Rental Car

Isaac has quite an obsession with cars, as well all know, but recently he has discovered a love of Daddy's rental cars. When Carl goes to Dallas for work he rents a car, and Isaac always gets to drive the car around the block (in daddy's lap). He is actually pretty good at steering it, too. He also likes to sit in the car and pretend drive. We only let him pretend drive in the rental cars because as you can imagine it is a fight to get him out, so we don't want to battle that all the time in our vehicles. Today he told him he wants Daddy to get a rental car today...because he wants to drive it.

Go Texan Day

Today was Go Texan Day at Isaac's school, so he got to wear his Wranglers, western shirt, and cowboy boots. He was very excited to wear this special outfit today! Of course they had some special activities planned for the day, one of which was that they had Chick Fil A for lunch (that is Isaac's favorite place). The first thing Isaac's teacher said to me when she got to the truck this afternoon was, "We found out today that Isaac LOVES Chick Fil A! He ate 6 nuggets and two fruit cups! He finished the first cup and wanted another; he sat their and ate his food even after all the other kids finished and were off playing." Haha, that made me laugh! The most nuggets I have seen him eat is 3, I was shocked to hear he ate 6, but not shocked to hear he ate 2 fruit cups, he loves fruit! Isaac said the Chick Fil A cow came to school today, he was not scared of him, he said he was nice. He was very excited about the cow. He did mention that the cow did not say, "Ho Ho Ho." What a funny correlation, huh? Isaac mentioned he got to sit on a black horse today, I'm not sure what he's talking about, but he did say it was like a rocking horse. His teacher told me that they took pictures today, so maybe they took pictures on the horse...I'm not really sure. All I know is that Isaac was very excited about his day today, and I was thrilled to see that joy!

Worn out

He flew up this rockwall!

I remember just a few months ago when he was afraidof these slides...no hesitation today!

Uh - oh, almost a collision, but oh so fun!

Luke crashed out in the swing.

Yesterday we had a fun play date with the boys good friend, Taylor. We went over to her house to play and the boys had a blast! I was hoping that Luke would nap on the drive over there, but he did not. Thankfully, he did great anyway, he played hard with Isaac and Taylor. He really enjoys being around other kids and trying to be big like them! Isaac and Taylor had a great time playing with all the toys, jumping on the trampoline, and just running around like 2 year olds do! After lunch we decided to take the kids to the park down the street. Isaac and Taylor love playing on the playground, they were all over the place! They climbed the rockwall, which Isaac thoroughly impressed me on; they went on the slides, monkey bars, and swings. Luke is still too young for most of the fun, but he enjoyed trying out the slides and of course he loved the swing! He was so worn out by this point in the day that he couldn't fight it any more...he fell asleep in the swing. He looked precious, this little guy sleeping in the big swing.
I'm so thankful for great friends that we can spend the day with and always have a great time!

An active guy

Luke is such an active little guy. He is much more active than Isaac was at this age and he is into everything! He is definitely keeping me busy and on my toes. This past week he discovered the slide in the playroom, and oh my, he LOVES it!

We've had some really fun times playing on the slide, both boys really enjoy this interaction with each other, and the laughter during this fun time brings me so much joy!

Half Marathon Training

I've tried three times now to train for and run a half marathon. It is a goal of mine to run one, and I've come really close this time, my race is only a few weeks away. In 2007, I started to train for one, but a few weeks into my training I found out I was pregnant. So no more training and no racing. In 2009, I started training for another one, however, this time I only made it a couple of weeks before finding out I was pregnant again. Obviously, I was more than happy to stop training both of those times, and would rather have my boys than run a half marathon. This past November I decided, once again, to start training for a half marathon. I teased Carl before I started, about my track record when it came to starting this training...he just teased back that maybe I shouldn't do this because he's not ready for #3.

Well, once again my training has come to an abrupt stop.

But, it's not due to pregnancy. A couple of weeks ago, after a long run, my foot started to hurt. It hurt for a couple of days, but I decided to push through and try to run...ouch, bad choice. So I took a week off, and tried again. I was able to run a couple of miles at a time without too much pain. So this past Sunday I met with a friend and tried to run 4 miles. I set a simple goal, a mileage I thought would be easy to reach. At about 3.75 miles I had to stop, it was killing me. I was so bummed. So today I went to the doctor to get it checked. Carl wanted me to stop running, but I told him I needed to hear that from a doctor, I wasn't going to give up on this half that easily. Well, I wasn't making up this injurty, after x-rays, the doctor determined I have peroneal tendinitis. :-( He suggested physical therapy to speed up the recovery time, but really, what mom has time for that!?! He said I can continue to run through the light pain, but as soon as it gets bad I need to stop....so that means right now I can run about 3 miles....a long way from the 13 I was hoping to run in a few weeks. He wants to see me again in 3 weeks to check the progress, and hopefully I will be able to say the pain is gone! We'll see! For now though, I will take it easy, add other types of cardio to my work out routine, and hope for quick healing.

Brotherly Love

I found them sweetly reading together last week.

Playing together under the kitchen table.

Oh how badly Luke wants in the auto!

Playing outside with Luke's new toy. (Thanks Stockton family!)

My Sweet Loves on Valentine's Day! (This picture is a miracle, how did I get all three of them smiling so perfectly at the same time!?!)

The boys are playing more and more each day, which is so fun! I love hearing them giggle together, I love hearing Isaac reading to Luke, and I love seeing them smile at each other!

Of course, Luke is all about Isaac, he follows him everywhere all day long. And he is determined to do what his big brother does. Today he even followed him into the bathroom and tried to climb up on the step stool with him. When Isaac drives Luke around in his Jeep I'm not sure who has more fun...they both smile the entire time!

Isaac has really started enjoying this interaction, he gets down on the floor and crawls around with Luke, brings him toys (sometimes takes them away), and shows him all the things around the house. Isaac loves sharing his bubble bath with Luke! They splash together and have the best time! Isaac likes to sing, but often when I ask him to sing me a song he says no, if I ask him to sing a song for Luke, he always sings!

Last week Isaac and I went to my bible study, and Luke stayed home to take a nap. On the way there Isaac asked, "Mama, where's Luke?" Then as we were walking up to the house he said, "Mama, Luke is in the truck!" He was very confused and unsure about going somewhere without his brother, it was so precious!

This evening as I was making dinner, Isaac leaned over and said to Luke, "I love you!" Pure Sweetness!

9 months

Who needs a nap?

My Sweet Luke is now 9 months old! He is so much fun, I really enjoy this stage, when he is starting to explore new things, learn new things daily, and have fun in all he does! Luke is all over the place, all day long! When we're at home if we hold him too long he gets mad, he starts to fuss and grunt, until we put him down and let him crawl. He loves to check out Isaac's toys, the toys on the refrigerator, going under the kitchen table, and he also likes checking out the stairs. Eek! I think it's time to put the gate back up. I used to be able to put him in the playroom while I helped Isaac go potty, not any more, he is right behind us in just a couple of seconds. He is always two steps behind me and Isaac. I love that! He pulls up constantly, on everything! This past week naps have been a battle because he just wants to stand up and play in his bed. Unfortunately, I have another woodchuck, he has started chewing on his bed, ugh! When I put him in the playroom he immediately goes to his play table and stands up...he loves standing!

He is still very much attached to me, my sweet mama's boy. This past weekend we went to my parent's house to visit with the whole family and some friends that are visiting from the Netherlands...he was not happy about all the people. He held on tight to me and didn't let go for quite some time. Finally, after being there about 3 hours, one of the visitors was able to hold him (with me sitting right next to them). Today at his doctor's appointment he was happy as can be, until someone came in the room, then he immediately held on to me and started to fuss if they looked at him. The second I put him down he screamed, and then when I picked him up he quickly stopped. He is quite vocal about his stranger anxiety.

This month he learned to clap, which he does all the time! He also learned to give five and give kisses! He still enjoys when we sing to him, the ABCs and Wheels on the Bus are still his favorites.

He is eating more solids lately, today he even ate some chicken!

He got a good report at the doctor today, he is developing right on par! His weight remains a concern, so after much discussion the doctor suggested I begin giving him a few bottles of my milk in addition to what he is eating now. This will be a challenge, since he is not a big fan of bottles, but I will do my best because my peanut needs to put on some pounds. He currently weighs 14 lbs 12 oz (3rd percentile) and is 27.5 inches (25th percentile).

My Luke's personality is really beginning to show, I love getting to see that! He is fun loving, sweet, audacious, and a go getter!