BIRTHDAY

The weekend before Cooper's birthday, we hosted part for the family.  Ice cream cake!

Legos and a car model and candy and money!

And this useless box.  Flip the switch, the box flips it back.  HOURS of fun!

After school, we hosted a cactus-themed birthday party with Cooper's friends.  He chose the cactus theme because at a Christmas white elephant gift exchange, he received these cute cactus birthday plates.  Sold!  Green drink in cactus glasses, cactus cupcakes from Miss Ally:

And I had a cactus craft for them to do!

Costa Rica

Shortly after we got back from Memphis, and the exact same day school was supposed to start in January, Cooper left with Alan and Juliette and a class of Baker students for eight days in Costa Rica!

From everything I can tell, they had a fabulous time!  Except for the last two days when Cooper got sick (the college kids had been passing around some virus); Alan had it by the time they got home.

But at least they were sick in sunny warm Costa Rica!

Roadtrip part 7

Ravenden, Arkansas on the way home:

Fantastic Caverns in Springfield MO:

The name of the women who first explored the cavern:

Roadtrip part 6

Snacks:

Entertaining ourselves before dinner:

To see Knives Out at the movie theater:

Facemasks:

Roadtrip part 5

Sushi and gyoza:

National civil rights museum:

Renee's sandwich shop:

And Cooper Street:

Beale Street:

Fudge from the Beale Sweets Fudge Shop:

Roadtrip part 4

Breakfast:

GRACELAND:

Roadtrip part 3

A law school lecture at Steak 'n Shake, as a nod to the restaurant that got me through my first year of law school:

Ducks at The Peabody Hotel in Memphis, TN:

Memphis's oldest restaurant:

Escape room:

We made it!

Memphis AirBnb

Roadtrip part 2

The Wonders of Wildlife museum in Springfield: