Birthdays, Birthdays, Birthdays

Cooper turned SIX years old yesterday!  It's so hard to believe that my Lil' Man is already six years old.  He's such a great kid - Al and I are so blessed to have him.  I say it all the time and I'll say until I die.....I have no idea what I did RIGHT for God to bless me with my two kids.  I thank Him daily.

Top Six things I love about Cooper:

1. Those baby blue eyes.  I still haven't figured out WHERE he got them from, but they absolutely melt my heart. 

2.  He's funny.  Cooper is completely and totally DIFFERENT than his older sister.  O has been a grown up stuck in a kid's body since the day she was born - Cooper is "my kid kid" so to speak.  I love the fact that he's so honestly a little boy and he cracks me up all the time.  His sense of humor is spot on and he loves to make people laugh. 

3.  That cow lick that has caused me grief since he came into existence six years ago.  I'd love to say it's one of a kind but his Daddy has the same cow lick.  But for some reason Cooper's hair spikes it up and he just looks naturally cool. 

4.  His laughter.  It's like music to my ears. 

5.  He still believes that Al and I are super heroes.  I actually hope this one never changes. 

6.  The fact that he's MINE.  I'll probably never love another man as much as I love him.  (Sorry Al - you are a super close second!)

Happy Birthday Cooper Thomas Griggs!  Your Daddy and I can't wait to see how much you grow in the coming year. 

(And Happy Belated Birthday to Al!  Poor thing misses out on a birthday every year since it's only two days before Coop's!  And Happy Birthday Nana, who completely lost her birthday since Cooper stole it six years ago!  Love you both very, very much!)

First Day of School

Cooper doesn't look ready......O does!

3rd grade already??

My lil' man picked out his own outfit for his first day!

Who's ready for school??

First day of school!  Woo Hoo!!!!  Al and I are the parents of a super smart 3rd grader and super handsome 5ker!  I sssooo can't believe how fast our babies are growing up - wasn't O just in 4k like LAST year? 

They both had really good first days and I'm so thankful for that.  Cooper seems to be really stoked about school and eager to learn all he can.  I love it!  I hope that enthusiasm lasts.  Livvie has a new teacher this year but after meeting her, I think she'll do great.  As long as Livvie can suck up and show off how smart she is, there should be no problems.  Ha ha!  

Here's hoping to a wonderful school year! 

New do for school!

Olivia has a new hair do to celebrate a new school year!  How awesome does my girl look?  She actually picked out the cut herself.....and I have to admit, I was nervous at first because it's ssssoooo short.  But it looks great on her and she thinks she is FABULOUS now.  Ha ha!

School starts on Thursday and I'm ready!  I can't say the same for the kids, but Mommy and Daddy are ready.  We do the whole "Meet and Greet" thing on Wednesday.  I know Cooper's teacher already and I think he'll do fine.  Livvie has a new teacher this year so hopefully she will hit it off with her.  It's hard to believe that O will be in 3rd grade and Cooper will be in 5k.  Wow.  Where did the time go??

In other news - my Mom had back surgery for the third time almost 2 months ago.  It's been a slow recovery but I think she's getting there.  She's not 100% yet, but hopefully she's on the right path.  It's been a hard road for her and very hard for me at times.  My mom is a super strong woman and to see her in constant pain for so long has been hard.  But it's made me want to run more and accomplish things I didn't think I could simply for her.   I have to give a big thank you for my inlaws who have kept the kids for the last 2 months.  Thanks Joyce and Alton!  Al and I are very lucky to have parents that are willing to help us out.  This summer would have been tough otherwise!