My Last Week With Cooper...

Just to be saying it is hard enough, but the thought of walking him up to that door and walking away has placed a permanent lump in my throat! I decided this weekend that I would make this week all about him, and spend some quality time doing the things he loves! Having two other boys who need my time has made if very difficult to find the time to spend much one on one time with Cooper, so whenever possible it was just he and I, or us and Conner. Carter is still at the buzz kill stage, so he has to stay with whomever is willing and available to help me out:) (Thanks to Julia, Tracy, Jenn, Mom & Carrie for making this week possible by watching Carter and Conner!)

Okay so now on to our week of fun. I don't have pictures of all of it, but you'll get the idea anyway.

Monday we went to Ridgemar Mall just me and all the boys to play and have lunch, then while Carter slept at Julia's, we went bowling at Alley Cats with Mimi. Mommy won one game and Cooper won the second game. They loved that!

Tuesday Cooper and Mimi had a special date and went to see Space Chimps. He said it was really funny, and of course "we have to get the DVD".

Wednesday was just Cooper and I, so I planned a day at the ballpark. My plan was for us to meet Daddy for lunch at the Rawling's All Amercian Grill inside the ballpark, but apparently it doesn't open until 4 on game days, so we went with plan B and headed to Jason's Deli. After lunch and saying bye to daddy, we headed back to the ballpark to check out the Legends of the Game Museum as well as take a tour of the ballpark. He really loved looking at all the old jerseys and baseball cards and he loved playing the games up in the Learning Center. Then we went on the tour. We got to see the press box, a few of the luxury suites, the tunnel under the ballpark where the locker room is (we didn't get to go in there because it was a home game day, bummer; but I did let Cooper peek through the crack in the door.), the batting cages where they practice and best of all the Dugout. I told him he could sit in the same spot that Michael Young sits. He thought that was really cool! My camera battery died before I could get a picture of us in the dugout, but a nice man on the tour with us from Boston took one of us w/ his camera and said he would email it to me in about a week, so I'll add that later:) After the tour we headed to The Children's Place where he got to pick out a new backpack and lunch box for Kindergarten. Overall, we had a wonderful day together and I hope that he will have memories of it when he's older. Even if he doesn't remember each moment, I know I will and I'll cherish it, along with every other moment I've been blessed to share with him these past five years! (sorry...wiping my sloppy face off, brb.)

Cooper & I in the press box.

Cooper being silly in the City of Arlington Suite

He loved this picture of the fireworks.

Dressing up like "Pudge"

(even though he doesn't know who that is.)

As you can see we had the whole place to ourselves;)

Do you recognize those players?

Cooper took this one, I love it!

He wanted to stay all day and play these games!

The next morning Day took Cooper, Conner and Ethan for a morning of fun at ASI Gymnastics. This gave me some one on one time with Carter, which was really great. He and I went to the park and played until it got too hot, and then headed home for lunch. After lunch I took Carter to Mimi's and headed to pick up the boys and meet Claudia for a trip to the Fort Worth Museum to see an IMAX move, Dinosaurs Alive. The boys had lots of fun playing with the hands on exhibits and Conner LOVED the huge train set they had there. The boys were a little scared during the movie, but overall I think they liked it. I just forget how the movies are more of a documentary and not the kind of movie they're used to. This was a very busy and very fun day. I'm afraid Cooper may be getting a little rotten from all this fun! As soon as we’d finish anything he’d ask, “What is our next fun thing?” They learn fast, I guess!

Peek-a-boo!

Wheeeee!

Carter & Mommy!

What a big boy! He struck this pose on his own.

Creating their paper cup whirly birds.

Watching them fly!

Ethan putting a dinosaur puzzle together.

Conner shopping for groceries!

Three Scary Dinosaurs!

Friday was the day we had Cooper's last playgroup party. You know how much I love our playgroup (if not, click here to read the post about it:) and these guys have been together since before they could walk. The idea of this being Cooper's last one, accept for maybe during school breaks, was really sad to me! Tracy was great and got him a cookie cake that said "Good Luck Cooper". He loved that and it really meant a lot to him, and to me! She also got him a book called "Off to Kindergarten"...so very thoughtful!

All our playgroup friends!

Silly boys!

Cooper and his cookie cake!

And we're "Off to Kindergarten!"

Then on Saturday, Day took the older boys to Hawaiian Falls for an afternoon with daddy. They had lots of fun their too.




I know it was a lot to pack into one week, but I will make this a new tradition for each of the boys to have a week of fun before they start kindergarten. Cooper doesn’t get to be the center of attention very often, nor do any one of the boys I guess, so he has earned his moment in the spotlight! Who knows when I’ll get this chance again! I’m sad to see my little boy growing up, but very proud at the same time to see him becoming an independent young man. He’s my pride and joy!