The Last Easter Post

Uncle Jon and Kristen

Cousin Lauren helped Luke
count his eggs

Luke would rather take the eggs
out of the bucket!

So, over a week after Easter I am finally getting around to posting the last pictures. We had a fun Egg hunt at the Troutt's after lunch on Easter Sunday. Luke ended up sleeping on Nonna in the swing for an hour and a half while we were all eating. Once he woke up and ate lunch it was time for the egg hunt!!! Luke found a total of 6 eggs. I think he would have done much better if he didn't get so enthralled after finding each one! He also thought he was supposed to take the eggs out of his bucket after he put them in. We were fighting a losing battle! Uncle Jon and Kristen took the prize for the most eggs found. Lauren found the Golden Egg....lucky girl!

The Suction Cup

Kelly bought this little bag with suction cups on it to put in the bathtub with Luke to keep his toys in. Last night he was looking for something new to play with so I pulled the bag out and he did not know what to do with it. I walked him over to the front door and pointed to the glass. He stuck it on the window all by himself. Pretty smart little guy. The only thing I can't figure out is why he makes a lap around the dining room table every time he stuck it on the glass. He must have done that twenty times in a row.

Fun Swing

Dad and Grandpa getting
Luke set in his swing

Weeeeee.......

Luke had a special gift waiting for him at Nana and Grandpa's. He got a new swing! He loved it. I wasn't able to get a good picture of him grinning but he giggled when we pushed him high. What a fun gift!!!

Easter Morning

How the morning started...

What's all this???

Luke loved his book!

We wonder how long the
pull out flaps will last?!?!

Well, Easter morning started out very unexpectedly. Luke normally wakes up at 6:00 in the mornings. If we are lucky he sleeps until 6:30 or 7:00 at best. Sunday morning he was still asleep at 7:50! We finally had to go in and wake him up so we could get ready for church. We weren't sure how he would react to his Easter basket. He found it in the foyer and walked hesitantly toward it with much prompting from Mom and Dad. He liked pulling everything out if it and immediately wanted to "read" his new book. We had to pull him away from his goodies so we could leave.

Luke is doing much better in the church nursery now. He went to the teacher without a second look. They said he did not cry at all the whole time we were in worship. We enjoyed a great sermon. Nonna joined us for church and Easter festivities at the Troutt's

Easter at Nanny's

Very mischievous...

Hanging out with Cousin Thomas

We had a very busy, enjoyable holiday weekend. Saturday Paul, me, my mom and cousin Cynthia did the Moosic City 5k at Metro Center. I had never done anything competitive like that. It was so much fun! I will try to post pictures later. I walked with Mom. We didn't have the best times but I am so proud of Mom for doing it!

Nana and Grandpa kept Luke while we did the race since no strollers were allowed. When we got home we got ready and headed to Tullahoma for Easter lunch at my grandmother's. Luke did great! He slept most of the way there and back. He was in a good mood while we were there an enjoyed running around and getting in to things. It surprised me when he got up in Thomas's lap. He looked like he wanted to take a nap but it wasn't long before he was on the move again!

Easter Eggs

The finished product....not too creative
but fun, just the same!

Luke wanted to "help"

We didn't dye Easter eggs last year so I definitely wanted to try it this year. The kit we used was left from last year! Luke thought it was fun and really wanted to put his little hands in the dye!

Cute Pictures

Today when I picked Luke up from Mrs. Terri's she had something to show me. She had taken some adorable pictures of him outside at her house today. What a treat! She said he loved the camera and seemed to be posing for the pictures.

Fun at the Park

Peek-a-boo!

Just a swingin'

Sunday Luke woke up with a runny nose and coughing. So we decided not to take Luke to the nursery at church. I always worry about him giving someone else the sniffles. So, we decided to take a little trip to Montgomery Bell State Park. It was a beautiful day. We took a picnic lunch which was nice. Luke loved playing on the playground!

Easter Egg Hunt

Nonna and Luke

Luke was pretty tired at this point

Last Saturday we went to pictures with the Easter Bunny and an egg hunt at Nonna's work. We were afraid that Luke would not like the Easter Bunny and would have the same reaction that he had to Santa Claus. He did great! He even snuggled in with him and got his picture made. I had a baby shower to go to so Paul and Nonna stayed for Luke to hunt eggs. They said he didn't know what to do at first but by the end of the hunt he had gotten the hang of it.

Well Visit

We went to see Dr. Patterson today for Luke's 15-month well visit. He just does not like to go to the doctor! He was fine in the waiting room; happily playing with the toys. He had even been running up and down the halls. As soon as the nurse called his name he was a different child - clingy, whiny, etc. He pitched a fit when the nurse had to get his length and weight. He calmed down when the nurse left and was running all over the exam room pushing the rolling chair, going through my purse and dancing. When Dr. P came in he was doing all he could to climb in my lap! She said his lungs sounded better today than they ever have. He still has a little fluid in his ears from his recent ear infection but nothing to worry about.

He weighs 24# 12 oz (40th %) and is 30 3/4" tall (33rd %). He has actually decreased in percentile for weight but Dr. P said that is normal at this age because he is much more active. Overall Luke is doing great and progressing as expected. He is saying the minimum 3-5 words and is able to express his wants and needs. He got his MMR and Hep A vaccine. He has been sleeping for almost 2 hours since we got home! Going to the doctor is exhausting for him.

Sending Prayers

We're sending special prayers to Florida as Andrew begins chemo in the morning.

Peek-a-boo

Look at me!

This is pretty comfy!

Luke has figured out how to climb in and out of the trunk in the bonus room. He thinks he is so cool. He opens the lid and climbs in and plays then climbs out again. He just laughs and laughs!

Old Friends, Fun Time

Caleb and Katie are all smiles

Luke was about to fall asleep by
this point!

Yesterday two of my college friends came over for brunch. We had not seen each other in over 2 years and we live within 30 minutes of each other! We had a great time catching up. It was like no time had past. Both Allison and Katie are expecting their second children. Luke decided he did not need a morning nap yesterday. That made it really hard for me to get ready for our visit. He wanted to be held all morning. He was a little shy at first but ended up doing great! He and Caleb played really well together. He was tired when they left. We were both asleep in the recliner within a few minutes!

Happy Boy!

Loving the b-b-q!

We went to eat at Center Point B-B-Q last weekend. Luke loved it! He loves to people watch; must get that from Mom. He takes it all in wherever we go. Luke eats most anything we do now and seems to like it all!

The Yardstick

One of Luke's new favorite toys is the yardstick. He picks it up and walks around with it running into and hitting stuff with it. Here is a video showing his adventures.

In to Everything!

Hmmm...what's in here?

Really Mom...these books go on the floor!

It is official....Luke leaves no stone unturned! He loves to get in drawers, cabinets, boxes, etc. He loves to take everything out. He usually puts it back in with encouragement from Mom and Dad.

Our weekend was pretty blah mainly due to the weather. Luke had been whining off and on for most of the weekend which is very unlike him. We went to the 150th anniversary celebration at Gallatin First Baptist Sunday hoping Luke would sit through worship for part of the time. Unfortunately he lasted about 10 minutes. He and I left and went out to Nana and Grandpa's. I couldn't get him calmed down until we went outside and rocked in the swing were he fell asleep! He was running a temp when we got home and still not very happy. Paul took him to the doctor yesterday and found out he had a mild ear infection in both ears. He stayed the rest of the day with the Troutt's. He is much better today and is back to his usual mischevious self! We are very much looking forward to the warmer spring weather ahead.

Perfect Weekend

Hmmm...this grass is yummy!

Last weekend was wonderful. I think everyone would agree that the weather has a huge impact on your mood and attitude. It was so warm and beautiful in Nashville this weekend. We decided to take advantage of it and stay outside a lot. Luke loves the outdoors! If you take him inside he whines until he goes out again. I snapped these pictures yesterday afternoon. Luke is quite the explorer. He wants to go all over the yard, down the driveway and back up again. He puts most everything in his mouth which freaks me out! Paul says "boys will be boys".

Saturday afternoon I went to the movies with Virginia. We saw a chick flick and it was so good! I dropped Luke off at Mom's before the movie so Paul and Bill could do some work in our yard. It is hard to get much accomplished with a toddler running around these days! Nonna loved her time with Luke and said they stayed outside most of the time he was there.

If you look close you can see the remains of Luke's first black eye. Within about a 2 day time frame he fell in the bathtub twice and hit is eye on the foot board our bed...ouch! It seems like it is taking forever to fade. I know this is just the first of many bumps and bruises we will encounter.

Long Time

My cousins Ellen and Christy
and Christy's daughter.

My grandmother on my father's side was one of 13 siblings! Unfortunately we did not see them much while I was growing up. We did get to hang out with some of our cousins from time to time. One of my great aunts died last week in Mississippi. She was buried in Tennessee and I was able to go to the service. I had not seen her two granddaughters since we were young. It was so great to reconnect with them even under the sad circumstances. We always thought it was neat that our grandmothers were sisters and our grandfathers were brothers. So we were double cousins or something like that. Everyone got a kick out of Luke running around and playing. He even went to complete strangers which is very unusual. After the service we all had lunch and visited for awhile.

Sunday Woes

Not wanting to cooperate with the
picture taking

A little happier

Since leaving Hermitage Hills Baptist in September we have been looking for a new church home. We finally settled on Hendersonville First Baptist. It is rather large but is still traditional in worship style and preaching. Our only drawback has been Luke not enjoying the nursery, at all! We literally have been visiting regularly since November and he cries every time. Sometimes he cries as soon as we walk in the building! We usually cave and take him to worship with us. This is what happened the Sunday before last. He does great during the singing but when the preaching starts he loves to babble--very loudly! He never gets fussy just rambles on and on in agreement with the pastor. Last week it was my turn to take him to the lobby so Paul could listen to Dr. Stetzer. Luke and I had a lovely time playing with all of his toys and running back and forth from one end of the lobby to the other. I snapped a couple of pictures. Not sure if that was appropriate or not....oh well!

During this past week Paul and I decided we were going to take him to the nursery every week for 4 weeks and if he still wasn't used to it we would start looking at other churches. Paul found the lady in charge and told her our dilemma. She was more than accommodating and said this happens all the time but they want all the children to think of church as a happy place to come to. She suggested we try a different room since Luke is walking well now. He still cried but did much better. The new teachers called us twice to give us an update and even offered to text us next week to let us know how he is doing. We don't know if we have turned the corner or not but it does look promising!!! Maybe we can eventually go back to the Sunday School class we liked.