Hey, Santa!

Last week, Andy and I took the boys to see Santa.

Parker was a big fan and Cole slept the whole time.

I enjoyed it because I got to dress the boys in matching Christmas sweaters. (Yes, I've become one of those mothers!)

Parker did have a few talking points to cover with Santa....

He wanted to know where the reindeer and sleigh were.

He wanted to tell Santa his other name was "St. Nick."

And lastly, he wanted to "order" his trucks. (That's really what he told Santa and us afterward...silly boy!!)

I love the holidays. But I really love experiencing the holidays through the eyes of a child. It adds another layer of joy and awe to such a special time of year.

Visiting Santa...yet another thing to love about this season!

Sweet Baby Cole

Here are Cole's newborn photos, round two. Or as Andy calls them "Naked baby, lots of hats." Either way, I enjoyed taking them almost as much as I like looking back at them. He's already grown and changed so much since that day....I kinda want to freeze time.

Here are my favorites!

If Only...

If only there were 27 hours in a day, I might get my to do list done.

If only I had started shopping before having a baby, I might not have to resort to gift cards.

If only I were more organized, every room in the house might be clean.

If only I needed less sleep, I might have time to work out.

If only my days weren't so full, I might have time to blog.

But lucky for me, my days are full...

Extremely full of these sweet boys...

And I wouldn't have it any other way!

I feel so blessed to be their Mommy. Love them!!

Cute Boys...

Parker's new favorite activity is to "go in Cole's room and take pictures."

He loves to hold his "little fella" and smile. Cole looks a little smushed in a lot of their photos together...but still cute!

Cute Brothers...

Cute Cole...

Cute Parker...

Cute Andy...

Parker actually took this picture of Andy. Pretty good for a three year old!

I think we may have another photo enthusiast on our hands!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope your Thanksgiving was tasty & terrific!!

New Brothers

What do you do when you're three and you have a new baby brother??
Well, if you're Parker.....

You ask to hold him. A lot. And then you smother him with kisses. Lots of kisses.

You lay in his crib with him.

You read him books. Lots of books.

And you even share your blue blankie with him.

Which is amazing, because you don't share blue blankie with anyone!!

So far you're a big fan of your "little fella." We'll see what you come up with next week!

Look!

Look who's already one week old!!

Sweet baby Cole!

Cole is a week old today! This first week has gone remarkably well. We've been home for 4 days and are settling into a routine. Cole eats every 2 to 4 hours and sleeps/hangs out the rest of the day. He seems to be very content unless he's hungry. He's awake much more than Parker was as a newborn. We've had a couple of night sessions where he didn't want to sleep, but was content to look around and be cuddled. I was happy to oblige! If I had to find a negative, it's that he waits until his diaper is off to go potty. Where we'd normally use 2 diapers, we end up going through 3. If this keeps up we may need to invest in Pampers stock. :) Honestly, I'm just trying to take it slow and savor these days. I know how quickly he's going to grow and change. Keep your fingers crossed his laid back personality is permanent!

The Arrival of Cole Hunter Jackson

Baby "Roger" is finally here! Last Thursday, November 11th, Cole Hunter Jackson was born! He arrived at 12:25 pm. He weighed 8 pounds 1 ounce and was 19 1/4 inches long. He has dark blue eyes and lots of dark brown hair (which explains all the heartburn!) So far he has been a sweet, laid back, cuddly baby. He only gets fired up when he's hungry or having a diaper change. If he's wearing a hat, I think he looks so much like Parker. When you can see all his dark hair, he's a totally different baby. Cole is such a welcome addition to our family. I truly feel blessed beyond words.

Cole arrived via planned c-section. It was great! Compared to his brother's induction then emergency c-section, this was a much easier and calmer delivery. Our only hiccup of the day was getting rear ended on our way to the hospital. We weren't hurt, but our poor (brand new, didn't even have license plates yet!) car sustained some damage. It's headed to the body shop tomorrow. Good thing I can't drive for two weeks! Luckily we kept our sense of humor and still made it to the hospital on time.

Parker has done a great job becoming a big brother. He's so sweet to Cole! He loves to hold and kiss his baby. He keeps calling him "little fella" and it's the cutest thing ever! I feel like he's grown up soooo much overnight. I was really worried about how he would handle all the changes and he's been doing really well! I think it helps that he got to spend 4 fun days with Mimi, Nana & Papa. It was such a relief to know Parker was having a blast while we were in the hospital.

We came home a day early and are trying to find our new normal. I'm feeling pretty good. Andy has taken a week off work to be here with us and it's been wonderful. He's such a good Daddy to Parker and Cole. He's also been taking great care of me. I can't imagine doing any of this without him. I Love you, Babe! Here are some pictures of Cole's arrival and our time in the hospital.

One last (giant) belly pic:

Meeting Mommy & Daddy:

Sweet baby Cole:

After his first bath:

Our Family of Four:

Parker meeting his brother:


All dressed up &

Ready to go home!

Off to start our new life together!

I Can't Wait

...to see my feet.

...to not have heartburn.

...for baby to have a name other than "Roger."

...to see Andy holding our tiny (or not so tiny) newborn.

...for Parker meet his little brother.

...to hear those first cries.

...to meet this baby!!

I want to see him, hold him, kiss him & count little fingers & toes!

Prayers that all goes well tomorrow!

I'll update as soon as I can!

Dinosaur Delight!!

Last weekend we took Parker to see some life size, animatronic Dinosaurs. Needless to say he was pretty amazed! He was also a little bit scared. They moved, roared and were quite ferocious. It was a beautiful day and a great way to spend it with our lil' paleontologist!

Trick or T-Rex!

Happy Halloween 2010! This year we attended Owen & Liam's 2nd annual Halloween Party. First, a yummy pot luck dinner and then we hit the streets for tricks & treats! I know you're surprised to see that Parker went as a dinosaur. He was a T-Rex, or "sharp tooth" to be exact.

My lil' T-Rex

Lots of Roaring & Stomping...

Twelve Trick or Treaters

The first house had candy & a pet snake. Our T-Rex was very interested in his fellow reptilian creature.

Dino with Daddy

& Mommy

Princess Skye, Froggie Luke & Dino Parker...all were too distracted by the candy to look at the camera. This is the best picture I could get of all three together. Sugar overload, perhaps??

Happy Halloween! Can't wait to see what we are next year!

Happy 3rd Birthday Parker!!

Happy 3rd Birthday Parker!! I can't believe you're three already! You really enjoyed your birthday. We celebrated with all your friends at a Diego/Gymnastics Party. You wore your birthday shirt that Mommy & Miss Erin made for you. It's been a big hit. You would wear it everyday if you could.

You really loved your cake. It turned out super cute! We've all enjoyed helping you finish it off.

Here you are with some of your friends at your party. Coach Chris did a great job!

Go Parker Go! Swinging on the vine, just like Diego!

At the end of your party, you got a birthday medal.

Then you got to be Simba from the Lion King...since you were King for the day.

Lastly, everyone sang Happy Birthday to you. You blew out your candle and dug into your cupcake with enthusiasm! You know how to eat some dessert...just like your Mommy!

Mommy & Daddy with our birthday boy!

The past three years have flown by!! You seem so grown up! You're potty trained. You sleep in a full size bed. You pretend with such imagination & creativity. You say the funniest things. You're incredibly curious. You can "read" at least a dozen books. You can belt out a riveting ABC's. You bring so much joy & happiness to our lives. Being your Mommy is such a blessing!

It's so hard to believe you're three. And it's even harder to believe you'll be a big brother in 10 days!!