New Hero In Town

Owen has cycled through the typical array of superhero idols.  This is not uncommon for little guys, especially when each new Hollywood blockbuster makes each new superhero more amazing than the last.  The most recent superhero to grace the household is a little more obscure, but I'm very happy about it. 

So you're thinking, "must be Wolverine, that's Ed's favorite superhero."

 No.

And then you're thinking, "Spiderman is fun, it could be Spiderman."

Nope.

"Batman?"

Uh-Uh.

Owen's new favorite superhero is none other than...

Captain Underpants! Tra la laaa! (His catchphrase.)

I really like this because this character is from a chapter book series and I love that Owen is getting interested in chapter books.  I think it's great that there are authors out there who embed fantastic literary structure into absurd storylines that 5 year olds will find absolutely hilarious. (I'm looking in your direction, Attack of the 50 Foot Toilet.)

I guess Owen really likes it too:

 Take that Giant Robot Monkey.

 And that Professor Poopypants.

Gotta love that kid.

The End of an Era

Georgia owned and operated the Briar Patch Beauty Supply for 35 years. Given I have been around for almost as long as the Briar Patch, the store has been a significant part of my life. My dad did the block work for the very first Briar Patch in 1978 and my mom worked in the store while we lived in Montana. When I would go back to visit in the summer, I would either help out in the store or hang out there while Georgia worked. That being said, when Georgia closed the doors for good, it created a feeling of loss for many people. My mom, Judy, and I decided that a retirement party/celebration was in order for such a momentous occasion.

We had an array of goodies, including a dessert bar. The rabbit was in her store window for the whole time the Briar Patch was open so it was fitting that it also attended the retirement party.

We made favors and Judy brought flowers from her garden for decoration.

The kids drew pictures for Georgia and we displayed them on the wall.

The weather was perfect so the party spilled outside where there were games (such as "Death Frisbee," or at least that's what the children could have coined it after all the facial Frisbee impacts).

And most importantly, there were friends and family: 

It is nice to be around for these moments.

Montana Celebrations

This past week we headed up to Montana to celebrate two very important events: my cousin Pat's wedding and Georgia's retirement. I am the oldest cousin on the Cooper side with my cousin Pat close behind. While living in Montana, the two of us were close growing up and we tried to keep in contact after I moved.

Ed and I had the pleasure of meeting Pat's bride, Erin a few years back when they took a trip to Arizona. The two of them complement each other wonderfully and it was a joy to see them get married.

Owen was torn between feeling goofy for wearing a tie, and feeling cool because he was wearing a tie like dad.

He soon learned the ladies love a kid with a tie, so he decided the tie wasn't such a bad thing.

Two of the Thorsen boys (Pat's brothers) and their lovely ladies. We love these guys. The Thorsen boys are good people.

The groom dancing with his mother. The wedding was beautiful and not a detail was forgotten. Unfortunately, Owen came down with a serious tummy ache so we took turns keeping him company in the hotel room. We managed to sneak away though, thanks to Debby, to boogie down with the Cooper/Thorsen clan.

Splashin' in the Splash Pad

Everything we do now must involve water or an air conditioned building. Luckily, there are plenty of options for us to try out.

We're currently making the rounds on the splash pads. This was, by far, the nicest splash pad I have ever come across.

The boys had a great time, the moms relaxed on lounge chairs under palm trees, and afterwards we had some delicious yogurt. A fun day for under $5 bucks. Can't beat that.

Splash!

It's officially summer. Let the daily pool time begin!

Fun in the Sun with a Little Mud

This was our fifth year of going to Mighty Mud Mania. In all honesty, we were not planning to go this year. It's hot and crowded and Owen is usually hesitant to get really muddy. Instead, we had planned on going camping. But Owen's swim lessons are at the park that MMM is at, so he's been excitedly watching them set-up all week. We decided to stay in town and rally the troops to brave the heat and mud once again.

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It took five years, but Owen finally really got into the event. He went through the mud obstacle course (with only minor hesitation).

He splashed, jumped, and ran around in the mud. Here he is lounging with a buddy from preschool that we met up with. 

Niah and Miles ("the troops") were there too. Miles still doesn't like the mud, so Owen and Niah made up for his lack of dirtiness.

Not wanting to be left out of some good 'ol fashioned fun, Ed played around in the mud pit with Owen, which Owen got an absolute kick out of.

Afterwards the gang came back to our place to eat, drink, and cool off.

We're happy we stayed in town this weekend. Heat is much more bearable with good friends around.

Celebrate with a Volcano

Owen had the fun idea of making a volcano to celebrate Ed's last day of teaching for the year.

We were only mildly successful with our endeavor, though Ed did appreciate the gesture. Owen was hoping for much more of an explosion, but we realized we have all summer to perfect the art of volcano explosions, along with conducting other miscellaneous experiments.

Coolest Teacher Ever

When Owen grows up he wants to be a teacher, a scientist, a race car/monster truck driver, and most recently, a plumber. Also, when he talks about his future, he doesn't say, "a teacher OR a race car driver." He is going to be all those things, at the same time. Teach and perform science experiments during the day, race on the weekends, fix broken pipes when needed. The kid has got it figured out.

Getting Crazy in the Photo Booth

One the last day of preschool, one family threw the kids a party complete with ice cream truck, a balloon guy, and a photo booth.

The photo booth came with a variety of costumes that you could wear. We jumped at the chance to have some fun with the photo booth.

Unbeknownst to us parents, Owen and Braden (his bro-ther!) went in the photo booth by themselves and took some pictures. It was later decided that if the boys form a band, this photo would be used for the cover of their album.