Quarter of a Century

I can't believe I'm 25 now. I feel so young! It also helps that my husband is 28. :D
For my birthday, we went to eat a Thai restaurant in west Denver we discovered recently. The food was delicious and the company even better!

Sheilla and Jen

Laryn and Sheilla

Nate and Wendie

Kurt and Jeff, the facial hair crew (Kurt shaves his mustache tonight... YES!!!)

Guess who


My best friend, Caroline! Caroline came down for Thanksgiving week and it was amazing!! It was so good to see my sister! And Steph flew in on Wednesday night and it was so great having the three of us together. I hate living so far from my sisters!

Laryn promised me $10 if I drank his spicy curry broth. So I did. Now I'm $10 richer.

This sign is hard to read, but I promise it's worth the effort.

It's Zumi's Day!

Happy birthday to my Zoomster! He's a year old today!
To commemorate it, and also because we ran out of his food, we bought a bag of dog food. That's right, not puppy food, DOG food.
*Sniff* My puppy's all growed up.

28

Happy Birthday to my lovah and favorite person ever, Kurtstan.
He's 28!
Wowzas!
But he'll always look 25 to me. ;)

My 24th birthday on the 24th

Cute, huh? I planned it.

I have to say, I had a pretty awesome birthday. The morning started as usual: I woke up and went to work. Kurt was slightly conscious when I left (he had this whole week off for CPA studying) and forgot to tell me happy birthday. So, when I was at work I casually hinted that he did.

Me: "Ummm.... You forgot to tell me happy birthday this morning."

Kurt: "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Me: "Thanks.... but you're still in trouble."

I also casually let my boss know it was my birthday.

Joe: "So are y'all doing anything fun with your mother-in-law today?" (Kurt's mom was here from Sunday night to this morning.)

Me: "Well, it was her birthday yesterday and it's mine today, so we'll probably go out to eat somewhere fun tonight."

Joe: "It's your birthday? Happy Birthday! Hey, when you finish your work, why don't you take the day off? And also, there's a sweet sushi restaurant by DU y'all should go to."

So, I left around 11 and got home ... to an empty apartment. I figured Kurt was showing his mom around and decided to enjoy some time by myself. When he got home an hour later, he had flowers and a card in his hand.

Kurt: "Where were you? We went to your office to surprise you!"

Me: [thinking to myself] Hmmm, maybe I should've texted him to let him know I got early. Whoopsie.

We went to Sushi Den up by DU which was most delicious. Or, as the Japanese would say, "Sushi wa totemo oishii desu yo!!" Then we went pots and pans shopping because that's what Shelley's getting us (or rather, got us) for Christmas. Have you ever been shopping with Kurt? Can I please say that is an experience? I mean, it's fun and he never makes an uninformed purchase, but goodness that boy has to know everything about his purchases! (Obviously, this is a very good trait that I'm thankful for. But sometimes it tires me.)

As we headed out of the mall, I insisted on getting my birthday ice cream from DQ. Then we went home, at which point Kurt announced that he was taking us to the Melting Pot for cheese and chocolate fondue. Now, I was really excited because I've been subtly hinting to Kurt since we got married that he needs to take me there (there's one in SLC, too).

Me every few months or so: "You should take me to the Melting Pot."
I am the master of subtlety.

Before we left for the ol' MP, as I like to call it, we Skyped with my family. I'd already received emails and phone calls from various members of the family but I had yet to hear my family sing the Happy Birthday song Cooper style. What's Cooper style? It's everyone picking their own key (or 2 or 3 keys) and singing it as ugly as possible. Kurt even joined in. And about 20 minutes later, Chris sang it for me again. I even got to tease Chou chou as I called out for her and she could hear me but she just couldn't see me! A successful Skype session. (And Shelley got the pleasure of seeing how crazy my family is.)

At the Melting Pot, the fondue was very delicious and our waiter a bumbling, good sport who gave us much fodder with which to tease him but was very good natured about it. Then, we went to the local redbox, where they finally had Wall-E and rented it and watched it and it was as good as everyone says. Then, on Tuesday morning--because I didn't get to on my birthday--Kurt let me sleep in till 8:45.

So, I got my birthday flowers, my birthday sushi, my birthday ice cream, my birthday Skype, my birthday fondue, and my birthday movie. Kurt was so wonderful in making sure my birthday was really special. Have I ever mentioned that I really love him?

All Hail the Mighty Coop

Today is Ryan's 28th birthday! I still can't believe my brother is a husband and dad x's 2. for his birthday I actually came up with 28 things about him (I'll bet you didn't guess I'd do that).

1. Ryan is really really ridiculously smart. Easily the smartest person I know.

2. When Ryan was a little kid (think 2 years old, and obviously I wasn't around to see this) he liked to play with pots and pans during bath time. My mom would ask him what he was doing and he'd say, "I'm makin'!" "What are you making, Ryan?" asked my mom, to which Ryan replied, "Chicken thoup!"

3. Ryan is one of the most even tempered people I know, except when it comes to basketball and video games.

4. Mandi will never allow their family to own any video game system because that is all Ryan will do. He really likes video games.

5. In addition to being really smart, Ryan's really really good at games. When the four of us--Stephanie, Mandi, Ryan, and me--would play games in college, the rest of us always played for second because Ryan always won.

6. Ryan's really pretty goofy (but you'd never guess that, being in MY family). One time in high school he tried to come to dinner without a shirt on (he'd just finished playing basketball) and my dad told him he had to put a shirt on. So, Ryan looked at the laundry room behind him and put on a black lazy shirt that Steph had to wear for a costume in a show. It was really funny.

7. For some reason, the summer after 8th grade, when my family went on the boat ALL the time, Ryan and I started this thing where we'd sing the, "It's Miller Time!" jingle over and over again in different harmonies. We had a lot of fun doing that.

8. Another time, Ryan was brushing his teeth and the rest of us were sitting at the kitchen table. Ryan suddenly crawled out on all fours with toothpaste overflowing his lips as he said, "Mad dog! Mad dog!"

9. Remember when I said Ryan's a genius? When he was 18 months old, he could read street signs like One Way.

10. He married another genius, Mandi, and now they are producing genius spawn. Seriously, Chris' intelligence is astounding for a kid his age.

11. Did I mention how cute his children are, too? Yeah, basically my favorite two little boys EVER.

12. Ryan's such a good dad. Sometimes it seems to weird to think he's a dad (just because sometimes I can't believe that one of my siblings has kids) but he's such a natural and so good with his boys. And his kids are adorable.

13. Ryan's really good at basketball and tennis, too. When I was little I thought he looked like Pete Sampras when he played tennis.

14. Ryan led his academic team to 3 National Championships. I hear they lost the fourth because he couldn't read his writing.

15. Ryan married the best girl ever, Mandi. Good job, Ryan. We'll definitely keep her.

16. Ryan and Kurt were actually in the same freshman ward together. Crazy, huh?

17. Ryan served his mission in Barcelona, Spain, and now makes some freaking amazing pae (spelling?).

18. Ryan is a really, really good writer.

19. When Ryan was in 5th grade, he got hit by a car while riding his bike. He broke his leg in 2 (maybe more?) places and got all kinds of banged up. Thankfully, his life was never in danger, but it was a scary thing.

20. Ryan remains the only person to ever stick my face in his armpit. It will stay that way.

21. Ryan was a Presidential and Hinckley Scholar. Presidential Scholar meant he got to meet the president of the USA (Clinton but eh, still the leader of the free world). Hinckley Scholar meant he got the highest scholarship at BYU. I don't know if he met President Hinckley though...

22. Ryan is really funny. I really wanted him to join LOL but he always had class on Thursday nights. He volunteered for games more than once and always did an awesome job.

23. Speaking of improv, on cross country trips with Ryan and Mandi, we would play improv games the three of us, like Acronym Panel and other games that I can't think of. It was really fun.

24. Ryan always gets the car door for Mandi. I think that is so sweet and cute.

25. Ryan double majored in math and econ. He just received his Masters in Economics from U. of Wisconsin-Madison last year, and plans on getting a Masters in Health Administration(or something like that)/MBA next year.

26. Ryan is the oldest grand kid on my mom's side. I've always that's a cool distinction.

27. Ryan was in the same school musical theater group that I was. In his debut performance in 6th grade he was Oliver in, well, Oliver! Other notable roles include FDR in Annie and Fagan in Oliver! his second time 'round.

28. Ryan's a great brother. Enough said. :)

Happy birthday, Coop dawg! I love you!!

Oh, I forgot

Happy Birthday to my blog (a couple of weeks ago),

Happy Birthday to my blog (a couple of weeks ago),

Happy Birthday, dear Such Great Heeeights (a couple of weeks agooooooo),

Happy Birthday to my blog (a couple of weeks ago)!

I should totally tell you one thing I love about my blog in honor of its first birthday:

1) It's fun! Thanks for reading, y'all!!!

Happy Happy Birfday

Happy Birthday, Caroline!!!

Caroline is my beautiful younger sister and today she is 19.

Lemme just say that Caroline is my best friend. And she is the prettiest of the 3 Cooper girls. Just see for yourself:

For Caroline's birthday, 19 things about her:
1. She's played soccer nearly her whole life. When she was little, the coaches of her league called her the Terminator because she was kinda scary (haha, just kidding). She's been playing goalie for a long time now (at least 4 years, if not more), but her coach let her play in the field for a few of her senior games and she scored in every one!
2. She's overcome a plethora of obstacles in her life and yet she's still the nicest, least bitter person I know. Definitely better than me.
3. When she was little she liked to harp on the fact that she was different from the rest of the family because she was the only blond one and the only left-handed one. She couldn't sit in her favorite seat at the table because then her left hand would hit the right hand of the person next to her and she's always considered that to be left-hand discrimination. ;)
4. Caroline loves pearls. They are her jewelry of choice.
5. Someone once said that she's the most feminine of the three of us Cooper girls. I definitely agree. Personality and in the traditional sense of the word.
6. Caroline is the most likely of all of us kids to end up living in South Carolina when she's all growed up. None of us can say why, exactly, but we all agree.
7. Caroline has wanted to be a PE Teacher/high school soccer coach and a speech therapist for a career, among other things. I'm not really sure what she most wants to do now, though. She probably doesn't either, since she's a freshman in college (lol).
8. When Stephanie and I were on dance team, Caroline tried to dance with us when we'd practice on our back porch. Have you ever watched a 10 year old dance before? It's pretty funny.
9. Caroline is probably the most Southern in our family. She wears Sperry's, listens to country music, wears pearls, enjoys hunting and fishing, and owns more than one camo article of clothing.
10. She is a ton of fun. Caroline is really good at poking fun at herself and she's pretty much always up for a good time. She's super goofy and, like the other 2 Cooper girls, doesn't mind making a fool of herself in public in the name of fun.
11. She has the picture-perfect body AND she has a blond hair and blue eyes. Need I say more?
12. She's probably the most forgiving person I know. Caroline does not hold grudges, period. And she loves everyone unconditionally. Not judgmental at all.
13. When Caroline was little her favorite movie was Raiders of the Lost Ark. She had one of those plastic horses that's attached by springs to a metal frame and she named it Raider. She loved Raider and would even brush his "teeth." By the time we got rid of that horse, it had so much dried Crest in its mouth, it looked rabid.
14. Chou chou clearly prefers Stephanie and me to Caroline. We don't know why, but it really bugs Caroline.
15. Caroline has a beautiful singing voice. And she's always loved to sing. Once, we she was little, we were at our cousins' house--the Parkinson's. She and Becca were singing along to something-er-other and Caroline told Becca, "Becca, you can't sing like I can, because I have French blood."
16. She's probably gonna get mad at me for posting all of these embarrassing stories.
17. The boys LOVE Caroline. They flock to her like bees to flowers, no joke. Probably because she's super fun, incredibly nice, amazing beautiful, athletic, and not afraid to get dirty. She's basically the perfect woman.
18. Caroline is an optimist. She is never negative. She always looks on the bright side. It's infectious.
19. Caroline, being a true Cooper, sometimes gets really hyper. And, when she gets really hyper, she just has to hug something! It's usually me.

It's your birthday! Yay! I love you, Prissy!!

I Spy a Birthday Boy...

Today is the birthday of my very favorite-ist person in the whole world...

Kurt. :) He's now 27! Wowzas!
We're coming up on knowing each other for 2 years now (I know, not very long) and sometimes I still can't believe how much fun we have together. The other day I was trying to figure out if we're kindred spirits or complimentary ... and I decided we're complimentary. Anyhow, rather than making another long Kurt-dedicated post that I know y'all love to read so much (haha), I'm putting up a playlist of music from bands that always make me think of him. Because one of my favorite things about him is how much he loves music... which is almost as much as I do.

Happy Birthday Kurtstan(son)! I love zhuu!

Happy B-day, Daddio!

(This is my dad being silly.)

Today is my wonderful father's birthday. Chris Cooper is 53! Whoa!
Basically, I think my dad is awesome. He's funny, he's easy to talk to, he's generous, he's smart, he's fun, he's crazy about my mom, he's just... awesome.

Happy Birthday Dad! I'm so thankful for you and everything you do!

Another birthday

Yesterday Kurt informed that July 8th was his older brother's birthday.
So Happy Birthday, Nikkia! I hope it was a great one filled with ... bears.

A Lady Never Reveals Her Age

Today is the ??th birthday of my wonderful mother, Leslie!!

I started this off originally with listing my favorite things about her ... but then scrapped that all and decided to post a personal essay I wrote for her a few years back.

Happy Birthday Mom! You are one of my best friends/favorite people in the world, and definitely the best mom I could ever ask for!!

"Red Popsicle Juice"

This is an apology to my mother.

April in Charleston is like June for most other places. At 4:00 p.m. the crickets buzzed wildly in the heat, and down a-ways the road shimmered. The bus was late. We stood in the shade of the great oaks, and tried not to sweat too much.

I was fourteen, and I was finally learning about fashion. I had realized a few months earlier that red and pink do not go, and that souvenir t-shirts are just not cute. I was also learning how to do my hair. I was a typical, self-conscious 8th grader. And, unfortunately, I was typical in more ways than one.

“Birdie chest!” Jeff Murray laughed as he launched an acorn at my under-developed body. I stared at him in anger, my cheeks heating from embarrassment. Yes, I was a beanpole, and it didn’t help that my former best friend (who had dumped me to be popular, like in all the books) was well-along in the boob department for her age. It also didn’t help that the boys in my grade were going through puberty.

As the bus bumped me along Fort Johnson Road that afternoon, my arms folded tightly across my chest, I thought about my plight. Here I was, supposedly a blossoming young daughter of God, but as far as I could see no blossoming was occurring. The boys apparently had the same ideas as I.

Life was so unfair. All the boys gawked at Hannah Keyes because she was developing. She was mean, and I was nice, but somehow life for her seemed better. This outrage had to have some explanation. It had to be someone’s fault! Then a bodiless voice floated into my consciousness; it was my mother’s. “When I was in high school I was really flat, too.” Of course … it was her fault!

It seems to me a natural thing that every girl reaches a point in her life when she feels that her mother is to blame for everything wrong. This is also usually the time when the mother and daughter fight the most. Yet at the same time, the daughter still idolizes her mother. This is a secret of course—what hormonal 16-year-old who wants so desperately to be accepted wants to admit that she still thinks her mother is perfect? It is paradox, but it is truth.

You see, before a girl becomes interested in make-up and boys her life is much simpler. Her life contains three essential things: her friends (both real and imaginary), her imagination, and her mother. And really, her mother is everything in her life. A mother is an invincible ally, indispensable to your cause. A mother is a doctor, who knows all the best ways to get rid of stomach aches, hiccups, and ear infections. A mother is a teacher, a chef, a cop, and a friend. A mother fulfills all the necessary roles in her daughter’s life.

“My mom doesn’t know anything about my life. I can’t talk to her about anything!”

Sitting at a table in Applebee’s on a Friday night, I perused over the menu while still listening to Katherine go on about how she and her family never had dinner together, and she how she could never tell her mom about crushes, homework, etc. I nodded agreement and wondered whether I should be adventurous and get the steak fajitas, or do the same old thing and get the chicken finger basket. I didn’t really think much about Katherine’s statement until later that night.

How can you not talk to your mom? This was a puzzle to me—I talked to my mom about everything! She knew more about my life and my friends than most moms could ever dream of knowing. Sure, we fought and disagreed, but I still sought her advice on everything, and usually followed it. I still enjoyed going to the mall and grocery store with her! I just could not understand how my friends did not like to spend time with their moms. Perhaps I was an anomaly in the world of 15-year-old girls.

My favorite role of my mom’s was bedtime story teller. I often drifted to sleep as she told tales of friendly beasts in bathtubs and silly piggies in puddles. Her voice, softly undulating as distant waves on the beach, was my lullaby every night. It lulled me to a sleep of mice, strawberries, and big hungry bears.

My mom has several different voices—family-home-evening voice, elementary-school-teacher voice, helping-out-with-homework voice—but her reading voice is my favorite. Even now when I hear her reading to my little brother I’ll go and sit on the floor at the foot of her bed and just listen to her voice. I don’t know the stories any more, and the characters are merely strangers met in passing, but it’s her voice that matters.

“I just don’t know who you are anymore, Kristina.”

I stormed up to my room, furious. It had been another one of those pointless fights that are so familiar: my mom was right, and wouldn’t back down, and I was wrong and wouldn’t admit it. This had been the pattern for the last few months.

I don’t remember what we fought about, or even if it was important, but I remember a lot of fights during my senior year. More fights than we’d ever had my whole life. I was miserable when we did fight, but like any typical teenager I would not take the fault. It made me angry beyond belief, but only during the last few months did I really understand what she was saying.

I carried a lot of resentment towards my mother for over a year. I still loved her, and I still loved talking to her, but I blamed her for most of the problems I had in my life. I was forced to quit piano lessons in third grade. I didn’t like the teacher much, so it didn’t bother me until later when I was having trouble advancing in theory as I taught myself. In seventh grade I was given another try at piano lessons, but at the end of the year I had to quit again. One more try in tenth grade produced the same effect. Because of this turn of events, I have often felt that I “got gypped” at my chance to be a great piano player.

I played one season of softball. Growing up in a group of girls that all played softball for years and years made me feel left out, even though I didn’t like the sport much.

I never got to take ballet or tap lessons. I never played soccer. I was never taught how to sew or cross-stitch. But my siblings got it all. My older brother saw the country via membership on the JIHS academic team. My older sister received five years of voice training. My little sister has played soccer since she was five, and my little brother has played nearly every organized sport. It seemed I had missed out on everything—been forgotten—while my siblings got everything. For the longest time I focused on this, and was resentful.

I hate to admit it, but the time when I finally released all of these feelings came this year, my sophomore year of college. I had always felt bad for having them, felt like less than a daughter than my mom deserved, but I hadn’t been able to shake them. One night it came.

It was a simple story, one of another mother and daughter. A simple story, a simple assignment in class, but it turned out to me to mean so much more. Perhaps it was not so simple. The author was the daughter, and to me she seemed like a good daughter. After reading the work, then thinking on it for a while, I started crying. I cried for a long time. I cried because I felt I was not a good daughter, and that my mom was in fact the one who had missed out. I cried because I wanted to be that daughter for her, but didn’t know how. And I cried because I finally began to realize the scope of all that I had received:

I appeared on stage as part of a theater company for seven years. I did pirouettes on basketball courts at half time with fellow members of the James Island Rave dance team. I spent 5 weeks honing the craft of creative writing at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities Summer Honors Program. High school is not the only place where I experienced life. As a young girl I spent hours jumping on trampolines, riding bikes, climbing trees, and making mud-pies. What is a soccer field to the boundless scope of a child’s imagination?

And that is just the physical aspect of what I received. More than all that, I received a mom who loves me despite the fact that I have been the cause of so much extra stress and worry, especially in the last year. She stayed at home for eighteen years to raise her family. I remember summer days spent making popsicles in the morning, then eating them on the way to the pool, sticky red juice running down my chin as I tried desperately to fight the heat in the battle for the cherry flavored ice treat. Three out of five days the smell of freshly baked cookies awaited me as I walked in the door from school. I remember several attempts at pets: Swebus, Penny, Squeaker, and Mikey. My mom wasn’t crazy about them, but she knew that we, the kids, loved them. I’d trade fresh home-made cookies for tap shoes any day.

So now I apologize. I don’t think before I speak. I’m selfish; I come home at 6:30 on a summer’s evening and don’t help with the dishes because I’ve had a “tiring and hot day at work.” I can’t, for the life of me, balance a checking account. I haven’t appreciated you for what you are. I’m not the daughter you deserve.

So Mom, here it is. The words that you have always said will make the situation better. I am sorry. I will help with the dishes from now on.

A Belated Happy Birthday

To my beautiful sister, Stephanie! She turned 26 on April 11!

I already apologized to Steph for posting this late, but I'll explain to everyone else... last week I got really sick (more on that later) then went out of town (also, more later) while still sick (you guessed it, details to come). I was planning on doing her post early, but getting sick got in the way. Anyhow! Back to Steph!

I will not attempt to do 26 things about Stephanie. That would take forever! So I'll do 13... because 13 is half of 26.

1. Stephanie is an amazing dancer. Seriously. Her only dance training was dance team in high school and then dance courses at BYU and still her dance professors at BYU told her she could dance on Broadway if she really wanted to work hard and do it.

2. Stephanie has recently, thanks to Grant, taken up photography. She takes really cool stuff and her camera isn't fancy-shmancy and she's not addicted to photoshop, so she's got talent in that area.

3. She has a blog now! On it, she posts her photography! Check it out!

4. Stephanie and I used to fight like cats and dogs. It was pretty bad. Sometimes we'd both grab hold of each other's hair and pull until we were spinning around in a death-locked-hair-pulling-circle. My scalp is not very sensitive anymore, as I'm sure you can imagine.

5. Then my parents made us share a room, and after a year or so of fighting more intensely, we became best friends. At first when we were sharing a room, if my parents came into our room an hour after bedtime, it was because we were fighting noisily. After that first year or so, though, when they came to our bedroom, it was because we were laughing hysterically.

6. Despite the fact that Ryan and I (and Dan LaRoche) teased Stephanie about not having a sense of humor, she really is a very funny person and she's quick to laugh. But still, whenever she makes a funny joke, we say, "Stephanie, you made a joke!" as if it's a big accomplishment. I think it's out of tradition now, though.

7. I think Stephanie's got some measure of talent in just about every art there is. Her strongest talents are in dance and singing, but she's also practiced/done well in piano playing, photography, visual arts, acting/theater, and writing.

8. Despite the fact that she's a creative soul, she's also very smart and quite analytical. She minored in statistics (with a major in psychology) and seriously considered majoring in it. She can do calculus in her head (or could when she took it, lol).

9. Stephanie is one of the most generous people I know. Nearly every Christmas she's bought everyone in the family a gift... and with 10 other family members, that adds up. She's always willing to help you if you need it and she'll never hesitate to listen. That's why she should be a guidance counselor.

10. Stephanie really wants to open up a home for troubled kids one day. I think that's cool.

11. She's had at least 6 men tell her they love her. (There could be more... )

12. While taking psychology of gender at BYU, Stephanie learned that her personality is more masculine than feminine. Meaning: she's very ambitious, driven, and determined. She's good at sales and business.

13. Despite that, she's one of the most feminine dressers I know. She wears heels almost 100% of the time... even on girls night out to the movies when she's wearing a sweatshirt and jeans! And she always look amazing.

14. (I know I said 13, but this one is pretty good). Stephanie is indeed my full-blood sister. Not half, not adopted. Our ancestors come from: Sweden, Norway, England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Denmark, Cornwall, Wales, Germany, Belgium, ancient America (Cherokee indian), and possibly Israel. However, she's been mistaken for Brazilian, Spanish, Middle Eastern, and half African American.

I could keep going on with fun stuff about my sister, but I think 14 is a good number to stop on. So Happy belated Birthday Brazilian Stephanie aka the Devil! I love you so much (not to mention freaking miss you like crazy!!!!)

La Cognata

Once upon a time my brother fell in love with a girl. He brought her home shortly after that and we did too. Her name was Amanda Marie Alleman, Mandi, and her birthday is April 2.

Mandi is freakin' great. When Ryan brought her home summer of '03 for us to meet her, I felt this need to entertain her constantly. I mean, I was always trying to be funny. When they were leaving for the airport, she told me, "Kristina, I just want to take you home and put you on my shelf so you can make me laugh all the time!"

She's got a great sense of humor (obviously... she thinks I'm funny, after all ;) ) and she has the best laugh. I don't know how to describe it, but when Mandi laughs at something you can tell she's really entertained. It's infectious.

She's the mother to the cutest little boy you've ever seen! And she's such a good mom--seriously, Mandi, you are so good with Chris. Not to mention how smart he is--which he gets as much from Mandi as much as Ryan. The three of them are such a cute family, and everyone is so excited for the next little boy, coming in July!!!

Here are some pictures of Mandi being an awesome Mom:

PS--she looks great in apple green.

Mandi's full of surprises. She did her hair all by herself for my wedding and it looked so pretty! She has great taste in movies (ahem, Once and Love, Actually) and TV shows (Arrested Development). She puts up with my family. Where my family is crazy and emotional, she's so stable and levelheaded, and yet still a ton of fun. She is the perfect match to my brother. Steph, them, and I hung out all the time my sophomore year and I remember going over to their house in the evenings on week nights and she'd be cooking dinner and I thought (and still do) it was so cool that she did that. Whenever I actually cook dinner on week nights, I think about that.

Mandi is a huge example to me. I've told her before how much I look up to her, but I don't think I could really explain just how much.

One of my favorite stories Mandi has told me about herself: Before she and Ryan started dating, she decided she was going to go on at least one date every month, even if it meant that she had to ask a guy out to meet that goal. Well, that's how her and Ryan's first date happened. And I'm so glad she had the guts to ask him out!

Mandi, I freaking love you!!! I'm so glad you're in our family. (I hope it's reciprocal ;) ).

Happy Birthday Mandi!!!

Oh Li'l Brudder!

Happy Birthday to my li'l brudder, Collin!!

14 years ago (wow, really, that long?!) Collin Christopher Cooper was born in Charleston, SC. I can't believe he's 14! He's gonna be going to Church dances and in the fall high school... holy cow. So, 14 things about my awesome little brother.

1. My parents knew they were going to have another boy. They knew it so much that they were sure I was going to be a boy, and my name would be Kyle. Two girls later, still no boy. When Collin was born and he was a boy (they never found out the sex of their kids before birth) they were so glad! After an on-slaught of girls, Collin was nicknamed "the boy." Sometimes my friends and friends of my siblings joke that my dad really thinks Collin's name is "Boy." We also call him "Bud." You'll rarely heard him called Collin by our immediate family.

2. Collin has always had great hand-eye coordination, even when he was a toddler. He would spend hours building 2-3 feet tall buildings with his blocks (which, according to my mom, is very impressive for a kid that old).

3. Collin swims, plays soccer, has played basketball, knows how to snowboard, skateboards, skim boards, and ripsticks. He'd probably also waterksi and wakeboard if our family's boat wasn't broken. He's very athletic.

4. Ryan is 13 years older than Collin and so was out of the house when Collin was 5. Because of that, he's far more comfortable around "girl talk" than any other boy I've ever known. Periods, bras, crushes on boys? Doesn't faze him at all.

5. Ever since he was little, Collin has had a knack for clever sayings. One time I told him to tell my mom I was going to work (who wasn't home at the time). Instead of saying ok, he said, "No I don't think I will. I like to make her fret." He was about 8 at the time.

6. Another time, around this same time period, my mom had come home after I left for work at the bookstore. My mom asked if that's where I had gone and Collin said, "No, she got fired from the bookstore. But it's ok because she has a new job at Hank's (a local restaurant) peeling potatoes and onions, and she wears a shirt that says, 'I peel potatoes and onions at Hank's.'"

7. Collin is really good at Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and DDR. When he does DDR, he usually spices it up with his own moves. It's pretty funny. He's also a really good dancer and loves to dance.

8. He's really goofy. I mean, REALLY goofy. I mean, check out his beautiful face in my wedding picture!!

9. Even though he's goofy, Collin is really mature. My mom told me a story recently in which Collin was giving the FHE lesson, and it was on future goals or something like that. Anyway, he talked about how he really respected Kurt and thought that going into accounting seemed like a really good idea, since it has such good job security and teaches you good skills. What 14 wants to be an accountant because it has good job security?

10. When Collin was really little (around 5 or 6) the local pop music station started to play "Push It" by Salt n Peppa hourly (for some reason). My mom really liked the song and so would turn it up loud when it came on. Sometimes, just around the house, we'd hear Collin singing, "Ah, push it, push it good!"

11. At age 10 Collin knew who Led Zeppelin, Queen, and the Rolling Stones were. He's good really good taste in music.

12. At an age when most kids are embarrassed to be seen with their mom or family anywhere (especially the grocery store), Collin still enjoys going to on errands with my mom. Like I said, really mature.

13. He's so photogenic!!

14. Collin was a surprise baby, but we're all so grateful for him! He's always making us laugh! He is the coolest kid I know!!

Happy Birthday, Bud!