Luke's 3 Year Old Pictures
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Easter 2012
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Luke came running when he heard the door bell ring. As Daddy put on his shoes, he was trying to get a glimpse of the Easter Bunny!
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Wow! Look at what the Easter Bunny left for Luke!
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Looking at his Veggie Tales Bible
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He LOVES his bible!
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Hunting for eggs!
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After walking in the mulch to get eggs, he complained that his shoes were getting dirty. :)
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What a handsome boy in his seersucker suit!
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Luke's 4th Easter ~ April 8, 2012
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My handsome boys
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Our whole family
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Egg Hunt at Church
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Josh and Luke
April 2012
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We brought Ashley to Bridge Street on Friday. Luke asked her to ride the carousel with him. :)
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We went to Matthew's Birthday Party at the Madison Bowling Center on Friday afternoon. Check out Luke's bowling shoes.
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Luke, Matthew, and Marley
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Luke's turn!
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"Pretty good!"
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On one of his turns, he got a spare. Luke had a lot of fun bowling!
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Happy Birthday Matthew!
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Friday evening, we had Uncle Dan and Ashley over for dinner and to see our house.
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It was perfect weather to fly a kite. Can you see it way up in the sky??
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There it is!
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Chris grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. Luke and I are SO glad Daddy finally replaced his grill. Boy, have we missed Daddy's grilling!!
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Saturday we went to the Space and Rocket Center. Luke was as patient as you could expect a 3 year old to be as we walked through the exhibit hall. Lucky for us, it was a special exhibit about Werner von Braun. Dan thought he had to stop and read every little thing and watch every movie because he did a report on him in the 5th grade. :)
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Luke couldn't wait to get outside to see the rockets!
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Wow!
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This is the Saturn V rocket that you can see as you drive around Huntsville. Luke loves pointing it out to us as we are driving around town.
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This was our first time in the Davidson Center.
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Luke was yelling "Blast Off!"
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They had a child's area to play.
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Daddy and Uncle Dan rode the Space Shot.
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What fun!
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Then, Luke went on the kid's version of the Space Shot!
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He LOVED it!
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The space shuttle is Mommy's favorite.
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Astronaut Luke and Astronaut Papa
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When we got back to Mimi's, Luke wanted to play some golf...we thought he would've been ready for a nap.
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Time for the Egg Hunt
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Mimi and Papa gave Luke a Wheelbarrow/Garden Cart.
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He enjoyed watering the flowers.
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After a delicious Easter dinner and dessert, we all got our Easter Baskets.
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The snowball bush was still beautiful this Sunday so we had Luke pose for another picture.
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Luke kept telling us that this time, he wanted to ride the "duck." Chris and I asked if he was sure because we didn't remember there being a duck. It looks like he meant ostrich.
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On the last two carousel rides he's decided he needs to blow me a kiss everytime he goes by. I'll gladly take them! :)
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Luke is doing such a great job going in the potty that he's earned more carousel rides than we can keep up with. On Sunday, we went to the carousel after church, then ate lunch at Panera Bread, and then we went back to the carousel. We were happy to be able to mark two off of the list.
Angela, have I mentioned how glad I am that you gave him the annual pass!?! :)
March 2012
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Another carousel ride!
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Marley and Luke at Veggie Tales Live!
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Luke was so excited to see Larry and Bob!! Luke and Marley did a lot of dancing/jumping.
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This is the birthday cake that Luke and Daddy ordered for me. Yum! I love cookie cake! We celebrated my birthday on Saturday.
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Luke came home and said, "I bought you Chick-fil-a for lunch and Daddy's going to buy you dinner!"
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When we got back from shopping for Baby Girl's furniture, there was a box on the front porch with a birthday present.
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I love it, Katie! Thank you!
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Luke wrapped himself up in the ribbon!
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We played outside Sunday afternoon. I asked Luke to pose by my Knockout Roses because we had our first bloom. :)
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Luke had a lot of posing to do last Sunday. We thought the Snowball Bushes at church were beautiful!
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Mommy's Birthday
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Mimi made me one of my favorites ~ strawberry pie! It was delicious!
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We celebrated Easter with Gran and Papa on Saturday. Aunt Kim said that Drake picked out the blue sunglasses for Luke and picked out the purple ones for himself. :)
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Gran and Papa gave the boys wheelbarrows!
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Gran asked the boys to help her decorate the bunny cake.
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Good job!
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They decided to give the bunny pink cheeks.
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The cake was delicious!
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Time for the egg hunt! Luke wanted to use his wheelbarrow to collect his eggs.
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Then, he realized it was faster to run with a basket!
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Look at all of those eggs!!
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Luke and Drake had lots of fun!
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Easter 2012 ~ Gran, Papa and their boys
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Easter 2012
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Luke had a list ready of all the things he wanted to ride. "FIRST, the orange tractor!"
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"Then, the mule!"
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We rode the mule down to the field to see the cows and the two creeks.
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Luke sat on Papa's lap and I had Drake on my lap. Daddy and Gran rode in the back. Kim rode the four wheeler. It was a nice ride.
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"Then, the green tractor." Luke ran to the green tractor, but was overruled. They decided to go ride the four wheeler next.
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"Then, the four wheeler!"
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"Then, the lawn mower!"
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Now, they rode the green tractor.
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"Last, let's ride the truck to the house!" What a fun day at Gran and Papa's! Luke was on top of the world!
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Happy Birthday, Mimi! Luke told us he was excited about going to Mimi's "party" after church.
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Helping Mimi read her card...
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...and open her gift!
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Luke's incentive for going in the potty 5 time was riding the carousel at Bridge Street. He had told us several times that he was going to ride the tiger. Can you tell by the smiles on our face, who is more excited about this BIG accomplishment - Luke or his parents!?!
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We're proud of you, Luke! :)
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When the ride was over, he said he wanted to ride it one more time, but this time with Papa.
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Talking with Papa as they rode.
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Thanks to Angela, Luke can ride the carousel an unlimited number of times between now and Dec 31st. One of the birthday gifts she gave Luke was the Annual Carousel Pass. Thank you, Angela! If Luke keeps it up, he'll be riding the carousel again before the week is over.
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Luke's Birthday Present was delivered and set-up on Thursday. He was VERY surprised when we got home on Thursday afternoon! He LOVES it!
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Climbing the rock wall!
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Checking out what he can see through the telescope.
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More climbing on the rock wall.
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Showing us how to slide fast!
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And of course, more swinging!
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We went to Jacob's 1st Birthday party on Saturday. They had a fun time. Josh and Luke were very patient boys as they watched Jacob eat his cake. :)
Luke's Birthday Party
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We celebrated Luke's birthday by having a tractor party with family. Luke was very excited to get the party started!
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Luke's Tractor Cake
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Birthday presents! The balloons were bought to hang by the John Deere flag outside, but once Luke saw them, he decided he wanted them inside. We're happy his fear of balloons seems to be going away.
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Our big boy!
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Thanks for sending this picture Gran. It is the only one we have from the party with Angela and Granny.
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After we ate dinner, the boys played on the playset.
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When the sun went down, they came in for cake and ice cream!
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The birthday boy with Gran and Papa
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The birthday boy with Mimi and Papa
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Wow, Luke! Where did the 3 years go!?!
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To top off the evening, Luke went poop in the potty for the 4th consective night. He earned his 5th sticker for our incentive chart, so we'll be going to Bridge Street to ride on the carousel tomorrow! Yay, Luke! We're so proud of you!
February 2012
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Posing for the camera before we left for church.
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"Cheeeeeese!"
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This was the first time Luke was able to ride his balance bike on the driveway. He was SO excited!
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He also rode his "4-heeler."
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Happy 3rd Birthday, Luke! Are you really 3 already?!? Luke was very excited about getting a bike helmet!
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He was very excited about ALL of his presents! He was a very patient boy. He had to wait to open presents until Chris and I got back from our closing. Luckily, the closing went fairly quick.
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Wow! A Cardinal hat and jersey! Thank you, Opa and Oma!
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He also loved his train conductor hat. He likes to wear it when he plays with his train table.
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A Cardinal outfit for Bobby ~ Thank you Aunt Katie, Uncle Andy and Lilly!
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His birthday party at Ms. Trina's.
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Opening presents
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Luke and Bobby in their Cardinal attire!
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Go Cardinals!
Home Again!
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Come on in!
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Dining Room - Part of our dining room furniture was delivered on Saturday. The top of the china cabinet, one side chair, and one leaf were damaged. They have ordered replacements.
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Family Room
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Breakfast Room
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Kitchen - Mom and I are still working on finding more decorative pieces for above the cabinets. This is a work in progress.
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Luke's Bedroom
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His big boy bed!
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Luke just woke up from nap and wanted to be in one of the pictures. :)
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Luke and Baby Girl's Bathroom
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Powder Bathroom
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Master Bedroom
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Master Bathroom
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Office - The desk came apart, but it still did a number on the walls coming up the stairs.
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Bonus Room
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Chris' TV has been hung. He is very excited! I think he is even more excited about the reclining leather sofa he ordered from Bassett. It will take about 30 days before we have it. We're currently praying it makes it up the stairs. :)
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Upstairs Bathroom
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Storage Room - Basically, just storing Christmas ornaments and Luke's baby clothes
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Attic - Looking out from the storage room. It is practically empty...
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...we will accumulate more stuff to store in an attic before we know it.
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Almost done...we're just waiting for the mud to dry out so that we can have them put down the sod!
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The sod was put down on Luke's Birthday. They delivered it early that morning. When we heard the truck pull up at 6:00, Chris told Luke that his birthday present was outside. I don't think Luke found that joke too funny. He kept saying "Where's my present?!?"
Baby Bump
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27 weeks and 3 days
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26 weeks and 3 days
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The morning of my doctor's appointment, I had my students predict whether I was having a boy or girl. They were so excited when school was over because they knew I was leaving to go to the doctor. One of my students even asked if I was going to email them when I found out. I told them they would have to wait to find out by what I was wearing the next school day. They predicted it right, just like my class 3 years ago!
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I am 19 weeks. So, what do you think? Is it a boy or a girl?
I'm not wild about this picture, but I haven't posted a picture of my baby bump yet, so this will have to do. Chris took this of me in the baby's room today while we were waiting for a guy to come and give us an estimate on blinds.
Luke's 1st Dentist Appointment
We brought Luke to his first dentist appointment on Monday. His dentist is Dr. Moeffett. He is a pediatric dentist. We were very happy with everyone at the dentist office. Chris went back with Luke, and I waited in the waiting room. They started by showing Luke how they were going to clean his teeth by cleaning Elmo's teeth. Luke wouldn't lay on the chair, so he sat in Chris' lap and leaned back with his head in Dr. Moeffett's lap. He let Dr. Moeffett examine and clean all of his teeth without tears. The tears came at the end, when he put fluroide on Luke's teeth. One thing Luke liked was the TV on the ceiling above him. They were playing an episode of Elmo. Dr. Moeffett said he would consider the first appointment a success. We go back for his next cleaning in July. :)
Rebuilding Progress
Keith says we are within 30 days!!! Chris locked in a interest rate for our loan on Wednesday afternoon, so we have to close by February 9th!!! Each time we go to the house, we feel like we're getting closer! The tile is down in the wet areas. The appliances were installed. All of the light fixtures are up now except for one of the pendant lights (it was the wrong color). The plumbing is complete. The closet shelving has been hung. The hardwood was supposed to start going in today. We didn't take time to go to the house today because we were busy shopping for replacement items. The biggest purchase of the day was our mattress and Luke's!
We're Expecting!!
Luke is going to be a Big Brother in June! We went for our first ultrasound on November 22nd. The baby measured 8 weeks and 6 days...so our due date is June 27th - Chris' birthday! We had much better pictures this time than we did with Luke because the baby is further along. I've been nauseous every morning and evening since the beginning of November. I am 11 weeks today, so hopefully, that part will come to an end soon! (I added pictures of Luke in his Big Brother To Be shirt in the November 2011 album.)
Scary Night for Momma and Daddy
We were at our house trying to leave around 6:00 last night. Luke was being stubborn about wanting to stay to play in the sand. Chris took him by the wrist to get him to leave and Luke pulled back. He started screaming and throwing a fit. We didn't realize anything was physically wrong at the time, we just thought he was mad about leaving. Then, the screaming got worse as we put him in his car seat. He kept holding his wrist and told us to "Be Careful!" anytime we touched it. We came home and put ice on his wrist. We thought we could distract him with dinner. But, he wouldn't move or use his left arm. Anytime his arm moved he cried. We decided to bring him to Urgent Care (It is in the new hospital's ER). We got there at 7:50 and didn't get called back until 9:10. They took 3 x-rays. Momma didn't get to go in the room, only Daddy. It was hard standing there hearing all of the crying going on in the room. When the doctor came to see us, she said there were no broken bones. She felt around on his arm and discovered that one of the bones in his elbow came out of the socket. She popped it back in. Luke felt better within minutes of her popping the bone back in place. It is called Nursemaid's Elbow. It happens when you pull too forcefully on a child's arm. Poor Daddy felt guilty all night, but the Doctor said it is very common in children 1-4. Hopefully, it will teach Luke to obey when we tell him to come. They gave Luke a sling to wear for 1-2 days. We left at 10:40. Luke went to bed at 11:00. What a night!! We are glad he is okay!
Landmark Event
Tuesday night was a LONG night!! Luke was up crying on and off all night long. It was the first time that Luke has been sick and was able to tell us what was wrong. He kept crying, "My ear hurts!" Chris brought him to the doctor on Wednesday morning and the doctor said he had an ear infection.
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions
We made a LOT of decisions Thursday and Friday! (Luke and I are on Fall Break. Chris took off too.) We finalized our cabinets, flooring, marble, and fireplace! I've narrowed down the granite to two - Venetian Gold and Santa Cecelia. We've driven all over North Alabama (Elkmont, Killen, Athens and of course Madison and Huntsville). Luke came with us to each place and was a VERY GOOD boy! I can say I feel slightly less overwhelmed, slighty. The house hasn't had much work done this week. The HVAC was supposed to start this week, but they didn't. The electrical and plumbing guys are supposed to be done by the time HVAC is done, so they can start putting up the drywall. The brick was delivered this week. Hopefully, they will start putting it up soon. We are still waiting to hear something official from State Farm about our content list. They are supposed to get with us about the items they will quote to replace. Then, we have to tell them of those items which ones we want replaced and the rest we'll have to take the depreciated amount. We haven't heard what percentage everything has been depreciated yet.
Update on Rebuilding ~ 8/25/11
Mr. Griffin finally received the results of the perc test! We will have to have the drip system septic tank with the field lines going through the front yard. We're hoping insurance will be able to help with the cost of the septic tank (it is significantly more expensive than a normal one). The results also stated how far back the house has to be from the road in order to have room for all of the field lines. So on Tuesday night, we went out to the lot to see how far back it will have to be. Luke had a BLAST playing in all of the dirt! He was covered in it by the time we left. He should have plenty more opportunity to play in the dirt beginning Monday when construction begins!! :) More good news...We finished our content list tonight! (A HUGE THANK YOU goes to my mom for all of the time she gave to help me complete the list! It wouldn't be done without your help. Thanks Mom!) We had 56 pages to fax to State Farm. We are going to enjoy this feeling and breathe for awhile before we start wondering how much they are going to depreciate all of our belongings.
Update on Rebuilding ~ 8/11/11
We closed on our construction loan today!!! Mr. Griffin says he hopes to begin the building process on Tuesday! Chris and I have the brick, mortar, and shingles selected. I thought we decided on which stone we wanted, but now I'm rethinking my decision. We need to drive around looking at houses a little more before making our final decision. We haven't finished our content list yet. We hit a big speed bump when I started back to school. Hopefully, things will calm down soon and we'll be able to finish. Thank you for remembering us in your prayers ~ please keep us there for awhile.
Update on Rebuilding
The demolition of our house is complete. The lot has been cleared for two weeks now. We haven't actually begun the rebuilding of our home yet. We are currently waiting to hear back from our insurance. Ten days ago, we submitted a builder's estimate to request additional funds for the rebuilding of our home. Chris received a phone call from someone in our insurance company on Saturday night saying that our paperwork was assigned to him. He said he would be reviewing everything today and Monday and would hopefuly be able to call us with details by Tuesday. We are praying for good news. Once we find out if they will grant us additional funds, we will finally be able to apply for our construction loan.
My mom and I have been working on the list of contents for several weeks now. The only rooms we have left to do are the kitchen, master bedroom (including closets), master bathroom, and the attic. I feel hopeful that the list will be finished within a week or two.
I want to thank everyone for keeping our family in your prayers throughout the past two months. Most days we are positive and trust that we will make it through this process stronger than we were when we started. Other days, we feel very overwhelmed with how fast the time is going by and yet we feel like we are getting nowhere.
Family Vacation 2011
We had a wonderful time relaxing for a few days in Florence. We stayed at the Marriott and enjoyed our time at their wonderful pool! It is a zero entry pool so Luke had a lot of room to play without us having to worry too much about him. Luke was thrilled to spend so much time with Papa (Gran too, but he is definitely a Papa's boy right now.) We celebrated Daddy's birthday on Monday - we went to Texas Roadhouse, went swimming, and then enjoyed a yummy birthday dessert. On Wednesday morning, we let Luke have his first donut! There is a Krispy Kreme donut right down the street from the hotel. Luke finished his donut and said "More, please!" We also enjoyed our visit to Spring Park in Tuscumbia. They have a playground, choo choo train, and a carousel. We brought a picnic lunch and had fun at the park! We definitely enjoyed our vacation!
Chris' Grandmother ~ Mam ma
Our summer vacation started out on a sad note. Chris' grandmother, Susie Hester past away on Saturday, June 4th. All of the family was with her at the hospital during the day on Saturday, but she waited until both of her great-grandchildren left before she went to be with the Lord. We know she is in a better place and probably thrilled to see her husband after almost 40 years and of course Matthew. She will be missed and thought of often.
We saw many family and friends at the visitation and funeral that we had not seen in a while. If we were told once, we were told 100 times that Luke looks just like Chris did when he was a little boy.
Luke's 2nd Birthday!
We stand amazed that another year has gone by so quickly! Our little man is now 2 years old! Wow! Luke had fun at his party on Friday night. Luke loves playing with Josh - the boys had a great time playing together. Luke also enjoyed playing at his party on Saturday! He performed several songs for us and made us hot dogs on his grill. He was so good during dinner - he cleaned his entire plate of lasagna and bread! Luke tried his best to blow out his candle, but he just couldn't do it without Daddy's help. (Daddy says Luke could have blown it out if we would've moved him closer.)
We missed our St. Louis family, but we know you were here in spirit! Thanks for all of the gifts that were sent this week for Luke's party! Unfortunately, Papa, Gran, Mamma, Aunt Kim, Uncle Derek and Drake were not able to come to either of the parties. Hopefully, they'll be able to come see Luke soon.
We were going to do Luke's birthday party at preschool on Tuesday (his actual birthday), but it has been postponed. Mrs. Trina has to go out of town for a funeral, so she will be closed this week. Lucky for us, we have Mimi! Luke will be spending the week with her!
Snow Snow Snow
Luke and I have been home from school all week - - we had 5 snow days!! We had 7 inches of snow at our house (Mimi and Papa had 9 inches)! Daddy was even home from work on Monday. We loved playing in the snow! Luke went sledding, threw snowballs, and made a big snowman. The snow made everything look so beautiful! Luke and I have had fun playing together all week! This will be a winter we won't soon forget.
Thanksgiving 2010
We had a change of plans last week due to Uncle Harold's passing. Instead of being at Gran and Papa's on Thursday morning and with Papa and Mimi on Thursday evening, we were in St. Louis. It has been at least 7 years since I've been home for Thanksgiving - so needless to say it was Chris and Luke's first time. We had a great time at Aunt Betty's - the dinner was delicious and all of the pies were yummy! It worked out that while we were there we got to meet Katie and Andy's precious little girl Lilly! Lilly was born on Monday, Nov 22nd. She was 7lbs 8oz and 20 inches long. I loved being able to hold her and visit with the Zak family during this special time!
Missions Conference at our Church
Every Sunday night during the year, the children at church give a MARS offering (Missionaries Are Really Special). The money from this offering is saved to purchase gifts for the missionaries that are invited to our conference. Luke just recently starting bringing a MARS offering. He is always very excited to walk up front with Grandpa and put the money in the offering plate.
We had our annual Missions Conference at church this week. On the last day of the conference, the kids deliver gifts to the missionaries and their families (Christmas in September). So, yesterday Luke got to help bring the gifts. He had a blast! By the time we were finished, he was sweating from running up and down the aisle so many times. Chris and I were so proud of Luke! He happily gave the presents to people I told him to without ever trying to open or keep one of the gifts for himself. Thanks to Jonathan Lee for taking this short video of the kids bringing the gifts and the pictures. (My camera battery died so I couldn't take any video or pictures.)
Luke's Week at School
Luke had an exciting week at school! This week was Fire Saftey Week. Several days Luke came home with Fire Safety pictures, a coloring book, and a badge. They've been practicing how to Stop, Drop, and Roll. They've also learned how to go outside when the smoke alarm goes off. Luke's assigned partner is Ben. She tells me that Luke acts like a big boy and holds Ben's hand as they run to the neighbors yard during their fire drills. They also had a picnic on Friday. Trina wanted all the kids to bring their lunchbox so they could carry their food outside. Luke didn't have one, so Grandma took Luke shopping for a lunch box. They went to Posh Mommy and Luke picked one with a barn, horse, and tractor. It's too cute! (We picked out a Stephen Joseph backpack while we were there too! Thanks Grandma!) I brought Trina my old camera and asked her to take pictures of the picnic. She was so kind to also take pictures of Luke playing in the classroom and in his bed before nap time.
Luke’s 1st Trip to the Beach ~ June 19-26
We went to Seacrest Beach in Florida. (It is on the east end of 30A in between Destin and Panama City). We had an amazing time! There was no oil or smell from oil…there were a few tar balls that were only a small nuisance for those going out into the gulf. I wish I could say that Luke loved the beach, but that would be a stretch…he seemed to be afraid of the waves coming and going. He did enjoy sitting in the sand so he could watch and wave at all the people strolling by us. Luke loved the pool! He was happy just sitting in his float and watching the kids play and splash. We went shopping at Pier Park in Panama City on Tuesday and at the Outlets in Destin on Thursday. All of the other days were spent at the beach and pool. We were blessed with beautiful (but very hot) weather and a great opportunity for rest and relaxation! One thing I wished we could have changed was for Luke not to come down with a runny nose and cough on our first day there. I'm sure Daddy would wish to change a few other things...On Sunday, he went into the pool with his cell phone in his pocket - it is officially ruined. We had to buy a new phone. On Friday, Luke broke Daddy's glasses beyond repair. What can you do! :) Overall, we’re very thankful that we didn’t let the chance of oil change our plans and jip us out of a wonderful vacation!
Luke's First Day at Daycare
Today was Luke's first day at Daycare. Actually, it wasn't a full day. He was only there from 9:00 - 11:00 while Mommy went to the gym. We want Luke to get to know Miss Trina and the other children before I have to leave him there for a full day when school starts again. Miss Trina called me 10 minutes after I dropped Luke off...I was worried when I saw that it was her calling, but she wanted to reassure me that Luke was fine. He only whimpered a little when I left and had already started playing with the other children. When I picked Luke up, she told me that he got upset when outside play time was over and they had to go back inside. (He is definitely an outdoors boy!) So we are going to try this a few more times this week and see how it goes.
Memorial Day Weekend
We had a great time in St. Louis! We enjoyed staying with Katie and Andy. Luke experienced many firsts on this trip. On Monday, he went to the St. Louis Zoo, The Boat House, Ted Drewes, Aunt Joie's and Aunt Carol's all for the first time. He called almost all of the animals he saw at the zoo "Dog!" He loved his vanilla ice cream from Ted Drewes. We had a fabulous trip! It was a wonderful way to begin Mommy's summer vacation!
Luke's First Haircut
Luke had his first haircut on Monday night. We were amazed at how well Luke did during the haircut! We were expecting tears and screaming, but he didn't cry once during the ten minutes. What a big boy! (We added a little video from the experience.)
Luke Is Walking!
Luke started walking on April 11th. He walked several times throughout the day. But, he really showed off Sunday night when Gran and Granny were at our house. He always did better when the video camera was off, so this is the best we could capture. See below...
Easter Weekend 2010
Luke celebrated Easter at Gran and Papa's on Saturday. Gran made Luke a Bunny cake. This was our first time eating at Gran's since Luke started eating table food. He loved the green beans, okra, mashed potatoes, cream corn, ham, and the bunny cake! Luke was distracted by the 3 dogs during the egg hunt. He always had one eye on them to make sure they weren't too close. It was a beautiful day so Luke was able to sit on Papa's tractor and visit the cows for the first time! Notice that Luke wore his tractor outfits just for Papa. :)
The Easter Bunny came to our house Sunday morning. He brought Luke books, sunglasses, and a football. We had a lovely service at church and had lunch there afterwards. Then the kids had an Easter egg hunt. After all the activities were over, we went to Grandma and Grandpa's.
Luke's First Birthday!
Chris and I cannot believe Luke is already ONE! It has definitely been the fastest year of our marriage! We would not trade a minute of this first year with Luke. It has been wonderful!
On Friday night, Luke had a birthday party with his friends from church. It took him a minute to adjust to all the noise and other kids playing with his toys, but he had a fun time! He made a mess of his cake! It was all over everything - the high chair, his clothes, his fingertips up to his elbows and even in his hair! When the party ended, Luke went straight to the bathtub to scrub off all of the red icing! On Saturday afternoon, Luke had a birthday party with family. He had another cake, this time with blue icing. He was much neater the second time. Balloons are one of Luke's new favorite things.
Beautiful Baby Contest
We entered Luke into Regis and Kelly's Beautiful Baby Contest. Chris doesn't think we have any chance of getting into the top 10, but I'm not giving up hope yet. After asking for some help, we decided to submit the picture of Luke on the Rocking Horse from Christmas. I thought that it was neat that the 10 finalist are supposed to be notified beginning February 22...Luke's 1st Birthday.
Also, Luke has a cousin on the way! Aunt Kim and Uncle Derek are expecting their own precious baby around August 28th. We know that Luke will enjoy having a playmate when he goes to Gran and Papa's!
Just Like My Uncle...
We've been very blessed...Luke went almost 11 months before getting sick. He had his first fever on Wednesday afternoon. We went to the doctor and found out that he had an ear infection. Luke just wanted to be held all Wedesday night, but he is doing much better now. We hope Luke doesn't have as many ear infections as Uncle Dan did when he was a kid.
Luke's First Christmas!
Luke had a wonderful Christmas! As you can see in the pictures, he went to each of his Grandparent's houses. He celebrated Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa on Christmas Eve Eve. Then we went to Mamma's house on Christmas Eve. We spent the night at Gran and Papa's house and celebrated Christmas at Granny's. Then we traveled to St. Louis on Saturday and stayed with Oma and Opa for several days. Luke was spoiled with lots of gifts. Or, as Gran likes to say - - he's not spoiled, he's being preserved with love.
Learning All Sorts of Things
Luke is officially crawling. The first time he crawled on his hands and knees was on Thursday, November 12th. He would move forward or backward just a little and then fall to his belly, but as of today he is really starting to get around by crawling. He does much better on carpet than he does on hardwood and tile. He has also started clapping. It is absolutely precious! Luke met Santa on Sunday. So, now he has also learned that an old man with a long white beard and a red suit is a little scary.
On the Move
For the past few weeks, Luke has been getting into everything. He isn't officially crawling on his hands and knees, but he will get up on his hands and knees and rock back and forth and sometimes moves backwards. He's getting around by scooting - pulling with his arms and pushing with his feet. He constantly tries to get into our fireplace. And, as you can see in the pictures I just posted, he's found Grandma's fireplace, DVR, and dining room. Let the fun begin...
Luke's First Halloween!
The first few pictures in the Halloween album are from Luke scooting around his room last night. He's moving fast...I was changing the sheet in his crib and when I turned around he was behind the chair. Luke had a fun Halloween! The lion in the wagon with Luke is his buddy Josh from church. Grandma and Grandpa gave Luke a bear dressed as a train conductor that sings "I've Been Working on the Railroad!" Luke loves it! He had a great 1st Halloween!
Trip to Mobile
We went to Mobile this weekend for Ali's wedding. Luke slept most of the way to Mobile on Friday. He was glad to get out of the carseat and play with Gran and Granny. He was very well behaved during the wedding on Saturday afternoon. The reception was a little too loud for Luke so we left early and went back to the hotel. When the rest of the family got back from the wedding, Luke had a great time being the center of attention.
Uncle Dan's Surprise Visit
Luke enjoyed spending the weekend with Uncle Dan! They had fun playing and watching football together. Uncle Dan tried to get Luke to crawl, but he's not quite ready yet.
Night with Grandma and Grandpa
Last weekend, Luke stayed with Grandma and Grandpa, while Chris and I went to Nashville to celebrate our 5th Wedding Anniversary. Luke enjoyed it almost as much as Grandma and Grandpa. Saturday was a beautiful fall day so they took Luke to pick out his first pumpkin. Luke was a good boy the whole time we were gone --he cut his first tooth, and Grandma and Grandpa didn't even know it.
Busy Week
Luke turned 6 months last Saturday. He spent the day in Red Bay playing with Gran, Papa, Auntie Kim, Mammaw, Great Granny, Uncle Quin, and Aunt Mavis. Monday he had his 6 month well baby check-up. He weighed 19lbs 4oz and was 27 inches. He is no longer in the 95th percentile...he is now in the 75th percentile for weight and length. On Thursday, Luke had his 6 month pictures taken at Bookout Studios. He did a great job despite 3 outfit changes. Then Friday, he played with Grandpa and Uncle Dan all day. They even babysat while Grandma went grocery shopping! Of course, Grandma had to change Luke's diaper before she left because they refuse to change diapers. Luke will be sad when he has to say good-bye to Uncle Dan on Sunday.
Luke Rolled Over!
Luke rolled over 4 times today! All four times he rolled from his back to his tummy. This morning I told Luke that he had my permission to roll over at Grandma's while Mommy and Daddy were at work as long as he rolled over before Saturday (his 6 month birthday). So, of course, the first time he rolled over was while he was at Grandma's. Then, he rolled over 3 times tonight while we were at home. We're so proud!!
Another School Year Begins
Now that I'm back at work, Luke is spending his days at Grandma's. Thankfully, mom takes lots of pictures of Luke during the day. The pictures I just added to the August album are from Luke's first week at Grandma's.