Trains, planes, and firetrucks ... oh my!

Luke LOVES trains, this we know. Lately, he has expanded his transportation love to include planes, buses, and trucks ... namely, firetrucks. He LOVES them and is often stopping mid-play to listen for one in the area (unfortunately for him, fortunately for us, we don't often get firetrucks around our house).

We went to the library last week and picked up some books. These are Luke's current favorites.

I am so tired of reading these 4 that I'm returning them early and hoping to find some different ones. If anyone has any fireman/firetruck, plane, or train book suggestions, PLEASE send them my way!

a BIG announcement

Guess what!?

I am going to be....

a BIG ...

brother!!!

Can you believe it???

This is very exciting news :)!

HE or SHE is due New Years Day - January 1st, 2010.

Dog-sitting

Brooklyn's friend Sadie is staying with us for a couple of weeks while her family is away on vacation.

Adding to that favorite foods list

Count in dried apricots ...



...and freshly picked plums from our tree

Mommy's off for summer...

...and we're having fun. Here's just ONE of our many fun activities from her first week off!

Fun in the Froggy Pool

Favorite foods

I'm posting this picture because anyone who knows Luke and his eating issues (he's SO picky) can likely appreciate it as much as I do. Yes, this is him eating a nectarine ... and he finished it all the way down to the pit!

As I post, I realize that Luke has actually made great strides towards being more adventurous with his eating. Although we still struggle to get vegetables in him, at least we have expanded the list of what he will eat. For the sake of documenting this stuff that I don't write down often enough, some of his current favorites include:

-cheerios

-waffles (homemade, not frozen)

-toast/bread

-bagels

-bananas

-yogurt

-strawberries

-oranges

-apples

-goldfish crackers

-string cheese

-ritz crackers

-macaroni & cheese

-grilled cheese sandwiches

-chicken nuggets

-ice cream (smart boy!)

-anything chocolate

-smoothies (which Mommy sneaks tofu and carrot juice into)

-pudding

-NECTARINES

-pureed sweet potatoes

-blueberries

-applesauce

Why the Pack-n-Play is no longer an option

This is what I found after Luke woke up from his nap on Monday.

The bin was in the closet with all of the outgrown clothes and socks that you now see on the floor. He was able to pull the bin into the crib, empty it, and then use it to escape.

Since Monday, naps have been taken exclusively in the big boy bed!

Swim lessons

Luke started another swim session today. We tried this last summer, but after several sessions, he really just didn't like it. I was hesitant to continue just because the point was to get him comfortable in the water, not afraid of it. So, we took a year long break and we're now back at a new swim school for a second attempt. I had heard wonderful things from other local Mommies about this place, so felt optimistic going in.

Today went GREAT! He LOVED the class. Laughed, squealed, and splashed the entire time. He was great at kicking and moving his arms in the water, and although he didn't love going under, he did it several times. I thought that the curriculum was much more child-friendly. So, here's to a great summer filled with swimming! Hopefully we'll get some pictures of our little fish at some point so that I can post them!

What I love about Luke at 23 months

There is truly so much to love right now (and always).

1) Your counting - I'll often hear you as you are playing counting to yourself. After ten the numbers get more difficult to decipher, but they are definitely correct.

2) I love that you sing along with me to nursery rhymes or the radio.

3) I love that I will often catch you in the backseat of the car just nonchalantly tapping your hands on your knees to the music. You look like such a big boy when you do this.

4) I love that you sleep in your big boy bed - YAY!

5) I love that you are so excited to go pee-pee in the big potty! You even did a #2 this month in the potty! Every single time I ask you if you want to go, you enthusiastically jump up and say "ya, pee-pee, potty!" Sometimes then we'll get there and you'll have to squeeze SO hard just to get a little out :) ... but it is all worth it to you when you get to flush the toilet!

6) I love how much you love your dog, Brooklyn. She gets lots of love from you these days ... hugs and kisses.

7) I love how hard you tried to control yourself at Jack's birthday party because you really did understand that those were his presents ... but it was SO hard because you wanted to play with all of them.

8) I love how great of a traveler you were this month, to Mass. and Texas. You made traveling so easy by being flexible and adaptable to time changes and sleeping arrangements.

9) I love how you repeat things over and over to me to make sure that I understand what you are saying ... and you wait for me to say them back for confirmation. If I get it wrong, you try again and again. Sometimes you get frustrated with me, but I don't blame you :(

10) I love your sweet voice and how you have finally started to trade in calling me "maa" for "mom-mee." The sound of that word from you melts my heart.

11) I love your pretend play. You have quite the imagination and I just am in awe to sit and watch you.

12) I love your manners. You are so consistent now with the "thank yous," and the "bless yous," and the "Sorrys." It just warms my heart when I hear you put someone's name on the end (almost always now) - because you sound so genuine.

Fun times in TX

We just returned from a wonderful long weekend in Dallas at "Hotel Clark." We had such a great time hanging out with some of our best friends and getting all the kids together. Luke had such fun meeting Peyton, Easton, and Ava, and hanging with his buddy, Jack.

If you can believe this, I actually took the LEAST pictures of the weekend together. I knew that we were in good hands with Brian and Joanna behind the lenses. Here are just a few pictures to give you an idea of all that we did thanks to party planner Joanna!

Breakfast at the big kid table:

Fun playing with Easton and all of his cool toys:

Swimming time with Mr. Darin:

Driving the boat with Daddy:

The Girls (minus Ava and I):

Backyard playtime:

Rub-a-dub-dub, how many kids can fit in the tub?

The SPLASH PARK (a trip highlight for Luke):

And, so, so much more that I didn't capture on film. Thank you, Clarks, the weekend was absolutely perfect. We couldn't have asked for more fun or better friends!

Best Friends

"Give a boy a dog and you've furnished him a playmate. "
-Berton Braley

Relaxing:


Telling secrets:


Hugs:


Kisses:

AND, a comfy place to sit:

Luke's BIG news...

...is that he has started to use the potty!

This came as a complete surprise to Mommy and Daddy, but it made us very happy and excited.

It all started in Mass. after Luke watched his cousin Jacqueline. He decided that he would try also ... and was successful on his first attempt. Since then, he has gone pee just about every time he sits on the potty, and when asked, he usually answer enthusiastically that he wants to try.

I guess the next step is getting him to let us know when he needs to go (?).

We are not forcing the issue, but think it would be great if we could just take Luke's lead on this one ... we'll see what happens!

Cousins

The Sheep Fair

Oh, yes, that's right ... our weekend destination while in Mass. was the local sheep fair. Luke loved every minute of it. He thought that the sheep saying "baaa" was just about the funniest thing he ever heard. Every time we finished walking through a barn full of sheep, he would ask for "Moe sheep."

Ice cream sandwiches were also a favorite part of this excursion.

Sprinkler fun

This might have been one of the highlights of the trip in Luke's mind. They had SO. MUCH. FUN.

Oh, and by the way, Uncle James (who created this activity) is now officially one of Luke's favorite people ... ever.