There are about a million reasons I love to be a mommy. One of my recent favorites it how much it has changed my life. When I am having a weaker moment, I don't appreciate these things- changing your life can seem impossible- in fact I can hate it and I sometimes cry. When I put things into proper perspective, and enjoy what I have, they are phenominal. Funny what a point of view can do.

Today

Today I sat out in the sun for one hour and watched Augie play. I did not have a cell phone or an ipod. I did not wish I could go inside and do dishes or watch TLC. I did not even take a book or magazine. For one hour I sat- mostly quietly- and watched Augie move dirt, and pull up grass. I noticed birds, and the fact that the weather was perfect. The only thing "productive" that happened was getting a little sun on my Langley-white legs. It made me think about the quiet that I miss when I am obsessed with being busy.

Thank you Augie.

*** Some new photos... Augie falling asleep in my arms (never happens) Augie and Jeff sleeping on the couch after a too early get up in the morning time (if any one knows how to get him to sleep in past 5:30 am I will pay you for the secret. )
Augie mad becasue he can't play with Roomba, who lives under the couch. ***

Coming soon...A day at the Denver Aquarium starring August!

Brilliant!

So, it is always fun to see Augie learn new stuff, but when he goes above and beyond you have to boast. Here's the story.

Kelly and I have shows we watch together on Wednesday and Tuesday. Augie is not a fan though.

However he can reach one side of our VCR. He can't reach the channel button, which wouldn't matter any way cause he doesn't like anything on TV. What he can reach is the eject button. This pops out the only VHS tape that is ever in the VCR: Stomp. He then pushes the tape back into the VCR and it overrides everything else, and Stomp begins. He then backs up quickly and enjoys. Of course when we fumble around for a remote control, change it back to our show, he looks at us like we have just rudely barged into his TV time.

For those of you who don't know, we are expecting a second son!

Becket Joshua Cook should be here some time around August 23rd... and we are so excited. We even think Augie's excited, but he could just be hungry.

... but as far as "Augie Bloggie" goes, we need help. What can we re-name Augie Bloggie to include baby Beck?

The prize will be fantatstic. Jeff suggested letting the winner be the second middle name for Becket (I.E. Becket Joshua Christine Cook) but I don't think I am quite ready for that. I was thinking along the lines of a mocha at Starbucks... so, prize TBA.

So shoot us your suggestions in the comments section of this entry by July 1... and we will annouce the winner shortly after.

Good luck!
Kel, Jeff, Aug and Beck

Oh, thank the good Lord that it is spring and we can finally go outside! Augie is such a happy baby when we can play in the yard or at the park.

At one point, he had clothes on, but they got soaked with the hose... and since Aug doesn't like clothes that much anyway, you are seeing the rique results!


Augie loves his new play table that our friends Harlan and Noelle got for us... and does it have "boy" written all over it!







Eventually he got tired of being wet and dirty... but it took an hour before he finally "asked" to go in. Then we played for another hour in the bath tub!

A few thoughts

Jeff has been the "stay at home parent" lately, so yesterday I gave him a baby break, and I have to say that it was one of the first times I totally enjoyed it. Augie was not extra fun or extra good, but I have grown up. a lot. I am confessing this to a. feel better about the truth of it and b. be an encouragement to current and future moms. It is really hard to enjoy babies all the time, and granted, it get's easier with time, but it is hard. I have really begun to understand my enjoyment of Augie is not about him, it is about me. My attitude, my spirit, my selfishness or lack there of.


Yesterday was a joy. Even when he was yelling loudly about not wanting to be in the shopping cart, even when he didn't want to take a nap, or was distroying a friend's potted plant. The joy I deny to myself. I see much more daily why 80 year old women stop me in the grocery store and tell me to "enjoy this time, it goes so fast". I thought thier regret was in the time passage, but I think that I understand that it was not how fast the time went, but that they didn't enjoy it like they wish they could.

And with that I am finally and actually getting excited (not scared) for Becket, for more of the same. For my chance to enjoy my boys (although, don't get me started on a house full of boys). I am really embracing motherhood more each day, with each stage. I wish I had earlier, but thank God I am understanding how to now.

k

Augie loves to get in the dried-goods cabinet... and to help himself to Cheerios whenever possible. It would drive me crazy if it weren't so dang cute!

Almost 15 months old... life is getting tough. We can't wait for our baby brother to arrive, so we have to fill up the hours with our hobbies


This is how we spend our free time...
Playing Guitar with Eric















Taking cute pictures with our eyes closed (these are 2 of 30)

Lounging at Marmie and Papa Mark's house... life is rough.

Teasing our Cat
Going to Prom with Chelsa and Henry









Playing with the loudest toy in the world (thanks Grammy and Grandpa Langley)









Getting bitten by our daddy

Our buddy Sam has his own blog now too... woo-hoo

Samuel's Spot

Okay, so I should probably do some reflections too, cause Kel's post was pretty cool. So here's the top ten things I've learned in the last year:

10. Baby food tastes awful.
9. Poop comes out three times more often than you expect.
8. Poop tastes awful.
7. Any backpain you thought you have had was a warm up (and I am just kidding about number eight.)
6. There are times when you would actually pay 150$ for a toy that works with your kid.
5. 5 am isn't as early as it sounds.
4. 7 pm isn't as early as it sounds.
3. I'm really, really selfish (but not as selfish as Augie, but that's okay cause he's like one or something).
2. Baby heads are made out of titanium steel.
1. Sorry, augie's crying...can't finish the list....

You can see that Augie now has to rest on the "bump" that will be his new brother (dad hopes) or sister (yes, yes, yes)... poor little guy, can't get as close to mommy as he used to, oh well, he better get used to sharing!


We love the park... and I mean love it. Jeff and I can only keep Augie from eating rocks and goose poop, so we have a hard time taking pictures. Thank goodness our dear friend Katie was in town... and she is a beautiful photographer. I posted her pictures of us playing and her comment below. We are so blessed to have so many people who love us and support us in our building of this family. Thank you Katie.

Hi Kelly - for some reason your Augie blog is not letting me put up acomment, so I'm emailing it to you! :)Kelly - your words made me sigh . . . . I don't know, it's just so nice to be sitting here in Vermont and reading about your new lifewith your son and how it's creating such a new and amazing life for you and all those around you. I'm am so very happy for you - and I must admit, because of your words, your stories of all of the ups and downs of parenthood - I am so very much looking forward to that time in my life. You are an inspiring mother! And I can't believe it's already been a year - an Augie Year! Wow! Just after a year, you're so seasoned already - and I mean that in a good and great way! Thanks for sharing all of your thoughts and moments with us! I love you - Katie

A year old Augie, looking at one of our only snows of the season



I picked this photo so I could be contemplative too…

Wow, a year as a mom. I could write volumes. I am committing to only a few paragraphs.

What I have learned:

This is so much harder than I ever imagined. Everyone who has done it tries to let you know what a challenge it will be, but with half a heart. If you have been here, you remember how many people tried to tell you how things would be… and how you didn’t believe it either. What is so hard, honestly- giving up freedom. Especially at 27 and 29 and four years of marriage. Jeff and I had done what ever we wanted when ever we wanted. This may be the only advantage younger parents have… they don't know what the time and financial freedom can feel like.

My mom and dad are really smart, really good parents. Even now, I know that I don't know how good they are, but I am much closer to knowing. I also know that Augie will never know how hard I tried, either. Jeff's parents are also wonderful. I am so thankful for our whole family, and their different insights.

Sleep is relative… it's not a cliché, it's a way of life.

Augie looks like "Angie" if you write it too quickly

Hours of anger, frustration, beat-down and despair can be cured by 10 min. of "I need you mommy" cuddling and baby babble… I say that and my heart is not the softest I know, it is just true.

Nursing is really hard, but really worth it.

Jeff is an amazing husband. Amazingly patient, amazingly able to tell me how beautiful I am even when it takes months to lose the baby weight and he knows I am not really trying. Amazing to carry me through the breakdowns with grace. To know when to take me out to dinner and when to let me have an hour long shower.

It's lonesome to be the only mom among your closest girl friends, but it is special too. And you make new close friends that understand the things you now know.

Don't count on strollers, car seats, swings, etc. They like what they like, they don't what they don't.

Our family and friends really love our son- because he is ours and they loved us first.

Augie is brilliant, and if I let myself, I enjoy his moments of discovery a thousand times more than he does.

Babies are hard because they love you, and they are darling, and they are funny, but they never tell you thank you, and they never will. The don't appreciate that you just took them to the park for 2 hours, even though you wanted to watch Celebrity Fit Club reruns. They don't not cry because you worked so hard to make them happy. Babies need you, and they are the nearest I will feel on this earth to God, because we don't thank Him, or appreciate our gifts to an even greater degree.

You think you want to put down a sleeping baby, but you don't. That is when they are at their best. I love just to smell Augie's hair.

Baths and Baby Einstein fix 95% of all problems.

Did I mention how smart my parents are?

And lastly…

I never knew, never imagined, and won't be able to describe how much I love Augie. I thought I loved Jeff with every thing I had and everything I could give. I thought my little brother was the joy in my day and that my friends were sufficient community. I can cry just lighting on a thought that something might happen to Augie. I can watch him sleep or play for hours. I can't wait for #2--- even the birth part! I have never felt so much Awesome Joy or love or gratitude. I have never been so sure that God is a good God.

I have never really known love until I had my son.

Augie's Book Worm Birthday BASH!

The cake... is it a book worm or a poop with goggles? The controversy continues.

Augie with his buddies... L-R Jacob, Cole, Luke, Brody, Augie, Asher

He never got the cake into his mouth on his own... but he did smush it between his fingers and rub it on my skirt!

Grammy Langley Helped decorate our church (Atlas) for the festive occasion.




PS... videos are coming! Daddy is the techno wiz!




















 

Grandpa, Augie and Papa Tom

Below:

Shelly and Jaxon... we had so many great freinds drive long ways to get here! I wish I had taken pictures of them all.

And, ofcourse, the birthday loot! It pays to be a bookworm!



Leave it to Noelle and Harlan to get us a ball bigger than our bodies that terrorizes our cats!

Hey, new video of Augie playing. Good stuff.

Augie and the Coffee Table. See the incredible Augustine 'the Contortionist' fold himself in half for the sake of an elusive ball.

Click Here and Here.

Augie Walking! What you have all been waiting for. Here is a video of Augie running around our living room.

Along with Video, I just figured out how to get our talks from Atlas online. Go to my blog and find the link.

Hey all!

So I finally got on top of things and figured out how to put videos on this silly site, so here are 6 or 7 of my favorites underneath.

We'll start with a cutie of Aug and Kel.

Click on the Purple Links to see videos. Give them some time if you have a slower speed connection. It may take a while even with broadband.

Love you, Jeff