Arkansas Reunion--Day 2

Day 2 was full of fun-filled activities.  {Just check the packet.  It's all in the packet.}  We were busy having fun, and this was one of the favorite days of the trip!  {Kyle especially loved it.}  Because of all the fun we had, there are lots and LOTS of pictures.   

The majority of the day was spent out on the lake, boating and tubing.

The boys went to pick up the boat first thing in the morning.

 Then, we all took turns taking the boat out for a spin.  Here's the first group:

 Kyle had a BLAST on the tube!!!  He had to share for a bit, letting mom, Ryan, McKinley, Aunt Liz, and Uncle Jon. 

Uncle Bando was pretty much the designated driver for the day. 

Liz and McKinley took a BIG spill right off the bat.  They ended up getting back on later and actually had some fun. 

 Ryan loved the tube almost as much as Kyle did!

He wasn't so sure about the life jacket, though.

While the next group went back out, we had some lunch, rested, and waited.

Since some of the kids were taking naps, I actually got to go out on the boat with Stephen!  Uncle Hubba and Aunt Rebecca joined us, too. 

I'm so glad everyone loved the boat.  {I just realized we have no pictures of Grandma.  I guess the camerawomen were never on the boat with her....sorry!  I did hear that she loved it, though, which is awesome because she never thought she'd have any use for a boat on a lake.  We converted her!}

Here's more pictures of our tubing adventures.

In between riding on the boat, we took some of the kids down to the swimming area again.  I liked how the sound of the water hitting the shore reminded me of the beach.  {If I closed my eyes, I was almost back in Miami.  And then I opened my eyes again.}

 Another cool thing going on over the weekend was the *big* diamond festival in Murfreesburo.  Part of that celebration included a parade and carnival--which we missed--and an antique car show.  This was an easy activity for the day, since it was held right at the Swaha House!  In between boating and swimming, we made time to check out some of the cool rides.  

 I had to take this photo for my dad.  {Hey, Dad!}

Saturday was so much, and the kids slept SO well.  We enjoyed the boat so much that we decided to *gasp* break from the planned activities of the packet and pencil in another boating day!  

Arkansas Reunion--Day 1

 The first Cooper Family Reunion was held in at Lake Greeson, outside of Murfreesburo, Arkansas.  We had the pleasure of staying at the Swaha House, which turned out to be a great find. 

We headed out on our road trip on Friday morning, May 18, and the boys were all pretty good in the car.  It helped having the DVD players!  We took a wrong turn and ended up making a trip to Hope, Bill Clinton's birthplace--I'm sure Stephen just *really* wanted to check that off his Bucket List.

When we finally arrived and unloaded, the boys couldn't wait to get outside and get into nature.  Kyle was LOVING climbing on rocks, hiking, and getting Ryan to follow him into dangerous situations--so much so that in about 15 minutes, Ryan had already fallen off a rocky ledge and scraped up his whole face!!!

We took a walk down to the marina and across several bridges.  The kids loved that.  It made me nervous, but no one fell in.

As everyone showed up, we had fun catching up and hanging out.

Kyle got an early birthday present, a fishing pole, and Uncle Bando helped him practice.

We went on a walk down to the lake, so Claire could FINALLY go swimming in Arkansas, and the boys went in with their clothes on, and eventually just stripped down.

We came back, bathed, and got all the children to bed.  The closet in our room was big enough for all three boys.  The Harry Potter trend continues....
 

What a great start to our trip!

New House--Evan's Room

 When we bought our home, Evan's room looked like this:

Now it's completed!

One more room finished and many more to go.

6 Month Check-Up

Baby Evan had his check-up yesterday, and Dad got to take him! 

Mom heard a glowing report about our growing little man later in the day. 

The nurses and doctor couldn't believe how active he is and how much he moves.  That helps to explain why he eats so much, but doesn't put on the weight he should.  {Enjoy it while you can, young Cooper.  The odds are NOT in your favor when it comes to that one.} 

He's eating well, growing along his curve, and seems to be developing just fine. 

Stats:
Height--26.5" {35th percentile}
Weight--15 lb. 3.2 oz {5 1/2 percentile}  See!  He's SKINNY!
Head Circumference--43.7 cm {36th percentile}

I can't believe it's time for him to start eating baby food.  And, she wants us to start introducing a sippy cup.  What the!?!  I'm feeling the sands of time slipping through my fingers as I type this.  Before I know it, he's going to be moving out of the house. 

For now, I bet I have MAYBE a month before Evan is moving AROUND the house.  He's really close to crawling--scooting himself all over the floor.  I'm NOT READY!!!!!  Why does he have to be in such a hurry to grow up?  This is my baby we're talking about!  Slow down, already. 

The poor baby had to get several immunizations, but will get to rest for a spell before getting hit HARD at 12 months. 

I don't want to think about how quickly that's going to be upon me. 

I'm going to savor the moments as much as I can. 

Kyle's Last Soccer Game

Saturday, May 26, was Kyle's last game as one of the *ferocious* Dragons.  Miraculously, almost all of his teammates showed up for the game. 

 Kyle's favorite position, goalie:

A few clips of Kyle playing:







Ryan and McKinley had fun cheering for the team. 

It was a HOT day, so the boys were glad we brought some chairs for them to rest in the shade and have a replenish their fluids.

After the game, the players had their award ceremony.  Here's Kyle's trophy.  It says, "CONGRATULATIONS!"  {Thanks for standing in line to get this trophy playing.}
  

I'm just *so* glad we were able to let him play in this fun, fair, positive way.  Why smash their hopes and dreams by exposing them to winning, losing, or keeping score?  Why would we want to damage their tender feelings?  It's better that *everyone* wins, right?

{Gag.}
Yay for having fun, though!  Now on to something a little more real-world.

Mother's Day with Grandma

It was a real treat for Timee to be able to see all of her grandchildren on Mother's Day.  It was quite the effort to get everyone together for a picture.  

Our Anniversary

When you have 3 boys, any night out without them feels like a celebration.   Actually having a reason to celebrate {like an anniversary} makes even a "normal" date feel like something truly special. 
On Thursday, we were able to go out for our 12th anniversary.  We didn't do anything spectacular or out of the ordinary, but it was fun just being "us." 
We went shopping to pick out a few gifts, went to the movies, and had a tasty dinner. 

It was a great way to celebrate our dozen years!

Memorial Day

We had fun with family this Memorial Day.

Grama Sue and Auntie Deb got to make a short visit to our home, as they passed through Houston on their way back from Cabo.  It was too short of a visit, but so fun to see them!  The boys squeezed in as much play time as they could, though.  I think we gave them both quite the work out!  We'll have to make a trip to Midland soon to catch up even more.  

Then we headed over to Grandma's and Grandpa's house to swim and barbeque along with them and Uncle Jon, Aunt Liz, and McKinley. 

I'm so grateful for all of our servicemen and service women who have sacrificed for our freedoms!