Colonial Stitching Project...done!

I remember when Zoe did this project in 5th grade, and I wasn't quite sure how Cooper was going to respond to it. It turns out, he did quite well! He traced the colonies, was tested on all of the names, and began his stitching. He took his time, and did a little bit each day or night. He actually enjoyed it (at least at the beginning), although I think by the end, he was ready to just be finished. One more project checked off of the list!

Wedding Bliss!

Jeff and Cathy's wedding was today and we were all happy to be celebrating together!

 

 

Zoe got ready with Cathy and the wedding party in the "Bride's Room." It was a bit chaotic in there with all the girls getting ready, but really fun for her to be a part of it and get to spend some time with Cathy.

Zoe loves hanging out with Cathy's daughter Meghan. These two are a lot alike I think!

Gramps showed Cooper how to tie his tie, and the boys hung out with Jeff before the ceremony. Cooper considers himself one of Jeff's "other" sons, so he joined right in with the picture.

Everyone took their places, and the ceremony began.

 Cathy looked beautiful walking down the isle with her Dad.

It was a sweet and emotional ceremony, and they  both looked very happy!

 Jeff and Cathy's new family...

 The reception was a lot of fun and the boys loaded up on candy from the candy bar!

 

 Zoe had fun doing the chicken dance...

Claudia, the Maid of Honor, and Cole, the Best Man, did a great job giving their toasts.

and the bride and groom cut the cake, and were very nice feeding it to each other!

The photographer sent a "preview" to Cathy of some of the photos. They are wonderful and I can't wait to see the rest!

 We are thrilled that Jeff has found someone that makes him this happy! It is a blessing to have Cathy and her daughters as a part of our family and we wish them a long, happy life together!

Revolution History

The fifth graders had their Walk Through the Revolution day at school. This is always such a well done program that the kids enjoy taking part in. They dress up in costumes, re-enact battle scenes, present vocabulary words and portray different historical figures.
Cooper was playing the part of Paul Revere...

He was excited and ready to go...

The kids were divided up into teams and had competitions throughout the program. Part of Cooper's job was assembling this map of the 13 colonies and naming them in one minute or less.

 Cooper's team re-enacted the Battle of Lexington and Concord...

 He played his part of Paul Revere and rode his "horse" to warn that the British were coming!

 Mrs. Newman did a great job of preparing these kids. They did a wonderful job and had a fun time learning in the process!

Weekend of fun!

This 4-day weekend was a nice blend of sports, dance rehearsals, relaxing, and fun! Jax came down to watch Cooper's basketball game and spend the weekend at our place. Lacey came for a sleepover, and then the girls moved on for a second night at her house.
We went to the park for scooter riding and bike riding...

 Had some fun cousin time and made some yummy smores...

The girls were silly before heading to the horse stables with Lacey's family...

 We spent hours at the local skate park...

 It was a lot of fun and so nice to have some family and friend time!

Last games...

I have been awful about taking pictures of Cooper's basketball season. Part of it is that I can never get good shots in the gym, part of it was our trip to Maui in the middle of it, and part of it is my forgetfulness to have my good camera with me.

Cooper has had a good season, improving his aggressiveness and shooting skills. He integrated into this new team pretty seamlessly and has enjoyed getting to know this new group of boys and coaches.
The Jazz ended the season strong, and won the first and second round of playoffs. Saturday was the quarter finals and it was a brutal game.

The boys played hard, but it was one bad call after the next and some very heated discussions between coaches, refs, and parents. We lost by 5 points in the last minute of the game. It wasn't a good way to end the season, and the boys were incredibly disappointed. The coaches tried to give them a good pep talk about how proud of them they were, but the boys were heartbroken. Hopefully next week, we can have some fun celebrating the season at the team party!

Happy "Love" Day!

Valentine's Day is always so much fun around here. I love to decorate...

leave them fun love notes...

make a yummy "heart" filled breakfast...

bake sweet treats for friends and neighbors...

have a nice dinner (even if it had to be at 4:30 due to sports!)...

girls dressed up in lots of red and pink...

and of course, our favorite, dessert...

 We usually do regular fondue, but since I now have my chocolate fountain, we did that instead. Fun and yummy, all in one! We try to find a new food to dip now and then, and Cooper came up with an eggo waffle. Who knew it would be so delicious!

 I'm feeling very blessed by all of the love that was shared today! I'm also feeling a few pounds heavier from all the chocolate and treats that were consumed!