Happy Valentine's Day

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

We had so much fun with Valentine's Day this year- many thanks to my Mom for her sweet Valentine's care package that passed along the delicious cupcake mix that we later made as a family here (see pics above).

Lucas couldn't get enough of the cupcake mix-(before I even got it into the adorable heart-shaped cupcake baking tins)-and I couldn't get enough of the delicious pink vanilla frosting :) We made a bunch of cupcakes, then packaged them in these super cute bakery-style boxes (kudos to Wal-Mart), then went for a drive and delivered them to family and neighbors. We also made homemade Valentine's Day cards for family here, and family that lives away. I bought some red hand paint and couldn't wait to start the card-making with Lucas (because what kid doesn't like to dip their fingers and hands in paint, right)?! Apparently Lucas doesn't! Lol. Having all the gunk on his hands really freaked him out & it took all but 30 seconds to quickly get his "handprints" on the cards (they are supposed to create a heart shape) before he was running to the sink to rinse his hands off. After the paint was rinsed off his hands, though, he had a lot of fun writing his name (with a little assistance from mom of course) and playing with all of the scrapbook details.

It was so much fun and a memory I will surely tuck away in to my treasure box :)

Hope everyone's Valentine's Day was extra special this year too! Love you all!

Pictures Finally! Lucas's 2nd Christmas & Birthday

Hello there again!

We were able to get our computer working again & can now finally upload some recent pictures from both Lucas's 2nd Christmas and Birthday!

For his birthday this year, we had lots of family over and enjoyed pizza (Lucas's current fave) followed by some Oreo ice cream cake & strawberry shortcake! He loved playing with his cousins & they are always so sweet to take care of him and make sure he has everything he needs. To my family who lives away: please know how much we missed you being here, but are so thankful for the special ways you remembered and celebrated his birthday. He's so lucky to be blessed with so many who love him!

He also had a wonderful Christmas this year! He got a cardboard playhouse from one grandpa & absolutely had a blast peeking out through the windows and coming in and out of the doorway. (See pics below!) He also got a new train set for his room and really can't get enough of it. He'll ask me or Alex to come in and sit down to play trains with him. He loves to make all the choo-choo sounds and push the trains up and down the hills. He's turning in to such a little boy! Lucas also LOVES reading time, and as a special gift this year, my Mom pre-recorded her voice reading Lucas a bunch of nursery rhymes. It's so neat because when Lucas opens the book or turns a page, it automatically starts playing my Mom's voice to whatever nursery rhyme matches that page. Thank you grandparents, aunts & uncles, and of course all my sweet nieces and nephews for making this year so special for our family and for Lucas.

Here's to a great new year!



 



Lucas's 2nd Birthday! Our little Allstar!

Another year has come and gone & really in the blink of an eye! Today we were thrilled to celebrate Lucas's 2nd birthday, and what a joyful day it has been. He woke up this morning with a sweet smile and quick "hi" before he was on his way with opening his first set of gifts from Mema. He was so happy to get some new toys for the bath, an aqua doodle for coloring, and some super cute clothes (that made Mom especially happy lol). We went to McDonald's for breakfast and some play time in the play place. We rounded out the day with time together as a family, then a fun sports-themed birthday party with the big family! My heart is always so filled with love and gratitude when gathered together with all the family because they have so much love for Luke and he has so much fun with them! He was blessed with many fun new things to play with (and make lots of noise with) and it was really a wonderful day! His birthday always brings an additional sense of thankfulness and acknowledgement of how truly blessed and fortunate we are to have him here with us. His birth and placement into our arms-from our Heavenly Father to our birth mother to us- is an experience and a true miracle that we will never take for granted. We honor and celebrate Lucas's journey to our home and into our arms, and the faith of so many! We love you Lucas and wish you a very happy birthday sweet boy! (Our computer has crashed so we are unable to upload any pics. Will do once we have access again!)

Fall Festivities

Happy Halloween!

What a fantastic fall it's been so far. All of my family made a huge effort to come out for the Halloween weekend and spend it with Alex, Lucas, and myself, and we're SO very glad they did! Lucas was so thrilled to have his cousins here to Trick-or-Treat with. Before the Halloween festivities kicked off though, we headed to my Grandma's house for a little R&R.

She lives on a really beautiful piece of land, and has a few cows and horses that we took Lucas to go feed. He LOVED IT! Even though the wind was blowing like crazy and our ears and fingers were ice cold within minutes, he couldn't wait to hop out of the truck and pet the animals. He explored the land with his Mema (grandma) and his two cousins and then we nestled in for the night, eating an amazing warm meal and sharing lots of laughs with each other. I'm so grateful to have a beautiful place like my Grandma's to take Lucas to and create so many of the same memories with him that I made with my Mom there.

Speaking of Grandma's.....

Lucas adores his Mema :) She would take him outside in to our front yard and roll around in the freshly fallen leaves and he would giggle and laugh as she'd chase him around or as the leaves would tickle his sweet face. So grateful for all of her love and tenderness towards him.

Love you Mom :)

Finally....the big finale to the weekend....Halloween!

Lucas dressed up this year as a brave and extremely cute firefighter! He had a super cute hat to go along with it, but it kept bothering him so we didn't bother too long with it. Alex dressed up as a soccer player and I went as a skeleton. All of my family members dressed up as well & it made for a great evening!

Now...bring on Christmas!

Jump! Jump! Jump Around!

Luke seems to be learning something new every day, but his latest challenge has been especially fun to watch. He has seen us jump in to the pool, jump up high to shoot a basketball or on a trampoline, and he has set out to do the very same. His only frustration seems to be- getting his little feet off the ground! Instead, he rolls from the heel of his foot to the tips of his toes, stretching his arms and hands high in to the air, and calling it "jumping"! This is one of those cute home videos you have to see to really understand just how precious this little guy is :)

Along with jumping, he is a busy body!!! His favorite toys are mom's container of cooking spoons & spatulas which he loves to take out and clank and bang on just about anything- couches, counters, mom & dad! Haha :) He loves taking each piece of laundry out of the basket for me, one-by-one, and having me fold it. When I'm done, he loves to then run/climb over each pile and have me start all over.

Food-wise he LOVES pickles and anything cheesy- puffs, string cheese, grilled cheese, you name it! He's learning how to not only drink out of an open water bottle, but how much to drink in at one time, rather than dumping it all over his face. He loves being outside, going for rides in his red wagon, and of course- swimming and splashing in just about any place that has water!

He may be a busy body, runnin' wild and curious about everything, but he's also such a sweetheart and so loving.

Summer Afternoons

Summer afternoons- two of the most beautiful words!

We have been incredibly fortunate this year to spend many of our summer days surrounded by lots of family. Lucas has had one adventure-packed day after another!- from saddle riding (minus the horse lol); circling around on the carousel; and of course lots and LOTS of swimming! My uncle took Lucas out back & put him on one of his horse saddles, making the trotting motion & having Lucas hold on to the reins. I got a few moments on video so check it out.

We also spent lots of time with the cousins- the Three Amigos to be exact! They loved playing the piano together, swimming, going to the movies (yep, they all sat through Cars 2), and even rode around on a horse carousel together.

For the 4th of July, we went to a baseball stadium to watch a minor league game and stay for the fireworks show after. They played music with the firework show & it was pretty spectacular. Lucas did amazing & really enjoyed the loud ones.

Such a great summer! Now bring on the fall....we're tired of the 90+ degree days!