Coolest Birthday Party Ever

We had Cooper's birthday party at a fire station this year and I was so worried that it would be boring and uneventful for the kids but thankfully I was quite wrong!  It was unbelievably awesome for the kids as well as the adults.  The firemen were so nice and great with the kids.  We had lunch and cake in the fire station and then the fun started! 

They talked to the kids about fire safety for a few minutes and then had Cooper demonstrate stop, drop and roll.

This part was definitely my favorite.  They had Fireman Nick come out and introduce himself and slowly get dressed in each piece of his uniform so the kids could see and understand what each part was for.

After he was fully dressed, they had all the kids come up and touch him and check him out so that they wouldn't be afraid of him.  It was so cool and I'd never really even thought about kids being scared of them!

Next they let them hear a smoke detector, hence the covered ears!

The kids really loved this part.  They took them out into the garage and let them climb all over the trucks and touch anything and everything around.

Carter accidentally set off the sirens and I happened to catch it on camera!  Who knew that the pedals in the passenger seat control the sound but now we all certainly do!

The last thing they did was take them into their bedroom and show them their cool night vision toy.  They were really sweet to let Cooper get a lot of attention and see and do things first.  It was actually pitch black when I took this picture but my flash obviously changes that!

We are dogsitting Ashley and Andrew's dog and Hudson thinks she's the perfect seat.  He's modeling one of Coop's new birthday toys, a cool fire backpack that hold water and a hose that really shoots it.

The party far exceeded my expectation and I wish we could thank the firemen a million times over for being so welcoming and patient with us and our children.  Cooper was spoiled rotten with awesome, thoughtful gifts from everyone and we came home to watch a fun Carolina win.  It was a pretty perfect day!

My Cooper

Oh Cooper, where to even begin!  I guess I'll start by saying how in the world are you already 5?!  Although it seems like forever ago that you were a tiny baby it also doesn't seem possible for 5 years to have past since then.  Well pass it has and what an amazing little boy you have become.  The past few months have been really big for you as far as growing up and becoming more of an independent, big boy as opposed to a hesitant, and at times needy toddler.  We love you dearly but you have been known quite well for your inability to find things and do things for yourself, like a toy that's sitting right in front of you or put your underwear on in the right direction;).  I'm not sure what happened but all of a sudden you started to notice things and realize that you could in fact do a great deal of things for yourself and by yourself!  Your dad and I have had a little joke whenever one of these times happens and we'll look at each other and say, "Welcome to the world Cooper!"

You are the most "chill" of the Bass boys thus far for sure.  Give you some lemonade, a snack, and a tv show, movie, or DS game and you are good to go!  You are very content to sit on the couch and watch tv all day and would do so often if we let you!  You love Carter so much and you guys are best buds most of the time.  You go outside and go on secret missions, spy on the neighbors, make forts in your room, fight Mr. Terry, and genuinely enjoy each other's company.  You are also amazingly sweet and good with Hudson.  You call him "Huddy" as we all do and you love to help him play with his toys or find what he's looking for.  You and Carter are the perfect, patient big brothers for a wild and crazy little Hudson.  You are an incredibly picky eater and stick to things you like and steer clear of anything that you've never tried.  You grow solely on mini muffins or waffles for breakfast, hummus and wheat thins, yogurt, or Chick-Fil-A for lunch, and dinosaur chicken the vast majority of dinners.  You will eat fruit easily but vegetables are definitely your least favorite! Corn is about the only vegetable you will knowingly eat.  You are also probably the most loving of your brothers.  You tell us all that you love us at least 5 times a day but it never once gets old!  You are always the first to tell me how pretty I look even on days when I'm not trying to look that way.  As long as my hair is down, all is right in your mommy world.  All three of you have always disliked my hair when I pull it up actually.  You are happy to snuggle and love to sit in our laps still, which I hope won't change any time soon.  You have a natural ability with sports and always seem to shock your coaches and us by doing so well even though you are shy and scared initially.  We are so proud of you for the awesome little boy you have become and love to watch you grow so much.  I just wish you could slow it down just a tiny bit!

Cooper had a busy but fun birthday.  We went to the zoo as a family, raced back home for baseball practice, had Chick-Fil-A dinner for the birthday boy followed by a baseball cake and a slew of presents!  He was one happy and exhausted kid by the end of the day!  We love you to the moon, our one and only Cooper!

Train birthday cookies for Coop's preschool class.

 This picture was just after Jamey finished pushing all three boys on the connector trail from North America to Africa, which was quite a distance given the load he had to push!