Happy Birthday Cooper, Part IV: THE FINAL CHAPTER (of Cooper's fifth birthday-- it sounded really ominous without the parenthetical)

Ben's parents joined us for another one of our SUPER SPORTY SATURDAYS (that, I fear, will only get sportier and more super as more kids start playing sports) to watch football and baseball and have a birthday lunch with Cooper.  It was fun even though Dorothy and Cooper lost their shit at baseball and had to go home early.  And this is the only picture I took.

 This was cake #3.

 We had a small dinner party on Saturday night that got out of control, as they often do.

 Sunday, the boys all walked the dog in costume because why not.

 We also spent a pleasant hour at the park before realizing if we didn't go home right that very second we would be late for Cooper's birthday party, and it's bad form for the host to be late.

 So, as you know, Cooper is now 5, and I figured 5 was a good age to start doing drop-off birthday parties, so I was very clear on the invitation that parents could drop their kids off.  But!  We had the party at a trampoline park, and I have taken the kids there a few times, never on the weekends and-- truth be told-- usually during the tiny tots jump time.  So I was completely unprepared for the place to be insanely busy and full of loud, rough HUGE kids and adults and teenage workers on their phones as opposed to supervising the kids on the trampolines and rock wall.  I was suddenly so, so glad that none of the helicopter preschool parents wanted to drop their kids off.  (Well, one mom did, and I watched her kid closer than any of my own because DAMN that place was not very good for a pack of 4 year-olds.)

 Not going to lie-- the dodgeball part was fun.

 NOBODY got lost or injured, so it was a WINNER of a party in my book.  (My standards are so low by baby #3's 5th birthday, huh?)

 Total fake smile.  He just wanted to eat his broccoli in peace.

 CAKE NUMBER 4.

 The party guy screwed up our timing a little, and Cooper didn't get to open his gifts at the party which was an epic freaking tragedy, let me telly you.  But he happily tore into them at home.

 Dodgeball.  Super fun.

 He played very intensely the whole time and was incredibly sweaty and disheveled by the end.

 So was she.

 Only briefly glimpsed Harry on the rock wall and didn't see Jack until he burst into the party room to guzzle Capri Suns and eat three pieces of pizza.  I assume that means he had fun.

And now sweet Cooper is hard at work on his thank-you notes:

Oh wait!  I found Jack: