End of the School Year Craziness!

 I'll catch up on a few things that have happened--first off, Cooper had his final ballroom recital and including his TWO cabarets, he danced 18 times! He was exhausted, but so happy. He's truly found his place in ballroom. The kids there are just......kind and good. As well as kick-ass dancers. 😂 Here's a few of his pictures in costume:

You can't see in this picture, but Cooper's arms really are quite big. He's up to 200 pounds deadlifting at the gym. 

Then tonight was his junior prom. He asked his friend Kendal (same one he went to the Halloween dance with) and they had a fantastic time! Here's a few pictures of them:

Whew! We have 15 days of school left, but our summer is jam-packed. If you remember, last summer was boring---we all mostly worked. Well, it was to prepare for this one! First up, a trip to the Layton Temple open house, then the California ballroom tour with Cooper. Amelia decided to join us, so it'll be so much fun to have the whole family there! More updates to come.

Cooper is 17?!

Cooper Flynn turned 17 YEARS OLD TODAY! The time is going by so quickly. I remember cuddling this cute, chubby, happy toddler like it was yesterday.

Cooper is full of charm, mischief, wit, and outright fun. He is such a happy, kind, strong,  funny, thoughtful young man and we can't imagine life without him. There is never a dull moment with him and I love him more than words can say! He is still in Bel-Canto choir, has an amazing friend group at school, has worked SO hard in his ballroom classes, cabaret and loves lift! He's kept his workout routine up and is so strong. He's taking a mission prep class and it's crazy to think by this time next year he could have a mission call. 

He's been a charmer since birth, still loves to never wear pants, has an AMAZING sense of humor, and a smile that is contagious and gets him out of a lot of trouble! Happy birthday, Coop! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Amelia Turns 20!

 TWENTY years ago, at 9:11 pm, I was blessed with the most beautiful, caring, talented, loving, smart, funny, determined, and kind-hearted, 8 lb. 6 oz. girl I know. And everyone else who meets her agrees with me. :-)

I know I've said it before, but Amelia is such a sweetheart. She is SO happy, optimistic, cheerful and hard working. She has single-handedly saved all the money for her Europe trip this summer. She might be small, but she's mighty. I'm so impressed with what she's accomplished in life, and I'm excited to see her navigate adulthood. She is a mature beyond her years but still loves to be silly and laugh. She's rarely without a smile.

 Happy birthday Amelia! Enjoy your special day.  WE LOVE YOU!!!

Cooper Did It Again!

  Last weekend was another ballroom competition--it was a doozy, held over 3 days. COOPER AND CLAIRE PLACED 2nd AGAIN!! They changed up a few things in their cabaret, and nailed their routine. It is so much fun (as well as nerve-racking) to watch them perform. I'm pretty sure I don't breathe the whole 2:45 of their dance. I'm so, so, SO proud of Cooper. He's worked so hard and is seeing the results. Here's  few (like a ton) of pictures. I'll try to post the video.

Video link:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/jJxy9ixyp828e41s5

In team routines, he also placed 1st, 2nd, and two 4ths. Here's a few of those pictures:

The last day was syllabus, which is a looooong day. Cooper was tired, and when it came time to dance the swing he and his partner (also his friend) Sarah decided to just have fun. This video makes me laugh every time I watch it--especially the shoulder shimmy and head throw. I love that Cooper loves dancing. He's number 420 (yes, I know.) I'm attaching the link, because the video it too big:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/3VmpzBHnoDGBuabz8

2024 Update

I'm trying to be better about posting so I don't have such a massive load of pictures to download. January and February have been busy with ballroom competitions and performances. Cooper and his partner Claire competed for the first time two weekends ago in Utah. It was especially fun because we picked up Katie to come with us. It's a good thing we did, because I was shaking so much with nervousness the video would've been horrible! Turns out I didn't have to worry, because Cooper and Claire NAILED their routine! They even had a last minute change before going on the floor and still snagged SECOND PLACE out of 13 couples in their division!  ON THIER FIRST COMPETITION!! I'm so, so, so, so, SO proud of Cooper and all his hard work. He was absolutely thrilled and couldn't stop smiling. He's been working so hard and it was fantastic to see that work pay off. Here's a picture of him with Claire and their coach Sara, along with the award-winning video.

His video is too big to post, so I'll attach a link that will hopefully work:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/EB8eDWE7ZmRpRt276

After that crazy and amazing night, we rushed back home so Cooper could go to the Sweetheart's Dance later that night. He went with Katie, one of his dance partners:

Finally, just this last weekend we had another ballroom showcase. Cooper danced his cabaret with Claire again, along with his two ballroom team routines, and his silver lift. He literally danced all day. 😆 I'll post the lift routine and pictures below. His partner in that class is his good friend Sage, so it's fun to watch them dance together. 

 Again, the video was too big, so I'll post a link that hopefully works:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/gTm7GtF5mrYFYRWb8

Whew! I think that's all for now. I realize it was all Cooper, but Amelia has mostly been concentrating on her 17 credit semester. She'll have more of the spotlight later this year, I'm sure. 😀