The Nutcracker

Courtney was in her first performance of the Nutcracker this last weekend. She was pretty excited and their dance was very cute. Her class was the youngest group again and they were all concentrating on their steps so much they had a hard time remembering to smile, but they were great anyway. They came out hiding under Mother Cinnamon's skirt and at the end of the dance she ordered them to hide under again when they left the stage. We were all impressed with the performances of the older girls. They looked so professional. Courtney is excited to someday be the sugar plum fairy because she got to wear pink and had a solo. Luckily it wasn't too long and so the little kids didn't get too restless. Paige was standing up on my lap and cheering for each dance. I can see that she'll want to be in ballet too, when the time comes. It is so fun that Leanne gets to be in the same class as Courtney and she also had a little girl from the ward in her class this year. It was a great start to the Christmas season for us.

Harvestvest!

It's pumpkin time again! Courtney had a day off of school and it was sunny and warm, so we decided to head out to the pumpkin patch. We went to EZ Orchards because we could see the petting zoo and climb hay bales etc. at no extra charge. The kids loved riding in the wagon out to the field to pick out their pumpkins. We got some fun pictures.I especially liked this one of Paige on the tractor. Then, we were all so warm, we decided to get some ice cream!

1st Grader!

Here's my big first grader. I can't believe that she is so old! Either that or I am getting old. This year has seen Courtney make real strides in coming out of her shyness. She tells me that I don't need to meet her at the bus stop anymore, but I still feel like I need to. She really enjoys school and going to ballet with Leann. She never has a problem getting up in the morning, and is happy from the moment she wakes up. Courtney's favorite thing to do is drawing. She will spend a lot of time every day just making pictures to fill up my refrigerator door. Having things "just perfect" as she says is very important to her. What she wears and how her hair is done is very important to her. She is already starting to comment on what I wear and how I do my hair! If she could get away with it she would probably wear a dress everyday and put curlers in her hair. Everytime I tell her that she is growing up too fast she tells me it's OK if she grows up because she will take care of me when I am "old." She also plans to have her own bookstore someday where she draws the pictures for the books, so I can come and buy them.

New Family Pictures!

Well, we got brave and went in to get some new family pictures, mainly because I was getting sick of the old one. Also because the kids grow so fast. Paige was only a few months old last time and I can't believe how quickly the time has gone. She is such a big girl these days and wants to be so independent. I guess it comes from watching Dylan, who is almost insulted when you ask if he wants help with anything. Paige is still not talking much as far as real words go, but that doesn't stop her from discoursing at length in her own language. She gets this very intense look on her face and repeats herself over and over, hoping that I'll somehow figure out what she is saying. No luck so far. Courtney just started first grade this week and she has really been enjoying it. She is still shy about talking to new people, but she is not scared to go and in fact loves getting ready to go in the morning and taking her own lunch. I think she feels very grown up.

Haycock Family Campout!

This is our third little trip this summer and I think we are ready for a break! It is a lot of work to pack and unpack, but we sure had fun while we were there. This time the whole Haycock family, that was available, went to Honeyman State Park near Florence, Oregon. It is technically on the beach, but the two nearby lakes are actually easier to access and so we spent our time there. It was great because we not only had the fun of playing in the sand, we had canoe rides and jetskis to ride as well. I didn't get a lot of pictures this time, but we had fun being all together as a group. We were in a group campsite this time and this made mealtimes easy, since there was a central firepit and tons of picnic tables. We took turns being in charge of meals and Ericka, Steph, and I all brought activities for the little kids to do while we were in camp. They were painting, getting prizes from the fish pond, and going on a scavenger hunt. Dylan spent a lot of time taking over Lana's bike, since we didn't have room to bring his. Of course we all spent our share of time shuttling kids back and forth to the potty. It was just typical of our family campouts, but we wouldn't have it any other way. It was great to have Mason and Laura back this year, but we can't wait to have Amanda and Joe, and hopefully Emily and Steve next year.

Beach Vacation

We spent two days this week at a KOA between Astoria and Seaside. It was a lot of fun. We were in a little two room cabin and there was so much to do at the KOA, we didn't have time to fit it all in. We only spent a few hours at the beach in the afternoon. It was just enough time to get good and sandy. Dylan had fun jumping in the waves with Clint, and Courtney kept busy running to fill up her little bucket with seawater in an effort to make a sandcastle.
The jumping pillow at the KOA was a big hit with the kids. It is literally like a pillow on the ground that is pumped with air and tapers off at the sides. I don't think I ever saw it empty in the time we were there.
We also spent quite a bit of time at the pool. The kids have been in swim lessons this summer, but haven't been brave enough to dunk their heads in the water. This weekend Courtney finally worked up the courage to do it and was so proud of herself that it was difficult to get her out of the water.We also made an attempt to teach the kids how to do minature golf. I don't think they really got the concept. Ah well, you can't win them all. This place had so much to do, and we had so much fun, we can't wait to go back. I made the rest of them tour a historic home with me in Astoria, called the Flavel house. It had 14 foot ceilings and a tower so you could watch the ships come in. I love the uniqueness of these old homes. On the way home we stopped at the outlet mall in Seaside. Now, if we could just get the kids to sleep when they are not in their own beds I would say it was a perfect trip.

Southern Oregon Vacation

Clint and I decided to use the week between our birthdays to go down to southern Oregon and see some of the sites here in Oregon that we have never seen before. On our way down, we went to the Wildlife Safari, just outside of Roseberg. Clint took the kids on a camel ride and I couldn't believe we got Courtney to do it. Seeing all the animals up close was a lot of fun as we drove around the park. The bears were the most amazing and scary.
On day two we went to Crater Lake. We were staying near Grants Pass but it was still quite the drive out to the Lake. The kids were amazed to still see snow on the ground since we were at a pretty high elevation. I had to keep my eyes off the road because the cliffside dropoff is alittle too much for me. I was amazed at how clear and beautiful the lake is. We toured the visitors center and the historical lodge that had recently been renovated.
Day three was the busiest. In the morning we went on a tour of the Harry & David factory in Ashland. It was a pretty amazing set of factories and fields. At the end we got free samples of the chocolates and cookies. The kids loved them, but I think they liked the tour bus best. Then we had to stop by the Medford Temple since we were so close. It is right next to the stake center and we couldn't help wishing our temple was that close. It was small but beautiful and we were sad that we didn't have anyone to watch the kids so we could do a session. Later that afternoon we went to the Oregon Vortex. This is similar to the Bermuda Triangle. We saw a bottle roll uphill and people appear to grow 2 inches by walking on a level board. There were also these spots to stand in where, when you relax, you can feel yourself pulled to stand at an angle. I'm not sure how much the kids understood, but Clint and I were pretty impressed.
On the fourth day we went to a children's science museum in Ashland. The kids loved it there. They had a bubble room like the Gilbert House in Salem, but everything else was new and we spent a couple hours just letting the kids explore. That afternoon we also went to the city park to let the kids play and Dylan got himself soaked in the water feature there. We were scheduled to stay the night and go home Friday morning. But we decided that we really just wanted to sleep in our own beds that night. So we packed up after dinner and made it home late Thursday night. Whew! We had a lot of fun and despite the lack of sleep and the ant problem we'd definitely do it again, just not right away!

Ballet Recital!

Courtney and her cousin Leanne have been going to ballet all year and on Saturday they had their first big performance. They were a couple of bunnies. It was a little hectic getting them in costume (and make-up!) on time for their rehearsal. Then, when the curtain went up, Courtney had both sets of grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins there to watch. I think it was a little overwhelming. They were pretty tired afterward. But there was no doubt they had fun! I watched the video over with Courtney the next morning and she had fun pointing things out to me, like the fact that she almost fell at one point. I was glad that it was a positive experience for them. I know Courtney loved being able to go to class with her cousin and it was nice for me to be able to see Steph and the kids at least once a week. I know Courtney is already looking forward to next year!

She Walks!

Paige has been on the verge of walking basically since she turned a year old. She just didn't feel brave enough to let go of the furniture. Finally someone told me I needed a toy that she could push around. I can't believe that a mother of three didn't think of that on her own. Anyway I got out Courtney's babydoll stroller and it did the trick. She loves babies and the stroller was an instant favorite. I think she has already used it more than Courtney ever did.
Now she is walking on her own and is quite proud of herself. She has also been teething and has gotten all four of her top teeth at once. Babies really make you realize how time does fly--wasn't she just born?

Field Trip!!

I went with Courtney on her field trip to the Gilbert House and the Carousel in Salem. All the kindergarten classes from her school were there together! Wow--that's a lot of 5 year olds. We had a lot of fun! I had two other little girls in my group. They were named Bella and Calista. It was fun to get to know the kids she talks about so much. I also got to meet other moms and that was fun.

Easter and Dylan's Birthday

Dylan is the the last of the kids to have his birthday and he really was a goodsport in waiting his turn. But he has been talking about having a batman cake for months. I hope that it was worth all the anticipation. We had the party the day after his birthday, which was also Easter, so we ended up having it at mom and dad's house after church. His biggest concern was that Benjamin would be there. Not only was Benjamin there but so were nearly all of his cousins--so he really felt special I know. Every one gave him presents that were superhero related and that was just what he wanted. That is except for his bike. We felt like we had to get him one since Courtney had gotten one. I think he was pretty excited. I also had to get a picture of the kids in their cute Easter outfits before we left for church. I was so excited to get the girls matching outfits. Then when I got to church there was another family, with 3 little girls, who were also wearing the same outfit as Courtney and Paige. Their mom and I joked that we need to get them all together for a picture.

Sisters Weekend 2009!

We went to Lincoln City again this year and boy did we have fun! As you can see from the pictures, we spent a good portion of time eating. Beyond meals everyone felt that they needed to bring a lot of treats. We ate and ate and ate...

We were in a house that had a great view of the ocean although I didn't get a picture. I also was not allowed to take a picture of us in the hot tub--but we enjoyed it all the same. We felt justified in all our snacks because we had to climb several flights of stairs to get to the house. We spent most of the time getting in all the visiting that we could. We really didn't get much sleep.

Amanda and I are posing in this picture because we went to get our hair cut together. We also spent a good amount of time at the outlet mall.

The mascots of our trip were baby Will and baby Jacob. They got a lot of loving from everyone. Don't you just want to give them a squeeze! Despite the sleep deprivation I can't wait until next year. It was so great to have Emily back this year--I miss you already! And we are excited to hopefully get Laura to come next year.

Paige 1 year pictures

Paige was very shy while getting her pictures taken this time. That's why I ended up in part of the pictures. I was just glad that we got a few smiles. She still has only two teeth and is just getting confident standing on her own. I think I'll be OK if she takes her time there. The biggest current change is her increasing appetite. It seems she eats more all the time. The greatest thing for me is that she is not picky-in fact she is determined that whatever is on my plate is what she wants. We can only hope that this will help her put on a little weight.

Courtney turns 6!

Courtney really wanted another Barbie cake for her birthday but I convinced her that we should branch out this year and we tried a bunny cake. I saw the picture in a magazine and the directions were so easy I had to try it. The decorations were the fun part. The kids really wanted to help, but I guess that is code for really wanting to eat the decorations. So I guess we all had fun. Courtney felt really special because she had Leanne and Chantel here for the party as well as the grandparents. She told me several times since the party that she really liked everything she got. She was also excited that she got a couple cards in the mail. I've always thought that there is something exciting about getting mail and I think that my attitude has rubbed off because I could tell she felt very important when there was a letter just for her. She got her very first big girl bike this year and has already had Clint take her out in the neighborhood a few times to ride. She loves it.

Happy Birthday Paige!

Paige had her first birthday party this weekend. I can't believe it has been a year already. I started this blog around the time she was born so its kinda fun to look back at this year and see just how much has happened. We couldn't imagine our family without her.

Paige never really got the idea of digging into her cake. She just calmly sat there and waited to be fed small bites. What a little princess. Thanks to everyone who came. We had both sets of grandparents represented and Amanda came with her boys because they happened to be at mom's that day doing laundry. The kids all had a blast with the balloons--I need to buy them more often.

Happy New Year!

I guess I missed making a Christmas post. Ah well, it is the new year and not a time for regrets, right? We did have a great Christmas this year. Santa spoiled the kids; I guess all the last minute good behavior paid off. And all the snow really made it feel like Christmas. Clint and I had a lot of fun spending time with family. We had a great Cooper Christmas party and were able to visit with my out of town siblings who managed to make it home for Christmas despite snow and ice. We couldn't have asked for more. Since it is probably not realistic for us to all live as neighbors, we try to make the most of our time together and it always reminds me how lucky I am to have such a great family.

I have a few New Years resolutions. Not too many as I hope to actually keep them, but here goes.
1. Be more organized. I have this whole cleaning system I've done in the past and I decided to dust it off and try to regain some good habits.

2. Get up earlier. Last year I was fairly successful at this, but I admit to slacking off recently. I think this is key to being able to keep the rest of my resolutions as well.

3. Exercise. I know this is on everyone's list, but we all need it right?

4. Dedicated time for personal scripture study. As a family we are doing pretty good, but personally I could do a lot better.

Ok so now that I have written them down I hope to be better at keeping them.