COLBY, ELLA AND AMELIA by Grandma Cooper

It takes me quite awhile to get pictures and text together to post on the blogs (Mark would say that I struggle), but I did want to share these pictures with you!! And I worked really hard at getting each girl's pictures together!! These first few of Colby are the day she was born and maybe the next day.

I had to get front and back pictures of her head so you could see her hair!!

Grandpa and I went down this past weekend and he held Colby for awhile. I don't know if I should tell you this or not, but they call her "Frog" because, well, you can probably tell why when you look at the pictures!! That's her knee up by her elbow!!!

Ella had a birthday last Thursday and she had a family party Friday evening. This was her birthday cake!!!! What little girl wouldn't want a cake like this?!?! One of Karen's friends did this, to Karen's surprise (she had just ordered a sheet cake)!!!!

Ella got several dress-up outfits and this was the Mermaid one.

She also got a High School Musical dress (a red-sequined, spaghetti-strapped formal) and this black wig came with it!!!

While Kori and Amelia were in town, I got to watch Amelia while her mom and Anna ran to the store. I put her in the recliner and turned PBS on and she was into the program!! She does do a lot of talking while she's watching TV, though!!!

Sooo cute!!!

And the Academy Award Goes To...

Did anybody else really stand a chance?
She brought us all to tears.

Feedback on your Comments

I've read all of your comments and thought this would be an easier way to address the questions and comments posted. Our pastor was Catholic before he went through Lutheran seminary (I think, I'll have to ask Chris for sure). So that may be where he is coming from with that! I do know that the synod is in the mixes of much friction and it has been discussed in our voter's meethings that there could be a split eventually! The synod has some other issues going on as well, with money and having congregations pay a fee per member to be a Missouri Synod church. Don't know if all of this is true, but it was mentioned at our church - so it must be gospel! Our pastor has also talked to the congregation and written in his newsletter that we should be comfortable with crossing ourselves and that it is not just a Catholic ritual. I know that Eric Hiller does this when going up for communion and I wish I could get to the point to be comfortable doing it as well. I think it might help to put you in the right frame of mind.



I don't know? I guess we'll take the girls up there - what does it hurt?



And by the way, Heidi, Ella loves getting the oil put on her. She also loves to imitate the Pastor as he does the cross and bows. Chris caught Pastor laughing at her one Sunday!



Have a good day!

The Big Debate!

My Sunday was just chocked full of things to write about! Here is the big debate going on with Chris and Me! Mind you, we're not debating against each other, but debating against our upbringing and our old-fashioned way of thinking!
It has always been the old Lutheran way that your children, when old enough to sit by themselves, do not up to communion with parents. Chris and I have stood by that rule for the past couple of years now. Emma and Anna sit in the pew while we go up for communion. Of course, we take Ella up with us since she is not old enough to sit and behave! Pastor now uses oil on the children's foreheads and blesses them when they come up. Many children now go up to communion with their parents (even jr. high kids who are in confirmation). Yesterday, we let the girls go up with us. I know that the struggle that Chris and I are having with this is because we didn't do this growing up and is it just stupid to not let your children go up and have the advantage of having a blessing just because we didn't when we were young?
We both think that it is stupid, but for some reason the old Lutheran comes out in us. I guess we need our family's input on this. Maybe if you all say that it is an OK thing - we'll be OK with it! Let us know what you think! Would you let your kids go up there and have the blessing? Are we bad parents if we deny them the blessing? What does it hurt?

My Worst Nightmare - I've Become Mom On Sunday Mornings!!!!

You all remember mom on Sunday mornings and if you don't here is our Sunday ritual growing up! Mom would be the last one ready, girls couldn't find their shoes, total chaos and we all arrived late to church! I'm sad to say that that was the way my house was yesterday morning! The really sad thing is that it was only Ella and myself - not 5 girls and two parents getting ready!

Chris leaves with the older two around 8:15 for Sunday School. I then get in the shower while Ella watches TV, wets her pants, or plays and makes a mess in Emma and Anna's room. We were both dressed and ready to go (even had time to put pigtails in Ella's hair) until we had to put on Ella's shoes. I knew I had not seen them since Friday morning when she tried wearing them to Brenda's for the day and Chris made her change. I search through the whole upstairs, wasting valuable minutes, and could not find them. I head downstairs where Ella is yelling "found them" only to find that she had found her Dora sandals! I scan the toy room - don't see them - so I go to the family room and I find ONE! It is now 20 after nine and my time is running short. As I put on that shoe - I scan the room again and do not see the other shoe! I move pillows and blankets - still no shoe! I had just about given up and thought Ella would have to go to church with no shoes, when I spotted the shoe on the corner of the fireplace. I hurried and put the shoe on Ella and ran upstairs with her only to discover that her coat was not at the top of the stairs!!! I chuck my heels off and run back to her room, while yelling at her to NOT take her shoes off because Mommy took hers off, got her coat, put on my shoes, put her coat on and out the door we went!!!!

I'm needing a little encouragement here! Please tell me that this was probably a one-time thing and that it will not be a recurring event each Sunday!

Ella's Dress Attire

I can't remember who bought Emma the pink, nylon tutu, but Ella has claimed it has her and wears it everyday! She wore it last Sunday to the church weiner roast at Craig and Julie's with her stocking hat (the pink and white one). She was a hit! She now wears the skirt everyday (over her pants) to Brenda's. I thought she could be Dorothy for Halloween and the two older girls could be clowns again, but when I got down the clown costumes Ella threw a fit and wanted to wear one. Good think Emma is too tall to wear the bigger one. Ella looks so funny wearing it! I guess now we'll have to come up with something else for Emma to be for Halloween.

Pictures To Go With the Stories You've Heard

I guess I just have to go to Illinois more often in order for the James Gang viewers to see some pictures to go with Karen's commentary! Here's a picture of Ella with the infamous hat on. She dove into the closet to show Jacob the hat one evening. That girl will hardly stand still long enough to get a good shot of her, so I only ended up with one picture!


Also, we have pictures of Chris and his new sprayer to go with Karen's second commentary, "Chris' New Red Sprayer". I know what you're thinking; "Man, Chris has gotten tall and dresses funny these days!" Seriously, what's gotten into him with all of the cowboy gear lately!