Celebrating Cooper

This kid…

I should have known that when I asked Cooper who he wanted to invite to his birthday party that he would have a list longer than my arm! This kid is a social butterfly, and being the kind kid that he is, he doesn’t want to exclude anyone from the celebration. So when his list got to 17 kids, including him and Grady, I agreed, assuming that there would be a few kids that couldn’t make it. Not this year, we had 100% attendance and 17 kids all present to celebrate Cooper’s birthday.

He had hockey friends, school friends, neighborhood friends, and family friends all gather together at one big bouncy castle place, and the rest is history.  

He chose the same place that Grady had his birthday. It’s a great place but it is a 40 minute drive to get there. And different from Grady‘s, we didn’t have to place to ourselves. It wasn’t crazy like I imagine the Saturday would be, but it certainly wasn’t empty like Grady‘s party in June.

However, exactly like Grady’s, the kids were red-faced and sweating within 10 minutes. Him and his hockey friends all had to miss a Hockey practice and I promise to parents that they would get more cardio at the birthday party then they would get at the full life hockey practice they missed! And it turned out I was right! One of his teammates approached me and told me he was so wet that it felt like he had showered… Success!

Despite how loud, crazy, chaotic, and expensive the party was, seeing this kid interact with his friends and that big smile on his face, makes it all worthwhile.

Given that we were away on Cooper‘s actual birthday this year bracket [more on this to come later], we celebrated Cooper the week prior and the celebration kept going and going and going. The same weekend that we celebrated with his friends we also celebrated with Jameses family with brunch and presence. I love the look on his face as he opened the jewelry box and found a gold chain inside from nana. It’s not easy to capture a big smile on his face and this smile is 100% genuine.

After brunch we returned home and we gave Cooper our presents. He was a tough kid to buy for this year. At that stage in between toys and not really sure what he wants. He knew he wanted shoes, and you’ll notice that he has two different shoes on his feet in the photo below while he tried to decide which pair to keep. As an aside, he kept the white ones. I also went out on a limb and bought him the Air Jordan jacket and it was a success. Another successful year of present shopping for the boys which let me tell you is not an easy feat! I’m dreading shopping for Christmas presents already…

And just like that I have a happy nine-year-old With some birthday money burning a hole in his pocket. I hope he enjoyed his birthday as much as I enjoyed spoiling him.

Happy birthday Cooper!

Happy 9th Birthday Cooper!

Dear Cooper,

It is hard for me to believe that you are already 9.  Nine years ago today, you completed our family on a rainy night.  You have a BIG personality.  You are a confident, loud, vibrant young man and the only child that anyone every says looks even a little bit like me.  While you probably don't love hearing that you look like your Mom, it makes me so proud.  Sometimes you remind me of myself when I was your age, the funny, social kid that doesn't like to hug.  Heck, that is still me!  Cooper, I look forward to celebrating you today and all year long.

Let me tell you a little bit about your 9 year old self.

You are in Grade 3.  For the first time ever you have been separated from both of your best friends.  But no surprise to us, you came home on the first day of school telling us you made a new friend.  It certainly didn't take long.

Hockey is your jam.  After our tournament in Cranbrook last month I asked you what your favorite part was and you looked at me like I was crazy and said the hockey, obviously.  I just assumed it would be the pool or running around the hotel with your friends.

We've fully embraced that you are a defense men.  You are slowly gaining confidence in taking those rushes and going for the net.  Though when asked to play forward you still say no.  You look good on defense Coopman, keep it up!

As for food, you still have a jam sandwich almost every day.  You don't like pizza but you'll eat it if that is all there is. You have a sweet tooth like your mom but you like sushi like your dad.  Your favorite is the orange fish egg, I think its called ikura.  I can't get you to eat vegetables but you'll eat raw fish.  Weird.

You take after your Dad in the language department.  I am constantly reminding you to stop using bad words.  I hope that you don't develop a serious case of road rage like your father…..

You are SO SO loud.  You are known as the loudest in the dressing room.  Though sometimes you scream like a little girl and it hurts our ears.  For the most part the loudness comes when you get excited and especially when you are around your friends.

You are not a toucher.  You don't hold my hand, you don't hug, but you may give me a kiss in the morning if I ask for one.  The fact that you don't like them doesn't mean I don't give them anyway.  Especially at bed time.

We've moved past Fortnite and currently you are into Tik Tok.  I don't really get it but you spend a lot of time making videos around the house and telling us to be quiet. Check him out at @Coopmanyt and give him a follow.  He checks it daily.

You are not a cryer.  When you shed tears, we know you are really hurt.  Thankfully it doesn't happen often.

You all of a sudden started caring about your appearance.  Let's start with the hair.  In the spring you spotted a mohawk mullet and immediately aspired to grow one.  It has been several months since then and you've finally grown a defined mullet much to your mother's dismay.  It took telling the hairdresser at the last appointment to NOT touch the back, not even a little.  Why is it that hairdressers don't understand the word trim, and in this case, do not cut at all.  The 2 cuts prior they still trimmed the back despite direct instruction not to.  Insert eye roll.

The other item you've become passionate about are your chains.  Yes, plural.  You ordered one on amazon in the spring and you've worn one every single day since.  You have gold ones, silver ones, think ones, thin ones.  Sometimes you where 1 and some times you layer them up. It has become your signature item.  As a fashionista myself, I can appreciate your unique tastes.

You stay up to late, but that's mostly our fault.  It is always after 9 and sometimes as late as 10.  The good news is that you always go to sleep easily.  You don't want me to stay, you just want to go to sleep.  You are and always have been a dream to put to sleep.

You still sleep with bunny and I take pictures more often then I care to admit.  I can't get enough pictures of you hugging bunny every. single. night.  I will never throw bunny away. Maybe when you are done with her I'll keep her in my bed.  She is no longer soft and fluffy like she once was but she has more character just the way she is.

You are wise beyond your years. You seem so much older than most of your peers.  Probably because you have an older brother.  You have no problems fitting in with him and his friends and even invited a few of them to your birthday party.

You are such a kind friend.  You don't leave anyone out and don't have a mean bone in your body.  I've literally never heard you say a bad thing about anyone.

You are responsible.  Your teachers always say you are the best helper and very reliable.  You are my child that wants to stay by himself when his older brother will still not consider it!  You are wise beyond your years young man.

Cooper I love watching you grow and change each year.  You continue to amaze me with your confident and charming personality.  You are going to big things.  Big, HUGE.

Happy Birthday to you, my baby boy.

Love,

Mom

Welcome to Grade 3

Introducing our newest third grader....

It's really interesting to see the different personalities of your kids.  Grady is clearly not a 'first day of school kid'.  He doesn't like change or any new situations.  Cooper, on the other hand, isn't too bothered by all the change that the first day of school brings.

Unlike Grady, Cooper got his teacher on the Friday before school started.  I love this.  It gives you the chance to talk to your kids about what teacher to expect and to give warning that some of their besties may not be in their class.

This was the case for Cooper this year.

For the first time, Cooper has been separated from not 1, but both of his best friends.  They are each in their own class.  Cooper took it like a champ. In all honesty he was more upset about his teacher.  At the end of the year they announced that the gym position was switched to 50% so apparently he switched to teach grade 3.  This gym teacher wasn't the most well liked so when Cooper heard that this was his homeroom teacher he was disappointed.  

So with no friends and a teacher he was unsure about he headed into the first day with a smile on his face.  That's just the kind of kid he is.

This is the best you get with boys....

He came home from school a happy kid.   The teacher was way nicer than he expected and he has a shared classroom with one of his best friends.  He told me that now that he doesn't have all his friends in his class they won't all fight to be his partner.  Insert eye roll.  Ha!!

Check out the bling...

This smiley kid is one of a kind. Have a great year Cooper!

Bringing Home the Gold

We headed north to Spruce Grove for a hockey tournament for Cooper over the weekend.  Yes, I said hockey.

Cooper is playing in a multi sport league this spring where the kids play hockey, soccer, and baseball.  Since they are playing 3 sports it comes with a little bit of a time commitment. April is mostly dedicated to hockey while we wait for the warmer temperatures to arrive.

We entered the tournament unsure of what to expect.  Personally I was expecting to lose every game since spring hockey generally means elite players, which we are not.

We are a group of players that played all 3 divisions in the regular season and hadn't actually played a game together until the first day of the tournament.  Which we lost by the way. 

With each game they played they improved.  They bonded as a team and played more like a team with every minute of each very long game.  Did I mention that it was 20 minute stop time periods with no game max? Such a difference where the Zamboni is ready to plow you over if you aren't on the ice after exactly one hour.  They also zambonied the ice during the second intermission to make the game even longer.

As for Grady, there was a pool at the complex and he swam during every game.  I think he clocked in 5 hours on Saturday....  No, he did not turn into a fish while he was there.  He might as well have.

#redpants

For our gold medal game we played the same team we lost to in our first game.  It started out bad, really bad.  We were losing 3-0 at the end of the first.  I am not sure what the coach told the kids but in the second them came out and scored 5 goals in a row!  Final score.... 9-6.

As if that wasn't enough excitement, we promised Grady that we would go the WEM water park if they were in the B final.  Which they weren't.  But he wanted to go so bad we went anyway which got us home at almost 10pm. 

It was a busy but super fun Easter weekend.  And don't worry, the Easter Bunny found us in the hotel!

It’s a Wrap

I know, hockey again.  Honestly, it is all we do all winter.  From being at the rink to being out of town for 5 tournaments, not to mention the others that we did in the city...  It is also one of the reasons I haven't been blogging - there has just not been time. 

While some may think this lifestyle sounds horrible, I love it.  I never dreamed I would love being a hockey mom because I certainly didn't enjoy being a hockey sister.  Except when my mom left me home alone to go to my brother's out of town tournaments for the weekend.  I really liked that.  So did my friends....

#15

We ended off last week talking about Grady and his team.  They were about to play a very important game against the top team in the league.  Win and they moved to the next level, lose and they were out for the season. They played one heck of a game in front of a huge crowd of spectators.  The game ended in a tie which meant over time.  Because each team had a penalty going into OT it ended up being 2 on 2.  The other team scored in the first 30 seconds.  The hard fought battle was lost, I walked out of the arena that night a proud Mom.  Not only proud my own son, but of his entire team. 

After the tough loss we quickly looked on the bright side that Grady would get to join us in Banff for Cooper's end of year tournament.  It is the one hosted by our team and largely organized by moi.  Being the type A personality that I am all is done well in advance but I tend to feel a little stressed leading into it.  I compensate with wine.  Lots of it.

The weekend was not an easy one for the kids.  They lost the first 2 games, tied the third and finally pulled out a win for the 4th that happened to be the B final.  So third place out of four teams.  But still a win!

Cooper's team has had its ups and downs. A 50-50 win record.  He played a lot of defense, which he loves, but still hasn't gotten that first goal.  I tell you when he finally does, it will be worth it.  He has made some great friends on his team and I hope to see some familiar faces next year.

Despite the time commitments, the early mornings, the cold rink, and the terrible coffee, I love being a hockey mom.  From the friendships that the kids (and the parents!) make to the pizza dinners, parent parties, and game wins.  It is a great way to spend the frigid winter months. Lord knows that winter is our longest season!

We aren't packing our skates away completely for the spring but we are sweeping the dust off our soccer cleats and even investing in a ball glove this year for Cooper.  But not before we go on vacation and take a few weeks off from activities all together.

Go Wolves Go!

This weekend my have been our busiest to date in our hockey taxi cab careers.  Between the 2 kids we had 6 games across town over the weekend, not to mention the extra 2 playoff games squeezed in during the week.  Despite being almost at the end of the season, the hockey has not yet slowed down.



We spent a lot of time in the car driving back and forth from arena to arena, killing time between games and frequenting many MANY fast food restaurants.  Trying to prep a beach body while eating out all weekend is not an easy task.  #givemealltheonionrings #coffeeconsumptionquadrupled



Grady's team is in playoffs and it is double knockout.  We've already had one loss which means we are on our last life.  We had one very exciting game where it it went into overtime and eventually ended on a penalty shot since apparently there are no penalties served in 4 on 4.  No one in the crowd knew what was going on but the game was over and we had won!



Tonight we play the top team in the league which means our team will have to work our butts off to move forward.  Win or lose, I am so proud of Grady.  He jumped a few tiers this season and ended up playing with a lot of new kids.  Coming in as sort of an under dog, he held his own.  He had some great plays, improved his game, and even learned to become a little aggressive on the ice.

 Grady once told me that once there was hitting in hockey he was quitting.  I think that after this year, as the roughness of the game began to increase, he has handled it well.  He still has games where he holds back and doesn't show his full potential.  But when he turns it on that kid can go.  I hope that this year increased his confidence on the ice.  In the end, all I want is a happy player.



Cooper's team track record is about 50/50 as well.  This weekend’s tournament was looking good.   We came out of the round robin with 2 wins and a tie.  That took us to the A final to battle the team we tied.



It was such a close game.  It was 4-4 with 30 seconds left in the game, when the game deciding goal was scored.  Against us.  In the end we loss.  Those kids hustled and I really wanted the gold medal for them.  Gold win or not, the kids came filing out of the dressing room excited to show us their medals.  Which just happened to gold.



Cooper has spent the majority of the team playing defence.  He is a great defenceman.  The one problem with playing defence?  You don't get a lot of scoring opportunities.  Poor cooper is still goaless.  If I had one wish for him this season it would be to pop one in the net.  I am so ready to ring my cow bell as loud as I can as soon as he gets it.  The kid has earned it!



I haven't talked much about their hockey seasons this year and as this season comes to an end I am so proud of them both.  I'm also proud of myself for surviving another season of 4pm practices, tournament planning, and managing a team.  You get what you put in and our family puts in 100% and we've certainly reaped the rewards of having a hockey family.

Go Wolves!

Cooper's Birthday Interview - 8 years old

In honor of Cooper's 8th birthday last week I sat down and had a little one on one time with him asking him our annual questions.  As always, my comments are in italics.

Who is your best friend? Levi and nick.  And Bechar.   The first 2 are no surprise, they've been his BFFs for years.  The third is new in his class this year and apparently the funniest kid in his class.

What is your favorite animal? Dog.  Cause they are furry.  I think they are over this question.  Note for next year.

What is your favorite subject at school? Math.  Recess.  Gym.  No, just gym.  Math... a future accountant maybe?

What do you want to be when you grow-up?  A billionaire.  From what? Oil.  Hopefully the economy turns around for you little buddy.

Who is your favorite teacher? Ms Patrick and Ms. Mottershead.  His Grade 1 and Grade 2 teachers.  Ms Patrick is my fave teacher if you are asking me.  Which you aren't.

Who is your favorite hockey player? Crosby 

Favorite team? Trails west.  And Vegas.  Cooper we have the same taste in teams.... my fave team is Trails West to!

Favorite trip this year? Kelowna, because we stayed in a mansion and all our friends came.  Insert eye roll.

What is your favorite TV show? Ricky, Nicky, Dicky, and Dawn.  My kids watch this all the time. As annoying as it is, it is a great show for kids.  Reminds me of saved by the bell for middle school.  I think Cooper just likes to say Dicky.

What is your favorite book? Guinness Book of World Records. And Big Nate.  He made that up.  He looked around the room to find a book before responding.

What makes you happy? When I get money.   So being a billionaire will make you really happy.

What makes you sad? When I get hurt.  It makes me sad to.

What is your favorite food to eat? Spaghetti and burgers.  He eats his spaghetti with only Alfredo sauce.  Yuck. 

Fave restaurant? - Sushi.  So I think Kinjo will be my new favorite restaurant.  It is opening near out house this month.  Sushi... he doesn't get that from me.

Favorite treat? Original Chips.

What games do you like to play?  Dunk Shot.  Never heard of it.

Favorite Sport? Hockey and baseball.  My favorite position is defense.  

A food I don't like is? Peas.  No carrots.  I'll summarize, he does not like anything that is healthy.

What are you scared of? Wind.  I had to help him here but this kid is really scared of the wind. I was to as a kid. So was Grady. I hope he outgrows it soon.

Do you have a girlfriend? I'm not answering that.  Answered after so many giggles and verifying that was actually a question written on the list. Mini teenager I tell you!

Some of his answers shock me and others not at all.  The best part is that they still love answering the questions and hearing what they said last year.  As long as they keep answering, I will keep asking!

Eight is Great!

This weekend we celebrated Cooper and the great young man he is growing up to be.  

This year after much deliberation he decided to have his party at Absolute Baseball and can I just say that it was the easiest party I've ever hosted.  I literally brought the cake, the candles, and the loot bags.  That is it.  They took care of everything.  The pizza, the plates, the utensils, EVERYTHING!

Cooper hasn't yet played organized baseball, but this year may be the year. Man that kid can swing a bat!

His party falls in the middle of hockey season which means a lot of kids couldn't come.  They had games, tournaments and practices. 

   Despite having fewer kids than usual, this kid was so happy to be celebrating with his friends.

Even James got in on the fun.  Like father, like son?

As always, this year's cake was made by Nana!  We are so lucky to have her make the boys cake since I am not a baker, nor will I ever be!

If you have boys, you know that getting them to pose for a picture is easier said than done.

Cooper was all smiles waiting to blow out all 8 of his candles....

...until he blew the candles out and 5 remained lit.  Who are these 5 lucky girls I wonder....?

After his second attempt there was still one candle lit. 

Cooper is definitely better at baseball then he is at blowing out candles!

The party was a huge success. The baseball, the mini sticks, the bouncy castle, the tag, the cake, EVERYTHING.  I hope that Cooper's day was a special to him as he is to us.

Happy 8th Birthday Cooper

Dear Cooper,


Today, at 4:19, you turned 8 years old. We've had 8 years to watch you grow into the little person that we all know and love. You are a smart, active, confident, silly, and amazing young man that we are so lucky to call our son. When I look back at this black haired new born baby, it is hard to believe that so many years have passed.  While I loved to hold you while you sleep and kiss your precious head, I am equally as happy to watch you play a hockey game and succeed at school.  I will never forget the day you were born, but I equally treasure all the memories we've created and all the ones left to be made.  I hope the next year brings you all the happiness you deserve.

Let me tell you a little bit about your 8 year old self.


- You are in Grade 2. You still have your best friends in your class for the third year in a row, much to Grady's dismay. You love your teacher and school in general. You don't like to be late for school or to miss any days at all.

First day of grade 2 with your besties

- You are finally a full fledged reader. You've wanted to learn to read since Kindergarten and given I had no idea how to teach you we had to wait until you learned in school. Your grade 1 teacher was phenomenal and had you reading in no time. I love listening to you read even if it is in bed when you should be sleeping already.

- You are in your second year of novice hockey and playing in the top tier! While you have mostly played defense last year you are are hoping for your first official goal after playing a full year last year and not getting a single one. This is your year to shine little buddy!

-You still don't flush the toilet and you still pee on the seat. I guess I've just gotten used to it living in a house full of boys!

-You (and all the other boys around!) are addicted to Fortnite. You have all your little friends over and you sit on the couch together and play the same game side by side. If I didn't kick you off you would happily play all day. I think you would choose hockey over Fortnite but some days I am not so sure.

- This year you started your own YouTube station. Most of the posts are of you playing video games, surprise surprise. You always thank your viewers and remind them to subscribe at the end.

-You still love your stuffies. Jasmin made you take them off your bed and store them in the closet. When I was cleaning your closet I suggested we give some away but you were a hard pass. I suggested to get rid of 3 and after much deliberation you chose 3 to donate.


-Bunny is still a big part of your life. While she doesn't always travel with us anymore you will always ask for her before going to bed. Bunny doesn't often leave your room but there is not a night that you don't have her tucked under your arm while you sleep.

I have more picture of you and bunny then I care to admit

-You are going to bed later and later. It must be a second child thing. You go to bed when Grady goes to bed somewhere around 9. The difference is that your head barely hits the pillow and you are out like a light. You are a dream to put to bed. Except the fact that you won't cuddle with me. Or hold my hand. Ever.

- You and Dad have your thing where you watch weird Instagram vids on his phone before bed. With me, I try to hug you. Sometime you persevere with a look on your face that tells me you are hating every minute of it. You want me on my own side of the bed with my own pillow. Sigh....

- You still love Jam sandwiches and would bring one for lunch every day if Jasmin would let you. You put up with the chicken and shrimp but you complain to me. You still don't like pizza. If you are really hungry you'll have a piece but otherwise you aren't interested. How could I have birthed one son that doesn't like pizza and the other that doesn't like peanut butter??

-You are a 10 year old stuck in an 8 year old boy's body. You keep up with the big kids and are accepted by Grady's friends for the most part.

Hanging with his team mate pre-game

- With the introduction of health class to Grady's grade you have learned a lot more than most 8 year olds should know about body parts and what to do with them....


- Your language is questionable. You are the one that pushes the limits and will say certain words for shock value. You get the colorful language from your Dad. That is all.

-You are a screamer. You are loud. You are confident. A hockey team mate said he was excited to be on your team because he screams all the time. Is that a compliment?

- Everyone is still amazed by your eyelashes. They are long and full and I wish they were mine.

I can't believe that you are already 8 years old. It feels like just yesterday that you were born on that rainy November morning. While many people would love to go back to when their kids were babies, I love the age you are right now. So let's freeze time right now, k?

Happy birthday to the baby of our family!


Love,
Mom