Who is Luke?

Well, here we are, 4 days away from my baby's first birthday. I'm posting now because we will be out of town for his actual birthday and for his party (I'll post on that later). I'm actually learning a lot about Luke lately. It seems like an odd thing for a parent to say, but recently his little personality has just begun to shine. Physically, Luke is a tiny little thing. He looks sort of comical walking around, because he's short and has a tiny little waist. His eyes are still very hard to describe. They are a solid color now, but they are a mix of brown, gray, and green (or at least what I imagine the color would be if you mixed those three). He is a fast little sucker. I can't put him down in stores without him running around corners on me (as strange as it is, I will probably invest in a leash for him very soon). He has an anger management problem at the tender age of 1. He hits, throws and screams when things are not going his way. But, on the positive side, he laughs a lot, loves to clap, dance, shake his head no, and copy his big brother. His latest trick is "jumping". Trey taught him how. Check out the video below.

Michigan

I went with the kids to Michigan to see Grandma and Grandpa while Gary went to Germany for work. We had a lot of fun. Grandma and Grandpa oohed and aahed over Luke, and kept Trey busy with lots of fun stuff. Trey drove Grandpa's tractor like a pro. The first day we were there he helped my dad move some dirt. I took Luke outside to watch, and I heard my dad yell to Trey, "give it some more gas!" And my jaw dropped as I watched him do exactly as he was told. Shortly after that my dad put the key in the 4-wheeler, and Trey started it up like he had done it every day of his life. We went to Frankenmuth to see the Christmas decorations, made Christmas shirts at Grandma Lou's, and had an all around good time. We came home and welcomed Aunt Melina for Thanksgiving, and now we are finally finding our way back into our routine...I wish you could hear my sigh of relief. We have had an amazingly fun month, but I am exhausted!!!! Luke's new found obsession with walking has sky-rocketed our stress level too. Please pray for his safety as he finds more stability day by day.  

Sword fighting with Grandpa

Playing with Pablo (Uncle Garrett's new Puppy)

Checking out Frankenmuth

Making applesauce

Working

Making a shirt

No caption necessary

Busy, busy, busy...

We are on the go almost constantly as of late! Here are some of our recent highlights:

1. Nana, Papa, and Lynnen came to visit for a weekend. Everyone got to see how big and handsome Luke is getting, and be amazed by how smart and charming Trey is :) 

Rockin' out with Lynnen

Luke eating a half moon cookie...I asked him to share with Nana and I swear he spit at me (Nana can attest to this)

Hanging with Nana

Finding "his fish" on Papa's shirt

Playing with Nana's headband

2. We headed to Florida for a weekend to visit my sister and see her new house. Luke had his first experience with the ocean. He couldn't get enough of it. I think he would have ran all the way in if I would have let him (the water was freezing, by the way). We went to the Air Force Armament Museum and saw lots of planes. The boys really enjoyed playing on Aunt Melina's jungle gym in her back yard. Trey pretended it was a pirate ship. He put Gary's hat on and called it his "arrr matey hat". And when he and Gary heard gun shots in the woods behind my sisters house (there is a training range or something back there), he ran into the sunroom and told me, "mom, we heard gunners and we're going to take them alive" with a true pirate tone in his voice.

Checking out a C-130 (The kind Uncle Scott flies in)

In the cockpit of an A-10 Warthog Trainer

Beachin'

Checking out the ocean for the first time

3. Luke finally decided to let go of my finger and start walking on his own. He gets so proud of himself when he walks to one of us. I'm proud of him too :)

4. Trey is growing up scarily fast. Some of his new quotes/phrases/favorite things include: shortening words - my personal favorite was halloween night when he said, "mom, I want some can out of my punk" (translation: "I want some CANDY out of my PUMPKIN"). His friend Brandon is now Brand, Nana is Nan, and Aunt Melina is just Aunt. He has picked up on Gary's little sayings and adds "dot com" to the end of things. He calls Luke, Lukey-Pie-Dot-Com. And he "dominates things", as in "I dominated that milk". While driving to the beach, he started a conversation with his dad by saying, "what's up, Gar?" And he does an amazing impression of the GPS saying, "turn right". 

We have lots more upcoming events, so we will be posting many more pictures in the near future.

Halloween Fun

What a difference a year makes! Trick-or-treating this year was far different than last year.

Last year: Trey was shy and quiet. He would say "trick-or-treat" and "thank you", but we had to  sort of prod him to go to the doors. He got scared by a lady dressed up as a witch.

This year: Trey was finding the houses to go to (noticing which ones had their lights on and which ones didn't). He was running to the doors and having a blast. We went to one house where a teenager answered the door with a scary mask; Trey's poor little friend, Ava, was terrified, but Trey just said, "that guy didn't scare me". He wanted to keep going to houses even after everyone else that we were with went home. He didn't want to stop. The only hitch we hit was that he didn't want to wear his costume. I had to explain no costume=no candy. And then he was willing to wear it.

Trey's Volcano

Luke-never without his thumb in his mouth

Chocolate face (yes, it's dairy free!)

Luke, the lion and Trey, the chef

My Soapbox Moment

We have had a rough week! Let me give as quick a rundown as possible:

1. Gary out of town Monday-Friday, home Sat-Sun, gone again Mon-Fri

2. Luke battles croup (Mon-Fri), an ear infection and bronchitis (Sat-Present) 

3. Gary gets a cold on Saturday when he gets home, and has to turn around and leave again on      Monday (the 26th -his birthday)

4. I spend Monday (19th) night holding Luke on out on the patio for most of the night so the    cold air will open his airway, and every night since then has found me awake for at least half of  the night holding my poor, sick child. I have reached a point where moving my neck and back is  difficult. However, I don't really recommend you try messing with me because my biceps are  unrivaled! 

5. I still have a 3 1/2 year old who needs me as well (and does not take naps).

I have reached the point of physical and mental exhaustion, which is right where I want to be! Yes, I'm serious. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I tried handling everything myself. Monday was fine, Tuesday I was a little tired, and by Wednesday I snapped. The day found me crying several times, lashing out at my children, and wondering how I was going to survive 2 more days without my husband. And then, at 2 am Thursday morning, I realized two things: 1. I couldn't survive this week by myself and 2. I WAS surviving. That meant that I was not alone. God was and still is with me. I began to praise God as I paced the floor with my sick child. I thanked God that I had that moment to hold my baby and listen to his soft snoring. I thanked God for giving His only Son for me. Jesus sacrificed, but we often forget that God did too. I have been wondering lately, "Do I love anybody THAT much?" The answer is yes and no. Yes, there are people I love enough to sacrifice myself. No, there is nobody I love enough to sacrifice my children. But God's answer is a resounding, "YES, I love YOU that much!!!" As I began to dwell on these things, something changed inside me. I know that God is holding me tight in my dark moments, much like my parents held me as a child. I feel the comfort of His presence, and I know that he will carry me through to the other side of this battle. Some of you might think this is just the power of positive thinking, but I assure you it is not. It is the promise of God. 

Do you love anybody that much?

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

There's a peace I've come to know

Though my heart and flesh may fail

There's an anchor for my soul

and I can say, 'it is well'.

I will rise

When He calls my name

No more sorrow, no more pain.

I will rise 

On Eagle's wings

Before My God fall on my knees

And rise.

---Just a few words from my new life-track ("I Will Rise" by Chris Tomlin)---

the art of self-restraint

I am practicing self-restraint today: my children are still alive.

Life in fast forward mode

I feel like I am in a movie and someone is continually hitting the fast forward button.  It hasn't been that long since my last post, but so much has happened. Trey is completely out of pull-ups, even at night time (thank you, God for saving us a TON of money - those suckers are expensive!). He started soccer yesterday, too.  Luke no longer eats baby food at all! In fact he eats what Trey eats, and usually more of it. Oh yeah, the big one: LUKE WALKS!!! Yep, it's true, and yes, he's only 8 1/2 months. He is not officially a walker yet but has walked on his own several times. We have unsuccessfully tried to video it for you all to see. What we DO have is  a video of him using the walker (taken about a week prior to his first unassisted steps). I know it's not the same, but it's what I've got-sorry.

Splashing in puddles on a rainy day (yep, I'm an awesome mom:)

Hanging out at the splashpad

Handsome Luke

First day of Soccer

Father/Son bonding time

Home sweet...vacation!

We recently took a trip to Colorado: the distant, but never forgotten home that we long for. Here is my abbreviated version of that trip and what has been happening since:

Day 1- Trey excitedly runs up to the airport window and exclaims, "It's a Southwest one! And a tug! There is a tug and it's going to push the airplane back!" While sitting on the plane he looks out his window and says, "I can see the engine". A man sitting nearby tells us, "he's going to be an aeronautical engineer when he grows up". Since we have been back he has been playing airplanes nonstop, and I am continually surprised by how much he learned that I was unaware of. He came up with the idea to use cardboard paper towel tubes to make jetways for his planes. He pulls his planes up to the gate and tell me that the engines are slowing down. He will also pretend to load the luggage in the plane, and he even told me, "the guy needs to see if the umbrella stroller can go down there".

LUKE CRAWLED!!!! He must have been sick of being trapped on planes, in a stroller, and in a car-seat for the day. We got to the hotel and set him down, and off he went!

Trey wheeling his suitcase through the airport

Posing in front of the airplane and the tug

Day 2- We headed to Colorado Springs to visit Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Wilma. Trey jumped on the trampoline in their backyard and LOVED IT!!!!! Gary jumped too, and even did some flips. Luke started walking while holding onto only one hand. I'm a little scared he is going to skip walking and go from crawling straight to running.

On the teeter-totter in Cheeseman Park

Luke on his personal trampoline with the help of Aunt Wilma

Go, Gary!!!

"Wheeeeeee!"

Day 3- Trey woke up while it was still dark and asked to jump on the trampoline. We hiked up a trail called 7 bridges; we made it to bridge #3. Trey fell asleep in the car on the way, and he woke up cranky. He refused to walk and made Gary carry him the whole way. We got some amazing views, and some massive muscles. We got to see the cousins (Austin, Hunter, and Megan) for a few hours, and Trey was really sad to see them go.

Posing at Bridge #3

By the time we made it back to the car, Luke was asleep.

Days 4-6- We spent these days in Broomfield, which is northwest of Denver, and is actually closer to Boulder. Gary had to work, so the kids and I spent some time just hangin' around the area. We spent most of our time at the mall across from our hotel, which by the way, is AWESOME! There is a kiddie playplace, AND a giant sand area outside with a waterfall and everything. There is even a jungle gym outside of Borders bookstore - what more could a parent ask for in a mall. Maybe special family parking (you know, sort of like the handicapped parking spaces, but for people with small kids): oh yeah, they have that too!

On the dinosaur in the playplace

Building a sandcastle at the mall

Eating sand...yum!

Again with the drums!

School

Trey had his first day of school today, and seemed to enjoy it once again. He is still playing school at home. Here are his first day pictures. Gary dressed him; he said that he thought it was appropriate for Trey to wear a tie for his first day :)

I am becoming somewhat of a Suzy Homemaker thanks to all of my sweet southern girls down here. In the last week I have learned to applique (thanks to Jamie) and make cloth diapers (Carlyn). I made an airplane T-shirt for Trey to match his suitcase (I will post a picture of it soon, but right now it's in Trey's dresser and he is sleeping), and I have completed one cloth diaper.  I enjoy sewing and learning how to do these creative things, but it's slightly complicated with two kids. I only get to sew when my kids are sleeping, because I'm not brave enough or patient enough to attempt it with them running around. So, progress is a little slow, but I figure the diapers will save a good amount of money once I complete my set (especially because they are made from stuff I already have-old receiving blankets, towels, etc.). 

I know...

I know this is my third post in just a few short days, but life is happening and I want to share regardless of whether you care or not. 

Luke is growing and changing so fast! He pulls up on furniture, is about an inch away from crawling, and two inches away from walking! He can crawl if he is on our bed because he digs his feet into the soft blankets and is able to propel himself forward that way. He walks (really fast!) if he is holding on to your hands, and he seems happiest when you let him do that. He has brute strength that he doesn't even understand he has yet. He broke Trey's train table yesterday! He grabbed onto a piece and started pulling and just busted the plastic mountain that the piece was attached to. He jabbers night and day. Mostly he says, "dadadadada". Trey thinks he is saying, "daddy". He has strong opinions about things, like what he eats, what toys he wants and when he wants them. He is very cute, but certainly a pistol.

Trey is getting ready to go back to school next week and is really excited! We had a little "back to school" party at our house today (which was really just play group with a cake that said, "back 2 school"), and Trey talked nonstop about it. I had to really make sure that he understood that the party was at our house and not actually at school. Ever since we went to his open house night at school, he has been pretending at home. I have to be the teachers, and he is Trey. He uses little blocks to be the people. Yesterday, while playing he told the teachers, "I have to go home, because I forgot my paints". He put his block on his truck and said, "I can drive this truck, because I'm a big boy". He had to make sure the teachers knew that he was a big boy. We will share our first day of school adventures next week, so check back.