Class Ring

My Baby Boy

is 14 today.  He isn't much of a baby anymore (I have been looking up to him for over a year now).  In fact he is quickly becoming a young man right before my eyes.  We gave him his present last night and I think it was a real "hit."

He is well on his way to becoming a one man band.  He plays guitar and trumpet.  He is teaching himself to play piano.  He has played around with bass some.  He can play the lap steel (which his poppy made for him). And now he has drums.  Who would have thought all those years ago when he pecked out Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on the toy piano that someday, he would play so many instruments?  I am very proud of the young man he is turning out to be - even on the days when he is a typical teenager...

Happy Birthday!!

Iris

April has come and gone, and with it the beautiful purple irises that adorn my yard each year.  May is nearly over now, and the cool temperatures have definitely gone.  We have had little rain this year so far, so summer promises to be hot and dry (not that this comes as any surprise). We water our plants daily and will probably have to for the entire summer, but we have a promising crop of tomatoes coming on and lots of pretty flowers.

Woodpecker

This woodpecker has found a great food sorce in our backyard.  This tree is dying and must be like a buffet for this bird.

Be Transformed

Just a little something for you to remind you that in Christ renews us...daily if we ask.  I took this picture last month and today I found the wordart at Precepts & Promises...I have a feeling I will be visiting this blog often in the future.

Skylar in Wonderland Portraits

While Skylar was all dressed up for her costume party yesterday, we decided to take a few pictures using the Alice in Wonderland theme. She had a lot of fun pretending to be Alice, and some of the pictures turned out really cute.

Alice in Wonderland

Skylar has been invited to an Alice in Wonderland themed costume party this Saturday. Of course she wanted to dress as Alice even though I suggested another less popular character. So I was suddenly in search of an Alice costume. This it what I came up with...

• 1 yard of eyelet fabric - $0 (thanks to Mimi and her stash of fabric)
• 1 perfectly blue dress - $4.20 (thanks to the clearance rack at Yours Truly Kids Consignment Store)
• 1 adorable Alice - Priceless

Oh and notice the new hairdo - she decided she wanted her hair shorter. It should be easier to take care of now.

More Butterflies

I stepped out in the backyard this afternoon and found a bunch of butterflies

A Boy and His Guitar

Stephen has always had an interest in music. For his 10th birthday, we bought him a student guitar and his cousin started giving him lessons. We have been pleasantly surprised at how quickly he has learned. Within a week he was playing Happy Birthday. Recently he started taking his guitar to church and playing with the guys there. It is such a blessing to watch him slowly come out of his shyness and begin to have the confidence to play in front of people. It is even more of a blessing to see him use his talent for the Lord.

My Sunflower Garden

Last spring I bought a packet of mixed dwarf sunflower seeds. I planted a handful in the planter on our back deck not knowing whether they would grow there or not. I have been very pleasantly surprised by the beautiful blooms, as well as the insects they have attracted. Stephen has been particularly impressed with the butterflies.

First Day of School

The 2010-2011 school year started today. Skylar was nervous this morning (just like her mom always was) and for Stephen it was just another day. We were very pleased to hear Skylar describe her first day of second grade as "Awesome," and Stephen agreed that fifth grade was "Awesome" as well. We are looking forward to a wonderful school year.

A Sunflower of a Different Color

Curtain Call

Our Brick

Princess Treatment

Skylar getting the princess manicure and pedicure for her 7th birthday. She is such a diva...of course as soon as we were done, she headed outside to play in the dirt with the boys for the rest of the day...dirt diva.

Yard Tour

So I have been attempting to do some landscaping and gardening in the yard. I added a lot of color to the deck with the pots I got for Mother's Day. Here is a little tour of our yard. Hopefully over the next few years we can add some plants and get rid of the pesky persimmon tree and continue to make our yard look better and better. Any one who has been to our house knows that we don't have a lot of yard to work with, but we want to make the best of what we have.

I Survived

Here I Come

And There I Go

Today I ran my first 5k race. I have walked the Race for the Cure 5k for the last 5 or 6 years, but wanted to see if I could manage running. Ten weeks ago I started the Women Can Run Run/Walk Clinic. I went to the track twice a week with the other participants and trained to run a 5k. We started out running for one minute and walking for four. As the weeks went by, we worked our way up to running for 30 minutes straight, and today we graduated by running the race. I managed to run the entire 3.1 miles, and was invigorated afterward. I was stoked when I crossed the finish line and forgot to even check the clock to see what my time was. The results should be posted in a day or two, but I think it was around 37-38 minutes. Definitely not blazing speeds, but I am still very proud just to have finished. One of the most amazing feelings of the whole race was when I saw my family standing on the sidelines cheering me on. It made my feet a little lighter and gave me that extra push to carry on. And believe it or not, I actually look forward to doing it again.

Tipsy Pots

These are my Mother's Day gifts from my family this year. Aren't they neat? I had been wanting to add some planters to my deck and these neat pots are what we got. I love the unique look and even more I love that Brian built them and the kids helped to plant the flowers. Now I just have to remember to water them.

The Christmas Lights

Brian has brought his over the top Christmas lights to our new neighborhood this year. He has always liked to decorate the outside of the house at Christmas, and after not stringing any lights last year, he was itching to get started this year. He has been mentally planning his design since we first made the offer on this house. He is one of those people that drives by houses imagining how he would light them up. So he spent the better part of Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving on the roof, on a ladder or messing with the lights in one form or fashion. I think the neighbors thought he would never stop. I personally think he did a wonderful job, and can't wait to see what he adds next year.

The Cooper Christmas Trees 2009

After scaling back on our Christmas decorations last year due to trying to sell our house, we went all out this year. We gave the 4 foot tree that was our only tree last year to the kids to decorate. We placed it in their bathroom...now they don't need a night light.

Our original 7.5 foot tree that always seemed huge before is just right in front of our fireplace. It had 450 twinkling lights, and I think it looks better than ever. I also love the new technique that I learned for photographing the lights. I can't wait to try it out with the kids in front of the tree.

For a really dramatic effect, I left the tree spinning (we have a rotating base) and used a really long shutter speed. I think it looks cool.