Improving our Image

Now that Court is in constant motion, our rinky-dink five-year-old digital camera can't quite keep up with him. The extended delay of the shutter speed means that we pretty much always miss the perfect shot of Court, since his willingness to sit still for a photograph lasts for about three seconds before he's off to the next thing. For Christmas this year, Jon and I decided to buy ourselves a new digital SLR camera, which promises a shutter speed of 3.7 images per second. It seems like Court has finally met his (photography) match!

(this last one is my favorite)

Rock Center, this is not.

For our first Christmas in NYC, we decided to make the most of our location by attending the tree lighting at Rockefeller Center. The event started at 7 pm so Jon and I met after work and rode the subway uptown, arriving to Rock Center at 6:45 pm. As we made our way above ground, we were stunned to find throngs of people stuffed onto the sidewalks of 6th Avenue and all cross streets. There were police barricades and shouting voices all around us; not exactly an event designed to get us in the Christmas spirit. We quickly realized that there was no shot of grabbing a spot anywhere within view of the tree, so we swiftly headed back down to the train and made it home in time to see the tree lighting on television.

Six years and a NYC>NC relocation later, we decided to give the NC Capitol tree lighting event a try. Court's preschool is conveniently located across the street from the Capitol building so we popped over at the end of the day and we were pleasantly surprised to find a welcoming, festive, kid-friendly event complete with hot spiced cider and cookies. Sure, the 24-foot Frasier fir was small potatoes relative to the 74-foot Norway spruce at Rock Center, but the ease and accessibility of the event, and the smile on Court's face when the tree burst into brightly-colored lights, made it a highlight of the holiday season.

Pullen Park

After two years of renovation work, the City of Raleigh recently reopened the 72-acre Pullen Park, which was the first public park opened in NC in 1887. The park is home to an antique carousel that was designed in 1900 and has operated on site since 1921, and a miniature train that was added to the park in the 1950s.

Court's Maui grandmother Kathy/Tutu came to visit us just a few weeks after Pulled Park reopened, providing us with the perfect activity for her post-Thanksgiving visit to Raleigh.

Go Heels!

When Court's Maui grandpa Eulie came to visit us in November, we lucked out with four seats to a UNC basketball game. It was Court's first time inside the Dean Dome and he enjoyed watching the game as well as chowing down on a huge tub of popcorn.

Court & Cousins

Court spent the Thanksgiving holiday with his paternal grandparents and the extended Stephens family at Lake Oconee in Georgia. One highlight of his trip was all of the fantastic playtime he got with his California cousins, Reese (5) and Drew (3). Their dad, Jay Preston, is Jon's first cousin and we're so excited for Court to have them in his life.

In addition to plenty of shared time at the playground, these three mischief-makers found plenty of ways to rascal around together.

(This last one is under the table during Thanksgiving dinner!)