Cooper Family 2013 Review...

So each year I like to write a little blog post, kinda like a New Years Letter to not only let our friends and family know about what we did last year but also to reflect on the things that God taught us in our lives this year.  No year is ever complete without having a learning experience from the Lord and for our family 2013 was JUST that!

Pumpkin (7), will be having her 8th birthday in almost 30 days!  She has shown a more grown up side this past year and I cannot believe she is no longer my little baby!  This year I have witnessed all our labor and hard work molding her into a child who LOVES the Lord, pay off!  She is very strong about telling people that she isn't allowed to do something that she knows mom and dad wouldn't approve of, she has become very honest to where I know I can believe whatever she tells me and I know she wouldn't tell a lie.  She is so helpful around the house and always completes her chores happily without complaint!  She is in 2nd grade this year and is doing so well with her work!  She is definitely better at spelling and math than I ever was!

Little Bear (6), is in first grade this year, she is doing really well in math and does all her work very well.  She is my little fashionista and is always designing new outfits and hairstyles for the other kids.  She has stepped up this year as my "little mommy."  She LOVES the babies and has a sweet way about her where they all just love her!  She loves to hold the baby and rock her, and speaks so sweetly to Goobies and helps with changing diapers without me asking her at all.  I've made a point to not ask them to change diapers or take care of the babies because I just feel that it is my job to do those things, but she loves to help with the babies.  She has also started to blossom as such an encourager.  She loves to make Nathan and I little notes here and there to tell us how much she loves us and cares about us.

Hobble-bobble (4) is starting to hear her conscience.  Used to be, when the little ones would start getting into things they shouldn't, she was right there next to them doing the same thing.  But now she come to us and tells us that they are doing wrong instead of joining in.  This year she is too young to do school with us so she does learning websites online.  She has actually learned to read this way!  She has started reading easy stuff and really enjoys learning.  She has been begging me to start Kindergarten this year but I'm determined to wait till she is 5 so that I can group her with Sweet-Pea and do K with both of them next year like I did with Pumpkin and Little Bear.

Sweet-pea (3) has had a blast playing in our new house!  She is OBSESSED with Twilight-sparkle on My Little Pony, and the color purple.  This kid would watch My Little Pony 24/7 if I let her!  She has started trying to be "mommy's little helper" especially when I'm in the kitchen.  She loves to feel like a big girl and loves to help make dinner and treats for the whole family!

Goobies (2) still has a love affair with her passy.  This child is the ONLY child I've had who was A. attached to a passy, and B. had one past 1 year.  When she turned 1, she picked up a passy that she found one day and I haven't been able to get it away from her since.  This coming year we will be starting to phase out her passy!  She is also in the temper tantrum stage.  She HATES to be told no and it begins with a soft whine and ends with  full out spread eagle on the floor!  LOL  Gotta love the two's!
Baby Dumplin' (4mo) is doing great!  She is still nursing and growing.  She has taken a love to a new bear lovey we bought her for Christmas and will sleep well as long as it is touching her cheek.  She is sleeping through the night now and has recently put herself on a every three hour schedule with her feedings.  She is itching to sit up and look around so she also got a bumbo seat for Christmas as well to help her with that longing.


Nathan & I are doing great, our marriage is wonderful and our love for each other grows with each passing day.  His back pain is off and on now- some days it seems under control but others he is in a lot of pain.  We've been researching other natural remedies to help him with it and are still in the process of that.  I will be starting classes back through LU Online in a few weeks and looking forward to continuing my degree.

Our family has gone through a ton to ups and downs this year with trying to purchase our new house, but we've also seen God do so many miracles in the process.  We put the initial contract on it in October of 2012, and had to have that contract re-approved three times.  It was even put on the auction block and we were only notified 24 hours before hand.  We were on Channel 6 news twice and Senator Tim Kain stepped in to help us save the house!  Only God could have made all that happen for us!  Our girls were able to watch God's hand at work this year as we prayed as a family daily, asking God to give us this home and one by one he answered each and every one of them!  We still have yet to close on the house, but we've been living here for 4 months now!  We have complete faith that God will make this happen for us in 2014!  If there is anything we've learned this year about the Lord it is that he is FAITHFUL!  God WILL supply all of our needs!  HIS plan is the best plan, not our own.  But most importantly we've had to learn to let go of our own plans and realize that God is always in control...good, or bad, we are always right where he wants us to be right when we need to be there!!  After three years of heart ache, and even at times (for me) questioning if God was even hearing me, He has shown his face to us this year!  Any doubts I ever had about God before have all been blown away this year.  Through everything we've gone through we just kept holding on and saying and believing that "God is in Control!"   And thank GOD that he was!

We are looking forward to 2014- we KNOW that God has HUGE plans in store for us again this year, and even though those plans may not be our plans, or what we would like to happen in our lives, we know that His way, is the BEST way!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!