My Princess on Parade

Ava went to ballet camp for two weeks at Chico Creek Dance Centre, where she has taken ballet classes before. She was very excited to go, because she knew 'Miss Melinda' was going to be the teacher, whom she adores! They worked very hard for 3 hours a day for 2 weeks. They also did arts and crafts to decorate the room for the performance and the programs for the parents. Ava's friend, Olivia, also did the camp, but Ava made a few new friends too. It was very cute to see them encourage each other and give each other hugs at the end of the day. The performances were on Thursday and Friday of the last week of camp, to allow for the many friends and family who all wanted to see their "Princesses". They danced to songs from the movies 'Tangled' and 'Princess and the Frog'. Ava discovered tap shoes and did a fantastic job! :) She did great with all of her dances.

Enjoy the pictures of Ava dancin', twistin', jumpin', hula-hoopin', and shakin' her groove thing. :)

3rd Annual Father's Day Weekend Camping Trip to Butt Lake!

It was our 3rd annual camping trip for the Coopers to Butt Lake. At first, I tried to get out of it. I was not looking forward to sleeping in a tent, in a sleeping bag, on the ground, 34 weeks pregnant! My mother-in-law and father-in-law were very generous, however, and let me sleep in their camping trailer. It actually ended up being pretty fun--my mother-in-law, Macy, Ava and I all had a 'sleepover' in the trailer. I don't think I could have done it any other way this year...

We only stayed one night this year. I knew I was going to be wiped out, but we wanted to go for a little bit anyway. We looked like we had enough stuff to stay for a whole week though! We had a lot on our agenda for the short time we were there! We wanted to go in the lake, take a ride in the canoe, make s'mores by the campfire (of course!), go fishing, and fit in a bit of relaxation too (I think that was mainly on my agenda!).

Ava and Macy taking a dip in the freezing water! You could walk out forever and it was really shallow-the kids loved it!

Mark taking the girls for a canoe ride

Ava caught a fish with her Barbie fishing pole!!!




Opa caught a fish with his pole too, and he let Ava reel it in-she did it all by herself!

Concentrating...

Omi and Opa and the grandkids

Mark swinging in the hammock

They don't call it Butt Lake for nothin'!!! :)

Ron pretending to throw Ava in the water

After a very long walk, Ava and I enjoying some cuddle time. Is that a beachball under my sweatshirt?? :)

There's a piece of wood all the way at the end of the lake that looks like a sasquatch. Ava wanted to go see it up close.

The kids swinging--they got pretty high!

Saturday morning breakfast- buttermilk pancakes and sausages for the kids. The good stuff came later--Ron always takes eggs, potatoes, bacon, and onion and cooks them in a cast iron pot to perfection. Yum!

Ava and Macy-watching the cooks and zoning out...looks like Ava is enjoying her cup of morning coffee. I think it was just water.... :)

In Omi and Opa's trailer-the girls had enjoyed telling ghost stories at the campfire so much, they continued to do so inside where it was nice and warm. Ava kept telling the 'Legend of Pinkfoot'-you'll have to ask her sometime. :) We also played a hilarious game of 'Telephone'-the message mysteriously changed to the same thing over and over again once it reached Ben. Hmmmm...

Macy eating s'mores. Photo courtesy of Ava.

Ava and Macy in the water...again.

I was watching the girls and taking pictures and I turned to see my shadow--had to take the picture!

Mother's Day 2011

It was my fifth Mother's Day!! I can't believe the time is going by so quickly. I got to sleep in until 9am (mainly because Ava slept until 9am...)!! Then I was told to stay in bed until they came to get me. Ava came in about 15 minutes later and wanted me to close my eyes as she led me into the kitchen. I was pleasantly surprised to find a vase full of beautiful roses, some cards, heart-shaped pancake molds, and a sandwich that Ava made me out of her 'play' kitchen supplies. It was so sweet! I got gift cards to Starbucks, McDonald's and Motherhood Maternity--the perfect 'Preggo Trio' :)!

Like I said, I can't believe it was my fifth Mother's Day! I am so lucky to be Ava's Mommy. :) These past 4 years have gone by way too fast-now I know what everyone means when they say to 'enjoy it while it lasts'. Although she can be trying at times, she is 4 after all...right? Soon to be a big sister, Ava's world is going to change completely in a few short months. I'm excited, nervous, and terrified all at the same time. She is used to being the center of attention, as the case with any only child. I know having a sibling will be a good change for her. She is really looking forward to being a Big Sister, and I'm hoping the two girls have a special bond. I know it will take some getting used to, going from a family of 3 to a family of 4, but I can't wait for the newest addition to our family to arrive.

At the restaurant on Mother's Day, waiting for our dinner.

Trying to capture Ava's 'sweetness' on camera...


My Mother's Day gifts.

We're Back!!

Wow! Has it been over a year since I've posted anything!! Here are some pictures from the last couple of months.

Easter 2010

Walking home

Chubby cheeks!

Our 3 year old!

Happy Birthday!

Time certainly does fly. I have been "addicted" to Facebook and have neglected this family blog. I realized, many of our family and friends don't have Facebook, so I've decided to start back up with the blog. While Facebook is nice, this blog allows us to tell "our story" and show many pictures of our daily adventures. Plus, Ava likes looking at it, so I figured I should keep it up to date.

Since it's been so long, I will have to catch up. Ava turned 3 in May and we celebrated by taking a trip to Disneyland, just the 3 of us. She absolutely loved it and enjoyed meeting the princesses. She started taking ballet last fall and loved it, she continues to take dance class at a local studio and is not afraid to break into some moves in the middle of the grocery store! Ava has also made a lot of friends through playgroups, child care, and through other friends. We are always on the move, going to birthday parties, BBQs, and get-togethers. This fall, we are planning trips to the pumpkin patch, Apple Hill, Portland, OR, and lots of playtime!

Mark is still working at CSU, Chico in Facilities Management. He was certainly lucky to be part of the only union that did not elect to take furloughs (knock on wood!!!). His co-workers are great, and he loves his job. This week (Sept. 8th-11th) is quite possibly Mark's favorite week of the year. Gold Cup (sprint cars) starts on Wed. and there are races every night through Sat. I usually go one night, but I might pass this year to take Ava on a weekend "girls" trip.

I'm in my third year of selling real estate. I am really enjoying working for my broker and I have met some great clients!!! I help both buyers and sellers, and it seems my business is evenly split between the two. I had a great year last year and am working towards my goal of beating last year's sales. The market is tough and challenging, but I am just trying to stay busy as best I can. I am also involved as the Treasurer for the NorCal chapter of Women's Council of Realtors. I have met many people I wouldn't have otherwise, and am learning a lot.

All in all, we are healthy and happy and looking forward to our next adventure.

1st camping trip!

We decided to go on our first annual Cooper Campout! We've been wanting to take Ava camping for awhile and ended up going to Butt Lake (yes, it's Butt...I don't know why they named it that because it's a beautiful lake and a great place to camp). We were joined by Mark's parents, and his brother and family. The kids had a blast during the day, but it was a little rough for Ava and Ben during the night. Ava woke up a few times, totally freaked out! She had never been in a tent before and did not know what was going on. She finally fell back asleep and slept in pretty late--thank goodness! We didn't know if we were going to spend one or two nights up there, but after the first night we decided we would call it good. We stayed until after dinner on the second night, but left to sleep in our own bed (and crib!). We'll try it again soon, we just need to ease into it... :)

The whole family- Ron brought his canoe and it was the hit of the trip!

Ava with Macy, practicing in the canoe.

I love this picture. Ava absolutely loves Macy, and Macy takes such good care of Ava.

Mark, getting ready to go out on the water to set his crawdad traps...he had borrowed some of these traps from a co-worker who told him Butt Lake was great for catching crawdads...he put a raw piece of bacon in one, and cat food in another for bait (I guess cat food is a well-known trick for catching crawdads...)

Ava, already enjoying the 'junk food' side of camping...

Yes, that's a snake! Raymond was sitting on this log only moments before...I was grossed out by it, but Ava kept wanting to touch it. Nice...

It was getting chilly...Macy and Ava hanging out by the campfire.

Helga, Raymond, and Ron-relaxing and getting some dinner started...

Almost sunset...

Little Ben, trying to throw that piece of wood in the water...

The water was freezing!! Mark jumped in to wash off anyway...

After all the bacon and catfood, and leaving the traps out overnight...this was the lone crawdad they caught. Mark had big plans for a 'Crawdad Fry', but when they only caught one, he threw it back. Oh well, better luck next time. :)

We went for a drive the second day, and it started pouring rain and hailing! It looked like snow on the road!

Swim Lessons!

Ava is done with swim lessons, for the second year! She had just turned one when we took them last year, and could do so much more this year. We signed up through the Chico Area Recreation District with a girlfriend of mine that has a 9 month old, Samantha (or Baby Mantha as Ava says). Ava really liked going to the pool this year and was picking up on the techniques. Most of the time she just wanted to play on the steps on the pool though. They taught us a lot of really cute songs to sing in the pool, and Ava likes to sing them in the bathtub too. Doesn't she look like her daddy in the picture above?

They were 12 kids signed up for lessons...they were all so cute!

Ava kicking, and splashing everywhere.

They told us to throw a toy out of arm's reach to get them to use their arms more...this was Ava trying to grab the fish that looked like Nemo.

I had to include this picture with Aly...texting like always. :) Good thing my sister and brother-in-law pay for unlimited texts!