Growing up

You are such a good, kind, fun, patient big brother and we are so lucky to have you in our family! You have your first loose tooth finally, and it's time for me to start planning your baptism, and you start 2nd grade next week. Wow! You are getting too old for me to handle! You also had the birds and the bees talk this past week already-the WHOLE enchilada! Not something I planned on at 7 but you kept asking about how babies were made, and I sure didn't want you asking kids at school. You had a lot of funny questions and seemed very confused, but you were very mature about it and haven't brought it up since! That same night you slept with your stuffed penguin, and carried him in your backpack to the fire station trip the next day-so I am glad that even though you're growing up-you're still our little boy too!

Broken Arm

5-21-15

The Gibbons were packing up to move so we had Will and Jack over to play. Cooper was being a little wild, and jumped off Ivy's chair into hands and feet position being a dinosaur. He hurt his arm and didn't want to play the rest of the time. Cole hurt his elbow a month ago and it was "nurse maid elbow" so I was suspicious that maybe Cooper had the same thing. Later that evening we went to the Housley's so Mike could try to put it back in. No such luck. I debated going to the ER and physicially went back and forth twice trying to decide if we should go or just see our pediatrician the next day. When I took Cooper to Walgreens for motrin he threw up all over and I was pretty sure at that point it was broken, but the wait at ER was so long we went home and I took him in first thing in the morning. It was broken, and nobody in Victoria could fix it, so the family took a little day trip to Sugarland to get a cast.

I thought maybe Cooper would think it was a little fun to have a cast, but he was heartbroken. He is a very tough and resiliant kid, but he was in tears all day the day he got his cast. The kind of tears that break your heart, because he was trying to hard to hold it together, but they would just slip out. Every time he tried to do something new that he couldn't do with a cast, the tears would just come.

It was a good time to remind him that his arm will get better someday, but there are a lot of people that have injuries that last their whole life, and how lucky we are for our strong and healthy bodies.

Cooper did better after that first day until the first day back to school. There were a lot of tears involved, and the only way I could get him to go is by agreeing to go with him. I went for an hour, but then had to sneak out to go to to Cole and Ivy. We all went back at lunch time to eat with him and he was doing much better by that point.

Unfortunately water day was the next day, which is no fun with a broken arm. They had slip n slides and huge waterslides, but I ended up checking Cooper out early and he spent the day with us. It is going to be a long 5 weeks for all of us!!

bone shaped sandwhich for the drive to sugarland

posing for pictures with his good arm. He was so tough and pleasant, that you'd never think he had a broken arm!

all of us waiting for the cast

GREEN!

Knighting Ceremony

Cooper goes to DeLeon Elementary. Their mascot is the dragon, and they have a knighting ceremony a few times a year to honor the kids who model the virtues that they are learning about. This time they had been learning about tolerance, and Mrs.Fernandez chose Cooper as the student she wanted to recognize for tolerance. This is what she said about him-

"For the virtue of tolerance I have chosen Cooper Squires to be knighted.  Cooper has shown tolerance in the classroom everyday that he has been in kindergarten.  He is friends with all of the students in our classroom and likes each and every one of them even if they may be different than he is.  If another student is trying to bother Cooper while they are in the hallway, on the carpet, or in line he is able to show tolerance by ignoring them and doing what he is supposed to be doing.  He also lets others have their way and never complains just because he did not get his way.  Cooper you show tolerance everyday and we are all very lucky to have you as a friend and classmate in our class, congratulations!

Love,
Mrs.Fernandez"

Cooper was a little embarrassed about all of the recognition during the assembly, but it was cute because all of the students were cheering very loud for him. He didn't want to talk about it when we got home and just wanted to play with Emmett (the friend we invited). During dinner he asked to watch the video recording of the ceremony, and then wanted to watch it again and again. We watched it about 10 times, because I love it just as much as he does! :) We brought him a balloon with some gold coins and a toy dragon.  Tonight at bedtime, he was telling Cole dragon and knight tales all night. He is so excited. We are sure proud of him. 

Parent Teacher Conference

We had your parent/teacher conference this last week. You were there with us and you were a little embarrassed by all of the attention. You read a couple sentences that you had written in your journal. They were mostly things about jumping on the trampoline and "switch and go" toys.

Your teacher had nothing but wonderful things to say about you. She said you were excelling in all areas of school...academically and socially. The only thing you didn't get an 'E' in was knowing all your coins, you forgot them throughout the year!! Ha. She said that she hopes her son is just like you when he starts school. I am so proud of you, Cooper. It really is such a joy to be your mom! Thanks for being the best example to everyone. We sure love you!

Lunch

We went to eat lunch with you the other day, and it was so fun. We got to eat outside on the picnic tables and Ivy crawled around (and barely missed the fire ant pile we found later-thank goodness!!) while we talked and ate. We played I spy and talked about your day. You told us when your class had your block class you were at the counselor's office and you talked about emotions. That day you talked about being angry and how to cope with it. I asked if you had ever been angry, and that led to talking about times that you have felt all different emotions. It was a fun talk. Here is what you said:

-I felt angry when dad wouldn't let me have more water when it was bedtime

-I felt sad when Cole got the chocolate cupcake at Ivy's party

-I felt excited when Santa brought me blister

-I felt happy when Santa rearranged the treats we left for him to make a snowman

-I felt scared when we went on a family bike ride with a tandem bike

I LOVE talking with you. The older you get the more insightful, funny, and bright you are. I sure love you Cooper!!

Golden Birthday!

Here's the run-down of 1-6-15 at our house....Cooper's big 6th birthday!

January 6th wasn't just your birthday, it was your first day back to school after Christmas break.

We filled your room with balloons.

We let you open a couple presents before school. We tried something different this year, and let you pick your own presents, because you really enjoy browsing through toys. You loved it. Before school you opened your new clothes, one of the switch and go dinos you picked, and the honey nut cheerios we got for you. (Your favorite cereal)

I brought donuts and chocolate milk for everyone in your class to celebrate your birthday. Your teacher had a baby around Christmas, so this was your first day to have a substitute. She seemed nice, but you said she didn't do a lot of the special birthday things Mrs.Fernandez does. You were a good sport though, and said "it's ok" I met you for lunch and brought Subway, your favorite.

After school, you played with the toy you had already opened, and then dad took you to basketball practice. While you were gone, I made your cake and pizza. I made a basketball cake, and pizza in the shape of a 6. Emmett brought over some toys when you came home. We ate, and you opened the rest of your presents. Mimi and Papa bought you an ant farm and a book about ants, a game, and and walkie-talkies. Grandma and grandpa bought you a remote control car and grandma sewed you a special pillowcase. (We face timed grandma when you opened it and you said "what in the world?!" when you pulled it out) you loved it though, and slept with it that night. You also opened the present you picked out from mom and dad the remote control switch and go.

I think you had a great birthday. I hope you felt loved!

6 years old!

Cooper-I cannot believe you are already 6!! You are such a strength in our family, and we love you so much. Here are some things about you at 6 years old:

-You LOVE animals. You will rotate between favorites, and when an animal is your favorite you learn everything about them and are obsessed for a month or two until you pick a new one. Your current favorite animal is the eagle, you started loving it after watching the Rescuers Down Under.

-Your favorite color is still orange.

-You love basketball, and you are really good at it! You are one of the only kids on your team that can run down the court while dribbling, and can do it with either hand.  You are still learning how to be aggressive.

-Your favorite shows are Wild Kratts and Rescue-Bots

-Your are very picky about what you wear. Your favorite outfit is a Captain America shirt with blue warm up pants.

-Your favorite foods are pizza, chicken nuggets, meatballs, and chicken tikki marsala. (An indian dish) You are very picky about what you eat, but if you like it you will eat a lot of it!

-You beg for lunchables for school lunch every day.

Some things that we love about you:

-You are so GOOD. You have your moments, but you generally are trying to do the right thing, even if you aren't being asked.

-You make friends easily.

-You are talented, it seems like you excel at almost anything you try.

-You are confident. Even in new or uncomfortable situations, you do what you need to do and do it bravely.

-You are observant.

-You have a strong testimony and knowledge of the gospel already.

-You are organized, and you love to plan things. (Like family night)

-You are a self-starter.

-You have a great sense of humor.

-You know what you want.

I will probably be adding to this list for the next couple of days as I think of more things. We love you SO much and our family wouldn't be the same without you! You are such a special, special boy, and we are so grateful that you are ours.

What does the fox say??

Your current obsession is with foxes. I'm not sure how it started, but when you got a Ranger Rick Jr with a full size poster of a fox that sealed the deal. Out of true love, I downloaded the "what does the fox say?" song for you and we have been listening to it a lot!

You know everything about foxes, and want a real fox for Christmas. While we were in St.George, we went to a wildlife museum and there were a couple foxes there that you loved looking at.

I love the obsessions you get with things, and can't believe how much you are able to learn about them! You are one fun+smart boy!

Primary Program

Cooper-

The day we left for St.George, you had your primary program. You did awesome, of course! You spoke big and loud, right into the microphone and had your part memorized. Your part was "Because God created our bodies to be like His, I can take care of mine by eating healthy foods and playing outside." (You came up with the last part).  You also knew most of the songs, and did a great job singing. You were well behaved most of the time, but turned around to whisper to your buddy Will a couple of times. You make us so proud, Cooper. You are a great boy and we love you!

General Conference

Cooper-

Today was the first day of General Conference. You blew me away. Let me tell you about why...
We have been having more contention than we should have in our home lately. Everybody has been in a bit of a rut I think. But you have picked up on this. On Monday, we had a lesson on General Conference, and I told you boys that when you listen to General Conference, Heavenly Father tells the speakers what to talk about. So I told you boys to think of a question that you would ask Heavenly Father if you could talk to him. Your question was, "how can our family be nicer?" Then I told you boys that if you listened to the talks, you would get an answer to your question.

We haven't talked a lot about our questions since then. Today we watched conference. As I was putting you to bed, I wanted to share my answers with you, but first I asked if either of you had received an answer to your questions. I was surprised when you said, "Yes!" When I asked you what your answer was you told me "during one of the talks, someone said that if you want to have a better family than you need to read scriptures, so we need to read scriptures". I was speechless! The crazy thing is that this was one of the things that I was prompted to improve upon while listening to conference today too.

You are such a blessing to our family. Thank you for sharing your goodness with us! We love you so much!

xoxo Mom

Basketball

You played basketball for the first time this summer! You loved it! You say it is your favorite sport. You are pretty good, especially since we didn't practice much before you started the season. You are a great dribbler, and scored a basket during one of your games.

FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL!

I was so nervous for your first day of school! I barely could sleep the night before thinking about how much I will miss you!

We woke up early, and you didn't complain at all. We got ready so fast, and had about 30 minutes before you had to be at school. We took pictures before you left for school.

Cole was still asleep when it was time for you to leave, but you didn't want to leave without saying bye to Cole. I told you to go and give Cole a little kiss while he was sleeping, but of course he woke up. He came out to say good-bye to you in the backyard. As you were walking out the back fence to go to school you asked if you could give Cole one last hug before leaving. You ran back to him to give him another hug. Such a sweet moment. You boys love each other.

You seemed a little bit nervous, but were so brave and excited about starting school.

When we picked you up, you were so excited because you were on "orange" for good behavior. You are often one of the very best behaved kids in class.

When I asked if you had a good day, you said yes! When I asked if you were excited to go back the next day, you said "there's school tomorrow too?!" I guess you thought it was a one day event!

Your favorite part of the day is "block classes" where you get to go to different areas of the school like the library or the computer lab, and pe, recess, and lunch!

We told you that we would give you a quarter for everybody that you met at school if you could come home and tell us their name and something about them. You came home one day and said that you had met a friend. I asked you his name.  You said, "I don't know, we aren't allowed to talk" I asked what you did with him and how you became friends. You said, I don't know, but I can tell you his favorite thing to do. I said what? You said "Be quiet" and you were dead serious. hahaha, I am still laughing about this. You are such a good boy and always follow the rules. 

Getting Ready for School

Cooper,

You start school tomorrow! You are mostly excited, I think. We met your teacher and saw your classroom last week. Your teacher's name is Mrs.Fernandez. She seemed very nice.  I was choked up just walking into the school last week. It is hard for me to send you to school! Cole and I will miss you like crazy here at home, but I'm sure you will love it.

Dad gave you a blessing tonight, and we ate cinnamon rolls afterwards. In the blessing, he blessed you to always know that Heavenly Father is near you, and that you will be able to understand what the teacher is teaching, and that you will be able to learn what you should, specifically that your reading will improve, and that you will learn through teaching your family at home.

You are going to love school! I hope I do too!

xo
mom

PILLOW TALK

Tonight I came in to talk to you for a bit before you went to sleep.

-We talked about where you would go if you could go anywhere in the world. I was expecting you to say Disneyland or something, but you said you would go to the Arctic to see the penguins. You LOVE penguins.

-We talked about what you wanted to be when you grow up. You said you want to be a toy maker and play with all the toys.

-We talked about what part of school you are the most excited about. You said recess. I am really really going to miss you when you're gone at school all day but I know you will love it. 

Dear Cooper

Dear Cooper:

What a blessing you have been in our lives during your 5 years here in our family! I hope that I can help you to be your best version of yourself, because I know that you are capable of great things! Here are some of the things that I love about you and hope for you...

-You have such strong faith already! I hope that you will build on that during your life, and that you will know without a doubt that your Heavenly Father lives, loves you, and can help you with anything you will experience during your life!

-You have a strong desire to do what's right. You will receive a lot of blessings if you are obedient. I hope that you continue to do whats right, and then you recognize where your blessings come from, and give thanks to your Heavenly Father.  I hope that you can share with other people the blessings that come from obedience.

-You LOVE to learn, and you are able to learn quickly. I hope that you always love to learn, and that you never stop learning.  I hope that when you get older you will know what to spend your time studying and what career is best for you, and I hope that you can use your knowledge to bless others.

-You are a leader! I love this about you and I hope that you always have your confidence and ability to lead others.  You take special care of Cole and Ivy, and they adore you. I am so glad they have a great example to look at through their lives.

-You think about your decisions, and make decisions wisely. You are very deliberate in everything that you do, and I hope that you always make wise decisions.

-You are empathetic! You truly feel for other people, and can read other's emotions so well.  You will be able to help others and bless their lives.

You are only 5 years old, but I learn so much from you every day. You are so special and a very important part of our family. We love you.

Mom