Let's Hit the Pool!

We are blessed to have a wonderful relationship with my nephew, Hudson. Cooper just loves his cousin and immediately bonds with him every time they are together! We spent the afternoon at the pool and had such fun.

I was shocked to see Cooper spontaneously hugging Hudson... this never happens!!! (Thank goodness I had my camera ready!) Can you believe that Cooper is more than 2 years younger than Hudson? He is so big!

Precious!
Although neither of the boys are confident "swimmers", they had fun splashing in the fountains at the pool.
I just love Cooper's chubby tummy! : )


Hudson squirted Lolli with a spray of water from his mouth - Look out!!

Cooper has become a lot more comfortable in the water as we spend more time at the pool. He randomly decided to lay down in the water this time. He thought it was pretty funny!
Both boys are "sun bathing"!
Ok - I am so thankful I finally got Cooper's "running" on camera. When he wants to go really fast, he puts his arms back in an aerodynamic move and leans way forward. It's like turbo speed or something. I have no idea where he learned this move, but it is my all time favorite "Cooper-ism"!!
After swimming, the boys were pretty wiped out, so we came back to Lolli and Pop's house for some cookies and a good movie.

I love my two sweet boys!

We can't wait for Hudson to join us at Black Butte Ranch this summer in Oregon. He will come for a few days in July to spend time at the ranch with our family. We are excited! The boys have a blast together and are the best of friends.

Blueberry Picking

One of my favorite childhood traditions was berry picking in the summers when we lived in Oregon. I have the fondest memories of picking marionberries, raspberries, and strawberries (probably eating more than went in the bucket) and taking them home to make all sorts of tasty treats. My parents even had a cobbler contest one year that the kids got to judge. I think dad won (he's the sweet tooth in the family!) but we always had a great time. My parents discovered a family-owned little blueberry farm about 30 minutes from The Woodlands. They've taken Hudson there several times, but this was Cooper's first blueberry picking experience. I was excited for him!!

I should have known that taking a 2 year old to pick blueberries in the heat of the day in June would be an experience at best... He picked up sticks and dirt and worms, but really not too many berries! He was covered in sweat, which caused the dirt to stick to him. But he had a fantastic time! We found that there were many more berries on the undersides of the trees, plus it was nice and shady!

Looks like he found a tart blueberry from the ground - yuck!
After picking blueberries for a while, we were hot and exhausted. I decided that I was going to forgo every "mom rule" that I knew and give my baby a coke. Yes - you heard me - I gave my 2 year old soda! And he LOVED every minute of it! I think he's used to seeing me drink my Diet Coke ( like it's my job!) and he was delighted at the idea that I would let him have one of his own. Now, don't worry - this was actually a Sprite, so it didn't have any caffeine - just tons and tons of sugar and unnatural preservatives. : )




We can't wait to visit the blueberry farms next year!

My new school - Coulson Tough School

This new chapter in my life brings a new school to call home - Coulson Tough K-6 School! My parents have always raved about Coulson Tough and what a positive presence the school has in The Woodlands community, so I feel really proud to be a part of such a wonderful thing! The campus is gorgeous and I can't wait to start the new year!

The photo above is from the front of the school - you can see the kindergarten and first grade classrooms that have gardens literally outside their windows!
This is the cafeteria and stage area - unbelieveable! CT has nearly 1,000 students, so everything has to be big! The school has 2 art rooms, a huge gymnasium, and band and orchestra rooms for the 5th and 6th graders (brings me back to my middle school days of playing the cello!!)
This is the other side of the cafeteria - I love the awnings that make it feel like a real restaurant! Coulson Tough has an incredible PTO that puts a lot of time and effort into expanding the learning environments for the students. One way they've done this is by adding an outdoor "habitat" for the classes to use.

Welcome to Tough Town!! Coulson Tough is so large that all of 4th grade and most of 3rd grade "lives" outside in the portable buildings, nicknamed "Tough Town". It really does feel like a town, due to the PTO's decorations to make it look like an old western town. This photo is of the entrance to 3rd grad (my "house" is the white one on the left) : )


I think it'll be easy to spot our room - it's the only white building in Tough Town! (Good for the new girl who can get lost easily!!) I'm not going to lie - it's a bit like teaching in a one room school house on Little House on the Prairie! I was nervous about being outside at first, but I have grown to love my little white house. It has wood paneled walls on the inside and an old fashioned blackboard. But I love it!
Here's my classroom from the other side of the "street". The house on the left is my switch teacher's room... I'll teach language arts and reading and Pam (my partner) will teach math, science, and social studies. She is super nice and I think I'm going to like my new neighbor!

One thing I love about Tough Town is the signs that hang on each building... each room is labeled as a different buliding in a real western town. My sign says "Trading Post - Trader Miss Bates" Pam's room is the "Doctor's Office" and down the road is the "General Store" and the "Texas Bank". So fun! The kids will be glad they get to be residents of Tough Town!

I'm busy working in my classroom to get things organized and ready, but I still have a long way to go. The room was in desperate need of a little TLC and I'm taking my time to make sure everything has a place. Plus, the a/c has been turned off for the summer and it's stinkin' hot it there! I feel like I have my own personal sauna when I work in my room! But I'll post more pictures when I get things finished so you can feel like you've had a virtual tour of my new classroom. Stay tuned!

Colin and Dayna's Visit

Anyone who knows me well knows that I adore my little brother, Colin. I'm amazed at his maturity and godly character. He is wise and self-disciplined. He is hysterical and spontaneous. He is GREAT! I truly value the time I get to spend with him, since we've lived apart from one another since he was in the 7th grade (when I went away to college)! He is spending this summer working as a worship intern at a church in SugarLand and I've been glad to see him several times this summer. Now, don't go believing that he drives an hour and a half to The Woodlands just to see his big sister... no, there's another woman in his life. His girlfriend, Dayna, is also from The Woodlands, and Colin is eager to spend time with her on the weekends when possible. They came over to hang out with Cooper and me and we had a great time! We went to Northshore Park and watched Cooper play on the play ground and chase the poor ducks all over the place. Cooper just LOVES "Cogin" and he made friends with Dayna as they played Legos in our living room. : )

I have been so glad to get to know Dayna. She is a lot of fun and puts up with our family really well. : )

We can't wait for another visit with Uncle Cogin and Dayna! Thanks for the fun day, guys! : )

Choo Choo! Cooper is 2!

I can't believe my baby boy is 2 years old! As a mom, you want to make your child's birthday memorable and special. More than anything, I want Cooper to grow up feeling celebrated and loved on his birthday (and every day!). Although it's tempting to throw huge parties and spend gobs of money, I have decided that our Bates family birthday traditions are going to be simple and meaningful. One tradition I'd like to start is baking and decorating a special made-to-order birthday cake - - easier said than done!! Thankfully, my parents were there to help me bake and decorate Cooper's train cake. Dad and I stayed up until the wee hours getting Cooper's birthday cake ready for the big day.

Cooper sat in his decorated chair to eat his favorite breakfast (when he's older he'll be able to choose, but for now I decided that I think he likes nutrigrain bars and chocolate sprinkle donuts the best!!) I think he was more impressed with the paper plates and cup with Thomas the Train on it than he was the fresh donuts I rolled out of bed early to get!!

My favorite birthday present for Cooper was a shirt that says "Cooper is 2!", which he wore proudly all day long. We played in the backyard with "Lolli" and "Pop" happily and enjoyed the beautiful sunny day God blessed Cooper with for his special day.



We were so glad to have my parents celebrate Cooper's birthday with us!

Cooper received many presents for his birthday, but his favorite BY FAR was the stuffed golden retriever from Sara and Chad Underwood. Their dog, Ella, is Cooper's best friend and playmate and Cooper was thrilled to have his own Ella Dog to play with at home.
Cooper gave his Ella Dog many many kisses and he dragged her everywhere! I called Sarabeth to thank her for adding another thing that we MUST take with us everywhere we go. : ) (If a blanket, pacifier, and 35 lb. baby weren't enough, let's add a huge stuffed dog!!)
I'm one lucky mom!
Cooper loved his train cake and was shocked that he could have as much as he wanted!! Things got messy really fast!

My parents got Cooper a tricycle and Pop taught him how to ride. We're planning a family vacation to a ranch in Oregon this summer and Cooper will be able to ride his own bike! He is such a big boy!

God has truly blessed Cooper - I marvel at God's goodness and faithfulness in his life. Cooper is a happy and healthy boy who is loved to pieces. God has placed him in a family and rescued him from danger. What a great God we serve! I hope that each year on Cooper's birthday we remember God's goodness to him and pray for another year of God's blessing in Cooper's life.