September Fun

The wonderful fall weather has kept us pretty busy around here, especially since Lucas thinks he needs to go outside every afternoon between 4-7. I think we have visited every park around us and brought almost all of our toys outside to play.

Below is a video of a typical fun afternoon around our house dancing. Our downstairs has become a constant playroom now since Lucas acquired so many new toys from his birthday. The kitchen set was a great idea that has kept Lucas constantly busy and entertained.

We had a fun night out at one of our neighbor's house, Mr. Rick and Mrs. Tiffany. Mrs. Tiffany has been out of town for several weeks for police training and it was sort of a welcome home party for her. We all love getting out and letting all the kids play together. Lucas especially likes Esa, our 9 year old little girl neighbor, who loves to entertain him and carry him around. While most of the bigger kids played ball, Lucas rode his new motorcycle big-wheel around trying to interrupt the game as much as possible.










This month was also Madden's 2nd birthday. Madden's house is primarily 75% toys so all of the kids LOVE going there. Lucas fell in love with the play grill and new train table (definitely great Christmas ideas).










Happy birthday Madden, we hope you had a great day!









GiGi's best friend, Mrs. Kathy gave Lucas another birthday present one night at our weekly Sunday dinners. Since then, Lucas has really enjoyed playing with the train every time we are over there. Thank you Kathy!









We headed up to Dahlonega with the Wheeler's one night for dinner at Piazza. Lucas really enjoyed the evening, especially when we all walked around the square. After so much walking, Lucas and Poppie entertained themselves with a new game (see video below). We have since had to repeat this game every time we are in Dahlonega now.

Here are some photos from a typical afternoon outside. I tried cleaning up all of our yard toys by washing them off, and Lucas did the same.









Another great thing that happened in September was that Ben and I went on our first trip away to the Bahamas, without Lucas. Lucas stayed at my parent's house for a few nights and then swapped over to Ben's parent's house for a few nights. Ben and I were both so nervous about leaving him, yet so excited for a few days away without any responsibility. Lucas did great without us and had no problem transitioning between grandparents. I absolutely loved hearing his voice over the phone! Thank you to everyone that helped watch over our little boy (including Mrs. Sam who helped MiMi and Poppie take Lucas to the pool by providing the keys and floaties!)

When we returned home, we jumped right back into a busy life. It all started with Olivia's first cousin, Harper, being born. I was on Olivia watch for when Mrs. Sam's sister went into labor, which happened to be a few hours after we got home from the Bahamas. The next morning, Olivia's dad dropped her off for the day. Lucas could not have been more thrilled to spend the entire day with Olivia. I really enjoyed having her there to entertain Lucas (especially since he has a hard time hearing the word "no" after he has spent several days with the grandparents.)



























I was a little nervous about how we would all handle nap time around here, but we finally figured it out. Lucas and Olivia both insisted (yes, they really did) that they sleep in the same bed for nap. I was not quite sure how it would go, but figured it was worth a shot. Below is a video of them cuddling together. I was recording my video baby monitor so it is not a great image, but you can still see them snuggling together. Poor Olivia just wanted her beauty sleep and Lucas just would not leave her alone. It almost got a little X-rated so I broke up the slumber party and Lucas took a nap in our bed. Olivia didn't sleep that long and talked me into hanging out with her until her mommy got there. She is one persuasive little girl!

Since Fall is my favorite time of year, we headed up to Ellijay and Hillcrest Orchards early in the season to enjoy the apple season. Ben and I were a little disappointed in how much the apple farms had turned into major tourist venues. Lucas didn't know the difference and had fun even though there were bus loads of people there. His favorite (and least expensive) part of the day was when we got to ride on a tractor to and from the parking lot. Since we have a little Einstein on our hands, he wants to know what kind each tractor is and needs a name to match the color of the tractor. I have never known so much about construction vehicles and tractors in my life!


















The pictures below were taken at the very small Seller's Orchard that has the BEST raspberry apple cider in the world!

















Here is a video of the daily battles that have begun over vegetables. I thought I did everything right by starting out early feeding him veggies, but apparently no matter what you do early on, some kids just won't eat them!

Towards the end of the month, I got to help host a SURPRISE baby shower for one of our very good friends, Olga, who is pregnant with TWIN BOYS! We had the shower planned at another friend's house on a later date, but Olga had a little scare and thought she might have to get induced early. So...with a little planning from all of us moms, we quickly moved things around and had the baby shower at my house the night before her doctor appointment. Everyone that came brought a dinner item and it turned into such a nice dinner party! The shower was so last minute, that not everyone could come, but we all had a great time and we hope Olga did too. Since the shower was a surprise, I had told Olga that I had a present and dinner for her and asked if she could come by to pick it up. I'm sure she thought I was some friend, asking a 9 month-pregnant-with-twins-mom-of-a-two-year-old to stop by my house to pick up her own present; but, we tried so hard for weeks to keep the shower a surprise and I wasn't backing down! She got to my house and Ben and I met her at the door and led her to the living room where everyone yelled Surprise! She was sooo shocked and I'm so glad that I was a part of her first 'American Baby Shower,' as she calls it! We are so excited for you Olga, and can't wait to meet those precious little boys.


































As you can tell, we had a very busy September and I can't wait to show everyone what we have been up to in October! Happy Fall!!

Happy 2nd Birthday to the most amazing little boy!

Happy Birthday Lucas James!

I can't believe it; my little boy is now two years old! He is absolutely amazing and just fills our lives with so much fun and laughter. Even now, he still finds a way to surprise us each day with either something funny or a new skill he has mastered. As usual, we made his birthday celebration stretch out over several days!

We started Thursday, the day before his birthday, with GiGi coming over for his annual birthday lunch at Red Robin. Since GiGi was heading out of town for the weekend on his actual birthday, we decided to celebrate a day early. Lucas was thrilled when GiGi showed up with presents, and even more elated when he got his first train. He is so proud of his new train and he makes sure that it is included in everything he does: sleep, eat, travel, etc.









Red Robin was as eventful as ever, and this year Lucas actually enjoyed being sung to. He ate his favorite meal there: grilled chicken on a stick and finished up with an ice cream sundae.

We partied like rock-stars on Lucas' 2nd Birthday; he awoke to banners, signs and plenty of presents. I think we did pretty well on his main present, a motorcycle big wheel, because to this day, Lucas rides it everywhere!

During the day while Ben was at work, Lucas and I went to Catch Air for some playtime. He had a great time chasing around a pack of girls and jumping on all the inflatables. Daddy even surprised Lucas and joined us there! Afterward, we let Lucas pick the restaurant for lunch and we ended up at CiCi's for pizza and games.













After a nice long nap, Lucas enjoyed a special birthday lollipop on the couch...attractive, huh?

Olivia surprised us later that afternoon and brought over a delicious cupcake and card. Lucas was thrilled to show off his new motorcycle and doctor kit. Only a few "disagreements" erupted between whose turn it was on the big wheel and then their attention was distracted and they began playing doctor. Lucas obtained a small boo-boo as they were jumping on the couch so they both got a boo boo popsicle to make it all go away. Thank you for the cupcake Olivia and Mrs. Sam!


















That night for dinner, we headed out for Japanese at our favorite restaurant, Ninja. We have been going there for about 5 years and are treated like celebrities. Even Uncle Taylor and Poppie came and joined in on the big 2 year old celebration. Lucas really enjoyed opening and playing with his new camera from Uncle Taylor. We finally had to take it away so that he would focus on eating his favorite thing, 'doop' or soup!










Here is a video of Lucas joining in the fun and catching rice in his mouth...

Here is a picture of Lucas and Uncle Taylor hanging out at the house after dinner and before Lucas went to bed. Lucas was on a sugar high when we got home so he ran off his sugar around the house and then crashed back down on Uncle Taylor.









The next day continued with our big 2 year old celebration as Party Day! Before the party started Grandmama and Pop Pop came over to the house to give Lucas his present...a new kitchen! Lucas is in love with his new kitchen and pretends to make many interesting meals for anyone that comes over.










Now it's Party Time! Since Lucas had such a great time at Gymboree we decided to have his birthday party there. He loves all the teachers and I loved the idea of them doing all of the work so that I could step back and enjoy too. We arrived early to do a little decorating while the teacher played with Lucas to get to know him better. Slowly, all of our friends arrived and Lucas was so happy to see them all. The theme of the party was construction vehicles so each activity that the teacher did corresponded. Lucas still loves watching all of the videos and pictures from that day and we hope you do too, enjoy! (I have tried a new program to help make a slide show that doesn't have a bunch of advertisements).



Here are some cute videos of Lucas' birthday party...

Happy Birthday! (Olivia insisted on coming up and helping Lucas blow out the candles! We wouldn't have it any other way, Olivia)

The new potty that MiMi gave Lucas...

Since our party time was limited, we opted to do the opening of the gifts at home. Lucas loved every present he got and had such a hard time leaving them all to go out to dinner.

Thank you everyone for all of the sweet cards and gifts that helped make our baby boy's 2nd birthday that much more special!

August

Well this blog post will be short so I can start writing for Lucas' SECOND birthday bash! I probably would have skipped over the first part of August, but we just did so many fun and exciting things that I couldn't ignore. I will post just the highlights of each so everyone can share in our fun!

Dinner with MiMi and Poppie after MiMi returned from Florida (with a special treat for Lucas from the World of Harry Potter)...









An impromptu play date, complete with lunch, with Boris, Olivia and Lucas. Olivia wasn't too happy about being forced into a picture with the boys acting the way they were!









A bunch of the moms in the neighborhood took the children down to Imagine It (the Children's Museum) in Atlanta. With all of the neat and fun things to do inside, they barely had time to play with each other. Lucas and I rode down with Sam and Olivia because I hate driving in Atlanta! This place was amazing with all of their activities. They could shop at a 'store', paint, milk a cow, load the food onto a conveyor belt, fish, climb in a tree house, dress up, play trains and so much more! I think the favorite thing among all the kids was pushing the shopping carts around. Lucas and Olivia were adorable playing house together! After such a fun morning, we took a break from playing (well the adults did) and ate some Chick-fil-A. Lucas felt the need for some affection so he placed his arm around Olivia while they shared a chicken nugget.
**Don't forget to close the 'Super Poke Pets' ad so you can see the pictures.** (I am trying to figure out a way to do this so you don't have to keep closing it each time)

Here are Olivia, Boris and Lucas hanging out at the pool. They made up a new game of filling up buckets of water and carrying them over to the plants to water them (hopefully we didn't kill the plants!)

One of the mom's in our group found this amazing park, Gary Pirkle Park that is completely covered and has fans, picnic tables and bathrooms! A bunch of us took our kids there for some outdoor fun without the sun and a picnic lunch afterward. Even though it was covered, all the children got so hot which is the reason most of them don't have shirts on!










This month we had a visit from my dad's brother, Uncle Roger and his family. I haven't seen my cousin in 10 years and we finally got to meet her little boy Holden who is four years old. Lucas immediately fell in love with Holden and followed him around the entire night at my parent's house. From the moment they met outside, Lucas and Holden played together all evening. It began with jumping into the sprinkler before we could undress them; Lucas had us in hysterics by putting his face into the water and running through it. Once inside, the boys played with several toys and then took a break from the toys to go jump on the bed. Later, Holden introduced Lucas to Gatorade and it has become his favorite drink ever since. After dinner, Holden showed off his very own camera, which Lucas took over almost immediately, and has now made it very clear that he wants a camera for his birthday.





























After looking through some pictures, I decided that I was majorly overdue for a haircut. GiGi, Lucas and I packed up one day and headed over to Winder to see our family there and get a hair cut from cousin Lisa. Of course a lot of planning went into this day (seeing what days GiGi was available, finding out if Uncle Sonny and Aunt Janet would be home, and then getting the hair appointment) so inevitably something would go wrong...and it showed up the day before in the form of a fever for Lucas. I wasn't worried though because after talking to Gigi, she was ready for the challenge so our day continued. First, we went to lunch with Uncle Sonny and Aunt Janet at our favorite Mexican restaurant. After lunch, I left to get my haircut and then they all went back to their house to keep Lucas entertained. Probably not the most exciting part of the day for many, but to Lucas it made a very big impression on, was when I left to get a haircut and drove Uncle Sonny's Tahoe. Now most people know and understand that beside a Jeep, a Tahoe is Luke's favorite car. He still is talking about how "Mommy dove Unc Dunnies Tahoe" and "Unc Dunny dove mommy's Nissan Rano"! We had such a good time catching up with our family and hope to do it again really soon.

Happy Birthday Grandmama!!!

This year we celebrated Grandmama's birthday up at the Smith House in Dahlonega. The whole family was there plus some good family friends, Mr. Steve and Mrs. Toni. Before dinner, we went to some of the stores off the square and did a wine tasting of some Georgia wines and a little shopping. We then headed off for some delicious southern cooking (and hoped that we would find something that picky Lucas would eat!) Dinner was fabulous as always, even without their famous strawberry shortcake. No, Lucas did not eat anything for those of you wondering! I sometimes do not know how he can survive with as little as he eats and as much energy as he has.

After hanging out in Dahlonega, Ben and I were the ones treated because Grandmama wanted to have Lucas over for a sleepover. Lucas was more than willing to ride home in Grandmama's car in between GiGi and Grandmama. I wish I could say that Ben and I did something fun and exciting, but with Lucas being sick all week and wanting only his mommy, I was exhausted and settled for a movie and some sleep. The next day, I met Grandmama, Lucas and Uncle Taylor for the switch and we all ate some lunch while Daddy stayed at home to study for an exam.

Thanks for the over night break mom and Happy Birthday!!!!

**Close the Super Poke Ad to see the narrative for the pictures**

The following week Lucas and I met GiGi at Grandmama's office for lunch. Lucas loves going to Grandmama's office because the building is full of construction vehicles that Lucas can explore. This time was no different, with the exception of possibly being more thrilled than the last visit. Lucas not only saw a forklift this time, but also men welding, a four wheeler, two jet skis, a big truck, and a tractor trailer. He was in heaven!!!!

After roaming around the building and riding on several pieces of equipment, we finally got Lucas off and headed over to Trackside Grill in Kennesaw. The food was delicious, but the wait for the food was extremely too long, especially with a busy toddler! GiGi eventually took him outside to walk around and see the train tunnel and even got to see a train go by!











So, as you can see, our family was quite busy in the first part of the month. It has been a cake walk compared to all the preparations we have been doing for Lucas' SECOND birthday. Check back soon to see how much fun Lucas had turning TWO!!