Lightnin' McCooper

Two thumbs up for the winning team!

Just like his racing idol, Lightnin' McQueen, our own Lightnin' McCooper is a force to be reckoned with on the race track.

Riding High in Pigeon Forge

No trip to Pigeon Forge would be complete without a trip down the main drag. The entire street(about 5 miles, I think) is filled with all the attractions you would normally associate with a tourist destination. Nearby Dollywood attracts all kinds of people and almost every single one will find something to do on the strip. Since the kids are still too young to appropriately enjoy Ripley's Believe It Or Not wax museum or the Smith Brothers Country-Singin' Jamboree And Dog Show (the adults were SOOO disappointed), we stopped by a carnival-influenced fun park designed to entertain the kids. As you can see, Cooper and Addie had a great time riding the rides.

Tennessee Tree House

While we were in Tenn. for Addie's birthday celebration, we stayed at a really neat cabin, Grand Oak Lodge. Not only did it have a pool table and a hot tub, but there was a tree right in the living room... seriously. Check out the link for an even better picture of the tree.

Up in the mountains above Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Aunt Amanda managed to find a peaceful retreat for Addie's birthday weekend. Away from the hustle and bustle of the main streets of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Grand Oak Lodge provided a welcome dose of peace and quiet.

At least it WAS peaceful and quiet until Cooper and Addie decided to drive Addie's new Barbie Jeep around the pool table ;-)


Of course, Sugar always enjoys a long weekend in the mountains.

A Hot Time in Tennessee

The cabin that we stayed at in Tennessee had all kinds of amenities. Here's our big guy looking cool in the hot tub.

And relaxing with Daddy in the tub.

And here's the birthday girl. Happy 3rd birthday, Addie!!!

Nolan, as you can see, also had a great time.

Jordan Lake Beach Visit

Our family has a monthly get-together with two other families. In June, we visited Coen and his family. Since they live right next to Jordan Lake, we decided to spend an hour or so on the beach before our pizza dinner.

The Beach House

Showing Coen the finer points of throwing sand (right before we were reminded that throwing sand is not demonstrating good manners).

Since it's the official policy of RanLiCoop to avoid taking pictures of adult friends in their bathing suits (unless they give permission ahead of time), we don't have any pictures of Hudson to share as he spent most of his time in Mommy or Daddy's arms.

In The Pilot's Seat

On the way home from Ohio, Cooper was invited for a visit to the cockpit on both legs. Here he is "driving" the plane after landing in Charlotte (they let him push buttons and everything). In fact, he was up there so long that he wasn't able to swim against the tide and had to wait for Mommy and Nolan to meet him at the front of the plane. While he was waiting, however, the flight attendants put him to work waving and saying (in his best David Spade voice) "buh-bye" to everyone as they exited the plane.

Down By The Stream

While visiting Gammy Jo in Ohio, we spent an afternoon playing by the stream in a park near her house. As you can see, the greenery was in full "green".

Of course, if you're hanging out by a stream, you're going to have some splashes. Rocks make for good splashes,

but sometimes you just need to make the splashes yourself!

Dayton Air Force Museum

While we were in Ohio, we got to visit the Air Force Museum in Dayton. Some of those planes were pretty darn big...

Any idea what Cooper's standing in front of?

Yup, the Stealth Bomber bike, built by the guys on American Chopper. Too bad Mikey wasn't around, I think he would have enjoyed hanging out with Cooper ;-)

In the background, you can see the wing of a real stealth bomber, along with one of Cooper's favorite planes - the SR-71 Blackbird.

Happy Morning Boys

When you're under 4 years old, mornings are a reason to smile...

Cameron Dancing

Mommy and Cooper dancing at a concert at Cameron Village.

After a while, however, even the best dancers can get a little tired.

Post #400 - Family Get Together

To celebrate Nolan's baptism, we had a big party at the house. All of Nolan's grandparents were in town.

Cooper and Carter, for some reason, decided that they didn't want to be in Uncle Kevin's video.

The new, slightly larger family poses on the front porch for a picture. I think most of us were past the point of smiling for a portrait by this time, so our family portrait is a little less formal than most...

Slip-sliding Away

The boys had a great time on the backyard slip-n-slide. It took Cooper and Carter a couple of tries to find their groove. Once they got it, however, they didn't want to stop. Luckily, it had rained the last couple of days, so we didn't feel too bad about watering our lawn with the by-products of the boys' fun.

Yippee!!!

Fly Away

While everyone was in town for Nolan's baptism, we took a trip out to the airport to check out the takeoffs and landings. Cooper has become an expert at air traffic control. Here he is directing Flight 150 (to Cleveland) over to Runway A5 for an 11:28 departure.

Even the busiest air traffic controllers get to take a break once in a while. What better way to blow off some steam than to throw on your Crocs and head out for a jog around the airport. A sunny day like this can really make a guy smile.

Sharing the view with Popi.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

A veteran of the DBAP, Cooper showed Nolan all the great things you can do (and eat) at the ballpark. Of course, there's the ballgame to watch, Wool E. Bull to wave to, lots of friends to hang out with, and the Bulls are progressive enough to have veggie dogs to munch on!

Chasing a Flamingo... For a Good Cause

The whole family ran in the inaugural Pink Flamingo 5K to raise money for cancer research in honor of NC State Women's Basketball Coach, Kay Yow. We're definitely not in the best shape of our lives, but the boys helped us run fast enough to catch the flamingo.

First organized run at 1 month old.

Sleepy Time

Seems like a good time for a nap...

Family Resemblance

Flying High

Blast Off!!!

Popi and The Boys

Popi came to visit last weekend and guess what... he brought Packers gear!

Earth Day (a little early)

The Earth Day celebration at the Museum of Art was a lot of fun for everyone. There were great exhibits, cool arts and crafts - and Locopops!

We even got to meet the bottle that is depicted on Cooper's "Born To Recycle" tattoo.

Everyone celebrates Earth Day in their own way.

Early Risers

Both boys are usually awake around 6am. OK, maybe "awake" is stretching it for one of the guys...

Easter Egg Hunt

It wouldn't be Easter without an egg hunt. Luckily, the neighborhood Easter Bunny hopped through our front yard and left a couple of treasures for the kids to find.

Thanks, Nina!

Swinging and Scooting

I think it's safe to say these two had a good time at the park.

Rockin' Easter Wishes

With Addie in town, it's always a party!

First Zoo Trip

Write it down - first trip to the zoo within the first week of life. Both boys had a blast at the NC Zoo.

Our fearless explorer mounts the sleeping giant for a once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity.

A cheer for the home team (NCSU):
Go Pach!

(Eddie will get that one)

First Bath At Home

There was a bit of crying, but we ended up with a squeaky-clean baby.

Full Throttle for Full Science

The title is an actual quote from the most recent liftoff of the Space Shuttle (sts-119). This quote took on a slightly different meaning during Dad's week of paternity leave. The arrival of a new sibling can leave an older brother feeling a little less special. Luckily, Dad's company has a corporate membership at the Durham Museum of Life and Science. As a result, Commander Batman was able to enjoy a day at the museum with Dad (and Dad had fun, too!).

Inside the capsule, ready for blast-off.

The space commander tried his hand at driving the museum train (and ringing the bell).


Patiently waiting for a butterfly to land. We didn't have any luck on this bench, but we did find a very patriotic lepidopteran a couple of minutes later. While Dad had a Blue Morpho on his finger, the Commander was a little suprised to find an orange and white friend alighting on the the flag patch on his jumpsuit.

Space Commander

Our intrepid hero ascends the stairs toward his waiting Shuttle.

Rats, another weather delay. At least the chairs are comfy...

The Commander putting on his "game face".

At last, the Commander can peek out of the lunar lander and see what the surface of the moon is really like. His report contained no mention of green cheese.

Happy Liftoffs!

Sleepy Guy

For the first week or so, there was a whole lotta sleepin' going on.