Cooper's Day Out

In lieu of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, I am taking the entire week off from work. That gave us the opportunity to take Cooper to the Texas State Aquarium for the first time. Grandma recently finished up a fundraising project for the aquarium so she had a free pass. Cooper liked looking at the fish, birds and dolphins, though his favorite exhibit were some orange construction cones near the bird theater. (Oh, well.) He really loved that we didn't make him sit in the stroller and he got to roam around. (Usually in public places he has to sit or hold my hand.) After walking around outside for a bit, we went to the underwater viewing area for the dolphins. Cooper liked watching the dolphins swim by, until he noticed the other little kids around. Then he was happy to be right in the middle of the other kids. Afterward, we trooped back up to watch the dolphin show. Grandma and Mom enjoyed the show, Cooper relaxed in his stroller and had a snack. We were encroaching on nap time, so we made the 10 minute drive home. (There ARE benefits to living in a small town!)

Cooper's favorite "exhibit"

"Reading" the exhibit information

Fish at the Gulf of Mexico exhibit

Cooper and the dolphins.

Trick or Treat!

This October 31st marked Cooper's second Halloween. Last year Coop was only a month old, so all we got to do was dress him up in an orange pumpkin onesie (which he didn't like), and take pictures. We started the day by oversleeping...(Lately Cooper has been sleeping past 6 a.m....THANK THE LORD!) We had a garage sale with friends in the morning, then everyone came over to our house for lunch (Thanks Libby!) and a little football (Gig 'Em Aggies!!!) while Cooper took a nice long nap.

That evening, Uncle James and Aunt Christie, and Uncle Clint came over to help celebrate Halloween. We suited Cooper up in his dinosaur outfit, then drove to Grandma's and some friends' houses so Cooper could trick-or-treat for the first time. Afterward, we ended up back at our house for football, buffalo wings, beer and of course handing out candy. At first, Cooper wasn't too sure about all the kids in costume coming to our door, but after watching me give them candy a few times, he decided it was okay. Every time there was a knock on the door, Cooper would head towards the door and "help" me hand out the candy.

It was a relaxing evening...we ran out of candy and had to switch the porch light off by 7:30 and Cooper only stayed up mildly late. He even seemed to enjoy being in costume all evening. Here are some pics:

What is this?  Can I really eat it?

Dad, Mom, Grandma, Grandpa, and Cooper

Uncle Clint, Coop, and Christie

Trick-or-Treating with Grandma.