YOU'VE HAD A BIRTHDAY SHOUT HORRAY!!

Happy Birthday to Cooper!!!

This weekend was full of birthday celebrations for Cooper. We had a pirate party, (ARGH matey) with friends from school and Church. Cooper was thrilled and had the best time.

When in Australia do as the Aussies do - you have to play pass the parcel! This is a game where you have a present wrapped in multiple layers. Inbetween each layer is a piece of candy. Music is played while the kids pass the parcel around. If the music stops then the kid holding the present gets to unwrap one layer. If they are lucky they are the last one and unwrap the present, otherwise they just get a piece of candy.

We then went outside for some games and lunch. I was so glad for the good weather - it felt like spring and not winter. This way most of the mess stayed outside and so did the kids!! We taught our Aussie friends a new game - Red Rover. We sang, "Red Rover, Red Rover, send Pirate..... right over!" We played pirate, pirate, ship (duck, duck, goose). As well as tip (tag) but we thought it fitting to play stuck in the mud.

We also thought it was so funny when I told them to sit down on one of two blankets that the girls all chose one and the boys chose one.

Of course you can't be a pirate without a tattoo - a temporary one of course.

Then we had cake and ice cream. I made this treasure chest cake - does it look like a treasure chest? You may have to use your imagination a bit. We sang to Cooper and did the Aussie "hip, hip, hooray!" three times at the end. Then the kids all got a piece of cake and some of the "treasure" inside. They all loved picking out snakes (it was a sunken treasure), gold coins, and jewels. After cake and ice cream we headed inside and did something that is not done at most birthday parties here (at least as far as I can tell) we actually opened the birthday presents at the party. The kids all crowded around and we taught them "heavy, heavy hang over...." so they could hit Coop on the head. It was so fun to see the amazement on their faces to watch Cooper open their gifts - I always love that part!

Then last, but certainly not least, you can't have a pirate party without the treasure hunt? Kev made up maps of the house complete with pictures so they kids would know which room was which. Then I antiqued them with trusty scrapbooking stuff and we burnt the edges before tying them up with string. Then kids then had to go on a hunt to find each clue before they found the "X" in the backyard and had to dig for treasure. What was inside?! Their lollie bags of course!! They all loved it and couldn't stop talking about that part to their parents when they came to pick them up! It was really fun!

This is Kev explaining the treasure hunt to them - look at those faces they were so quiet and concentrating so hard on what was being said.

On the hunt!

"X" marks the spot!

Kev explained what they had to do to find the treasure of a tall pirate with a white and red striped shirt who buried treasure on our land long ago. Thanks to our friend, Kendall, who showed up to drop off his daughter and got put to work! Because of Kendall we actually ended up burrying the treasure instead of just setting it on the groud and attempting to cover it. Great work Kendall! The kids loved seeing the treasure actually being dug up!

We did have a family b-day dinner as well - Cooper picked tacos. Then because I didn't want to make another cake we had brownies to put the candles in. Of course we had to sing the seat belt version of Happy Birthday - it has been so ever since he sang it to Kev at his birthday! Before this we gave him the gifts from his family. Madi gave him a new Thomas train and some tracks, Rylee gave him a remote control car, Kev and I gave him a new bike (his other one was so small he was due for an upgrade!). In order for him to find his bike Kev sent him on another treasure hunt - Cooper just loves treasure hunts, sometimes Kev does treasure hunts for the kids just for fun because they like them so much.

The best gift of all was the one sent from the States from Grandpa John and Grandma Susan. Several months ago Kev found a train turn table on e-bay in the States and sent it to his dad's house. He then asked his dad if he could make a shed for it. Well he got so excited he actually made two sheds and another turn table. He then sent it in pieces through the mail and Kev put it together here. It has been sitting in the box for at least a month now and Kev finally put it together a few days ago. It is so cool. Thanks again Grandpa John - you are the best!! In no time at all both sheds had trains in them and he couldn't stop turning the turn tables!

What a joy Cooper is to have in our family. He has such a sense of humor. He loves to tell a "little joke" now and then and tells us it is good to have a little joke sometimes. He has definitely come out of his shell here in Australia and has lost most of his shyness and anxiety. He makes friends easily and loves to go to school. He is still loving his trains and makes the most amazing train tracks around the play room. We love him so much and are so happy that he is part of our family!!