Oh, the DRAMA

Remember when you were a kid and you got a boo-boo? Remember how you thought a Band-Aid and a kiss from Mommy made everything all better? I do. One thing I never realized is that way of thinking is learned, you are not born with it. Or at least my child was not.

Luke was playing outside earlier and he scraped his finger. Nothing major, he didn't even react when it happened. I think it was one of those delayed reaction thing - you know how you get a cut and it won't hurt immediately but then later it just kills? I think it was something like that. There was a tiny bit of blood on his finger and he acted like it was hurting so we came inside. I washed his hand (which I'm sure really hurt), put some T36-C5 Melaleuca Oil and MelaGel on it, and covered it with a Band-Aid. It was Luke's first Band-Aid (other than when he got shots) and you would have thought I was TORTURING the child. He would NOT use his right hand the rest of the night and every time he looked at the Band-Aid he would burst into tears. He does almost everything with his right hand and it was so funny watching him hold his fork in his left hand to eat dinner. He did pretty well, but he was incredibly dramatic about it. We finally had to just put him to bed at 7:15 pm because he was just melting down every other minute. It's 7:22 pm now and I think he's already fast asleep.

This makes me wonder if he'll ever be one of those kids who thinks a Band-Aid will make everything all better.

What's better than throwing rocks?

Throwing rocks into water!

I've posted before about how we take the dogs to the field by our subdivision and let them run. Well there is a creek bed that runs through the middle of the field. When we first started walking back there, it was dry. But with all the rain we have gotten lately, it's been pretty full. There is a pile of lava rocks right next to the creek bed and Luke loves to toss the rocks into the water and watch them splash. Daisy likes to chase the rocks and Luke finds this hilarious. Lily just likes to run around and jump into the water whenever possible.

I finally took my camera yesterday to get some pictures of Luke throwing rocks in the water.











I also got some of Daisy and Lily playing, too.





Picking some flowers on the way back home.

Are You Ready for Some BASEBALL?

Luke is! I found this shirt for him yesterday so I couldn't wait to try it on him. I still have to get my Rangers shirt for the season - I have a Mark Teixeira shirt but I can't wear it now since he sold his soul to the devil. I'm hoping to get a Young shirt, too, so Luke and I can be twinkies. :)

10 days until the Rangers home opener! We can't wait!!

Cheesin' It Up

When he's in the mood, Luke will now smile at the camera and say "cheese!" I was trying to get a candid pic of him earlier and he just chased me around saying, "Mama! Cheese!" So I got this instead:

Reading a Book

Fun with Luke

I love videos of Luke and me playing together. Usually I'm the one behind the camera so it's always a treat to actually be the one playing with Luke on video. I'm so glad Nate grabbed the camera tonight. Not only did he capture Luke playing basketball (his favorite thing to do these days) but he also got that infamous Luke laugh that I love so much!

Lily

I don't think this dog could be any more gorgeous.

Rangers Hat

I don't know if it is possible for this kid to be any cuter.

He found one of my Rangers hats today. (Side note - I am SO EXCITED that baseball season is just two weeks away!!!!!) Earlier this afternoon, he used it to play "where's Luke?" with me.

Where's Luke?


There he is!!


Then this evening he grabbed it on the way outside. This time he put it on the right way. It was just too funny not to take pictures. I was laughing watching him try to play basketball with the hat down in his eyes.

The ball is almost as big as he is.


Look at that belly!


Getting serious now.


Airball!


Well, Mom, how do you expect me to shoot a basket when I can barely see?


All done with the hat!

A Boy and His Dogs

My camera battery is charged now - yay!! I wanted to try to get some pictures of Daisy and Lily today so I followed Luke and the dogs around out front, taking whatever pictures I could get. And I got a lot so enjoy!! :)
Daisy and Lily weren't too excited about me making them sit and stay to get a pic together.

They really didn't like Luke giving them hugs, either. But they cooperated.


They were a little more receptive on the porch, though.

Then we went out to the walkway behind our house to let Luke and the dogs run around. I love watching Lily stretch out and run.

Daisy's pretty cute, too.

So is Luke!

Luke checks to make sure I can walk and take pictures at the same time.

Ooops! Luke found the water. At least he didn't sit down in it like the last time!

His new thing is picking up rocks wherever he goes. I used to do the same thing.

Luke watched Nate play fetch with Lily and he wanted to get in on the action. You can see it in his face that he didn't plan on sharing.

It was really, really windy - check out his hair!! He had so much fun playing "keep away from Lily".

And she was such a good sport. All eyes were on Luke, but she never took the bumper out of his hands.

Finally she just gave up.

Luke would not have this so he would go dangle it in front of her face. Yes, I realize that he is a little stinker!

And when she'd try to grab it, he'd turn away and say, "No!"

We finally took pity on her and gave her the bumper.

Luke running home - he pumps his arms now and it is so funny.

Update from this past week

I don't know for sure, but I think this is the longest I have gone without updating my blog. It seems like it's been forever! A lot of stuff has been going on with us so I'm just going to put it all in one post.

We have been very busy the past few weeks. My work-at-home venture is going very well and I am just loving it. The Mom Team has proven to be a wonderful group of women and I feel like I finally have a "place". Plus I love, love, love the fact that I can make an income while still being here for Luke. Even on the tough days, I still thank God for providing me with the opportunity to stay at home with my baby. It just means so much to me to be with him everyday.

But it's also nice to have a break from the norm and we got that last week. Beth and Justin were on spring break so we had the privledge of hosting them for an overnight on Wednesday. They got here Wednesday morning and left for Mom and Dad's on Thursday afternoon. Luke was SO INCREDIBLY EXCITED to have over 24 hours with "Bee" and "Du-din". I was pretty much chopped liver when they were around, and it was kind of nice to not have 100% of his attention like I normally do during the day. We took the dogs to the park and let them (and Luke) run around. Luke has started pumping his arms when he runs and it is the funniest thing ever. We walked around the 1/2 mile track with the dogs and I think Luke ran the entire way. Luke also got to spend a lot of time in the backyard with Beth and Justin, too. They were perfect playmates.

Friday we went to Dallas so Mom, Beth and I could have saunettes at Merle Norman (where we've done skin care/make up since I was 11). Luke loves it at my parents and spent almost the entire day outside in the backyard. I ended up leaving him there for a sleepover. It made everyone happy - Luke was thrilled to stay at Mammie and Boppa's, Mom, Dad, Beth and Justin were thrilled to have Luke to themselves, and Nate and I were thrilled to have some time to ourselves.

Saturday Nate was busy helping his sister and brother-in-law move into their new house and I was busy doing things around our house that I can't do with a little "helper". Luke was so worn out from the past few days that he slept until 9 am today so we missed church. I was all out of sorts today because it doesn't feel like Sunday to me.

And for the last update...I've been debating putting this on here, but I've decided to go ahead and do so. After all, this is a blog about our family and what happened has effected the family, so here goes. On March 4, I got a positive pregnancy test. Five, actually, because I couldn't believe the result. We were very excited. On March 11, I started spotting, which can be common early in pregnancy. But it wouldn't be that way for me. On March 18, I lost the baby. I was only six weeks along.

We are doing pretty well. We know that everything happens for a reason and that what happened was out of our hands. My doctor said that most miscarriages happen due to a genetic issue, and I am very thankful that I lost the baby early enough where I didn't have time to really get attached. I have had sad periods, but mostly I am thankful for the way things worked out. Since it was going to happen no matter what, Wednesday was the perfect day because Beth and Justin were here to play with Luke and I already had a doctor's appointment scheduled. Our faith and trust is 100% with God during this time and I know he will bless us with another healthy baby when the timing is right. It just wasn't our time now. And if we aren't meant for more children, at least we have our Luke, who is the best thing that has happened to us.

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us during this time. It really means a lot to us and it is such a comfort knowing that we have such great family and friends. :)

Something interesting I just realized...

So it's no secret that Monday and Tuesday of this week were not good days in our house. Wednesday and Thursday were great days, though. Luke was a happy child and that makes for a happy Mommy. But now Friday has not been so great. Luke was grumpy most of the morning and now he's refusing to nap. He's been in the crib since noon and it's now 1:15. He's just in there hollering - not to get out, but just hollering to hear himself, I guess. He did the exact same thing on Monday and Tuesday before finally falling to sleep. However, Wednesday and Thursday he fell right to sleep and took 3 hour naps both days. (That was heaven!)

So...what's the difference between M/T/F and W/Th? M/T/F we didn't leave the house. I really think Luke gets bored here with just me. And I get stuck in a rut where it takes so long to get anywhere fun (b/c there's nothing really great to do in Mansfield) that I just don't want to mess with it. But I think I'm going to have to start planning things to do every morning. It doesn't have to be spectacular - Wednesday we just went next door to play and Thursday we just went to Walmart - but I need to start doing SOMETHING with him everyday. Because obviously playing at home with me isn't cutting it for Mr. Luke.

I am so thankful that I got him enrolled in preschool, but he won't start until the fall. In the meantime, it's my job to keep him entertained with activities suitable for an almost-two year old.

This makes it all worth it.

Luke has been a challenge lately. And that puts it mildly.

The combination of cutting teeth (the pointy ones, too!), the time change, and coming up on his second birthday (Terrible Twos, anyone?) does not make for a happy, mild-mannered Luke. The last two days have been especially bad. He is constantly whining and fussing, extremely clingy, and does not sleep as well as he normally does. The only times in the last two days that he has been happy was when we were playing outside with his friends, Joshua & Reese.

Even Nate is getting frustrated with him, so you know things must be on the bad end. They were in the backyard earlier grilling hamburger patties for dinner and I heard Nate tell Luke on more than one occasion to "lose the attitude". I had to laugh at that one.

After dinner we were both craving ice cream so I jumped at the chance to run up to Walgreen's and grab some pints of Blue Bell. (Except they ended up having a sale on half gallons so I took advantage!) It was heavenly to have that twenty minutes all to myself, without a toddler whining "Mama, UP!" at me constantly.

But you know what makes all of this annoying behavior so worth it?

When I got home and Luke was watching for me out the window. The second our eyes locked, he flashed me the biggest grin ever and started squealing. When I opened the door, he threw himself against my legs and hugged them, the entire time screaming, "Mama! Mama! Mama!"

And just like that, any annoyance I felt earlier in the day was gone. Because all that matters is my little boy who is SO excited to see his mama, even when she's only been gone from his sight for 20 minutes.

Playing Catch

Here's a video of Nate and Luke playing catch yesterday. I think he's got pretty good form for a 21 month old!! :) Looks like we'll be buying him a ball and glove for his birthday.



I think it's hilarious at the end when he starts copying Nate by rolling the ball to him. I guess he figured Nate needed the practice fielding grounders.

Piggy Bank

Last week I showed Luke his piggy bank. It has been sitting on his shelf since before he was born. I would occasionally put some coins in it, but it hardly ever crossed my mind until last week. I was cleaning up around the house and kept finding coins on the bathroom counter or in the utility room. Nate would always take the coins out of his pocket and just sit them down somewhere. I decided to start giving them to Luke to put in his bank.

He loves putting money in his piggy bank. Whenever I show him a coin, he takes off running for his room, yelling "be be bak!" Then he waits (sometimes not so patiently) while I take the bank down and put it on the floor. It didn't take him long to figure out how to get the money in there.

I finally got some pictures of it today. Nate cleaned out his softball bag and had a ton of change that he gave to Luke. The bank was heavy when we got done!

Putting money in my piggy bank is so much fun!


It requires a lot of concentration.


And I love the sound the coins make when I am all done!

A Couple Pics from Today

Just a couple pics I took after we got home from church. It was so gorgeous outside and with Spring Forward Luke wasn't about to pass out after playing hard at Sunday School. So we got to enjoy some outside time!

Mowing the Yard

Nate decided this would be a good weekend to get the yard mowed and fertilized. It's supposed to rain tomorrow so he wanted to take advantage of that. (Hopefully he didn't jinx us because we need the rain!)

I was inside and heard him whistle for me so I go out front and I find this...

Big Helper!


Running over to tell me all about it.


Pure joy on that face!


You like that belly shot? The poor kid only has one t-shirt that fits him right now and he wore it yesterday! I guess that's on my list of things to do this weekend - get Luke some clothes that fit him!

21 Months!

Another month has passed and Luke is 21 months old today! I say this every month, but he is so much fun right now. His vocabulary is expanding on a daily basis, and he has such expression with his words. I wish I could follow him around with the video camera to catch my favorite words on film, but as soon as he sees the camera he just wants to watch "Spaz". Oh, well.

Some of my favorite Luke expressions are:
"Oh, no!" - He says this anytime something goes "wrong". For example, the other morning he woke up and was chattering away in his crib. Then we heard him say, "Oh, no! Da duh dance!" (Da duh dance is what he calls Mickey Mouse). Turns out he had tossed Mickey out of the crib.
"Oops" - He says this all the time. When he drops something, when he falls down, when he runs into something...you get the idea.
"Heavy Guke" - He really is heavy! 30.6 pounds at the doctor today! Plus I love how he calls himself Guke.
"It's cold, Daddy" - Nate taught him this when he was changing his diaper and the wipes were cold. Now anytime he touches something cold, he says this.
"Daisy! Hush!" - Luke loves to scold the dogs. Since it seems like Daisy is constantly barking, Luke is constanly telling her to be quiet.
"No no Yee Yee!" - Again with the scolding of the dogs.
"Huh?" - He says this whenever we ask him a question that he doesn't know the answer to.
"No!" - He's got this word down pat! It didn't take long for that to happen. But the way he says no is so cute - it's more like "noooo".
"Pease" - The kid has manners. If you ask him if he wants to do something or if he wants something and the answer is yes, he always answers "pease". He also knows that if he is asking for something, he better say "pease" or he won't get what he wants. (This has come back to bite us on occasion, too.)

He can count now, too. He counts to 10. I thought he just counted and didn't correlate it to numbers, but the other day I caught him setting out his Craisins one at a time going "one, tooo, teee, oor, iive, iix, even, aaate, iine, iin!"

He loves to color and play with Play Doh. I find pieces of Play Doh all over the house, despite my best efforts to keep it contained to his little table. He loves to mold the Play Doh into balls and snakes.

Luke also LOVES sports. He is always playing with some sort of a ball. He isn't particular, he loves baseballs, basketballs, footballs, tennis balls, soccer balls, and golf balls all the same. However, when it comes to the actual sport, he is OBSESSED with basketball. We have a hoop in the garage and on the back porch and he loves to go out and shoot baskets. When he makes it, he shouts "score!" and when he misses he shouts "rejected". This afternoon he was playing and I really think he was saying "good shot" after he made a basket. I'm hoping as baseball season starts up his obsession will shift towards the sport that I love. He can throw a baseball with very good form and aim. He can also hit really well off the tee. We're working on catching the ball right now. He's so funny, anytime you tell him to "catch", he sticks his hands out. If you get the ball right there, he catches it. It's so cute to watch.

That's all I can think of right now. I wanted to get all that on here so I can remember what he's doing right now. It's been awhile since I updated that sort of thing.

Here's a picture of Luke playing basketball today. Such concentration!


At this point he was saying "Mama! Watch!"


He's started throwing the ball up in the air and catching it. Granted it doesn't get very high off his fingers, but he thinks he's big stuff!