Thanksgiving Fun

We had a very laid back and enjoyable Thanksgiving this year. The weekend before Thanksgiving we got together with Jerrod's family. Katelyn loved birng at aunt Brenda's becuse there were cows and lots of tractors!! She convinced Jerrod to get in the "big one" with her!!

We spent Thanksgiving Day at home. My dad came over and spent most of the day with us. Caleb, Becky, Gavin and Grayson came over that afternoon and we enjoyed a wonderful meal - Jerrod cooked steaks!!

I think this is the first of many "driving" trips for these two. We are going to have our hands full when they really know what they are doing!!

Carter and Grayson hung out in the house most of the time. Carter was sweet enough to share his toys!!

Poor Little Carter

Even after I swore Carter would not be the neglected 2nd child, it seems it has turned out that way. As I was thinking about this, I realized I have not even changed the title of our blog - it still just says Jerrod, Melinda, and Katelyn. Luckily, he is so much more laid back than Katelyn ever thought about being!!! He just goes with flow and takes life as it comes. For example - last night I REALLY needed to get the dishes washed, toys put away and the laundry folded. I put Carter in the backpack and off we went. This is how I found him about an hour later - sorry Bob!!!

Carter's 1st Pictures

We went to have pictures taken on Wednesday. Carter was a natural in front of the camera. Katelyn was great as long as she did not have to sit next to her brother - what a stinker!!! We did manage to get 1 picture of the two of them that was decent. There were so many good ones of them individually, but here are a couple of my favorites.

Happy Halloween

On Friday, the kids went with me to school for a little bit to enjoy our annual parade of costumes. Carter was laid back as usual and Katelyn enjoyed dancing to the music. After the parade I took the kids to daycare where they enjoyed a small party with thier friends. Friday night we stopped by Gran Gran's for a bite to eat before heading to the track team's Halloween party. We did not go trick or treating on Saturday because I was still not feeling very well.

Our family with Linda. She is one of Jerrod's javelin throwers. This is the best picture I have of the kids together.

I have given up on trying to get a good picture of the two of them together. It was so much easier when Katelyn wasn't moving!!! I made their costumes this year - I don't think they are too terrible.

Carter - easy going as usual!!!

Katelyn as Pebbles!!!!!

8 weeks old

I cannnot believe that our little man is already 8 weeks old. We had a visit with Dr. Wiley on Tuesday and everything is looking great!!! Carter weighs 12 lbs 10 oz and is 23 inches long. Needless to say, Dr. Wiley did not have any concerns about his eating or growth. I am sorry this picture is the wrong way - just turn your head to see his beautiful smile!


Katelyn is also doing well. She has kept Jerrod and I laughing the past couple of weeks. She is always on the move and keeps us entertained from the time she wakes up until it is time to go to bed!! I was so excited that she finally let me attempt to fix her hair. I know it is not beautiful, but I am trying!!!

We are so excited to meet the newest member of our family. Last Thursday, my brother and sister in law were blessed with the arrival Grayson Jack. It is very difficult to get them all to look at the camera at the same time so this is the best shot we have!!

Time Flies When.....

So much has happened since my last post.

First, we welcomed our sweet little boy, Carter Blaine, to the world on August 10th. We are so glad that he is here and is healthy. He has grown so much over the past 6 weeks. Everytime I look at him I feel totally blessed!!!

On August 17th I hit the big 3-0!!! It was not as bad as I thought it would be. I guess when you have 2 kids that are under 2 you don't have time to feel old.

On Monday, I started back to school and Carter has his first day a daycare. I was not really as tired as I thought I would be. I guess that Carter enjoyed his school also. He is so lucky to have Katelyn there to show hime the ropes!!!

Katelyn has not really seemed bothered by the arrival of her brother. She hasn't missed a beat. She is constantly doing new things and keeping us entertained. I love hearing her try to say new words and trying new things. She is climbing all over everything which is very scary - she has my coordination!!!

This picture sums up our life right now - Carter so relaxed and going with the flow, Katelyn mad because she can't have the camera!!

The next Usain Bolt??????

Katelyn and Tiger playing!!!

Baby Boy Cook Update

After a weekend of contractions, I had a scheduled doctors appointment this morning. I have already dialated to a 3 and the baby is in a good position. If nothing changes between now and then, I am scheduled to be induced next Monday, the 10th. Jerrod, Katelyn, and I are all ready to meet the newest member of our family!!!

Happy Birthday Baby Kate!!!!

Oh how far we have come in a year. I cannot believe how the time has flown by. You have been a fighter since the second you were born and have not stopped since. If anything, being born early has made you stonger. Your daddy and I have enjoyed every minute we have had with you and cannot wait to see what is to come!!! Happy birthday sugar bear!!!!

Water Fun

Katelyn has taken to the water this summer like a fish!!! She loves to play in the water no matter where she is. We have been swimming a few times at my mom's house and she seems to like it as long as there is not anyone else around. She is really not to fond of other people splashing her or even thinking about it!!

We were blessed yesterday with rain!!!! After it stopped we had to go outside and check it out. She felt the need to really inspect this puddle that formed on our front porch. Smokey was right there with her but did not feel the need to jump in!!

If you notice there are bricks on our porch. We have wanted to do this for a while and were finally able to have it done a couple of weeks ago. Our house looks so much different now. Jerrod and Glenn are working on the porch now so it should be looking really good in a couple of weeks.

Time Flies When Your Having Fun!!

I can't believe that I have not updated in sooooo long!! There have been so many exciting things happen-I hope that I can remember them all!!

Let's start with baby Kate. A couple of weeks ago she decided that it was FINALLY time to start crawling. She has been trying forever, but just has not been patient enough. As I was texting Jerrod, who was at the state track meet, I look over and she had pulled herself up on the couch!! I never imagined she would do that so fast. She has now decided crawling is highly overrated and she would rather walk. She is not walking alone yet, but loves it when whoever is available will help her walk. She is also testing out her balance. She will pull herself up on whatever she can find and then let go to see how long she can stand without falling. It is so exciting to see her try all of these new things. However, in typical Katelyn fashion she is doing it like a bulldozer. She uses her face for everything-including catching herself when she falls. I hope that she can get through this without any MAJOR accidents!!! She has also started clapping and babbling so much more. She still will not say momma, but I love to listen to whatever she is saying.

As far as baby boy Cook goes we are basically playing a waiting game. At my last check-up I was measuring normal again so hopefully he will stay and "cook" a little longer. We are getting VERY anxious for his arrival, but want him to be healthy when he gets here. I have started seeing the doctor every two weeks just to monitor my progress and hopefully it will be a smooth road from here on out.

Jerrod has been staying busy working on the house and preparing for track camp. I have been helping him with track camp and trying to work on the baby's room. Hopefully after this week things will slow down for us and we can enjoy a couple of weeks of summer before things get busy again.

Wonderful Weekend

We went to San Angelo last weekend for the national track meet. I was really glad that it was so close to home so Katelyn and I could go. It rained for about 2 hours on Saturday afternoon, but other than that it was great.

Two of Jerrod's athletes were able to retain the honor of being National Champions!!!! Nick led the discus competition almost all the way. The guy that was the "favorite" to win (who has thrown over 200 ft this year) threw farther than Nick on his last throw. In true Wildcat form, Nick had an AWESOME throw on his last throw, which also happened to be the last throw of the competition, and claimed the title. It was very exciting to watch.

At the same time this was going on, Linda was busy throwing javelin. She was also able to lead the entire competetion and keep her title as national champion as well. Luckily the discus ring and the javelin runway are very close at Angelo State so Jerrod did not have to do much running in between. He was able to stand in the middle and coach them both.

After Jerrod gave the awards for the discus and javelin he had to hurry back and coach Paige in the discus. She threw very well and ended up with a 4th place finish. Nick also threw shot put on Friday evening and got 7th place. The ACU men finished in 2nd place as a team and the women 6th.

Needless to say it was a busy weekend, but we all had fun. Jerrod told me last night it was the most exciting and satisfying nationals he had ever been to. I was so excited to hear that. He puts so much time and effort into his throwers and it always makes me happy to hear that he is happy with the way the season turned out. Katelyn and I are both so proud of Jerrod and his throwers!!!

How Sweet

This is how I found the 2 loves of my life this morning. Katelyn does not usually get to sleep in the bed with us, but she got up early this morning and I had ALOT to do so I put her in bed with Jerrod. After I got myself ready for school (and field day) and our stuff ready to go to San Angelo for the national track meet I was ready to get Katelyn up. I just smiled when I walked in our bedroom and saw them sleeping so sweetly together. What a way to start the day!!!

What a Week

It has been a super crazy week at the Cook house. First of all, we have been indirectly effected by swine flu. Jerrod is the regional U.I.L. director and has been preparing for the regional track meet all month long. He found out on Wednesday that due to swine flu, all of the regional track meets had been cancelled. This made his day crazy because he had track coaches from all over calling to find out what was going to happen and if thier kids were going to advance to state. Yesterday he found out that the regional meet had been rescheduled and will take place later in May. I have been busy this week at school with TAKS testing - YUCK! I am so glad it is over and hope the last few weeks of school go smooth.

We have also been having the bedtime battle at our house this week. Katelyn gets so tired at night but HATES to go to sleep. I wonder where she gets that from - her nosey mom or her nightowl dad? Last night I finally gave up and put her in her bed instead of trying to fight her until she finally went to sleep. She only fussed for a few minutes and then was sound asleep. This is how I found her this morning though:

I guess I need to put the bumper pad back in her bed so she does not break her foot while she is getting her nightly exercise!!! I should also be concerned that there is a pillow in her head, but I know that I have seen Jerrod like that SEVERAL times so I guess it is ok.

She is also trying to crawl. She is putting more effort into crawling at school than she is at home. She thinks when she is at home that mommy or daddy will pick her up and take where she needs to go. This is one of my favorite pictures because it shows her true colors. She has a temper - believe it or not!!!! She wanted me to pick her up, but I wouldn't and she let me know exactly how mad she was!!!

I hope there is someone out there that feels sorry for her because I certainly do not. If she would be a little more patient instead of getting so angry she would already be where she wanted to go!!

We are getting ready to celebrate birthdays this weekend. Jerrod's birthday is on Sunaday and Grandpa (Glenn) and Caleb's birthday is Tuesday. I am sure that I will have some fun pictures to share next week!

Pictures from Sunday

Katelyn had fun finding all of the surprises the Easter bunny left for her.

Jerrod and Katelyn supervising Grandpa. He is putting new rocks around the flower beds.

Are you sure it is level? I don't want to stump my toe!

Having a drink with Grandpa after working hard!!!

Finally, Katelyn and Granny went to play with the fish before dinner.

"Hoppy" Easter

This is a picture of Katelyn with her friends from daycare. Cameron (on her right) brought these cute little ears for everyone. I LOVE it that I have the chunkiest bunny in the group!!!

It's a ??????????

BOY!!!!!!!

We were very excited to find out that the newest member of the Cook family will be a boy. Dr. Maberry said he weighs about 14 ounces and everything looks great. No, he does not have a name yet. We have been so busy with Katelyn and track that we really haven't had tome to think or talk about it. Also remember, Katelyn didn't have a name until she was 2 days old - we still have PLENTY of time!!!!

Easter Pictures

We took Katelyn and Gavin to have their Easter pictures taken yesterday. After that, I took Katelyn to see the Easter Bunny in the mall. I though he was a little scary, but she did not seem to mind him at all. She was really facinated by his bow tie and vest!!

Way to go Wildcats!!!!

It has been an exciting track season already for Jerrod. A couple of weeks ago at Baylor, Jerrod's javelin thrower, Linda, had an awesome meet. She threw 175 ft 8 in, which is the second best throw in NCAA Division II history. Hopefully she will improve that mark this week at Texas Relays and have the best throw EVER!!! Thursday was the first home meet of the season. Nick improved in both the shot put and the discus to automatically qualify in both events. Paige also had a great day in hammer and discus. She improved her mark in the discus enough in order to automatically qualify for nationals. All of Jerrod's other athletes are doing well and we look forward to the rest of the season. At this rate, he is going to be a VERY busy man at nationals!!!

Cooking with Mom!!

Katelyn really enjoys "helping" while I am cooking. Last night, we made a fruit salad for Jerrod. I quickly found out she was WAY more interested in the Kool Whip!!!

Katelyn Laughing

This is Coach Hood's daughter, Victoria, playing with Katelyn at the track meet in Houston. If it does not make you smile then I don't know what will!!!

Welcome to our blog!!!

It has only taken me 6 months, but I have FINALLY started blogging. We have alot going on in our world right now.

Jerrod is super busy with track. We went to Houston last week for indoor nationals. Outdoor track started a couple of weeks ago, but Jerrod will be at his first meet this weekend.

Katelyn is growing and changing every day. Her bottom 2 teeth are starting to poke through - she loves feeling them with her tounge. She is sitting up on her own and loves to roll around on the floor. She has not figured out how to crawl quite yet. At first she was VERY impatient when she rolled over on her tummy. Now, she is trying to figure out how to get her arms and legs to work at the same time, but does not put much effort into it.

I am staying busy both at school and at home. I try harder and harder everyday to keep my fifth graders interested in what I am saying - at least until April 30th!! At home, I spend most of my evenings playing with Katelyn and taking care of the boring stuff like cooking and cleaning.

We are also eagerly waiting to find out if baby #2 is a boy or a girl. We go see Dr. Maberry on April 2nd-I can hardly wait!! I will let everyone know as soon as we leave what we are expecting in this August.