Birth Month - Take Four: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Saturday was Coop's actual first birthday. Since we had the party the week before, the day was pretty low-key, which was just perfect. We started out the morning at the park with one of my friends from work and her 2-yr old daughter. Coop did his best to keep up. He's quite the climber, and can climb the 2-4 yr old playground equipment at this park (they have different equipment for several age groups). He's SO OVER the 1-2 yr old equipment. He wants the tunnels and the big boy slides. He surprised me and climbed up 4 steps, two landings, through this tunnel, and over to the slide where he sat down and was about ready to slide on his own. I tell you, this kid has no fear!

He also loved the swings and just about fell asleep in them.
Later that day when Dad came home, we opened presents from Grammie and Papa.

He LOVES the books...

and read this one over and over again.

Coop had such a fun birth month! Thanks everyone!!!

Yesterday I couldn't help but take this picture. We came home from church, where he'd had about a 15 minute nap all morning. He was hungry, so I fed him lunch, and he fell asleep as he was finishing the last bit of it. So cute, but so pitiful. Poor kid was exhausted.

Birth Month - Take Three: It's a Party!

We had Cooper's first official birthday party one week early. [Took over 100 pictures. Yes, I know, but it's my first kid's first b-day. Don't worry, not posting all of them. Only a few favorites.]

Poppy and MeMaw came for the occasion, and Poppy and Cooper got to wrestling right away.

Poppy tied a balloon to Cooper's belt loop, so it followed him everywhere. LOL

Ellie and Chelsey came too, and they gave Cooper a big blue ball as they walked in. Ellie was so excited to give it to Cooper, and announced that they gave him a ball, "Ya know, so he can boink on it."

The food wasn't quite ready, so we opened presents first. Coop was pretty good at figuring out what to do, and Ellie was a good helper too.

But of course, as soon as we opened one present, Coop wanted to just play with it and was completely disinterested in opening anything else. So as we opened them, we had to hide them from him to entice him to open more.

Coop was admiring his toys in their colorful packaging, but wanted us to OPEN them already!

Don't worry. Mom bought the popper herself. Self torture? Coop pushes it upside down (with the clear bubble on the floor) most of the time, so thankfully not much popping has been heard yet.

Coop was EXCITED to play with his new tunnel! He and Ellie had fun chasing through and through it.

Look at me! Here I come!

Dad got Coop some cool toys. Here he is showing Coop how to push the button on this toy to make the colorful bulbs light up. Coop mastered the button pushing in a VERY short timespan.

The theme of the birthday was...you guessed it: BUBBLES! What else?

Complete with a bubble cake. Mom bought it frosted, but decorated it with the "bubbles" herself. She was very pleased with the way it turned out.

Happy Birthday to You!

Mmmmmm. Yummy birthday cake.

Then again, maybe not. Coop was not a fan of the frosting or the cake.

Time to clean up our messy birthday boy!

The birthday boy decided to wear his birthday suit for awhile, donning his fireman hat, and going for a ride on his fire truck, courtesy of Ellie.

Then it was time for BUBBLES! Ellie and Cooper had fun chasing the gazillion bubbles from the bubble machine and the large bubble wand.

Liz and Michele were slightly amused.

Ellie, on the other hand, was ecstatic with the big bubbles.

Memaw and the birthday boy

I'm comin' to pop that bubble!

Dad helped Coop chase the bubbles with Ellie.

Poppy helped too.

This picture is just adorable.

Post-party, Coop was still playing away with Poppy. Bedtime, who needs it?

Cooper had SO much fun at his birthday party. Thanks Poppy and Memaw for coming!!! Cooper sure missed you when you left. He had so much fun having playmates.

Labor Day Fun

For Labor Day we went up to the Apple Festival in Hendersonville, NC. We visited an apple orchard, that supposedly had a petting zoo. I hardly call two goats and a llama a zoo, but Cooper had fun seeing animals up close.

Birth Month - Take Two

Birthday Celebration #2

Last weekend Nathan's Aunt Denise, Uncle Jim, and cousin Allison, and Allison's boyfriend came to see Cooper the Birthday Boy. He is starting to get this opening presents thing.

Mom! A fire truck! I'm so big!

Fireman Cooper to the rescue!

Aunt Denise's little genius.

The birthday visitors: Uncle Jim, Aunt Denise, Nick (Ali's boyfriend), and Allison.

Of course, the handsome guy in front is The Coopsta, as Aunt Denise calls him.

A birthday celebration would not be complete without a birthday cake. Cooper's first, and he got this one all to himself for a minute until Mom told him he had to share.

Coop decided to wear the cake from head to toe, rather than eat it.

Thanks for the birthday fun--come again soon!!

Birth Month - Take One

Who needs a birthDAY when you can have a birth MONTH?

We are spreading out the birthday celebrations this month so we can fit everyone in. It's working out well, I think, so Coop doesn't get overwhelmed.

The first birthday celebrations...presents arrived in the mail from Nana & Grandpa G.!

Opening presents is an entirely new experience. By the time his actual birthday gets here, he'll be a pro.

What? For me?

Oh, yeah, I like that big boy shirt. Cool!

Wrapping paper--yummy!

Ooooh! A big boy truck!

I think he was trying to figure out what this thing was.

By the end of it, it was time for bed, and he walked over and cuddled his new clothes. Tried to snap a shot of it, but got this tired-looking, spoiled boy instead.

Thanks Nana and Grandpa G!

Bubbles!! (Part Two)

Chelsey and Cooper were playing bubbles again this week. Such joy from this little guy!

The best way to pop them?

Hmmm...a bottle hair spray for lunch?

Can I get off this couch?

Cheese!

Chasing bubbles is hard work. I need a break!

The beginning of Coop's modeling career?