5 BOYS AND A GIRL

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

I look forward to conference every 6 months, because no matter what struggles I am going through, I always hear exactly what I need.

This time I learned:
1. To have more trust in Heavenly Father, that He will take care of us. (We have already seen this, because Jim hasn't been a day without work since he graduated) I must CHOOSE to not have fear. If I have fear, than I am not allowing myself to have faith, and faith is the key to seeing His blessings.
2. That we are never alone. And if we feel alone, there is one person that truly understands how we feel. Our Savior, Jesus Christ.
3. I need to stop complaining! I also need to take challenges with a better attitude and try harder to see what it is I am to learn from them.
4. I need to stop buying things that I can't afford, and be content with what we have. I am also trying to re-evaluate what we currently have, that we can learn to live without.
5. I need to show more respect to others, especially to my own family, by being more patient, and speaking with a kinder tone. This will bring reverence and love in our home and make it feel more like a temple.
6. At times we mourn, but we should never mourn with out hope in our hearts and gratitude for the plan of happiness, because there are so many reasons to still be happy!
7. I shouldn't ever let any excuses keep me away from the Temple. And I should make my temple attendance more sincere without distraction, so that I can be spiritually strengthened.
Attending the temple is important because it gives us God's protective power from the adversary.

2 comments:

Malori and Jon Saline said...: It's so incredible because those are the exact things that stuck out to me while I was watching conference, but they probably stood out to us in different ways. I love the way the spirit can speak to us especially during conference!! And I love you too Girl!!!!!!!!!; April 7, 2009 at 8:54 PM
Laurie said...: Brooke,

I love you. I love that you are so GOOD. (I don't understand it, per se... but I do love it.) Thank you so much for always being willing to share your testimony, and your thoughts and feelings. One of my most favorite qualities in you is that you are always so cheerful, and so grateful.

I loved this post! ... I love you!; April 15, 2009 at 10:30 AM

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Jim Cook Family

Jim and Brooke met at a friends wedding and fell in love very quickly. They were married in March of 2001. Within a year Tyler was born and changed their lives forever. Two years later, Justin joined their family and has been making them laugh ever since! In 2007, Caleb became boy number three. He idolizes his bigger brothers and Daddy and tries to be just like them. Now we have Logan, 4 boys in all! He warms our hearts with his cuteness. We are greatful to share the eternities as a happy familiy!

LOGAN

We are so happy to have 4 boys! Logan was born in October 2009. He is a fun and sweet boy. We love his beautiful big shining eyes that glisten when he smiles. He loves attention, which he never is short of around our home. His favorite is mommy, although his older brother, Tyler, is a close second. He is now 14 months old and has not learned to walk yet. Who knows, it may not happen till he is 18 months! Until then, I imagine him still speed crawling to follow us around. He seems to be always happy (again, as long as someone pays attention to him). Although he is getting better at playing on his own, and has discovered the fun of getting into cupboards, drawers, or reaching onto the table to find treasures and make messes. He is quite good at making messes, and smiling really cute when mommy finds him in them. Logan loves games like peek-a-boo, and chase (others chase him, as he crawls around), in which he laughs with delight. He also loves his bottle, but the funny part is he rarely holds it with his hands. He likes to bite it with his teeth and suck all the air out so he can drag the bottle underneath him while he crawls around and plays. He is a busy and happy boy. We love him so much!

CALEB

3rd in line and 3 years old is Caleb! He is a very fast learner and very smart. He was crawling at 4 months old and has been extremely active ever since! If we took a tally of which one of us was winning in the battle of smarts, Caleb or Mom and Dad. Caleb wins, just about every time! He truly thinks he is 8 yrs old and can do anything his big brothers can. He is also very determined to get what he wants and has a great sense of routine and order. If things are different or hard, he finds a way to resolve it. Caleb really likes puzzles and games. He also loves music! He will often play the piano and sing songs to us or himself. It is his job to direct the music during Family Home Evening, and he loves it. Caleb has learned his colors, shapes, and counting this year, and is working on his letters and numbers. He has also learned to go potty! ( YEAH!) Mommy and Caleb have really enjoyed their one-on-one time since school started (when the big boys are at school) and have been doing lots of fun things together. We even take a kids exercise class a couple days a week at the local community center. Caleb is a very HAPPY, FRIENDLY, and LOVING boy. He is great at giving kisses and making people feel special.

JUSTIN

Justin is 6 yrs old and does everything with enthusiasm and excitement! He has a very fun loving personality. He loves to laugh and be extremely silly. He has an incredible imagination, which makes even the wildest things seem real in his mind. He loves to pretend he is a monkey, or a frog, or HEROES. His favorite heroes are Superman and Buzzlightyear. Justin's emotions are a huge open book, where you never have to guess whether he is happy or sad. You always know with Justin. He loves playing with legos, bionicles, and hero factory. He loves to dance and has a great singing voice. Justin is in 1st grade this year and loves to read! He is already reading chapter books, and he just learned to read this last year! He also likes recess and math. Both Justin and Tyler recently received their “Math Blasters” award, which is the highest math achievement awarded at their school! We have seen Justin mature a great deal this year. He has become a very responsible boy, and works really hard to do the right things. He is really great at helping people and making friends! Justin loves everybody and is great at giving compliments.

TYLER

Our oldest boy, Tyler, is a big boy of 8 ½ years! He is a great reader. You will always find a book in his hand. He has recently read the entire Persey Jackson series (are his newest favorite), and is currently reading the Narnia series (Mom and Dad’s favorite). Tyler works hard at school and seems to thrive in all subjects, but has a natural talent for drawing. Tyler is a true thinker. He notices things about people and has a strong desire to understand everything around him. He loves helping people. He wants to be a Herpetologist when he grows up (a person who studies reptiles, snakes, and amphibians). He has learned much about them already from all his reading. He loves to ride his bike and play sports. He has become a cub scout this year and loves all the things he is learning. He has already earned his Bobcat and Tiger badges and 2 arrows! Tyler loves to play games. We find him often playing 5 crowns, Kings in the corner, chess, and banana grams. His cousins have also introduced him recently to Pokémon, so he is asking for a deck of cards for Christmas. Tyler is a very loving boy and a giver. We couldn't ask for a better big brother for our other 3 boys.