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...