Cedar Breaks

Last Saturday we took a drive to Cedar Breaks National Monument. We decided it would be a nice escape from the heat. It was easily 20 degrees cooler which was heavenly. The wildflowers were in bloom and to our surprise they were doing a Wild Flower program at the Visitors Center. Coop got to plant his own seedling. I use the term "plant" loosely because our little Nature Boy doesn't like to get his hands dirty. He kind of supervised Gma Linda and the Ranger but was happy to step in when the water can came out. He also loved sticking his flag in the ground to mark his new plant.

Park Restaurant

Here's a little recap of our last trip to the park. It just melts my heart every time I think about it and reminds what a sweet little man Cooper is.

I found another AWESOME park that has a splash pad, amazing play structures and soft ground for Cruz. The other night the boys and I went to check it out. You may recall (I've mentioned it a time or TWENTY) that Coop is very cautious. Slides (and going down them) are a very big deal to Coop and he definitely takes his time, surveys the scene and decides on his own if that particular slide is worthy of a go. It can be a toddler slide or a giant big boy slide. Sometimes he's all over it and most of the time, not so much.

Coop decided that on this occasion that he would focus his attention on the tunnel while Cruz and I did a little Cruisin' down below.

After awhile there were 3 big boys that came running from the splash pad, through the tunnel (where Coop was) and down the slide. When I say "big boys", I'd guess maybe 5 or 6 yr olds. They were having fun doing what kids do.

After a few laps trying to pass Coop through the tunnel, one of the boys tried to hurry Coop along so they could pass through. I guess they were tired of having to go around Coop. Finally, the kid just snapped and said "If you aren't going to move then I'm going to move you" and kind of pushed him (but only in a 5 yr old way --- nothing too hard). I tried to keep my cool and not hover too much and figured I'd only step in if I had to (wow, is that getting harder and harder).

Coop was happy to move aside but had a surprised look on his face. He then decided he wanted to follow them (but at his own cautious speed). He couldn't keep up long. He did, all of a sudden, slide down the slide and try to chase the boys to the splash pad. I was excited that he was trying to interact with them.

He then stopped dead in his tracks and yelled (in his soft Coopie voice) "hey guys, do you want to come to my restaurant?" They didn't hear him and somehow I don't think they would have been interested in taking a break for a bite at his restaurant.

That's when I knew it was time for Mom to step in........Cruz and I were happy to join him at his restaurant.

Cruz waiting for his order.

"Whats a guy gotta do to get a drink around here?"

Waiter Coop bringing Cruz his food.

Watching his "friends" from the tunnel.

Cooper is the sweetest little thing and definitely does things his way. He may not be a speedy slider or tunnel climber but he's an AWESOME waiter, LOVES to play restaurant and has impeccable customer service skills.

Cruz and I were happy to leave a generous tip and will definitley be dining with him again and again.

Pre (pre) School

This is kind of old news but I've been kind of hush hush about it in case it didn't work out. We decided going to pre school a couple of days a week this summer would be good for Cooper. We really wanted him to have some social interaction with kids and explore his independence.

He's been going for about 6 weeks now and we've even bumped it up to 3 mornings a week. He loves school and his teachers and he claims that he plays with lots of kids. If I ask him what he did at school he tells me "I don't know" so I don't get a lot of information from him. I guess I should get used to that answer because I'm sure that will be the answer I get until he graduates high school. Luckily the teachers fill me in.

One of the teachers told me that he is such a great "calming addition" to their day. I had to kind of laugh to myself when she told me that. I certainly don't see the "calm" they are referring to as often these days. Oh well, it's nice to hear he's being a good boy. It makes me one proud mama.

It's also been great for potty learning. He wears his big boy pants to school, at home (except for bedtime) and during MOST outings now.

All in all I think this has been fantastic for Cooper and a great way to prepare us for actual Pre School when we get settled in Colorado.

You know I had to take the obligatory 1st Day of School picture of our big boy..........................

First Shave

Grandpa Pat let Cruz get a taste for what it's like to shave.

I hope the poor kid never has to shave the tip of his nose.

Muscle Man

Cooper loves to show us his muscles. Especially when wearing a "muscle shirt". Ever since he learned how to flex, he does this pose..............

Hey Coop, show us your muscles!

I'm not sure how he came up with this one but it just never gets old. I hope he will forever flex his muscles this way.

This is his ROARrrrrrrrrr like a dinosaur face.

One more muscle pose for the road because I just can't get enough.

Watch out Hans and Franz....Cooper is ready to PUMP.....................You UP!

Thor

Here's a pic of Coop's latest favorite thing. We found it at the "DI" (Deseret Industries). It's just like a Goodwill and full of lots of fun treasures. I had no idea what it was but the guy that checked us out was quick to inform me that it was a "sweat find". A Thor Helmet.

Coop calls it his Super Hero Helmet and he saves his "friends" when he wears it. His "friends" are his Penguin, Doggy and Dinosaur.

Super Hero work is exhausting. So exhausting, that sometimes you fall asleep on the job. Coop insisted on wearing it to bed the other night. And I'm all about letting him do whatever it takes (within reason, of course) to get this kid to GO TO BED on time.

Costco Cuties

Costco is a BIG DEAL in our world. The boys have already learned the beauty of samples. And I've learned the beauty of a "free" lunch.

Tub Time(Out)

It's not what you're thinking. This isn't your typical post about a cute little baby frolicking in the tub while having a bath. This is a post about a desperate Mom using whatever she can to get things done (ie: brush her teeth, go to the bathroom or help her other little monster go to the bathroom).

You see, Cruz is a little Gremlin now. He gets into everything and is very speedy. His favorite places as of late seem to be the pantry (the kid loves food and Grandpa Pat has affectionately named him Garbage Gut) and the toilet (Ewwwwwww!). Cruz loves to play with the toilet seat and it seriously grosses me out (duh, who wouldn't be grossed out by that?). How can I freak out about touching the toilet seat when I'm trying to teach Cooper that the toilet seat is our friend. It's complicated.........

Me: "Ewwwwww. Cruz don't touch that....it has germs."
(as I swoop him away and relocate him to another place that he can destroy that isn't so germy)

Cooper: "Mommy why don't you want Cruz to touch the toilet seat?"

Me: "It's not good for babies to touch but big boys can touch it when they go potty because they know how to wash their hands."

Whenever we spend time in the bathroom (yes, that sounds weird that we spend time together in the bathroom as a family but potty learning = tons of bathrooom time) this is where Cruz hangs out. While the rest of us "take care of business" (if you know what I mean) he can play with the toys, he's contained and most importantly, HE'S SAFE FROM THE TOILET SEAT!!!!!!

PS. Cruz's first noticeable battle wound is from said toilet seat. He loves to slam the lid down and smash his fingers (crazy kid). The other day he got a little too close and the lid brushed his little nose in the slamming process. Yes, my kid now has a scab on his nose from a brush with the toilet seat. Am I a good Mom or what?...........................Don't answer that.

Month #11

Meet Melissa.....Sweet Melissa

Ok folks. I know this blog is all about Coop 'n Cruz but I promise this following picture relates to them somehow. Imagine Cooper getting to meet Pablo, Diego, Lightning McQueen and the Wonder Pets all wrapped up in one package. That is how special this pretty little thing is to me. Everyone, I'd like you to meet Melissa (we're totally on a first name basis now). Melissa Gilbert!!!! Laura Ingalls Wilder!!! Only the single most important person in my life when I was 10 years old. She was my idol.

Right before the show was about to begin, the announcer introduced a "very important guest" in the audience. She stood up and politely waved to the crowd and I about died. Forget about The Little Mermaid, I was all twitterpated about seeing Melissa.

Therefore, I may or may not have shoved a few giddy school girls out of the way in order to introduce myself and ask for a picture. Okay, I really didn't do that but I totally would have if anyone would have gotten in my way. Apparently tweens and teenage girls are still fans of Laura Ingalls thanks to syndication.

She was super nice and more than happy to pose for a photo during intermission. She told me she was good "friends" with the actor who played King Triton. (His picture is in the previous post in case you want to check him out again). I couldn't help but wonder what Almanzo would think about her hanging out with King Triton. I'm sure poor Melissa just wanted to enjoy the evening and possibly buy herself a bucket of popcorn or a churro before the show resumed but I wasn't going to let that happen. Plus, how could she continue to look so fabulous if I allowed her to eat a churro instead of posing with the likes of me? I actually did her a favor.

Pardon the picture quality. It was dark and we had to be stealthy and fast to make it all happen (A special shout out to to my cousin, Tim for being the photog).

Thanks to me, you are now only 1 Degree of Separation from Melissa. You. Are. Welcome!

The Little Mermaid

Grandpa Pat, Coop and I joined the group to see an evening production of The Little Mermaid at Tuachan Ampitheatre. Grandma Linda was nice enough to stay home with Cruz. The show didn't start until 8:45pm which is waaaaaaayy past our bedtime. Cooper didn't quite make it through the whole show. We ended up sneaking out a little early and Cooper didn't seem to care if he found out if Ariel got her voice back or if Prince What's-His-Bucket finally kissed her already.

It ended up working out great, Coop got a taste of the Theatre (imagine me pronouncing it "theataahhh" because that's how I imagine Theatre going folks pronounce it) and by leaving early we were able to beat the traffic coming home. Win-Win!

This is Coop's face when the show started
My handsome dates

This is Ariel. ARIEL people!!!!!!

Cute little Flounder

Kind Triton (Spoiler Alert!!!! There's a story about a friend of his in a future post)

Pickleball Champ

Another fun activity we played as a group during the reunion is pickleball. My Dad is quite addicted (and very good) and plays all the time. The courts he plays on at his community center don't allow kids under 18 so Cooper never gets to participate. He knows that Grandpa plays pickleball so it was fun showing him what it's all about. We found a city park that has pickleball courts so we were able to play (well sort of). Coop still needs to work on his technique a tad bit but he sure looked cute giving it a whirl.

Water Fun

When you plan a JULY reunion in the DESERT it is HOT! Therefore, you find lots of activities to cool off.