First day of Kindergarten

Well, Cooper is officially in KINDERGARTEN!! He started his first day on August 3rd, 2011.He even made me take a picture of his shoes...For the past few years, Cooper has been talking about how he couldn't wait to ride the big bus to school. I was CONVINCED that as soon as the bus pulled up, he was going to change his mind. But boy was I wrong. Cooper jumped right on that thing so fast that I didn't even have time to take a picture!!!! I stood there staring at the place the bus was just parked, not sure what to do with myself. (My neighbor found this quite hilarious) I have to admit, I cried alllll the way to work. :)

When I went to ASP (After School Program) to pick him up, he came RUNNING at FULL speed towards me and gave me the biggest hug EVER. He even had the BIGGEST smile on his face. It was such a relief to know his first day was a success.Cooper has been doing SO well getting on the bus. I'm so proud of him. I can tell he's nervous, and unfortunately he doesn't talk to ANY of the kids on the bus. For some reason he likes to sit as close to the front as possible.... and he can't WAIT for when it rains and he gets to see those big windshield wipers in motion. One of our friends down the street has a second grader, and he (Julian) rides the bus, so hopefully those two boys will be best friends in no time. (Coop likes him because "he has cool shoes". Go figure).

Those first three days were quite eventful - first day was AWESOME, second day he ran into a little girl - giving them both big knots on their heads. Then the third day, he ran smack into the gym wall, attempting to "save" a ball. That gave him a big knot and bruise on the OTHER side of his head. Luckily, we've had no accidents since then. :)
Here are some pics of Cooper from these first 2 weeks of Kindergarten...One day after school Cooper even helped me refill Dallas' swimming pool... She LOVES drinking out of the hose

"Brett"

Before his first day of Kindergarten, Gwamma took Cooper to Build-a-Bear Workshop to build his very own bear. I honestly didn't realize what a cool place that is!! He picked a Camo bear - and was able to help stuff it...After that, they had to get his heart ready. After warming up the heart in his hands (because you can't put a cold heart in a bear!!), he had to rub it on his brain -because that is how you make him smart! Then he had to rub it on his tummy -so he wouldn't get hungry. Then rub it on his muscles -so he would be big and strong. After placing the bears heart in his chest, the lady sewed him up. Then he was placed in the fluffer (i'm sure there's a better name for it, but hell if I know what it is)Looking good Coop!!!!Then he needed some clothes. Cooper tried on a Braves outfit, but it was a lil snug...Then he tried a football uniform...Then Cooper had to give his bear a name. He picked "Brett" after Brett Favre (HEHEH Sorry Big Grandpa!!!). Once he typed it into the Build-a-bear system, he got Brett's Birth Certificate.Thanks Gwamma for taking Cooper to create and adopt Brett!!!!

Kindergarten Orientation

I cannot believe Cooper is starting KINDERGARTEN in a few short days. It seems like just yesterday he was crawling all over the place. We are so very proud of our little guy!! Yesterday we went to Abney Elementary to meet his teacher; Mrs. Torres. We even found his name on the wall!!Once we got into Mrs. Torres' classroom, we had to fill out some paperwork - and even Cooper had something to sign!And he got a treasure box (as you can see, pictured above). It contained some stickers, pencils, a notepad and a monocular! Cooper and Mrs. Torres talked about their shoes (of COURSE) as well as their pets. Mrs. Torres has 3 teenie tiny dogs, and Cooper told her he has a dog that's as big as a HORSE! We talked to Mrs. Torres for quite awhile, then headed to check out the Media Center... Not sure what the hell Cooper liked about this book, cuz the Constitution sure puts Mommy to sleep!!Then we found our way to the Gym - the ONLY place Cooper is allowed to run at school. (And he DID run!)GOOOOO EAGLES!!!!(He's hard to spot in this pic, but I promise he's there!!)After that, we went across the hall to the Cafeteria, where they were serving Cookies and Lemonade. YUM! They also had all the different clubs set up; Boy Scouts (he can't join till 1st grade) and PTA to name a few. The "Family Fun" board caught Cooper's eye, so we stopped to check it out. He's looking forward to 'Movie Night' (on October 21st) and 'Family Dance Night - the 80's' (on February 10th)!!

Our official first day of school is tomorrow - August 3rd, and I'm pretty confident Cooper is going to have a blast. He's been excited for a few months now, so hopefully tomorrow will be no different. We've had a blast school clothes shopping and SHOE shopping. (I don't know what it is with this kid and shoes!!) We've got to get a couple more supplies tonight, but other than that, we're ready!! At this point, the plan is for him to ride the bus (he's been wanting to ride the big yellow bus for YEARS). However, if he changes his mind, then Mommy will drop him off. :)

Pops' Visit!!!!!

Pops came to visit us for a week!! Unfortunately, Coop was still in Minnesota for most of Pops' trip, however he got back just in time to spend some time with him!! They built a SEMI TRUCK!!I can't believe I didn't get a pic of their finished product, but no worries, I'll get one posted soon!

Now that Pops, Mimi, Tiffanie and Joe moved back to Panama City, we will get to see them more often!!! Thank GOD!! Once a year just wasn't often enough!!!

Midsummers 2011

We made the trek up to Menahga, Minnesota again this July for the 2011 Midsummers Celebration. Boy did we have a blast (as usual!) Cooper and Daddy did some fishing, and actually caught some fish!!Cooper got to play with a bunch of his cousins too. Here is Coop and Kiki...and Coop and Breckyn... silly kids!!Thanks to Chase and Alex, Cooper even swam in the LAKE!! He would never get in the lake here, so i'm hoping now he will!!Cooper even sat on an oversized Tricycle!! We did see the parade, but for some reason I didn't get any pics... same thing with the fireworks - I was too busy swattin' skeeters. :) We can't wait till Midsummers next year!!!