Cooper's 10!!!

10 Year Old Cooper

I can't believe my youngest (I won't call him my baby because he would HATE that) is 10 years old. Cooper turned 10 on Thursday after what must have been the lonnngggeessstttt week of his life. We woke him singing happy birthday to his birthday breakfast of buttermilk pancakes (none of the homemade stuff for him - boxed is better) with buttermilk syrup. He opened up one of his presents before school, then at lunch time I picked him up and took him to In and Out Burger (that's just torture for someone who can't eat anything there - diet time again). He had to go back to school, much to his dismay.

He came home and Patiently waited for Jeff to come home so he could open some more presents. He got lots of football cards, a flag football set and some football action heroes (that broke as soon as we took them out of the box - can you say REFUND??) We went out to dinner at Outback Steakhouse - his favorite restaurant. He's definitely our kid - most of the birthday was about eating!!

His Mima and Papa came over after we got home and brought him some more great gifts. It was nice to visit with them.

On Friday after school we had a birthday party with his friends. This must have been the all time roughest birthday party ever!! Have we mentioned that Cooper likes football? He plays flag football because we don't want him playing tackle football this young, so for his birthday party he has several boys from school, from the neighborhood and cousins come over (along with the lone girl, Hallie - she was very brave) and they played TACKLE football, TACKLE town, and capture the flag - TACKLING. They had some burgers then played some more football, opened gifts and had cake and then finished off the party with some SMEAR the quear. I'm ALMOST wondering if tackle football would be safer - just because there are pads.

Cooper had a great time and had some fun friends who joined him. I'm so happy we have this great little boy as part of our family. He keeps things hopping around the house, and seeing his smile always makes me smile!! Here are some pictures for all to enjoy.

Cooper posing with his (now returned) Football Guys

They don't look near as rough eating burgers, chips and soda

Bring on the Gifts!

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MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Dana Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

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Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Blank family tree - Roots

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

How Fast Are You???

I read about this as I was blog jumping (you know going from blog to blog). I think I'd better not spend too much time competeing with myself though. I can get pretty competitive.

65 words

Typingtest

Fall Break in Greer

Beautiful View from the top of Green's Peak

Jeff and the kids stopped at Carneiro Lake
Celeste and Cooper at the lake
Really bad picture of Celeste with Shelby
Jeff and Celeste
Carneiro Lake

We had a great time last weekend at Jeff's Uncle Ralph and Aunt Martha Jo's cabin in Greer. We went up Thursday night and travelled with Mark and Katie Hunsaker. We were all pulling our quads (and their Rhino) up there.

We got up there late that night. Friday we went on a ride up to Green's Peak. We met the McLaws family. It got really cold that week and the wind was blowing like crazy. Hard enough that when I got off the quad at the top of Greens Peak, I was almost blown over. It was a fun ride though, and the kids had a blast.

We planned an all day ride on Saturday, but the weather changed our plans. It rained and hailed for much of the day and it was very cold. Luckily Mark and Katie brought their Wii game and Rock Band and the kids (and the adults for a bit) spent the day playing that and pool and having fun hanging out together. That night the dads and the kids went for a short - very cold - very muddy ride, and the moms got to be smart and stay home where it was warm.

It was a nice weekend of playing games, eating a ton and relaxing. I love it when we go to Greer.

Sunday morning we went to church in Eager and then went back to the cabin to eat and pack up and help clean up the cabin before heading for home.

Uncle Ralph and Aunt Jo are so generous with their cabin and we have a great time taking advantage of it. Here are some fun pictures of our time there. You can see a bit of how beautiful it was this time of year, but Sunday (after it had frozen that night) it was even more spectacular to look at the changing leaves on our way home. Sorry I didn't take pictures from the moving car.



Another view from the top of Greens Peak


Quad Riders on the peak

Shelby with Trevor McClaws and Conner Hunsaker being Rock Stars

The Fabulous Flying Danas

General Conference Week

We are watching General Conference as I type. I'm getting ready to leave for Snowflake with my Mom so we can attend Glen Flake's funeral tomorrow. Shelby has end of quarter tests tomorrow so she can't come with us as she really wanted to. Glen is my Dad's first cousin - his daughter Margo is in our ward and Shelby and Leslie (Margo's daughter) have been best friends since they were 3. I love Glen. What a fun person. When we first moved to Mesa we moved into Keith and Margo Clouses ward and Leslie was 2 and Tanner was about 5. Shelby was always called Shelby Lynn Dana by these two, so now still 12 years later - the last time I saw Glen (which I think was at my Dad's funeral) he asked me how Shelby Lynn Dana's mother was. To me - Glen will always be the Sheriff, always fun and interested in how I was doing. He's been suffering with congestive heart failure for the last couple of years, and commented that he'd rather be "sick in Snowflake that feel well in Mesa". He's a Flake from Snowflake through and through.

I'm honored to be able to play a violin duet with my cousin Tawna at his funeral tomorrow. We'll play La Golandrina, which I hadn't heard before, but my mom said it was one of her dad's favorites. Mom will be accompanying us. A few years ago when Aunt Nerita had asked me to play at a Heritage Foundation fundraiser in Snowflake called "Stars over Snowflake", I played "Meditation" from "Thais". After the program was over Glen came up to me and gave me probably one of my best compliments I've had for playing the violin. He told me that he'd heard "Uncle Melvin" (Mr. DeWitt as I know him - he was my orchestra teacher from the time I started through my freshman year when he retired) play that song many different times and that I played it just like he did. That was the ultimate compliment for me.

Now for the rest of the week. I had my first substitute teaching job on Thursday (also the first day I was able to sub). I subbed in Shelby's orchestra class and then the next class at Stapley. It turned out good. I've always known that orchestra kids are the best in the schools. That is propbably the only reason I would be willing to sub for Jr. Highs.

Jeff and I went out to dinner with John and Jacqueline Olson on Friday night to discuss a possible business partnership. I'll write more about that when we get things set.

Saturday morning we watched conference, but we had to miss the 2nd session that day to go to Cooper's football games. He played well and had a lot of fun annnddd they won both games.

Mom's been down here this weekend to pick up a new bed for her house in Snowflake, and she stayed to watch conference. I'll go up to Snowflake with her and then come home with the Clouses after the funeral.

Today conference has been really good. I especially loved Elaine Dalton's talk about Returning to Virtue. I think that could be a great theme for the Stake New Beginnings we are discussing for February.

Cooper made a fort to watch conference from (really it was more about the process of building than about the fort itself, but we figured this was his way of copying the people of King Benjamin when he addressed them in Book of Mormon times. I took a few pictures I'll post here.

Cooper watches conference from his tent