Happy Birthday Luke!

Luke's actual birthday fell on a COLD and RAINY Saturday this year.  I had to work that morning, but once I got off we were able to have some fun.  After Luke opened his presents Andy and I took him to "Ba-Donalds" to eat and play while Gigi watched Benjamin.  After that we ended the evening at Gigi's house for cupcakes (see pics from previous post).  Although McDonalds wasn't what I originally had in mind, we ended up having a really good time.  Luke enjoyed going down the toddler slide the most and he eventually decided that going down on his tummy was more fun.  Luke and I did climb to the top of the play structure twice, but never went down the slide.....maybe next year ;)

 Andy and I got Luke a balance bike for his birthday!

Luke is Two!

Dear Luke,

My eyes are fighting tears as I think about how big you are getting. It is like I blinked my eyes and you turned into a little boy. You are such a sweet child with a loving heart.

At 2 years old you weigh 28-29lbs on the home scale, depending on the day. You wear 24month-2T clothes for the most part and are still in a size 6 shoe. You love to eat breakfast and typically ask for a waffle, yogurt, granola bar, or a banana to start your day (most of the time a combination of those options). Some of your other favorite foods are fruit (all kinds), rice, hot dogs, and cookies!

You love your animals! You can make all of the noises for each and every animal you learn. You also love to play with your trucks, tractors, trains, and balls. You don’t watch a lot of TV, but when you do you typically say/request “watch Elmo”, “watch choo-choo trains” or “watch Mi-me Mouse.”

You are an observant child who is always listening. You tend to be a little shy when you first meet people, but once you warm up you are a little ham. You like to know your day’s schedule ahead of time, but also have no problems going with the flow. You speak in sentences and you always surprise me with the things you know.

You are still a great sleeper and love sleeping in your queen sized big boy bed. We try to have you in bed no later than 8pm and we usually wake you up in the morning. You sleep with any stuffed animal you can find, but you are particularly fond of your Allie and Mun Mun (stuffed alligator and bear blankie). Each night before you go to sleep you say your bedtime prayers It melts my heart to hear who you want to pray for nightly and I also smile when we pray for your animals, too.

You are a great big brother to Benjamin. You can now say his name really well with all 3 syllables and even the “ja” part. You are constantly thinking about him and loving on him. If he isn’t around you want to know where he is. If I sing a song about you then you aren’t happy until I sing the same song about Ben. You are a great helper with getting him diapers and burp cloths and even turning on and off his swing. I love that you never go to bed without giving him a hug and a kiss. He is a lucky little boy to have a brother like you.

I thank God daily for giving you to me and allowing me to be your Mommy. You are my little sunshine and breathe of fresh air. God has big plans for you and I am so happy that I get to be a part of it!

I love you to the moon and back,
Mommy

More Pictures from Grandma Blum's Visit

 

Happy Birthday Grandma Blum

Luke and Ben's Great Grandma Blum (Cindy's mom) came in town last week to visit.  While she was here we celebrated her birthday (her birthday is one day before Luke's birthday).  We are so thankful that she was able to make a trip down to see the boys and meet Benji for the first time.   Here are some pictures from the evening.

I love Luke's expression in this picture!

 Making monkey faces!

Here is a picture from the last time Great Grandma Blum was in town.

Elmo & Cookie Monster

We recently re-discovered our Elmo and Cookie Monster hooded towels for after bath time. Luke loves the "new" towels and insisted that he got to be Elmo tonight!

Here are some pictures of Luke in his Elmo towel at ~5 months old.  He has grown so much!

Back to the Park

Mom and I took Makayla and Luke to the park after church this past Sunday.  The weather was beautiful and I know the kids had a good time.  Luke is doing more and more things by himself at the park.  He had no problems going up the stairs on his own holding the rail and he went down the slide multiple times.  We had one close call with the slide though -- Luke forgot to sit down and started to walk down the slide.  Luckily he fell backwards (instead of forwards) and just slid down the slide, albeit slightly sideways and a little rough.  After that, Luke's favorite thing was throwing rocks off the bridge into the creek below.  I foresee many more afternoons looking for rocks to toss over the edge!

1/4 of a Year!

Benjamin is now 3 months old!!  It is hard to believe that it has ONLY been 3 months because it feels like he has been a part of our family forever, but at the same time I cannot believe it has ALREADY been 3 months.  He has changed so much and is doing so many things.  First off, he now weighs 14lbs, 3ounces (75th percentile) and is wearing his 3-6 month clothes.  Ben goes to sleep each night between 8-9pm and I wake him up in the morning (6am) to give him a bottle before I go to work.  He eats 5 times each day and eats ~5-6 ounces at each feeding.  He is a happy, growing little boy.

Benjamin loves to see the world.  He wants to be sitting up (either propped up or me holding him) so that he can take in the room.  He likes to look at new things and he loves to go outside.  He is a little chatter box and tries so hard to talk back.  He loves bath time and I love it when he splashes the water with his feet.  He likes to swing in his swing (Luke is a good helper with turning it on and keeping the stars on), watch his mobile, and lay on his mat.  He has a big smile and I get warm fuzzies when he laughs :)

I remember always looking forward to and almost rushing Luke to the next step -- boy was I naive.  With Benjamin, I am trying to treasure every moment because I know it is all going to go so fast.

Stop growing so fast Ben -- you are only 3 months!  We love you!

Thankful

I am so thankful for these sweet, sweet boys!

First Week at Grandmas

Cindy sent me this picture of the boys one day during my first week back at work. Luke is so sweet to his little brother. I already love to watch them play.

12 Weeks and Back to Work

I went back to work full time last Monday.  It was sad to see my time home with the boys come to an end.  I will really miss the cuddly days at home watching them grow and learn new things.  We are thankful that Grandma has agreed to watch both of the boys for me and that Christina is still willing to help out, too.  Knowing that the boys are in the care of people that love them makes the transition back to work a little bit easier.