christmas time!!!

We had a great Christmas here at home. At times it was a little overwhelming, but overall Luke had a wonderful time. We had a full house with Grammy, Auntie Leigh, Mur and King visiting us. Luke had so much fun with everyone, especially now that he remembers who people are. He was definitely looking around the house for friends after they left.
Santa was very good to Luke (and to us all, really) and left Luke a broom, mop and duster to help Mommy around the house. He also received lots of puzzles and books (his favorites) as well as this neat climber/slide. At first he was unsure and would only go off head first on his tummy, but now Mr Daredevil is trying to run down the slide and step off, feet first!
See the website for new pics!

clean, clean, clean

Cinderella, Cinderella, night and day, it's Cinderella......

meal entertainment...

So one day we were cleaning out all the framed pictures that were still stored in the closet and they were left out on the dining room table. Well, once Luke caught sight of them, he was hooked. He has suddenly decided that while he eats, he must be entertained by pictures of all of his family. As you can see, they must all be spread around him so that he can point to all of them and wait for Mommy or Daddy to tell him who all these people are. Sometimes he gets upset if they are not just to his liking and will reach out and rearrange the frames until they are just so. It is hilarious!!!

thanksgiving

I was looking back and realized that my Thanksgiving post somehow did not save or something, so it is 2 weeks late. We spent Thanksgiving in Mobile with Mimi and Papaw and Auntie Beth--Uncle Brad is still in Texas and we missed him a lot. Luke had lots of fun exploring the yard and the house--sadly the horses down the street have been sold though. And we liked Aunt Beth's new place: Luke especially enjoyed taking books off her bookshelves. For Thanksgiving, Luke ate a little bit of everything, but the big hit of the trip for him was Mimi's oatmeal cookies she kept giving him!! This picture is of Papaw holding Luke up to the window to spy on Mimi in the kitchen--his look just says, "Are you sure you are not going to drop me?"

big helper...

Luke is such a big helper--he loves to throw clothes in the washing machine and the dryer, as well as putting them in the laundry basket for us! He also hands me all the dishes out of the dishwasher, clean or not--I suppose that is the next step to teach him. Luke will get the broom and mop, pull out the vacuum and the duster, and helps put a new trash bag in the trash can as well: I hope all that is not a commentaty on my housekeeping skills....hmmm...

walking a mile in....

This is a short video of Luke in Sam's shoes--it is very cute!! I hope everyone can view it without too much trouble. He is such a big boy now--sigh.

traveling

We all traveled up to Nashville to visit Sam's family, some of whom had not seen Luke in several months. He was his usual angel self, smiling and getting along in new places. And as usual, once he warmed up to new places and people, he was the star of the show! Saturday, we watched football with Granddad, Grammy and Auntie Leigh (but Vanderbilt still lost :( Oh well.) Afterword we went over and had dinner with Mur and King Saturday night. Then we went out to brunch with Auntie Leigh and Grammy on Sunday morning before coming home. Still no sleeping in the car, but Luke is pretty good natured about it--better than I would be without sleep!! Check the website for tons of pictures!

halloween tears...

Usually a joyous time for children, Halloween was not so fun at our house this year. Apparently dressing up like a dinosaur (from his favorite book, "How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?", was not part of Luke's plan this year. He freaked out just trying on the costume. I got a few funny, "embarass you in front of your girlfriend" pictures, but that is all. He loved giving out candy to other people dressed up and other people's costumes did not scare him at all. Oh well. Maybe next year.

crunching the numbers

Luke started playing in my bag and came across a calculator. He was fascinated--played with it for at least 15 minutes. A numbers guy in the making?--just like Daddy!!

tailgating!!

This weekend, we went over to Auburn and tailgated before the Ole Miss game. Luke had so much fun, playing ball with all the other kids and being outside for hours and hours! He ate tons of junk food with Daddy, including doughnuts and barbeque and potato chips. Our friend's little girl, Evie, who is 3, got lots of kisses and hugs from Luke!! And he learned how to rough-house with the three little boys who were there too--he kept pushing them over and laughing when they "fell over." Perhaps not the most useful skill, but hilarious!!

baby, it's cold outside..

Brrrr! We actually had to use the heat last night for the first time. Sam is in hot muggy Florida this week so Luke and Mommy have been exploring indoor fun while it has been rainy, then chilly. The indoor playground at the mall was a lot of fun. I think the playground thing is finally making sense to Luke now. Check the photo site for a few pictures.

Luke was excited to go out in his own yard today, but he seemed confused as to why he was putting on so many clothes! It was not too cold, but Luke probably does not remember it ever being cold. The fallen leaves seem to fascinate him. He is such a little boy now--playing in leaves and eating dirt (just a little bit!) and making messes!!

our trip to the pumpkin patch

This weekend, we took Luke to the pumpkin patch--it was so much fun! The patch is at a small farm nearby and they had animals and a playground and hayrides and tractors: what more could a boy ask for! Luke seemes a little overwhelmed by it all at first but then got into the spirit of things and picked out several "baby" pumpkins to take home. He really loved sitting on the tractor and seeing the animals but eating ice cream was the best of all!! There are lots of pictures to tell the story better than I can, but I think we have a new tradition.

books!!!

Luke has figured out how much fun it is to sit in a lap and read a book! Previously he loved books and to be read to but he always wanted to be up and moving while someone read--that way he could come and go as he pleased. Now it is so sweet to have him climb in your lap and snuggle up with you. Now if only he had some different books--hint, hint!!

rain, rain, don't go away, stay and play another day!!

Today was the first time we have had rain in a really long time. I am not sure that Luke remembered it--he was half excited and (it seemed) half-confused! He would go outside on the deck and laugh, then want to come back in, then immediately turn around and go back out. So funny!!

We have been outside a lot more now that it is getting cooler. Taking after cousin Jack, I guess! I added some new pictures on the website.

we're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo...

Last week, we took Luke to his first visit to the zoo. He had such a good time! He loved seeing the panda family, as anyone who knows Luke's attachment to his panda bear. And the reptile house was another favorite spot, since Luke's favorite animal imitation is the snake--he sticks his little tongue in and out. So cute!!

Sam and Luke also checked out the petting zoo, though I think Sam was more nervous for the animals. Luke is still working on gentle touching! He looked a little confused, since up to now, the things I have been calling sheep and goats have been flat 2-dimensional pictures in books.

The odd hit of the day was a section of a display where a wooden deck and a concrete pad came together. Luke walked back and forth for probably 5-10 minutes, feeling the different textures with his feet. Who knows why certain things fascinate toddlers?

Other than that, we have been to the park and outdoors a ton now that it is starting to cool off a little bit. He is still a little hestitant about the slide, stopping himself with his feet beforehe gets to the bottom, then trying to climb back up--too funny! Luke loves watching the bigger kids play on the playground. He runs back and forth between me and where other kids are playing, laughing the entire time. He just likes to take it all in for now.

Check out the photosite for pictures!!

15 month old check-up

Just have to take a few minutes and brag on our boy...Luke had his 15-month old check-up 2 weeks ago. He now weighs 24lb 8 oz (11.1kg), up from 22lb 4oz (10.1kg), and is 32.75 inches tall, up from 31.5 inches tall. I knew he was growing but...Yikes!! We are already moving up to 24 mon/2T shirts and size 7 shoes!

Luke does not say much yet, but he understands so much of the world around him. He can hear the pantry door open or keys rattle from across the house. He can identify lots of body parts--eye, nose, hair, ear, mouth, tummy, toes--although his favorite is eyeglasses. His favorite song is "Old MacDonald," because he loves to sing E-I-E-I-O!!!

Be sure to check out the link on the right side of the screen. It will take you to shutterfly.com where you can look at more pictures and order prints.

keeping up...

Well, with the abundance of family members that are now online or have access, I have no reason not to share all the amazing things Luke does, day to day. I am taking a page from my cousin and Sam's cousin's book and creating this little blog to keep everyone as up to date as I can. I cannot promise everyday, but I'll try. And it will inspire me to take more pictures--ha ha!!