Dad

This post is dedicated to my father, Terry Lee Cope on his 59th birthday. Happy birthday, dad! I was hoping to get to this sooner, but at least it is still your birthday in Hawaii for a few more hours...

Here are few things that my Dad taught me:
-The right way to clean a toilet (and if I didn't do it right the first time, I had to come back and do it until it was right)
-That yard work can be fun when the whole family helps
-That passing out fliers for TLC window fashions can be fun because you get to ride on the running boards or in the bed of the truck, and at the end you get to have a slurpee at 7-11
-How to be a good sport and play any game or jump on the trampoline as activity for family home eveing
-How to waterski (he always believed in me but never pushed me too hard)
-That a car should be clean (he washes his every week, even if the ice is forming before he can dry it!)
-That there is no man's work or woman's work, just work and we all need to help so it can get done
-That you gotta do what you gotta do to support your family (at one point he had four jobs so mom could stay home; Pace, the Paint Store, cleaning grease vents and acting)
-Most of all he taught me that where you come from and the mistakes that you may have made, don't define who you are; we all can change and become better with the Savior's help.

As you can see most of what my dad taught me surrounds that fact that you have to work, but that you can have fun doing it. And when you are done doing it, you can have more fun! I love you very much dad! I hope that my little Terry Lee will grow up to be as good a man as you are--he has large shoes to fill.

P.S. The comments are working now, thanks for the help Eli!

My first post!

The long awaited day has arrived! I am finally posting on my christmas present blog--which I love! I have to admit that now that I am finally posting on my very own blog, I am nervous. Once i put this up, it will be out there for all of you to read! What if I miss spel somthing (ha, ha) or if I have forgotten all proper grammar? At least I know that you all love me and will be kind.

So this blessed moment has arrived because all three boys are actually alseep at the same time! (Insert round of applause here.) And no, mom, I am not sleeping because I had do the dishes, eat, fold laundry, and by that time I was sure Hinckley would be up to eat. But he gave me a few extra minutes to start this. I say start this, because now he has woken up and I am feedind him and typing with the other hand--definately increases my chance for error, sorry.

So our life has been full of the usual excitement that comes with three small kids: dirty diapers, feeding everyone and somehow feeding myself, washing buckets full of laundry (which we hang dry to save on electricity--its Hawaii 80ish every day, we can do that!), dishes, cleaning up toys, dishes and did I mention cleaning up toys? All the while breaking up fights and usually with a child clinging to my leg or in my arms or the baby carrier. Now that you know what I do everyday, you can stop reading--its all the same. Oddly enough, I love it. Being a mom is what I always wanted to do. I just try to find the good spots like laughing and playing with my kids.

Hapaki has started school at BYU-H about one week ago. If he completes his 18 credits on campus plus 2 independent study courses this semester, he will be all set to take full loads for the 3 summer terms and the fall and then he can graduate in december! It will be a big push and hard (the 1 hour and 10 min. drive one way), but we want to do it so we can just finally be done! Go Hun, you can do it!

Well, now I have two crying and so ends my first post, with hopefully lote more to come! Love you all!