Happy Halloween!

Like mother, like son.

Apparently, I had a birthday party at the park when I was three years old, too. Mom was right: shave my head and it's Cooper. I was a total Sesame Street fanatic.

Birthday party number three.

We had a great time at the park for Coop's birthday last weekend. He got way too many gifts, and drank a whole coke. I know, bad mother. But, it's his birthday party! And again, I made the cake this year. Not as details as some others, but still took time. Homemade guitars were the craft, and as usual, Cooper and Courtney were just too cute. Enjoy!

I'm glad there was more than one option for school pictures.

But this was definitely the funniest one. No words. True to form.

Three is the new 16.

Cooper,

It seems like I just wrote the two-year birthday blog. I'm not really prepared to write your third birthday letter. But, here goes.

You are so excited about turning three. So much so, that you keep asking, "When will I be five, Mom? How many is five?" (You turning five blows my mind. Let's stay with three as long as we can.) I hadn't gotten sad about it until the other day, when your dad put the broken chair out to the curb for someone to take it to "chair heaven." Later that day, you said something like "Daddy, I'm sad about the chair. We ate a lot of ice cream in that chair." Both of us just sighed. (Ice cream is definitely a father/son thing.) I thought about all of the things that have happened in your life in these three short years, and how I couldn't remember most of them as they had happened. Just pictures. I try to soak in every moment, but fleeting they are.



Some are baffled by the fact that you are ONLY three, and not five. Already, you argue with us like a teenager, which is mostly our fault because we tend to have "heated discussions" when you're around. I hope Mom and Dad can get better at that. However, your dad and I are not complacent about anything, and I hope some of that rolls over into your personality. With the way you convinced me to give you two pumpkin candies instead of one today with such sincere passion and elaborate, exaggerated facial expression, I don't think we have anything to worry about.



This year has been a complete upheaval of emotions for all of us, in many ways. It's almost like three is the new two as far as discipline goes. I do think we're coming into more of a calm, easier phase of life, which has been absolutely awesome so far. You've changed so much, and developed into this amazing creature with opinions, anger, frustration, joy, and compassion for others - it's astounding. You're a young boy with a great heart. I pray every night that God gives you wisdom, compassion, strength, empathy, and a love for all humanity. I know He will.

Love,
Mom

I shall post.

Don't worry. I'm still here. Coop's birthday is this week, so I'll have a good post in here at some point soon. He recently had a petting zoo experience at school with bunnies and his girlfriend Courtney, so that's always fun. :) More to come.