cooper's treasure hunt

cooper planned his birthday party themes five years out when he was only 4. and he has stuck to this plan. so this year we had a pirate treasure hunt. it seemed fitting considering we are only minutes from the beach & cooper loves the beach. we had treasure hunting, ship building, cannon practicing, sword fighting, plank walking, swimming, tire swinging, & all sorts of pirating. cooper had some of his favorite foods & a cake fit for a pirate king. the swords proved to be awfully useful. they were used to cut food, the cake, & even open presents. i think it was my favorite party, yet. the setting was beautiful. kanaha isn't my favorite beach for swimming (rumor has it the shark population is a higher than normal here) but i am a sucker for the white sand & bright blue water. everything flowed perfectly, there was no stress, & the kids were so easy to please. cooper had so much fun. everyone did. in fact, the party went 2 hours over! every year when i'm planning a party i swear it's my last. they are exhausting & expensive & a real pain in my okole. but every year when i see how much my kids enjoy being celebrated surrounded by so many people who love them it makes all the work worth it. we love you cooper j!