Camping Trip

Alan and Cooper headed to the state lake tor an overnight camping trip last weekend.  Stanley (the vehicle) loaded up and ready to go:

What do you wear camping?  A witch costume, naturally.

Tent set up, fire started:

Coop spent much of the time walking around in his witch costume talking with the other campers:

Chair parked at water's edge:

The "treasures" Cooper came home with:

Projects

Coop made this adorable snowman paperdoll set with a choice of three outfits, each with matching hat: 

We found this fabulous bag of Halloween crap decorative items.  My favorite were the googly eye glasses:

Grandma Joan brought us this clock that runs on fruit.  So does Cooper, apparently:

We found a paint-your-own-T-Rex kit at a garage sale:

Turned out pretty well:

Coop's T-Rex impersonation:

College Friends (mine, not Cooper's)

My friend Thomas and his family were in Kansas recently for a wedding, so we reunited (most of) the college gang, though our parties are much different now with kiddos.

Thomas wrestling with four of the boys:



Coop and Parker in a serious game of Connect Four:

Thomas's wife Colleen and their two boys Matthew and Christopher:

Adorable "sushi" cupcakes that Karen made, complete with green felt wrapped around them ala seaweed!

Karen and her daughter Zooey:

Zooey handing out hugs as they left:

Start of Summer

We spent one Saturday up at Crown Center in Kansas City.  Cooper loves eating at Fritz's, where your food arrives by electric train car.

And we visited the new KC Aquarium, which was lovely, I thought.

Jellyfish:

Talking to a manta:

Coop's been excited about catching bugs in the yard.  We picked up a "bug barn" at a garage sale so he has a home for his critters now.  Before that, his pet roly poly lived in a tupperware container, but died after a day or two.  This was the grave stone Coop made for him.

(I haven't actually checked, but I'm guessing that yes, the dead roly poly is under that cup.)


And we picked up an Operation game, now updated for the 21st Century to include things like a cell phone and a fart bubble.  Alas, no wishbone or funny bone anymore.