National Parks Vacation

I have apparently completely forgotten about this blog.  Ack!  But Coop and I just started out on a fabulous vacation -- a bus trip through a bunch of national parks!  And I definitely want this documented!

So here are some photos from the first couple of days -- starting in Vegas and visiting the Grand Canyon!

HIGH SCHOOL

 I'm so crazy far behind and neglectful on this blog.  I'm sorry.  I need to get Cooper's back-to-school photos here though so I can find them in four years when he graduates from high school!

New back-to-school cookie!

With Eliza at the high school open house:

At LHS:

Chesty lions!

On the way out the door!

No feeding tube!

On screens.  Kids these days.

She loved Simon when we visited Alan's house in Baldwin:

8th grade science class!

 

Mackenzie!

Sweet Mackenzie came to live with us in mid-January.  She's 9 months old, and came with a feeding tube (that I had to learn how to manage), but we got rid of that within a week.

Another kiddo to love Baby Shark!

 

Misc things

Coop and I "attended" a radio show program put on by the Baker University theatre department:

Coop's friends used our driveway, movie projector, and fire pit to celebrate a birthday for one of them in mid-December.  The weather wasn't bad until about 7pm, and then it got pretty cold!

Bath with hot chocolate and glow sticks:

Coop and his friends on a FaceTime call:

Working on his future city project for school (building a model of some buildings for a civilization on the moon):

Alan's family got together for Christmas at a park in Emporia:

Coop and I sporting chucks for the inauguration ceremony (in honor of VP Harris)!

 

Lego gifts (and a Nike gift)

Cooper and I got (from me!) a giant picture of us made out of legos.  It took a while to assemble (think paint-by-number but with tiny lego pieces), but it turned out well:

And Coop got this amazing lego grand piano that actually works like a player piano!

Finally, a new Nike shirt:

 

Christmas

Our family zoom call Christmas, which was actually quite lovely:

Playing Rock Band: Beatles (a gift from Carmen):

Christmas hat and shirt and new green kicks (from Grandma Joan and Grandpa Cecil):

Coop wanted an iPhone for Christmas.  I wrapped my old (OLD) cell phone in an iPhone box for him and then made him take a sad-face photo.  And then gave him the actual iPhone.

Alan got Coop a lock-picking set!  Too cool!