Husband Tag (Happy Anniversary!)

I've been tagged by Julia, and it couldn't have happened on a more perfect day! It's our 8-year anniversary today. What a great eight years it has been. I read a wonderful quote this past week that sums up our life experiences in the last eight years. It said, "Don't let the challenges in life deflate you. If one dream dies, dream a new dream!" We laugh when people use the phrase, "we'll have to go on to plan 'B'" because with all the doors closing and windows opening over the last several years, we are about on plan "CC." How great it is that we have had each other to get through the challenges and dream new dreams!


So, here's the husband tag:

What is his name? Stephen (a.k.a. Skonkdogg)

How did you meet him? We met the day he got home from his mission. I was already friends with his sister, Liz, and went over to see her and meet her brother. We both went on with other plans over the summer, but "met" again in the parking lot of Midland College when he pulled up in his little red kia to say hello. We became good friends after that!

How long have you been married? Eight years, TODAY!

How long did you date? That's a tough one. We were friends for so long and hung out a lot. Then, he went to A&M. I visited him over spring break, and we realized we were more than just friends. I still don't think we really had a date then; it was still just hanging out. We emailed back and forth and he came to see me over Memorial Day. That was probably our first date. We dated over the summer and got engaged the last day of September. So, I guess you could say we dated, off-and-on, for five months before we got engaged. However, we continue dating even to this day!

How old is he? 31

How old are you? 28

Who eats more sweets? I do, but I think we both would rather had extra pizza or Mexican food than dessert.

Who is taller? He is, by a few inches. I wouldn't have dated him if he had been shorter than I am.

Who is the better singer? With a name like "Melodee," it better be me. I am not the best singer in my family, so I don't share it as often as I should. Wait, I guess I really could say I am the best singer in MY family: Stephen says he can't carry a tune in a bucket, and Kyle can't sing anything but random tones.

Who is smarter? Depends on the topic. It comes easier to me, but Stephen works harder and is working on growing his "second brain." With that extra capacity for knowledge, I'm sure he will soon surpass my abilities.

Who does the laundry? I do, unless I ask him for some help.

Who does the dishes? I do on the nights he works. He does on his days off. Neither of us likes to do dishes.

Who pays the bills? He does....thank you! Maybe I will start doing them, since I won't be working anymore.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do.

Who mows the lawn? Manuel Labor. Stephen doesn't want any lawn in our future home. He wants just enough for Atlas to be able to go potty, and the rest to be either a pool or rocks. He doesn't like a lot of grass. I do, however, so will probably get the job of mowing the lawn. By the time we actually have a house, though, Kyle will be old enough to take it over. Ask me this question again in a few years!

Who cooks dinner? We share this responsibility. I do most of the cooking, but he will help out on his days off. He's a great griller and makes EXCELLENT pizzas!

Who drives? Are you kidding? Do I even have to answer? I do well just to stay awake on road trips. I've gotten much better over the years.

Besides you, who is his best friend? His brothers are his best friends. His B.F.F. is Brad. His "Scrote Club" bestest pal is Bob.

Who asked who out first? He asked me.

What was your first date? When he came to visit me in Midland, he asked me to go eat at Taco Villa. Then, we went to buy ice cream and go for a drive in a red, convertible Mustang that his mom was babysitting for someone. We drove around town and went to the Midland College parking lot. Let's just say, most of the ice cream melted. ;)

Who proposed? He did, of course.

Who has more siblings? I do, with 5. He has 3.

What is your favorite thing about him? He is a rock. He has a strong foundation in many aspects of life: his faith, his temperament, his ideals, his goals. He is the reason I do not lose hope when something doesn't work out in the way we had planned. He continues to have faith and dream new dreams, even when his old dreams die. He is my best friend and my perfect match. I also love that he loves me unconditionally and deeply. I NEVER have to question his love.

Happy Anniversary, Stephen. I love you!


I tag: Liz

Father and Son Outing

Where do a father and son go when they want a great adventure together? Hobbs, America, of course! Yesterday, Stephen took Kyle on a little road trip to his old stomping grounds. His B.F.F. (Brad) was in town to celebrate his father's retirement, so Stephen jumped on the chance to see his pal, who lives in Missouri. Stephen got to meet the two of Brad and Rebecca's kids he hasn't met, and the whole family got to meet Kyle! Here's Brad's clan: Brad and Rebecca; the kids: Seth, Manna, Braeden, and Kade. (I'm sure I misspelled some of those names, but you get the idea!)


Okay, let's be honest. What is the REAL Stephen packed up his baby and set out on a road trip today? To go to La Fiesta! Here's some pictures of everyone, including Butch and Barbara, at the best Mexican food place in the world!

Stephen didn't get any pictures of himself and Kyle on this Father/Son outing, but he got this one of Brad and his boys...and Kyle.

Kyle and Seth

"Kyle, don't stick out your tongue at me!"

"But Brad's doing it!"

A New Arrival

When I picked Kyle up from Rebecca's house yesterday, she said, "he's been an angry elf today." He was not his usual self and easily upset that day. Well, today I picked him up, and we may have found out the reason: he has a new tooth! Here are some pictures of him breaking in the new arrival by chomping on my keys!

Memorial Day

The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.
-Benjamin Disraeli


Four things support the world: the learning of the wise, the justice of the great, the prayers of the good, and the valor of the brave.
-Muhammad

Happy Memorial Day! Kyle and I went to the cemetery to place flowers on the graves of his two great-grandpas! He has never been out there before, so it was nice to have a special day to make a trip. First, I had to get everything out of the car: Kyle, a blanket, the camera, and the flowers. Next, we headed over to Gramps' bench. Just then, I looked down and saw a HUGE snake crossing the sidewalk! Talk about lack of courage! I didn't even realize that I had a little bit of fear involved until I was caught off-guard and not easily protected, with all that stuff in my arms! Good thing he wasn't a rattlesnake, so I just let him go on his way to whichever grave he was headed.

After spending some time at Gramps' spot, we headed out to look for Billy B's. I knew it wasn't far away, but couldn't remember exactly where it was. It only took about five minutes to find, thank goodness! I wish Kyle would have been able to meet these two great men, but their memories will live on as we share stories and help pass on their great legacies.

Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.
-Billy Graham

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.
-Joseph CampbellThe secret of Happiness is Freedom, and the secret of Freedom, Courage.
-Thucydides

Mean Kitty

We don't have a great track record with pets. I am blind in one eye because a cat scratched it out when I was 2 1/2. With this in mind, I keep a close eye (since I only have one) on Kyle and Atlas together. Atlas has been around lots of kids and loves them, but sometimes she loves them too much. Tonight, she was trying to get Kyle to shake paws with her, and she got his face. He was in shock for a few seconds, not realizing what had just happened. Two scratch marks went down his forehead. Atlas felt bad when Kyle started crying and went to get him a toy right away. You can barely see the scratches in the pictures. Luckily, it wasn't an eye!

Welcome, Welcome, Sabbath Morning

Kyle was such a good boy at church today! He sat and played quietly, took a nap, and hung out with Dad, while Mom went to work with the Young Women. He's getting so big and so mature! The little bottle of pink amoxycillin really did its job. Thanks, modern medicine, for bringing back the regular, normal, happy Kyle!

Party at Grama Sue's

At 4:00 this afternoon, I got a call from Grama Sue, inviting us over for dinner. She wanted to get everyone together in celebration of my cousin, Rachael's, graduation. Tonight was the only open night in Rachael's busy last week of being a senior. So, we had short notice for a party!

Rachael and Grama Sue

Uncle Mark and Stephen
(Mark's always glad when Stephen can come to these family functions, since there's another guy around. He's surrounded by women!

Auntie Deb, Aunt Terri, & Rachael

We had a great time. Kyle ate peaches and avocados and mashed potatoes and squash and ice cream. He also tried to chow down on some plastic food, such as this fake tomato, hamburger bun, and corn-on-the-cob, but none of that compared to the real stuff!

After a good meal, it was time to explore. He went over to the window and tried to get out. You can see all the hand prints on the glass! (Sorry, Grama Sue!)

Next, he went to the window to play with the blinds.

They have now been tested to withstand the weight of a 10-month old!

Kyle still refuses to learn how to go down stairs backwards, one step at a time. He prefers to take it head first. He's so stubborn, having to prove to all of us stupid adults that HIS method works and that he doesn't need to do it our way! It may work at Grama Sue's, where there is only one step. The same method on a staircase is an accident waiting to happen!

Pioneer Pup Press

Another Field Day!

The Jane Long Elementary "Fearless Fifth Grade" Field Day results are in. The Cooper Cougars slashed through their competition by taking first place overall! WHOOP! Thanks to teamwork and never giving up, we were able to come out with the highest final score, even after being behind at half-time. Sadly, we were only able to squeak out third place in the tug-of-war. Our yell went: S-U-C-C-E-S-S: that's the way we spell success! Rake 'em, shake 'em, let 'em guess: the Cooper Cougars are the best! We lived up to our motto!

The best part of the whole thing was how my class worked together and came up with the awesome idea of making a team banner, which all the other teams imitated. Several kids stayed after school to work on the design. I even had a student want to be the mascot and make his own costume! The whole class cheered each other on, even when we were going to come in last in an individual race. It was great fun!

The Allenators beamed down from some other planet to come kick everyone's butts in the tug-of-war. Unfortunately, they used up all their power, had very little left for the races, and took 4th place overall. They were happy just being "strong and cute."

In employment news, Mrs. Al, the Science Gal interviewed for a science coach job for the school district. She found out yesterday that she had been chosen. (And, she says she's not a scientist and only plays one on t.v. Who is she trying to fool?)

Mrs. Cooper is on high-alert countdown to summer, and possibly never teaching again. What a year to end with, though! We haven't received the final TAKS scores, but 91% of my 5th graders passed, which is WAY above the district average of 82%. We are 4th out of all the schools. Not too shabby! Maybe my "Blast the TAKS Out of the Park" game helped out...see the bulletin board behind me.

In other TAKS news, those of you who remember reading my post about the boy who wrote on his TAKS test about "The Best Day Ever," will be shocked to hear that this young man...."porno boy"....passed. Wait, not only did he pass, but he was given a Commended rating! It must have been a man who scored his passage. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, I posted quotes from his writing sample in an April post called "Boys.")


Here's me and the teachers I've worked with this year. Jessica Cabello, me, Rhonda Brunson, Michele Allen. We've had a great year!

The Mooch

Kyle knows and loves food. I'm going to have to become a closet eater soon! Every time I try to eat a meal, Kyle is RIGHT there, begging for a crumb. I know I'm not the only one. He does it everyday to Rebecca, his babysitter, not Hubba's Rebecca. She also has to make sure to vacuum the floor after the girls eat, so Kyle doesn't crawl around, collecting and devouring their remains. He's like a vulture or something, scavenging for his next meal. By the way, carbs (of any kind,) are his favorite!

Here's a few pictures of Mooch in action:

Grandma Polly's Bread
(What did I tell you about the carbs?)

Uncle Bando's ice cream

Searching for food in Uncle Hubba's mouth:

Nothing in there; time to move on!

We Need Your Help

Anyone who knows the Coopers knows that first names are RARELY used. Nicknames abound in the house of Cooper. That's where we need some help!

Chris...sorry, Uncle Hubba, recently got engaged to Rebecca Murdock. They will be married on August 9th. However, Rebecca does NOT have a nickname!!! (I've heard Hubba call her "Long Legs Lenore," but I got the feeling this name was not well received.)

To help us in our quest, I have compiled a list of things about the girl. Something from the list may spark a nickname. Let me know, and we'll see if we can figure one out before the "big day."



She:
comes from a big family (12 kids)
LOVES sweets...almost abnormally, like she can down HUGE desserts, by herself!
is an Aries (April 19th)
plays the piano
used to drive an "old, ghetto Buick" until she crash/killed it
will be in the College of Agriculture at A&M

Likes:
old movies/black and white musicals
shopping
laying out to work on her tan
tennis/basketball
quoting movies....especially Disney
comedians
Chinese food
TLC..What Not to Wear
art/design


Okay. That's what we have to work with. I open it to the masses. The floor is yours to suggest nicknames for the soon-to-be Mrs. Hubba!

Please help my Uncle Hubba find a nickname for Rebecca!