Dressed in White

I can't believe the time came for Cooper to get baptized...it came up WAY to fast!
We have been trying to prepare him for this day and I think he was so ready. I thought he might be a little nervous just because that is the way he gets when he is doing something new, but he did great! The day was awesome!

Cooper and Collin before the baptism

We had a great baptism program. Cooper choose the speakers and all the musical numbers and everyone did such a great job. We had a lot of family and friends there to support Coop and we appreciated it so much. I love days that you are just surrounded by love ones, the day could go on and on it is so great.

Mom, dad and Cooper

He looked so handsome in his tie!

Cooper with Grandma and Grandpa Van Wagoner

Cooper with Grandpa and Grandma Richards

Cooper with Great Grandma and Grandpa Johnson

Cooper with Great Grandma Van Wagoner





After the baptism everyone was invited to a luncheon over at our house...yummm!

Everyone pitched in and helped bring something and it turned out delicious and fun. It was great to chat with family and friends.

Thanks everyone for coming and supporting our family, once again...we loved having you there.

And Cooper, I am so proud of you for making the choice to get baptized and I am so proud of the daily choices you make that make you the GREAT kid you are!

I love you!

Back in Black!

On Saturday Bode had is 3rd Buddy Walk, it was awesome! It was by far the best Buddy Walk we have been to. Our new president Mandy did an awesome job. The best part about it was that Bode had the MOST buddies! O'yeah, he won!! He had 112 buddies, 112 buddies...that rocks! He took home one of the new ipod Shuffles, he thinks that shuffle is pretty sweet.

The Buddy Walk started off with a great carnival! It was done by a down syndrome boy trying to earn his Eagle project, how awesome is that? Pretty sweet! He also threw the best carnival yet! The kids came home with tons of Ty Beanie babies, candy, chips, balloons, cotton candy, popcorn, you name it, they got it. They also had a few inflatable slides for the kids to play on and TONS of activities to do. It was great.

We started the walk after the carnival, it was short and sweet and a ton of fun. It was really amazing to see all of Bode's buddies dressed in black or wearing their black bandannas. It brought tears to my eyes several times. Everyone was so enthusiastic about being there and just seemed like they had a great time.

After the walk we were served yummy Red Robin hamburgers, they were yummalicious! I gobbled mine right up.

After the lunch they had a NICE program. This was when the Bodester got his prize for having the most buddies. They also spotlighted each of the children with downs and had them run the bases on the baseball field. The Brighton baseball team, Miss Sandy and the SUU cheerleaders were all there to cheer them on, it was great!

This year they had a little pearl necklace for all the moms and grandmas, it was really neat. The things they said before they gave each of us the necklace just reminded of how special these little kids are and how LUCKY I am to be a mother to one. I LOVE Bode so much!

They then finished off with a raffle, they had some pretty cool stuff to raffle away, we didn't win any of the really neat stuff, but we did win a few things. It was a great Buddy Walk and we appreciate all the effort that went into it.

We also would like to thank ALL of Bode's buddies that came and supported him. It means a ton to us! We know Saturdays are busy and it takes a lot out of they day to put this little guy first, we really appreciate it. We are so grateful for your continuous support and helping us raise this special little guy. We can't thank you enough!! And thank you to all that donated money that couldn't make it or still made it and donated extra money. Us and the UDSF appreciate it all!

YOU ROCK!

Here is a little (not really little, it is like 9 minutes long) but it just shows how much fun everyone had! Thanks again!

Cooper's Disneyland Trip!

So I got some pictures from Cooper's trip to Disneyland with his grandparents...O' how they made me want to go to Disneyland. I don't know what it is about that place, but when you walk in, it seems like all your worries are gone, you are so happy and it is just awesome. Disneyland would be very ideal to go to NOW...I need it! Anyway, I am so glad Coop got to go and enjoy this fun time with his grandparents. They had a blast. You can see how much fun they had in these great pictures.

These two pictures are GREAT! What awesome shots.

Enjoying his own bed in the awesome hotel room. They got to stay at the Disneyland hotel which

makes it even more awesome of a trip.

Love this shot.

The great swimming pool at the hotel.

Such a sweetheart!

Silly kids!

Coop in front of California Screamin....his new favorite ride.

He came home with a portrait of himself, it was pretty sweet.

Lunch time. I believe this was at the Blue Bayou, the restaurant I have always wanted to eat at in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride....spoiled!

This little guy crashed hard every night. He had such a great time.

Thanks Holly and Charlie for a awesome trip!

Coop's 8th birthday

A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated Coop's 8th birthday. What a FUN day he had. I think the day was full of excitement all day long. He started off his birthday with yummy french toast in bed. He then was excited to open presents before dad left for work. He went downstairs and there stood his new bike, he was pretty excited. He got ready for school and off he went, he was pretty glad it was Friday, so that meant short day. Me and the kids surprised him with donuts to share with his class, Bode wanted to stay and hang out, it thought is was pretty cool to see Coop at school.

When he got home from school he has some special visitors come by to wish him a happy birthday. He showed all of them how he could ride his new bike (it is a little big, so it is a little tricky for him to ride, he did great though.)

He anxiously was awaiting 6:00 when all of his friends were going to arrive for his Jungle Safari party. At 6:00 they showed up and the party got started....


First the kids had to go hunt for their own food. I had pre-made the crusts for little individual pizzas and they had to go find all the toppings so they could make their pizzas. The toppings were hid all over the house and once they were found they created their very own pizzas. As the pizzas were cooking we headed outside to play some games. It is so great when the kids get older and they actually listen to the directions and you really aren't babysitting a birthday party anymore, you can have fun as well. It was great.
When the pizzas were done they came downstairs into the jungle and ate up. I had the basement all decorated like a jungle, I think it turned out pretty fun looking.
After the pizzas we went outside and played a few more games. It was then time for the safari hunt. They were given clues and each clue lead them to the next place in the neighborhood, I think they had a lot of fun doing it. At each place they were given a prize for their little prize bag, the end prize were swords that I had made out of swim noodles. These kept them entertained for quite a while.
We went in and opened presents and then had cake and ice cream. There was about 30 minutes left of the party so I turned on George of the Jungle and they ate ice cream and cake while they watched the movie. The party turned out to be a lot of fun and I think the kids had a great time too.

After the party Grandma and Grandpa Richards came out to give Coop his present and take him home for a sleepover.
The first present they gave him was new clothes for his baptism day...he was pretty excited. ;)
Then they had another present for him....
He opened the card and he wasn't quite sure what was going on...

It said....
"Cooper for your 8th birthday, we are taking you to see Mickey Mouse!"
What???

Cooper was leaving the next morning to go to Disneyland! He was pretty pumped! It was fun to see his reaction. He though cool, I am going to Disneyland, but he didn't realize he was going the next day. Once he figured that out, he was thrilled!

He had a GREAT time, and there will be more pictures to follow when I get them.

So, overall Coop had a FABULOUS day! What a great birthday, everyone made is so great!

I wish the birthdays could stop for a while now, I LOVE him at this stage...so cute and he is such a good kid. Love ya Coop!

Weekend in Midway

Over Labor day we went to Midway and stayed at the Zermatt Resort, we always enjoy going here. Well the few times we have been it has just been Collin and I, not Collin and I and all the kiddos, I guess I could say it was a treat. :)

We headed up Friday night, grabbed some grub on the way and got there about 7:30. The first thing Coop wanted to do when we got there was swim, so that we did. I think it was what every other person staying there wanted to do too, the pool was packed! Crazy packed! It didn't stop Cooper, Collin and Peiton, but it did stop Bode and I. We gladly watched from the side of the pool....dry.

The kids slept great the first night and we were up and at em' at 7:00 am ready to go see Corey, Kelly and Holly run the 10K. That is when it decided to down pour, yuck! We made it to the Swiss days breakfast (Collin's fav and now Bode's too) dry and took cover under the pavilion while we enjoyed yummy scones, pancakes, ham and eggs.

We were wondering if the rain would stop in time for the parade, and luckily it did. We were able to enjoy the good ole' Swiss Days parade. Lots and lots of candy!

I actually am a fan of parades, I am always up for a parade. I love them also because I think Bode likes them too. He sits there and waves and tries to make horse sounds whenever he sees a horse.

After the parade we took off because Swiss days is no place for strollers and young kids. We actually ran into one of my next door neighbors growing up and he invited us over for lunch. It was great to go there and catch up and see what he and his family have been up to. In the meantime Collin and Coop enjoyed themselves as they went miniature golfing and some more swimming.

We took the kids to see the goats that they have at the Zermatt, they loved them. They had fun feeding them and just watching them. We decided it was time to leave the goats when Bode found the rocks and started pelting the goats with the rocks...baaaad Bode. :) (I don't know if goats baaaa, but is was kind of funny, right?)

Well the trip went great until about 3:00 Saturday afternoon and that is when Bode and Peiton fell apart. They were so tired that they couldn't control the crying and all their crazy emotions. We had a reservation for the Italian Buffet that they served there, we thought we would be brave enough to go, big mistake! I think we are banned from the buffet, or any restaurant at the Zermatt. Bode and Peiton were pretty much crying most of the time, they both wanted to sit on mommy's lap, Bode was sprawled out on the buffet serving area floor, pulling the table clothes off of the dessert bar, the list goes on and on. Our waitress felt so bad for us that she tried to take Peiton to the Gelato store and get her some ice cream. She left screaming, came back happy, and was screaming again in 3 minutes....o'boy! It was probably the quickest buffet I have ever eaten.

That night the kids were in bed at 8:00, Coop and I snuck out and went swimming and then we called it a night and pretty much a trip. Some great memories were made.

I had to throw in these two pictures, this is Bode trying to blow up a balloon during our little stay. It was hilarious to watch. Poor guy, just can't get the concept, but I think he giving it a great try.

Natty Sue Designs

Alright, so I am starting something new! You know me, I love to scrapbook and do all the fun things that this digital world lets you do. I have made so many cards for people in the past, and it is something that I really enjoy, but why not make a little money for doing. I am really excited for this and hopefully I will make a little extra moo-la that always can come in handy! Go check out Natty Sue Designs and hopefully you will like what you see. As you will see, prices are cheap! Hopefully I will be working with you soon.

My little 8 year old...

Is my little guy really 8?? It is so crazy. Where does time go? I think I am REALLY old now, I have a 8 year old. But what an awesome 8 year old I have! I love this kid. I still remember the day he was born, the crazy 9/11 day he was born. What a joy to have something so special come into this world when there was so much tragedy happening. And that is what he has brought to our family over the years, complete JOY!

He is one of the most tender hearted kid I know (I think he gets that from me, and I get it from my dad). I love that he has a tender heart. I love that he loves me...although he is embarrassed of me when I go to his school, it is like "O-no, hide, that is my mom, how embarrassing!"

I love our little chats that we have, and all the fun things that come up to talk about...he has got an imagination and wants to know about everything.

He has such a goofy side to him that I LOVE! I love that he can be goofy and have a good time.

I love that he loves his brother and sister. He is always willing to play with them and watch out for them. I am not sure Peiton is going to like it so much when she gets older...the dating stage could be pretty scary.

The list could go on and on...there are so MANY things that I admire about Coop.

I love the kid to death!

Happy Birthday Cooper!

Preschool

Our little Bode started his 3rd year of preschool a couple weeks ago. He was pretty excited when I put his back pack on him and we went out to wait for the bus. We are pretty lucky to be able to have the bus pick him up, it saves me a lot of running around time, plus he loves it!

This year he goes to school 4 days a week, it is crazy! He is almost like a Kindergartner. I think it is really good for him to have a set schedule and really good for me to have a little break.

My favorite part of him riding the bus would have to be meeting him when he gets home. He usually has this BIG smile on his face and so excited to see me. He greets me with a kiss and it is off inside to pick out a movie...

I can't believe this will be his last year of preschool, we will have to see what Kindergarten will have in store for us. Who knows??

Ten years

Happy 10th Anniversary Babe!

It's been a great ride!

I love you.

Just a reminder...

Just a reminder for those that are interested in being Bode's Buddy for the Buddy Walk, pre-registration ends on Friday. So if you haven't registered yet, go and do it. This will guarantee you a T-shirt and lunch. You can still register after this point, you just may not get a t-shirt and food will be limited. Thank you to all that have already registered, we are going to have a great time!

Go here to register or donate money.

L-A-GOON!

(I love the picture of Bode and Peiton, it is so dang cute)

I remember when I was little and I knew that I was going to Lagoon. About the week before I would be so excited, I couldn't stop thinking about it and especially the night before I couldn't sleep. We would get there and it was so exciting, so many fun things to do. When I was a little older, my friends and I would always try to check out all the workers and find all the cute boys. The Sky Ride was the best place to do that. I have so many memories of Lagoon and now I hope my kids can start having those memories too (hopefully not the one when you look for the cute boys/girls for a while). And I can't forget how I never wanted to wash my hand, I wanted EVERYONE to know that I just went to Lagoon....I was SO lucky!

We took our kids a couple of weeks ago to Lagoon for UDSF (Utah Down Syndrome Foundation) day at Lagoon. It was buy one get one free, which we thought was a pretty good deal. This was the first time we have taken our kids to Lagoon. At first I was kind of hesitant, not quite sure how fun it was going to be. I knew I was going to have to sacrifice riding the rides I wanted, which I love riding the rides. But, I actually had a great time! It was so fun to see Cooper get scared out of his mind and excited to go on a ride. It was fun to see Bode LOVE all the rides and just laugh, smile and wave, and Peiton wasn't quite sure about it all, she just had this look of terror on her face whenever she was on a ride. I guess I realized that happiness is seeing your kids happy (not that I didn't already know and feel this, but it just reassured me). Anyways the real reason I go to Lagoon is for some serious people watching, it is the best place to do it....just kidding (not really).

It was also great to be around a few Down Syndrome kids and see
how they interact at places and with their families.

Collin's parents joined us and helped us out a lot, it was great to have them there. My sister Hollie and her family came too, it was fun to be with them. Although Haws, we never made it on the Wild Mouse together so we could laugh our heads off.... Cooper had made up his mind on what rides he wanted to ride with Uncle Cam, I think they made it on The Bat together.
Thanks Lagoon for the fun day, you never seem to disappoint. Not quite the Disneyland feeling, but still a fun place.