Labor Day, Swingset, Tractors, and Rodeo

I have been taking a slight break from blogging, simply due to procrastination. Anyway, to catch you all up: For Labor Day we went to Veyo Pool with both the Callahan and Syphus families. What a perfect place to take little kids! We reserved a picnic sight down by the creek, and those who didn't want to swim could sit in the shade and watch the little kids play in the Creek. We had Kristie Lee staying in town with us and she, with Amanda and Annie caught a bucket full of craw-dads! Cooper played in the pool with his cousins, but by far his favorite thing to do was to throw rocks into the creek and eat mud (He's a boy, go figure!). Jesse mostly played in the pool with Sam, Nikki, Candice, and Flint and enjoyed the pool's awesome array of grilled and fried foods despite my efforts to pack healthy alternatives. Ah well, maybe next year. I dipped into the pool to play with Cooper, who is surprisingly clingy when in the water. We played with Grandma and Grandpa Syphus who couldn't resist a chance to play in the pool with their many grandchildren. We spent most of our time down by the creek, sitting back in the shade and watching the kids fight over sand toys and rocks... ahhh, isn't that what Labor day is made for?

We recently acquired an old swing set from a neighbor of my parents. It didn't look like much at first because it was all rusty and in pieces, but Jesse sanded it down and painted it fire-engine red and now it's a beauty! Cooper had a ball setting it up, but he's still not quite sure how to use it. He'll sit on my lap for a while and swing, but when it comes to swinging by himself, he'd rather hop off and play in the sand. Curse that sandbox! It's constantly undermining my efforts to produce a well rounded child!

Also something to note, Cooper's uncle Flint has just finished his last 2 weeks of leave before his deployment with the Marines to Iraq. We will be praying every day for him to return safely!

While he was here, he helped Kevin and Jesse rip out some stumps in the Callahan's backyard. They rented a tractor for a few hours and had the kind of fun that only grown men can have with a tractor.

So this weekend was the annual St. George Rodeo, and we decided to venture out and see how Cooper would like it. Turns out he loved it! The parade, the horses, the sheep, everything! He was so good the entire time (almost 4 hours), and when he got tired he just fell asleep in Jesse's lap.What a good boy! He also learned how to put his hand over his heart for the flag and national anthem... I can't tell you what a proud little mom I was! And for all of you Pregnancy Junkies out there ( I know who you are!), here's a picture of my growing belly at 26 weeks: