Something for Which to be Thankful

We took Thanksgiving off this year and went back to Disney. We know the boys are too young to remember any of either trip. We decided that we can be kids at heart and we will always remember their smiles and reactions to all of the familiar things they know and love. One thing never changes about vacations. They always seem to be over before you know it. We had so much fun. I am not certain that it is fair to say that this trip was "better", but I think it was more relaxed because we had a better idea of what to expect. We all ate too much, especially sweets. None of us got enough sleep. Still somehow, at the end of it all, as our pictures reflect, it was five fun-filled days spent with our wonderful boys! God has blessed our family with so many wonderful things. It is not so much Disney for which we are thankful, admittedly Disney is a fun place, but more so the time spent with family because at the end of our time here on Earth, that is truly what matters most!

Hugs and kisses to all!

Family Photos

We had our pictures taken last year at about this time at a state park north of the house. Fall is such a wonderful season! Family pictures really give you a frame of reference of just how far you have come in a year! Nicole and I have not changed all that much, but when you think about a "mere" 365-days and look at each of our boys and see how much they have changed...it is shocking! It warms your heart to think about where they were a year ago and how God has graced our lives and led us with his hand. Children are wonderful gifts that truly enrich every aspect of our lives. Mind you, every day is not easy but it makes you appreciate what you have that much more. Although I have spent over 30 years of my life without children, now that I have them, it is certainly hard to imagine my life without them! We hope you enjoy the pictures of our family and can appreciate how we have grown in a year :)

Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween! For those of you dedicated enough to stick with us, even though our Blog posts are haphazard at best, thanks for hanging in there. This was the first year that Lucas and Liam both got to trick or treat, have a good time while having an real idea what was going on, wear a costume, get to beg strangers for candy, and have an awesome time doing it! Nicole's parents joined us this year for Halloween. It is always a good time when Grandma and Grandpa Jackson are in town! We also got to hand out candy to trick or treaters as well. All in all, we had a good time, got to enjoy the lovely Fall weather, meet some of our neighbors, eat a BUNCH of candy, and pretend that we were something that we really are not, if only for one night!

Keep an eye on the Blog for updates in the near future. Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner!

Love,
Wes, Nicole, Lucas & Liam

Ode to the Girly Girl

Syndey is my niece. She is an amazing girl. She is part of the reason I stayed in Indiana as long as I did and, in turn, met Wes. So, one could say, I have her to thank for the life I now live. Sydney is so vibrant, fun, witty, creative, caring, and just generally great to be around. Lucas and Liam really enjoy Sydney. Sydney never treats Lucas like he's a "baby" and never really did (except when he was tiny).

Well, Sydney and her family recently moved to Henderson, NV. It's near Las Vegas. We have all been so lucky to have her and her parents living so close and I fear we didn't appreciate it at the time. Who knows where our paths will take us all next?

Here are a few photos of the time spent with Sydney these past 8 years. We all love and miss you Sydney!

Cousins

Our boys are lucky to have such a close family. They don't always get to see their cousins often, but when they do, they all make the most of it.

The Akers Boys

Here are the Akers Boys by our pond...

Who's Who?

This has become a staple photo shoot for our boys. This is in an old-fashioned metal wash tub at Nicole's parent's house in Florida. We affectionately call it "The Spa". Some of these pictures are Lucas. Some of these pictures are Liam. Enjoy the cute pictures and see if you can tell which boy is which!

Indiana

We took a trip back "home" to Indiana in late May. Yes, we know, we are inconsistent bloggers. Our hearts are in the place, we simply cannot put our hind ends in the chairs to create the posts. Please do not give up on us, we are trying to get better about blogging and showcasing our ultra cute boys (reference the modesty comment from previous posts)! These pictures are from our visit with Nicole's Grandma and the day that we spent at Wes's sister's house.

Aren't They Sweet?

Lucas does some really sweet things to show much he loves and cares for his younger brother. In general Lucas looks out for Liam. Lucas will also take the opportunity to assert himself as an authority figure toward his younger brother, he will hit him, push him down, and take his toys from him (sometimes it seems just to hear him cry). But the evidence is in, at the end of the day, they love each other and know how to show each other that they love each other....

AWWWW!!!

Boys will be boys, but brothers should always look out for each other. It looks like our boys are off to a good start.

Liam's Gummy Smile

How about THAT smile? Liam has already learned what a camera is and how one should cheese it up in the presence of one! Now that is what a pure, unadulterated, joyful smile is supposed to be!

Lucas's 3rd birthday party!

This was the first year Lucas was able to invite his friends from school. We kept it to just a few friends. The party included: Lucas, Joshua, Joseph, Jack, Parker, Will, Sydney, Liam, Gabriel, (baby) Jack, and Charlie. We were lucky to have so many friends and family join us as well. We all had such a great time. I think even the parents had fun. It was a party of trucks, trucks, cake, and more trucks. Here are a few of the many photos we took...enjoy! Hope to see you all here next year!

Photo Shoot Spring 2008

I have a really good friend, Rachel, who "tinkers" around with photography. She has a gift for taking BEAUTIFUL photos. Well, she has become "our photographer." As you can see, she captures a lot of fun and life in her pics, not just stiff smiles. She has been such a blessing to our family, so that we can capture the beauty of our children. These photos were taking at Marietta Square and we had such a great time taking them!

Liam's first sleepover!

When Grandma is in town anything can happen! One night there was a party in Liam's room and everyone ended up in his crib. As you can see in the photos, Liam was feeling really big with everyone hanging in his room!

Lucas turns 3!

On Lucas's actual birthday, I was priviledged enough to stay home from work with him. This year he really gets that it's "his day."

I had decorated the kitchen for him that morning. When he came down stairs, he asked "is it my birthday?" When Wes and I said yes, he said, "Can I have cake?" Luckily, we had a piece of leftover cake from the weekend before!

We started his day by going to pick up Grandma, which he didn't know was coming for a visit. Then, we picked up daddy at work and had lunch at Chuck E Cheese, again a big surprise for him. He was able to just hang out with me and Grandma all day. I was such a sweet day. We finished our day with more cake and one tired boy!

Lucas loves the Ladies!

There are a couple of ladies that walk in our neighborhood each morning. It just so happens that they walk by our house when we are loading the boys into our vehicles to go to school. Lucas has really become fond of these sweet women. He calls them "My Ladies." On his birthday, they stopped and waited outside our gargage until we came out. They had brought him a gift. He was so excited! Here is a photo of these generous women who do so much by doing something so small. You can see his heart smile each day when he gets a visit with them!

Happy Birthday Liam!

As if a trip to Disney was not enough, the weekend after we got back from Disney World, we had a party for Liam with some of his family. Liam's Aunt Amy was here for his birthday as well as his Uncle Richard, Aunt Roxanne, and his cousin Sydney. He had a smiley face themed party because he is such a happy boy!



Liam was just as fascinated with the fire as he was with the cake.



Liam has started to make the association with someone holding a camera in front of their face to posing for a good picture. The "smile" is a little goofy looking in person, but it is based in love so it is SUPER cute!



Here is Liam reading a new book with his Aunt Amy. His Aunt Penny from Indiana always sends lots of nice goodies for both of her great nephews around birthdays and special holidays. Thank you Aunt Penny!



Here are Mom, Dad & both boys in the spoils of the party. It was a nice, low-key gathering and a lot of fun was had by all. Thank you to everyone who could join us in person. For those who could not join us, we understand and hope that you enjoy our pictures!

First Family Vacation

So we took the plunge during the first week of April, it just so happened to coincide with Liam's birthday, and set out for Disney World. We knew that neither one of the boys will likely remember it, but it was fun all the same.

Nicole's parents joined us for the weekend at Disney and it turned out to be a blessing in multiple ways. The weather was abysmal for the first couple of days and without their help, we would have likely been stuck indoors for two days. In addition, Nicole's mom decorated Liam's birthday cake, masterfully, in a hotel room and we gave her the "Boy Scout Award" for the day. If you are prepared to decorate a cake, on a moments notice, you deserve SOME kind of an award!

We had a GREAT time! We have two sweet boys with these amazing personalities which keep blossoming and have us scratching our heads wondering where they got it from and how we got SO lucky to have them. We laugh, enjoy all of the non-stop entertainment, and keep doing what we're doing because it seems to be working :)

We came home to Wes's sister, who had a conference in Atlanta the weekend that we returned from Disney. She was able to be here for Liam's in-town Birthday Party. Pictures from that will be on the next post!

Hoppy Easter!

So, apologies to all who have expected to see TIMELY photos of our boys via the Internet when they could not see them in person. It is not as though we have not done anything, gone anywhere, or even the lack of pictures that has kept us from posting updates. With that said, 2008 is a new year, we're almost into April (already), but we can committ to a better update history going forward.


Lucas & Daddy let their creative juices flow!


The artists (Lucas & Mommy) pose with their creations...


Lucas & Liam posing with their haul from the Easter Egg hunt!


Liam discovers a hidden talent, and that eggs may in fact be able to fit through a toilet paper roll! (Scary!)

We're headed to Disney World soon, and will be celebrating birthdays in April and May. So keep your eyes on the Blog. There will updates coming as we go on family outings, take special trips, or have cute, and funny, things happen at home!

We miss everyone that we cannot see as regularly as we would like. We miss everyone that do not get to see period!

Love to all,
Wes, Nicole, Lucas & Liam