Dating panels,service projects, babysitting, decorating...and dancing!

How do dating panels, service projects, babysitting, decorating, and dancing, fit together? With-in a weeks time, because of my calling at church with the youth, and my commitment to house sit for our friends, all these things took place. Me and the girls in our ward planned and executed a really fun (and entertaining) dating panel for a devotional. We also planned a combined youth trip to the cannery where the kids got to can items for the ward members...and we also got to decorate for the stake dance...and then I got to be a chaperon (Whew...goodness...are my girls in charge of planning EVERYTHING? Of course not, it was just our turn)...all this while I had moved in at our friends house to watch their kids while our friend was having a 7 day bio-chemo session in the hospital, and his wife was staying there with him. But it all worked out. I loved being able to help out our friends who are going through such a hard time fighting an aggressive cancer, but I also loved being with the youth of our church for these other neat events. I had friends come into help with the kids while I went to the church events, and John was at home with my kids being Mr. Mom (one of the benefits of being out of a job...lots of TIME on your hands...gotta see the bright side of things). The youth events went so well. I LOVE the youth in our ward and I am so impressed by their willingness to serve and to have fun while they do it. They did a great job at the cannery, and also an AMAZING job at decorating for the dance. And my time at the Whetman's was wonderful too. Such a beautiful spirit in their home. Their family has taught us so much about faith and hope, and we pray for them continually.And about the dance...it was so much fun. Call me crazy, but I love being a chaperon at the youth dances. It so takes me back...and... I love to dance, and to my daughter's dismay, I jump out on the floor with the girls quite often. Actually, Kinsey is so used to me, it doesn't phase her at all, and she sometimes even encourages me. The dances are usually the place where I get to talk with all the kids the most and where we all have the most fun. Besides...someone needs to be the one to push the boys out on the dance floor...right? Oh...and another benefit: I love being able to spy on my daughter. Yes...I said "spy". I would not get half the details of her life from her if I were not at some of these events. Kinsey tells me about things, but the short version. She is just not my "talker". Kennedy on the other hand...speaks VOLUMES, and I mean VOLUMES about what happens in her life, so by the time she is old enough for the dances, I will be able to get a detailed account of what everyone wore, what they were doing, what kind of gum they were chewing, and maybe what she thought they were all thinking. But in the mean time...I will just follow Kinsey around. I am always the one with the camera, and these kids love to pose, love to have pictures for Facebook, so it works out for everyone. I document their fun, and I am accepted.
I think our decor turned out so great. We had lights and hearts hanging from the ceiling.

Clay Roe, and Savannah Raskey even did a little "performance" at the dance. They take ballroom dancing classes and they learned the waltz from HSM3, and decided to showcase it at the dance. The kids around here really get into this stuff, so it went over so well. They did an amazing job and I was so proud of them. These are two of Kinsey's best friends, so I know she was cheering them on.

Kinsey and Clay doing a little swing dancing. Love it!!!!

Kinsey and some of her best buds. Mason, Savannah, Clay, and Adam

Okay, so me and Sara had to get in on the action too. We had to try out our brilliant "photography background" that we threw together at the last minute that morning (and was held together by packing tape and string...and these poor plants). Sara is one of my BFF's and she just got called as young women's president, and I am still the 1st counselor. Yay to work with Sara. She loves the dances too, and we had a fun night. We thought we would be cute trying to copy some of the girls poses. Okay, not as cute when we do it...but worth a try.

Beach Party Perfection

This past Saturday, Kinsey went to a sweet sixteen party for one of her best friends, Savannah Raskey. I got to go along to help drive and I offered to photograph the event as well. It was such a perfect day and night and the kids just had such a great time together. The weather in Florida had been horrible the whole prior week, so we were so thankful for temps in the mid 70s. A DJ was set up on the beach, along with food and beautiful tables. The kids had a sand castle building contest, a survivor type scavenger hunt, lots of dancing, lots of playing football, and mostly just enjoying themselves. It was fun to see Kinsey interact with her friends and have such a wonderful time.

Kinsey and Savannah, the birthday girl. They collapsed after running around and playing football.

The whole group together

Kinsey gathering water for the sand castle building

And these are some of my friends. Carmen also came to help, and Shaun is the mother of the birthday girl. Both my good friends. We had such a fun day just hanging out together and watching the kids.

Kinsey and Savannah, Cute friends!

I got to jump into one picture with my girl.

At one point, the girls were dancing and singing on the sand, so the DJ lent them his microphone. It was so fun to see them dancing across the sand, an singing their hearts out.

They also loved to toss that football around. Kinsey is quite good at it.

Clay gives it a toss.

Kinsey, Savannah, and Mason

Cooper turns two...and apparently it's exhausting!

How did this happen? How did my baby boy, my last child, turn two so quickly? Maybe we are in some strange sort of time warp, or maybe I need to face the fact that time does pass...and my babies grow up. But yes, on January 29th, Cooper James turned two. Cooper is a joy in all of our lives, and though he is exhibiting a bit of the "Terrible Two's" already, he still makes us all laugh (and sometimes cry). I had to capture these two pics of Cooper. This was how he was feeling at lunch...on his birthday! A little pooped out. It must be exhausting to have your mother follow you around all day saying, "It's your birthday! How old are you? Show me on your fingers". Incidentally, he just looked at me with a totally blank stare...wondering what had gotten into his mother. Sometimes he would lift his entire hand, not making the effort at all to only hold up two fingers...hoping that would appease me. Exhausting!


And how could this post be complete without a few newborn pics of Cooper. I can't resist. I get all sentimental when I remember the births of my kids (I choose to block out all the yucky parts and just focus on the precious sweet baby that never cried and all the sweet bonding time we had while I was feeling perfectly wonderful).

Coop perked up in the evening in time for his cake and gifts. He dug into his Caterpillar cake before we even started singing.

Coop loved his "Cars" cars, and had fun with his mini guitar. He was ready to rock out all night if his siblings hadn't kept stealing it from him.

A few unknown facts about two year old Cooper (Well, not so unknown to anyone who chats with me regularly. I tend to blab on about this boy). Just good info for me to have recorded.

• Cooper loves to wrestle. He is ready for a dog pile at any moment of his life. If he sees even one of us laying on the ground, he gives us a running body slam in no time. Wrestling with Carver is his absolute favorite. Those boys roll and tumble and growl and grunt...and they have a ball.
• Cooper is a man of few words. I was going to say "the silent type", but that is not true. He makes plenty of sounds (grunting mostly), and even has a language of his own, but he doesn't feel the need to speak much English. It cracks me up when I think about how Kinsey was reciting her alphabet sounds, and telling me about the five vowels at this age...and Cooper is so different. He does know a few words, but they are words he only uses in desperation or total annoyance. "DON'T", "NO", "GO", "STOP", "MINE", "MORE". I guess he doesn't want to expend the energy to speak unless someone (many times me), is really bugging him! the rest of the time he uses the "pat, point,and grunt" system. It goes like this... Pat mom(or anyone in sight) over and over on the arm or leg (until it feels like hitting), and then point and grunt for what you want. Hmmm, so effective when you have three siblings to give you what you want.
• Cooper LOVES animals. Animals in books, on TV, or the real thing. Coop can be a straight faced little guy sometimes, but as soon as he sees an animal, he goes crazy. He starts pointing and squealing in this high pitched squeal. Maybe he is communicating with these animals. Hey, maybe he has a gift. At any rate, fun to watch, but a little sad he was born to "non-pet" parents. Not sad enough for us to change our ways, EVER, but sad none the less.
• Cooper can entertain himself for long periods of time with one box of toys. He will line up all his little cars, build and build with Legos, or build with blocks, many times putting the toys away when he is done. He also loves to play outside and wishes he could do everything his big brother does.
• Cooper used to be the best eater in the world, but now he thinks he gets to be "Choosy" and sometimes won't eat anything at all (not that it shows). I don't LET my other kids be very choosy, so we will see what we can do with this little stinker. His favorite food right now is pizza, any sort of cookie or cake, bananas, and he is constantly begging for our diet soda. Maybe he thinks the soda will cancel out all the other sugar. He also loves mac and cheese, grapes, and waffles. And...in true man form, he loves to stand and stare into the fridge...and sometimes tries to climb in.
• When it comes to strangers, or adults he is not used to, Cooper is not very personable. In fact, at times he has exhibited "people hating" symptoms. He is perfectly comfortable with his family, but then gets all shy and a little angry when he is forced to mingle with "others". When someone talks to him, he simply turns his head and pretends that person is not there. He was a nursery drop out for months, and taking him to the gym was so hard at first. But YAY, he is changing a little. He will stay in the nursery now (after a brief amount of wailing and gnashing of teeth), and he is starting to be more social and doesn't "ignore" quiet as much. He has always loved other kids, especially bigger boys, and cute girls, so that always goes well. He did take to my Dad right away, and so I think things are changing. Just don't be offended if Cooper has completely acted as if you didn't exist. He does that to everyone.
• Cooper is a DADDY'S BOY. He loves his mom too, but if John is around, that is where the love is. So cute. Especially loves to ride on Daddy's shoulders.
• Cooper has a "favorite spot". He loves my big cushy chair in my room. He will run to it, grab his blankie, and point to the TV so I will put on a movie for him. He settles in and just "de-stresses". Some of his favorite movies right now are...Toy Story, Kung Fu Panda, Busy Buddies (kid exercise show...though he prefers to "sit" and watch). T.V shows...Micky Mouse club house, Handy Manny, Sweet Life of Zack and Cody (loves to watch with his siblings).
• Though Cooper has been a baby that slept through the night since he was a few months old, lately, in the past few months, certain nights he will randomly wake up, inconsolable...until you let him sit in the chair...and watch a movie. Then he pats us and wants to go back to bed. Who in the heck has heard of a "movie break" in the middle of the night?
• Cooper was an infant of wonderful health, but since this last summer he has gotten ear infection after ear infection. No fun!
• Cooper LOVES Kinsey. He loves all his siblings, but lately, he sometimes prefers her to any of us. It is so cute.

Happy Birthday Cooper. I will always remember you the way you were...when you were TWO!