Memorial Day Weekend

Helping Dad with a little yard work

Jake is so cute!

Luke loved playing with all
of Jake's toys.

Mr. Reynolds giving his annual
pre-dinner speech

Luke decided to take up croquet
this weekend...

GiGi giving Luke a helicopter ride!

We had a wonderful Memorial Weekend. It was so nice and relaxing. We did not feel overwhelmed with lots of cook-outs and parties this year. Saturday night we went to Jamie and Angela's to cook out. Audrey and Jason joined us. It was great getting to see everyone. Luke had fun playing with Jake and especially enjoyed all of his toys!!! Both boys were so fun to watch. They are growing so fast. They are almost exactly 12 months apart.

Sunday evening we went to the Reynolds for their annual Memorial Weekend party. There were a few pop-up showers, but that did not dampen anyone's mood. Luke continues to love his GiGi and was so excited all day knowing we were going back to her house. He did so good. Luke really enjoys being around other people and is very friendly. He always makes sure Mom or Dad are close by though.

I had to work Monday, Memorial Day. As is typical the hospital empties out on a holiday weekend so I only worked a half day which was nice. Paul and Luke hung out during the morning and then Luke went to Nonna's for the afternoon. Paul and I went back this afternoon to pick him up and stay for supper. Nonna said Luke had a fun time playing outside and reading books. He and Nonna took a long nap which was nice for both of them.

Luke continues to progress with his potty training. We officially started a few weeks ago and have had our ups and downs as is to be expected. We still haven't mastered poo-pooing in the potty but are doing really well with the other. Our goal is to have him fully trained by the time baby Katherine gets here in August!

Good-Bye Dinner

Railroad engineers hard at work.

Our bellies almost completely
obstructed Virginia!

Hunter and Luke ran to look at a real train

Hunter and Laura

Last night we got together with the Boyds at the Reynolds house to say good-bye. Laura and Adam are moving back to Naples this week. Since they have been living in East Tennessee it has been nice to see her more often. We all know this is a good move for the Boyds! Virginia made a great supper-- hamburgers, grilled veggies and sweet potato fries. She even had applesauce for the boys.

It was so fun to see Hunter and Luke playing together. They really interacted well. Luke followed Hunter around most of the night being his "shadow". Very cute! Luke talked about GiGi's house the whole way home and the first thing he said this morning when he woke up was "go to GiGi's house again?". He is in luck because we will be at the Reynolds annual Memorial party this weekend!

Jam-Packed Weekend

Luke and Hanne saying "hi"

Love this pic!

Luke loved the zip line!

Hanne enjoyed the swings.

An attempt at a group picture

The kids (and Christina)
on the trampoline.

Jim and Lauren provided some entertainment.

Whew! This past weekend was a whirlwind! Saturday morning I had to work at the hospital. Luke and Paul went to visit Memaw as well as the Troutts. Luke took a nap at the Troutts and Paula brought him home later. Shortly after he got home we had to turn around and to go to Emma's 3rd birthday party at My Gym. We had never been there before. It was so fun! Luke had a blast playing on all the slides and equipment. He also enjoyed the story time and cake eating. We will definitely be visiting there again!

After the party we joined the Louws for supper at the MacLeans. The three couples have been trying to get together for a couple of months and we finally found a date that worked with everyone. The kids continued to have fun playing with each other, but the long day started wearing on everyone so we said our good-byes around 8 that night.

Sunday morning we were scheduled to keep ETC (nursery) at church. We had a group of 6, four-year olds. Every time we fulfill our quarterly obligation I am so grateful for the teachers Luke has every week! We enjoy being with the kids but are usually worn out when we leave!

That afternoon we attempted to get Luke to take a nap to no avail. We left the house around 3 to do a couple of errands before we went to the Troutts to celebrate Memorial Day early. Luke was asleep when we pulled in to the Publix parking lot! We decided to take the very long way to Gallatin to allow him a quick nap. We had a great time at the Troutts as always. The first 90+ degree day got to this pregnant woman though. I normally am not fond of the heat but add to that an extra 10 pounds and I was pretty hot!

We all enjoyed listening to Jim sing and play the guitar. Lauren joined him on a couple of songs. They are both very talented. Luke was mesmerized by the guitar and kept asking "what's that?"

All Dressed Up

Strike a pose!

He kept his boots on all morning

This past Sunday Luke wanted to pick out his clothes for church, which is nothing unusual. I got him dressed. A little later Paul went to get some shoes for him. When they came back to our bedroom Luke was wearing his "Jon-Jon" boots. He insisted on wearing them and would not take them off. I agreed to let him wear them to church. He got lots of compliments as we were walking him down the preschool hallway. He just beamed from ear to ear. I made sure to tell everyone he picked out his outfit. We ran in to an old Troutt family friend who was especially impressed with Luke's skills. She said she remembered when Jon used to wear those boots! Luke loved it! She said she was even more impressed that I let him wear them. Boys will be boys!

Mother's Day

My sweet boy

Nene and Luke

He is actually dancing here,
even though it looks like he is crying

Despite the flood clean up we enjoyed a nice weekend. Paul and I both worked on Saturday so Nonna kept Luke. He had a great time at her house! He helped cook soup, do household chores and played outside. He did not want to leave when I got there to pick him up. Guess that is a good sign. Since we had not been able to see much of Paul this week we really enjoyed our time together yesterday afternoon and today. This morning we enjoyed being back at church. All services were canceled last weekend due to the flood.

Tonight Nene, Pop, Jon and his friend Chris came over for supper. We needed some help moving some furniture around so decided it was a good opportunity to get that done. We grilled hamburgers and made the first homemade ice cream of the season. As Luke says "yummy to my tummy"! We are hoping this week settles down some.

Devastation

Unintentional water fall on our patio

Luke was worn out

Long Hollow Pike in Goodlettsville

Our favorite Subway....

Madison Creek

This past week has been unlike any other we have ever experienced. The flooding of middle Tennessee has been almost incomprehensible. The rain started last Friday and did not let up until late Sunday night. We received more than 12" at our home. The devastation to so many middle Tennessee counties is heart breaking. Honestly, I still can not grasp the scope of this disaster even after seeing hundreds of pictures and hours of news footage. We were not personally affected. Our home is fine. Our yard and landscaping will need some reconstructing, which is not out of the ordinary after a heavy rain.

Paul has had the opportunity to help his friend Rob, who owns the ServPro in Bellevue, one of middle Tennessee's hardest hit areas. He has been working 10-14 hour days this past week so Luke and I have not seen much of him. Most mornings he is gone by 7 and is home well after Luke has gone to bed. We have missed him, but know he is helping those in need. Paul will continue to work with Rob this week and as long as Rob needs him. We are thankful for the opportunity but hate that it is under these circumstances. The media is saying the one good thing to come of the flooding is that it will put thousands of people back to work in construction and restoration. We are just thankful that we are fine and that no one we know was affected.

What We've Been Up To

Riding the turtle

All better after cake!

Sara and me

With my two girls!

It seems the time that lapses between blog posts is getting longer and longer. We already have this upcoming weekend booked and I am just now getting around to blogging about last weekend's adventures. Last weekend was full of rain! We can not really complain because we have not had any measurable rain in quite some time. It just so happened it all came at one time though.

Saturday morning we went to a birthday party for my boss' daughter at Monkey Joe's. This was our first experience with the place. We thought Luke would love it, but he did not want to take his shoes off (a requirement to play on the bouncy toys) or be put down. We carried him around for about an hour to all the different riding toys. He would get on and immediately get off. Luckily we never put any money in them. Once we had the actually party, aka. food, Luke was energized. He ate pizza, drank juice and ate cake. Two of those things he rarely gets so he knew he was getting a treat He was all systems go after that. He wanted to play on everything and started crying when we made him leave. All in all, I don't think we will be rushing to go back to Monkey Joe's anytime soon.

Saturday afternoon I went to a baby shower for one of my best friend's sisters. Virginia and I went and helped Laura get ready for the shower the night before. We had a great time seeing how everything turned out. Sara is having a little boy in May. Laura and her other sister, Martha and I are all due on the same day - August 27th. Laura and I are having girls and Martha is having a boy. We know that more than likely none of us will deliver on the same day it is still cool to share the same due date.

Paul and I went for another ultrasound on Tuesday and Baby Girl Troutt is perfect! They were able to "see" everything they needed which was a relief! The doctor talked to us about the probability that baby girl could come early like Luke did. Since I really never had any signs of labor with him she is going to keep a very close eye on me. It is hard to believe how quickly this pregnancy is going!

Spring Supper

Luke smiling for the camera

Hanne loves to eat!

Now, Emma smiles for the camera

Sunday night the Louws came over to enjoy the nice weather. We have been wanting to get together for some time, but the timing never worked out. It is great to see Emma and Luke really playing together now and enjoying each others company. Hanne is getting so big--she will be 1 soon! She loved watching the big kids play. We did make your own pizzas and grilled them. For some reason the crust was a bit burnt but we still ate them! Katherine brought strawberry shortcake for dessert. I love the Spring when fresh fruits and vegetables start to come in season. The kids played long and hard and were cranky when it got time to say good night. The first thing Luke said yesterday when he woke up was "Emma come play with Luke's toy?" We know there will be many more evenings like this one...

Fun Weekend

Where did the water go, mom?

Fun in the water

Helping Daddy

This weekend's weather has been absolutely beautiful! We have spent a lot of time outdoors. Friday night we went to Home Depot and picked up a couple of perennials and a little Dogwood tree. Saturday morning we decided to plant everything. Luke is in that mode where he wants to do everything exactly how you do it. He wanted to wear gloves like Mommy and Daddy. He does not have any gardening gloves so he wore some winter ones; he did not seem to mind. He used a little spade of mine even though he has his own set of gardening tools. When Paul stepped on the shovel to dig a hole, Luke stepped on his little shovel, too. It is very cute to watch him mimic Paul.

Yesterday Luke stayed at Nonna's in the afternoon while Paul and I went to look for baby furniture. I realized I have failed to mention we are having a BABY GIRL! We are very excited around here. Paul and I were very surprised when we had our ultrasound and the tech gave us the news. I think we both thought we were having another little boy. Once the surprise wore off reality started to set in. Pink dresses and hair bows, dolls and ponies, first dates and so forth. So much to learn and so much to look forward to! We do not have a name for baby girl Troutt yet. When you ask Luke he says to name her "baby boy". Not sure that the fact we are having a baby girl has set in with him yet. He still loves babies and loves to look at babies and talk to them. We know he is going to be an excellent big brother!

Easter with the Troutts

Papa helping Luke with his Easter presents

Ready, set, go!

Nene helped Luke find the eggs in
the tree house

Kitty spotted an egg Luke missed

Luke wanted to go look at the tractors

Bubbles are always a hit!

Jon and Kristen reading to
Luke before we left

Even though Luke kept his temperature off and on he felt fine and really wanted to go to Nene and Papa's. He asked to go to their house at least once a day, usually when he first gets up in the morning. He loves it there! We enjoyed an egg hunt and grilling out that evening. The weather was perfect. Everyone is so glad that Spring is here and we can spend time outdoors.

Easter Morning

What's all this?!?

Checking out the goodies

Inside the Thomas Tent

Our Easter started out unexpectedly. Luke woke up at 1am calling for me. When I went in to check on him I realized he was burning up. I took his temperature and it was 102.5! Yuck! I knew right then our Sunday would not go as planned. I gave him some medicine and rocked with him for about an hour and he went back to sleep. He slept until the morning and got up ready to go! He was very excited to see what the Easter Bunny brought him. Of course, the first thing he noticed was the Thomas tent. Nothing else mattered after that point! Since he had been running a fever we knew he could not go to church. Luke and I stayed home and Paul went to church in Gallatin. While Paul was gone Luke and I both took a nap. Luke continued to have temperature off and on that day but acted like he felt fine. We alternated Tylenol and Motrin.

Notice that Luke is wearing the same Cubs shirt he had on at Nanny's the day before. He would not take it off! It was the first time he had worn it and when we told him Papa had brought it to him that was all it took for him to want to keep it on!

Easter at Nanny's

Taking a walk with Cynthia and LeeEllen

Luke got a lot of entertainment out of
an old walking stick he found.

He loves his corn on the cob

Last Saturday we went to Tullahoma to see my family. We opted to grill out instead of the traditional Easter fare. Luke had a great time running around outside. LeeEllen brought a bubble machine for him to play with. He loved it! Everyone was surprised at how much he grown and how much he is talking now. Here are some of Luke's latest accomplishments and favorite things to do:

• loves to be outside and swing on his new playset
• obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine!
• can count to 11 by himself!
• still loves to sing and dance - knows most words to several songs
• consistently recognizes all colors, shapes, animals and some letters to the alphabet
• talks in sentences and can say most anything and loves to repeat what he hears!
• loves spending time with his Nene, Papa and Nonna