From Us to You

 

Day of Silence

Prayers

From the words of a children's book...What a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.  The events that occurred today at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT is simply very tragic and unnerving.  I couldn't even bring myself to watch any TV, surf the web, or check updates on my phone until about 5 o'clock this evening because as an educator myself, I just can't imagine what school officials, students, parents, and members of this community have gone through today.  To be honest...it is a living nightmare and I just can't make sense of any of this.  As teachers, parents entrust us to care for their kids and today, there were 40 parents who once again sent their children to school thinking this would be another day of learning.  Tonight they will go to bed with any parent's worst nightmare sadly being a reality for them.  I know everyone has their opinion on how this could have been prevented, etc., but let us know forget that the lives a many were forever changed today by the acts on a single person.  I pray that these families and this community find peace and comfort from the Lord during this time of grief and that we as a nation, instead of pointing fingers or looking for answers, simply remember that tomorrow is not guaranteed and to rest in the everlasting promise of our Almighty King.  And don't forget to hug those you love a little tighter tonight.

Would I?

The holiday season completely brings on a new meaning once you have children.  This year is my 5th Christmas as a mother and boy are we having some fun.  Art, our elf from Santa, is definitely keeping us all on our toes and on our best behavior and we are having a great time making other Christmas memories as a family...making holiday decorations and treats, driving around to see the lights, watching holiday movies, and the list goes on. 

But amidst all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I can't help but wonder what it was like to be Mary.  Throughout my life, I have often wondered this and have greatly respected her giving birth to the King.  Would have responded in the manner Mary did when she learned she would be the mother of the world's Savior?  I can confidently say no.  A co-worker of mine, who just became a mother herself,  has also had this on her heart and she shared about this this morning at our weekly FCA meeting.  It is crazy to think that Mary was only 13, the age of many of our students, at the time of Jesus' birth and I think this really hit home with many of our kids.  I know that I for sure definitely don't have the obedience of Mary at the age of 31, let alone the age of 13.  I can't imagine having the knowledge of knowing one of my children was going to die, but she did, and lived a full life of glorifying God and being unselfish all the while--something I definitely struggle with. But I am so thankful she did.  I pray that we all remember the sacrifice not only Jesus made for all of us, but also the sacrifice of this earthly mother and the heartache she ultimately endured for us.

7 Wonderful Years...

...one home purchase, 2 kids, several vacations, many moments of laughter and tears later we are still going strong.  Happy 7th Anniversary, Justin!

Happy 730 Days to Our Little Guy

Happy 2nd Birthday, Beckham Glen!  You are the delight of our lives and we are blessed that God chose us to be your earthly parents.  Thanks for keeping us on your toes with your curious mind, making us laugh and sometimes even cry, and for teaching us how to see things through the eyes of spunky toddler boy.  We love you so much...here's to being two.

 Newborn

 

 One Year Old

 

Two Years Old



Fall Fun...Coffer Style

Just a bit of what we have been up to in pictures...

 

 

One Messed Up World

This is all I can think about with the recent events that have occurred in two different parts of our country.  The first involved a students from my school district.  I didn't have her in class, but I know some of her family and the circumstances of her disappearance and death are just sickening.  You can read more about this case and investigation here.There have been several tears shed in our community over the past week and once again we are reminded on who fragile life can be and that we can NEVER be too protective of our kiddos.

The other missing girl is a 10-year old from Colorado who was abducted on her way to school last Friday in the area where my sister and brother-in-law live.  Her backpack and water bottle were found right near my sister's old apartment and they are currently waiting for news as to whether a body found today in a park is hers.

These two events have left me doing A LOT of reflecting this week about the world we actually live in.  All I can do for these two girls and their families is pray, but that definitely doesn't take away the pain they are experiencing.  Yet at the same time it also leaves my reflecting on the omnipotence of our God and the hope we have in Him.  Would you also please for these two families? And also, please hold your babies a little tighter tonight.

Pray for Our Little Guy

It has been a rough 24 hours at the Coffer household.  We noticed over the weekend that Beckham had a bump on his upper leg, but it looked just like that, a bump, so we didn't think much of it.  He spent the day with my Mom on Monday and she said she noticed the bump, but didn't think anything of it either.  Just to note, B has very sensitve skin, so he frequently gets these bumps and also rashes so we figured the spot was the same thing.  Unfortunately, not so much.


Note: The following might be a bit graphic or TMI.
Fast forward to last night.  Justin went to soccer practice and the kids and I went to a volleyball game at my school.  Willard was playing Bolivar and one of our favorite people, Shelby, plays for Bolivar so we couldn't miss the game.  We all got home around the same time and shortly after we began to get Beckham ready for a bath.  That is when I gasped and noticed that the "bump" on his leg had a dark center and the area around it was as hard as a rock.  Justin pressed on the area and gunk began to ooze from the spot.  We cleaned the area, gave him his bath, put antibiotic cream on the area, and put him to bed.

This morning when I got him up, he was incredibly fussy, but the spot didn't look any worse.  However, within 20 minutes, Beckham was sobbing uncontrolably and wouldn't let us even touch his leg.  Cue major panic because it was already 6:15, which is too late for me to call into work and get a sub and Justin had a big project to work on.  We were trying to figure out what to do when I check on Makenna, who is getting ready, and she tells me she doesn't look good and she looks pale.  Oh the joys of parenthood.

We finally decide that Justin would take the kids in to the doctor and we would go from there.  I head off to work and within 5 minutes Makenna is better, but Beckham certainly is not.  To make a long story short, we learned that somehow, from somewhere Beckham got an abscess.  He is a beautiful picture of his leg.

He is currently on an antibiotic and we are monitoring him very closely for the next 48 hours (well now only 36).  If the antibiotic is working it will be evident by then.  If not, we have to take him back in to have it cultured to see what it is and at that point we are facing the possibility of inpatient surgery to drain and clear it.  In the meantime, Justin and I have the joy of soaking and draining the spot 3 times and day and this is honestly the hardest thing we have had to do as parents.  Beckham is in so much pain when we do this, but so much "stuff" comes out and it is amazing that his little body can hold so much infection in one little spot.  The good news is that when we drained it before we put him to bed tonight it appeared we may had gotten the core of the abscess out so hopefully he will be better in the morning.  Please pray that the antibiotics work and that he will quit hurting.  Also pray that it doesn't spread to any of the rest of us, which is a possibility.

Our God is Greater

This is a truth that Justin and I have known for most of our lives, but a situation we are currently in has just reminded us of this fact.  About a year ago, we began to feel that maybe the church we had been attending for about 6 years wasn't where God wanted us to be, but we weren't sure if it was simply our dissatisfaction of some things at our church prompting this feeling or if it was something else.  We began to pray about the situation and this past spring we both felt that God was leading us somewhere else.  After much prayer and some reservation on our part, we attended Freshwater Church in my hometown of Bolivar and it has seriously been on of the best decisions we have made in our marriage--or should I say we are thankful God had this plan for us.  Since we began attending this church in March we have been incredibly challenged not only in our own personal walks with Christ, but have also been burdened and gained huge hearts for the people around us and their need for the Gospel.  The church's mission statement is "Glorify God, Advance the Gospel" and we, individually, and as a family have taken this to a new level in our lives.  When we started attending Freshwater we had no clue whether it would become our "home" or not, but God has revealed that this is where he wants our family and he is doing INCREDIBLE things through this congregation that are so exciting. We are now seeing how God is and also praying that he will continue to use us to advance the Gospel.  God is Greater than all of our desires, wants, and dreams, and let me just say He never ceases to amaze us.  There is so much more to this story and I will be sure to share as it all unfolds. 

Randomness

Random thoughts:

-Being that we were just in the Gulf  one month ago, Hurrican Isaac is something our family is watching very closely.  At only 4 years old, Makenna is very concerned that the hurricane might damage "our" beach house, so it has been a topic of conversation at our house for the past few days.  We just pray for all those down there and hope the damage is kept to a minimum.

-The school year is in full swing and so far so good.  I have a good group of kids and Makenna is enjoying preschool.  We are amazed at how much she has learned already and we can't wait to see the progress she makes the rest of the year.  It is hard to believe she will be in kindergarten this time next year.

-Beckham will be 2 in 2 months.  Holy moly!  Guess I need to start planning a party.

-Soccer begins next week for both Justin and Makenna.  Fun times.  No, I am not playing, but instead I am training for a 5k run on October 6th.

-I cannot wait to cooler weather.  I LOVE Fall and everything about it.

My Loves...

And they love each other, too!

Traveling with Kids

Thank goodness for Pinterest!  I have found some wonderful ideas that I have done to help us prepare for vacation and I am hopeful that they will be worth the time it took to prepare.  First off, I did that whole "put one outfit in a Ziploc" idea.  I am not sure it it really saved any suitcase space, but it will be nice for the kids to just grab a bag and put the clothes on instead of me having to find an outfit for them.  The other idea that I am very proud of is the snack boxes for the kids.  We went to Michaels and got craft storage boxes (it is easier if you find the ones that have the removable parts so you can adjust the size of the sections) and some stickers.  We then headed home and we had "craft time" and the kiddos decorated their boxes.  Makenna and Beckham both had a blast doing this and I must admit that I did, too.  And, yes, I did help Beckham with his and I did put the letters on for them.

After the kids went to be I packed the boxes with snacks.  This is where it is helpful if you get the boxes with adjustable sections because I was able to make them bigger if needed.  Believe it or not there are 12 snacks in each box and I made bags to refill them as well. 

You don't have to put the snacks in individual bags, but I did so that the kids can just take out a snack of their choice and then put the box away.  I am hoping this will prevent fighting over snacks or accusations that someone at someone else's part of the snack.  Both kids are super excited about the boxes.  I will let you know how they work, but I must go finish packing.  T-minus 20 hours and we're 'Bama Bound!!

T-minus 3 weeks until...

Image Courtesry of http://gulfshoresluxuryrentals.com/

And we cannot wait!!!

St. Louis Trip

We have been so busy I haven't had a chance to post a few pictures from our trip to St. Louis last weekend.  We had a great time, but unfortunately the only pictures I took were at the zoo. 

 She had to pose with the warthogs due to her current obsession with Lion King.

 Petting the stingrays.

 Mom, please stop asking me to turn around for a picture.

 Finally, he decided to smile.

 My two boys.

 Makenna loved the penguins.

Justin and Makenna.  If you look closely, the brown thing in the tree is a lion.

A Country Wedding and a Holiday Weekend

This past Saturday my sister got married and Makenna was one of the flower girls in the wedding.  We survived being in 90 degree weather for about 7 hours without air conditioning and the kids did great.  Needless to say, we are spending our holiday today just relaxing at home and luckily I get to spend the rest of the week with the kids before summer school begins next Monday.

The place of the ceremony

 The black snake that really wanted to be a part of the wedding.

The beautiful flower girl.

 Mak and Beck

 Family photo

 Makenna again

 The entire family

 Her moment finally arrived

 And she is done

 Justin and Beckham during the ceremony

 Poor Beckham was so tired of being out in the 90 degree heat

The kids with Cooper, Tori, and Shelby--a ring bear and the flower girls

from our wedding.  Where has the time gone?  Below is a picture to compare.

18 months (a few weeks late) and an awesome weekend

Beckham turned 18 months old a few weeks ago, but things have been so crazy that I haven't had a chance to post.  At his check-up he weighed 23 pounds and was 32 1/2 inches long.  His vocabulary has exploded over the past month and some of his favorite things to say are "I want down", "Ma" (which is Makenna), "sissy", "go-go-go", "ball", "I'm done", etc.  He loves to read and play outside and he is definitely just all boy.  I also had planned to take his 18 month pictures, but everytime we were going it was either raining or extremely hot so those will come soon.

We had a pretty fabulous family weekend.  Yesterday morning we headed out early and ate breakfast at a small cafe near downtown, the Brown Egg.  It definitely wasn't our favorite place, but it wasn't bad either so we might possibly venture down there again.  We then headed to a local nursery to get a few more plants and flowers for our beds and pots and then went to the new farmer's market in town.  We loaded up on fresh strawberries, asparagus, bread, tomatoes, and grass-fed beef and let's just say we had a great dinner last night.  After all that we headed home and I began working on some craft projects I needed to get done (retirement gifts for co-workers and teacher appreciation gifts for Makenna's teacher) while everyone else rested.  We spent the rest of the day just hanging out at home, grilled some dinner, the kids played outside in the water (yes, pictures will come of that soon), and ended the evening watching "We Bought a Zoo" after the kids were in bed.

Today, we finished planting all our plants, I finished a new landscaping project in the backyard and just mowed.  We decided to not go to church because I knew we had several hours of yardwork to do and we wanted to get the majority done before the afternoon got so warm.  We then spent the afternoon and evening hanging out as a family and we just now got both kiddos to bed.

This week should also be an amazing one because we are celebrating two groups of people near and dear to us--teachers and mothers.  Don't forget to honor those in your lives that fall into either or both of those categories.

Easter and Soccer

Easter weekend was pretty fun and eventful for us.  The week before we attended an Easter bash in Bolivar put on by my childhood church and the kids had fun hunting for eggs.

 Justin helping B hunt for eggs.

 Makenna gathering her eggs.

Easter morning was spent in Bolivar because Justin and I got back home from Kansas City late on Saturday. (More on that here in a minute).  Both kids really enjoyed what the Easter bunny left for them and between that and what family members gave them they are well stocked on sweets until they are both teenagers.  Ok, that might be a slight exaggeration, but they got a lot!!!  We had a wonderful time of worship and a tremendously powerful message at church and then just spent the remainder of the day relaxing and playing with the kids. 



 Makenna loved her new Baby Alive doll.

 Beckham with his Easter basket.

 The best picture I could get with both of them.

 Makenna was so excited to get Bambi.

 Our sweet little boy.

As I mentioned above Justin and I spent part of the weekend in Kansas City.  We had absolutely nothing on our agenda besides the main reason we went and it was a great time.  So, why did we go?  Here is the reason...



Our first MLS game--Sporting KC vs. LA Galaxy.  And here is one of the reasons I was so excited...

 My soccer man, Landon Donovan.  My other soccer man David Beckham also plays for the galaxy, but he was injuryed and wasn't there. :(

Photos with Bunnies

As promised, here are some of the pictures with the bunnies. Both kids absolutely loved playing and taking pictures with them.  It has become such a fun family tradition.

This picture, similar to the one above, was taken in 2010.

So fun to compare how she has changed.