Gobble, Gobble 2009

This year for Thanksgiving we went again to Cullman, AL to see our friends Wes and Chrysi. Wes's sister and brother-in-law live there and were gracious to welcome us to their home for the second year in a row. It is five start accommodations for sure and we would probably pay money to vacation there. It was a full house with 6 adults and 6 kids who ranged in age from 4 to 6 months.
Cullman was where we celebrated Carter's first Thanksgiving so it was only fitting that we where able to celebrate Jack's there as well. It was also another first in the turkey department. Last year was deep fried and this year was smoked; it was very good. We stayed through until Saturday and really enjoyed our time with our friends. You can see all the pictures here.

Jack (o-latern's) First Halloween

Halloween decorations in Lowe's and around our neighborhood provided Carter with endless amusement this year. He got so excited to see anything with a pumpkin face, ghost or witch; but forget about those scary scarecrows they were just too much for this guy. So having multiple Halloween apparel at our house made getting dressed this month fantastically exciting for Carter. And let's be honest, he has continued to wear his long-sleeved Halloween shirt from Gee well into November because the joy it brings him is way more important than a possible fashion faux pas.

As for Jack, he is just happy watching the chaos unfold around him. Despite Jack's serious demeanor in photos, he is constantly giggling at anything Carter does (great, more reinforcement for those quirky toddler behaviors that we mommies like to nip in the bud). The boys now "play" together and it is one of those precious mommy moments that I have been dreaming about since I got pregnant with Jack. It is in those blissful few minutes when neither child is aware that I am silently watching from around the corner that brings parenthood to a whole new level. So we tried to catch the "bliss" below with photos of the boys just being themselves.

Carter was Elmo and Jack was a chili pepper (in case the costumes left little to the imagination). The kids stayed in their costumes long enough to snap a few photos and walk to our neighbor's house. They did not go trick-or-treating simply because they are too young to understand the concept. The big kids carved the pumpkins and handed out candy from the front porch while drinking some beers. All in all, Halloween was low-key and purely fun. There's nothing like watching all the magic through your child's eyes.

Pumpkins for the Pumpkins

We took Carter & Jack to the pumpkin patch that one of the local churches was putting on. While not the same pumpkin patches we grew up with, it still exceeded our expectations.

It was Carters first big outing with no stroller.

He was interested in everything right from the start.

This was taken on the little hayride that they had. Of course neither boy would look at the camera with so much going on.

Lots of pumpkins, what a fun day.

Jack

A Whirlwind Tour

3 destinations, 5 states, thousands of miles made our latest trip quite the undertaking, especially with two children under two. We left FWB on 6 Aug and flew to Rochester via Atlanta. It was Jack's first flight and he did very well. Carter is a seasoned air traveler by now, but he isn't crazy about the whole "stay in your seat" concept. Overall, he did very well.

We stayed with Emily's family and on Saturday, Cooper's family started to arrive for Jack's baptism on Sunday. He did very well through the whole thing. All of Emily's college roommates were able to attend which made it especially nice for Emily.

On Monday we drove to VT to see Grandmother in Shelburne and stayed at Mary and Ernie's. The accommodations were 5 star as always. Grandmother was glad to meet Jack and Carter did very well in the Wake Robin dining room. The visit was much too short overall and we headed back to Fairport on Wednesday.

The final main event of this trip was Jason Molino's wedding. It was a wonderful weekend filled with Norwich friends and good times. Anna and Jason had a beautiful wedding and we are looking forward to seeing them again sometime soon.

Overall, it was a busy, but a great trip. You can see all NY and VT photos by clicking here. Photo's from Jason and Anna's wedding are available on Facebook.

What We Saw On Our Sunday Drive

Who would have thought that this little gem was practically in our backyard. If only we'd know, we would've lived here for sure.

The Family That Eats Together

After finally getting over our shock and disgust at the thought of eating at 5:00pm, we have started to eat dinner together as a family every week-night. We decided there would never be the "perfect time" to start this process, so why not now. So far it has been going great. Carter is eating even better than before because he has fewer distractions during meal time. Emily isn't having to make as many kids meals since Carter can usually just have what we're having. We are feeling like our evenings are much more free since when Carter goes down at 6:00, we are already done with dinner and can just focus on Jack. Cooper's work schedule won't always allow us to do this, but for now, we are loving it.

Lights, Camera, ...

My very talented sister Cate put this video together from their trip here. Enjoy.

Full House

We were so happy to have the Hartzell family come and visit us over the 4th of July holiday. Carter was especially glad to see his cousins and had a blast trying to keep up with Jamie and Will. Some of the highlights from the visit included a trip to the Big Kahuna's water park, the free splash park on Eglin AFB, and a trip to the beach. Chris had to leave on Sunday, but Cate and the boys stayed until Wed. Cate was even nice enough to take care of the boys so we could go on a little date to a new restaurant. Overall it was a great visit. You can see all the pictures by clicking on this link.

The Double Wink

Big Brother is Watching

Many people have asked us how Carter is adjusting to his new role as big brother to Jack. The answer is: great! He has been so sweet that we have actually been a little surprised. He acts very worried whenever he hears Jack crying. If Jack is in his swing and he's crying, Carter comes rushing over and tries to put the pacifier in Jack's mouth. He also pats his feet and says "aww, aww" whenever he walks by him. The boys recently received stuffed animals from Aunt Mary and Uncle Ernie. Carter didn't understand that one was for him and kept trying to pile them both with Jack. So far, Carter has adjusted to his new role and the changes in our house very well. You can see all the photos of them together by clicking here.

Welcome Jack

John Wesley Steele (aka Jack) was born on 13 May at 1500 in the hospital on Eglin AFB, FL. He was delivered by unplanned cesarean section and weighed in at 6 lbs 11 ozs and is 19 inches long. We are so exited that Jack has made his appearance and are happy to have him as a member of our family. So far Carter is adjusting well to his new role as big brother and has been very gentle (and a little apprehensive) towards his brother. Everyone is home now and doing well. You can see all the pictures from Jack's arrival by clicking this link to our web album.

Sing in the shower

It has been a long time since we've posted anything to the blog, so to make up for it here is long video. Carter is turning out to be a very chatty kid, but he is especially chatty in the tub.

Colander Head

The picture says it all.

Caught on Camera..

Here are two more video's from Carter's first Christmas. The first is of Carter opening a present in Fairport from his Uncle Tim. The second video was taken in Princeton and shows Jamie and Will on Christmas morning.

Carter's First Christmas

Carter's first Christmas was a big success! After a somewhat harrowing trip to Burlington, Carter was able to see real snow for the first time in his life. We did a little shopping in Burlington, but our Alabama blood did not do well in the Vermont cold.

Carter was thrilled to be able to see Great-Mother on this trip. She invited us to dine with her in the Wake Robin dining room where Cater was once again the star of the show. He did very well through the meal and was delighted to see that many of the items on the menu were just right for him.

We're sure that one highlight for the trip for Carter was getting to see his cousins. Will was a little under the weather, but Jamie was more than happy to show Carter how to play with trains and do other big-boy stuff. It was a lot of fun to watch the three of them together.

We celebrated Christmas with the whole family in Princeton and were glad that Caroline's friend Geoff was able to join us this year. There was snow on the ground so we'll count it as a white Christmas. Carter was a little overwhelmed by the activity, but he enjoyed watching his cousins open their presents.

From Princeton we headed to Fairport for Christmas part two as well as Carter's first birthday. Unfortunately, Bob and Inez were sick and Carter was not able to celebrate his birthday with them. Uncle Tim, Aunt Hannah, Grammie and Grandpa all did their best to spoil Carter and he had a great time in spite of a nasty ear infection. Next year will be even better.

You can see all the pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/cooperandemily/Christmas2008?authkey=EDsrjWQWQhg&feat=directlink