Where's the Camera Cord??? Cooper is 17 !

I finally located our camera cord that tends to float around here and am able to share Coopers birthday with you. Cooper is our oldest and clearly the Lord is paving a way for him to move into ministry opportunities with his music in the very near future. I don't know about other mom's with 17 year olds..but for me, this was a really hard birthday. I am so excited for Cooper and yet grieving for our family. I feel like we are closing in on the last year that it's just a given that our family will be together. Living as overseas missionaries and realizing that our children will more than likely not live states away but countries away... i have had many tears , both from pain and great amounts of joy... The pain coming from letting go a little more everyday it seems and the joy from realizing the God is doing something so beautiful with my child that there is no way for me to have imagined his future..
 Cooper, you are a beautiful person ..inside and out... i love you. You make my heart sing. Mom








Cooper, Nancy (his girlfriend) and me.

Lots of friends came and helped us celebrate Coopers birthday.

Some things don't change no matter where you live... pizza is still a favorite food and a must have for birthday parties. yum!!!

Also, a favorite for birthday parties... a translator for the birthday cards when you live in another country! Thank you so much Michelle !

Coopers birthday cake BEFORE his head went into it......

First, they sang to him......

And THEN his head went into the cake... we had no idea that traditionally the birthday "person" gets their head dunked into their birthday cake after they blow out their candles . Therefore, Coopers friends really got him good ! He was a great sport about it too!

Jacob consoling him with a python hold ... not enough that poor Coop couldn't see from so much cake in his eyes... I wish you could have heard how hard we were all laughing and yelling in Pizza Hut. We were definetly the show for the evening ! 

The sweet sweet girl on the right is the one who pushed Coopers head into his cake. She was standing so quietly behind him while the group of people sang... Teska..we should have known that you were up to something sneaky.... hhheeeheee

We love you Cooper ! Can't believe that you're 17 !