4 months

Today is Baby Luke's 4 month birthday! He is really changing and joining the world, as some would say. He has qutie the personality now, he laughs and is so happy! When he smiles and giggles his entire face lights up! You can't help but smile back at him when you see it! He has become incredibly observant; he notices everything! He has started holding toys, rattles, and such, he likes to hold them and try to put them in his mouth. He constantly has his hands in his mouth...maybe he's teething already. He likes to lay on his back and kick, Isaac says he's swimming because his legs and arms never stop moving if he's laying down. He also enjoys tummy time! He picks his head way up and looks all around, "talking" the whole time. Today while on his tummy he reached forward and grabbed his rattle, then brought it to his mouth. That reminds me, he knows what he wants and he makes sure he gets it. We have a balloon in the house that was left after the party we had on Monday, and although it was left for Isaac, I think Luke likes it just as much! He laughs so hard when Carl or Isaac hit the balloon; and when he gets near it he reaches for it and talks to it.

He is getting into a routine, which is so great! He usually gets up between 5 and 6 am to eat, but then goes back to sleep. If he's wide awake after eating I just put him in his swing, he quickly falls aslep, and he'll sleep for another 3 or 4 hours. If he falls aleep after eating I put him in his bed and he usually sleeps until about 8. He eats again after wakes up, and is then up for 1-2 hours, then goes down for a nap (in his swing). He usually sleeps 2-3 hours during his morning nap. Then he eats, and he's up again for 1-2 hours. Then back in the swing for another nap, which is anywhere from 1-3 hours normally. After that nap he eats again, and depending on the time he stays up until bedtime or he takes another short 30-45 minute nap. He eats around 6:30-7:00 pm and then goes down for a few hours (in his swing). I wake him up at 10ish, feed him, and put him in his bed for the night. If we stay home all day and stick to his schedule he is the happiest baby, but if we go out and mess up the schedule a bit then he tends to get a little cranky. It's kind of tough because he wants to stay home and Isaac wants to go out, oh boy! He is still nursing, and doing really well with it...he is fast, too, which I love, he is done in 8-10 minutes. I still haven't been able to get him to take a bottle, which is tough sometimes, but I'm trying to not get frustrated. =) I think we'll start cereal soon, so I'll let you all know how that goes!

Playtime video

Luke got this new toy from his Great Aunt Stephanie, and he absolutely loved it! I didn't expect him to react to it, but I was wrong...he couldn't get enough of it! It was precious!

Let's Celebrate!

Isaac sitting with Emmy while she read her Tribute to Dr. Ana.

Isaac, Luke, and their Great Grandpa!
So special!

Aunt Jean and Luke, playing with Luke's new toy, which he loved!

Dr. Ana and Luke

Isaac and Annie

Carl's cousin's daughter, not sure what that makes these two little ones, but that doesn't matter, they had a blast playing together. When she was leaving she said, "Do you want to go with me?" He quickly replied, "Yes!"

Sweetness! He loves his Ana!

Today we celebrated Ana's (Aaron's girlfriend) graduation. She graduated with her PhD in geology! Wow, she's a doctor; that is so impressive! In honor of her we had a party here at our house with all of the family...grandpa, aunts, and uncles. It was a special day, and I'm so glad we were able to celebrate this accomplishment with her!

CONGRATULATIONS ANA!

Random

Just wanted to share some recent pictures...swimming, Luke's first time in the highchair, and a small photo shoot I did with the boys. =) Enjoy!

Isaac - 27 months

Isaac is growing up so fast, and now that I have a little newborn around Isaac seems even bigger! He has proved himself to be a great big brother, but also at times an extremely jealous big brother. I can't blame him though, he got 100% of my attention for 2 years and now all of a sudden he has to share it...I'd be mad, too. Ha! He can be so sweet to Luke...he often holds his hand when we're driving, which is so precious to see! He tells me, "Isaac hold Luke's hand"...then after a few minutes, "Luke let go!" He is always upset by Luke letting go. When Luke wakes up Isaac has to be the first in his room, and he walks right up to him and says, "Hi Luke!" Yesteray when I got Luke out of the swing Isaac smothered him with kisses and Eskimo kisses...Luke had the biggest smile on his face!

Here are some of Isaac's recent favorite things, and some cute things he's recently done:

~He can't get enough of gymnastics, he'd go everyday if we let him! He is constantly doing his forward roll, he hangs on everything, and is beginning to climb more, too!

~Still obsessed with driving his toy cars, autos as he calls them. He was recently given a Jeep PowerWheels, but won't push the pedal to make it drive because he's scared...oh how much fun he'd have if he could get over that fear. He loves driving daddy's truck, he sits on Carl's lap and steers the truck, he's good, too!

~He enjoys swimming, and has great control with his Puddle Jumper (Life Jacket) on. He hates going underwater though, so don't even mention it!

~Every bug to him is a mosquito hawk, no matter what it is! And a couple weeks ago when he was sick with a cold, his nose was really itchy, he said, "Mama, mosquito hawk on Isaac's nose."

~He refuses to nap, but has a 1-2 hour rest time daily...he spends that time talking nonstop, jumping in his bed, and practicing his forward rolls of course.

~He is very interested in the potty, sits on it for a few minutes at a time, multiple times a day, but has not been able to actually go in the potty yet.

~He talks nonstop, we joke that he is going to be a sportscaster when he grows up because he gives a play by play of everything that's going on around him. Recently he has become very specific about who he's talking to, if there's two of us around and I respond to what he's saying, he sometime says very sternly, Isaac tell Daddy...and then repeats what he was saying. This always makes me laugh. He also talks to the dogs a lot more, he gets right in front of them, squats down, and tells them what he is about to do or what he's been doing.

~He is very helpful with Luke, when he wants to be. ;-) He throws away the dirty diapers and brings me my nursing pillow when it's time to feed Luke.

~He has figured out that Luke gets attention when he cries, so unfortunately Isaac is crying more often to get attention. When there is another adult around he often tells that person to hold Luke, and mama hold Isaac.

~He can count to 10 all by himself; he spells his name, mama, and is learning to spell daddy; he is learning his ABCs.

~He has recently developed an interest in coloring, and loves to draw on his magnadoodle.

These past few months have been a huge change for us all, but especially for Isaac, and I am so proud of how well he has handled it all! I am overwhelmed with the joy from my sweet boy.

3 months

I'm sitting here watching Luke in his swing as he is trying to fall asleep, just in awe of how blessed I am. I am so thankful for my boys (including Carl)! All three of my boys are different, but I love them each the same!

Luke is 3 months old today, and I have to say that I can see him growing everyday! The last week or so he has really started to grow and change. He talks, well coos, a lot, which I can't get enough of. It's so sweet to have a little "conversation" with him. He has also giggled a few times, which is absolutely precious! Last week he rolled from his tummy to his back, multiple times, and today he rolled from his back to his tummy! Wow! He is going to be moving around this house before I know it! He is very strong and does not like to stay still or be confined. He hit a big milestone this weekend, on Saturday night we moved him to his crib in his room! This is bittersweet to me...it means we get our room back, I don't have to worry about him waking up Carl as much, or the dogs waking up Luke; but it also means my baby is growing up. He is a mover in bed, too, he rolls all over the place and turns himself at least 180 degrees every couple of hours. I know this because unfortunately he has had me up every 2-3 hours the last few nights. What's up with that? He has slept through the night many times, but has also had many nights of keeping me up. I sure enjoy the nights when he lets me sleep all the way through! Luke enjoys sitting in his bouncer seat, he kicks and talks as the lights and music play. He also enjoys sitting in his Bumbo seat...and I must say he looks adorable in it! He takes all of his naps in his swing, which I have decided is okay, as long as he is sleeping, right? He still gives some of his biggest smiles to Isaac, he adores his big brother already! He is not a big fan of car rides, and unfortunately has been doing a lot of crying in the car, I think it has to do with being confined in a car seat and not being able to see anyone. His absolute favorite place to be is outside; and during our lake trip we realized outside in his swing by water (pool or lake) is truly his happy place.

Most days are still challenging for me as I juggle the needs of both of my little ones, but I am getting better at it, and I wouldn't change a thing. I am incredibly thankful for the chance to be home with my boys, and love every day with them...even the ones when I just want to cry along with them. =)

Lake Trip 2010

The entire crew.

Fishing off the dock at the house.

Luke trying to fall asleep lakeside...his happy place.

Lunch!

Slip and Slide! (Mason had to show the little ones how it's done, but they decided not to play that way, they just loved the water!)

Go Isaac!

Isaac's Bed.

Hanging out in the living room.

Puddle Jumper buddies Isaac and Hudson.

Pool time was a hit!

Luke taking his best nap poolside.

Dolphin ride!

Luke's bed.

Me and my Sweet Boys!

All the kids!

Feeding the Ducks just before heading out.

We take an annual trip to Lake Placid with a group of Carl's high school friends and their families, this weekend was the trip for this year. This was the third year we've done it and it only gets better every year! The first year there were only 4 kids and this year there were 10! The kids ranged in ages from 12 weeks (our Luke) to 6 years...7 of the kids were 3 years old and under! This sounds like it would not be very fun, but it is a blast! The kids all have so much fun together and the parents all work together to take care of the kids, prepare meals, and of course have fun! The days were full of swimming, feeding ducks, fishing, playing on the slip and slide, and a little bit of napping. We tried to get the kids in bed before 9 every night, last night much earlier, and then we had some good adult time.

I will admit we were very nervous about going this year, having a 12 week old to take with us and all, but we are so glad that we were brave and went for it. The way there proved to be tough, Luke cried off and on most of the way, but Isaac was a trooper! The first night was pretty normal, Luke was up at 3 and then again at 7 am. Unfortunately Friday was a rough day, poor Luke had a tough time adjusting to his new environment...he was very overstimulated, which meant a lot of crying and not a lot of sleeping. Thankfully everyone was very understanding and supportive. Friday night was much better, Luke ate at 7 pm, then I tried to wake him at 11:00 to feed him, but he would not wake up, so I put him in bed anticipating a wake up call after just a couple of hours, BUT no, he slept all. night until 7:00 am! Apparently he was exhausted from the day, as was I, so a full night of sleep was very much appreciated! Saturday was a fantastic day! We all went to the pool to swim in the morning, so we brought Luke out in his swing and put him under the tent by the pool; he went right to sleep! It came time to feed the other kids, but we didn't dare wake him, so Carl, Cory, and Mike toughed it out for us...they stayed in the pool with a few beverages and let him sleep...until 2:30! Fabulous! He was a completely different baby after that...so many smiles! Then he took another nap in the backyard of the house that afternoon, and slept all night again last night! Yay! So all in all, it started out rough, but ended perfectly...we had an awesome first vacation as a family of 4!

Thankfully this year's trip did not end in a trip to the ER...we made it home with out any injuries and all toes intact! Praise God!

We are so thankful that we've been blessed with such great friends and have the chance to take this annual trip together...what great memories!