It's Summer!

We kicked off our summer break with a trip to VA to see GJ and Randall Pop!  We had a great time!  Highlights include running around in the back yard, swimming in the pool, and a trip a to a children's museum.  Since we've been back we've spent our days getting into our summer routine, hanging around the house, potty training (which I'm certain I have enough material to write at least 3 blog entries about), swimming, going to the park, and meeting up with friends.  Last week we even went to the zoo!  Looking forward to the rest of our summer.  They always go by so quickly!

*I can't get our pictures from our VA trip to upload...I'll come back with those!  And these pictures are terrible...it's late and I'm too tired to fix it.  I'll repost with better ones soon!

Two and a Half

My sweet Cade,

You are two and a half years old!  I'm a little emotional while writing this post.  I'm not quite sure why.  Maybe it's because tonight we played a CD called The Night, Night Song that we used to listen to every night while I rocked you to sleep as a baby.  You had the sweetest reaction when you heard it.  You crawled into my lap and asked me to rock you.  You became very quiet and somber (the exact opposite of how you usually are while we prepare to take a bath on most nights) and you looked up at me in the most loving way.  I know it's crazy to think that hearing the CD brought back memories to you of your babyhood, but it sure seemed like it!  I reflected on how quickly you've grown and how YOU, this boisterous, loud, energetic, perfect little 2 year old used to be my sweet baby boy.  You have grown into the happiest, smartest, cutest little guy and I could not be more proud of the person you are becoming.  Here's a little more about you at 2.5 years old:

• You weigh 30lbs (56%tile), you are 38.5 inches tall (93%tile) and your head circumference is (84%tile). 
• You wear 2T-3T size clothing and size 7 shoe. 
• You wake up so very happy!  You smile so big.  Then you reach down and gather up all of your bed stuff (pillow, blanket, and Snuggle Bear) and say that you want to climb into Mommy and Daddy's bed and "watch a little TV". 
• Snuggle Bear is your roll dog.  You take him everywhere and you love him so much! 
• Your favorite TV shows are Bubble Guppies and PAW Patrol.  You also like Chuggington and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  I'm sad to say this, but your favorite thing to do is watch TV.  You ask to do it several times a day...BUT don't worry...I limit you to no more than an hour or so of TV time a day.  Left to your own devices, I believe you might sit on the couch and watch it ALL DAY!
• You love to play with toy trucks (particularly fire trucks) and trains.  You also love to ride around on/in "cars".  You have two of them.  Your favorite is a Mickey Mouse car that you got for your 1st birthday. 
• You love, love, love to read (and this makes Mommy very happy). 
• Your favorite foods are pasta and pizza.  You are still a great eater, but getting you to eat vegetables is quite difficult.  I usually have to hide them in your food to get you to eat them. 
• While you are a happy little guy, you become frustrated and upset easily (like any time that you don't get your way - you scream and cry).  You will usually calm back down pretty quickly, but man your scream is like nails on a chalkboard!
• You are so funny and say the cutest things ever.  Sometimes I get so tickled at what you're saying that I laugh and you do NOT like that.  You get really upset if you think I'm laughing at you. 
• You are very helpful.  You like to help me do anything and everything that I'm doing - laundry, cooking, sweeping, cleaning up toys. 
• You seem very social and like to be with your friends.  You also love attention (especially mine) and want all of the attention all of the time!  :) 
• You are a great big brother.  You can be very jealous of Lukey at times, but overall, you are so sweet to him.  Tonight Luke was crying and I was in the other room taking care of something.  When I came back in, you were sitting right next to him with your arm around him telling him it was going to be okay. 

 

I feel sad ending here because I know I haven't captured even a fraction of what you're really like at this age, but hopefully when we look back on this we'll remember how amazingly entertaining, loving, funny, happy, smart, and just a smidge frustrating you were back then!  :)




Here you are with Snuggle and a fire truck.  You like to carry trucks around with you too. 



You insisted that we take some pictures with only your diaper on...so we could "see your BIG belly".  :)

Love this face!  "Mommy, you smell sumpin'?"

You love wearing hats.  And here's one of your favorite books!

9 Months Old

Sweet Lukey Bear,

You are 9 months old!  You have changed SO very much this last month and it has been so fun to watch.  You've gone through a bit of a jekyl and hyde transformation.  At first, we watched you blossom into the happiest, smiliest, easiest baby ever.  And then over the last week or so you've done a complete 180.  I have no idea what's up, but I'm hoping it passes soon!

• You weigh 20lbs, 11oz (50%tile).  You are 29.5 inches tall (84%tile) and your head circumference is 18 inches (61%tile).
• You wear size 12 month/18 month clothing and size 4 diapers.
• You have 8 teeth - 4 on top, 4 on bottom.
• You are still the sweetest little thing.  It's nearly impossible to look at you without smiling. 
• You are a happy baby and smile easily.  When you get really excited you kick your legs and happy scream.  It's the cutest! 
• You are very curious and you love to play and explore.  Your favorite toys are a set of nesting cups, a ball bouncer, your walker and anything that Cade is playing with.  You also love my phone and TV remotes. 
• You like to be where everyone else is.  If I try to sit you in the play area while I cook dinner, you scoot your way into the kitchen to find me.  If we're in a different room from you, you will come find us every time! 
• You are crazy active.  There are few things more difficult than trying to change your diaper. 
• You used to be a great eater, but not so much anymore.  You fuss every time we try to feed you baby food, but you LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to feed yourself!  Your favorites include Cheerios, yogurt melts, toast, and fruit puffs.  You also love to drink water from your sippy cup.  You still nurse several times a day and sometimes you take a bottle or two of formula.
• You aren't the best sleeper right now.  Lately you've been waking up 2-3 times a night, but I just know that's all about to change!
• You like to be held...as long as whomever is holding you is standing up. 
• You've started to show signs of stranger anxiety.  You will cry if we're around people you don't know well. 
• You love:  pulling up/standing up, playing Peek a Boo, knocking things down (if we build a tower with blocks...you like to knock it down, for instance), playing with a sheet or a parachute (when we pull it up and down over you). 
• We love:  your happy squeal, your smile, hearing you talk, watching you grow and change, the way you smell.

8 Months Old

Sweet, Sweet Lukey,
You are 8 months old!  You are on the final lap of your first year of life and I just can't believe it.  You have changed in so many ways this month, but one thing that hasn't changed is just how sugary sweet you are!  I truly hope that never changes.  I'm not kidding, sometimes I think I might seriously take a big bite out of you!  You are such a happy, easy-going little guy.  Here's a bit more about you this month:

• We haven't had your 8 month check up yet so I'm not sure of your weight and height just yet - we'll come back with that.
• You wear size 12 month clothing and we just bought your first box of size 4 diapers.
• You eat 3 times a day and nurse or take a bottle of breastmilk 6 times a day.  You have one bottle of formula during the day as well.
• You eat well and so far you don't seem too picky.  I hope that sticks!  Your favorite foods are fruits, carrots, and sweet potatoes.  We started giving you apple puffs a week or so ago to give you some practice with feeding yourself.  More of the puffs go in your chair than in your mouth, but you're definitely getting better as the days go on! 
• You still wake up once or twice throughout the night.  Most often around 3:30 or so, but you have slept all the way through until 5:30 a couple of times so I'm REALLY hoping we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel of night wakings!
• You have 4 teeth that are all of the way through (three on the bottom and one on top) and you have three more poking through on top.  At one point this month you had all 4 front top teeth coming in at once...poor guy!  So I guess we might say you have 7 teeth so far.
• You can get anywhere you want to go!  The main way you travel is by scooting on your belly.  You get yourself up on your hands and knees, but you don't go anywhere just yet - just rock back and forth. 
• You are so active...I mean like so, so active.  Giving you a bath and changing your clothes/diapers have become very difficult - you don't want to sit still long enough! 
• You love...being in your walker, Cade, your doorway jumper, being on the floor exploring, drinking water, the Bubble Guppies theme song (you break your neck to see the TV when you hear the song come on...and you smile so big), when we talk and sing to you, playing airplane with Mommy. 
• You don't love...when we lay you down to change your diaper or your clothes, when we take a toy or something you're playing with away from you, being hungry or tired. 
• We love...your precious smile, how easy-going you are, to watch you play with Cade, your big curls, the way you kick your legs when you get excited, and hearing you talk. 

We love you so much and we can't wait to see what the next month will bring!

 

 

Easter

We had a great Easter weekend!  On Saturday we dyed Easter eggs, and Cade had tons of fun experimenting with the colors.  The Crandalls invited us to their home for Easter dinner on Sunday and it was just perfect.  They live in the most beautiful setting and have a small farm.  Cade got to feed chickens and a donkey - though he was a little hesitant at first.  Cade and Olivia had a little Easter egg hunt and had fun blowing bubbles and going through their eggs.  We are so thankful for our family away from family!  :) 

Spring Break 2014

Last week was spring break!  We spent the beginning of the week at Everland and at the park with friends and we wrapped the week up with a trip to KY.  The car rides there and back were a little rough with both Cade and Luke wailing - tag team style at first...then they decided to make it a duet and scream and cry at the same time.  We had a great time while we were there though - during daylight hours that is.  We spent time with Todd's family, went to Dinosaur World, and Todd and I even had an entire 24 hours to ourselves!  We went to Louisville to hang out; we had lunch and dinner outside, visited the Muhammad Ali museum, walked around downtown and spent time with Todd's family and friends.  Cade loved, loved, loved hanging out with Grandmother, Granddaddy, Betty, Taylor, and TJ and although Lukey can't really express his love and excitement just yet, I know he loved all of the attention as well.  Both boys had a TOUGH time being away from home when it came to sleeping - Cade in particular. He was on a sleep boycott the first day and night we were there and cried and threw fits well into the night.  I know that one day I will look back on all the crying and fit throwing and laugh, but, whew, it was stressful at the time!  Our trip was well worth the sleepless nights and we are always so thankful when we have the opportunity to spend time with our families.

7 Months Old

Sweet Lukey,

You are 7 months old!  Well...actually you're about 7.5 months old.  We've been super busy around here and I got behind.  Your little personality is more bubbly than ever and you get cuter and cuter by the day!
Here's a little more about you these days:

• This isn't a check up month for you so I'm not sure of your height, but you seem very tall!  We went to the doctor today to get your ears checked (you keep rubbing them so I was worried you had an ear infection, but you don't) and you weighed 20lbs, 6oz.  
• You wear size 12 month clothing.  
• You eat 3 meals a day and nurse/take a bottle of breastmilk about 7 times a day.
• You go to bed around 8 and wake up around 6:30 during the week.  You usually wake up once to eat - usually around 3AM.  You take two naps a day.  
• You are still a super happy baby and are content most of the time.  You smile very easily and don't cry too often.  You will cry when you are hungry and sometimes when we change your diaper.  You are also starting to cry if we walk away - like you miss us and want us to come back!  
• You are now somewhat mobile!  You roll all over the place and Daddy says that he's seen you scoot yourself belly-down, penguin-style, on the hardwood.  
• You are a good eater and you at least tolerate everything we've given you so far.  Your favorites seem to be fruit, carrots, sweet potatoes, and peas.  You drink water with your meals.  
• You have 3 teeth (on the bottom).  
• You love your sippy cup, TV remotes, playing airplane, taking pictures, and things that surprise you.  
• We love your happy disposition, the way you stick your tongue out, you chunky legs, your sweet laugh, to hear you talk