My sister, Traci, and her family are here visiting for Christmas. My neice, Averi, and Jack decided to "share" a blanket (even though neither wanted to move his/her seat on the couch) and relax while watching some good ol' Curious George. Meanwhile, the rest of us prepared to put the babies to bed. Can you tell Rick is enjoying the chaos?
Rick and I held a mini-photo shoot trying to get a good picture for our Christmas card. After a lot of sweat and a few tears (thank God, no blood!), we did end up with a few good shots. The bottom photo of Sam is so sweet with his face lit up with lights. The middle photo is fairly representative of the bulk of our session. Finally, the top photo was the winner--we love how it so accurately portrays how Sam kisses!
Soon after Sam was born, my mom came to visit. We were shopping for a double stroller when she asked me if she could buy a gift for Sam. We saw these beautiful painted canvas monogram sets at a little baby boutique, and I told her that would be a great gift. We were able to have them custom-made with his initials and the colors of his room. They didn't arrive until after she had gone, but they really look great above his crib. In fact, we've come to realize that Sam appreciates them the most. Check out his maniacal behavior and laughter at the mere sight of these wall hangings. This happens EVERY time he catches sight of them.
Last weekend, I caught Sam as he was crawling by and noticed he had something in his hair. When I went to pull it out, my fingers stuck--pine sap! It just so happens that Sam is the perfect height (while crawling) for his hair to skim the bottom of the Christmas tree. The pine-scented super glue helped define the trendy, little mohawk spike Sam is currently sporting, but it quickly hardened into somewhat of a hazard for the rest of us, who love kissing the top of his head. I had no idea what gets sap out of hair. Fortunately, I didn't have to stress out about the possibility of cutting off his spike because Rick gave Sam a good bath and gently scrubbed until all that sap dissolved.
In lieu of our annual trip to the mountains for our Christmas tree, we chose to make things a little easier on all of us by stopping a little short...at the foothills. This year, we cut our trip in half by visiting a tree farm in Lincolnton--an easy one hour and ten minute drive. Jack chose his own tree very quickly and helped Rick cut it down. Sam enjoyed playing with the pine needles. Rick and I were a little less decisive, but we finally agreed on a 9 ft. tree for our entry way. Lucky for us, Santa and Mrs. Claus were visiting the tree farm. Jack introduced himself to Santa, "My name is Jack Colewox," and told him he wanted a scooter for Christmas. We hovered over cups of hot chocolate while the trees were secured to the roof of the Tahoe. Jack sipped his "coffee," and Sam took a nap on the way home. 
Rick and Jack spend a lot of time in Jack's room making elaborate Lincoln log houses and tunnels, and Sam enjoys wasting no time knocking them down!
These pictures actually are in reverse order. Starting at the bottom, Jackson with his wild, post-nap hair, poses with my good friend and hair stylist, Mistie. We beg her to do something--anything!--to tame his crazy head. She sprays "rain" over the madness, and begins to snip, snip, snip! Ah, the reward at the end: for Jackson--a sugary treat, for Momma--a tame coiffure.
Thirty two months. That's how long I've been a mom. Recently, I took a 24-hour trip to the mountains (Blowing Rock, NC) with my friend and neighbor, Caele, for a wedding. Caele is also a mom to two boys (3 yrs. and 8 mos. old). We stayed at the inn where the wedding was held, and it was absolutely gorgeous with the trees at peak color. Although the outdoor ceremony was a tad chilly and very windy, I couldn't have imagined a more beautiful setting. Caele and I enjoyed our first-ever day away from our children with good food, good company, lots of dancing, and maybe a glass of wine (or two) thrown in there. We returned to our families (who survived!) rested and rejuvenated. And we've decided to celebrate our friends' anniversary every year with additional girls-only retreats to the mountains. Can't wait until next year!
Really, I was not trying to torture my son, but the leaves and flowers in the backyard were gorgeous, and I had to get some pictures of the boys back there before everything turns brown. Unfortunately for li'l Sam Cash, it was too close to naptime. He actually was quite happy (as evidenced by the first picture) throughout the photo shoot; the sour face and tears came on full force every time I set him down. Rick says he has the "Goetz temper." I don't know what he's talking about.
This is one of the two "ball baskets" we have (ahhh, life with boys!). Jack found out that his scrawny little body fits perfectly in this one, and he was quite proud of himself--even though he needed some assistance getting out:)
Our good friends, Chris and Jill, came to visit the week of Halloween. The guys did a lot of biking, and we girls got a day out to the spa and shopping. On Halloween, we took the kids to our neighborhood "Spooktacular," and then came back home to put Sam to bed (he was a tired little cow). We enjoyed hot chili and a bonfire on our neighbors' driveway, and the kids went trick-or-treating. We had a great time with our friends, and Jack is still asking "Where's Jill?"
Our neighborhood holds this Oktoberfest party every year on our ball field, and it is always so much fun! We enjoyed great weather, food, bouncehouses, games, and our neighbors.
Jack, Sam and I enjoyed a fun morning walking/running a 5K race for a little girl named Isabella who is fighting a rare form of childhood cancer called neuroblastoma. We left Rick at home (still lame with his sore club, um...I mean foot). We walked most of the race, which was run at a local business park, but when Jack saw the Merrill Lynch bronze bull statues, he asked, "Mommy, may I play on the dinosaurs?" There were three of these huge statues in a large grassy area, and I have to admit--it did look like fun! Sam was sleeping away in his seat, so we stopped--mid-race--to play on the bulls. Then, we had to run to catch up to everyone. It was a great workout for a good cause, and who was there to meet us at the finish line? The Chik-fil-a cow, whom Jack thought was very cool.
Poor Sam! It just so happened that Sam's nap and his appointment were at the same time this morning. Of course, it had to be a busy day at the doctor's office just to torture the little guy even more.
