Monday, June 29, 2009

Yep, We Are WALKING!!!


Oh my, life around here has changed!!! Lucas is now WALKING!!!! At the beginning of the week, Lucas took 9 STEPS. We are so proud of him (and worried for us!) It really is absolutely amazing how fast they grow. I love seeing Luke's mind growing and all of the new things he can do daily.

Tuesday morning we changed our routine around a bit and went grocery shopping at 9 a.m. We have found our new favorite time to shop. There were only moms and babies venturing out to do the week's shopping at this time. On a side note, I think it is funny that I find it important enough to now talk about grocery shopping on my blog!










Later Tuesday, we had our much needed Mommy time out Playgroup. This week it was at Lindsay's house. Lucas really likes going there because they layout of the house is like a big circle. He can just go around and around. He's become so observant lately of things hung on the wall. Every time he came around one corner and there were butterflies on the wall, he screamed in delight! Poor Jackson was upstairs sleeping and Lucas really didn't help him get a peaceful nap. The whole crew did get to eat together though. Lucas enjoyed a weird lunch of graham crackers and guacamole. This kid LOVES Mexican food! Mrs. Lindsi was even nice enough to share her bubbles with Lucas and Olivia. They love bubbles!



















Wednesday, Lucas got to spend more time with Olivia and Mrs. Sam. We had some quick but fun in the sun over at their pool. Both babies started getting really sleepy, so headed back early. When we returned to their house, I brought over some white grape juice popsicles which the kids LOVED.

Daddy had a long day at work and just didn't want to sit around the house, so we headed to Walmart for a little shopping. After some shopping, we went to El Porton for dinner. Lucas enjoyed a huge meal of applesauce, avocado, cheese, and beans. This kid is definitely growing and catching up from when he was sick!

Thursday, after Lucas' nap, the whole family headed up to the pool. Lucas had such a great time being thrown in the air by Ben and leisurely floating around in his float. We also had a small picnic lunch during a pool break before heading back in.











Friday, during our chiropractor visit, Lucas surprised me once more and without any assistance getting up or holding on, he started walking around the room! Boy, is he a busy one!

That night, we went to Gigi's house for a yummy dinner of Turketti (which is my favorite meal)! Lucas had a great dinner and was almost too busy to stop and eat. He spent most of the evening showing off his new walking skills and chasing the cat.



















Saturday, we all were very lazy! Lucas had a rough night and therefore took a really long morning nap. Ben and I decided we should probably catch up on some sleep too and slept for an additional 2 hours. We finally had to wake Lucas up so we could get ready for a birthday party. Lucas was of course bragged about because he was walking all around Isabella's house! People kept asking how old he was "either 14-16 months!", and then were shocked when they found out he was only 10 months.









Which by the way, Happy 10 MONTHS Lucas! Lucas turned 10 months old on Saturday and had a blast celebrating! He got to jump in a big inflatable air jumper at Isabella's 3rd birthday party. Lucas loves being around other children-as long as they leave his push-push alone!! We would have stayed around for cake except that Lucas was going on being awake for 6 hours straight and really needed some sleep. So we left and let Lucas take a little nap and then headed out for some Chinese. Lucas really liked being at the restaurant where he could look at all of the cheesy moving pictures on the wall and the fish in the fish tank.









Sunday, Pops came over for a little pre-birthday brunch at O'Charley's. When we got back home, Lucas napped while we all looked at places to go for a vacation. Right now we are undecided between Cancun and Destin. I will be happy to go anywhere!

Later, we headed out to BJ's and Target to get our monthly supply of diapers and paper products. While we were out, we got Lucas some tofu. I am shocked at how much he actually likes it!
Here are our 10 Month Stats:
  • Lucas is a great eater and eats just about anything. We are finding that he is a little shy when there are a bunch of people around him and he likes to stick to his known favorites: cheese, bread, bagel, applesauce, and fruit.
  • Lucas is walking everywhere now! He is a busy little boy and loves to walk. He still uses his push-push occasionally, but mostly to ram things and people with it.
  • He likes to jump and really tries hard to do it by himself.
  • When he "goes potty" he will wave his hand when it is stinky! So funny!
  • Lucas loves to play on his keyboard and thinks he is really jamming to his music.
  • He still loves all baby einstein and prefers to watch it in his infant swing still.
  • Lucas wants ANYTHING that you are eating! We are really having to be careful because his daddy has a bit of a sweet tooth!
  • He does not really have a favorite toy right now because his attention span with it is like Maybe 10 seconds!
  • Lucas loves all different sizes and types of balls: bouncy, soccer, beach, football, squishy, hard and soft. If they are small enough, he takes them to the bannister and throws them downstairs! I am definitely losing weight going up and down the stairs!
  • He loves all songs that we can sing together: If Your Happy and You Know It, Bending-Bending, Ride Your Bike, Clap-Clap-Clap, and other songs from our baby book.
  • Lucas is learning so much everday! Ben taught him "How big is Lucas?" and Lucas throws out his hands so you can say "THIS BIG!"
We love watching Lucas grow and learn new things every day. His sign language vocabulary consists of actually signing: more, eat, all done, ball, book, kiss, milk and story. It is amazing that he understands so much more, he just can't do the signs for it yet. He points to anything that he wants and makes ALL of his wants and demands known!

See everyone soon! Here is a quick video of Lucas playing in the bath and learning he can drink the water...

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Happy Father's Day


Happy Father's Day to my wonderful Husband!!!!


First off, I want to say how absolutely wonderful my husband is! He is a great husband and an admirable father. Ben works so hard everyday to ensure that his family is happy. Every morning when Lucas wakes up, he wants to be the first one to get him. He works so hard all day and still makes time to call and check up on his family. When he gets home from work, Ben takes Lucas and has some quality guy time with him. Lucas has become quite a Daddy's Boy lately. Each night Ben gives Lucas his bath and then gives
him a baby massage with lotion. Next, he reads Lucas a goodnight story "Just Like Daddy" before giving him to me to feed him. I am so lucky that Ben is a great father and a loving husband. Even though I may get cranky at times when Ben works so much, I know that he does it for his family so that I can stay home with Lucas.
Thank you Honey, I LOVE YOU!

This Father's Day, I wanted to really make a big deal out of it so that Ben really knows how much I appreciate him. We woke up Sunday morning and had coffee and fed Lucas. Next came the presents!!! I surprised Ben and got him a new GRILL!!! He was so excited (even though he did guess what it was-I guess you can't hide a big grill box without some guesses!) Lucas "got" daddy a grill cover, a grate cleaner, a book, and a onesie that says "I Love Daddy" (well that's for Lucas)! Ben was totally shocked and ecstatic about his new toys!
Ben spent the morning putting together the grill while Lucas and I played upstairs. Lucas was in rare form, so here is a video of him telling us "No, no, no, and then playing us by pretending to get his feelings hurt!"



After Lucas' morning nap, we all headed to the boat to see Pop-Pop, Grandma, and Uncle Taylor. Lucas LOVES boat rides and is just mesmerized looking at the water behind the boat. When we found the perfect spot to anchor the boat, Grandma and Lucas got on a float in the water. Lucas wore an adorable life jacket suit with
NO diaper. He really thought this entire experience was wierd! But, he loved every minute in the water! He especially liked looking and talking to all the other boats and jet skis around us. It was a day full of excitement at the lake. We were going so fast back to the dock, that Lucas' float flew off the back of the boat and we had to circle several times to grab it. Thanks Uncle Taylor for saving it! After all of that excitement, Lucas crashed out on Daddy while looking at the waves behind the boat.

Our busy father's day continued after the lake because we had to go home and get ready for the Wheeler's to come over for a Father's Day cook out using Ben's new grill. Ben and Uncle Taylor headed up to the store and bought all of the yummy food while Lucas and I started getting things ready at home.











When Pops and MiMi got to our house, we found out that they had already eaten dinner, so we invited my parents over to enjoy all of the food that we bought. MiMi left soon after they got there to go back home. She was leaving the next day to go visit Luke's other Great Grandma that lives out in Arizona.

Lucas was a very busy little boy and trying to get into everything until Grandma finally arrived to play with him. Aunt Brooke and the Schroeders arrived at the same time to our house so we ate right away. Ben did a great job cooking the hamburgers, hot dogs, and baked beans on his new grill! After dinner, Ben left to take Pops back home since MiMi left and my family stayed to help clean up. My parents left and then Uncle Taylor was there to help me give Lucas a bath. Uncle Taylor has become one of Luke's favorite people!


When Ben finally got home after the hour drive, we were exhausted!! Even though it was a crazy busy day, we wouldn't have it any other way and we love it!












Lucas gave us one more Father's Day gift and let us catch him on camera walking!! Enjoy the video...



Happy First Father's Day to the best Daddy ever!


Saturday, June 20, 2009

Getting Ready for Father's Day!!!

"My Little Mischief Maker"

Life has been pretty busy around here preparing for this busy week! On top of it all, Lucas and I have been walking the neighborhood every morning and then coming back to do more exercises at home together. He loves it when I hold him during sit-ups and then kiss him while doing push-ups!









First, on Monday we went to the chiropractor. Lucas loves playing with the massage therapist Mrs. Ann while I get adjusted. She always tickles his back and plays with her long hair. Then, Lucas and I ate together at Atlanta Bread Co. It was so nice going out to eat with my little man. At lunch, I discovered that Lucas LOVES pickles. I'm not sure if they are ok for him to eat, but he sure did like them. Next, went to the grocery store to get the meals for the week and everything I need to fix for Mimi's birthday dinner at our house.
Monday night I tried a new recipe and made lettuce wraps for dinner-YUM! Lucas really enjoyed eating the edamame and chicken. I also had to start the preparations for the food tomorrow, so I started making a Black Forrest Cake.











Tuesday, we had our playgroup over at Sam and Olivia's house. Lucas was so animated playing with Olivia's basket of toys and pushing her around in his old walker. The mommies ate a yummy salad bar and had Oreo pudding for dessert that I made.
Here are two videos of Lucas and Olivia in the walker...




After our playgroup, we had to hurry home and get dinner ready for The Wheelers. I made a bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin with scalloped potatoes, lima beans, and rolls. The scalloped potatoes were a complete FLOP! The recipe said to cook for 45 min at 400 degrees. I let them sit in there for 1hr and 20min and they STILL were not done! Well, I think the cake made up for it. After dinner Penny left to get home to the new kitties she is taking care of and Pops stayed around to play with Lucas and help give him a bath.

By the end of the day, we were exhausted!!!

Wednesday we stayed at home for most of the day resting and relaxing. Then, Uncle Taylor came over to help me get Ben's Father's day gift. I can't talk about it now, but it is a great gift! After shopping, we met Ben at Taco Mac and had wings. Lucas enjoyed his first grilled cheese at a restaurant. He thought he was in heaven and barely said a word!

Our busy week didn't stop there... Thursday, we continued the preparation for Father's Day and GiGi and I took Lucas to get professional pictures taken. I wanted to surprise Ben with these, but I couldn't keep them a secret so he got to see them that night! Enjoy the slide show below...



Friday, we went to the chiropractor and then headed to Target to get a gift for Sandra's baby shower and a card for Daddy. When we got there, Lucas was hungry so we stopped to eat some breadsticks and a jelly sandwich. When we were walking around the store, Lucas saw a onesie that apparently he just HAD to have so he pulled it into the shopping cart. The funniest thing was that it said "I Love Daddy" on it. So, it was added to his Father's Day pile. Lucas also spotted a microphone and a toy truck at the end of the isle and fell in love. I know, he is spoiled! I do need to start exercising some control over "his" wants!

That night, we celebrated Father's Day with GiGi. She made an amazing all-american meal of steaks, potatoes, broccoli, and a salad. Yum! Lucas had such a good time over there chasing the cat Polo and walking around with his push-push.





















Saturday was party time so Lucas and I went to a Baby Shower/Pool Party. We take his push-push everywhere so he was perfectly content! He especially loved chasing after all of the little girls running around. After we got in the pool, Lucas was exhausted, so he took a nap in his stroller. Ben was home doing yard work, but joined us when he finished. Mommy-to-be-again, Sandra, looked great! I love a woman that can be proud of her tummy and still wear a bikini! Amazingly enough, Sandra went into labor the next day and had baby boy Ashton at 1:00pm. WOW, what a weekend for her!

For dinner that night we went to Little Azio's at the Avenues and then walked around for a bit. We love going into Barnes and Noble and getting books for Lucas! While we were there, we got a Daddy book for Father's Day.

Well, check back soon for an update on how Father's Day went around here. I am so excited!!!

Sunday, June 14, 2009

It's Playtime!


Lucas is full of personality lately! I think it might just be his haircut! We had playgroup over at Sindy's house this week and Lucas was very busy moving his "push-push" all around her house. He also really enjoyed watching through the glass doors the dog play in the backyard. I'm not so sure he enjoyed it when the dog came inside and started barking though.

We ate yummy potatoes and enjoyed some delicious desserts. All of the babies were great. Jackson and Selena took a snooze in the pack-n-play together. They were so cute cooing at each other and trying to hold each others hand. Olivia was all smiles and didn't even mind when Lucas played with some of her toys.










Wednesday, we took a trip to see Pop's at work and all of the fun ladies at the office. Lucas had to show them his skills so he got to work and pushed a box around the office. He also helped "organize" all of their mail!

Thursday, we joined Sam and Olivia at her pool. Sindy and Selena also joined us for some fun in the sun. Lucas was funny and could not stop waving at Sindy while he was in the pool. I think he just wanted some attention from someone other than his mommy!

Friday night we met MiMi and Pops at The Ridge and enjoyed a lovely dinner. Lucas ate Monterey Chicken with me and LOVED it. He is on an eating binge right now and definitely making up for when he was sick. After dinner, we surprised Lucas and went to his new favorite place-DAIRY QUEEN! He absolutely LOVES ice cream so we split a cone. When we left, he was throwing a MAJOR fit, but fortunately a family with a dog was outside and it distracted Lucas.
Saturday, we dropped my car off to get new brakes and then we took a trip to Discover Mills Mall to go get Pop-Pop his present at Bass Pro. When we got there, we ate at Chili's and Lucas got his own lunch of mac-n-cheese. He has never been so good at a restaurant!!

Sunday was a fun and relaxing day. The whole family went over to Sam's house and joined their family for a swim. The babies floated around the pool in their floats, while the daddies did the guy thing, and then the mommies just chatted.

That night, Grandma, Pop-Pop, and Taylor came over with a TON of new clothes for Luke and then we all went out to eat at The Ninja where Pops joined us. Lucas got to try edamame and rice. He is such a good baby at trying new foods! He absolutely loved the rice, but wasn't too sure about the edamame.

We couldn't have asked for a better weekend!

Monday, June 8, 2009

My First Haircut!











We had a pretty monumental day today...Lucas got his first Haircut!!!

We had been thinking about doing it for awhile because his hair kept itching his ears and getting in his eyes. However, yesterday in Dahlonega was the final straw. We had TWO different people in one hour call him a GIRL!!!! It is crazy! He was even wearing dark blue!

We took him to a kid's haircut place here in Cumming called "Pigtails and Crewcuts." They did such a great job. Lucas was their youngest client yet at 9 months old!

When we arrived, Lucas had a blast playing with their train set. He wasn't too interested in pushing the trains the normal way, but rather throwing them all on the ground!


As he was getting his haircut, he was strapped into a plane chair. He wasn't too sure about it at first, but the stylist kept giving him treats so he was ok until she put the smock around him. It was really getting on his nerves because he couldn't figure out how to use his hands! He also wasn't sure why this stranger kept squirting him with water to get his haircut, oh if looks could kill! While he was getting his haircut, I collected some of his hair for the keepsake they give you and for my scrapbook.


We tried really hard to get him to sit still with all sorts of objects, but it wasn't until I broke down and gave him his first lollipop that he never moved again!!! He thought he had died and gone to heaven. Really, he was afraid to move with the fear that I would take it out of his mouth. By the end of the haircut, my hand was covered in drool, but his hair was finished.

As far as first haircuts go, she did a great job. However, it will never be perfect in a Mommy's eye. It looked great, but I thought it just changed the way he looked too much. After a few days it did grow on me though. He is back to the little baby look in my eyes.

Enjoy the slideshow to see all of the pictures from the haircut...



After the haircut, we treated Lucas to some pizza. Pizza has definitely become Lucas' favorite thing to eat!