Category Archives: Story Time

Is My Boy a Farmer?

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 27 July, 2014 None comments

My little man is overjoyed with tractors, planes and trains. He has a deep love for such machinery that I can’t fulfill within him. As we came to visit my parents this past week, I knew my dad, Coopers papa could fulfill his tiny little dream…and boy was he ecstatic.

Papa took him for rides in his BIG ford pickup…

So high up, he could see the whole world before him! :)

Up at Papa’s work, he got to test drive some tractors… this tractor was quite large.

“Look at me go!”

Trying to figure out if he can shift this puppy into a faster gear??

Looking quite content even though this tractor towers above him, no fear resides.

And yet another tractor. Maybe he likes this one better?

And off to the airport by Papa’s work. This tiny little sucker was such a hit for my little boy. He loves airplanes and was thrilled to be able to experience it all within a few hours. :)

And lastly, Papa decides to reward him with a cake pop before heading back to the house. These amazing little treats are by far a treasure to his little heart.

A long night of looking and riding tractors followed by a delicious little cake pop was not the end of his journey. On a nightly basis Papa would drive him out past their house to see the combines as well as many deer that wanted to be his friend.

Moment of Truth: This sweet little boy has won the hearts of many. I can’t fathom my life without him and his sweet little personality that is growing quite quickly.

Movies in the Park

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 23 July, 2014 None comments

If you want a cheap date night or family night, look for your local movies in the park. In Oregon, you will find them all throughout the Portland-metropolitan area. In our own neighborhood we have them every Friday night, and just one stop further, we have them every Thursday night.

This has been a great past time memory that we have participated in since Cooper was born. And although Cooper hasn’t been old enough to enjoy the movies, he has enjoyed playing in the park and having a picnic. Last night was fabulous. The weather was perfect, overcast skies, and an over zealous baby! He was beyond happy and content pushing his little truck around, playing in the water and most of all…playing with his mama. ;)

We went 2 hours early to the park to enjoy some time playing around and also because I wasn’t sure if Cooper could manage that late of an evening. We got home at 9:30 about 45 minutes after the movie was set to begin. Cooper had a blast and so did I.

This is a great water park

Ready-Set-Go

And he’s off…

Playing in the Water

And out of the water

Trying to wear mama’s shoes

Taking a breather from playing

Mommy and me

Adorable

Getting ready for the show.

Making himself comfortable

Oh what a night… so many activities took place just while hanging out in the park for one night. Tired little boy slept extremely well!

4th of July Extravaganza

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 13 July, 2014 None comments

This past weekend we went to Bend, OR as a family to get away and relax in the beautiful weather and scenery surrounded by four beautiful mountains. We had a great time full of fireworks, swimming, walking, river, Mt Bachelor, petting zoo, bouncy houses and watermelon eating contests. It was incredible.

Our little man did very well without naps and later bedtimes. I never worried about this previously, I was a very relaxed mother when it came to bedtime as I knew my son was a great sleeper. But now that he’s older and has been having some health issues, I tend to be very “by the book” so to speak; our book that is. I was a bit apprehensive over his lack of sleep and the high heated weather, that for sure he would come down with a fever. To my surprise and with great joy, he didn’t.

This was our beautiful drive!

Redmond hosts a large kids activity center at the fairgrounds each year on the fourth of July. It was free admission, free activities and most of all…free watermelon that was homegrown. This watermelon was probably the best watermelon to date. It tasted as if it was freshly picked and cut on the spot. It was so good my husband even ate it and he hates watermelon.

(High hopes that my watermelon grows to be that tasty)

So DELICIOUS!

They had a brand new Semi-truck out on display. They let Cooper climb inside and play with all the gadgets. He was beside himself. So cute!

He played in a bouncy house and had no fear. Sweet baby!!!

Jumping and jumping. Finally we had to have the volunteer go in and pull him out because he was having so much fun, he did not want to leave.

The petting zoo. Pygmy goats and llamas.

One of the many water features for him to play in…

This fairgrounds had the best kid activities especially for a fourth of July weekend. It was a small town feel. Very friendly and very focused on kids. It was great! :)

After our extravaganza we went to dinner at a local pizza joint and Cooper was beyond wild from lack of sleep and excitement. He wanted to play in the arcade area for-ev-er!

After dinner we walked across the street and got the little popper snap fireworks that go off when you throw them. Cooper was hilarious and kept asking for another one. Michael would throw them super close to Coop’s feet and he would laugh and jump all over. Me on the other hand….well I wasn’t that excited because last year Michael threw one at my leg and ruined my white capris. I hole burned right on through. So this year, I was very clear to keep them away from me. :)

Stomping on the little buggers

“One more!”

Completely unafraid…

Throwing fistfuls at a time

This is our firework show: Perched by the window watching the show take place at 10 pm while Cooper slept soundly by our side.

Getting ready…

The following day we drove 25 minutes to Mt Bachelor. So close and Cooper loved it. Great change in scenery as he’s our little outdoor baby.

What a beautiful drive.

Later we enjoyed a walk along the river through the middle of Bend. Cooper really hoped for a kayak ride.

He loves putting his toes in the sand and the water.

Later that evening we went back to the river and took take out for dinner. Cooper was so excited as usual, that feeding him always becomes an issue. He is so ecstatic that food seems extremely unimportant to my little man.

Daddy trying to bribe the kid with food…

Stopping for a brief moment to take a sip of milk….and off running again

Family Photo

The following morning we headed for our much needed iced coffee and found a playful area with a coffee stand together. Cooper was so happy to play in the water and play with his trucks along the ledge. We hung out for a couple hours and let Coop get wiggles out before beginning our long trek home.

We talked….

Cooper played!

Goodbye Bend! Hope to see you soon!

We had such a good time! It was relaxing and beautiful! Is it time to go back yet….?

Tractor Cake

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 10 July, 2014 None comments

My sick little baby trying to have a good birthday! :(

My son had his birthday a couple weeks ago and as you all know, we headed to the beach to have our trip be quickly interrupted with an ER visit. Although, the first couple days were great, the last two were horrible. I state that very matter-of-fact as they were legitimately horrible.

For my sons first birthday, I didn’t get the pleasure of making his cake as we had moved 1 week prior and we were hosting dinner at our house. I also had planned a friend birthday party the following day at the zoo with lunch and cake. I had very little time to do much more than that. So, this year I was adamant that I would make my son a cake he would love; tractors!!!

I used two bread pans and baked the cake and manipulated the cake in more ways than one to turn it into a tractor. It was pretty challenging to say the least, but it worked out. I will also state that this is the first time I’ve ever made a cake into something other than a circular pretty cake. Practice makes perfection– so I hope!

I used Kit-Kats for the wheels and smoke stack.

Moment of Truth: Manipulating a cake isn’t the easiest thing, especially for the first time. You make a mistake and you must keep going. Though there are many imperfections, I was thrilled to have it resemble a tractor that my son would be utterly happy about. :) The older he gets, the better I will become! :)

Anxiety and Fear

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 9 July, 2014 None comments

As I have promised multiple times that this site is all about honesty and delighting in life no matter the circumstances, I am choosing to bring you on this journey yet again with me, as I face trials in my everyday life; good and bad. You will see my weaknesses and hopefully my accomplishments when I continue to handover my daily problems to Christ. Some may think I am too honest, but the reality is everyone has struggle, pain and hardship that they have to encounter throughout life; so why sugarcoat it? If you want life sugarcoated, than by all means, this isn’t the place for you. BUT….if you want an honesty coupled with hope….than please stick around and travel the path of living an extraordinary life with me as God has promised for those who seek Him.

This morning, I woke up with immense anxiety and fear. Starting my day off with such consumption is a horrible feeling and can be very debilitating. Within the first 30 minutes my husband and I got into a debate and unfortunately, it took place in front of my son. Second, I paid for it all morning long as my son was extremely clingy and emotional. As I headed to church I knew I couldn’t put my son in childcare as he has been extremely sick lately and until we really know what is going on, I can’t take that step. So, off to church with little man by my side, not understanding the full concept of what it means to whisper. The challenge it brought to take a toddler to church service was anything but easy and definitely a distraction. But….I knew I still needed to be in fellowship with those around me.

Lets just call it what it is….I am a basket case lately. I beat myself up for engaging in an argument, let alone in front of my son. I beat myself up for how I handle myself in the midst of trials and tribulations. I beat myself up for being emotional. I beat myself up for being exhausted and worrying all the time. If I am completely honest, I feel I have had my anxiety level under control for quite sometime until this past week. The devil knows my weakness and is out to bring the worst in me to light. He does a good job and unfortunately I allow it. Today, I realized worrying is only making me struggle to breathe, concentrate and focus on my son.

Thanks to prodigalthought.net

I came home from church and began to read my Bible to gain the Lord’s insight rather than my own. Mine always lets me down, leads me down rabbit holes I don’t want to be in and simply holds me back from the joy I’ve been given. I was reading in Proverbs and then continued to read in “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young. Boy was today’s message for me:

June 29th

As you get out of bed in the morning, be aware of My Presence with you. You many not be thinking clearly yet, but I am. Your early morning thoughts tend to be anxious ones until you get connected with Me. Invite Me into your thoughts by whispering My Name. Suddenly your day brightens and feels more user-friendly. You cannot dread a day that is vibrant with My Presence.

You gain confidence through knowing that I am with you–that you face nothing alone. Anxiety stems from asking the wrong question: “If such and such happens, can I handle it?” The true question is not whether you can cope with whatever happens, but whether you and I can handle anything that occurs. It is this you-and-I-together factor that gives you confidence to face the day cheerfully.

Was that not the Lord speaking to me? It most definitely was. From what took place the very moment I woke up until mid afternoon was exactly my own thoughts consuming me; “how can I handle what comes my way today?” The reality is this: I will have to get through this day one way or another. Do I choose to do so with anxious thoughts and doubt, or do I simply confide in the Lord multiples times throughout the remainder of my day? I will choose the latter.

I kept asking myself whether I am alive in Christ or consumed by emotion? There was a harsh reality to my answer. I was not only consumed by emotion, but consumed by angry selfish thoughts. I heard today that we often look to God to change our circumstances when we forget that Christ came and lived the same life we are today; full of sin. He walked the road of manipulation, anger, doubt, confusion, pain, agony, sorrow and temptation. He walked it because that is also the road we are walking. He doesn’t promise life will be easy, just as it wasn’t for Him either. Our focus isn’t to be on the hardship, but the glory we will one day receive. The only way we can keep that focus is to allow Christ to transform our minds just as I had to do today and will continue to do.

The feeling of anxiety plaguing my soul is a horrific feeling. The many thoughts that bounce back and forth without me giving approval, instantly encapsulates my soul. If you have ever had anxiety and the physical struggle it pours upon your body, you understand what I am saying. It is that moment I never want to experience again, and although I’ve given it to the Lord many times, it continues to creep up now and again. This is my “Achilles heel;” anxiety. Do you know what yours is? Be on guard and watch for it to creep up in the most unexpected ways.

Moment of Truth: When my anxiety takes over my body in a physical manifestation, I will choose to release it back to the Lord, begging and pleading to fill me with peace no matter the circumstance. I will not let my anxiety rule my life and waste another day. Lord, let my thoughts glorify you.

Is Life Delightfully Doable?

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 4 July, 2014 Comments Off

I was thinking about the name of my website today and how my caption below says “finding doable ways to delight in life’s circumstances.” I was also realizing how I’m the author and creator of my blog, which means I can share with you whatever I choose and also withhold from you just the same. I want everyone to know life has been anything but easy for me and that, in and of itself, is exactly why I started this website. My goal and desire is for those reading to gain hope while understanding life is not easy, but God did promise us a future hope and peace along the way. We can choose to delight in life, no matter the circumstance. Friends I am living proof of this and it is only by the grace of God, that I can do so.

I’ve spoke on forgiveness a few different times and have explained that the essence of forgiveness is not a feeling but a choice. If we can gain that acceptance, we will be better off. Same goes with life. The more you focus on the bad and the negative, the more your heart will become resentful and pessimistic. Choose to delight in life’s ups and downs and learn along the way. We will never be in a trial longer than it takes to learn the deep rooted issues God is asking us to obtain on a heart level; not a mind level. Knowing and doing are two entirely different concepts and have two entirely different outcomes.

My life as of the past two years has been extremely challenging. Well, let me go back a little further in history. My life has been challenging for years, but since I came to Christ, I’ve struggled more on a Spiritual level fighting against my flesh. My relationship with my husband has been very exhausting as we hadn’t really known one another when we got pregnant. We got married and two months later we had our precious little blessing. With that comes immense hardship. I see God working all things together for good, for those who love Him. But on the same hand, I see the consequences of my sin, living in sin and having a baby out of wedlock still has deep rooted effects on our marriage. Sometimes I get so angry, but than I realize God is taking my sin and turning it for good. It was my choice to live the lifestyle I had previously known and it’s also my responsibility to accept the consequences.

Thanks to harmonythoughts.com

Moment of Truth: Within those tough trials and those tough seasons of life, I am continually reminding myself to delight in life’s circumstances as it will mold me and make me into a happier, thankful person.

Going Through The Motions

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 30 June, 2014 None comments

Heartache is a horrible thing. The true pain life brings is scary and unpredictable. I thought I knew this world was ugly when I was in college but little did I know how ugly it could really be. The vast waters of sin are beyond my comprehension. Although my eyes have seen but a taste, I can’t fathom the root of where this evil really lays and nor do I want to.

“Our world is so big and scary out there” so they say in all the movies, but if that is true, than how much bigger is our God? How much bigger is our sin? How much bigger is heaven and how much bigger is hell? These are all questions that we get scared to think about, but the fascinating part is, this is all we should think about. Christ came for us, made us and wants to bring us home with Him, yet we get so distracted by the daily troubles of life forgetting about what truly matters.

Thanks to socialshare.com

There was a song on the radio other day that I haven’t been able to shake from my memory. It said this: “I don’t want to spend my whole life asking, what if I had given everything, instead of going through the motions.” I know we all can relate to this on some level or another, especially with different seasons of our life. What a horrible feeling to come to the end of your life wishing you had given it your all…but hadn’t. What if you decide today you will do your best with the Lord’s help? How would your life change, what purpose would you fulfill that you wouldn’t otherwise? What regrets would not be there and how many people might you have touched?

This one sentence brought such conviction to my heart but as the day progressed my motions slide quickly back into routine. I don’t want to let my days be a waste, my conversations be worthless and my mind to be on things that I will never remember the next day, week or months. Being married can help gauge how you are doing. Sometimes this is a good thing and sometimes it’s not. I look back on the past couple years of marriage and see how far we’ve come. But, in the same breath I also see how we haven’t moved at all. Within those feelings I have to separate what matters and what doesn’t. Evaluating the things we’ve come far in; is it worldly items and pleasures, or is it of value? That is a tough answer for me and if I am completely honest it’s a good combination. I would rather it be of value than not. And though my combination of the two may seem good, but if you really think about it, do the worldly things even compare to heavenly things? No, not at all!

This doesn’t mean, don’t be thankful in the little things and the worldly pleasures. Christ created this world to be for His glory. I will admit, my little pleasure on a daily basis is drinking my morning cup of coffee. I get such pleasure in this and I get even more pleasure enjoying it with my husband.

Moment of Truth: Are you going through the motions, not giving it your all? How can you make little changes in your day so that when you lay your head to rest, you have confidence that whatever circumstance come your way, God will say “well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Exhausted Mentally, Emotionally and Physically

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 28 June, 2014 None comments

Boy does the rain never stop in the lives of the Cook’s. We can’t seem to live a life that allows for a breath of fresh air. When we do things we “go big” so to speak. Between my husband and son, these past 2 years, or more specifically the last 6 months have been an utter whirlwind of emotions.

This past weekend was my sons birthday and we headed to the beach to enjoy a nice weekend away and a well needed vacation “from our problems.” Little did we know our problems were going to transpire into an exhausting, scary weekend away from our abode. The evacuation routes you often see when you head to the coast was exactly what we needed this trip…except in the form of a hospital. Unfortunately I saw them when we entered town and bookmarked it in the back of my mind hoping it was my fear stepping in; not reality. Although we tend to frequent hospitals on an all too frequent basis, Ocean Beach Hospital was a step in the right direction.

As we left town Thursday we were driving over the bridge in Portland waving goodbye to Randall Children’s Hospital opting to never arrive there again unless for the delivery of a newborn baby. Well our wish came true this weekend except that it was only granted for the children’s hospital. Stepping foot into an ER at the beach was not excluded from our list of high hopes. The day of Cooper’s 2nd birthday, he came down with a nasty “bug.” I use that word lightly as my son never has symptoms of a common cold except simply not being able to breath or talk. No runny nose, no cough, no sore throat, no ear infections no nothing is ever on the agenda. So when Cooper came down with this nasty little “bug” we were a bit disappointed as it was the day of his birth and we had planned to play most the day at the beach. Well….that did not happen. He was still in high spirits and we still had a great day.

Come evening, I lay him to rest and kissed his little lips. While playing cards with the family I checked on him and noticed he was very wheezy in his breathing; both inhaling and exhaling. It worried me but not enough to let me anxiety kick-in in overdrive. We kept playing cards and headed to bed pretty late. Less than an hour later Cooper was up and struggling to breath, sleep and simply lay still. Laying in bed with us for a bit, struggling to breath and simply not feeling good while I worried all night long if my little man would quit breathing, allowed for very little sleep. It was an exhausting night!

The following morning he woke up in good spirits and within the hour quickly took a turn for the worse. From playing to laying on the floor writhing in pain and a fever that shook my spirits was very unnerving. His breathing progressively worsened allowing for four adults to become highly concerned. Early nap was definitely on the schedule while multiple phone calls to the advice nurse took place.

My mom and I escaped for a couple hours during nap to grab coffee and enjoy the shops in Long Beach. We had a good time and also grabbed some medical supplies for the little man; humidifier, probiotics and honey sticks to coat his throat. Upon our arrival back at the house, my son just woke up to be extremely labored in his breathing to the point it was beyond scary. His little body struggling with each breath wheezing and with no vocal cords at this point was so scary. He couldn’t talk at all!

Off to the ER. We quickly arrive and immediately were seen by a doctor. No cold symptoms still causing for confusion yet again. They decided to treat for Coup and quickly give a steroid shot as well as a ventilator full of medicine. Within minutes we noticed his little voice coming back to us in a very quiet, raspy sense, but it was better than nothing.

Three hours later they send us home with strict instructions to follow up with our pediatrician. Talk of further complications such as cystic fibrosis came up which of course plagued me with fear. On the other hand, finding something that could be causing this is more of a relief than simply no answers at all. All I want is to find a reason and start treating. Now of course, I really pray nothing is wrong with my son and that we can avoid further hospitalizations but that doesn’t seem like the easy answer we will receive.

Wednesday we followed up with our pediatrician with great success, I feel we finally are in forward motion in search for answers. We have an appointment set with a pulmonologist and will be treating Cooper for croup on a preventative level. Our doctors believes Cooper unfortunately will continue to get croup and has had it previously. We will be treating on a daily basis to lessen the severity of croup as we cannot actually prevent it at all. But the goal here, is to keep us from frequent hospitalizations and labored breathing.

This is only the beginning of the long road ahead, but in some weird way I feel confident and relieved that we are seeking this further and searching for answers. Hoping his little esophagus is our only issue will require us to continue battling croup until he’s roughly 5 years old. The good news in that this condition does not have long term effects. Praise Jesus!

We will wait, pray and be thankful that as of right now, what we know to be true is bearable! I will keep you all updated with how the appointment with the specialist goes.

Moment of Truth: Life was never promised to be easy, but God did promise He will never give us more than we can handle. At many times in my life, I have felt I was on the edge and God swept in and allowed a calm in my storm. Circumstances may not change, but our hearts do. I pray my heart grows tender and I continue to seek the Lord, rather than build resentment and allow fear to take over my life.

Father’s Day Weekend

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 26 June, 2014 None comments

Yes, Father’s Day has come and gone but can’t we still celebrate it more than once a year? Okay the real reason I am posting about Father’s Day two weeks later is because our lives continue to take the roller coaster ride and apparently we never want to stop and get off.

Between a sick child all the time and leaving town for a long beach trip, I finally got around to Father’s Day weekend. :)

For father’s day weekend we went out to one of our favorite breakfast places, Cafe Du’berry. They have great breakfast for a good price! They have always had amazing food and most of the time we get the same thing. Although, this time, Cooper is old enough to eat his own little dish and boy was I impressed with their french toast. It was beyond amazing. I think the toast was homemade with a lemon-egg mixture that the bread soaked in before cooking. I would never order french toast when out for breakfast but this french toast is something I would consider ordering next time for myself. It was that good! :)

Here’s Cooper and Daddy waiting and playing patiently before breakfast arrived.

I ordered a dungenous crab omelette. It is and was always delicious. They use massive chunks of crab with an incredible sauce that makes your mouth simply water. It was so big I shouldn’t have ate the whole thing but I did was uncomfortably full afterwards but comfortably satisfied.

Cooper decided he wanted to play on the tables outside of the restaurant after eating. That lasted about a minute as he wanted to get into all the sugar packets and crumple them up and toss them on the ground.

Stopping at Fred Meyers on the way home, daddy put this 4th of July hat on Cooper and although he always looks adorable….. HE HATES HATS!!!

We had a good morning with breakfast and ended the day with a round of golf! :)

Happy Father’s Day honey, I love you!

Silver Falls

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 25 June, 2014 None comments

We went to Silver Falls a couple weeks ago and couldn’t have asked for a better day. It was BEAUTIFUL and the best weather possible. We had such a good time and Cooper couldn’t have been more entertained. Cooper has an obsession with water and this was exactly what he needed to keep him more than entertained. He kept asking for “more wa.”

This was the first waterfall we came upon. It was beautiful and a very short little walk.

We decided to walk towards the large falls and see what was in store for us. As we walked along the way this was the calm part before the storm, or shall I say the enormous waterfall that laid ahead. Cooper enjoyed slapping the cool water while his little brain soaked in the beautiful scenery.

Finally we approached the enormous waterfall that began to get really loud the closer you got. It was a huge fall and with my fear of heights, I had to keep my eyes ahead, not down.

As we got closer I noticed the walk behind the fall that you can embark on. I was terrified as it looks very narrow and deathly from here. I kept telling Michael he can walk it if he so desired while Cooper and I stay behind. But as we got closer the path was very wide and actually really incredible.

Here’s Michael walking ahead to test it out!

This is the view from behind the fall. We made it! It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. It was incredible. Unfortunately it was also extremely loud. It sounded as if I jet engine was taking off right above you. Cooper’s little ears began to hurt so we quickly walked through after a few photos.