i already know

                          

                          

You don’t have to tell ME these are the cutest kids you’ve ever seen… I ALREADY KNOW!!!  If you look close at Nadia in the lime outfit, you can see her dimple and her 2 bottom teeth.  (Pix taken July 13 – 17)

brotherly love

             

This is one of my favorite pictures because it shows how much Liam loves his little sister.  He’s always cuddling up to Nadia and making her laugh.  They are so good together… and my prayer is that it stays that way!  (Why is it I can hear those of you who have kids who are a little bit older LAUGHING at me right now?!!!!  Sibling Rivalry, you say?)  Well then… I’ll just enjoy them loving and kissing on each other while it lasts!  The day this picture was taken (July 12th) we had just gotten home from filming a program about Adoption at the Christian TV station in Scottsville.  Our family was asked to participate by sharing our adoption story.

concert in the park

                      

I’m thankful our community has a lot to offer families.  One thing you can do a couple of months out of the summer is head downtown with a blanket and watch local bands perform.  The pictures above are from our 1st Concert in the Park (July 11.2008).  

                      

This is from our last adventure to the “Concert in the Park” (August 1.2008).

 

                                                                       

The featured band of the night was “Skip Bond and the Fugitives” which includes our good friend, drummer Jim DeCesare.  He’s also a State Representative (the best in Kentucky!)… and the husband of one of my favorite people, Amy Bingham.  “Skip Bond” has become one of the most popular bands in the area since they formed in 2000.  On an interesting note, the group consists of several high profile dudes!  Not only is one a State Rep, the lead singer is the city Judge, another band member is a plastic surgeon and another an architect.  It’s always fun to see these guys cut loose and have a good time with their music. (Motown, R&B and Rock n’ Roll)

              

The fountain also kept the kids entertained (which explains Liam’s wet shirt)… and, of course, Max the Great Dane was the center of attention.  I think Liam thought Max was a horse.

These are snapshots of several of our friends who also attended the Concert in the Park.

happy independence day

                      

Our kids dressed up in red, white and blue on July 4th… but we opted not to watch fireworks that night.  I was worried Nadia was too young and would get scared by all the noise.  Liam probably would have enjoyed it… so maybe next year!

macey belle’s 1st bday

                                 

Liam and Nadia’s good friend, Macey Isabelle, celebrated her 1st birthday recently, and had her party on June 21st.  As always, Macey’s mom (and my good friend, Carrie) outdid herself.  Carrie and her husband, Joel David, are two of the most hospitable people I know.  They are always opening up their home for celebrations… and always do a great job entertaining.  Macey’s 1st party was no different.  There’s never a shortage of fun at the Cook home.  Here’s just a few photos from the day…

       

       

The Gator is always a main attraction for the kiddos.  Liam was excited because he was finally big enough to ride!  Notice how Liam was always on hand to jump in with the cute girls… Maeve and Eliza.                                                                    

   

And it would not be a party at Cook Farms without a good game of “Cornhole”…

  

or swimming in their pool!!!

   

I love this picture of Liam and Maeve.  I keep saying these two are going to be in love one day… and I think we captured the first “spark” in this photo!  They’re eyeing each other as they head toward the swing!

                                                    

I had to include this picture.  It’s one of everyone’s favorite snapshots from the day.  We’re not sure what’s the most funny… the fact that Craig is holding his daughter by the ankles upside down… or that Eliza is dumping Liam out of the Gator!  Liam is holding on for dear life… and probably saying, “Whoaa!!!!”

                                            

And to answer your question, yes, Nadia was at the party, too!  She spent most of her time in Holly’s arms… and getting kisses!  Nadia and Holly share a special bond because they were born on the same day… Dec. 3rd!

big girl car seat

                                           

Time goes by so quickly when you have kids!  It’s been forever since I’ve blogged because, well, I have two babies to take care of!  I’m hoping to do a “blogging blitz” over the next few days because I have so many entries to post in order to be up-to-date.  So… here goes.  Nadia is now in a big girl car seat.  She hit the 20 lb. mark before she even turned 6 months (we don’t raise small babies in our house!)… so we actually made the switch on June 19th.  But since life has been hectic… I just got around to snapping a photo of Nadia in her new gig on August 9th, 2008.  As you can see, she likes her new seat.  Even though she’s still backwards facing, she doesn’t seem to mind.  In fact, Nadia has always been happy riding in the car.  She’s such an easy-going, content baby.  She’s happy anywhere, everywhere.  Thank you, Jesus!  You’ll notice Liam in the background engrossed in a video (probably “Baby Signing Times”, “Sing Yourself Silly”, or “Curious George”).  I haven’t installed Nadia’s DVD player yet.  I want to wait until after she turns one before I get her hooked on the TV!!!