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!!

Remainder of July

So, since I am a month behind on my blog, I am going to make this short and to the point. Instead of blogging, I have been spending my time scrap booking and making decorations for Lucas' SECOND birthday. I know all parents say this, but I cannot believe how fast he is growing up! We can still remember packing for the hospital and waiting (for an extra 3 days) for our gender-unknown baby to make his or her appearance! Enough of that, you will get a full account of his birthday soon enough!

Anyway, here is the remainder of the month of July...

Lucas has spent a lot of the summer at the library falling in love with a room full of children's books. I was really hesitant about taking him there because he hasn't quite got the concept of using an "inside voice" and I was afraid we would be asked to leave. Fortunately, our library has an entire wing devoted to children and I was put at ease immediately. I usually put some books on hold online and then I allow Lucas to explore and pick out a few more. I know him so well and he immediately found books all about trucks (like the ones I usually have on hold already.) He is such a big boy and helps me carry his new books to the check out counter and give the librarians there our library card. All the way home he looks through several books and just screams in excitement! It is such an awesome thing to see how much he loves books. I also usually check out a few videos of construction vehicles, which of course, he wants to watch all the time. He is so smart and can now name the following work trucks AND tell me their job: tractor and plow, excavator, bulldozer, steam roller, front-end loader, backhoe, backhoe loader, dump truck, cherry-picker truck, street sweeper, auger driller, mobile crane, tower crane, road paver, forklift and grader. I'm not kidding when I say he knows these, I do have witnesses!

This month we had Olivia's grandma, Ms. Linda, join us for mom's group at the pool while Mrs. Sam and Mr. Steve were on their anniversary cruise. Lucas and Olivia are becoming so independent and wanted to show off their swimming skills, so we mainly stayed on the pool steps. Ms. Linda was not sure about taking Olivia down the big slide, so I took her down a few times while she watched Lucas. Later, Lucas had enough of watching me with Olivia and he begged to go down too. So, I took both kids up the stairs to the slide and sent Lucas down first where Mrs. Linda caught him; and then, Olivia and I went down together. Lucas loved going down alone and Olivia loved the "vroom vroom" noises that I made on the way down.

Later that afternoon, Ms. Linda and Olivia joined some of us neighborhood moms and walked on Greenway. Olivia and Lucas really enjoyed riding next to each other and I really enjoyed catching up with Ms. Linda.

Lucas has become quite the bargain shopper with me and loves to go around to all of the stores. I think it's probably because at some places he gets a lollipop and others he gets to walk next to me. However, he also really likes to help me pick out the products now. He is not only choosing the fruits and vegetables for the week, but also picking out his breakfast and lunches. It is so much fun having a little buddy with me at all times. He even helps me pack the groceries when we leave Aldi and returns the cart with me so we can get our quarter back.

While Mrs. Linda was here, Lucas got to experience his very first Tea Party. When we arrived, Lucas and Olivia posed for the cameras before heading upstairs to the party. Ms. Linda and Olivia had prepared some tea (apple juice) in tea cups and made cut-out PBJ sandwiches along with chocolate Teddy Grahams. They sat at the table maybe 5 minutes before deciding that playing with the toys seemed like a better idea. Lucas was shockingly mean to Olivia when it came to taking turns and consequently ended with a few time outs. Olivia didn't mind much and even felt like she needed to be mean back to him so that she could have her turn in time out! After a few fights and a little playing together, Ms. Linda brought everyone an ice cream cone that the kids enjoyed at the table. When they had both eaten the entire cone, they made their way over to the window to watch the bulldozers and dump trucks before heading home for a nap. We had such a great time at the tea party Ms. Linda and really appreciate the invite. Mrs. Sam and Mr. Steve came home that day and I'm sure they were so ready to see their little "Liv Lee" as Lucas calls her.

***When you watch the slideshow below from slide.com, you need to click on the small "x" to close the 'Super Pokes' ad***

Since Lucas and I had such a busy week, we spent most of the day on Friday cleaning house and doing laundry. Later that night, while Lucas and I headed down to Gigi's for dinner, Ben went and hung out with Mr. Shawn. While at GiGi's house, Uncle Taylor surprised Lucas with a new remote control bulldozer that now goes wherever he goes in the house. Saturday night, I had a girls night out over at a friend's house for dinner and a movie, so Lucas spent the night up at MiMi and Poppie's house. The next day we met MiMi, Poppie and Lucas at O'Charley's for brunch. When we got home, Lucas was so tired from the sleepover yet somehow so hyper all at the same time. He just couldn't fall asleep in his room, so we brought him downstairs where he finally crashed right on the floor.

For a surprise variation to our weekly schedule, we went for a boat ride with Grandmama and Pop-Pop. They moved their boat from Lake Lanier to a dock on Lake Allatoona this past weekend; so, they both took off work on Monday so they could explore their new lake. Lucas LOVES going out on the boat and watching the water behind the boat as we are cruising around. This trip was not without excitement though...while we were attached to the dock getting ready to leave and Lucas was "pretend driving," he almost pushed down the gas and zoomed us off still attached to the dock! He recovered pretty well when we all yelled, but it was definitely a lesson learned. Lucas also got to wear his new Spider Man life jacket in the water, which he definitely did NOT like. He was trying to swim like he had on swimmies, and the life jacket kept flipping him over. After an exciting day on the lake, we headed back to Grandmama and Pop Pop's house for a nap and then some relaxing time on their front porch.









We braved the heat one Saturday this July and went down to Stone Mountain. In preparation for riding on the train around the mountain, Lucas and I went to the library and found several books and videos on trains. He talked about this unknown train event for a week before we actually got there! We missed the first train so we headed over to the sky lift that goes up and down the mountain. We were afraid that Lucas might freak out with the height, but even though it was 100 degrees and we were all stuffed into the skylift bucket, Lucas had a great time and would just squeal in excitement. Next, we headed over to wait again for the train in the horrible heat. Lucas really didn't seem to mind the heat at all, especially when there were so many people in line to charm. Once we were on the train, I don't think that Lucas said one word because he was so absorbed in the moment. He just sat there with his mouth open and occasionally would smile at us. After the train, we met our friends Mrs. Lindsi, Mr. Val and Jackson for a picnic dinner, some dancing, and the laser show. Lucas especially loved the fireworks before the laser show; and of course, the glowsticks all around him! The picture below with Lucas and Mrs. Lindsi dancing is not very clear, but you can see how much fun he is having dancing with Mrs. Lindsi!

This month, I have started watching a little boy Boris from the neighborhood. His mommy, Mrs. Olga is pregnant with TWIN boys and her husband had to move out of town during the week for work. Little Boris comes over to play with Lucas while his mommy goes to her doctor appointments and runs errands. Lucas and Boris are close in age so they have a great time doing art projects and playing with all of Lucas' trucks and tools.









To end the month, we had the Tyson Family (Poppie's side of the family) Reunion up at Unicoi State Park near Helen. We picked up Poppie in our car, which of course, made Lucas' day when he got to sit next to him all the way up there. Lucas had a great time looking out at the mountains and lake from the big deck and playing with Ben's cousin Shelby. After we finished eating the absolutely delicious food, we took Lucas for a walk next to the lake and up a walking trail where he could run and play. He was still so excited from the day that he almost wouldn't allow himself to fall asleep in the car; however, he finally gave up but only slept for less than an hour. We had a great time catching up with family we haven't seen in awhile!










































Now on to the month of August.....see you there!