Cooper's family birthday

We had a family birthday for Cooper the weekend after his birthday.  Maddie and Adam had come in town, so it was a great chance for the whole family to get together.  We started off the morning going to Cars 2.  The movie really was a little too long for Cooper and the plot was a little complicated to follow (spies, alternative fuel sources, etc).  He struggled through the movie wiggling all over my lap, saved only by a huge bucket of popcorn and a lollipop. 

After coming home to rest for a bit, we headed to the pool to meet Louisa and BJ and Lauren, Cha Cha, and Piper.  All was going great until Cooper decided to start squirting people in the face/head with his water gun.  After warning him to stop and him not listening and then squirting BJ/Colton, I took the gun away.  Then everything went downhill from there.  He threw a massive fit at the pool, complete with getting another water gun out of the bag and using it, knocking over the plastic pool chairs that he was sitting in for time out, jumping into the deep end of the pool all by himself just to spite us, etc.  It went from simply taking away his water gun for not listening to the rules to carrying him kicking and screaming to the car- all at his birthday party celebration.  He was a maniac in the car on the way home and after carrying him up to his room to cool off, he finally calmed down.  The next thing I knew, he was laying in my bed with his froggie and was fast asleep.  This was 6pm.  So, we all went ahead and ate dinner without him. 

 Piper- where is your ear?

 The cousins:

 Carol, Paw Paw and Polly:

 Uncle BJ and Piper and Paw Paw:

Cha Cha and Lauren:

 Lou and Colton:

 Little Coltie:

 

 Clide and Louisa:

 I tried to wake him up after dinner to do his cake and presents, but he still couldn't completely shake it off and he refused to blow out his candles or even stand near the cake, so Peyton, Karsten, Maddie and Adam blew out his candles and we all ate his cake and ice cream.  He did have some of his cake, but seemed in no mood to open presents, so we just called it a night.  It was one of the most exhausting days of my life.  Rob and I went to bed asking ourselves how we could have done things differently.  Bad/difficult/challenging behavior is not uncommon at our house, but not when you are the birthday boy and we are supposed to be celebrating you.  I hope this is not what being 4 is all about!