Easter was COLD!

Easter came really cold for us this year. Snow came to join in the festivities but we were not to be stopped. We just bundled the kids up and took them to the park for Jerome's annual Easter egg hunt. Raif was an old pro now and so Dennis had both him and Saun (Brenda's foster kid) with him. I took Ronin to the younger kid area. The fire trucks siren went off and everyone made a mad dash for the eggs. Ronin was confused in general but I did manage to help him pick up a few eggs. Raif didn't cry this year (for which we were all too happy for) and nabbed a few eggs of his own. All in all fun was had by all. Then we went to Grandma Grandpa Buhler's for a family Easter egg hunt. We did eggs for the younger kids and brown sacks for the older kids. By the end of the day Ronin was starting to get the hang of it (especially when he found that the eggs had candy).

We have high speed at home!

Hey everyone, we now have high speed internet at home. I hope that with this I will be able to keep up with this blog. For now I'm just going to post a picture of the boys from the last snowfall

Getting ready for the 4th

My family will be coming in for the 4th of July so I have spent a lot of time at my parents getting things cleaned up for company. Unfortunately, it also means that I am pulling out cluttered corners for my Mom to sort through. I put all these things on a table in their livingroom. Dad hates having all the stuff sitting in the livingroom and Mom is working as best she can to sort through things she has had for years. You would think that dealing with this stack of "things" wouldn't be that big of a deal but it has been a very emotional journey for my Mom.
There she sits sorting through piles of things that she bought for that special occasion that never happened. The gift that she thought the kids might love but didn't. The piles of books from her long dead mother who she always felt she was a burden to. The holiday decorations she thought would would transform her home into an oasis for the holiday that never quite worked right. The dreams, ideals, hopes, and even some disapointments sitting on a table waiting to separated into trash, give away, and put away. She says that she knows that having the house clutter free will be a release not to mention easier to clean but she always tears up at this point.
I have wanted to help her several times over the years. All of my sisters have. Throwing and giving away many items over the years. However, I have come to realise that this will always be a journey only she can take. I move the boxes around and haul the stuff away when needed, reminding her that the end goal is worth it.

The Lost Months

If this blog were a cactus plant I would have killed it by now. My parents have gotten back from their last mission to Oklahoma. I felt like I was dragging them home reluctantly but they made it. We have started our garden and the peas look great. The cantalope however has been attacked by boxelder beetles and we only have one surviver (who may or may not get the million dollars). I have retaliated back against the beetles with boiling hot water. I have to admit that I gain great pleasure watching their bodies twitch and die from the water. I can almost hear the buggy screams of death....anyway.

Dennis is still with Farmer's Bank and I'm still here with the kids. On Tues and Fridays I travel out to my parents and do the books for the plumbing business while my parents watch the kids. We are also gearing up for our vacation at the end of July when we will travel to Wyoming to visit Dennis' family. So far we'll try and catch a indian powwow and the Cheyenne Frontier Days. Hopefully I'll get a rough schedule posted so that if anyone wanted to catch up with us they could.

I still do the occationally odd craft and this is my latest one. A hanging tent for Raif. He loves it and calls it his house. When I first put it up, Raif insisted that Dad sit in it with him while they read a story. He also thinks it is fun to say goodbye to everyone and go home.

Ronin is crawling everywhere and has started to climb up things so that he can stand. He started off with an army crawl across the floor but within the last few days he has progressed to hands and knees. He is eating up a storm and somedays I think that he eats more than Raif does. His favorite food are popcicles and you will be his best friend if you share.

TV Dinner Cupcakes and Young Women

TV Dinner Cupcakes
Originally uploaded by A Cockrell

We got these cupcakes at the scout auction. One of the ladies I know made them. They are cupcakes and everything she used to make them with is eatible. I gave them to my young women this last Sunday because they released me from my calling as the Young Women second councilor. I was just getting all their names down and then they released me. I am thankful though that I got to be in Young Women's even if it was for a small amount of time.

Making new chairs out of old

auction and decorating 004
Originally uploaded by A Cockrell

I got some fabric for 40% off and decided to finally change out the seat on our Youth Ranch finds. I think that they look great now and all it took was to staple the new fabric on and screw them back on. Then with a touch of the magic wand that we use for just such occations... whala a new looking chair:) (psst..it's the one on the right)

Halloween with the Cockrell's

Yeah, I know, dang good looking bunch. Here we are for Halloween. We had just had the potty party the day before so this was a busy week for us. Raif, Ronin and I went to a community Halloween thing that they had going in Gooding while we waited for Dad to get off work. No this is not what he wore to work. Bad for the banking image you know:) After he got off work and changed, we picked him up and headed to the trunk or treat that they had at the church. Then we went to another community Halloween party that they were having just down the road. Raif got irritated with the wizard beard that kept getting in his mouth and spent quite a bit of time out of his costume. In the end we got our sugared up bundle of energy in bed a little later then usual but he had a smile on his face. Oh yea, I finally got the chance to try a litte pumpkin carving I had been wanting to try. Our garden produced just one small pumpkin this year so I took that to mean I had a volenteer. Raif had fun seeing the face come alive and I loved trying a new technique. We then took it down to the bank as a Halloween surprize for Dad. I had so much fun with it I might make it a new tradition for us. Nothing like carving tortured faces into pumpkins to get you into the Halloween spirit.

Potty Party Cake

Potty Party Cake
Originally uploaded by A Cockrell

Well Raif finally made it to the middle of his chart and on Oct. 30th we had a big potty party for him. This is a picture of the cake that a friend and I made for it. The base is just a white cake mix and the cars we made out of a cake I baked in bread pans. We then added square devils food cakes (from the store) as the cabs and decorated with frosting and candy. I also hung up about two dozen lighting bolts that I made from paper from the ceiling. Then we watched the cars movie and all the kids got to make their own pizza's. I think that Raif had a really good time and loved being the center of attention. Lisa said that it will be hard to top this with his birthday. I guess we'll see:) Raif is doing well with the potty. He still has a couple accidents but for the most part he's got it down. We are VERY proud of him.

Potty Training

potty
Originally uploaded by A Cockrell

We have started potty training Raif. At first it was a real uphill battle and I didn't think that we would make it. Then my little sister gave me the idea of doing a potty chart. Everytime that he goes potty he moves his little red car forward. If he has and accident then he moves it backward. At first it didn't seem like he would get past go but now he is moving at a swift pace and will probably reach the "potty party car" in a week (small bladder's make for fast progress). Then we will have a huge car themed party. I'm sure that we will be as excited by the party as he will be.

Raif and Ronin in the Stroller

Raif and Ronin in the Stroller
Originally uploaded by A Cockrell

Raif loves riding in the stoller with Ronin. I think it is because it is one of the few times Mom lets him "hold" Ronin for an extended priod of time. He gets to kiss, hug and talk to Ronin for as long as the ride last.

School Set up

school 005
Originally uploaded by A Cockrell

This is the "classroom" I set up for Raif. There are close up pictures of things on the flickr account to the right of my posts. I put out some of the projects that we have worked on.

School Starts

I have started doing school for Raif. We start at 9 AM every Tues-Fri. It usually last about an hour and we have been doing it for about 2 weeks. Raif loves it and gets excited every morning when it is time. I have put together enough lessons for the month. They consist of bacic things like the sun, rain, wind/clouds, snow, my body, skeleton, senses.... I am amazed at how much he likes to sit down while we talk about these different things. We start by checking the calander and he puts up the date and we talk about what day it is. Then we set up for school pulling out the supplies and assigning seats (I made up slip covers with our names so that he can get used to seeing and recognising his name), and saying pray (this is the only time I have been able to get him to say the prayer). Every friday I get books from the library that goes with the theme and we start by reading the designated book(s). Then we take some time to sing some songs. Next is serious work with practice in drawing in straight lines, recognising letters of the alphabet, cutting straight, and reading practice that consists of a jumble of ideas that I got from the library. We pick and choose among these of course. Then we break off for some fun with an activity based on the theme. Finally it's snack time and recess. I'll try posting pictures of his "work space" when I can.

Ok so maybe once a month:)

Mom and Dad Cockrell just headed out from visiting with us. We got to have them for a whole week and loved it. Raif was really excited to get grandpa up in the morning and have him read him books.

My parents have been called out to Oklahoma where they are planning to be for TWO months. This time Brenda will run the rentals, I'll do BZ work (with Alma running the truck) and Isabella running the farm. They will leave in the middle of June.

We finally got our garden in (thanks to Mom and Dad Cockrell's help) and can't wait for something to start growing. I did plant a large cherry tomato plant that should be producing soon but I kind of think that may be cheating:)

I'm also putting together a large activity for the YW to do while they are doing the temple celebration. I'll try to post the general idea of it later

A Year in Review

Well I know it has been a while since we got on to say anything and I now have almost a year to review. In short here it is:
Dennis and I are expecting a new baby, we think it is another boy due at the end of August. (I'll try and post some ultrasound pictures). If it is a boy we may name him Tristan Buhler Cockrell, if it is a girl we are not quite sure what we would name her:) so here's to hoping it is a boy:). I didn't have any problems with morning sickness and I'm not really showing so most people forget that we are even expecting.

We bought a new house in Dec 2007. It is on a nice little side street with mostly local traffic. It has three bedrooms and one bath. Built in 1970's by the guy across the street. Most of our nieghbors have been here long enough to tell us all about the history of the house. The front yard has some beautiful landscaping but the backyard is weeds. I've started drawing up some ideas of what we would like for the backyard but it will take a few years for us to impliment anything.

Mom and Dad have come back from their mission. (BIG relief for me:) Though they have put them in again. This time they will be going on smaller week/weekend service trips to do plumbing for the church when and where it may be needed.

Raif is running all over the place now. He loves playing outside and watching Stuart Little (at least this week he does). He is getting better at talking, using mostly one to two word sentances. He likes watching and holding babies so we hope that he will love the new baby when it comes.

I got called as the Young Women's 2nd councilor about a month ago. They are getting ready for a big song and dance production in Aug when the Twin Falls temple is dedicated. All of our activites until then will have to do with practicing and learning what we will be doing. So far I love being in Young Women's. I am in charge of the Beehives and with the celebrations I will have several new girls in my class bring my total to about 10 beehives. Most seem excited to do the dancing. Dennis has been called into the Sunday School Presidency though I don't think they have him doing anything for it yet.

Dennis is still with Farmer's and seem to really enjoy his work. He doesn't care for the times when he has to do collections on some of the loans but it's a tradeoff that he is willing to live with.

Well that is a quick review. We will try to keep you updated more.

The latest and greatest

We took a weekend to visit Shem and LaDawn in Boise. There we were able to watch Analee play some volleyball and Damien play some soccer. They seemed to have fun and it was good to see them active. It was a good weekend and it was nice to get away for a short while.

Grandma and Grandpa Cockrell also came to visit. It was really nice to have them come. Raif was a slow to warm up to them, but by the time they were ready to take off, he was ready to follow grandpa around. Dad and I did a lot of yard work. We spent a greater portion of a day trying to get a $25 weed eater to work. In the end, we had cleaned everything possible and adjusted it also. We got it going and it is still working. Sometimes it is just nice to work with dad and try to figure stuff out. We also did some site seeing in the area, but more than anything we just spent time together.

We have a garden that mostly Angela and her Lisa Reeves work on. It is doing OK, but the weeds are tough to keep at bay. We'll see how it all does come harvest time.

Just an update about our finches. Grandma and Angela bought some toys for them, a traumatic experience for them when the "big giant hand " reached in and threatened everything they know. It was questionable for a while whether they would recover or not. They have, and are playing with themselves in the mirror and like to swing on the ladder.

No we are not lost, yet

After more then a month of no word I'm sure that many of the three of you had assumed us dead or baried in diapers. Ok maybe baried in diapers but not dead. We have however had some eventful...uh...events. In April Alma moved back out to his apartment with Misty (when she decides to stay there) and two weeks ago Alma was slow to move again. At this time I decided to drug test him and he came up positive. Things did not look good because I knew with the way things were, the business could not go through the ups and downs again. So a family council was called and it was decided that the best thing to do would be to shut down the business. Since then I have been going though the motions of doing just that. The rentals have rallied to fill the void in my life by calling with new repairs and problems. Isabella visited for a week to lend her support in the week following the shut down of the business. I'm so glad she came, it is always fun to see how are the kids are growing and hear Isabella expound on how her kids are better than Raif. Kregg then called her home too soon and I was once again left with just my closer loved ones.

It was during this lull that I discovered how important it is for husbands to listen to their wives. And how carefully we should phrase requests. Prior to all of this and late into the night, a brilliant thought had accurd to me. I wanted a fun date planned completely by my husband. To some this may not seem like such a great thing but to my husband Dennis it was akin to giving an hour long speach in church naked. Death was looking better and better. For fun I gave him a full month to come up with this date. Now fast forward through the next couple weeks. By then I had become a bundle of sad, sometimes weepy, over stressed, under loved shell of myself. I began to rip Dennis apart for small things like not helping to set the table, plow the garden, walk on water, etc. While Isabella was here we talked about why I had not received my date, and he wondered if I would want to go out while Isabella was here. To which I happily replied that she was a free babysitter. Days after Isabella left, I had taken these things to my heart and thought on them (Luke 2:51) then cornered my husband again on the nondate. My love language is gifts and acts of service. Dennis' is quality time and physical touch. For those of you unfamiliar with the love languages please refer to the books that mom gave out for Christmas 2004-05. I discovered that I had really asked Dennis to address my love language by taking me on a date. Dennis being the loving husband wanted to make it a major production of Broadway tickets, romance and candlelight. I had moved past these notions to just wanting to get out of the house. After long married persons discussion we learned that I needed to go out. On Tuesday Dennis took me out for dinner and a movie, on Wednesday I got my hair done by a professional salon lady, Thursday I got new shirts and hair things and by Friday I felt like I could once again take on the world. Dennis now has a wife that will pet him and sit by him as we watch movies. We have both learned a little more about loving each other and Dennis has readjusted the budget.

As for the business. We still have people calling hoping to find a plumber and Alma is going through the stages of grief. We know that he has past denial and anger. He has tried some bargaining but we are unsure if he has moved past it. We are hoping that before too long he will get to acceptance and find a new fabulous job that will help him figuire his life out.

Cave Exporing

Well it has been a fun couple of weeks. Last weekend we went with Brenda and Verlon to explore some of the caves near Shoshone. One was closed for the season and the other had several small bats hanging down. It was really fun and we hope to be able to find some more caves later. Alma has started football and they had a practice game this last Friday. He has started (along with some other guys) a minor league here and is playing as a linebacker. He has another game coming this next friday. This last friday I went up with Brenda for a half day that they had. The kids loved playing with Raif and I liked being able to see where she worked and the kids that she has. They played a pilgram game were the class was broken into teams and they try to survive in the wilderness. They even had hats that they could wear. Next week Dennis' boss will have his retirement party and things will begin to shift around. I'm not sure how Dennis' job will change but I do know that he will be getting a different desk that sets higher. The one he sits at now is too low and he has to be careful not to hit his knees. Needless to say he is looking forward to the new desk

Traveling and Sitting

Last weekend we were able to go and visit Shem and LaDawn. It was just a one day up and back deal, but we got to see Damian sing. Damian was asked to sing to an all boys choir that they have in Boise and we were excited to see him sing. Unfortunatly, they only sang 3 songs and then they had a band play and some other kids sing. Damian was really excited about it and he really seems love singing. It was also nice to be able to talk to Shem and LaDawn next time we will spend the night so we can get in a longer visit. Sophia kept a careful eye on Raif and encouraged him (several times) to have a drink from his sippy cup, keep close to Mom and Dad, and play with several toys.
Raif is currently enjoying finding various parts of Pepper that he can sit on. Paws, legs, belly he is tring each to see what height he ends up at and Pepper keeps sleeping though it all. He has enjoyed sitting on many objects lately to see what happens when he does. Raif is also tall enough to play some notes on the piano and drags around the makeshift firepoker we have. His favorite surface to drag the firepoker seems to be the kitchen tile. His dancing has advanced to picking up his feet now instead of just bouncing and he takes the chance to dance whenever he can.
Angela has painted some of the laundry room a tan/purple shade and is looking to adds some trim and finishing touches. We are also looking at painting and adding trim to the downstairs bathroom in order to finish it.
Alma and Misty went to church with us today and we have told Quincy that he has until Wendesday to find another place to stay. All in all life is moving, on and we are working in keeping it in the middle 'best we can. Love ya all and we hope that all is well with you.

An attempt at improvment

Part of our Sunday is now to include time set aside to blog. This is to help me prove to my family that I indeed still care about them. However, writing and correspondence has never been one of my strong points. So there is definitely room for improvement.

The following will be life from my perspective, since Angela tends to have a different point of view.

Work is going well, but presents its challenges. There is a large learning curve for me at this point. I wish that I didn't have to ask so many questions, or make the mistakes that I do. Despite my imperfections and rookie status, I continue to make progress and get a bit more responsibility little by little. I do believe that they are pleased with my efforts and my production. I like being able to interact more personably with customers in the loan department rather than the impersonal phone calls that took place in customer service. I like that bank holidays apply to me, and I get a decent amount of 3 day weekends.

Here at the home front it is a battle of wills. First there is Alma. He has a plethora of personal problems that he is dealing with, along with trying to fill in the shoes of his father in the plumbing business. It is frustrating seeing a business that was built in 30 years through hard work and sweat struggle. I think that the company will take care of it's workers, as long as they take care of it. At this point it seems like Alma just wants the business to take care of him. There are still many hurdles to overcome, but there are signs that this time his resolve to straighten his life out may hold true.

Working out the kinks of international communication never stops. Angela has the organizational skills to handle issues that she can control. One would be quite foolish to believe they could control Brent and Connie or the banks or the cell phone companies. The Bank and Cell phone company have just been block headed about sticking to their rules after Brent and Connie are gone, but when it came to making sure things were set up for them before they left, we have found they were less than thorough.

My optimistic theory includes everything, plumbing and rentals, being fine tuned just in time for Brent and Connie to come back and have to learn everything over again.

My pesimistic theory includes the walls of Jerico falling in on us all.

Just kidding. Now and probably not for the last time, Faith is what's required and not my negativity. I know Brent and Connie need to be on their mission, and the Lord will make it possible both here and in Mexico.

Raif walks, runs, falls, cries, eats, plays, poops, and grows. Though seemingly impossible, he is always doing all of those things. He is really fun to watch grow and change. I like coming home and knowing he is excited to see me.

Fast Mail Is up again

Dennis has finally cleared out room on his fast mail so that he can recieve mail again. We heard about the celebration for Grandma and Grandpa and we can make it Dennis is going to sign up for some time off of work to go (but we need to make sure that the date is a definate) He also is going to be taking some time off in July (a week) and we will be going to Wyoming to visit everyone (detail will be coming later).