thanks eric cooper

my boy is a little like his dad sometimes.  he is a bit obsessive from time to time.  every since he was little, i am talking like 3 or 4, he has worn his socks inside out.  not only are they inside out, all of his socks are one particular kind.  why?  because the others hurt his feet...

i have always poked fun at him because of this...well, today, i would like to say i am sorry.  i am realizing how brilliant he really is.  i never can find matches to my socks, b/c they are all different kinds.  so, i need to eliminate all but my favorite kind and i won't have that problem.

i told you he always wears them inside out.  why?  b/c of the line at the foot of you sock where they sow it together...it bothers him.  so, when you turn it inside out....your toes have the same smoothness the rest of your foot enjoys!  this morning, i found the pair of socks that i believe to be one of my favorite brands.  put them on, went to the gym to run.  the socks feel really good, except for the toes...hmm...turned them bad boys inside out and voila!  perfect socks! 

it is taking me a while, but i am coming around to his way of thinking... 

vacation

i know i said i would post some, but that just has not been first priority on vacation.  so here is some, a little late but...oh, well.

my little rock star from Daniel Scott on Vimeo.

great weekend...busy week

so, me and eric had a great weekend!! we went camping at my in-laws cabin down at bull shoals lake. just the guys!!! that is b/c the girls were having a girls only weekend and kicked us out of the house!!! but that is another post...lol

there really is nothing like spending time with your son when there are NO distractions. i value that so much and it means so much to me when i see him enjoying himself and having a great time. it was one of the weekends that i will carry with me for a long, long time.

i wonder if it is like that with our heavenly Father? i wonder if He thinks, "that time I got to spend with you this morning...man, that was awesome. I will never forget that as long as I live!!" (hello...that is a long time) i wonder if he cherishes moments with his kids as much as I do. a smile comes across my face as i think about that. the moments when i have completely let go and forgotten about all the stuff going on and just had great time with Lord. i carry them with me...i have a feeling they are special to him as well. just like this weekend was special to eric...

alas,  now it is on with the busy week ahead. meetings, long days, trial runs, leading, etc... but throughout this busy week. this weekend will hold a special place in my heart, as it will in the place of the Father's. i believe He was with us every step of the way this weekend. you see, sometimes time with Him is not always "quiet time". sometimes it is a special weekend with your son, that somehow becomes...holy. it was as if it were sacred. and i kept telling eric this weekend, "there is no other place i would rather be on the face of this earth, than right here with you!" somehow, it felt as if the Lord were saying that to me as well...

profile pic...who is it?

   

which one is which?  one is me, the other is eric.  

the similarities are pretty scary!!

boys and girls...are they different?

sounds like a stupid question, huh?  it is a stupid question.  of course they are different!  they are more different than any one man could ever imagine!

so, let me narrow my question.  as a father, do you parent them differently?  do you treat them differently with punishment?  do they have the same rules?  

honestly, i dont notice treating them any differently...most of the time.  my kids are 4 years apart so they are at different stages.  and they dont understand what one does the other one may not be able to.  i dont know how to accurately explain to them that they are in different stages and while it might not seem fair, it really is fair.  anyway, the following story will shed some light on my situation.  

well...tonight, i got my answer as to if i am treating them differently.  long story short, at dinner we told them both in order to get dessert they needed to try something new.  they didnt have to eat it all, they just had to try it.  eric did pretty good.  well, he stepped up and said he would try cooked carrots.  it took him 10 minutes to chew up the tiniest piece, but he did try something new.

kinley on the other hand wasnt having any of it.  this child does not eat but a hand full of things.  seriously, at day care they circle what she ate...most days NONE is circled on all most all things except bread and milk.  anyway, she would not try anything.  she cried and cried.  i put her dessert right in front of her face to try and bargain with her...still no dice. ONE BITE, i pleaded.  tears is all i got.

i admire my kids stubbornness.  i know where they got it, their mom! ha  so, i gave in and if she went outside to play with her mom and brother after dinner, then she couldnt have a dunkin donut like her brother, but she could have a piece of freshly made banana bread.

well, eric caught wind of this travesty and he had some words for his mom.  he asked kim, "how come sister doesnt have to always do what she is supposed to.  but she still gets her way when she cries.  IT IS LIKE SHE HYPNOTIZES YOU GUYS WHEN SHE CRIES!"   all we could do is laugh and say guilty.

let me know if you have any stories...or advice!

one pic from vacation

me n kinley aren't scared! (just dont look at our faces!)

kiddos

i have two of the most unbelievable kids. i get so caught up in the moment sometime that i forget about how different they are. and how i have to learn how to communicate with them differently. they learn differently, they like different things, they respond to discipline differently...it is crazy!!

eric is the oldest, and he is pretty low key. one amazing thing about him is his heart. he always wants to help/befriend the kids who are not the most athletic or the best at whatever it is they are doing. he migrates toward them and says things to me, like...i just wanted them to be in on stuff too dad. how cool is that? he loves video games, the kid would sit in front of the tv playing games all day if i let him. in fact, we have had to limit his play time at that. he gets to play video games on mon, wed, fri and sat.

kinley on the other hand is the comedian,(i dont know the femine form of that word)(i know there is one, i just dont know how to spell it)she is probably says more funny stuff than any other kid i have been around. she is just a spirit that is laughing most of the time and she likes to be the center of attention. she could care less about being inside, dont get me wrong...there are times when she wants to watch backyardigans, but if she can she is going to be outside! playing, swinging, sliding...picking flowers(dandelions and clover).

i love them both so much! i am blessed beyond anything i could ever deserve...