This has turned into such a fun tradition for our little family. It's Dipping pretzels or pretzies as Luke calls them. Its so fun cause we can all do it together. Plus Luke loved cleaning up...he was like a sprinkle vacuum. He even licked the counters...hey its Christmas :)
As you can see Luke is in awe of our Christmas Tree. He wakes up every morning saying tree. So we go right down and look at the tree. He also loved helping to decorate it and was simply fascinated by the ornaments and how they came apart. His new thing is to sneak away and grab an ornament off the tree any time he can. Now I see why my parents had popcorn on the tree :)
It is so fun to have a toddler in the house to re-experience the miracles of the Holidays.
This is Luke's go to hiding spot. I just love that he is in plain view. Sometimes I even put his socks on while he is hiding. It's a little game... I don't know who's feet these are but I'm gonna put some socks on them. I guess I better start revving up my finding skills for when he learns you are really supposed to hide. But for now I'm loving this.
Luke is crazy about shoes...and he is also a pretty smart and independent guy. So as we were getting ready to leave the house the other day I asked him to go get his shoes. So off he went to his room. I'll admit I heard a bit of grunting and such, but that's pretty normal he is going on two. Anyway after a couple of minutes he brings me a baby booty. Not just any baby booty, but one that was still in the packaging. He was so determined to get to it that found a way to open it up , and brought me this tiny baby blue booty. There was no way it would fit, I just cracked up laughing.
He loves shoes so much he gets excited when he sees a pair he hasn't worn. So he will wear shoes that are way to big for him. Yesterday he wore big ole shoes to church and went around in sunday school showing everyone saying shooo shooo. He is such a socialite.
This is Luke's favorite new hobby. Phone dancing! I think it is adorable, so I will often give him my phone, it does have one unforeseen side effect, Luke is a bit of a klepto. He will hide my phone in the craziest places like the air intake vent, inside a tupperware inside of the pantry. and most recently Bryan was putting in a new kitchen faucet, Luke and I were "helping" Luke hid my phone in underneath the sink cabinet. The funny thing is when I find it in a crazy place sometimes he will laugh. :)
We had a such a fun Halloween. It was fun to see Luke get the concept of panhandling. My favorite part of the weekend though was when we went down to a little trick or treat were all of the businesses hand out candy. Luke was having fun carrying his pumpkin around taking candy from strangers. And one store gave out apples. Luke stopped in his tracks dropped his pumpkin full of candy, said aaaapplllee sat down and dug in. He is such a funny kid.
Here is Luke bathing in the sink after leaving a "treat" in the tub we moved him over and he loved it. He just loved that he could talk to himself in the mirror and bathe at the same time. Sometimes life is just too sweet. :)
My new favorite tradition created by our big guy. Luke loves to run run run out to the peach tree and grab two ( and it must be two, one for each hand) peaches. Then he will saunter back to the patio and devour them. Rubbing them all over his face, his shirt, the steps. It is an experience. One that I have come to truly enjoy. Somehow it feels farmy, like we have a small town home and can go pick fruit from the back yard eat it warm and then toss the seeds onto the grass. I look forward to many years of this tradition. Sorry we must have gotten caught up in the fun and put the camera away when it got messy.
And one surfing pic just for fun.
We had so much fun this year without even going on vacation. We went on a hike just up a little canyon by our house. It was Luke first time "hiking" He actually did amazingly well. He wanted to walk up himself instead of be in the pack so we all marched up together so that he would get his feet high enough to avoid slipping on the rocky trail. But his favorite part ended up being the rocky trail. We kept trying to pick up these rocks about the size of his torso, that were buried. Then we hit a huge down pour of rain so we ran down on the way back. It was so fun! It is nice to be able to start doing these family outings together.
Then on Sunday we had a picnic in the park and fed the ducks at the pond. Luke was crazy for the ducks (or duck ducks as he refers to them) He kept reaching out to try to hug them. He was in heaven when all of the sudden he was surrounded by about twenty. At one point I thought he would walk right back into the pond with them.
Add the BYU win overy OU in the middle of that and we had a killer weekend!
I'm not sure what we are going to do come winter when he HAS to wear pants and stay inside most of the day, arg, I guess we will cross that bridge when we come to it. Luke LOVES pens, he can find them anywhere and knows he shouldn't. He actually found this one while we were playing hide go seek. Perhaps I should start counting to 5 instead of 10.
We went to a petting zoo last week. With my mom, sister in law and her kids. We had a bunch of fun, but I think Luke had most fun of all. He just ran from animal to animal pointing and hitting them. Then to his delight he noticed the day had somehow gotten even better... there was a puddle of muddy water, heaven on earth. So he ran (yes, literally) over and jumped (not literally, he's just a baby :) into it. While he was enjoying himself splish splashing away. A very hot, very pregnant pig came waddling over to what was obviously her bath. Luke was excited to have a friend at first. Then she got a little too friendly and laid right on top of Luke. He was stuck and not amuzed. It was pretty funny. He LOVED the petting zoo, what a fun place for little ones.
A week or so ago we spent a week at the Oregon coast. As the picture shows we kicked up our heels and had some fun. Luke loved the beach. The first day we were there he just ran into the ocean, literally! He is so crazy sometimes, fearless. He was totally clothed and just ran in to the frigid water again and again and enjoyed it. So we prepped for the second day with a swimsuit and video camera, but he had wisened up. Just wanted to play in the stream. We loved taking sand baths, running around on the beach and going on hikes up to beautiful waterfalls.
My friend "helped" me cut Luke's hair (I only made about three cuts) . She gave me a good lesson. Here's hoping that I can achieve the same look next time. He looks soooo different. Like such a little man. Every time I look at him I am shocked and wonder where my baby went. But I really do think he looks handsome.
We went on our first camping trip of the summer and Lukes first ever. He even got to go for a little put put ride on the four wheeler.
Luke has started to ask to be kissed better whenever he gets an owie. It's almost always the same finger he needs kissed, seems to do the trick though.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Wow, I can't believe it's been a year. Wow.
Everyone told my how time would fly, but somehow I thought it was just small talk, I can be so naive. I had no idea it was true. Where did my baby go? Now he is walking all over the place, and apparently flashing gang signs :), talking about bananas all day, and will quite willingly show you his tongue, and occasionally his belly.
He is the joy of our lives. It is hard to imagine life without him. He is so charming and has a way of melting hearts where 'er he goes. What a blessing he is, what a sweet and special boy that we are so lucky to be the parents of. Luke we love you like crazy!
In case you were unsure that Bryan and I still existed here is a pic of us after we climbed a mountain. That's right, I climbed a mountain on Memorial Day. I was expecting a nice leisurely hike and was a bit shocked when we headed straight up a mountain. It was actually nice to get outdoors and do something active.
Luke got to chill at the bottom with his Grandma.
That is about as close to the water as he got. He did to an occasion dabbling in the sprays. But we have some prepping to do before actual pool season. (In years past that would have meant something entirely different to me, mostly having to do with my thighs)
Luke has a flour pile. I have been making homemade bread lately. Even grinding my own flour. Crazy domestic, I know. Anyway, the first wheat that goes through a new grinder has to be thrown away, kind of cleans out the machine I guess. So I was showing Luke what I had made, letting him put his hands in the flour. It was getting a little messy so we went out on the back porch, it was so cute I had to grab the camera. I was gone for two seconds, and he dumped it. So for the past few days we have been playing in the flour file. I have decided that real toys are over rated. Luke would rather have Tupperware and a pile of flour any day.
Teething has been a bit rough on this poor little guy. He is currently working on number 7 & 8... OUCH. He doesn't want to eat anything. So I have been trying to get creative. Sometimes he isn't sure if what I put infront of him is a toy or a meal. But he figures it out eventually. Nothing like a cool cuke on sore gums.
Yep. It has begun. These are some of his very first steps. I think he was mostly interested in the food. Now he is so used to applause that whenever he stands up he starts clapping. If the rumors I hear are true once he really starts walking my life will never be the same.
Sorry to be inundating you with movies lately. But for those of you who can't see Luke in person, pictures just don't do justice sometimes. I am blessed to be his mother, he is a joy.
Spring was so nice. I say was nice because as I look out my window it is snowing right now. But we were all getting a bit of cabin fever. Luke has loved just going out in the yard and crawling as far as he wants. He also seems to have developed a taste for Mel's mix (it is just a special mix of dirt for square foot gardens, but it sounds better than letting him eat dirt :) But this weekend we went to the part on Friday and found out that he LOVES it. He will go down the slide and clap at the end, and the swings well you see the video. So much fun we had to go back Saturday with Bry. You only get a glimplse of his laugh, but it is heavenly!
Today Luke crawled up a few stairs. Hooray... Oh oh. He has been sitting at the bottom of the stairs thinking about it for a days now (not the whole time, on and off :0) anyway finally he figured it out and took the plunge. It is so funny how one day he can't do something and then the next day all of the sudden he has it all figured out. He is amazing, kids are amazing. Now he has to learn how to go down. Presently he just sits down in the middle of the staircase.
Luke has decided to stop smiling for the camera. I don't know if it is just that he is fascinated by it or what but he gets this face on every time the camera comes out... so funny.
Also he has started clapping. So he can now do the first portion of patty cakes. Now if I could just teach him that I am not Rapunzel.
Luke crawled for the first time. ( I cheated on the post date so that I could remember the day) He has been really close for a long time. But today he figured out how to get his legs out from under his body and cruise. Now he loves wrestling with Murphy. He is all boy!
Valentines Day morning we awoke with a start, well a thud more like. Bryan knew right away what it was but I couldn't think for the life of me what that sound could have been. He rushed to the nursery, I followed. There was Luke...on the ground. We stopped screaming immediately when I picked him up. I guess he was just anxious to spend the holiday with us. But wow do kids this young normally jump out of their cribs? I'm wondering how he could do this if he couldn't even crawl. I always thought he was advanced but I'm not sure that this is the type of advanced we were going for :) So right away we moved his crib down to the lowest possible setting, and it looks more like a jail than a crib, but safety first. Just glad he was safe, and a little curious to see what the next trick will be.
Just Bold the ones you have done and then post it on your blog! Course I'm behind the times I'm thinking everyone has done it already.
It makes me want to get out a bit more :) Of course with my memory I may have done some and just not remembered.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (school band count?)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland or Disneyworld
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Olde Faithful Geyser Erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted (caricature)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie or on a TV show (it was never released)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Had an encounter with a wild animal
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (does the parking lot count)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a Jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit (through work, nothing exciting in my personal life)
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Taken a martial arts class
We were finally able to finalize Luke's adoption. I didn't think much about the court itself I was just really looking forward to this day. But it ended up being one of the sweetest experiences.
First when we went into the court house they asked what we were here for when we said adoptions they just let us right in, no metal detector, removing cell phones etc. I loved it but couldn't figure out why at the time. But now I think it because throughout this whole adoption process we have been questioned, tested, checked and double-checked at every corner (which by the way I totally understand) so it was really nice to be trusted.
Then we got into the court room. We had our families there supporting us which was so sweet. Luke was loving every minute of being in a new and exciting place. He was banging his rattle on the table like a gavel. Our attorney first took our caseworker up to the stand and asked her questions, she also had to turn in several documents as evidence. Then we were asked to state our names and we each got to tell what our experience had been like having Luke in our home. I don't think there was many a dry eye in our family. We are all so grateful for our sweet little boy. It is amazing how one woman's selfless sacrice can change a family, even for generations to come. We are grateful beyond words for Luke's birthmother. And we count Luke as our most precious blessing.
