Yes....

Something dawned on me today and I had to share.  Elli doesn't say too many words.  She says "mama" when she wants something, or when she wants me - and that is usually when she wants something;), and she says "dada" for Chris, and she will say "nana" for banana sometimes, and "baba" for bye bye sometimes, and she will shake her head yes.  I was having a conversation with her today - asking her if she has pretty hair, or if she wants lotion, or if she likes to read, and I started to realize how well she shakes her head yes.  She really focuses on it and gets the full head movement going.  She looks so sweet when she says yes.  Then I realized that she doesn't say "no".  She doesn't say the word "no", and she doesn't shake her head "no".  That doesn't mean she doesn't know what "no" means because she will clearly display displeasure if she doesn't want something.  But, I am pretty sure that all of my boys shook their head "no" and said "no" around this age - almost 15 months (am I right Chris - he has a way better memory than me most of the time).  Anywho - just thought it was so funny that she says "yes" so well and hasn't learned the word or gesture for "no" yet.

 

(Watch, the next post will be on how my boys taught Elli to say "no" - and boys: You better not teach Elli to say "no" or you will be scrubbing bathrooms and cleaning spiderwebs for months!!!)

And now....a photo that I happened upon....hmmmmm.... 



Another Giveaway....

My sister-in-law, Patti, is doing another giveaway.  She is giving away Canon Rebel Digital SLR camera, and the EOS Rebel T2i EF-S 18-55mm IS Camera Kit, estimated retail price $799.99, and all of the money donated will go to a beautiful little girl named Albina.  So...check it out here!!!

Being Content....

con·tent (kntnt) adj.  1. Desiring no more than what one has; satisfied.
 
When we moved to Ohio we got there in the dead of Winter.  The twins were born a couple of weeks after we got there, and being as small as they were, I stayed in the house for all of that Winter....

Reagan at 2 lbs...

Jason at 4 lbs...

View from my bedroom window in Ohio...

I remember just hating the snow and the cold.  I remember thinking and praying about having a good attitude and finding something to enjoy about the snow and cold.  Then I began to notice things like this....

I had heard and read about the Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall all my life, but, being from Arizona, never really experienced them.  Living in Ohio taught me to appreciate the cycle of the 4 seasons, as well as the wonderful little things that each season had to offer.  I admit, sometimes I had to look really hard at a season before I found something to like, but I learned to love....the ice encased branches, the ice cold breeze that would take your breath away and awaken every sense at once, watching all the little woodland creatures - and big woodland creatures - dig under the snow for the nuts and grass that lay beneath it, watching the birds go crazy when I refilled the feeders for them, and watching my kids play in the snow in the Winter...seeing tulips and daffodils and robins and baby animals and blooming trees, and being a spectator to all the brown turn a vibrant green as the colors of Spring "POPPED" onto the scene - I got lost in my own neighborhood because of how much the landscape had changed the first Spring there...seeing fireflies for the first time and chasing and catching them with my boys, raising tadpoles, having bon fires in our firepit at night, and listening to the frogs as I fell asleep during the Summer....watching the trees turn the most beautiful shades of red, yellow, orange, and pink, listening to the wind rush through the trees, watching as beautifully shaped leaves would fall to the ground, crunching through the leaves that had fallen to the ground, and truly feeling a Spirit of Thankfulness in the air in Autumn....and then we would start again.  I had heard many sermons on the "Seasons of life" as related to the 4 Earthly seasons - but I could never really relate, until I lived through them.  I learned in Ohio to look for the good in each season, Earthly and Spiritually, and to be content in the current season because they don't last long, and they quickly change. 

Here in New Jersey, I find I am, again, looking hard for the good in the current season.  Chris and I, and the boys and I, have had so many conversations about trying to see the good in New Jersey, not talking so much about the bad, and trying to have a good attitude about being here. Southern New Jersey is different - it's expensive, busy, dirty, full of crime...and yet...I am reminded constantly, by the lessons I learned in Ohio. I want to be content. I found a lot of peace in Ohio once I started to look for the good in the moment I was in. I want to be doing what God has made me to do for this season of my life, and be intent and content in doing it. Regardless of the storms of life, regardless of what others are doing, regardless of the endless stream of activities that flow through my day, regardless of the opinions or attitudes of others, regardless of where we are living, I am going to be unmoved in my resolve to be content where I am.

My sister-in-law Hope was here this past Friday, visiting for just the day, and we took her to the beach. I love the beach!!! I am not one to go lay out or go swimming or surfing, but the beach awakens every one of my senses at once - just like the cold Winter wind did in Ohio. I love taking walks on the beach with my family and collecting sea shells, I love listening to the seagulls laugh at me, I love my garden, I love watching the birds visit the feeders I have out for them, I love homeschooling Joshua, I love reading to the twins and listening to their never-ending stories, I love when Elli wakes up crying in the middle of the night, and when I go in and pick her up she covers my faces with her chubby little hands and kisses me over and over again, I love the time I spend with Trevor and Brandon - and am constantly reminded, by their deep voices and sparsely growing whiskers on their faces, that I only have a few years left with them still at home, I love the strong hand of discipline and determination that my husband uses to guide us as a family - until he writes a workout for me to do and tells me eating processed foods are bad - hahaha - and....I love that there is a God in Heaven who, in spite of all my failures, bad attitudes, weakness, and sin, continues to love me and teach me and forgive me.

Video time....

Just some fun videos that I am starting to download (you will have to pause the player on the right side of the blog to hear the sound on these videos)....

Elli says "Cheese"....

Dance Party in the Kopp house....

Elli finds her crackers....

Elli takes a walk on the farm....

CHEESE.....

Yesterday Joshua worked very hard to teach Elli to say CHEESE.  By the end of the day she was a pro!!!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Happy Mother's Day to my Mother, and to my Mother-in-love, and to my sister and sister-in-loves, and to Aunt Judy, Lynn, Laurie, Kate, and all my friends - which are too numerous to name - hahahaha - hope you all have a super day and I love you all and miss you all a ton!!! 

My Mother's day began with a bang - Brandon made crepes - yes you heard me correctly -

and the boys gave me flowers!! 

Thank you my wonderful children for starting my day off so wonderfully!!!  I love you!!!  Thank you, also, Mr. Ryan Williams, for taking the boys shopping yesterday while Chris and I were out!!!  And, my husband gave me a Random Orbital Sander for all of the furniture recycling I desire to do!!! 

I love you babe - to show my thanks, I'll find some good trash to refinish!!!  Hahahaha!!!

I thought I would also post the pictures of the baby cow born on Overlook Farm - I received the pictures this morning, the baby was born this past Tuesday!!!

And....one other GREAT story came to my attention this morning.  This STORY!!!  Mr.Battschinger is the Scout Master for Trevor and Joshua's Boy Scout Troop.  We are so proud of Mr. Battschinger, and so proud to be part of his Scouting Troop!!!

Happy Mother's Day Everyone!!!



Overlook Farm...

Overlook Farm is such a beautiful place that I have posted TONS of pictures.....

Front of the main house....

Glenn's apartment is above this garage....

This is a barn built in 1816, used at one time for animals on the farm, but refurbished by the owner of the farm into a dining hall, complete with sitting area, kitchen, and bathroom, to accommodate his large family when they get together on the farm for special occasions...IT IS GORGEOUS....

Two of the sides of the barn are just glass so that the family can enjoy the view of the farm....

The driveway leading to the guesthouse that we stayed in....

our accommodations for the week....

This is a house on the property that is currently being rented by someone....but....should Glenn get married, this is the house he will live in...we are praying for a wife for Glenn ;)....

Of course, being a working farm, we spent the week surrounded by cows....lots of mamas and babies....

and some bulls....

in fact, on one of the days, Brandon, Trevor and Joshua went to work with Glenn.  They helped him tag the new baby cows...I actually have a video of this and will upload it later - it is hilarious....they also helped with some Spring clean-up, and helped to set up the fountains in the lakes on the property....

Glenn working to separate the mamas and babies....

my boys standing FAR off...I would have loved to hear their thoughts at this point.... 

One of the fountains they helped to set up....

Also on the property were some horses that we fed apples to....

All of the kids had a blast exploring the property.  Elli and the twins loved to go on walks, sometimes together....

and sometimes Elli would wave goodbye and take off by herself....

We went for lots of walks to visit the cows - one mamma was actually ready to have her baby any day, but she didn't have it while we were visiting...

We went on lots of walks to the lake....

Glenn would point out fish, crayfish, turtles, bugs, tadpoles, frogs, salamanders...

The boys had a good time skipping rocks, fishing, and rowing around on the lake...

Trevor learned how to HOLD ON to the paddle....haha....I actually have a video of them retrieving the paddle - I will upload it later - another hilarious video!!!

Jason and Reagan loved playing with sticks in the water and climbing on rocks....

Jason kissing a stick....me thinks he needs to get outside more....:)

Joshua, Trevor, and Brandon also had fun climbing on rocks....

We all had such a great trip...Thank you Glenn for letting us come up to visit you and putting up with our antics - and questions ;) - for a week...Can we come again?  

PLEASE!!!