Winter Storm--Updated Pics

http://picasaweb.google.com/dennisccook/WinterStormJanFeb2009?authkey=76NpxUrkdKg#

Winter Storm January - February 2009

http://picasaweb.google.com/dennisccook/WinterStormJanFeb2009?authkey=76NpxUrkdKg#5297489227519420114

Here are some pics to start...not too many as I was busy trying to get out of the house...not take pictures...but here are some from Lewisport and Lexington.

Things Change...

as of Tuesday morning...

Snow is a-comin'

According to this Hancock county could get anywhere from 2-8 inches of snow! We will see...

Week of January 18-23

What a week!

Sarah and the kids went to Ohio County on Sunday to celebrate the 86th birthday of Louise Neal. Monday, school was out and we got some snow as seen in the pic of our house below. Runny noses began on Monday.

Tuesday, the kids both had "ok" days at school and the week was going well at church, too.

Wednesday was a big day. Gracie complained of her throat hurting while eating breakfast before school. Sarah went ahead and took her to school, like usual. She called me an hour later and the nurse thought she had strep...after taking her to the doctor that morning, she was right. So I stayed home with her on Wednesday and went to church when Sarah came home from school.

Wednesday night, about an hour after I got to church, Sarah called me crying. She was in pain and had not been able to go to the bathroom since 1pm that afternoon. She has a prolapsed uterus and urinary retention...fancy way of saying after a certain point she can't pee. After rushing her to the ER in Tell City, and them taking 30 minutes to "cath" her, she was able to get rid of the 1550 cc's of pee. (She will love that I am writing about this).

We were told that a normal bladder holds 800 cc's and 1550 was the most they've seen in a while. Glad we could help set a record! The nurses, I think, did not believe Sarah was in that much pain and afterwards were really concerned as they saw the proof. They even called to check up on her last night.

Thursday was a day of me keeping both kids home until 11 as Sarah only taught a half day.

Today, I have Alex and Gracie is back at school, but was up a lot last night coughing, etc. I pray for the health of my whole family and a NORMAL weekend!

Daddy/Daughter Date and other misc. info

I took Gracie to see "Hotel for Dogs" yesterday afternoon in Owensboro. We were able to enjoy some time together since she was out for school. The movie was ok. She really liked it and giggles quite a bit.

We saw the movie (she sat through the whole thing), and then went to (of course) McDonald's for supper.

I try to take her to a movie every once in a while so she gets some one-on-one attention and this give Sarah and Alex some time to nap! These times will become scare with the boy coming in July!

Last week, Sarah and I saw Mall Cop. Please, go see it if you have not already. Too many funny parts to mention, especially if you love Kevin James like we do. www.paulblartmallcop.com

Here is a blessing from God - Gracie's kindergarten teacher is home from the hospital. After 21 days at U of L, she is back at home and ready to start some major therapy. If you live in the area, please refrain from calling or visiting right now. But feel free to send her an e-mail. That way she can check it at her leisure and get back to you when she is able.

First Snow of 2009

41 Days Until 30th Birthday Spectacular

Over Christmas break, Sarah informed me she had a surprise for my 30 birthday (in March). She eventually had to tell me as my church calendar is filling up fast and I needed to take a Sunday off.

I really couldn't guess as to what it could be as she is usually so busy we just try to get away from dinner on our birthdays. But, this one is 'way yonder' special as Any Griffith would tell Opie.

Many of you know that after my love for God and family, I love sports. Especially watching ESPN. When we are not watching Playhouse Disney or Blue's Clues, I have the tv on as ESPN channel of some sort. Sarah surprised me by purchasing tickets for us to go to "ESPN: the weekend" at Walt Disney World.

This really took me a while to comprehend.

There will be many athletes, ESPN anchors, and live broadcasts of ESPN shows that weekend.

We will NOT be taking the kids. Remember, it is a birthday present for me. :) In 2006 we took both kids to Disney World and let them experience it for the first time. Sarah and I experienced NOTHING except strollers, diaper bags, long lines, expensive food, crying babies, and a liiiitle too much Cinderella to suit me.

This time, the trip will be for us. Sarah is cleared by the doctor to fly and encourages it in the 2nd trimester compared to the 1st or 3rd. Thanks, hun!

BTW - Sarah turns 30 in 2 years...so I will attempt to return the favor and take her to ESPN: the weekend, 2011!

More info here :http://espn.go.com/espntheweekend/

Ultrasound Pics

Ultrasound # 1 (12/31/08): http://picasaweb.google.com/dennisccook/Ultrasound1?authkey=0rlC-ZVIjes

Ultrasound #2 (1/12/09): http://picasaweb.google.com/dennisccook/Ultrasound2?authkey=qNRBU-DBHTQ

It's a.........

B-O-Y

The Highs and Lows of Pregnancy

from www.dennisandsarahcook.blogspot.com

This past weekend, Sarah began experiencing some discomfort. We didn't think much about it, but as it began to increase, we got worried. She really had no issues through either earlier pregnancy.

I urged her to call the doctor Monday to try and get in. They wanted her to come in yesterday as soon as she could. The doctors and nurses are always suggesting the ladies to come in whenever there is an issue. We are blessed to have the same doctor to deliver all three of our kids, and Sarah is very comfortable with her.

We got in and before the doctor came in Sarah started bleeding which really scared us. We went for about 30 minutes in a doctor's office...alone...thinking the worst.

We have had good friends and family who lost a babies, yet we had never thought it would happen to us.

Finally, the doctor came in the office and gave Sarah an exam and everything, thankfully, checked out fine. We thanked God for the blessing, knowing that our lives would be totally different if we would have lost the baby.

The doctor asked if we could stay for an ultrasound just to make sure things were fine. We agreed. The ultrasound was an awesome experience because we were able to see the baby in a different perspective. We saw the baby at 14 weeks and it was amazing. We got several pictures and we were back there for quite a while. The tech asked if we wanted to find out what is was and we questioned if 14 weeks was too early. She said she would look if we wanted her to. We had already promised our parents that when we have the 'official' ultrasound next month, they would be with us and find out with us. But, knowing the circumstances, they would understand and be just as excited.

The tech called the doctor in for a confirmation and the doctor said that she told someone yesterday they would not need to check to find out because it was too early, and that was 16 weeks. We are at 14 and the doctor confirmed it. We were overjoyed!

Just minutes earlier, we were stunned that we might lose this baby. Then, moments later, we knew what is was and found out that everything was on schedule! What a roller coaster of emotions. We also understand that things can still happen and, sometimes do happen. We will just continue to pray.

Now, we know that we currently have three healthy children. We will have 2 of one sex and 1 of the other. Gracie will be a big sister and Alex a big brother. Really, no matter what it is, we will be excited and thank God for His blessing to us.

But we know what it is! I have pictures and they are great! See you later!

We Know...

We know what the baby is going to be!

Hymnody

Many of you who know me, know about my deep appreciation for hymns. My faith has been shaped and taught by them, my singing has been inspired by them and I understand their high value in the worship setting.

I am passionate about old and new hymns, learning about writing them, and studying about the stories behind hymns as well as their composers/poets.

I have just bought a book "Fanny J. Crosby (an autobiography)" in which she details her 80 year life. I hope to share some things from the book with you...until then, here is a link for more info.

Girl Scout Cookies

Gracie is selling girl scout cookies as she is a Daisy this year. They are $3.50 a box. If you want to order some, send me an e-mail! (dennisccook@hotmail.com)

Big Week/Weekend

This week, Sarah, Gracie, and Alex go back to their regular schedules. Their transition from break back to school has been good. Even Alex was ready to go to preschool this morning.

Alex has a new babysitter. We have gone through several for one reason or another...this does not have anything to do with his behavior, just the sitter's lack of availability. We think these folks are very nice and comparable to our family in many ways. We will pray that he is comfortable there. He is an excellent adapter to new and changing situations.

Gracie is back at school coping with not having her teacher there with her. Our good friend is going through a rough patch right now and needs our prayers. Gracie's teacher is in ICU and with prayer and God's grace will pull out of this and return to full health. That is our prayer for her and her family. Gracie understands it all and prays for her, too. Her teacher is not only her teacher but considered family.

This week back at church consists of a lot of planning...Discipleship, Easter music, service planning, etc. One exciting thing that just sort of happened, is that this Saturday, we are going to FBCE (one of my previous churches) for an Easter music workshop where both choirs will team up to learn the same music. How exciting! I am also working on securing leadership to lead 2 different "love languages" classes at HBC. Many of you will be familiar with the 5 Love Languages book by Gary Chapman. There are other themes that follow this pattern (languages of God, men, women, singles, etc.). I want to do the couples one and the one about God's love languages. I hope it works out well.

This is Sarah's 13th week of pregnancy. We will have a regular scheduled appointment this month and hopefully the ultrasound to determine the gender in February. We have invited all of our parents to come as it is our last child (please, God?) and they have never experienced an ultrasound before. We hope they will look forward to finding out the gender at the same time we do.

We were given a Wii for Christmas. I will have to say that we love playing on it together. The kids love it and it stops us from just sitting in front of the tv watching it. We are able to get up and be active with it. The kids are really getting the hang of it. They want to play it all the time.

Also, I was told about my 30th birthday present last week. More to come on that as we get closer!

Baby #3 Ultrasound

from dennisandsarahcook.blogspot.com

We had an ultrasound New Year's Eve to determine the exact due date for the baby...July 10, 2009, here we come. And yes, ONLY ONE BABY! At 12 weeks, the baby weighs 2 ounces and the femer bone is 0.9 centimeters!

Until I get to my printer at HBC to scan them, here are some shots taken with our digital camera:

New Year's Rockin' Eve @ The Cook Ranch

from dennisandsarahcook.blogspot.com

We party hard...'nuff said. See the proof: