Santa & the Train Ride

Sunday night we went to a local park for a Holiday Express train ride, and the chance to meet Santa. Jackson wanted nothing to do with Santa, and we respected that and didn't push him. However, to our surprise - Cooper LOVED Santa! He was the hit with all the elves and other people waiting, they kept telling us "Take another picture - look at him!". It was alot of fun, and we hope to make it a yearly tradition.

Holiday Fun

The Stow family got to enjoy 5 whole days with Grammy & Papa! We did so much fun stuff, like playing their Wii (yes, Grammy & Papa bought one for themselves!), visiting the Life & Science museum, celebrating Jeff's birthday and of course enjoying a wonderful turkey dinner with family and close friends. Here's some highlights of our time!

Zoo trip!

Jeff & I have made a tradition of taking Jackson to the zoo every fall, and we were excited to include Cooper in the trip! He didn't see much, but he was an easy traveling companion. The animals were lazy, lazy, lazy - but who can blame them, it was a rainy, dreary day!

Halloween!

Jackson had a great Halloween! It started with a parade and songfest at preschool, and then he had friends over for trick or treating. He enjoyed collecting candy, I think this was the first year he actually got the concept! Coop went along for the ride, but quickly got bored of not being able to do anything!

Hope you enjoy!

Pumpkin Patch

We had a great time taking the boys to pick out pumpkins this weekend. It was the first cold day of the season, and Cooper didn't enjoy the wind that much! Jackson took his time selecting the perfect pumpkins, and then got to feed Otis the donkey. We tried to pose the boys for a photo, it was going great until the mishap!

Enjoy!

Happy 1/2 Birthday, Cooper!

Cooper is 6 months old today! Wow, that went fast. On one hand it seems like just yesterday he was born, and on the other hand our family feels like he's always been here. As a parent, you never, ever expect that something will happen your baby, and when it does it puts things into perspective. So much has happened in his short lifetime, and we are so thankful that he's thriving and happy. We know that we have a long road ahead, but with our friends, family and faith we can get through it all. Jeff & I truly thank God everyday for the blessings we have.

As my favorite author writes - "I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me" - Philippians 4:13 :-)




Birthday:


In the NICU:


Sleeping with Grammy:


First time with cereal:


6 months old!:

Hayride!

Grammy Stow's birthday was Sunday, so we joined them for a Campfire & Hayride party at their country club. The food was yummy,and Jackson loved the hayride with his Daddy. Both boys got decked out in Western gear for the occasion!

My Brave Big Boy!

It's amazing to think we've made it 3 1/2 years without needing an ER trip for our kids. We sure are lucky! However when they decide to get hurt, they go ALL out. While playing at Jeff's company party Friday night, Jackson tripped (darn Crocs) and fell into a fire pit. :-( That's right - fire. Luckily someone immediately grabbed him out. He was very scared & shaken up, and we took him to the ER to get checked out. He has 2nd degree burns on his right arm & hand, but the doctor thinks it's healing great and hopefully won't leave any scars.

He's loving the attention! When else can you get doughnuts for breakfast, 5 tv shows in one day and your daddy sleeping in your room with you?



And one of Cooper for good measure:

The Busy Life of a 3 Year Old

Forget my multivitamins, if I could harness the energy my 3 year old has, I would be a spring chicken! It's amazing how a little one can go all day, not take a nap, stay up late and still wake up raring to go! I keep reminding myself how quickly this time will pass, so i'm enjoying all the fun he brings! We spent a busy weekend with him - we went to a Durham Bulls game with Grandma & Grandaddy, went to a Japanese steak house with our good friends, and played at the park. I'll throw in a picture of Cooper for good measure, too!

Size Comparison!

Since I have 2 boys, I love to compare their sizes wearing the same outfits. See if you can tell which is which!






Any guesses?