Cousins!

Karson's Rinker cousins came for a visit last weekend.  The kiddos seemed to really enjoy each others' company!

Here are some pics from the visit!  Click on any photo to view larger.

Jordan and her puppy played drums.

Karson played tunes on his jumper!

And Karter kept a steady beat!

Karson and Jordan "shared" his drums.

Here he is realizing he doesn't understand sharing yet.

Cloudy skies didn't keep Karson from trying out his earmuffs.

Group shots are always a fun time!  And it seems the appearance of some toes helped bring smiles.

A sweet crew!

Adding in some fatherly love.

Karson sneaks in a good bye slobber.

A week with (Great) Grandma and Grandad!

The rotating door of family members continued this past week, as the next in our line of caretakers stepped in.  Karson met, for the first time, his Great Grandma and Grandad Rinker.  It seemed to be love at first sight!  As soon as they came in on Saturday morning, he greeted them with smiles.  They got along great all week.  No surprise to those who have met him, Karson was a great baby.  Such a great baby...that they didn't know what to do with their free time!  As a result, our house is clean, laundry is washed, and our yard has been mowed, (three times.)

Here are some pics from their week together! 



Thanks for a great week!

A week with Nana!

Karson enjoyed another great week with family.  He stayed with and got to know his Nana!  They had lots of fun snuggling together, and he was a very good boy!  There were lots of smiles, lots of hugs, and lots of memories.   Nana couldn't believe how much Karson had grown!

Here are some pictures from their week together.

Thanks for a great week, Nana!

A week with Mima!

This week was a special one for our household.  I returned to the working world, and Justin had an incredibly busy work week and wasn't around much.  This should have been a hard transition, and I wasn't looking forward to it.  Luckily...Karson's Mima was here to take care of him.  As a result, mama and daddy could rest easy, and Karson was a happy camper.  As much as I missed being around him, it is comforting to know he adjusted well.

He's growing and changing so much!  Just this week we said goodbye to some outfits, and hello to larger ones.  He's more alert and playful all the time.  And smiles are no longer just an elusive surprise.  They are becoming frequent!

We transitioned to daytime bottles and pumping fairly well.  And we started to get a bit of a schedule figured out.  He loves morning play time, and naps and sleeps at night very well.

Here are some pictures from their week together. 

Thanks for a great week, Mima!

Footed PJ's and Sweater Vests and Muscle Tanks, Oh my!

Kart...er...Karson got lots of cool little boy clothes and fun toys and needed items at his first shower!  We had a blast over the weekend visiting with friends and family, and celebrating the coming arrivals of Karson AND Karter!  (By the way, I already confuse their names, and from now on may just call Karter "my niece".) 

We got some helpful basics and items from our registry, including a bumbo, activity jumper, baby carrier, car seat cover and travel/camping items. 

We received some gorgeous homemade items,  (thankfully Crystal's family is far craftier than I am.)  Seriously - aren't these awesome?

We also received some adorable clothes!  Including softee jeans (LOVE!), PJ's with planes on them, and some warm clothes for winter.  I LOVE footed PJ's, and clearly was beyond excited when I saw the rear of this little monkey set. 

I also love sweater vests!

And I look forward to seeing a little tough guy sporting this muscle tank...

Karson is a lucky little boy already!  And we have two more showers to go!  He will be spoiled before he even arrives!

Here are some shots of the Rinker crew from the weekend...

Eat. Pray. Love. And Sing.

No, I’m not endorsing the latest Julia Roberts movie. I don’t even know the storyline and can’t recall hearing one review.

I’m simply stealing the title as I feel it is as good of a summary as any for the Cook family reunion.

We EAT. Boy do we eat. The weekend is kicked off with a breakfast at my parents’ house. You haven’t lived until you’ve tasted my dad’s tenderloin gravy. He’s not big on cooking for 4, but if you need a meal prepared for 84…he’s your guy. He and mom get help from Pam’s biscuits, Sharon’s casseroles, Shirley’s apples, Mary Ellen’s homemade donuts…all in all a fantastic meal. Seems enough to hold us over until dinner, right? Perhaps, but just to be safe, many of the ladies meet in town for a late lunch together. Dinner has transformed over the years from hot dogs over a fire, to a full blown meal. Dad cooks chili for an army in a huge pot. Everyone pitches in with meat for the grill, cookies, dips, chips, and we stuff ourselves once again. Sunday’s lunch is the big finale. It rivals any church pot luck I’ve ever seen. The list of delicious dishes is endless, but my favorites this year were Lora’s key lime cake, and a Mexican casserole whose preparer is yet unknown. As if that wasn’t enough, a few of the more local cousins remain in town for homemade ice cream and snacks on Sunday evening. So yes…we eat.

We PRAY. We pray before our meals. We pray for those who are traveling. We pray, giving thanks for the ancestors who have provided such strong examples of loving Christian families. Then on Sunday morning, we gather and pray at the gravesites of many of the parents, grandparents and great grandparents who helped make us who we are.

We LOVE. We love the new marriages and new babies. We love the young families, the new grandparents, and the elder generations who remind us all of our strong heritage. We love those who are “up” and we celebrate with them. But what I love about this family is we also love those who are down. We love those who are struggling. We love those who have gone on, and we love those aching families they have left behind. We love those who are hurting, those who are weak, and those who are in need. So we laugh, we cry, and we celebrate all of life’s ups and downs, because when all is said and done we know what matters most, so we love.

We SING. Literally, we just sing. Saturday’s breakfast is always followed up with a big box of hymnals being passed out. It doesn’t seem necessary because most of us know the words and the music by heart. We sing the same old songs that have brought joy and peace to our family for decades. You could call it a rehearsal I suppose, because the “main event” is when we cram 100+ people in to the tiny country church that raised our grandparents, and fill it with sounds of praise, worship and tradition until you’re sure the ceiling just might pop off. The ceiling never does pop off. But I’m pretty sure a few hearts are bursting with pride and joy. And I like to think that Papaw Cook and God are looking down together and agreeing that it sure sounds nice.

Are we a little corny? Absolutely. Do we have a few odd traditions that may be old fashioned? Sure. Will it be tough to keep up such traditions as the generations get further and further apart, both in miles and in relationships? I’m afraid so. But for now, we Eat, Pray, Love, and Sing, and we look forward to our next Glad Reunion Day.

Time flies...

I spent the past weekend in Kentucky with family and friends. On Saturday we celebrated a 10 year high school reunion! Hard to believe! I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I actually found it comforting that some things, and people haven’t changed a bit! Terra and I would probably still fumble through chemistry lab, Heather is as sweet as ever, Angie still makes me laugh, and Bradley and Brandon will always be my boys. It was also humorous how many gals were pregnant. (The trend is girl by the way – so I’m anxious to see if I’m following the group!)  In fact - I believe 5 out of the top 6 of our 1999 tennis team are prego?  Looks like we're NOT ready for an alumni match right now.

Aside from the reunion, I got in some family time. The twins are growing so much, and are starting to “talk”. It’s funny to hear them babble and squeal, especially in surround sound! Gavin has started preschool (WHAT!), and mom and dad are busy getting ready for the annual Cook reunion in two weeks.

It was a good visit! But I gained a new appreciation for my chauffer. I missed having Justin to drive so I could nap! (ha)

In conclusion - I can't believe how fast the twins are growing, I can't believe it's almost Labor Day, I can't believe Gavin is in preschool, and I can't believe I've been out of high school for ten years.  They say time flies when you're having fun...so I must be having a BLAST!