MegaTrip: The Things We Do for Football

Part Four in a series chronicling our first big family road trip. 

Maybe it wasn't such a good idea. It sure seemed like one before we left. Drive from Louisville to Hattiesburg through the night, go straight from the conference to the football game, let the kids sleep in the car, don't waste our vacation doing pesky things like sleeping, skip stopping to nurse because it's night- it all sounded great. Even better, neither Emily or I can sleep sitting up in a car, so we didn't have to worry about falling asleep at the wheel. What could go wrong?

And almost nothing went wrong, except that Sarah inherited our inability to sleep in a car. The poor girl slept about an hour, all in 10 minute sprints after 2 a.m. She wanted to sleep, but couldn't. She even asked, through tears, for her bed. Then she went back to letting out those same cries a child lets out when they're falling asleep- except they never seemed to end. I don't know how she didn't wake up Josiah. But we made it.

We pulled into the Howells' driveway at around 4:00 a.m. Central time, trying our best to remember what it was that convinced us to drive down at such an hour. Once we got up the next morning, it became clear: box seats at the Southern Miss v. Boise St. football game. Emily's parents had acquired four seats in a luxury box, making for a great morning and afternoon of food, playing children, festivities, and football. After a serious nap, of course.

All the pre-game festivities were right at home to Emily, but not to me. There were great bands playing everywhere, and the marching band walking all around the campus. The tailgating felt more like a cross between a birthday party and a circus. And that was just outside the stadium. Once we got to our suite, there was an endless supply of food, drinks, and fun. Southern Miss, along with other schools, are building a strong football program based on the fan experience. They seem to understand that a good game and a good time go hand-in-hand.

Sarah enjoined the game quite a lot, though Josiah was sometimes scared when the noise suddenly erupted. He wound up spending much of the game inside- another perk of the box seat. The rest of us went in and out quite a lot, always having a good time.

The Golden Eagles came out strong, taking an interception on the opening drive and driving right up to the goal line. But when the field goal didn't go in, it was a sign of things to come. The Boise St. Broncos came out on top, by quite a lot. Turns out they can play pretty well on a green field also.

After the game, we came home and took another nap. The evening was low-key, although Emily did attend marching band festival with some old friends.

As we retired for the night, Emily's mother proposed to me that perhaps I ought to sing in Heritage's Sunday choir the following morning. Either way, we looked forward to Sunday Worship at Emily's home church.

MegaTrip: The Conference

Part Three in a series chronicling our first big family road trip. 

Thursday and Friday were spent at the Together For Adoption Pastors' Conference, put on at Southern Seminary for pastors interested in adoption or in leading adoption ministries in their churches. We did the sorts of things that people do at conferences: sing, listen to preaching, attend breakout sessions, and meet people. But what most people want to know is what we got out of it, what our family's future holds, and our hopes for OBC.

We don't know much about our future, but we did leave the conference with a greater burden for caring for widows and orphans. I have been praying that God would put that burden on our hearts, and it appears He is.

As OBC moves to a period in which we concern ourselves more deeply for the lost around us, I am praying that we will also concern ourselves with the suffering around us. Perhaps God will use Emily and I in that change. He is awakening us as a people to the needs our lost neighbors have for the Gospel- perhaps that compassion will make us also more sensitive to the physical needs of the poor.

For the Cooks, we've resolved that any adoption or foster care we may one day do would be done only as an answer to God's call to care for the poor. We've been tossing the idea around for a while, led now to this part of the journey. Adoption is a central theme of the Gospel, and we would love to picture it by adopting children of our own. But the desire for that picture, or the picture of a multi-ethnic family, can't be the reason we adopt children. They aren't tools in our plan to preach the Gospel we love- they're orphans we're called to love because of that Gospel. So we're just going to love them and see what God does. Nobody preached that at the conference but, strangely enough, God used them all to remind us of it.

The main thing we got out of it was a deeper appreciation for the Gospel that has saved us. How great the love lavished upon us all that we should be called the Sons of God! And be given the spirit of sonship- that we should call Jesus our older brother. Who is like the Lord?

God has been very good to us indeed. And he's patiently working in our hearts to bring about that kind of mercy from us as well. Will we adopt children one day? Will you one day have a family member who isn't a part of our family right now? We don't know, but we are looking for ways to care for widows and orphans. When you do that, as some families in our church have found, you can wind up with a fatherless child in your home and a heart to adopt it. Knowing the goodness of our God, that could be us one day.

MegaTrip: Memories in Louisville

Part Two in a series chronicling our first big family road trip. 

Who would have thought that the sight of a simple apartment building would bring tears to my eyes, that I would be excited just to walk into a bookstore, or that a chicken sandwich would mean so much. I was full of surprises this day, I guess. 

After two days of driving, we were finally free to feel like we were on vacation. Our conference was a day away, so we spent a day seeing many of the people and places I loved in Louisville.

After a cup of coffee, a little Acts of the Apostle,s and some Huckleberry Finn, we took a simple walk around Southern's campus with Meghan Johnson and her two daughters. Walking the halls, seeing the renovations, and raiding the bookstore. We also saw our host Raymond's new office- a symbol of his new job at the school and departure from the restaurant world. I told Emily stories of fireflies on the big hill, and Raymond told us the strange tale of the Mummy on display in Southern's library (ask us about that one.)

Before driving to lunch with some friends, I suggested to Emily that we drive by our old apartment for a quick look. We have several memories here: a bathroom crumbling from mold, a porch somehow smaller then the hammock in it, and re-purposing an office/guest room to make an office/guest room/nursery. But when we pulled up, it came over me to tell Sarah the story of bringing her home to it in the baby carrier. "Sarah, this is the spot we pulled into on your first car ride, to take you home. Actually, it was that spot right there." That was about as far as I got before the vividness of the memory took over so greatly that I broke down. I don't know if I've ever had a more clear memory of something. People who I didn't know and haven't seen since were shouting for us, Emily's mom had made a sign to welcome her home- I had forgotten how joyful we were. Emily had to ask a few times if these were happy tears, because I just couldn't stop them.

We were about halfway to Chick-Fil-A before I finally did stop. Lunch with the Johnsons and Metcalfs was a treat. It seemed like such a short time since none of us were married, and now there are 5 children between the three of us. I think the most comforting thing about this part of the trip was the ease with which we could pick our conversations right back up.

That evening I got to take Sarah down to Eagle Heights Baptist Church to see our brothers and sisters there, and the into Morton's for a quick visit. Emily and Josiah stayed back to get some rest, but I had a hunch that everyone really wanted to see the little girl who had won their hearts as a baby. Sarah hammed it up with ease.

After talking late into the night with the Johnsons again, we headed to bed and did our best to rest up for the conference. It was a conference about Adoption in the church, and we slept wondering how God would lead our family and our church when it came to the growing Christian adoption movement.

MegaTrip: The Drive to Louisville

Part One in a series chronicling our first big family road trip. 

"Well, the good news is, we've made it an hour and a half, and only one of our kids has thrown up."

Sarah did the dizzy-sway-walk next to the van while I worked on the car seat, applying Lysol to the milk curdles this rest area had to thank for our visit.We weren't off to a great start, but it got better. Her little dizzywalk made us worry she had actually inherited motion-sickness from her Papa. But she showed no signs of it afterward.

After months of preparation, our vacation had finally come. We would drive to Louisville, then Hattiesburg, then Townsend, and finally back to Cape Cod. In the middle of it I planned to fly home, lead worship, and fly back. We wanted to squeeze a conference in there somewhere, too. We felt secure in all of it except driving with the kids. Fortunately, this first 90 minutes wasn't the most accurate predictor of the rest of the day.

Once we took care of that, the driving was surprisingly peaceful- all the prayers we asked for were effective. We made three stops that day (including that first surprise one) of about an hour each. I kept noticing how comfortable the van was compared to a car. And Josiah stayed happy the whole time.

We arrived in Clearfield, PA in time to have dinner at some famous local pub (the kind that tells you all the TV shows you've been on) and put the kids to bed. A second, more uneventful day, and we were in Kentucky.

Shortly after crossing the Kentucky border we arrived at Asbury Theological Seminary outside of Lexington for a quick dinner with one of Emily's childhood friends. It was a great precursor of things to come to catch up with Haley and hear her joys and pains. If there's one thing a trip like this reminds us, it is that we are supported by a truly nationwide network of loved ones. It seems everywhere we go there is someone we long to stop and see.

As we approached Louisville that evening, Emily noted how excited I was just to be driving on roads that I knew. Louisville's interstate system, because of Ft. Knox, is far better than the city needs, which makes for great driving. You're always fifteen minutes from everywhere. I hadn't driven on these roads in two years. And I would spend the next three days saying thing like, "Ah yeah, Brownsboro! I love Brownsboro!" There's something about seeing the streets of this city that moves me, though none so much as the view of the bridges from Interstate 64. I very much looked forward to that one.

We arrived at the Johnson's home just in time to stay up late talking about God and life. I was immediately reminded of how much I miss Louisville's culture of late-night theology talks. The Johnsons' hospitality was refreshing and fun, so much that we always felt like we'd slept much more than we actually had. But more of that to come.

With the knowledge that kids were decent road-trippers, we were able to sleep much more soundly. We were now really on vacation, and glad to be there.

Roooooaaaaad Triiiip!!!!!!

Happy 5 months, Josiah!

This is the first month that really feels to me like Josiah has been part of our family forever. Having two kids is beginning to become so natural and we are getting better and better at anticipating and rolling with all that comes our way. As Josiah's personality continues to develop we just fall more and more in love. Who knew we could enjoy him more?! The big news for J-man this month is that he can add a number of states to his list of states visited. At his 5 month mark he has been in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Kentucky. (By his 6 monthiversary he will have added to his list Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.) Thankfully, thus far, he is a champ in the car.

Weight: ?
Length: ?
Head: ? 
Diaper: size 4 - I know this seems absurd (at least it does to me), but if the poop doesn't stay in consistently, we move up a size!
Clothing: 9-12 month- length and girth are where he is so long, we have to roll up the legs of 12 month pants
Likes: being tickled under his chin, attention from Sarah, jumping, tummy time, being just a little startled, stretching out, “blowing bubbles” as Sarah says when he buzzes his lips
Dislikes: not getting a meal or a nap fast enough, being left alone for his nap (we always come and get you, Little Man!), loud noises (train whistle at the zoo, fire truck sirens, etc)

Schedule: We have worked hard to stay home a little more this month and really fight for his naps. It has been a challenge for me to not run out to the grocery store or to take a walk every time he wakes up early. None-the-less, he is able to settle down to sleep so much better when he is getting good sleep.

7 am: Wake and nurse
7-8 am: Wake time
8-11am: Nap
11am: Wake and nurse
11-12 pm: Wake time
12-3 pm: Nap
3 pm: Wake and nurse
3-4:30 pm: Wake time
4:30-5:30 pm: Nap
5:30-7 pm
7 pm: Wake and nurse and back to bed not much later

Sleep: I am so encouraged to read back over his last month’s post and see how far Josiah has come in this area. He was generally getting sleep, but crying so much as he settled down. I can now rejoice to say that he rarely cries more than a few times before falling asleep! And that is only when he is tired, which has happened more since we left on vacation. It seems his side sleeping stage was short lived. He doesn’t roll around as much and is happy on his back. The biggest news is that we dropped the dream feed a few weeks ago. Whew! He loves his long sleep and I love going to bed whenever I am ready.

Food: Nursing is still going well and we have developed a deep reserve in the freezer. With our pending vacation we decided to wait to start solids. In our normal environment we would start letting him practice eating off the spoon, but he is quite satisfied with what he has and it made our travel routine that much simpler. We look forward to diving into some rice cereal when we get home!

Tricks (physical and verbal): Josiah is still rolling from his back to tummy, but not tummy to back. He loves some tummy time and is really growing strong. We have practiced sitting up lately and he certainly can’t do it on his own, but is starting to enjoy being upright. It will be fun to watch that skill develop. We have enjoyed watching him find his fingers. They fascinate him! Josiah hasn’t really started using any consonant sounds, but has started doing an ear splitting scream. It was like he discovered the back of his throat one day and liked the feeling. Now he tends to stretch his lungs when he starts to get tired or hungry, but isn't ready to let loose with a good cry.

Fun facts:         
-Sarah can now say the “Jo” of Josiah.

-His eyes are changing colors, but we will have to wait to see what we end up with. They are kind of a gray at this point.

-His hair is still short and light. He has a bit of a bald spot on the back of his head, but you have to look really hard to notice it.

-He and Sarah slept well in the same room over our time on the road. It isn’t our plan to have them sleep together, but it is good to know they can do it!

Next appointment: November 5, 10:20am

Go Pats!

Big boy PJs

Sibling snuggles

Sarah is already trying to sell him. The life of a little brother :)

He is a pretty good car sleeper

We don't remember what caught his attention

We just can't get over the look of our little guy asleep!

Somebody loves his Aunt Faye!

She is brushing his lack of hair

A sneak peak at an awesome photo shoot. There is even a video, so get excited!

Third Anniversary

ONE cross country move

     TWO beautiful children

          THREE years of marriage

We are so very blessed and praise the Lord for all He has given us in the last three years.

We started our evening in Jackson with dinner at The Parlor Market and then went to the MS State Fair to eat a funnel cake and see Chubby Checker do the twist.

This was the first night we went to sleep without one of our children under the same roof since Thursday, July 15, 2010!