Cooper is 3!

I can't believe that my baby is 3. Where has time gone? We celebrated Cooper's birthday with a family camping trip and a cupcake party at his preschool. Photos for the camping trip are coming from our family photographer (Colin) but in the meantime, here are a few from his school party.

Cooper passed out the napkins while sporting his annual "birthday shirt".

I loved his sheepish smile while his classmates sung him "Happy Birthday". He was so proud to be a "big boy"!


Yummy cupcakes!

It's not a REALLY fun party until you have a mess to prove it!

Yippee! Cooper Lee is 3!

Pine Cove Crier Creek!

We were blessed this summer to be campers at Crier Creek (Pine Cove) Family Camp in Columbus, Texas! As a college student, I worked at Pine Cove in Tyler and abolutely loved my summers as a counselor and nanny. I felt like God used Pine Cove in my life as a time to grow closer to Him - - it is a special place that will always have a piece of my heart and feel a little bit like "home". So when Cooper and I were invited to attend Crier Creek as family campers, I was beyond excited! This summer is our first as an official family, since Cooper was adopted in October. I LOVE that God allowed us to spend quality time together and solidify in our hearts that we are truly a family that's been designed by the Lord. What a wonderful week!

This was the view from our front porch... talk about relaxing!

One thing that is awesome about Pine Cove is the way that camp allows you to be silly and have fun with your kids! Several nights during the week were "Theme Nights" and we dressed up to max out the fun. I think the Rodeo night was our favorite - - notice how adorably happy Cooper is in all of these photos!

My little cowboy... in Crocs!
We went on a hayride from the "cookout" to the rodeo. Cooper even got to help drive the tractor!

Cooper was blessed to have several counselors during our week that were just for him! I was grateful that Pine Cove took the initiative to help Cooper be successful in a "cabin" despite some of his special needs. This is RopeBurn (remember, all counselors have "camp names"!) who was Cooper's counselor until she broke her arm and had to go home to rest. :(

(Just to put your mind at ease, Coop was NOT involved in the arm breaking...)

Cooper was watching the horses barrel race and me chase after the calves in a cattle round up of sorts.

I had the opportunity to spend a little bit of time "playing" with other adults while Cooper was playing with his counselors. I climbed the Power Pole, which was a lot more nerve-wracking than I remembered it to be. I was ropes certified when I worked at Pine Cove, so it was fun to play on their ropes elements a little bit.

Every afternoon during "Family Free Time", Cooper and I headed to the Splash Pad. This area just delighted Cooper! He literally played with the fountains and the sand and the buckets for hours and hours each day. Of course, I wanted us to try the canoes, the zip lines, the waterslides, and the pickleball... but Cooper was not interested in anything else! I had a great time just sitting and playing with him and watching him simply be happy. There's nothing better than to spend time with a happy kid!

One afternoon I coaxed Cooper into the water to try out the floating trampoline in the lagoon... never again! He screamed the entire time and I can still see the marks where he clawed my shoulders trying to get back to shore. He's not much of a risk-taker these days - maybe I should be glad! : )

Friday was Cooper's cabin's turn to ride horses. I was armed with my camera, ready to take photos of his first real ride - - but he had other ideas about what he wanted to do in the barn...

Precious!

This is our "Sports Night", where Cooper and I sported our purple and white in support of the mighty Horned Frogs!

The dinner was such fun - counselors cheered on bleachers (in the dining hall!) while food was served a la ballpark. "Get your hotdogs! Get your popcorn!"

No week at Pine Cove would be complete without an amzing skit. Marshmallow Man kept us all entertained during the week and Cooper is still talking about him!

I was so glad to be able to get to know some of the staff during our week at Crier Creek. They blessed me in so many ways - watching Cooper play outside so I could finish eating, helping transport backpacks and Bibles from one place to another, and simply spending time sharing their lives with Cooper and I. We're so thankful for the sweet girls who loved on us!

This is ChiOdie, who goes to TCU and will actually live in the same house I did during college. She is a future Greene Girl and we were nearly instant friends!

Double Shot was Coop's counselor for the majority of the week. He loved camp and I really think it was because of Double Shot's love for him. : )

Zazu was our family Bible Study leader, which gave us plenty of time to share what God is doing in both of our lives. She was such a gift to me this week!

Yay for Crier Creek! We had a fantastic week and I pray that we will be able to spend every family vacation at Pine Cove. : )

SUMMER!

It's official - today begins SUMMER VACATION! I spent the day packing up my classroom, loading up the car, and saying good-bye to friends at Coulson Tough as I prepare to move to a new school and classroom next year. It was a bittersweet day, closing the door to one chapter in my life, yet opening the door to another at Galatas Elementary, just a few miles away. I was blessed to work at a wonderful school close to my new home and gain valuable experience that I will carry with me as I continue to grow as a teacher. As I packed everything into boxes and wheeled them to my car (with the help of my wonderful friend, Monica!) I felt relieved that I survived my first year in The Woodlands. I did it! I moved last June and had a year full of milestones - - I sold my first house and bought another, I left my first ever "grown-up job" and got a new one, and I started our forever family when Cooper was adopted. (That's not mentioning the new additions of the tarantula, Lola, and the Golden Retriever, Boone!) God has been so very faithful to me this year!

I'm thrilled that summer is here and we can relax and enjoy just being at home and being a family. Yay! Cooper and I celebrated our first day of summer by making cookies (before dinner!) and eating so many that neither of us was hungry for dinner. AHHH - summer feels great!!