog layout styles has been a complete flop? Well now you did because I pointed it out...oh well, c'est la vie. I had to include this picture because it is SOO Kennedy. Ever the dramatic one ( I wonder where she got that from???) Look how she closes her eyes while she hugs Grandma. I love it; it looks as if she is soaking her in with all the senses. That's how she loves, with every fiber of her being.

I love pictures like this one; they remind me that the girls really DO love each other, a WHOLE lot! What a gift to have a sister to experience life's ups and downs with.

And finally, this masterpiece. Can you see the little person Kennedy created with rocks, seashells, and seaglass?! I'm so grateful to be a mother. Truly grateful. I'm much too pragmatic for my own good. Thankfully my children bring plenty of spontaneity, whimsy, and sheer joy to my life. I'm beginning to see how this adventure called motherhood is permanently altering me for the better. I love you forever and ever Kennedy, Macy, and Max!

Block Island, Rhode Island

2009-08-04T18:50:00.000-07:00

My parents came to visit for Memorial weekend. Besides the boatload of honey-do items that got accomplished, thanks in large part to Dad's expertise, we managed to squeeze in a quick weekend trip to Block Island, Rhode Island. We stayed in the Hendrickson House, pictured left. It was a comfortable condo with quick and convenient access to the Island's Old Harbor district.

We enjoyed a host of activities including beach combing, sandcastle building, moped riding, walking the island and exploring the interior, hiking to one of the historic lighthouses, visiting a small collection of farm animals, and tree climbing! That's Kennedy's little head poking out of the foliage to the left.

One peculiarity I noted was the absence of privacy fences to delineate one parcel of land from another. The result was this fabulous spot of rolling green pasture plunked right in the middle of a circle of homesteads. I wish we planned our communities like this today. Wouldn't that be great to send the kids out the back door to play and know they have a huge enclosure of outdoor space to play in, which could be looked upon from the backyard of every Mom in the neighborhood?

The girls didn't require any encouragement to get out and play. There's just something irresistible about wide open spaces; it feels like an open invitation to find an adventure! The girls soon had these geese on the run; poor fellas!

Sunday's weather proved to be nothing but beachy feeling, fortunately it made staying away from the beach and keeping the Sabbath a lot easier. There aren't any LDS congregations on Block Island, so we opted to spend the day exploring some of the lesser seen treasures of the island, including this lighthouse. I really couldn't get a good picture because it was so shrouded with fog, but it was a fun hike. We barely missed being able to see the inside as the keeper of the light had closed shop literally minutes before our arrival.

Max: 3 months

2009-06-21T21:23:00.000-07:00

My little man NEVER was that little to begin with, but boy has he grown these past 3 months!

His cheeks are all filled out and just chewy,

he's becoming quite the lover, and ladies man.

Just look at how he grabs your attention,

and then draws you in with his flirtatious charm! He sure is a cute little chicken!

Spring's in full bloom

2009-06-21T19:51:00.000-07:00

Lilac bushes,

a fresh coat of paint,

a weeded flower bed....a new perspective! My Dad sure was busy while "vacationing" in Connecticut. I can tell you where we'd be in the yard/house dept. without his help, and it isn't pretty.

This picture gives you an idea of the general condition of the yard before Dad arrived... it wasn't pretty. There's a show on HGTV called "Property Virgins" that I sometimes watch. Not that I bookmark the show as a favorite, but it happens to be on when I am ready to unwind. Well Jonathan and I were what you might call "acreage virgins." We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into when we bought this house and the 3 acres that accompany it. We have a very large green belt in the front of our house that is surrounded by heavy woods. In fact the entire perimeter of the house is heavily wooded, outside of the landscaped areas. This makes for a lot of leaves come fall. And if you're too slow to get to them, and the snow comes, then you're stuck with waiting until the thaw to clean the mess up. That's essentially what happened to us. We're a little wiser now... Since these pics were taken we have cleaned up all of the flower beds except one small one near the driveway. It's a tiring and slow process...

We've also decided to address the problem of curb appeal with our home. There are no immediate plans to move, but we agreed the house was lacking nonetheless, and why wait to improve it until somebody else will be the benefactor? My rationale is, if it's got to be done, the sooner the better so we can enjoy it as well. First off, we tackled the job of painting the house. I say we, but really this was a job for Dad, with Jonathan as the eager apprentice. It was a HUGE job. Dad has plenty of experience painting houses, but hasn't done a job our size in a long time. Because the previous color was so dark, it took several coats of paint to get a uniform color. The paint required was 2.5x what we originally estimated, totalling 23 gallons! Yikes, that's A LOT of work. We're SOO SOO thankful for Dad's know-how in getting us going. While he was here, 3 sides of the house were completed, and Jonathan finished the final side on his own the following weekend. His work was rewarded handsomely with a wide assortment of home improvement necessities. He got a new ladder, wheelbarrow, backpack sprayer, pruners, etc. and I get a cleaned up yard and a fresh-faced home! There still remains quite a bit of work in our curb appeal makeover, but we're well on our way and much better informed thanks to Dad.

I don't know much about gardening, but I LOVE gardens and find myself taking note of various plants and flowers I see that I particularly enjoy. I've even wondered if I should look into landscape design as a degree...maybe someday.

As I walked our property to survey the paint job, I took inventory of what was going on with all things green around here. The peonies and daffodils were in full bloom, as well as several rhododendron bushes...other things were looking a little haggard,

like the poor birch tree that used to be a focal point of the front yard. It had succumbed to a nasty little pest that bore into its trunk and deprived the limbs of water and nutrients. It was dead as a door knob...so it had to go. THANK YOU DAD---for lending a landscaping hand and helping us cut down and remove our dearly departed friend.

Thank you also for trimming the rhodies, removing leaves and debris from many of the planters, and showing me how to prune. I'm anxious for the phase 2 of the curb appeal makeover: painting the trim, planting some annuals & perhaps a few more perennials, and removing the old mailbox...stay tuned!

On your mark, get set, go!!

2009-06-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

I'm not quite sure how it became June already...it is a little bewildering. Seems like as best I can remember Max was born a few weeks ago and the passage of time has been a whirring, blurry, streak since then. Hard to make out the details, but I'll try my best...

Mother's Day was fantastic! It was one of the few un-rainy days we've had this Spring. We took these pictures in our front yard after church.

Jonny made us some delicious shish kebobs on the grill and we enjoyed a rare lazy Sunday afternoon.

I'm so thankful for a beautiful, healthy family. What a precious and priceless gift they are in my life!

It's Good to be a Mom...

2009-05-10T19:31:00.001-07:00

I've been holding this imaginary requirement over my head that I MUST post pics with every post. This self-induced prerequisite has prevented me from posting things I otherwise would have. So I'm relieving myself, here and now, of that requirement...

Today was a great day. It was beeauuutiful outside and I got some reprieve from Primary duties from the thoughtful brethren in the Elders Quorum. The youth made a touching video of short blips about why they appreciate their moms, and then we were all escorted to the gymnasium for brownie parfaits and poetry (:

Upon arriving home, my good husband made brunch and later some fabulous shish kabobs. I love fresh seasonal fare...nothing like skewered & grilled pineapple, pearl onions, grape tomatoes, mixed peppers, and cremini mushrooms to officially announce the arrival of spring and its accompanying longer days and warmer weather. It just feels right...

BUT the highlight of the day for me was this exchange between Kennedy & myself:

Kennedy: Mom you have to come see something...CLOSE your eyes
Me: okay ( walking with eyes mostly closed towards her...)
Kennedy: Okay, now open your eyes!
Me: Wow! Kennedy, you cleaned off the table!
Kennedy: (Grinning from ear to ear...BEAMING really) I did it without you even asking me to. I wanted to serve my family and follow Jesus' example
Me: (speechless and heart burning with mother pride and JOY!) Thank you Kennedy! I am so proud of you. Thank you for being my big helper! I love you...thanks for being such a good example!
Kennedy: and now I'm going to clean the floor because I'm almost a kindergartener!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2009-05-05T21:08:00.000-07:00

We each have our own fantasies about the perfect way to celebrate an occasion...

For most women I know, those fantasies are pretty, rose-colored affairs in an idyllic, other-worldly kind of way. I'm definitely one of those kind...I can dream up BIG dreams...most of the time they remain in that state, tucked away somewhere in my mind. However, this year Jonathan nailed it, albeit with a little help from a friendly and well-heeled boss. He surprised me by lining up a sitter (something he actually does all the time), and taking me on a little trip through the countryside to Washington...

Washington, CT., that is.

You may or may not have heard of the little inn and spa located there. You can read about it here. I certainly hadn't heard of it; apparently I don't read Vanity Fair, Travel & Leisure, or the NYT!

Upon being seated at our table, a lovely arrangement bearing a striking resemblance to my wedding bouquet was brought out as our centerpiece. Would you believe that Jonathan had the thoughtful epiphany to recreate my wedding bouquet as a gift for our anniversary??! That is exactly the kind of thing a woman dreams up...and he came up with it all by himself. I was shocked, and smitten all over again!

The evening affair started with the scrumptious salad pictured above. It was one of my favorite parts of the meal. Boston Bibb leaves with crunchy prosciutto bits...yummy!

The main course was followed by this tempting beauty, graciously offered by our dining mates across the aisle. It is a funny thing to note that of our last three anniversary celebrations, two of them were spent in very tasteful restaurants where very chatty, complete strangers, managed to dominate the conversation most of the night. This anniversary was one of those occasions...I guess the silver lining was that the chap (translate: fella) obviously felt he owed us something; either that or he felt a deep sense of camraderie after dining alongside us. In any case, he generously offered to get our desserts in honor of the occasion. Never mind that he was there to celebrate his own wife's birthday, who he managed to ignore most of the night!

Our table by the fireplace

Reception

Me, in the parlor, with the OTHER man in my life...

To round out the evening, we returned home to watch Nights in Rodanthe,
a Redbox selection. It was a fabulous evening. It felt great getting all dressed up, and going on a date, even if we DID have a chaperone (:

And this post sums up pretty well the differences b/w men and women;

Jonathan also loved his anniversary gift... a backpack style heavy duty Echo leaf blower! Good thing we both know how to make the other one happy. Here's to six wonderfully happy, event-filled years!

Three's Company

2009-05-05T20:03:00.001-07:00

Yes, I know I'm what you might call a little inconsistent. This is officially a cry for "help!" Stress-wise I don't find three too bad, but I have discovered this is the magic number when a day planner is an absolute necessity. My time management skills are lacking...and a lot of things in my life are inconsistent right now...

Luckily, Kennedy, the little diva, is a BIG helper! She's so capable and I can already see how she is going to turn into me, a miniature mommy by age 11! She's feisty, self-assured, confident, and headstrong. I think we can agree she comes by those traits honestly...a little scary, I know, but if we can just nurture her little testimony I know she can use them for good purposes.

My mom (mother of 6) has always told me she thought 3 was the hardest adjustment. I sincerely hope she's right. We watched some of our friends' kids on Sat. so they could have a date night, and that was a breeze. They have a 6 yr. old, 3 yr. old, and 6 mo. old. The baby slept and so did the toddler (thanks to a dose of Zyrtec). The 6 yr. old was so well-mannered and played well with Kennedy and Macy. On the other hand, today I watched another friend's kids, aged 18 mos. and 3 yr. old. This was acutely different from the previous experience. Not that the kids are difficult, just that the ages are more demanding (oh, and minus the sleepiness in the toddler). In my non-scientific experience, 5 kids ages 4 and under was astronomically more demanding than 6 kids ages 6 and under (of course there is that anomaly of a sleeping toddler). I think the big doosie was the 18 mo. old. That phase is all over the place and into everything. Having two infants in the house wasn't so bad because they took long naps and neither are mobile. Where is all this going you are wondering? I'm still trying to figure that out...what my outer limitations are. What the ideal spacing is b/w kids (not that I'm contemplating another pregnancy in the near future), and when I'll hit that magical number when I know I'm done...

In the meantime I'm eternally grateful for these three who each bring something extra special into our hearts and home. Macy is my tender-hearted lover. From the moment she arrived on this earth, she has craved touch and affection. It was clear to us very early on that she would be our cuddler...

And this little face, the soft touch of his hand as he nurses, always fills me with joy. It is kind of a marvel that when he wakes me at 3 a.m. I am bleary-eyed & grumpy, yet when I pick him up and he nuzzles in for his feeding, all that melts away and a profound sense of happiness washes over me... I ask you, could you resist that dimpled face?

So, while many days I stay in m ypajamas far too long, and the dishes pile in the sink far too high, I AM learning a lot about myself and making a concerted effort to have a purpose-driven life. A recent favorite talk of mine discussed the need in each of our lives for creation and compassion. While it's not an overly ambitious goal, for now I'm striving to be a dependable friend and to create a sense of community and warmth in my own home. It's not much, but it's a start...

Happy 31st Daddy!

2009-04-12T21:05:00.001-07:00

Jonathan turned 31 on April 6th. We shared the celebration of his special day with some good friends and good food. He helped a lot with the preparation of his own birthday meal because I had to have my 6 week postnatal visit so I could give him his long-awaited birthday present (:

The meal turned out sooo yummy, and we all especially liked the Texas sheet cake I made. Our friends asked us, "What's so Texas about it anyway? Is there an armadillo in that?" I'm not sure what makes a sheet cake Texas, but it sure ain't armadilla!

The many faces of Max...and a visit from Nana

2009-04-12T19:57:00.001-07:00

WARNING!!! If indulgent mothers who shamelessly post pic after pic of their beautiful baby turns you off, you might want to tune out for the next LONG while!

I am truly amazed at how much Max has changed, and continues to change daily. I really wish the infant phase was a little longer and life was a lot less busy. I have made a conscious decision to let the house, laundry, and chores in general go neglected for six long weeks. It was wonderful, but the aftermath isn't so pretty. Nonetheless, I have no regrets, and I'm in no hurry to regain control. I'm going to do it methodically, and steadily, but not at a breakneck pace. I'm so glad that I have had this time...it's priceless and it's never coming back, so to have seized it when I had it was sooo worth the piles of dishes, mountains of laundry, and unswept floors.

The girls adore Mr. Max...what's not to love? Neither blowouts, nor crying bouts, can take us away from our guy!

Nana in town meant lots of fun for everyone! There was monster hair (see above), perler beads for endless hours, new books, and of course trips to Target to pick out "a little something" as Nana would say...

Max's first smiles during periods of wakefulness appeared while Nana was in town...I guess that was at around 3 weeks of age. He's off to an exceptionally brilliant start!

He makes all sorts of funny contortions with his face...and I think they're all adorable. Remember my disclaimer about the indulgent mom?? Right...

Even when he's throwing a fit I find him absolutely irresistible. His pout is to die for!

Max is showing his personality more and more...he is a cuddler and a lover. He enjoys studying faces (here he is discovering Nana for the first time) very much and loves big kisses right on the lips! We love you Max!

Long Time...No Blog

2009-04-09T20:16:00.001-07:00

It has been so long since I've blogged, that I think I've forgotten how to do it! Well I guess I've only failed if I've given up...so I'm dusting off my keyboard and hopping back into the saddle. Lots has happened in the intervening months since my last post...

Most notably, this little guy finally arrived, albeit a week late, and a little on the heavy side! We sure do love him. My Sister-In-Law tried to tell me about how I'd feel having a boy... I really couldn't get it though, until I snuggled him for the first time. I'm totally head-over-heels smitten in love. I love how he melts into my chest and purrs like a kitten. He smells so good and makes me giddy with delight!

The girls are so helpful and fond of him too. They love to help and watch the diapering, and are fascinated with his peanut. We feel no need for clarification at this point...

I think we are all quite awestruck by the miracle of another life in our family. We are so thankful, and so blessed.

Many thanks to both grandma and Nana who came to Connecticut and helped us through the first few weeks of adjustment...we really miss you guys! (Pics of Nana to come later...still have to upload the most recent photos from my camera).

So the lapse in time begs the question...do I fill you in on the last six months... or just pick up from here? I'm not even sure I have an audience anymore, so if I get no responses I'll go with my druthers. What's your vote?

Update

2008-12-12T21:30:00.000-08:00

I'll keep this brief as I know it is boring to read blogs that are all talk and no pics. Sorry 'bout that. The geek squad successfully recovered my photos from my hardrive, although the computer is totally kaput. I paid 160 just to get my pics back and another 100 for the external hard drive to have them stored on. I could pay another 300 for a new harddrive and then pay for all my software a-la-carte, however, when you add all that up, it just about amounts to the price of a new computer anyway. So Jonathan and I are in the market for one. We're conducting some research and will be purchasing one in the next month or so. I plan to be up and running again, with a backlog of updates, around the 1st of 2009. Wish the news were better than that...but I am eternally grateful I have my pics! Best wishes to you all for a very safe, happy, and gratitude filled Christmas and holiday season.

Out of commission

2008-11-02T15:39:00.000-08:00

The Cope family has been up to a lot of fun lately, and until recently, I had some great pics to back that up. However, last night as I was looking through all of them and narrowing the field for the blog, my computer flashed a blue screen at me. It automatically restarted, and flashed a blue screen again. I am very scared about this and praying hard that my pics can be recovered. I'm heading to Best Buy tomorrow to enlist the help of the geek squad. In the meantime, you'll just have to take my word that Hawaii was fantastic (what's not to love about perfect weather, beaches, and swimming with dolphins?), Halloween in NYC with our friends the Blanchards was a huge success, and we've been cooking up lots of fun! Here's to hoping my hard drive is recoverable...and I've learned my lesson. I'll be purchasing hardware to backup my photos and protect them from any future events like this.

Leaving on a jet plane...

2008-10-06T20:20:00.001-07:00

Okay, if you were feeling sorry for me with that last one ( I hope you had some pity, while more than likely seeing the humor in it all), I guess we can all feel better now.

We're leaving in a little more than 48 hours for Hawaii. What can I say? I've been craving true Hawaiian shave ice since July. I made a trade with Jonathan in August...he could go to SLC for conference, if WE could go to Hawaii for shave ice and some quality time on the beach. Afterall, the girls and I were deprived of a real summer thanks to those previously mentioned hormones.

So, we'll be on Oahu from Oct. 9-18th. I probably won't blog from Hawaii. I'd like to say I would, but realistically, I'll come home with some great stories, a lot of pictures, and a backlog of posts to do. And so the cycle continues...

Hormonal wreckage

2008-10-06T19:09:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was General Conference in the LDS church, a semi-annual conference during which the leadership (most notably the prophet) of the church speak to the general body of the church on subjects and issues they feel spiritually impressed upon to address.

So Jonathan got to make a long anticipated trip to Utah to be with his brother Brandon and Papa Cope for the occasion. He flew out Thurs. right after work, so the girls and I hadn't really seen him since Wed. night. They enjoyed a BYU football game together, as well as attending the priesthood session of conference Sat. evening. He also played golf with some old college roommates, and took a walk down memory lane at the legendary Cafe Rio. It was a great weekend for him....

On the other hand...

The girls and I watched the Sat. morning session, and Sun. afternoon session via satellite transmission at our local church meetinghouse. The weekend started off well enough for me, considering I was flying solo. The girls and I made homemade spinach and tomato pizza with mozzarella and parmigiano reggiano cheese ( I am a cheese fanatic) Thursday night. They had a great time "painting on the sauce" and making fall leaves out of the mozzarella with my cookie cutters. They really didn't think they wanted "salad" on their pizza, but I sliced it up and put it on anyway, reminding them that vegetables keep our bodies healthy. They thoroughly enjoyed the finished product and never even noticed the spinach! I think this will become a frequent happening in our home as it was so easy and fun! I really enjoy cooking, and especially when I can involve the girls!

Friday, however, brought some bad news. My washing machine's water line stopped working. At first it was just the cold water that didn't work, so I ran a load or two with hot water (something I rarely do). But then, the hot stopped working too. Now the washer fills with a very slow trickle (imagine your child washed their hands and forgot to turn the water all the way off). It is so frustrating because it takes like an hour just for the the washer to fill up, then it does its thing, and takes another hour to fill for the rinse cycle. I seriously think it takes around 3-4 hours to complete one load in the washer. It is killing me! So that was Friday sometime.

Then on Sat. the girls and I went to conference as I mentioned ( which went very well) and then headed to the grocery store for a few items, after a pit stop at the park to get out some wiggles and reward their excellent behavior at conference. On our return trip from the store, with milk, ice cream, etc. in hand I went to open the back door to the house. It was locked ( I had made sure it was unlocked sometime previous to our departure, but little Macy must've been inclined to practice her big girl skills and play with it)! I went for the spare key in the garage and it was missing. Then I remembered that I had already used the OTHER spare key a few days prior, and Kennedy had taken it from the counter and lost it somewhere. I tried not to panic...but I think I really did. It was already 6 at night, dusk was quickly setting in and it was already quite frigid outside. I put the girls in the van so I could survey the house for any open windows, doors, etc. I tried every single lower level window (7 in all) and none would budge. I searched under rock wall stones, door mats, and anywhere where the previous owner might conceivably have hid a forgotten spare key. No such luck. By this time I was frantic and crying. Then I had the idea to use this as a teaching lesson. I brought the girls out of the van and asked them to kneel with me on the dirty garage floor. They did and I asked Kennedy (for the sake of a child's innocence and faith) to offer up a word of prayer that we would find a way into the house. Unfortunately, I had left my cell phone in the house, so I had no way of calling Jonathan for his ideas. I finally humbled myself and drove to Panera to ask to use the phone to call a locksmith. When we arrived at Panera, the place was humming, and I chickened out. I just knew I was going to break down into tears and make a scene. We walked through the shopping center to T.J. Maxx, thinking perhaps the crowds would be thinner there. Wrong again. I started to turn away, but realized I was running out of time to catch Jonathan on the phone ( priesthood session was about to start) and forced myself into the store to share the sad tale. It was very uncomfortable to feel so helpless and pathetic. I suppose I needed the experience. I did in fact manage to tell them I needed to make a long distance call ( Jonathan's cell is still a Texas #) before I started to cry. They obviously felt sorry for the sad looking creature before them and allowed use of the phone. As luck would have it, Jonathan didn't answer. Then I asked if they had a phone book so I could call a locksmith. Prior to this point they were probably wondering if I was fleeing an abusive sitiation or what. Here I was, puffy eyed and pregnant clinging to the hands of my two young daughters. I can't imagine what they were thinking. Finally I divulged the whole sorry tale of my being 5 months pregnant, alone for the weekend, locked out of my house, no spare keys to be found, haven't met my neighbors yet, tried all the windows, etc. I could sense some relief on the part of the store manager as it all came clear what was going on. I suppose he had imagined far worse. His assistant suggested I call the non-emergency police line to see if they could help. She helped me locate the number and I called. The nice officer on the other end said he would send someone right away and what was my return number just in case. I bashfully admitted I'd left my cell in the house and was calling from T.J. Maxx and did he want their number? No he did not. I drove back to the house to find a very nice policeman in our driveway. He escorted me to the garage door to try that first. Much to my dismay and embarrassment, he noticed that though the basement door was locked, it wasn't pulled tightly in place. With a firm jerk he pulled it right open. Boy did I feel sheepish. Then comes the worst part... I walked through the basement, into the house, and right back out the garage door to thank him, letting the still locked door close behind me! Are you kiddding me ( I only wish I was!). So now, with the basement door firmly in place, we were back to square one. Next we decided to try windows. I assured him I had tried them all, but he suggested we try the little bathroom window again. He hopped on the A/C unit, and managed to open the window! Hurray... only he was a wee bit too big to fit through. I told him I could do it, but once I got up there, I thought it better to lower Kennedy in than to risk wedging my pregnant belly in the window, and thus be in an even worse situation. I explained the task to my little K and she bravely said she could do it. The officer lowered her through the window, and a moment later she appeared triumphant through the open garage door (which I promtly unlocked to prevent any further embarrassment). We all thanked the policeman profusely (which seemed such an inadequate gesture) and in we went. I hurried to make dinner and get the girls in bed so I could diffuse my nerves. When at last they were down, I curled up in bed and cried and cried. I have been so hormonal this pregnancy! I feel like a premenstrual teenager sometimes. I felt so sad and spent. My body was exhausted from trying to be supermom and find a way into the house. My nerves were raw and emotions rampant. It was a bad combination. I cried myself to sleep and that was a rap...

Yummy Bean and Ham Soup

2008-09-30T16:16:00.001-07:00

I've had food on the brain lately...I actually don't think it's the pregnancy, I think it's just me. Thinking about preparedness, and wanting to improve upon my weak collection of recipes my family loves. Anyway, I called my mom a few days ago for a recipe she used to make in cooler weather. She gave it to me, and we really enjoyed the results. It's tasty, easy, and it uses up a leftover ham bone that otherwise might just be given to the "dogs".

You can probably do many different variations with this, but I'll share how we did it.

Bean & Ham Soup

1 ham bone from a 7-8 lb. ham with meat intact
4 cans beans (great northern, canellini, or navy preferred)
2-3 bay leaves
1/8 c. red wine vinegar (mom uses apple cider, but I was out of that)
1/8 c. worcestershire sauce
pepper to taste
garlic salt to taste
1/2 c. tomato sauce
water to cover ham bone and other ingredients

Combine all ingredients in large stockpot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for at least 1 hour (The longer it simmers the more the soup incorporates the flavor from the ham bone and other seasonings).

Right before serving remove bay leaves and ham bone, ensuring all the meat has fallen off the bone. Trim any excess fat from meat, and skim fat if necessary from soup, after letting it cool for a bit. Rewarm, and serve! Makes a great meal for cool fall evenings. I didn't serve anything with this soup; it's a meal in and of itself!

* I read several similar recipes on allrecipes.com that suggest adding a little mustard powder, cayenne pepper, etc. I thought about kicking it up a bit, but decided against it since I was serving this to my family (my kids don't like too much heat).

ENJOY!

And the verdict is...

2008-09-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I put this off just a bit hoping for a little more time to do something really cute for the big announcement. Unfortunately, that extra time never came forward. So here it is, the unembellished truth...IT'S A BOY!

The pics spoke for themselves ( I'll try and post these soon). We'll just say this, the little guy had no shame in his manhood, or modesty for that matter. The physical evidence was insurmountable to Jonathan's utter elation (mine too, of course!). We're all excited, and even little Macy has decided, boy or girl, the new baby is going to get lots of kisses and hugs!

On another note, the measurments of the ultrasound showed the pregnancy even a little more advanced than before; so I have no idea when this baby is really supposed to be here. She said I looked about a week further than my paperwork shows. In any case, we're looking at an early to mid-Feb. due date. I'll take anything after 37 weeks, the sooner the better!

Back in the saddle

2008-09-25T21:30:00.000-07:00

I've been a blogging fool tonight, so if you've got time and curiosity on your side, I suggest finding somewhere comfortable to sit, and bring along a favorite snack in case you get hungry! I've posted pretty much all that's noteworthy from this past summer, and for the most part, am all caught up!

That's all folks

2008-09-25T20:59:00.000-07:00

To wrap up a really not-so-bad-afterall summer, we had beautiful weather last weekend. Since it was the final weekend of Summer, we headed out for last hurrah as a family. First stop was Dickinson park, just a couple blocks from our house. Kennedy and Macy both enjoy swinging on the big girl swings, though Macy sometimes forgets to hold on. Since Kennedy is so grown up that she can mount, dismount, and pump all by herself, she figured she was also big enough to push her little sister on the swing. They have so much fun together!

After the park, we stopped in for lunch at the Newtown General Store and delicatessen. This past Summer in my self-loathing, I kind of buried my head to all that Newtown has to offer. I was feeling sorry for myself & the girls, and lonely. It was all purely hormonal, and I'm happy to say that since things have leveled off, I am really enjoying becoming acquainted with our new town (ha!). This deli serves only Boar's head, something I have discovered as a result of marrying into the Cope clan, and is so charming. We all enjoyed our lunch, and the girls especially enjoyed picking out a "penny candy" for dessert.
As you can see from these pics, I'm definitely showing at this point. That should come as no surprise to anyone who has seen me pregnant before. I'm so short waisted there's no hope of concealing the reality. I'm almost 20 weeks now, and we will be in to see the doctor on Monday morning, 9-29-2008, to determine the sex of the little one within. It goes without saying that we would LIKE a boy, but mostly we would like a healthy, whole child. We'll be ecstatic whatever the outcome. However, I will make a hypothesis and present my case. I believe this is in fact, a boy. Here are the reasons: 1). my morning sickness lasted well into my 18th week (sporadically) with this one, while 14 weeks marked a magical transformation with Kennedy and Macy where that was concerned. 2). I had a linea negra with both Kennedy and Macy by about the 16th or 17th week. It has not made an appearance as of yet this time around 3). With both girls I craved lots of ice cream and sweet things. Ice cream is usually a staple in my diet, albeit the twice churned, half the fat kind. This time it has been salty cravings. Among some of my most fervent desires, McDonald's egg mcmuffin, bacon, baked lays (sometimes the original too!), white cheddar rice cakes, and cheese in all of its glorious varieties (ixnay on the soft, unpasteurized types). 4). I feel more round with this one, where I was more wide with Kennedy and Macy. I'm sure this will change as the weeks progress, as I tend to grow upwards, outwards, and sideways! With such a short waist, I haven't got a prayer! Cast your vote, if you will, and I'll post the results Monday night!

Are you ready for some football??!

2008-09-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

I'm not quite sure what it is, the actual REAL fall weather here in Connecticut, or my weird hors' doeuvres cravings with this pregnancy. In any case, as the cooler weather approached, I actually found myself yearning for some football. No NFL here please, I'm more the college football type. Anyway, I guess having wintered the last five years in the South, my psyche had forgotten all about the natural cues that tell us it's time for football. But, though they were slumbering those long years, they weren't extinct. As the cooler weather set in, I actually spoke the words, " I think we need to watch some more football," to my husband. Apparently this was something he actually decided to document for posterity and brag about to his colleagues.

Watching the BYU-UCLA game with Jonathan seemed to seal the deal. It was definitely time for some football. While I know I may come to regret those carelessly spoken words, and perhaps many of you will too when your husbands discover them, I have enjoyed getting in the spirit. It has been helpful that BYU has come with their game on this year...let's hope that continues. To get the girls geared up too, we have started having "football lunches." These are a casual affair, with the only rule being that the foods have to be finger foods. Above is a picture of our most recent football lunch. It included an assortment of deli meats and cheeses (my girls have become real connoisseurs, turning their noses up to the american, processed variety), edamame in the pod, cantaloupe balls, blackberries, carrot spears & ranch dip, chunks of french bread, and a cheese ball with triscuits. Jonathan has felt a little left out, because so far, these lunches haven't actually coincided with a game day. Not to fear Jonathan, we'll spread the table for the next BYU game on Versus!

More Ways to have fun...

2008-09-25T19:59:00.000-07:00

While I was feeling a bit sorry for the girls (and myself) that we spent so much of our Summer this year in doors, rather than out, it really was fun and we enjoyed just being together. We spent a lot more time than usual becoming better acquainted with our books, and the girls have started to ask for time to "read" on their own before bed. We acquiesce to this request figuring there are worse things in life than a love of books!
Kennedy and Macy have both gotten in touch with their maternal side of late, taking turns being mother and baby. They do a great job and I am sure they will both be such good help when our little baby (sex undetermined until 9/29/08) arrives. They both claim to have a baby in their tummies, and are quick to remind me when I accidentally bump them!

Kennedy is such a little artist and just enjoys the act of creating. She often gets carried away with the colors, she loves them so much, so that usually her pictures are all brown because she has so intermixed them. On this particular afternoon, she forgot which was her canvas, the paper, the table, or was it her midriff!

On a recent trip to Target we purchased a bottle of bath bubbles. Funny how a little thing like that can inject new life into a ordinary task. The girls actually have always loved bath time, but this latest twist is definitely a welcome change.

Why is it always so much more fun to put bubbles on someone else, and dump water over someone else's head than your own?

Forts, Tents, and Make Believe

2008-09-25T19:41:00.000-07:00

One lazy weekend, when the weather was uninviting and the morning sickness still raging, the girls pleaded with us to build a tent, something we had promised long ago. Not wanting to be the parents who promise but don't do, we caved, and the following pics are the result.
Oh, except this one. This is a just a silly pic of Kennedy pulling one of her signature "funny faces" while dressed up in Daddy's waffle house t-shirt. She has a bin full of dress up clothes, but prefers the articles she can find in our closet. What gives??!

With a little teamwork, a few blankets, and a handful of chip clips (yes, you're reading that right (: ), this was our end result. We persuaded the girls that it would be much cooler for them to have their own side (no adults allowed) rather than sleep on the already crowded blow up bed with us. Happily, they agreed! We actually did sleep in this ( it was a Saturday night), and ALL four of us woke up in it the next morning (read: that's true love from Mommy and Daddy!). Jonathan and I did not sleep well, needless to say, and woke with aching backs wondering why we didn't just wander to the comfort of our own bed, only footsteps away. The girls on the other hand, were ecstatic to find their make believe wasn't just a dream after all!
It was really fun to recreate a relic so fond in my childhood memories and to see the girls' eyes light up as we brought the dream to life. They've been asking to sleep in a tent ever since...I'm sure we'll do it again sometime, but probably not for a LONG time!

Childhood Bliss!!!

Uncle Mike makes the big move out East!

2008-09-25T19:18:00.000-07:00

Uncle Mike graduated from BYU-I this last Spring (right, Mike?) and made the BIG move from the great NW to the NE to pursue his dream career with the State Dept. No seriously, this guy knows what he wants to do with his life, and while he realizes there's not a tremendous potential for "filthy lucre" with the government, he is nonetheless really excited and very informed on what this career path holds. He is actual a contractor for the government right now, not exactly the dream job, but in this economy who cares? He is just grateful to be gainfully employed. So, while our days here may be counted, it looks like he's here to stay. He had a long weekend over Labor Day and decided to make the ardous trip to our neck of the woods.
After a 5 1/2 hour bus ride from Chinatown, D.C., to Chinatown NYC, he then hopped a train (barely making it in time) for another two hour ride to the depot nearest us. It's really more like an 1 1/2 car ride to the city, but the train is a little slower and stops several times between Grand Central and our station. Needless to say, he was a wee bit tired and hungry, but once again, he was showered with the attention and musings of his dearly beloved nieces and was also very gracious.
Does this tell you anything? Ever since his departure Macy has longed for her "best friend" as she calls him, and prays that his airplane will land safely so Uncle Mike can come back home to stay. It may seem like this steady stream of guests was a bit much for a woman with first trimester sickness, but I think they were all wonderful blessings. 1). they forced me to to maintain some degree of domesticity and 2). they offered me welcome relief where Macy and Kennedy are concerned. I absolutely love being their mommy and enjoy their daily companionship, but it was sooo nice to have others to share that joy with me and offer a little relief for me, and a little change for them. We had such a great time with all our loved ones and hope they all come again next year!
Of course, while Mike was here, we had to take advantage of having an extra pair of strong man arms around. We tried to decide which project would be best to tackle, and settled on the trampoline. We intended to purchase and set this up at the beginning of Summer...but as you have seen, time got away from us. Mike was willing and able and the boys had almost the entire project completed in about 3 hours! After lunching at Panera and dropping Mike off at the train station (where, for the girls, parting was such sweet sorrow), Jonathan and I finished the job that evening before he headed out of town for the rest of the week. The trampoline quickly became a beloved member of the Cope family, adored by all. The girls because of the endless hours of fun and games, Mommy because of the spare minutes it bought her for doing the many things that needed doing, and for Daddy because it made him the hero once again! Thanks Mike and Daddy for all your hard work. We love you guys so much!

Great Grandma Johns and Uncle Jeff visit

2008-09-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

Not long after Nana and Charen departed, we were blessed with the arrival of Great Grandma Johns and Uncle Jeff. They came to town for a long weekend to visit and catch up with a cousin of mine who is a resident in NYC. There trip was brief, so brief, that I forgot to take any pictures. Aarrgh! Uncle Jeff made us a mean dinner of steak and potatoes and once again the girls just showered our guests with adoration! They were both very gracious and accomodating to Macy and Kennedy. It was a sad day when we drove them back to the airport only a few days after their arrival. Hopefully at our next meeting, we'll get to have more leisure time...

Nana comes to town!

2008-09-25T19:06:00.000-07:00

My beautiful mother-in-law, Nancee Cope used some of her last few days of Summer before school resumed, to come visit us in our new home in Connecticut. She brought Charen along for the extra fun and gas of it!

We had a great time catching up, and doing what ladies do best, SHOPPING! We found some fun outlets (although I've now found even better about the same distance away!) to browse and while away the hours at. I particularly enjoyed the Michael Kors store and the Off Saks...Charen and Nana came away with several bags as well! Nana was so kind with the girls and they just adored her. Oh how we all missed her when she went away. We enjoyed many of the favorite pasttimes of Cope gatherings...playing cards, shopping, gabbing into the wee hours, eating, and commenting on Charen's aforementioned propensity for voluminous amounts of air! (You get my drift, right!) Sorry, Charen, but these kinds of things must be preserved for posterity, am I right?

Palmyra Township, New York

2008-09-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

Well at long last I am feeling a marked improvement and ready to get back to blogging! You're gonna need some time when you sit down to catch up on the Cope family, so there's your fair warning!

When I left off my blogging about our experiences in upstate New York, the last thing you saw were the museum pics. Many of you were probably wondering, so what?? Was the pageant a bust? No, in fact, the pageant was great, I just dropped out of the blogosphere before I got to it. So here we are, rendezvousing back in time to catch up on what was left out! Our last evening and afternoon in Palmyra were filled with the excitement of pageantry and visits to places of historical interest in the L.D.S. world. Above is a picture of the Smith Family loghouse, or at least a replica of the one that once was, on the site of the old Smith homestead. You can see the farmhouse from the trailhead to the Sacred Grove. Unfortunately, the weather didn't agree with us, and we struck out for the Sacred Grove Sunday after church in a literal downpour. Being optimistic, we were undaunted and figured the rains would let up after awhile. Wow! We were wrong on that one...so our soggy trip to the Sacred Grove and homestead was severely abbreviated from what would have been. Here's hoping for better timing next year.
By some stroke of fortune or providence, I had the foresight to pack the girls rain gear, "just in case." They were the only kids who were prepared, and many an envious mothering eye looked at us as we trudged through the muddy trail.

We made a pit stop at the L.D.S. bookstore in Palmyra where throngs of people were doing the same thing we were...killing time until the pageant, of course! We bought a few "necessary" things and took a look at the publication site of the first Book of Mormon. We didn't get to do the tour though, because the girls were both sleeping in the van, so Jonathan and I were swapping places to shop and have a peek around...
This hillarious vehicle was parked not far from us in the parking lot for the pageant. It may be hard to tell, but the proud owners of this ride have plastered all kinds of relics, keepsakes, trinkets, etc. to the body of the car. I'm guessing antics like this are what give us "mormons" such a bad rap, eh?
As the time for the pageant drew closer, the characters came out to meet & greet, sharing testimony of the restoration, as well as inviting us to suggest a friend or two who might be interested in learning more! We picked a couple of dear friends, who we knew would love us whether or not they chose to hear the missionaries (:

Kennedy and Macy were oblivious to the rain, or rather, the rain just made it that much more fun! Who can resist stomping in the puddles when you're decked out like this?
We thoroughly enjoyed this jaunt into our neighboring state, and are looking forward to next year when we'll have another chance to catch what we missed this year!

Celebrating the mess

2008-08-28T15:39:00.000-07:00

I've survived yet another bout of pregnancy sickness. Forget the misnomer "morning sickness", because that certainly hasn't ever been true for me. This most recent bout usually started for me sometime mid morning or early afternoon, but peaked right as I was trying to wind down for bed. Jonathan couldn't figure out why I didn't want to get out of bed "early" to jumpstart my day; I explained to him, that when the last sensation you remember before drifting off to sleep is akin to a chemistry- project- gone -wrong- about-to-erupt-in-your-gut feeling, it is such a gift to wake up feeling "normal" for a bit, that I just wanted to savor it until the girls woke me for breakfast. Then it would start all over again. None of the "remedies" that have ever been suggested to me have worked. Soda crackers, nope. accupressure bracelets, uh-uh. Ginger anything..uh, no. Doctors prescribed syrups, not that either. It does make me pause and appreciate the general ordinary things and good health my life usually is filled with. I find it amazing that a little (okay maybe a big) tweak in hormones can have such a profound effect and throw all the wheels into motion to create the right environment for the life cycle to begin anew. Wow! I'm rereading all the articles and books I've read my two previous pregnancies and am no less amazed at all that must go right to produce this new little person growing inside of me. How one cell multiplies into clumps that continue to multiply and spontaneously begin assuming various complicated and very different roles essential for making everything about us that makes us living and human. It is humbling to realize that I am just the vessel; like the farmer, I try to provide the best I can according to my abilities and resources, and then exercise faith and hope that my efforts will yield the desired results.

Yes, that was a big diversion. It started out as an explanation for why I am living in a mess and took on a life all its own. If this were a paper, I would certainly get poor marks for organization. OH well. In any case, I have been pregnancy sickness free for two days. My family is not unscathed by this recent bout. The laundry piles, the dirty floors, the kitchen I haven't kept clean, all ominous signs that something has been amiss around here. The girls have been very good about it, and enjoyed, I must confess, a lot more tube viewing than I like. Things could be worse. To top it all off, Kennedy came down with a fever of 102 last Sat. night and ran one off and on for two days. We kept her home from church, taking shifts so Jonathan could attend sacrament meeting and I could teach sharing time in primary. Come Monday, Macy is hacking, I feel miserable (this time cold/flu like symptoms) , and by that evening we have a bonafide epidemic in the Cope household. Fast forward to today. Jonathan was home sick (he contracted the nasty little virus last, poor chap), and I and the girls are feeling improved though, not fully. I took the opportunity to survey the scene...tissue wads overflowing from bathroom cans, robitussin on the counter, dishes piled in the sink, dirty pajamas strewn haphazardly, the "baby" toys scattered on the bathroom floor, and the fort the girls and I made yesterday, a skeleton of its former grandeur. You get the idea. As I was taking all this in, feeling rather overwhelmed, I mean, where DO you start when It ALL needs doing, I managed to find the silver lining. My kids have really sharpened their cognitive abilities where imagination is concerned. They've spent a lot more time bored ( I haven't been at the top of my game where childhood entertainment and stimulation is concerned), and have made lemonade from lemons. Their vocabulary has exploded; they've got imaginary friends, words for objects that I've never seen, heard, or dreamed of, and don't seem the least bit worse for wear. In fact, I think they've been just fine (besides too much t.v. viewing). I remember the days when I would see the playroom go literally untouched for days. It was so frustrating, afterall, why DID we have all those toys if not for playing with?? Why wouldn't the girls just go and invent spontaneous play together? Would I never have children who played independently so mommy could say, get some laundry done, or scrub a toilet?? I would practically beg the kids to play. As if teaching a puppy to potty train, I'd lead them to the toys, demonstrate some clumsy attempt of pretend play, and then eagerly sit them in front of their literal dream come true playroom and wait...for nothing at all. Alas, I can say, if in every other way we are worse off from the serious backlog of tasks left undone, at least my children learned to play together...for long periods of time. They taught themselves to put on Daddy's t-shirts (yes, I realize perhaps Kennedy should have already mastered this skill), Macy learned to apply mascara all by herself ( and did a fine job I might add), they spent time perusing books and telling each other stories, chasing, doing gymnastics on the couches in the living room, playing in the soil of a failed tomato plant, building forts, and learned the art of Hungry Hungry Hippos!, etc. All this while nurturing their own ability to direct their lives and express their independence through spontaneous play. So that gives me a reason to celebrate the mess. Heaven does understand and give aid...

Hellooo, is anybody there??

2008-08-13T17:10:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to let everyone know we're still here. We have had a whirlwind of activity this past month, and as you may have noticed, I am expecting and have been feeling "down and out" as is usual for me for the first trimester. I'm giving myself leave of absence for a bit, but plan to be blogging again in a couple of weeks. In the meantime I'll divulge a quick update. Nana Cope and aunt Charen came to visit us for a week. We all enjoyed shopping (duh!), playing cards, and talking into the wee hours. Our visit to NYC was a disaster...more on that later. Shortly after they returned to SC, my grandma Johns ( the girls great-grandma) and my uncle Jeff visited us for a couple of days. I have also been feverishly working on our ward's primary program ( I just got called to this position a month or two ago), preparing games for young ones for an upcoming ward activity, substitute teaching for the entire YW's program, etc. I feel like my life has been unravelling before my eyes. Since the days of being sick started almost two months ago, my house has only been cleaned twice, for Nana and grandma Johns arrivals. I have excused myself from cooking and have avoided the grocery store at all costs, only making absolutely necessary trips, until week 14 of the pregnancy (when I usually recover general good health). In the midst of all of this, Jonathan has been hitting the books for the GMAT every night and weekend. So there you have it; all of my excuses for neglecting the blog...I'll be updating again in September and hope you'll check us out then!

Strong Museum of Play

2008-07-20T20:27:00.000-07:00

For one of our day trips while in Palmyra, we decided to visit the Strong museum of play in Rochester, NY. This turned out to be a fabulous day of fun for all, and a great way to tire the kids (and parents) out so we wouldn't mind too much having to sit for a couple of hours on a picnic blanket waiting for the pageant to start later that evening.

Kennedy I enjoyed communicating with each other via the pipe system from the boat (her location) to the helicopter (my location).

It turns out our little introvert doesn't mind a little attention after all. She had a ball putting on a show for us at the little theatre.

Does this bring to mind Elvis for anyone else?

Neither Jonathan or myself were too interested in riding the carousel, so we took Macy and Kennedy into the museum's toy store to convince them getting a souvenir was far better than a ride that lasted only a moment and then was done. Kennedy bought our campaigning, but Macy was undaunted. She wanted to ride the carousel and pointedly turned down any of our feeble attempts to steer her otherwise. When we had first arrived at the museum we saw the carousel and had promised the girls a ride if they wanted one when we were done. So, a promise is a promise and it must be kept. I braved the carousel ride for my little fireball!

Macy making music

Climbing the rock wall. The real rock climbers can cross it horizontally!

Learning about words and letters...

A visit with the Berenstein Bears

Making crafts

More music

Kennedy was fascinated by the silly mirrors that distorted your image. She asked on four different occasions to return to the mirrors. It was her favorite part of the whole museum!

A girls dream. Getting to pick out anything you want in the grocery store with no one telling you to put it back.

Clifford the big red dog came to visit too! We had a great time playing with the girls. What a fun way to pass the day and learn to find joy in the simple pleasures of life again. It is so much fun having children and seeing the world through their eyes. I am so grateful for the joy Kennedy and Macy bring to their mommy and daddy. What a blessing they both are!

This is the life!

2008-07-20T20:19:00.000-07:00

I'd say camping was a hit with the girls! They got to indulge in chocolate and marshmallows, hold their own roasting stick, play at the playground until almost ten o'clock every night, walk around barefoot, sleep in a tent, and enjoy the undivided attention of both mom and dad!
Macy has started crossing her legs, as above, and saying, "Look, I'm a mommy!" Apparently that's something I do a lot of.

I beat Jonathan in a game of horseshoe!

There's nothing like the thrill of cooking your food over a campfire...especially if it is Jiffy Pop popcorn.
We all crashed together after a hard day of playing...I sure love my girls! We actually are not posing here...Jonathan found us this way and snapped a pic for posterity.

The KOA

2008-07-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

Our campground also had a modest game room where we had some fun shooting hoops and playing air hockey

The girls enjoyed some quality time with Daddy and loved gaining the confidence to play in the pool without his assistance.

Look Ma, no hands!

Camping is probably the only time parents actually consent to our kids playing with fire!

Our first campout with the girls

2008-07-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

We decided that since we were so close to Palmyra, we had to be sure to see the pageant while we were here. Instead of staying at a hotel, we opted for the outdoor experience. Our girls had never been camping to this point, and we decided it was high time they learned what a s'more was!

We love the tent we purchased from Target. At one point we actually had three unopened tents, all from various retail outlets, to compare size and features. This one won by a landslide. I think really, it was the screened porch that sold us.

Every morning we ate camp breakfasts, except one. Mom and Dad Johns highly recommended a little crepe joint in Pittsford, NY, just outside of Palmyra. Only one problem, they didn't know the name of the place or how to get there. We were undetered by these obstacles and set our GPS for Pittsford, trusting we would arrive at the desired destination. After a lot of U-Turns and yes, pulling over to ask locals if they'd heard of a place specialize in crepes, we found the little gem! Simply Crepes was the name of the place. It was located on the Erie Canal along a delightful strip of shops and cobblestone paths. I instantly fell in love with the charm of Pittsford and hope Jonny will take me back someday for a little R&R at one of their b&b's. The crepes here were worth the wait and toil! Yum! And my favorite part was the oatmeal. Not just any oatmeal, creme brulee oatmeal. Whoever dreamed up this heavenly concoction is a culinary visionary. It was a creamy mix of oatmeal & bananas sweetened just right with a thin layer of creme brulee and crisp sugar topping. This is the stuff that camping is made of...sort of (:

On our way back to Palmyra we noticed this lovely yard sculpture...not anything too special until we discovered it was animated, and in fact, a live bunch of geese taking a stroll in somebody's front yard. They do seem to blend in with the little guy in the red coat...don't ya think?

After a couple of days of camp food, we decided it was time for some good old fashioned exercise. We availed ourselves of the use of this lovely four seater bike. This thing could probably use some WD40 or a tune up. It was a beast to pedal, but the girls enjoyed the adventure and we got our exercise!

Summer Fun

2008-07-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

Naked spurs!

Hello from the Bronx Zoo! Jonathan's company periodically offers free admission to local hotspots and it turned out that the weekend for the Bronx Zoo fell on the same weekend of a heatwave, New York style. We tried real hard to stay cool and enjoy the animals. This zoo is huge. We were there for five hours, and barely saw 1/3 of the zoo. I'm debating whether or not we're close enough to merit a zoo pass. You would definitely need several trips just to become acquainted with the entire layout and pic your favorite habitats.

We did get to see some beautiful animals

Kennedy and Macy enjoyed having an ice cream break and chasing the peacocks.

We got lucky and happened to be at the zoo during the opening of the Kitt Kittredge movie. As part of a promotion for the movie, a Kitt Kittredge playhouse was being raffled off. Is this adorable or what? What mom wouldn't love this little playhouse for their kids? It was quite the architectural piece on a kid sized scale!

Final days in Playa

2008-07-20T19:35:00.000-07:00

One of the activities we chose for the trip was horsebackriding on the beach. While we didn't get to gallop into the sunset with my hair flapping wildly in the wind, we did enjoy a peaceful walk on the beach. I love horses! I have always had childhood fantasies of owning a horse and learning to be a confident rider. They are such beautiful creatures to me.

On the beach...

Okay, this is a lame picture...where is Jonathan? More importantly for this particular occasion, where is Sean! I'm not sure what happened here, but this was one of our last nights in Playa and we got to meet Sean (my brother serving a mission) and his companion for dinner. I can't remember what lame thing happened to prevent us from taking a picture of or with him. I know he and his comp both took pics of the evening. Anyway, despite my frustration over the camera situation, we had a great night visiting my brother (who looks as Mexican as any of the other locals) and hearing their missionary stories. He looked really good and we could tell he was working hard and thoroughly enjoying mission life. We're so proud of you Sean! While we were dining, two guys close to our age approached Sean and his comp and stuffed some money in their shirt pockets without saying a word. They disappeared before we could ask their names or thank them. How cool that was to see someone who appreciated the cause of the broke missionary! Jonathan and I hope to have the opportunity to pay it forward someday when we find missionaries in a far off land. After the evening was through, we accompanied them back to their pad to pick up some cast-offs from Sean and Riley (one of his good friends from Gig Harbor who was also called to the Merida, Mexico mission) that I was to take home with me. What a fabulous way to round out a really great trip!

Coba:ancient mayan city

2008-07-20T19:28:00.000-07:00

One of the pyramids at Coba

Hiking the pyramid

At the summit

Another ancient structure at Coba

Playa

2008-07-20T19:06:00.000-07:00

More of Jonathan and Chris...all I can say is what a STEVE!!

Chichen Iza was too far of a bus ride for this trip, so we took a trip to a similar ruins site called Coba. It was so fascinating for me to see the ancient Mayan culture up close and to imagine some of the stories from the Book of Mormon that I have read coming to life and happening here. The picture shown depicts what archaeologists believe the stone representation below once looked like.

If you look closely at this pic, you can see the "hoop" in the far upper left of the shot. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered they hadn't just invented that game for El Dorado! I love visiting ruins and seeing a glimpse into the past. It is very thought-provoking to think of the evolution of cultures and the rise and fall of great nations and societies. I really wish that I could have been as interested in history in high school as I am now.

Flashback to the Past: Playa del Carmen

2008-07-20T18:48:00.000-07:00

This picture is random; but who needs an excuse for posting pics of your adorable children?
Macy is so full of personality, sometimes I am floored by her. She packs a whole lot in a little package!

Jonathan and I took an awards trip with Pfizer to Playa del Carmen in early May. We stayed at the Fairmont Mayacoba in Playa. It was fabulous, and such a nice aside to the chaos of moving. On our arrival, as we shuttled our belongings to our room, Jonathan was pooped on by a passing bird. You can see the poop here in this picture. Someone told us that meant good luck for him; I think they were just trying to help him make lemonade from some sour lemons! Anyway, it was hillarious, and didn't turn out to be any kind of a bad omen for the trip. We had a splendid time and can't wait to return!

I'm still a little chapped that Jonathan chose golfing with Chris over Xel- Ha with me, but I am glad they had a great time golfing on a world-class course that didn't cost us a thing! I can definitely get used to the "winning" lifestyle with Pfizer!

It was so relaxing to layout, nap, read, drink virgin drinks to our hearts content, and order poolside or beachside with nary a thought of the kids or the cost of all this luxury. A BIG THANKS to my parents who watched Kennedy and Macy like champs. It's so nice to have a little break, uninterupted by worries of the well-being of your children.

We had a great time with Chris Lowry and his wife Laura, and are so grateful for the time Jonathan had to work side by side with Chris in the Ft. Worth territory. These guys are really hillarious together! Laura and I had a great time watching our husbands and their antics.

Dress up

2008-07-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

I guess I'm just not that creative. I accept that; if I were playing dress up, I would mix and match, but I don't think I would ever think to drape my body in anyway other than the intended way the article was made for. Perhaps Kennedy is a budding designer; or maybe she's just more hip than me. In any case, she found clever and creative ways to wrap, drape, and twist clothing articles taking them to new heights of fashion. She also knows how to accessorize, something I am still learning how to do!

Scenes from this week

2008-07-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

We were able to capture one of our critters in living color...He canvassed the garage for anything interesting and came up dry. Poor guy, should've tried the neighbors. I've always said if anyone or anything ever picks our house to burglarize, I think they'll be sorely disappointed with the lack of good loot to run off with.

The drama continues with Macy and bedtime, although we have seen some improvement. I had what I believe was revelation on how to handle this issue. I hate spanking and didn't want to do it, but admittedly, on a few nights of exasperation, we resorted to that tactic. It was ineffective. Probably because I didn't want to hurt her, so I tried real hard to seem as if I was lowering the iron hand while deliberately not inflicting pain. She's too bright for that nonsense. Anyway, I decided one late night, to set up the port a crib in the guest room across the hall. I decided that big girl beds are for big girls who follow the rules. If Macy was going to be a rule breaker, she was going back to the baby bed. She didn't like that idea at all. To my horror, she was able to scale the wall and get out of the crib herself, but she also disliked the experience enough to exercise a little self-discipline and stay put in her big girl bed. It's a little early to declare a victory, but I'm sure hoping this is the magic button. The above picture is typical of any given night around here. Macy and Kennedy play and giggle until they pass out in one or the other bed, together.

Macy, stylin' and profilin'

Last week Jonathan taught the FHE lesson on service. He found a cute object lesson online where you affix spoons to long sticks (i.e. shish kabob skewers and a lot of duct tape) and demonstrate that while it is frustrating and difficult to feed yourself in such a manner, it is easy and fun to reach across the table and feed your neighbor. The girls really enjoyed this lesson. We all enjoyed feeding our neighbors and getting messy while we ate daddy's chocolate pudding. He's the best daddy!

Sometimes I get so bothered that we have a playroom of toys that often goes neglected while the girls sit around bored stiff. I often threaten to give the toys to children who don't have any and might be more appreciative. On this particular afternoon, while they still weren't playing with their toys, they DID manage to find their own source of entertainment...the laundry. I had just folded this load of laundry and left it neatly stacked on the coffee table with the intent to put it away later that evening. Apparently it was a new-found source for dress-up. The girls delighted in putting on and taking off mommy and daddy's clothes for almost an hour. I was a little perturbed I had to fold the load again, but at the same time, happy to see some ingenuity in finding their own means of amusement.

The Kitchen

2008-07-05T13:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is fair to assume that my kitchen has been in shambles up to this point...hence the reason it has taken so long to post these pics. There's really only one spot in the house you haven't seen now, and that's the master suite. For me, unfortunately, that is always the last room on my clean list. I know that's a bit backwards, but alas, that's the way it is around here.

It is a little smaller than our kitchen in Texas (actually quite a bit) but it makes good use of the space, so I don't feel too cramped. I just had a little extra motivation to sort through kitchen odds and ends and get rid of some stuff that was just sitting on the shelf. Remember all those useless kitchen gadgets you got for your wedding? Five years later I am purging my life of a few of those items. Some of them I may have even been guilty of purchasing myself before I really knew what I would use and what I would cook for my family.

I think the kitchen has a charm all its own. For the age of the home, we're just lucky it wasn't avocado formica (yikes!). The tiles are a pain to clean, and we are hoping to upgrade to granite sometime. I guess it all depends how long we actually anchor here in CT...

The built-in refrigerator is cute, but quirky. It has a language, I believe...I'm not sure what its saying yet, but I do believe it is speaking to me. The guy who did our home inspection said the appliances were all in remarkable condition for their age, but that he didn't warrant them against malfunction since they are all well past their predicted life span. Here's hoping they keep on keepin' on.

Sightings...

2008-07-02T20:01:00.001-07:00

This will probably be a theme for sometime until the "newness" of our home in CT has worn off. We urbanites aren't used to so many close encounters with the wild. I actually kind of feel bad about it...my girls think it's really cool to see a chipmunk or a squirrel in the backyard. Once, after a hard rain fall, I actually became afraid the squirrels were taking over. They started coming out of everywhere it seemed...it was like some sort of sci-fi thriller. I actually had anxiety that I was so outnumbered. What if they were building a city under my deck? What if they started infiltrating my home? It was momentary, but very real. Anyway, I've decided to keep a record of the sightings we've had. Raccoons (1), skunk (1), squirrels (thousands), dead mice (2), live mice (1), tree frog (1, in the house!), possum (1), wild turkey (1), deer (10, at least), unidentified furry, long snouted creature (1). We haven't seen a bear yet, but the word is on the street that we've got one in the 'hood. Here's to hoping we don't have any close encounters with that one! We miss the cost of living in Texas, but we are thoroughly enjoying this jaunt so far. A couple of things we enjoy about the NE: it cools off in the evening, every time I turn around something new is blooming in our yard I didn't know was there, wide open spaces, reconnecting with the outdoors (duh!). I took the girls to the park this afternoon, and I actually lost track of time while watching the girls chase birds, play tag, pass a ball back and forth, and otherwise find their sense of independence at a guarded distance from me. It was thrilling to see their joy in such simple pleasures. Having spent the last 5 years of my marriage in the south, I had forgotten how lovely summer evenings can be. The cool air, the breezes... I remember playing imagined up games with friends outside until the sun went down. My girls have never known that pleasure because you just can't bear to be outside that long in Texas. It is nice to rediscover summer as I once knew it, and see it through my children's eyes.

2008-06-30T17:38:00.000-07:00

An announcement for my friends and readers:

Jonathan and I have deliberated for sometime about whether or not to make our blog private. We have decided to make that move....so if you have an interest in viewing our blog in the future, feel free to send either of us an e-mail or, if you don't have our contact info., leave a comment here and we'll be happy to include you on the invited list. I'll probably do this in the next week or so...

Wedding Bells

2008-06-24T16:53:00.000-07:00

Kelli married Brian Whitaker (sp?) in the Seattle Temple on April 26th. All of the week preceding had been dreary and cold, and yet come the wedding day, we were blessed with
the kind of day that beautiful summers are made of...Thank you Kelli, for letting our girls see first hand what a princess looks like on her wedding day, and where real princesses get married to their sweethearts so they can be together for eternity. What a blessing to show the girls the gospel in action and the happy people who keep the commandments!

Gig Harbor on a foggy day in May...
Innocence captured

Our Macy, always full of mischief!

Who on earth is she flirting with? Whoever it is, I'm sure they're smitten!

Kennedy and her aunt Ashley; we miss you Ashley!

Daddy's still a ladies man, he just runs in a smaller circle now!

The Johns Family

2008-06-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

My beautiful sister on her wedding day; here's hoping for someone special to come into Dan and Mike's lives soon!

We're getting there...

2008-06-22T19:14:00.000-07:00

Whoa! Okay, now please don't take offense if avocado is your thing, but this shower fixture has got to be retiled. The previous owners tastefully put hardwood floor throughout the house, but they cut a few corners in "updating this bathroom. They put in a new sink fixture and left the green shower and toilet. I guess it'll keep us humble, right? Oh, and the counter is some kind of a wallpapered/laminated formica material. Really bizarre...never seen anything like it.

Did I mention they took ALL of the bathroom mirrors with them. When we first went under contract, they mentioned a mirror that was an heirloom or antique or something like that which they would be taking with them. At least that was what I understood; you can imagine my surprise when we moved in and none of the bathrooms had mirrors. I thought you were supposed to replace items like that if you had an emotional attachment to the ones you owned? Anyway, it is costing a pretty penny to get mirrors in. So far, we only have them in the master bathroom. Sorry guests! We'll try to get one installed in your bathroom before you arrive!

Another of our close encounters with nature

This is my second house where a bird made its home on one of my porch's. In Texas we had a bird's nest on the fan of our back porch. We had to power wash

all the poop after the birds had evacuated...is this an omen or something?

Our front yard, and the crown jewel as far as the girls are concerned. We plan to put up a soccer goal here, and a trampoline on our side yard. The girls think it's so

cool that we have our own park!

You asked me to keep 'em coming...

2008-06-22T18:53:00.000-07:00

The girls' shared bedroom...can I take this moment to issue a call for help. It used to be so easy
to get Macy to sleep; we had a simple routine of reading, cuddling, and then I would lay her down, turn on her lullabye music and leave, closing the door behind me. She never made a peep. Now, every night she pushes the envelope. She needs to go the bathroom, she jumps on the bed, she cries hopelessly for more cuddle time. I usually lay them down around 8:00 ish and she is never asleep before 9:30. I'm trying to walk a delicate line, asserting myself as consistent and authoritative while at the same time letting the girls bond and develop the friendship and memories that only sisters can have. Oftentimes, I resort to putting her in the guest bedroom after several bouts of threatening, spanking, etc. etc. I'm really making myself vulnerable here I realize, but I really want to handle this right. I mean do you let them jump and run and around until they crash? Do you not assert rules and issue consequences? What are effective consequences anyway? I will add that I do manage to keep a cool head through all of this. It is very important to me to not be angry when I am trying to discipline, and that I believe, I manage to do. Macy just seems immune to all of my attempts. I thought about ditching the afternoon nap, but after a few test-run days, I concluded she still needs that to function well. Can anyone provide me with a breakthrough?

Girls room #2

Girls room #3

2nd full bath

Can you imagine what is hiding behind this lovely shower curtain?

More pics of the house

2008-06-21T06:36:00.000-07:00

#1 family room/library

Backard view #1

Backyard view #2: about 1/2 - 1 acre into the trees is still our property

Backyard view #3

The dining room...pretty much the same as in Texas

#2 the family room/library...more to come as we get cleaned up and organized. Will this ever end?

The dangers of living in the woods

2008-06-19T06:49:00.001-07:00

I don't really know why I am admitting this, much less making it a permanent part of my family's history by documenting it here, but it just seemed so blog worthy that I had to mention it. As a lot of you know, I am absent-minded. I often lose my keys, my phone, even my purse, and have to frantically retrace my steps to locate missplaced items. I think something went terribly wrong somewhere in my hard-wiring; I don't know if it can be fixed. Anyway, last Friday I came home with the groceries and hurriedly carried them, and the girls, into the house to fix dinner. Jonathan was already home when I got in the door so he never noticed my indiscretion. Apparently I had left the keys in the ignition, AND left the door open to the car...and they remained that way all through the night until they were discovered the next morning. While many of you in suburbia would have to worry about thieves absconding your vehicle, that was not the danger we were susceptible to. We live on three acres, and our driveway winds up and around a small hill. It is easy to miss our house unless you are paying close attention to the addresses and watching for the only sign of life: our delapidated mailbox that has seen more than one collision with a wayward driver. No, we did not have thieves...we had raccoons. They left their tracks all over the car, peed in the backseat, and ate an entire unopened bag of sunflower seeds, leaving a pile of shells neatly stacked beside the car. They punctured the water bottle and siphoned off the liquid, and made off with any other food related items they could find. Unfortunately, Jonathan cleaned all this up before reprimanding me and telling me of the incident, so I have no pictures...but it does make for a good story, doesn't it? I'm not sure exactly what the moral of the story is here...maybe you can help me?

Our new Home

2008-06-18T19:45:00.000-07:00

Some folks have asked to see pics of the new house in Connecticut. I say "new", it is actually c. 1978 with some nice renovations that make it feel newer than that. It is new to us though, and we are really enjoying our new home. This is the girls play room; the previous owners used it as a family room, but we needed a place to play and this was perfect. It is just off the kitchen, but you have to walk up a small flight of stair to get to it, which means the mess isn't readily visible from the kithen. I quite like the set up.

Another view of the opposite side of the room. Why you ask did I fix this room up first? Because I can't get anything else done anywhere else in the house unless I have somewhere to send my darling daughters to play and watch movies while mommy is trying to make sense of the mayhem.
This is the laundry room...quite spacious I know. The cupboards were formerly in the kitchen and removed to this location when the previous owners renovated in the early nineties. It's a great space to get organized and I love that it has nice big windows overlooking the front yard where the girls play. Our front yard is actually much larger than the back, at least the grassy space is. The girls love to chase out there and become acquainted with nature. This is very new to them, having trees, and rocks, and animals. They love it and I love that we have been able to provide this new adventure for them!

The very small entryway. I didn't show in the picture, but it does have two separate coat closets on either side of the front door. That is a nice feature. I've discovered in my limited experience as a homeowner that you can never have too many closets in your house.

The downstairs half bath. It is actually large for a half bath and I think it is feasible to put a stand up shower in it someday. Again, we have another closet, how handy! I could either take this picture of the toilet or the sink; I thought the sink was a little more photogenic.

Ode to Fathers

2008-06-18T19:09:00.000-07:00

Father's Day was an experiment in ultimate domestication...well almost (: My sister-in-law Brandi's blog about her day sounds a lot like my own experience. I had visions of grandeur (remember I aspire to be a master of the kitchen?), and boy did I pay for my epiphany. I started the extravaganza Saturday night after the girls had gone to bed, and I'm not kidding, I didn't stop cooking from that time until 6:00p.m. the next day with short spells of sleep and church in between. It all paid off though, when I victoriously set the table for the days festivities. Our Father's Day started with pancakes, bacon, and eggs. For lunch Jonathan enjoyed his favorite (mom's recipe) pasta salad, and for dinner we had his favorite chicken (Nancee's marinated chicken on the grill, and yes, I actually grilled it myself), with cucumber cooler, FRESH squeeezed lemonade, and the star of the show, a HOMEMADE strawberry rhubarb pie complete with a homemade crust! I had never made a homemade pie and I had no idea what I was in for. It is an ordeal to prepare the dough and make the crust. That part alone took the better part of four or five hours with all the "chilling" time it required and pre-baking. Anyhow, the good news is the production was a huge success! We all had a great day with our Daddy and are so thankful he's the father he is. I don't even mind that they sometimes seem to love him more than me. I count my blessings everyday that Heavenly Father brought me such a loving, fun, involved father who makes everyone laugh and whose talents are always in demand! He inspires me to be better and do better and I am eternally grateful for his patience with me and his unconditional love.
I have the Breville Ikon juicer which I used to juice 2 full bags of lemons to make this lemonade. It took forever to peel the lemons, and by the time I was finished my fingers and cuticles were burning from the acid. I think I'm going to invest in a pair of latex gloves...

Cucumber cooler of course! How is it that this simple dish manages to make it to nearly ever major holiday in the Cope family?

My triumphant victory; I conquered the elusive perfect pie crust. Okay, so I didn't actually weave the lattice top like you are supposed to, but you can't tell that in the picture! The crust was REALLY yummy and the whole pie was delicious! We polished the whole thing off in three days...I'm glad I don't bake like this too often!

What is this strange looking orb, you ask? It is an ice cream maker! I surprised Jonathan with this little gem ( he already guessed the cologne and he SAW the tent) that you can take on campouts or pretty much anywhere and make ice cream with. It has a center cylinder that you fill with ice and rock salt. Then you flip it over and fill the "guts" with your icecream ingredients. You can toss it, kick it, pass it, and do anything else you would otherwise to with a ball. In about 20 minutes or so, you have your delicious homemade ice cream. Unfortunately, I checked the only two local grocery stores in Newtown Saturday night and neither of them had rock salt. So, we had to eat our pie without ice cream. BUMMER! Where do you buy rock salt anyway? Do I have to special order it somewhere? Anyway, we're planning on taking this with us to camp out in Palmyra for the Hill Cumorah pageant. I'll report later on its efficacy and ease of use.

Tenuta di Ricavo

2008-06-17T18:09:00.000-07:00

The breakfast spread was a bounty. They never offered cold cereal, pancakes, waffles, bacon, etc. Their spread included fresh fruit juices, hard boiled eggs, plain yogurt with muesli, various cold cuts and cheese slices, a breakfast cake (delicious!) and sometimes an assortment of pastries or cookies. It was pretty different from our traditional American breakfast, but we enjoyed it.
I love this bell collection. I think I'm going to start one too...

The drive to Ricavo...

One of the many enchanting rooms I mentioned...

The front of our building from the street

Day 8: Castellina in Chianti

2008-06-17T17:55:00.000-07:00

Did I mention I was in love? Oh, right. The grounds had a garden of eden type appearance, as if everything just sort of spontaneously grew. Kind of unkempt, but lovely all the same. The kind of garden I've always imagined sharing with Elke. Remember our secret garden we were going to share Elke? This place had gardens like that...places that were mysterious & enticing where you could get lost in imagination and long spells of contemplation...or just take a nap under a wildflower canopied sky.

Kind of ethereal isn't it?

This was the restaurant at Ricavo. Also, I believe the main house where the proprieters live. It had enchanting rooms inside...

The facade of our little house

Here we are! I'm so elated I can hardly stand it!

Leaving Florence for Tuscany: Jonny's camera

2008-06-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

Sampling some antipasto Italian style; we always found the cheeses, fruits, and salamis delightful! Oh, and in Italy the only salad dressing we ever had was a combination of the house olive oil and house balsamic vinegar. We grew to love eating salad this way! It really allows you
to taste the salad rather than just the dressing.

Jonathan was so patient with me...This was me EVERYWHERE we went...I had to read every plaque and find out all I could to understand what we were seeing. He really was very patient and sweet about it, though it often bored him to tears.

Here's our car for our Tuscan getaway. We were so glad to finally turn this thing in scratch free.

It was very stressful driving in Italy, and I was the passenger!

Our first glimpse of Tuscany...it was love at first sight for me. I really could live this way and

be happy forever
Welcome to Tenuta di Ricavo. Our home away from home in Castellina in Chianti.

Florence: Jonny's camera

2008-06-17T06:59:00.000-07:00

The much lauded Michelangelo David sculpture...it was amazing. First of all he is 14 feet tall, so rather imposing, and second the detail is phenomenal. This is the real David; he's in the Accademia museum. The fake is located in the Piazza della Signoria. Michelangelo was 29 when he began this sculpture; WOW! is all I can say. The veins in his forearms and hands, every little detail was masterfully sculpted. Just try to pretend he has a loin cloth on if you need to (:
This is actually one of the wider sections of the stairs leading to the top of the Duomo. The hike was suffocating, the stairs were irregular, and the air was heavy with humidity and the odors of so many people hiking in such a confined atmosphere. It was not pleasant; but the top was a real treat to see the skyline of Florence. Italy is magnificent. What truly amazes me is that it is a mere shell of its former grandeur. If only I could have visited it at the height of the Roman Empire! What a place!

On top of the Duomo overlooking Florence.

Look how close the walls are...I have never seen driving like I have in Italy. Cars squeeze in between places that look fit for a motorcycle only, and they do it at top speed sometimes! We toured on foot in Rome, Cinque Terre, and Florence. We're very glad we did. We only picked up a rental car when we had to, to leave Florence for Tuscany.

More Cinque Terre: Jonny's camera

2008-06-17T06:30:00.000-07:00

It has been very difficult selecting just a few pics from each destination; I want to take all of you with me and show you everything! We literally have thousands of pictures from this trip, so if you're ever in CT and want a virtual tour of Italy, we can definitely provide one! This pic is of the coastline in between villages on our hike. It was so peaceful. Can there be any doubt there is a God in heaven?

This is another pic of Vernazza as we descended the hike from Monterosso.

Jonathan took this picture from the boat as we were motoring away from Riomaggiore and heading back to Vernazza for the evening. Look at all the people who couldn't get on the boat. Boy were we glad we made it. This was the last ride of the evening. Everyone else either had to hike back or take the train. There aren't any roads that connect the villages, since there really aren't any cars either!

Jonny and I on the boat ride back...

This, ladies and gentleman, is the beach. No, this is not just a snippet of the beach...this is ALL there is of it. A small patch of sand between the boat dock and the rocky cliffs. Better get here early and bring a big towel, because people aren't shy about crowding around and making room for themselves. Also, it should be noted that tops are optional in most European beaches. I spotted a topless girl and strategically positioned my towel so as not to have her in my line of sight. I got all settled in with my magazine and started reading, when what happened next? I looked up and there was another one, literally right in front of me! I could have reached out and tickled her toes she was that close. In their defense though, there were 5, 10, and 12 year old little girls frolicking topless on the beach as well, and nobody seemed to be suggesting they put tops on. If society doesn't ever teach you modesty, why should it ever cross your mind to do differently? From what I could observe, this habit persists until gravity and child-bearing take their toll. Thankfully, the combination of those two effects seemed to have prompted the other women on the beach to cover up. Truth be told, I wouldn't mind frolicking on the beach half nude either. I just wouldn't want an audience!

Day Two Cinque Terre: Jonny's Camera

2008-06-14T11:55:00.000-07:00

Our little patio where we dined on tasty Italian morsels (:

The protected swimming hole we discovered near the center of town in Vernazza; I'm sure this place is no secret though. The town is so small I don't think there is anywhere kids can get into trouble because there's always someone watching you and there are no undiscovered places...
Dinner our first night in Vernazza...it was fabulous and the first truly delicious meal we enjoyed in Italy. We ate cheap in Rome, and cheap doesn't buy much. Here we had fresh anchovies, and they were fabulous! Previously I had been repulsed by these tiny fish of the sea, but fresh from the ocean (caught that day) and drizzled with olive oil and lemons they were fantastic. Jonathan order swordfish, and they brought him a plate with the entire cross-section of the fish. It looked like they just took a machete to the fish and whacked a piece out of the middle and slapped it on his plate; he loved it! It was also a catch of the day, literally. Vernazza and the rest of the Cinque Terre are dependent on the ocean and produce grown locally to survive. Very little is brought in from other places.
Hitting the five village trail...
We don't look like we've been at it long...still look a little too fresh faced!

Flashback to Cinque Terre

2008-06-14T11:40:00.000-07:00

I had to flashback a little because I came across a whole different set of pics from Jonathan's camera from the trip. There are more pictures with us in them on his camera then on mine...so I'm going to put some up and then we'll pick up where we left off! Can you feel the romance of this place... the air is a divine co-mingling of herbs, lemons, and garden fresh produce growing harmoniously in their cliffside homes

The view from our balcony

The view from our bedroom window

Day 9: Tuscany, Gaiole in Chianti

2008-06-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

This is our farmhouse at Borgo Argenina in Gaiole in Chianti. It was idyllic. A place you could probably live forever and feel you were always in a dream. Our hostess, Elena, was a little too outspoken, but her love for the region was contagious.
The beds were in the upstairs loft of the renovated farmhouse circa 995 A.D.
This is our front door. Couldn't you just come home to this place and be happy forever?
Borgo Argenina used to be a little village, but these buildings were all that was left, and crumbling apart when Elena purchased the land and began an extensive renovation.
A view of the vineyards of Borgo Argenina

Day 7: Florence cont'd

2008-06-13T15:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know it is touristy to show this pic, but I was impressed with these street artists. Could you draw the woman with the pearl earring out of sidewalk chalk and get these results? Not only are they good, but they can produce the image fairly fast too.
Never mind the BAD shadow from my hand( duh!), I was still learning how to take a picture with this fab camera. This is our room in Florence. The B&B was located in a nondescript building that was basically in the heart of Florence. I was glad this worked out that way, since it's not an exact science when you are booking rooms in cities you've never been to and don't really know the layout of. Any way it was a really old building with exposed beams. It was a lovely place, and the hostess was friendly, English speaking ( she's a native Canadian), and very informative. It's great to have a host who will give you valuable information to make the most of a limited timeframe. In hindsight though, we would have passed up on the museums in favor of experiencing a little more flavor of the city. I consider myself one who appreciates art, but I find it hard to really appreciate room after room of nothing but renaissance era Mary and bambini paintings. I don't have a grasp whatsoever of the technical side of painting or the level of difficulty in achieving a certain perspective, balance, lighting, etc. I'm way more simple than that. I appreciate what I like; what I see as beautiful and/or meaningful in some way. My favorite artist is Pino. Anyway, the point of this long-winded explanation is that Jonathan was bored to tears in the art museums (though he was everlastingly patient with my need to read everything and see everything), and I felt a little robbed at not seeing the Boboli gardens or the Medici's former residences.
This is the rooftop terrace at our B&B. It was lovely and a nice perk at an economically priced B&B.
Other than the view from the Duomo, this is the best place to appreciate fully the Florentine landscape. We actually walked here, to the Piazzale Michelangiolo. It took a little longer than I had planned, and since we were short on time, I would reccomend taking the bus if you wanted to see it and still take in some of the other great spots in Florence. This is definitely a tourist hotspot, but it is not convenient to the rest of town. It was lovely to be there at dusk and to take in some of the local musicians. Very romantic!

Day Six: Florence, birthplace of the Renaissance

2008-06-13T15:08:00.000-07:00

This the duomo in Florence; we did climb the stairs to the top and that was a challenge for someone with my degree of claustrophobia. These stairs were irregular, steep, narrow, and there was no light or air save what was accessible from these little tiny windows in an otherwise darkened stairwell. I lived from one window to the next. One step in front of the other...When we finally arrived at the top and could see the vistas of Florence I sighed with deep relief. Sometimes I really feel I might die from my claustrophobia, it's like I can't take any air in, and I panic, and then my temperature rises so quickly I feel like I am cooking from the inside out.
These are the famous doors of the baptistery. They are sculpted of bronze. The sculptor of these doors was 23 when he won the commission against rival artists including Donatello, Brunelleschi, and other masters of the era.

This is the view from the Ponte Vecchio bridge in Florence.

Day Five: Cinque Terre

2008-06-13T14:50:00.000-07:00

This is Corniglia, the third village of the hike. Isn't it beautiful? These narrow pastel high rises just cling to the landscape, interspersed with family plots of vineyards & gardens. It's such a simple, beautiful way of living.
This picture better illustrates the lovely pastels...
It is hard to tell, but this is actually a picture of the terraced gardens that are carved out of the cliffside. I'm really not sure how they till these things and maintain them, but I know it must be backbreaking, because there is no way to get traditional farming equipment or power tools of any kind up here. I'm sure do it the old fashioned way with some simple tools and a lot of sweat equity.
Manarola, village number 4. We were very excited to be so close to completing the hike, though we enjoyed every step of the way. It was challenging and fun!
At the last village, Riomaggiore, we decided to take the boat home to Vernazza. We wanted to see from a different vantage point the terrain we had covered and the villages from a different perspective. Unfortunately I didn't get any good pics from the boat because it was bumpy and moving quickly.

Day Four: Cinque Terre

2008-06-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

It is a little bit more difficult to tell from this picture than I had hoped, but the villages of Cinque Terre are all painted in beautiful pastels with shutters and each day the people seem to do the same things. They tend their gardens, mingle with friends, stroll the town ( the entire village isn't any larger than an averaged sized neighborhood here in the U.S), hang the laundry, and make their meals from what they grow. The "grocery" store was a tiny touristy boutique with expensive dried pasta, a few crates of produce, and several shelves of other boxed goods. I never saw any locals in there. They make their own pasta, thank you. And their not shy to tell you how superior their foods are because they used nothing but the freshest locally grown (or caught) ingredients. There are no stand-alone homes. Just a jumble of tall buildings with narrow walks in between. A couple of the villages don't even allow cars because the lanes are too narrow for vehicles to fit

Here's Jonny at the town water fountain in Vernazza where we stayed. There may have been one more. They have these fountains all over Italy that constantly run and you just hold your water bottle (or your mouth) under the stream to get what you want. I was a little hesitant at first, but I was reassured it was pottable water. It doesn't take much time in the heat of a Roman summer afternoon before all fears depart; you've just GOT to have some water!
The ocean in the Cinque Terre was surreal. I have not retouched this photo at all. The water really was that clear. You could see whatever there was to see below the water's surface.
Jonathan couldn't miss an opportunity to show these young studs from Belarus that he could do anything they could do. These kids were like 15 & 17 and fluent in four languages. I truly envy that aspect of European education. I've never met a European who only spoke their native language. What is wrong with us in America? It is kind of short-sighted and pig-headed to provide our children with such a narrow view of the world. It's no wonder we get such a bad rap worldwide. We are a little too arrogant and a little too ignorant sometimes.
This cliff was half the size of the next one we came upon as we hiked the the five village trail of the Cinque Terre. Yes, we did see all five villages in one day. It was exhilarating and tiring. We didn't spend much time in each village. Only shot a few pics, grabbed a snack when needed, and kept moving on.

Day Three: the Cinque Terre

2008-06-12T21:52:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Vernazza on the midnight train. We were supposed to get in earlier but had some, eh, difficulties navigating the Italian train system. Luckily we had reservations already, and Vernazza is a small town! We walked down the platform from the train and someone called out "Mandy?" So I guess that confirmed my worst suspicions, we totally looked the part of the lost American tourist. Michelle ( a San Francisco native who came to Italy and never returned) had never seen me, yet she singled us out immediately as her guests for the evening. She escorted us to Guiliano, her husband, who showed us to our cottage. I didn't remember much from that first night, but when we woke up late the next morning, we were greeted by these views. It was beautiful. I opened the door to the porch and saw old women dotting the hillside tending to their gardens. These gardens were absolutely something else. There were grown in what looked like should have been impossible plots smooshed altogether and climbing the steep cliffs of the village in little terraced harmony. The cottage was a work of art. It had been impossibly built by hand-carrying (oftentimes back carrying) the materials up several hundred steps to it's small plot amongst the gardens. No heavy equipment had been used, no vehicles, just a man with a vision and the nerve to make it work. Guiliano, with the help of some friends I'm sure, had constructed it from the foundation up himself with the materials he brought up the cliff. You could feel his pride as he shared the story and you could see what a labor of love and hope it was for him. This is where our vacation truly began for us. In the Cinque Terre we had time to rest, to relax, and finally feel in sync with the local time. Which brings me to another piece of advice: It was serendipitous that I planned "restful" locales in between the hustle and bustle of the cities. That worked so well for us to be able to take a breather in between Rome & Florence, and Florence and the Amalfi Coast. That was not on purpose, but I would absolutely recommend doing it that way to anyone who might be following in our footsteps. Whittling away three days in the Cinque Terre allowed us to refuel for the nonstop schedule I had planned for us once we arrived in Florence.

Day Three: Vernazza & the Cinque Terre

2008-06-12T21:39:00.000-07:00

Monterosso, one of the more touristy villages.
The view of Vernazza, as we descended from Monterosso on our hike of the five villages
Vernazza again

Day Two: Rome cont'd

2008-06-12T21:27:00.000-07:00

If you have figured out by now that I don't know what I am doing, you are a bright thing! Elke, bless her heart tried faithfully to give me a crash course in blogging 101. I retained some of her training, but not all. Just bear with me and I think it's going to all work out. Day two was a continuation of the madness of day one. I wouldn't recommend anyone do what we did with respect to Rome. In fact, now that I've been, I'd say to really enjoy Italy you have to plan on returning. You can't possibly see and do it all, and if you try, you'll rob yourself of enjoying the experience at all. Our first two days were so packed we barely had time to snag a gelato in between destinations. We saw so much in so little a period of time, it's hard to really remember where we had been at all. It was a glorious city though, definitely recommended. If there is something else I might say to the novice tourist, it's this: pay for the guided tours when you visit ruins or other places of historical importance. I naively expected everything to have plaques in English somewhere below the Italian. If you can't read the native language of the places you visit, and you don't take the guided tour in your language, you miss so much of the experience. We did not take the tours and I truly regret that. I planned the whole trip without the assistance of a travel agent, and I did well other than not booking a couple of tours. It would have been money well spent. Every now and then we caught wind of an English tour and it was fascinating to learn the stories behind the various buildings, pieces of art, etc. When we go back, I'll get it right!

Day Two: More ruins, and the Pantheon

2008-06-12T21:12:00.000-07:00

Day One: Rome

2008-06-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

These pics of our first day in Rome; we arrived at 8:30 and hit the ground running from there. It took several days to recover from the jet lag, but that didn't stop us. I had an itinerary and we weren't going to miss out, so I drug Jonathan from sight to sight. He was so happy to learn that our next stop was the Cinque Terre. Nothing to do there but stroll the sleepy waterlocked villages, mingle with the locals, sleep in, and stake your piece of sand on the narrow beach. Rome was incredible. We only had two days, but I feel confident you could take a week or two to see everything in that amazing city. The last pic is of Caesar's tomb. It was a surprise to say the least; I was expecting a lot more pomp and grandeur.

Day One: the ruins of Rome

2008-06-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

Where were we?

2008-06-12T20:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have secretly been spying on my dear friends lives, and some of their dear friends, and I can no longer ignore the pressure to put my cards on the table. So here I am, 9 months later, to make good on my word that I would update this blog and keep the posts coming. I'll expect you to hold me to it (ha ha). I am going to back track to Italy because I have never posted the pics of that trip and fast forward, touching only on a few things to the present day. First, as most of you know, I do have good reason to have not touched this thing in the last three months or so. Jonathan was promoted in March to a position in New York, and since that promotion life has been a whirlwind. If I get around to it, I'll actually take some pics of my messy house to document that I can in fact have a functional disaster. Between cleaning the old house to sell it, looking for a new home, Kelli's wedding, buying the new home, a trip to Mexico and moving in to the new home, there really hasn't been any time to indulge in frivolity. So there's my excuse for my negligence...I am getting back in the saddle though and we are getting settled so be watching for some news from Connecticut...

Italy trip 2007

2007-09-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all! Just kidding...just because I served my mission in Alabama, lived in Louisiana and married a boy from South Carolina is not reason sufficient to start talking like my roots are here...yet! Jonathan and I just returned a few days ago from a FABulous trip to Italy, and so many people have asked about the trip and wanted to see pictures that I finally decided to stop resisting pop culture and just go ahead and do one of these digital journals. So here it is...the Cope Family blog. Oh, and I can also thank my friend Melanie from back home for sending me the link to hers which also put the pressure on. My brothers and sisters still think we should do facebook or myspace, but for now we'll start here. Okay, about the trip. We flew to Rome on Aug. 23rd and were there for two days, then three days in the Cinque Terre ( adorable little fishing villages along Italy's northern coast), two days in Florence, three in gorgeous Tuscany, three more on the Amalfi coast and back to Rome for our flight home. It was a fabulous trip and we fell in love with much of Italy and definitely plan to return...we're hoping for our ten year anniversary. We'd love to travel with a couple next time...any takers?? Anyway, read on to see and hear all about our adventures!