that boy is good ...

for starters ...
give yourself two extra points if you got the Randy Watson reference
i like the way you think !

unfortunately, this post is not about the cinematic accomplishments
of one edward murphy [middle name = regan ... who knew?]

rather, the star in question is one christopher kringle
you may know him as father christmas
but i prefer to call him santa

whichever moniker you prefer
there is one thing that we can all agree on ...
the man runs a slick organization !

not only have i received a phone call from his office
but his marketing team sent me this video

as a child of the internet [web 2.0] age
i am pretty comfortable with what some might perceive
as surveillance that pushes the boundaries of the patriot act

and the naughty/nice dichotomy ...
while some may see this as a misguided & draconian gifting policy
i relish the simple, binary nature of the agreement

screw up, get caught and you are out of luck
this tough love stance is balanced by the sweet proposition
promised by the other side of the coin ...

earn the 'nice" designation and you are golden
assuming it fits down the chimney, all you you have to do is ask !

feeling extremely confident that i am on the good list
my thoughts are shifting to other concerns ...

while this may technically be my 3rd christmas
it is hard to pull any take-aways from my first go round

& last year i was more interested in gift wrap than gifts

but this year ...
i have evolved and can look past the hollow outer trappings
to the goodies inside !

what does all of this have to do with the price of tea in china ?
i am glad you asked and i will tell ya ...

in the video linked above, santa has documented my
gift selection as "thomas the tank engine"
well it just so happens that my desire du jour has wavered

do not get me wrong ... i love me some thomas the train
throw in a harold, a percy and a tunnel ... you can't go wrong
it is just that ... well ... you see ...

two days ago i introduced you to my new friend buzz lightyear
and one can hardly have a buzz without a woody
that would just be un-natural
like kool aid with no sugar, peanut butter with no jelly
hold on ... let's get this post back on track
we can't be mixing chris tucker references with coming to america
though it is just a matter of time before ice-cube does a pixar flick

so like i was saying ...
is it too late to inform santa that i have changed my mind ?
mom and dad assure me that he knows

and is he aware that i will need special handling ?
deliveries to pennsylvania and wisconsin

you know what ...
i think i will just send him a tweet
and maybe add a movie or two to the list while i am at it

thank you all for your time and attention

and here we go ...

when people learn that i was born on 12/24

i often sense sympathy in their reaction

as if the date's proximity to christmas

somehow lessens its importance

or that i am destined to miss out on something

sure ... it is cold outside this time of year

and when i reach school age

any birthday cupcakes will likely be lost in a blur

of hand-print turkeys, cotton-ball snowmen

and a mass of sugary, red & green treats

but on the plus side ...

it is not likely that i will ever have to go to school on my birthday

nor will my parents have to leave the house for work

rather, it is likely that I will be surrounded by many family & friends

what i am trying to say is that no pity is required here

to the contrary, i am excited for the pending festivities !

we are talking about a couple days of presents & parties

in fact, in preparation for this one-two punch of awesome

I have started a light training regimen …

last wednesday we kicked things off with a practice shindig

a pseudo celebratory soiree if you will

mom went all out with cupcakes and crafts

we colored trains and made some holiday themed shrinky-dinks

dad’s star ornament is pictured below [pre-shrink]

extra credit if you can find the finished version on the tree

after enjoying our sweets and exercising our creative muscles

it was time for the main event …

one has to be careful to pace their unwrapping

when dealing with such a back-to-back bonanza of bounty

so I rehearsed the seductive dance of deconstruction

savoring each tear, anticipating the ultimate reveal

after a few days of rest it was time to continue drilling

this time with a focus on the mental toughness required

to look beyond the perfectly good toys in your midst

and focus on the potential reward of the unknown

such magnificent mysteries bound by small pieces of tape

i do not mean to sound ungrateful but …

every moment that I am playing with a boat

is a moment that I could have been

playing with trains !

those that know me well

are familiar with my predilection for locomotives

and as such, will be pleased to know that

last evening we went on a train ride !

not only were we on the train …

but santa and his crew made an appearance

there was a reindeer, a snowman, elves

and even a sweet-smelling gingerbread man

so I repeat …

do not feel sorry for me and the timing of my birthday

i am blessed to have many things

and many great people in my life

sure … sometimes they force me to don goofy headwear

Even though we agreed that I have paid my dues

on the forced hat photo front

but all in all we have a lot of fun

i only hope that you are so lucky

as to share your birthday

and your holidays with the ones you love

If we do not speak again for a week or more …

have a merry Christmas

a happy new year

and a Hawkeye touchdown filled insight bowl !

that is a lot of candles ...

happy birthday
uncle mike

i hope you had a special day

i doubt it was

elmo pizza party with your uncle special
but i hope you had fun

mixing things up ...

in case you have not noticed
i want to be the first to inform you that
the holidays are here !

to you and yours ...
a merry christmas, hanukkah, kwanzaa
or if you are accessing this site from canada ...
happy whatever they celebrate in america's beret


'tis the season of family and friends
of giving and being thankful*
* again ... assuming you are not canadian

'tis the season of sharing big meals and big fun
as always, it is a time for building choo-choo tunnels

'tis the season of writing letters and collecting cards
and a good time to use your camera's self timer
might also be a good time for dad to work on his "photo smile"

'tis the season for gathering with family
for giving gifts and hosting guests


speaking of family, gifts and guests ...

i would like to introduce you [my guest]
to the newest gift [a baby boy] to our family

that's my cousin ... bentley thomas bahr !

continuing the theme ...
i now offer [gift] the work of a guest photographer
who our family met at the festival of trees

photo credit: patrick mansell

my apologies for recycling an image
that you likely already saw on psu live
or the penn state facebook page

this reminds me ... i have been meaning to talk to you
about all the time you spend online
is your holiday shopping done ?

it all makes sense now ...

i believe that i am beginning to understand why
dad has the tendency to speak so much [at times]

you see ... due to his follicular challenges
the man is working with one less tool in his gestural toolkit

take a look at the following image ...

sure, the big eyes and chubby cheeks pull you in
the button nose and gapped grin elicit pleasant emotions
but it is that wayward wisp of golden hair
and the blurry curls on the horizon
that really speak to my playful spirit

but now...
like a shorn samson
i have lost some of my evocative powers

what are we looking at here ...
surprise, excitement, bewilderment, joy ?

so long ... wild morning hair
we shall meet again

gobble gobble ...

we are looking forward to the long weekend
at the casa de cooper

don't get me wrong ...
most weekends [especially those during college football season]
are pretty special around here

but during the holidays ...
we turn the dial to 11 on rockwellian charm

and speaking of college football ...
this year we are thankful for
the gift of an early Hawkeye Football game*

not only does it mean that we get dad home for an extra day
but we also have the luxury of spreading out the pig-skinned goodness
and it avoids the possibility of viewing conflicts with the penn state game
which, considering the implications of the battle at camp randall ...
is a good thing

as we all know ... sometimes just watching such a contest
can be as fatiguing as participating in it

* 11am IOWA time on friday ... check your local listings

it ain't easy being green ...

dad always tells me how lucky i am
to have a creative, caring teacher for a mother
well today ... she brought her A game

please note: for those who are aghast
by the "waste" of all that bubble wrap ...
tell it to amazon.com
this is a portion of the dunnage that accompanied
something we ordered online
something the size of your fist
that was shipped in a box you could bury a horse in !

you make the call ...

a simple before and after
remember, there is no "right answer"

hey ma ... look what i made
it sticks to the cat really well !

i would love to clean my plate
& let you have some quiet time


ok ... maybe that was not a proper comparison
in the interest of fair play
i offer the following pair of images ...

cherubic, surfer chic

sneeze, yawn or burp
it is still a good looking haircut !

it was just a matter of time ...

it was inevitable ...
the progress was so slow at first
but it gradually picked up speed
and what was once deemed shaggy and cute
became decidedly scruffy & unkempt


as so, the fun with scissors began ...

i knew it was going to go well
as soon as i saw the cape

i had no idea that squirt bottles would be involved !

but one can only smile at
their own evolving reflection for so long

eventually i got a little bored
i imagine this is why dad rarely visits the barber

but it was all worth it in the end

i must admit that there is some sadness in the realization
that my quest to resurrect the mullet
ended as quickly as it began

but on the plus side ...
i was starting to get tired of the whole
"what a cute little girl" thing

classic cool ...

i know you didn't ask but ...

if mellencamp* were an adjective
[* as in john cougar]

and its entry in webster's required an illustration

it would look like this !


and as long as you are shopping for images
check out the one we have for ...

thumbs up for matching over-alls

shall we play ...

how about a quick game of catch-up ?
since the last time we gathered here
there has been ...

one big pumpkin

one big game

more pumpkins ... for carving

lots of leaves ... for piling

another pumpkin ... posed this time

a two pillow stacked hat

a pair of candy-filled pumpkins

more than one big grin

two little hands [pictured with pumpkin]

& done.