Cooper's 3rd Birthday Party

Cooper turned three this year (he's growing up so fast!).   His birthday happened to be the same day as Grandma BB's funeral, so instead of celebrating that day, we celebrated the day before, and then the following Friday, when he had his birthday party.  The night before his birthday we gathered all his presents from Aunts, Uncles, Great Grandparents, Grandparents, and us.

 The spoils, and the SPOILED birthday boy!

 It took him no time at all to start playing with his toys, and put on some of his new clothes (over the top of the clothes he had on).

 Helping Dad put together the soccer net.

A few days later some gifts arrived from Grammy and Papa--trucks!  He was excited.

Cooper's birthday party was on Friday, and he had lots of friends invited.  Thank goodness not all 15 that had previously RSVP'd were able to make it due to the date change.  Instead, 7 of his friends and some of their parents attended.  The party was themed "Curious George" at Cooper's express request.

 I made these marshmallow lollipops (marshmallows on a stick, dipped in colored chocolate and sprinkles), since Cooper LOVES marshmallows.

 Here is the food table, and the home-made cake that was more work that it was worth. ;)  Baking is NOT my forte.

 Cooper enjoyed helping us decorate and make the house look festive and special for his party. 

 The birthday boy just before the guests started arriving. 

 To start off, we watched an episode of Curious George, the cartoon, while waiting for guests to arrive.  Then we went outside to do something curious, since that is what Curious George is always doing.  My sister had told me about a cool thing they did at Calvin's 4-H club, so I decided to try it.  It was too messy with kids to take any pictures.  As it was we had oil spilled all over the patio by the time we were done.  We took water bottles and put in about 2/3 vegetable oil to 1/3 water, added 10-20 drops of food coloring, and then dropped in bits of broken Alka Seltzer.  The result was a kind of "lava lamp."  The kids thought the colored bubbles were cool.  I'm glad they liked it.

Next was the pinata.  Cooper was ready to get started, since he'd helped me stuff it with candy.

  All the kids took turns:  Rachel (friend from preschool group/church)

 Brayden (neighbor)

 Jasmine (neighbor)

 Ethan (friend from church/school, and Cooper's BEST bud)

 Amy (neighbor)

Daniel (Rachel's little brother)

 And somehow I missed getting a picture of Adison (Ethan's sister, also Cooper's friend).

Then it was birthday cake time!  At first, Cooper was distracted by pinata candy.

But then he knew what was up.

Ethan and Daniel, and Brayden's Mom (Tammy)  

 Daniel, Tammy, Brayden, and Amy

 Since Cooper is allergic to dairy, he had Cool Whip with his cake, instead of ice cream.  He was totally happy with this, since Cool Whip is another of his favorite things to eat.  He'd eat it plain by the spoonful if I'd let him.

 Rachel

 Adison and Rachel

 Daniel

 Time for presents!

 Cooper loved his party, and having his friends celebrate with him.  Happy Birthday, Cooper!

Thank you to all who sent gifts, cards, and called him for his birthday.  He is loved and spoiled.

We Love You, Aunt Klea and BB!

Besides our wonderful vacations, September was a month of heartache.  First, over Labor Day weekend  my Great-Aunt Klea, who was more like a grandmother to me when I was growing up, than a great-aunt, passed away.  After my grandmother passed away from ovarian cancer when my mom was 7 years old, Aunt Klea took care of my mom and my uncle for several years, helping my grandpa (her brother) put his life back together after such a tragic loss.  As if that doesn't say enough about her, she continued that love all through her life.  As a child, she never missed sending a birthday card to us kids on our birthday with a $2 bill inside. It was something I always looked forward to.  Aunt Klea told me that she and I shared a special bond because both our birthdays were in February.  She was a strong, beautiful woman.  I remember admiring her beauty as a child, and hoping that my skin would be as soft and white when I was old.

Aunt Klea loved to travel.  She often took trips to Hawaii with her sister-in-law (I think), and always had seashells and other souvenirs to show us.  I believe she gave me a seashell necklace after one such trip.  I loved visiting her house, which was on a farm near Ogden, Utah.  Uncle Jake, her husband, was a farmer among other things.  I'll never forget going out with Uncle Jake to see his farm animals.  He had so many: cows, horses, pigs, turkeys, chickens, ducks, and probably many others that I don't remember.  They also had a coi pond, and we often went out to feed the fish together.  Aunt Klea had a bubbly personality, and had many friends.  She was also very musically talented, and was a choir director for many church meetings and functions, and sang in several choirs.  I will certainly miss her, but know that she was greeted on the other side by my Grandpa and Grandma, Great Grandparents, and all her other siblings except the one that's still living, and I'm sure a whole myriad of people who loved her.  It saddened me to not be able to attend her funeral, but that's one of the things I've learned to deal with living so far from my family in Utah. (Aunt Klea's obituary)

A few weeks after Aunt Klea's passing, a week after our vacation to Charleston, our beloved "BB" (Betty Brannon Smith) passed away after a long hard battle with ovarian cancer.  It shocked us that after having fought such a good fight that she seemed to go so quickly.  Betty was another woman with a big heart.  She raised Nate from a young age, and was always there for us.  I loved her spunky personality.  She was bubbly and full of life.  Betty had a great sense of humor, and after getting to know her, I understood where Nate learned some of his quick wit and sarcasm from.  One of my favorite memories of Betty was last Thanksgiving when we visited her.  Cooper was dancing to some music, and Betty got up and danced and laughed right along with him.  She had an infectious laugh.  Another thing I admired about Betty was her sharp memory.  She could recall the names of people and places from long ago, often remembering the names of Nate's old friends and their parents, old teachers, etc.  She could recall things so easily and quickly.  Betty was loved by so many.  We all miss her dearly.  (Betty's obituary)

Grandma BB and Cooper - September 2012 (about 3 weeks before she passed away)

The passing of "Grandma BB," as he called her, was Cooper's first experience with death.  We explained to him that Grandma BB died, which meant that while her body would stay here on earth, her spirit was still alive and went to live with Heavenly Father, like we all do after we die.  He had a few moments of sadness when we were at the viewing and he saw her in the casket and began to grasp the concept that she was no longer with us.  We had talked about the viewing beforehand, and he had said he wanted to see her and say goodbye, but I'm sure he didn't fully comprehend what that meant, and when I took him with me to the casket, he clung to me, afraid.  So we let him go outside with his Poppy, while Nate and I stayed.  Cooper was so good during the funeral and graveside service.  I was so pleased and relieved that he behaved so well.  Having Poppy there helped a lot, since they were outside together for awhile, and Coop was excited to see him and MeMaw.  Cooper asked a few times that week about death, and I was able to explain in simple terms God's Plan of Happiness, our beliefs about life after death, and that families and loved ones are not just for here on earth, but exist forever.  As I explained these concepts to Cooper, I realized how firmly I believe them, and what a balm they are to an aching heart when we those we love pass to the next life.  I know that Jesus Christ made it possible for us all to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father, and that this life is but a moment in our eternal progression.  So while September was a month where I lost two amazing women from my life, I find comfort in knowing I'll see them both again when it's my turn to be called to our eternal home.  We love you, Aunt Klea and "BB", and will not forget the ways you touched our lives and hearts forever.

Vacation Day 5: Patriot's Point and Home

Our last day of vacation with my sister, Camyll, and her family, we spent at Patriot's Point in Mt. Pleasant, SC, just across the bridge from Charleston.  The site has a WWII aircraft carrier, battleship, submarine, a Vietnam military camp replica, and such that can be toured.  I could have probably spent an entire day in the aircraft carrier alone, but Nate and I were on a bit of a tight schedule due to some pressing issues at home.  So we split up from Camyll and her family, and did our own touring and traveling home for the day.

The aircaft carrier was impressive.

Coop was ready to go see some boats and planes.

 Just inside the main hangar entrance was this fighter jet.  Cooper would have spent the whole day in this thing if we'd have let him.  Getting him to do anything else meant battling lots of fits and running around.

 The boys were excited to sit in the cockpit in the pilot seat, and see all the dials, switches and buttons.

We did walk through a few floors of the aircraft carrier.  It was SO BIG--I was afraid we'd get lost.

Here's Cooper in the briefing room, getting his assignment.

 Both my grandfathers served on aircraft carriers in WWII.  I'm not certain what carrier my Grandpa Mower served on, but my Grandpa Christensen served on the USS Roi, and I know he did something with the radar.  So when we entered the radar room, I got a little teary-eyed thinking of Grandpa, and we took lots of pictures. 

I had to wonder if Grandpa sat in a spot like this one.

 The flight deck was incredible with all the planes, but most incredible was the shortness of the runway.  How in the world did they do it? 

 It wasn't long before Cooper found another plane to sit in and try out.

 Our grandfathers who all served in WWII were certainly on our minds as we toured the various parts of Patriot's Point, and it was something we all mentioned to each other.  There were old veteran volunteers working the information desks, and I couldn't help but think how fun it would be for Grandpa to have a job like that.

We didn't have time to tour the battleship, but we did take a quick tour through the submarine.

 It gave me the heebie-geebies to think of the real purpose of all the hatches we climbed through.  The sub was one straight, narrow walkway the full length of the sub.  There were a few locked hatches here and there, barely big enough for a small man to fit through.  I couldn't imagine living on a submarine for more than a day, and never below water.  I couldn't wait to get out of it. 

 Proof that I was in attendance. :)

 At the entrance were these guns from a battleship.  

Coop thought they were pretty neat too.

 We didn't get to spend the day with my sister and her family, but we did happen to see each other around lunch time.  I thought these pictures of their family were too cute not to share. 

Nate, Coop and I left Patriots Point a little after lunch time.  We didn't get home until about 6:30 p.m., making the 3 hour drive turn into almost 6, thanks to our potty-training son who had to stop to go every 20 minutes or so (NOT kidding).  We were so ready to be home after the long drive.

Camyll and her family had to leave for home early the next morning, and with exhausted kids and adults, their last evening visiting us was pretty uneventful.  We were so glad they came to visit, and that we had such an amazing and memorable vacation with them.  Come again soon!!!