He won what???

So, Doug and I go out for a long overdue date on Saturday to Maggiano's in Denver (dang that food was good!). My brother and his girlfriend watched out kids and we realized as we were leaving that Cooper's science fair project was going to be thrown out if it wasn't picked up by 8:00. We didn't bother going over to the public viewing because I saw all the projects when we dropped Cooper's off on Thursday. I must say I was very impressed with all of the projects and we left there with a renewed sense of "we'll come up with something better next year". Cooper felt good about his project because he came up with a bunch of it on his own, but he didn't like that it wasn't very fancy. We followed the scientific process to a 'T' in seeing if you could fool people into thinking they were eating one thing while smelling something similar--all while blindfolded.

Anyhoo, we get home from our date at 10:00 p.m. and were greeted by Cooper beaming from ear to ear with a smile like I've never seen and a trophy. Turns out when they went to pick up his project, he was greeted by the science teacher telling him he had won the grand prize for all grades--second only to the overall champion. Holy crap! I am not one to turn this blog into a brag-fest, but Cooper really needed a little boost right now and he sure got it. :) Way to go, Coop!!

On another Cooper note, I met with his surgeon a few days ago and feel very good about her. She seemed to really know her stuff and we feel ready for his surgery now. He will not be allowed to raise his arm above his head for a MONTH. Ever try putting a shirt on without raising your arm up? Yeah, right! He will be out of school for about a week and can't even bathe for 2 weeks. The pacemaker itself will go right under his right armpit and the leads will go in the vein just under his clavicle. We learned that they will also make an incision in his abdomen to take out the old one. Turns out they can't really turn the old one off completely, so out it goes. I am so grateful for technology and good surgeons!

Parties and Cousins . . . ah, life is good!

It has been a very busy weekend in our household, but the good kind of busy. Kinley endured three birthday parties in four days (rough life, eh?) and hours of playtime with her Wellsville cousins. Doug's sister Nancy and husband Matt and their 4 kids came for the weekend and it was three days of non-stop playing and sleepovers. On Doug's side, there are now 23 grandkids with #24 on the way and suprisingly, my kids really know their cousins.

Valentine's Day started with school parties and ended with a birthday dinner (in which Kinley ate a WHOLE artichoke--the one and only menu item she requested) and presents at home. Friday night the cousins came and Saturday was Kinley's first real birthday party with friends. We went to a place called Jump Street and the entire facility is trampolines and jumping castles. They wore themselves out! Sunday was dinner at our house with my family and yet more presents for Kinley. She is already asking how long 'til she turns 5. :) Other than an ER trip for Nancy's youngest (Spencer) after a fall from Cooper's loft bed, it was a wonderful weekend.

A Special Day . . . for many reasons!

I will post some pictures of Valentine's Day festivities soon, but this day has special meaning to me for many reasons. First, it is incredibly fun to celebrate Kinley's birthday on this day (and she thinks the whole world is celebrating her birthday, too!). Second, I have always loved having a day set aside to really stop and be grateful for my Valentine. Doug and I will be celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary this June and I couldn't have picked a better husband. :) Finally, Valentine's Day is also recognized in the U.S. as Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day. So, today I also celebrate Cooper and his mended heart. Here is the official CHD Awareness Day statement:

"Congenital Heart Disease is considered to be the most common birth defect, and is a leading cause of birth-defect related deaths worldwide. Despite the fact that CHD affects millions of families, a relatively small amount of funding is currently available for parent/patient educational services, research, and support. By sharing our experiences and providing information, we hope to raise public awareness about conditions that affect approximately 40,000 babies each year in the United States alone. It is our sincere hope that efforts to educate the public will result in additional funding for support and educational services, scientific research, and improved quality of care for our children and adults."

Winter Park Ski Trip

This is the 3rd year that we've taken a ski trip with our two next door neighbors. What a blast! Cooper and Kaiya did not do ski lessons this year and they did great! A little sibling rivalry certainly didn't hurt. There was a foot of fresh snow at the resort. After 5 hours of skiing, they hit the "slopes" outside the house where we stayed and sledded for another 2 hours. They slept like bricks. Kinley stayed with my mom and said she had as much fun as we did. :)

My Funny Valentine

I almost don't have to write anything to add to this photo, but it was worth sharing. This is why they say to worry whenever a 3-year-old gets quiet. This was 5 minutes before I needed to walk out the door to take her to Hamma's (my mom's) for the weekend while we go skiing (she says being cold all day isn't her idea of fun--she'd rather snuggle on the couch at Hamma's). When I asked her to explain, her only response was, "I know I can't draw with markers on other stuff, but I didn't know faces were part of the rule!" Ugh.

Hallelujiah!!

Well, I just got word that I passed my nursing boards a/k/a the NCLEX-RN. What a relief! I have honestly not been that nervous about anything in my life. The test is very odd--it's called a CAT test (computerized adaptive test) and the minimum amount of questions you can get is 75. The maximum is 265. The test shuts off at 75 questions if you've either a) passed or b) failed miserably and there is no hope. It finds a way to "draw a line" at the point where you are getting half of the questions right and half wrong, so you leave the room feeling like a total idiot.

And after paying $200 just to take the test, for the bargain price of $7.95 I was able to find out my results early. When I click on the website, it tells you if your results are ready or not. If they are ready, it prompts you to put in a credit card number. Best eight bucks I ever spent! :)

The picture here is of the new Children's Hospital where I will be working starting on March 4th. I will be on the 9th floor in the cardiac step-down unit--the same unit that Cooper will spend a couple nights after his surgery on April 10th.