Meeting the Coopers!

My mom is one of two children born to Lee and Opal Cooper. She has an older brother, Richard and that's it. Just the two of them. One boy, one girl.

Uncle Richard and his family, as long as I can remember, have always lived in the Dallas, Texas area. And we have not. Since I was an infant, my family lived in New Jersey, Utah, Alaska and we got a little bit closer when we moved to Georgia.

The times when we did see the Coopers were rare and special. I remember meeting up with them in Disney World at the end of my 4th grade year. I also remember meeting them for a week at my grandpa's cabin outside Chouteau, Oklahoma (about an hour from Tulsa), and I recall going to their house in Richardson once when I was in middle school. And that's it. Until our beloved grandma and grandpa passed away.

Grandma Cooper died in February 1992. I was 15...right before we moved to Alaska. We moved Grandpa up to our house in Alaska the summer of 1993. He died in January 1994. I was almost 17. It has been TWENTY (and a half) YEARS since I've seen my Uncle Richard and cousin Rusty.

Interestingly enough, out of the blue a few years ago, I got an email from my cousin Lisa. She was going to be in Wilsonville, Oregon for her friend's wedding and wondered if we could meet up for dinner with her husband, son and Aunt Jan before they left town. So we met at Jake's in downtown Portland. Up until that point...it had been 17 years since we had seen each other. Too long!! But it's funny how with family, or at least these people, we just picked up where we left off.

When I found out we were going to be moving to Texas, the Coopers were the second to find out. I told them they could run, but not hide from us! I was bound and determined to have my children meet their Cooper relatives.

Once Jared finished work in Oregon and joined us in Texas again, we made a plan to meet up in Fort Worth for lunch.

It took us about 3 hours and 15 minutes. Not bad. Just like driving to a Mariners game in Seattle, and in some cases, it was a shorter drive to Ft. Worth. It's funny though because since arriving in Texas, we hear from the natives that any other place in Texas is "oh, about 2 hours from here" or "it's just 2 hours." Even if it's 3 or 4 or more! :) We met at Lisa and Steve's house so we could catch up and get pictures.

I was thinking I'd have to lead the way and introduce everyone but the Coopers were hugging and mauling the kids before I could make it through the door.

It was so great to see them again. Not just because I've missed them, but because they're the only link I have to my sweet Grandma and Grandpa Cooper and they're the only link my children have. We're building generations now and the Coopers are a part of our family history and our kids are a part of their bloodline.

Uncle Richard and Rusty...they are crazy, hysterical nuts. They get it from Grandpa. Grandpa would be just as silly and ornery. I love that about them, too. I can get my Grandpa fix from them. If it isn't obvious, I loved my Grandma and Grandpa Cooper so much that I named one of my sons after them.

So now for the fun part. PICTURES!

This first one is of Rusty and Jake and Cooper...with Uncle Richard photo bombing the picture.

Cooper and Rusty's reaction...Jake just going with the flow :)

Me, Rusty, Lisa, Aunt Jan and Uncle Richard. I love these peeps!! (Even though Uncle Richard pushed me down the stairs when I was a baby--that's what I've been told anyway ;)

 



 



These next five pictures crack me up. JJ was standing near Rusty so I was going to take a picture of them together. JJ didn't get the memo and just kept walking (while I was backing up and laughing, hence the foreground blurriness).

But I directed JJ back to Rusty and this is what happened. If I could read JJ's thoughts, I'm guessing they'd go something like this:

JJ: Uhhh...okay. Hello new guy.

JJ: Sooo, I'm not sure what we're doing here together. I'm not supposed to talk to strangers...even though I can't talk.

JJ: Yeah, just really wanted to play with this Ironman toy. Is this guy for real?

JJ: Mom, a little help here...

Here are the Hough/Spratt second cousins or some of the great-grandchildren of Lee and Opal Cooper. (Your second cousins are the people in your family who have the same great-grandparents as you but not the same grandparents). Aiden and Mason are in the middle. I think the adults were impressed we got them all in one place and to stop moving at the same time. Bonus that they're all looking at the camera! (As a side note: it took me longer to get JAKE out of the room and to put the mega Nerf gun down than it did the little kids! No surprise there!)

The Coopers took us to the Fort Worth Stockyards.

This stagecoach was coming through the parking lot on our way to the restaurant.

Couldn't resist getting a picture of Jake with this sign.

We ate at Habeneros. That was some tasty Mexican.

This is the group! We're a little hard to see but you get the idea. We were seated in the back. A very WISE decision on the part of the hostess :)

Calvin (6) and Aiden (8) making funny faces.

Little Mason (3) with his dad, Steve, doing the same as the big boys :) Steve was a stud. He sat down at the far end of the table with those three boys so his wife could sit up by the rest of the adults allowing us to talk. It was a very sweet gesture and I really appreciated it! Although, now I'm wondering if that was a strategic move on his part so he didn't HAVE to be around Rusty and Uncle Richard ;)

Jake and Rusty and even Cooper had plenty to talk about between computers and Shark week and online computer games. At one point during the meal, I made the mistake of calling out "Cooper!" to get my son's attention. Five people turned around :)

Silly boys!

Uncle Richard checking in with the little guys.

The four token females! And what Cooper picture isn't complete without bunny ears? Karcyn, your great-grandpa Cooper would be proud!

 



Karcyn with her great-aunt Jan. Aunt Jan promised Karcyn she would take her horse riding the next time we go to their house. Karcyn's totally going to hold on to that promise, too!

 

After lunch, we walked along the main street. These big fans (not pictured) that blew water mist were divine! Calvin especially enjoyed them. I will say though, it is not as humid in Dallas/Ft. Worth like it is in College Station. In fact, I couldn't feel any humidity...just the heat.

 

 

 

Aunt Jan wanted to take the kids on some pony rides before we left and she wanted me to sit on a Longhorn! The Longhorn, however, was taking a lunch break by the time we finished our lunch, so that will have to wait until another day!

Karcyn on her pony named Ghost.

JJ on his "neigh".

Cooper being the ever cool dude.

Calvin on his "baby horse."

Karcyn loved riding Ghost!

And Aunt Jan and Uncle Richard continued with their generosity by buying the kids ice cream. I've decided that ice cream and Texas just don't mix. The ice cream bars were half melted by the time we got them out of the wrapper. JJ tried to drink his out of the cup :) Thank goodness for baby wipes!! We needed several. They were a mess! I guess my kids just need to learn to eat their ice cream faster!  

 

 

So Aunt Jan says Karcyn and Calvin look like me and she kept calling me Cindy (my mum)--which was a total compliment! When we were eating ice cream, Rusty said that JJ reminded him of Uncle Al (my dad). JJ (and Jake) definitely take after the Lee side. They have the longer, oval faces and blue eyes.

As we headed back to the car, Calvin wanted a picture with this Longhorn that was out by the parking lot. It put its head down to eat right as I took the picture. And then, when I took the second picture, it started pooping, but I spared everyone from that yumminess.

We loved our few hours with the Coopers. Of course, it ended way too soon, but we couldn't keep them all day and we were going to visit our Oregon friends, the McGraths, who just so happened to move to Dallas the same time we moved to College Station. We couldn't believe it! Since we were already going to be in the "area," we had to "swing" by (even though the "swing" took more than an hour and a half). We toyed with the idea of spending the night up there, but Jared had been asked to speak in Sacrament meeting that next day.

 

I'm SOOO relieved the Hough crew and Cooper/Spratt clan have finally met and clicked! The Texas relatives are no longer a mystery to my children :) We can't wait until we can visit them again and I'm fairly certain Grandma and Grandpa were enjoying our reunion too!