Creating the Cochrans'

What are you teaching?

2010-10-14T23:45:00.006-06:00

We went to church on Sunday night to listen to Pastor Nate's second part of a short series "MERCY AND TRUTH". The first one was great, so I was excited about the second. Anyway it was GREAT as expected, however the thing that got me was not really his sermon but it was when he was talking about his kids. The point that he was making was "All to often we tell our children to get down off there... come on now get down..... I told you to get down...1...2....2 1/2...." What are we teaching our kids when we do that...NOTHING. Oh wait yes we are teaching them that after long enough and a MILLION chances we will then get squashed by God. We all know that God is a God of love and CORRECTION, and we all know that we as parents are to teach our children to listen to us as for when they are older they can listen to God. If you can not listen and obey to you earthly father how are they EVER gonna learn to listen to the Heavenly Father?

After this sermon it is sitting in my head and heart. So this is where Monday happens. I had told Andrew to get his room clean, not a hard task I thought. A few hours later he came upstairs and told me it was all done. I had told him to clean it right and get things put away before I left him off on his own to clean. So we ate lunch and watched a movie cause hay he had his room clean... why not. While watching the movie I needed to check email so I came down stairs and checked on his room WOW. He had cleaned his room alright, he put all his stuff in one area then tossed his blanket over it all. I know we all have done it before i know. So I was faced with a choice of what to do. 1) I could call him down have a little chit chat about lying and have him clean his room again. OR 2) Teach him a lesson.
I went with option 2. I went to the garage got out 2 six foot tall trash bags and started to "clean" his room. About 10 minutes later I had filled a trash bag full and was starting on the second one. This whole time he is not knowing what I am doing. A bit later he came down stairs and was shocked at his room. Then the tears came... and the anger... then the talk. You know the talk.
Then I was convicted. His room was a disaster and as i looked around so was the basement and my room and Abbiella's room and well everywhere was in disarray. What are we teaching our children "do as i say not as i do?" That is such a double standard. So Andrew and i talked alot more this week and talked about life lessons and that Daddy and I have been disobeying God and not teaching him or Abbie the correct way. I had to ask for his forgiveness and OUCH talk about humility.
After Monday the kids and I have been busy we have cleaned the whole basement including the Laundry room. Found the floor and vacuumed the whole room. Got things put away and thrown out. Now his room is clean and he says it is nice to have a clean room to dance in. *he has fallen in LOVE with KJ52*.
In the end, It feel so good to be getting rid of the clutter and to be showing my kids that I have the same standards as they do. Both dad and I have messed to clean up and lessons to learn.
So I leave you with one question: What are you teaching?

In Christ.
Cristen

The sermon is not up yet however part one is....
http://gfcconline.com/site.cfm/Resources/Sermon-Resources.cfm

Andrew-Michaels letter to the mayor of Great Falls.

2010-05-03T15:08:00.000-06:00

Dear Mr. Winters, May 3^rd, 2010

I feel sad that the Natatorium may close. I feel sad because people like the natatorium and have good times there. Plus the homeschooled kids enjoy using the pool. I had my birthday party there at the Natatorium and we had a lot of fun. I had 10 friends come. Our Cub Scout pack 26 went to the Natatorium and we were able to earn our swimming pin and belt loop it was a lot of fun!! I know it is expensive to run the pool but kids and other people have fun there. We could do a fundraiser to help save the pool, I and my mom are willing to help. A garage sale and lemonade stand could be a good start.

Thank you,

Andrew-Michael Cochran

Age 9

New business.... Check it out.

2010-04-12T17:06:00.000-06:00

As some of you know I have been an Usborne Book consultant for a few months now. I really enjoy the books, so do the kids. As a matter of fact we are using some of these books in our homeschooling courses. The books are for ALL ages from birth and up, something for everyone.

I really encourage you to take a look at the website and shop around. All books come with warranty if they get damaged in ANY way I will replace them for 50% of the original cost, now that is a deal that you do not get with most other book company's, or book fair vendors at the schools!!

www.myubam.com/HOS169768

I am posting this link so that you may check out the new books that Usborne JUST PUT on special TODAY!! These are internet only specials. Click on the enter bookstore link and off you are to shop. With ordering online the books will ship directly to you and you can pay online with out secure checkout.

There are also customer specials available to you if you spend $35 or MORE!! Check them OUT!!

Thank you and I appreciate your business.
Cristen Cochran
781-2899
Usborne Independent Consultant

Hello out there.......

2010-04-09T00:09:00.002-06:00

Yes we are still alive and kicking... in one work we have been BUSY!!! I will post something this weekend with all the updates. Including pictures. But a quick list of current things going on with us in the past couple months.
1) We are home schooling now
2) We are cub leaders for Pack 26 WOLF DEN ROCKS
3) Abbiella is now 15 months old.
4) Rich is still working 50-60 hours a week
5) Baseball started today.
6) We took our first family vacation to Arizona in February....
7) Planning a trip to Billings to have Andrew participate in the state pinewood derby race, because he won 1st place at he pack level and then at the district level.
8) Small group is fun and amazing....
9) Abbiella may have an allergy to dairy.... oh what fun. Testing being done today
10) Oh and she is getting shots today!!!

That is it in a nutshell.

The game of life.....

2009-10-22T14:37:00.004-06:00

I sure has been a while.. I think it is the season .... BUSY it just started early this year. There has been alot of stuff going on around here. So I will break it down by person starting with the littlest one.
Abbiella-Grace is creeping up on 10 months... so fast. She is growing like a weed and is finally 16 pounds and 27 inches long. She was sick for almost 3 weeks it even came to a ER visit her first one. The doctor was of NO help he just told me that she had GAS and was classified as INFANT COLIC. I asked him why and he said it just happens. What he did not bother to ask or say was that the antibiotic she was on could cause gas OR that the formula that i had switched her to was causing her tummy to HURT and her body was trying to fix that so the cough she had was hanging on because her little body could not do both.. I went to her doctor to get all this fixed and figured out! Only of course after 4 sleepless nights for all of us. She is doing much better now and we all are sleeping well
Andrew-Michael is doing okay in school he is struggling with SLOWING DOWN in his reading so he is not doing so well there. He got hit on the bus last week then he hit the kid back so now HE is suspended from the bus for 3 days next week. FUN FUN in trouble for self defense. He did not get in to trouble for hitting but did get in trouble for lying to me and telling me that he did not hit the other kid. In other news Andrew is a cub scout now it is alot of fun, we have been selling popcorn for 2 weeks and he is doing great.. if you would like to order popcorn please let me know by Saturday.

Now to Rich and myself... we have been working on refinancing and in one work it has been stressful! I have had a headache for days we keep getting surprises over and over and over again, and they are not small surprises either, they are like HUGE 5,000 surprises. I have been sick over this we thought this was what were are suppose to be doing we had prayed about it over and over and this is the best way to use our money wisely and it was not like we had much of a choice because of our current mortgage plan. On a fun note Rich and I are going to A Weekend to Remember conference in Billings next weekend, without any children... that will be fun now if we can get the house done before then that would be great. so we can focus on the conference.

I have been arrested.... for being a good mommy....

2009-09-22T09:53:00.002-06:00

.. I am being sent to "JAIL" on Thurs. as a fund raiser for the March of Dimes.. I have been given a bail of $500 if anyone is able to help please do here is a website where you can make a donation to get Abbiella and myself out of jail...

http://jailandbail.marchofdimes.com/personal_page.asp?si=AB46A20F-19DA-467D-A82C-994B3661EA7A&w=537685

Okay maybe not!!!

2009-09-10T13:56:00.001-06:00

No i some how just got them all back!!!! YEAH

Okay maybe not!!!

2009-09-10T13:56:00.000-06:00

This stinks....

2009-09-10T13:52:00.002-06:00

I went to go check my blogs that i read today and BAM they were all gone I was given a NICE note saying that I am not following any blogs!!!!!!!!!!!

This is why Summer is so hard.........

2009-07-22T00:36:00.002-06:00

Lets see so far this summer ......

The kids and i went to Michigan for way to long... 23 days. It was fun but i would not want to do it again without my husband. That was to long to be with out my help mate. I got to see my grandma and grandpa and the whole family got to meet Abbiella-Grace.
Then when I got back i desided that we needed to have a 4th of July BBQ. oh i was not thinking because the house was a mess because while i was gone Rich was working any wheres from 50-60+ hours a week, Needless to say he did not get much house cleaning done. So rush to get house clean CHECK. Get food CHECK Time for fellowship CHECK..... However the rain also CHECKED in during this whole thing and Rich ended up grilling in the rain.... what a trooper.
Then the week following the 4th I helped some good friends Matt and Katie, out process thier house on base. THAT WAS A JOB!!! I think the military should not worry so much about the little bit of stuff left on the burners and the blinds and just be thankful that we have troops in the houses serving the military.... Sorry for that little bunny trail. That week was a Tues-Friday job but we passed!!! and they are on to Wyoming. In helping them we gained a King size bedroom set which leads me to my next adventure.............
Saturday July 11th Rich and I cleaned out our room with the queen bed and two mismatched dressers in to the living room and then Andrew reset up the bed frame down stairs and we moved the dressers in to Abbiella's room for tempoary storage.... they are still there making her room very very cluttered because I am in the middle of going threw her clothes because she is not in 0-3 mo. anymore and is still in 3-6 so i have been going and sorting them, I do have a trip to Once Upon A Child planed but it has not happened yet because.....
We have had a few days of rest if you call it that it has been busy still with silly stuff like me locking my keys in the van last Thursday causing me NOT to be able to go pay bills and other running around. And then this weekend we went to a few garage sales and had some fun at the base pool with my mom and one of her friends Jill. It was Abbiella's first time in a pool and SHE LOVED IT. I think she maybe part frog or fish but i have not determined what yet. Then today.....
Our ladies mininstry had the summer garden party tonight... we had a Cholat. Cake contest. there were many entries and they were all good but my cake did win the 1st loser position. or the 1st runner up. My cake was a 4 layer cholt. with homemade coconut buttercream frosting and inbetween each layer there was toasted coconut and almond mixture, This was also on the top and side of the cake. It was pretty good to eat and to look at. I was happy about that, however it was quite the adventure getting the frosting made today... I will spare you the details but it involved one dozen eggs *the reciepe only called for 6, one pan of burnt simple syurp, and somehow 2 burnt fingers I do not even know how that happened... but it was all worth it.
So now I sit here at the computer typing this blog very tired and you maybe asking yourself why I am up so late, so i will not keep you wondering anymore... My WONDERFUL daughter desided that tonight she needed to stay up very very late like 3 hours pasted her bed time so she did not go to sleep until after midnight and well I needed to unwind so here I am ...

You will never guess what has been going on....

2009-05-02T22:48:00.007-06:00

Hey everybody
We have had alot going on so far this year.... For starters are baby GIRL ABBIELLA-GRACE DIANE was born on January 7th 6 pounds 12 ounces 18 3/4 inches long....labor and delivery was GREAT!!!! Adjusting to a new baby has been hard and quite an adjustment but we are all doing very well.
This is her at 8 weeks.
In March Andrew-Michael turned 8 we had a bowling party and he had 8 friends there fun was had for all. That night he went to the Guns and Hoses hockey game and had a blast as well.

Rich has been working hard because the company only has two drivers at the current time, down from four so he is getting plenty of hours any where from 40 -60 hours a week it is hard but we are very grateful for the wonderful blessing his job is. Our total bill for having Abbiella-Grace was close to $15,000 and we did not have to pay a penny.... the health insurance is GRAND!!! We do have some time to do some fun stuff......

<-- Richs gift to his mother on her 58th Birthday on April19. In April, keeping with tradition we had a massive snow storm, but the temp out side was nice so Rich and Andrew-Michael along with my parents got to have some fun.....by the way it is illegal to snowmobile in city parks!!!

Here is Abbiella-Grace in her Easter dress on Easter Sunday!!

Long time no type...

2008-09-16T14:22:00.003-06:00

Sorry it has been so long since I have written, ALOT has been going on. As stated in the last post I miscarried at the end of Feb. beginning of March, it was a tough thing to go thru but we are doing well with it. Then around the beginning of May I thought that I maybe pregnant again and I found out May 17th that I was. We went to the doctor on May 21 to do the "yep it is true ultrasound" and we were unable to see the baby, so two weeks of praying and emotions I went back for another ultrasound on June 4th and got to see the baby and the heart flutters. YEAY!!! We are due January 15,2009. So then everything is going well I have not had any bleeding or anything however I have forgotten how MUCH that a womans body goes thru when she is pregnant. To date I have lost over 20 pounds and have just recently got my appitite back. My brain is out to lunch almost all the time and well i can pretty much write a book on how and where to get sick in the city of Great Falls!!! I am now 23 weeks along and still doing well. We had our 20 week ultrasound on August 28th and the ultrasound clearly showed that we are having a GIRL!!! WE are very excited including Andrew-Michael.I have also joined MOPS thru GFCC and also a new thing in our church called Girlfriend Encounters this is a once a month meeting of ladies to fellowship and to go thru the word of God. We are starting tonight with Titus and it will be our main study for the whole year. I am excited.
Andrew-Michael has started another school year and he is now in first grade. He is liking his teach and classmates. His teacher is a first year teacher and she is doing well. Last week I signed him up for indoor soccer through the Heisey youth center, he starts on Oct 11 can't wait.
Rich has also been very busy as he is now the lead driver for his company and all together go to person for what ever the bosses need. God has really got him a position that we can count on for a long time... we are still struggling with our paydays but rumor has it that he may be getting a pay raise at thee end of this month!!! Heres to hoping! He is also starting a class thru our churches college THE FORGE he is very excited about this as a matter of fact his first class is tonight.
Because our money is tight we have shut off out internet for now which also means that we have shut off our home phone. It was kinda silly to have a house phone for $200 a year and we both have cell phones. So we are down to just cell phones. It is working out rather well. The internet is another thing we have had internet for 9 years and now we do not, it is kinda hard but way worth it at $55 a month it was just to much with gas prices and what not all going up up up up.
I hope to be keeping up on his better than I have and will try and post some pictures of the ultrasound soon.

Sad but true.... Anna Grace has gone to heaven.

2008-02-18T11:46:00.003-07:00

Yesterday during church i decided to go to the hospital and get checked out because I had feared in my heart that I had lost the baby, now rewind back to Saturday night Rich and i had went out on a date to the black diamond supper club in Belt (it rocked!!) while we were waiting for for our steak I went to the bathroom and passed a very large clot and the blood flow had GREATLY increased and I had been cramping in my back and abdominal area all day. I knew in my heart that the baby had gone to heaven to be with God. Lucky her sad on us but we will meet someday. Ok so that all happened on Sat. night so Sunday we went to church and and there was no stopping my tears one of the older sisters in the church stopped and talked with Rich and I and we went to the ER they gave me a bag of fluid and did blood work and determined that my HCG levels had gone down to 110 which is barley pregnant. So now we wait and wait til the bleeding stops and then we get to start again.
I just wanted to say thank you all who have prayed for us and those who still are, we are just hopeful that God will provide another blessing soon....
Love
Cristen

So i thought it would be easy.... here is an update!!

2008-02-15T12:37:00.003-07:00

Well many times I look at other peoples blogs and get kinda upset that there is not an update I use to think that it is not that hard to do..... I guess i was wrong... sorry.
Well alot has gone on in the last few weeks here at the Cochran household first off one of the guys at Riches' work has quit so Rich is working different shifts he schedual is more like "work as much as you can with out getting to burned out, and by that we mean 5days a week 14 hours a day", fun that translates to go to work come home eat and shower and bed. kinda stinky but it is only for a season. RIGHT?
Andrew is doing well in school he has FINALLY started to get his work done the first time that he is asked to do it and is doing well in his reading I guess i would have never thought that my baby was going to be reading by the time he was out of kindergarten, it is pretty neat but it is getting harder to S-p-e-l-l things around him, I guess we will have to start platen or something.
My sister in law has found out that she is pregnant after having a miscarriage on Thanksgiving they are due August 25thish very exciting. That news was revealed to us about 3-4 weeks ago. That means I will be and Aunty and Rich an uncle we are very excited.
Ok all that being said I also have had some news personally... for those of you who do not know Rich and I have been trying for quite a few years to get pregnant and on Wed Feb 6 i had cramping and some bleeding but it was not like my cycle I called the doctor and told her what was going on and she told me "have you taken a test to see if you are pregnant? you very well could be and if not you are most likely just going to be starting your cycle." So on Thursday morning the 7th I took a pregnancy test and low and behold guess what.... YES it was really really positive!! I was very excited called Rich and told him cause of course he was at work his first words were "REALLY,you need to go get a blood test done..." I called the doctor and told her and she told me bleeding can be normal, and that she thought that I was 5 weeks and 2 days We told everyone so that they could pray for us.... because we were still bleeding and that is a scarry thing. So i made a new baby apt for yesterday and was VERY nervous went through everything "you need to know" and then it was time to do the ultra sound I was scared. It was and is very hard for me to trust God I have to I know but I kept taking the problem back back.... anyway they did a vaginal ultrasound and there was no heart beat nothing that resembled a baby( i was to be about 6wks and2 days) EXCEPT there was a little spot more like a speck and doctor said that it could be a baby.... so to be sure and to find out what was going on I did a blood test to find out my level of HCG and I got the results back and my levels indicate that I am only about 4-5 week along and that is the reason that nothing could be seen or heard... the baby is to young to be giving us noise or measurements....
So now we wait I am still bleeding but it is ok I go back in on Monday for another blood test to make sure my levels are going up so I will update then...
Love you all
Cristen

Workout<---- that is a funny word!

2008-01-06T15:58:00.000-07:00

Well we did not make a new years resoulution but we did want to get a gym membership and so yesterday in the midst of grocery shopping we went to SNAP fitness
it is only 49.95 a month for the family which is not bad and there was no enrollment fee or anything. http://snapfitness.com/
That said Rich was more excited than I was to get started so we came home put groceries away, made dinner and off we went to the GYM!!! I have never had a gym membership before i have worked out at the base gym from time to time but never this kind of work out. I have already learned DO NOT EAT AND THEN WORK OUT it doesn't workout so well. The first time there we did well we did not realize that we had been there for 2 hours so we wrapped it up and came home.
On a separate note... my husband and son FINALLY got me to watch the Transformers movie, and I have to say that it a very cool movie, SO Ali I did watch it and yes you were right!!

They said it was easy!!!

2008-01-05T00:36:00.000-07:00

Well I have wanted to get my family on a blog and here is the first time I do have a myspace account but it is stinky and very sluggish site. I just wanted to get on so that I can share a page with my friends and family. I have been reading my friends blogs for quite a while and they have all told me that it is very easy. I know i may sound like a dunce when I wrote but everyone needs a place to be creative.

I need to learn how to do pictures and things on the side of the blog I would like to have a link to all Andrew-Michael's photos he got a new camera for Christmas and is quite the photographer as it turns out
This is all his Transformers from Christmas Morning

This is on the way home from Grandmas house Christmas day... from his carseat in the car.

I guess it is all a learning processes and i will get it soon it will be like I have been here my whole life.