Funny Faces

Jack loves doing these funny and sad faces these days. (Be sure to click the pause button on the music player to hear the audio on these clips.)

Happy Birthday, Jerry

For a few days every year (11, to be exact) Jerry & I are the same age. He turned 40 today while I will be 41 on January 9. We met when I was 20 (started dating a year later) so we've known each other 20 years now. Unbelievable. We've been through so many ups and downs our relationship could be the model for a roller-coaster at a theme park. We have good days and bad days and days we want to kill each other but it's all worth it. We have 2 fantastic children and we have so much HISTORY... we remember each others' fathers and grandfathers and grandmothers and know all the crazy stories. We know just what buttons to push to drive each other over the edge, but we also know how to laugh at ourselves. We have learned to compromise. We appreciate each other most of the time. We realize no one else would put up with either one of us!! We know what a gift it is to have our little family together!

Happy Birthday, Jerry. I look forward to the next 40. I love you.

Playlist

I added a playlist to our blog. It has songs that have significant meaning for Jerry & me from the length of our relationship and a couple that are just special to me. I hope you like them!! (If you don't want to listen to the music, click on the pause button on the black playlist box on the right side of the screen.)

Cookies & Milk for Santa

I wanted to post these pictures all by themselves. Jack was so excited to leave cookies & milk out for Santa this year. He went to bed saying "Santa coming tonight". Of course, he woke up Christmas morning and seemed disappointed that the snack was "all gone". I will post more about Christmas day with pics (we had a lovely day) but for now, here's Jack, preparing for Santa.

Dear Jack

You are growing so fast. I look at you every day and see the little baby I once held changing into a busy preschooler so fast my head spins. I want to remember every second of the last 2-1/2 years but I know I'll forget things. I don't want to forget how scared we were those first few days when you were in the NICU and we didn't know how long it would be until we could hold you, much less bring you home. It made me realize what a GIFT you are to us and how very, very much I wanted you. I don't want to forget how you hopped around on your knees before you could walk. It was so cute! I don't want to forget how Daddy and I referred to you as "Junior" before you were born and we didn't have a name picked out for you. I want to always remember how Daddy & Keegan wanted to name you "Hondo Jack" and how we settled for Jackson Dallas (Jackson after Andrew Jackson and Dallas after the Dallas Cowboys). I remember taking you to Moe's Southwest Grill when you were just a few weeks old and how we put your infant carrier on the booth beside me. You went to several restaurants that way (by the way, it was much easier to take you out to eat in those days!). I remember how you first called me "Be-be", not "Mommy" or "Mama" and kept that up pretty regularly until a few months ago. I guess it's because I tend to call you "Baby" a lot. When you were VERY little, I called you Baby Jack. I want to always remember how your warm, little body feels when you snuggle up for a story or to watch T.V. together. How excited you are when you ask us to read a book "One more time" (you don't understand that you can't just keep saying "One more time" over and over again!!). I remember how brave you were about the playground and climbing up to the HIGH slides when you were not even 2 years old. I love the way you say things are "BIG" in that deep,gravelly voice ("The BIIIGGG Jack", etc.). This Christmas you have enjoyed the decorations on everyone's houses so much... you point them out and say, "Mommy, lights on Daddy's side" or "Mommy's side". You LOVED pumpkins this fall and we must have read the book, "Five Little Pumpkins" 100 times or more. There are so many more things but I will add more later. For now, I love you, sweet boy. So very much. Finally, I have to include this picture of you from Christmas 2007. My sweet angel boy.
Always and always,
Mommy

Jack & Santa, ca. 2008

Well, today was the Christmas party at Jack's Mother's Morning Out program. It's so much fun to see all the wonderful presents he has been working on for Jerry and me... we got an adorable Christmas ornament for the tree with a picture of Jack dressed as an angel (okay, it's a bit of a stretch at times) and some homemade soap and a jar of cookie mix. Jack's MMO program director, Ms. Karen does a wonderful job with the children and is such a blessing... we love her!!

Anyways, Santa was there... Jack was uncertain, but wanted candy... he finally screwed up the courage to get close and here is the resulting photo plus a few others:

Yes, that's our boy on his belly hiding his face at Santa's feet. And it's the BEST shot I got. Can't wait to show this one to his girlfriends one day!!

Keegan's Choral Christmas Concert

He's so handsome in the tuxedo!! The concert was wonderful and even Jack attended (we did videotape a few songs but they didn't turn out well, sorry...). Keegan's chorus teacher has stated this is the best advanced chorus she has ever had and we completely agree!

I can hardly believe Christmas is right around the corner. Jack really loved decorating the tree this year, even though he put all the ornaments we gave him on 2 branches! He is so funny these days... he gets himself into precarious situations, like balanced between the sofa and coffee table, about to fall, and says, "Jack's in trouble! Jack's in trouble!" It's really cute. He also has very nice manners and says, "No, thank you" and "Please", etc. Even Keegan noticed it! Keegan is pretty busy with school but ready for a break, I think. Jerry is trying to get a job working overseas as a government contractor starting in January. We really need this to work out and are praying diligently for this to happen. He would be going to school online while there and trying to finish his degree. Please pray this will work out for him.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Christmas is coming

Gosh, I am bad at this! I had a little outpatient surgery the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and time has just FLOWN since then. I have pics to post and updating to do but all is well here. We are busy getting ready for Christmas and Jack is in LOVE with all the Christmas decorations he sees. Keegan has been very busy with drama and music activities at school and we are really proud of him. I'll get some new pictures posted SOON.

Halloween

Well, we took Jack to the Whispering Pines Halloween party on Friday night. Keegan had other plans and declined to attend! Jack dressed as a pumpkin and Jerry wore a Roman soldier costume Mom had made for a cantata in Miami YEARS ago. Randy has worn it on several occasions over the years. Randy & Jill and their kids dressed as hippies and I got a few pics of them as well. I also have a few pictures of Jack with the "hunkin" he made at school.

After the event, we came home and passed out candy to MANY trick-or-treaters. We ran out of candy long before the crowds slowed down! Next year I'll need a lot more. Jack called them "Halloweens" and enjoyed seeing all the kids in their costumes.

Long Weekend

Well, Jack has had some kind of stomach virus since Saturday night. I was hoping to take him to his mother's morning out program today and try to focus on LAUNDRY but he threw up again after a little Sprite. What a mess. He is walking around in a bit of a daze! I hope he'll feel better this afternoon but if nothing improves I'll have to call the doctor tomorrow. We didn't do a whole lot. Keegan is working on a school project and Jerry has a new work project going on so we hung out at home a lot. That's about all, but I wanted to do a quick update. Pray for Jack to feel better and that no one else gets sick!

Gross Farms Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maze

Mom & I took Keegan, Jonah, Walker & Jack to Gross Farms in Sanford today. They have a pumpkin patch, corn maze, playground, hay rides and food available this time of year and we had a great time. I took a bunch of pictures and fortunately, we made it out of the maze without incident (the map was very difficult for Mom and me to follow so we handed it over to Jack & Walker).

Jack loves pumpkins this year but he calls them "hunkins". I think you can hear it in the 2nd & 3rd video clips. The first is of him walking down a ramp on the playground (it was pretty steep and at the end he claps his hand and says, "Good boy!").







It was a fun time and a great way to kick off fall. We bought a few pumpkins and some homemade jelly & pickles. Keegan & Jonah did pretty good at finding the stations in the corn maze and we all enjoyed the hay ride!

Time Flies... Haircut & Fall Events

We've had a busy few weeks here at the Hooper house. It seems like summer ended and Christmas was practically at the door! I convinced Mom to come and cut Jack's hair (his first real haircut) last weekend. It was very badly needed.

Here's the before shot:















And the after:

















I think she did a great job, especially considering she was working with a moving target!! I'm so glad there's still plenty of curl left. Thanks, Mom!

This week, Keegan was very busy. Tuesday night we got to see a rehearsal of a 1-act play his play production class is working on for a statewide competition. It was EXCELLENT and we are so proud of him. On Thursday, his advanced chorus class spent the day at a nearby high school rehearsing with the director of ECU's chorus for an All County Chorus concert. They wore tuxedos and he looked VERY handsome. I am posting 2 of the songs if you want to listen. We were SO impressed with how great they sounded!!







Mom & I are taking Jack, Walker & Jonah to a corn maze/pumpkin patch/hay ride tomorrow afternoon. I hope to talk Keegan into coming and will have some pictures to post. Jack LOVES pumpkins right now. It's practically an obsession, so I know he will have a great time.

Jerry & Kathy, ca. 1990; Keegan, ca. 1994

The first picture is from 1990 and was our official engagement picture. Wow, we are getting old now... we look like kids in this picture.



I am pretty sure we had the second picture made when Keegan was nearly 2. I just had to get this posted on our blog. It seems like yesterday...

Imagination Station

Imagination Station is a business that focuses on letting kids use their imaginations. Play periods last for 1 hour and the facility is divided up into sections: there is a big train kids can climb into and pull the whistle, a fire truck complete with costumes & bell, a teepee to play in, a veterinarian station, a grocery store, a kitchen, a doctor's office, and a jumping/music room. Jack loves going there. I am including a slide show of a visit there with his friends Justin & Isaac, and a slide show of a trip we took with Mom & Walker.

Keegan & Jack's Birthdays, 2008

We celebrated Keegan's 16th birthday and Jack's 2nd birthday at our house this year. We had the family and grilled out steaks. It was a lot of fun except for when we lost power for about an hour and ALL the cooking was moved to the grill!! Keegan had an ice cream cake from Cold Stone Creamery and Jack had a Go, Diego Go cake. They got some really nice presents and we enjoyed this celebration of important milestones.

After all the cake, ice cream and presents, Jack & Walker were in need of a bath. Here are a few pics of that event. Only a few gallons of water were sacrificed in the creation of this bath.

Keegan & Jack, July 2008

We had these pictures done at the horticultural gardens at the local community college to commemorate Keegan's 16th and Jack's 2nd birthdays.

My Outdoors Boy

Jack LOVES to play outside. Here's a short video of him playing this summer. It's nothing special but nice to see him in motion!


I am also including a slide show of pics I took of him this spring & summer. He loves the park and our yard and going for walks in the woods at the end of our street and any outdoors activity. He has a little basketball hoop outside our garage door and spends a lot of time putting any and every ball he has through the hoop (especially the football... maybe it's a new trend?).

Fiddler on the Roof

Keegan was part of the Union Pines High School drama department's production of Fiddler on the Roof this spring. The show was WONDERFUL and sold out several performances. I took a TON of pictures and wanted to put the slide show up for you to see.