I wake up early.
I mean REALLY early……..
4:45 am each day, even on weekends.
I have the perfect house for an early riser such as myself. The entire east side is covered with huge windows giving me a panoramic view of each sunrise over the Eagle Cap Wilderness.
At times, breathtaking.
The promise of a new day.
The crack of dawn…..
Enter….. stage left…….Cooper…….
How many mornings did we sit in the living room as the sun would peek over the mountains and my husband, with his slow Oregon drawl, would smugly say to him,
“Listen, Coop…… did you hear that?”
Cooper would then earnestly cock his head to one side straining to hear something….
“It’s the Crack ‘a Dawn”, Steve would slowly and triumphantly declare, as if he’d just told the world’s most hilarious joke.
With a concerned frown, Cooper would look at us and then stare out the window.
After a while, his concerned frown would then change to a smile, he’d shake his head and skip off to once again catch bullfrogs, snakes, or crawdads in the creek.
This went on for years….
Until one day, as a teenager, Cooper admitted that each time my husband would say that, he’d look for a dinosaur.
A DINOSAUR????!?
Now we earnestly cocked our heads to one side straining to understand why on earth he looked for a dinosaur when Steve told him it was the “Crack ‘a Dawn”.
He just smugly looked at us and declared he was looking for a…
you know…….
a Crakadon……..
I’ll never look at a sunrise the same again. 🙂
Have a beautiful morning!
Beth
The Renegade Seamstress 
That’s too funny! Love it.
One of my favorite Cooper stories and believe me there are many!
Awesome
I bet you were here when we used to say that. 🙂
I LOVE that! How sweet! I find it so interesting how kids interpret our words…. sometimes it tires me out to have to repeat myself and explain my words so many times, but I love how your story makes their perception so beautiful! Thanks for giving me a good start to my morning! 🙂
Leanne
I wish I would have written down all the funny things they used to say. There were so many. 🙂
Your post made me smile! For 22 years my sons and I make the 5-hour drive to the Calaveras County Frog Jump on the third weekend of May. We should be there now but are not because my great uncle, who began The World Champion Frog Team over 40 years ago with his two buddies, has dimentia. Last year was the last for our family…….for awhile. Fortunately he went our holding his 25 year frog jump record. His buddies are there this year and in years to come we will return. Thanks for the post and wonderful picture 🙂
Smiling Paula
Now you just made ME smile, Paula. I LOVE the whole idea of a World Champion Frog Team and the fact that your great uncle was the founder!!! I’m going to have to check into the Calaveras County Frog Jump. How cool that it is actually happening on the same day I decided to post Cooper’s frog picture. Coincidence? Perhaps………..
I’m off to check out the Frog Jump, thanks for the heads up!
Beth
Beth, The jump has been going on for like 100 years and my family has been participating for over 40 years. It’s been a blast! I sure do miss it this year and am wondering how the rest of the team is doing and if the record will be broken today. It all seems so silly, right? But it’s super serious 🙂
Paula
What a sweet story! Do you all get up that early? Wow.. 6AM is early enough in my world…but I can’t imagine how much more I might get done if I got up earlier. : )
I’m the only 4:45 early bird in our house…..I do get loads accomplished before the rest of the world wakes up.
So cute…as they say….”out of the mouth of babes”!!! Those precious little moments stay with us forever! Thanks for making me smile and brightening my day!!
You are so welcome Deann! This is one of my favorite Cooper stories, and believe me, there are many!
LOL! I thought this post was going an entirely different way…love the story, made me smile 🙂
We missed you last night, Beth…have a beautiful weekend!
I bet it was a fun night! You enjoy your weekend, too! See you Monday,
Beth
🙂
I bet you hear things like this all the time in your world right now Melanie! Give them all and yourself hugs and smooches from Auntie Beth.
Love,
Me
Love it! My godson, aged 5, cracked us up with repeated queries about the Under Toad, one summer beach vacation… (he heard us talking about the undertow)
That’s soooo funny! The Under Toad!
That was cute. 🙂
Thanks!!!!!
So precious.
I do love the 14 year old, but I do miss that little boy sometimes….
these are the stories that create beautiful memories
I love that story-and I get it!
You are so cute, Cathy!
So true!!!
That is too stinkin cute, Beth! Thanks for sharing that story. I love the funny things kids say and do. I wish I would have written down all the sayings or stories of Hailey. I guess it’s not too late! Keep them coming, I love your blog!
PS. I love that picture of Cooper:)
Thanks Heidi! I know you could have an entire blog on the things Hailey says. Grandma Kate always told me I should write the funny things down, but I always thought I’d remember, well now I’ve forgotten so many of them, wish I would’ve listened to Grandma!
Smooch those two cutie pies for me!
Love, Beth
What a delightful little story, Beth! It’s late now, but when my husband wakes up, I can’t wait to retell it to him. You see, tonight, as we were coming home from dinner, I say to Michael, “Where’s the keys?” And he replies, “Aren’t they in the cup holder?” Only he doesn’t sayyy cup holder; he says cupolder. All. One. Word. Oh, I just about died. It’s funny how our minds and tongues sometimes have different ideas about things. These tiny, little moments, though — they inadvertently end up changing our lives, making us see and experience things forever differently.
Thank you for sharing with us!
Have a lovely Sunday, Beth!
Xoxo,
C
It’s funny, Cara, how I look forward to your responses to my posts. I value your opinions and enjoy your insights. Thanks for all your precious words, they really mean so much to me!
Beth
I feel the same of you, my friend.
Have a wonderful Monday tomorrow!
Adorable story! You made me smile. TFS
Thanks Alice!!! That picture of Cooper will forever make me smile because it is so him!!!
Beth
I am sitting here looking at the morning with entirely new eyes. Thanks for the story,
Debbie
You are so welcome, Debbie!!!! One of my favorite Cooper stories.
Beth
OMG this is hilarious! And that picture!! I have a picture of my husband (yes!) when he was about ten holding a huge bull frog – this reminds me of that!
I am also reminded of the time I called a squirrel that was near our house ‘brazen’, and my first born (he was less than 3) moments later sd, “Now, where did Brazen go?” Also, our cat, Tyler, had the nickname ‘Ty-Ty’. I asked my husband one evening around this time if we maybe ought to pick up some Thai food for dinner, and C. came running to us holding the cat food bowl (he had picked up Ty food!!).
I envy you those quiet hours. Just can’t get my ass out of bed before 6:30.
(PS I love your blog, plan to come back, etc. but I don’t want notification of comments by email. How do I uncheck that?)
Oh, thanks so much for sharing your funny word stories! Those are great! I’ll check about the email notifications. Not sure about that.
Beth
That is such a funny story, gave me a good giggle. I love it!
Happy to give you the giggles!!!!
Beth
That is so sweet, put a smile on my face, love that story!
Melanie
I’m glad we could make you smile!
Beth
Beautifully written, and hilarious! There must be a book in you waiting to be written.
Oh wow, what a nice thing to say! Thanks!
Enjoy your day!
Beth
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Beth I laughed out load. Then read it to Randy! Too funny.
I love making you laugh!!!
Oh my gosh, l laughed. How cute.
We were just talking about this the other day. Cooper is now a senior. Where did the time go???