Big Boy Seat

Luke has still been in a high chair which has worked great since he was about 6 months old. Lately we have wondered how he would do in a booster seat. When we made one of our recent trips to the store for diapers we decided to get him a big boy seat. He loves it! I must admit it is nice having him sit right at the table with us. He is such an independent eater. He is still using his fork and spoon well. He has recently learned some sign language. His favorite sign is "eat". He does it when he is hungry and sometimes when he is not! We also know he is hungry when he tries to climb up in his chair at the table. Other signs he can do are down, more and all gone. It is so neat to see him learn!

Nanny's Birthday

After 3 attempts this was the best
picture I could get.

Loving all the attention

This pic has nothing to do with
Nanny's birthday but
I think it is cute!

We went to Tullahoma yesterday to celebrate my grandmother's 83rd birthday. We had a cook out at my cousin Cynthia's house. Luke took a two hour nap before we ever left our house so he was wide awake on the way there. Nonna rode with us and kept him entertained in the backseat. It was fun visiting with our extended family who we do not get to see that often. Nanny loved having us all together. We wished Uncle Andrew and Aunt Mandi could have been there with us.

For those of you who I have not been able to share the good news Andrew is cancer free!!! He went for his post-treatment follow-up appointment this week. The chemo appears to have been very effective. Andrew will continue to do follow up CT scans every three months for a defined time period. We truly appreciate all of your prayers and support during this time.

Father's Day

When we got home fro Louisville last Saturday we celebrated Fathers Day at home. Luke helped Paul open his gifts. Luke got Daddy a hose pipe and a french fry cutter! We have already used the french fry cutter twice and it works great! We like to bake our "fries" and this tool helps them look like normal fries.

We went to the Troutts that night for a last minute get together. It was great to do something unexpected and unplanned. Luke ran around everywhere and loved playing in his swing. It was a great end to a wonderful weekend.

Anniversary Weekend

Posing at the track

To celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary Paul and I decided to take a quick weekend trip. We were perplexed about where to go. I really did not want to fly anywhere and we have been most everywhere within a few hours driving distance of Nashville. We decided on Louisville since we had never been there together. We had a GREAT time! It was extremely hot but we did not really mind. We drove up Friday night and stopped in Bowling Green to eat supper. We ate at a neat sports bar on the square. We stayed at a cool hotel in downtown Louisville which Paul found on Priceline.

Saturday morning we headed to Churchill Downs. It was so fun! I do not really know much about horses or horse racing for that matter. We took the group tour and visited the museum. We stayed around and grabbed lunch at the track and watched a couple of races. We did not bet basically because I did not know how to. I did indulge in a Mint Julep (mainly for the souvenir glass!)

I quickly decided going to the Derby is on my short "to-do" list! The atmosphere was so exciting this past Saturday. I can not imagine what it is like on Derby Day. There is a neat exhibit at the museum about Derby Day fashions. Some of the gowns were from the late 1800's and were amazing. I opted for the casual look although there were lots of ladies dressed up which was fun!

Louisville Slugger Museum

The largest bat in the world

Paul and Ted Williams

Me and Ken Griffey, Jr.

Saturday afternoon we went to the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory. They have recently renovated the museum to make it more interactive. It was really a lot of fun. We could not hear our tour guide that well in the factory but it is amazing how quickly they make the bats now compared to when they first started in the 1800's. We got to see bats that were once used by Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio. Of course we had to get the little fella his own shirt and bat!

Meanwhile....

Daddy is going to love this
peach cobbler I am making!

Hmm...what can I get
in to next?!?!

While Paul and I were relaxing and enjoying the sites in Louisville Luke had a blast with the grandparents. Nana came and watched Luke Friday when we left. They had fun playing outside and going to see Grandpa on the farm Saturday morning.

Nonna took the second shift on Saturday. They played with all his toys. Nonna was so surprised when he went in to the bathroom and started hitting the side of the tub letting her know it was bath time! He slept great both nights. It makes going out of town that much more enjoyable when we know Luke is having such a good time! He even helped Nonna do some cooking. He can make a mean peach cobbler already!

Adventurous Little Fella

So, Luke is in to climbing everywhere right now! You literally can not turn your back or there is no telling where he will be. He has climbed on top of the glass top coffee table, on to the bed and several other places without us knowing it. We did know he was climbing the ladder in the above picture though. And do not worry I was just out of view of the camera so he was fine. Like most kids his age he knows no fear. He will go anywhere. He is getting his share of bumps and bruises but always recovers quickly and is ready to go again.

I have also mentioned Luke's love for music on several occasions. We were dancing to "Brick House" in this picture! He just loves to move and dance. A still picture really does not do his moves justice! His favorite move is "raising the roof". We hope he keeps his love of music and like to think about what instrument he might play.

Lazy Summer Days

Not so sure about this

Just me and my boots

Last weekend was a great Summer weekend. There was nothing we had to do or anywhere we had to be. We got to set our own schedule. It was lovely! We spent the weekend doing some yard work and relaxing as a family. It has been so hot and it is not officially Summer yet! We decided to get Luke's pool out for the first time. For some reason he is still a little hesitant about water other than bath water. After some coaxing we got him in and then he had a blast! It was not worth putting on the special swim diapers, trunks, etc. It normally takes longer to get ready for water play than what he actually spends playing in it!

He also still has his fascination with shoes. He likes to pick out what shoes he wears and tries to put them on. He insisted on putting his cowboy boots on before bed one night. They are getting a little snug so we need to take advantage of letting him wear them when he wants.

More Please!

A full, happy boy

Contrary to this picture and much
to Paul's dismay, Luke usually
uses his right hand to eat.

Yes!

While Paul was gone I really tried to let Luke feed himself with a fork. We had done it some before but not consistently. He loves it! He prefers to use his fork now instead of picking things up with his fingers. It makes for longer and messier meal times but it sure is fun to watch!

Sweet Baby

Luke was trying to "pat" Hanne.

It's so easy to forget how small newborns are.

The girls hanging out.

Luke and Emma playing.

We went to visit our friends Katherine and Rico this afternoon to see their latest addition. Little Hanne is too cute! She slept while we were there and she did not seem to mind who was holding her. Emma is so proud of her little sister. Luke was not sure what to think when we first got there. It actually took him a while to realize I was holding a baby. He wanted to get up on the couch with us and touch Hanne. We tried to get him to be very gentle with her.

Emma was so excited to show us her "big girl" bed and new room. She is such a smart little girl. She kept saying things about Luke's car and Luke's house. She especially like the "polish" on my toes. Adorable! We hope to hang out with the Louws again soon.

Weekend

Mischievous little boy

What is he wearing?

Eating at Cheddars

We had a great weekend enjoying Paul being home. I had to work Saturday so Paul and Luke went and visited the great grandmothers. Memaw and Kitty were both happy to see him. I had a wedding shower that afternoon so Paul and Luke had lots of time to bond.

Welcome Home Daddy!

Luke did so good for me while Paul was gone. He did not seem to mind my random meals. One night we had rice and carrots! What was I thinking? Oh well! He slept good every night and was generally a good sport with Paul not around.

Paul got in late Thursday afternoon. I picked him up from his office and we went to get Luke from the babysitter. We both went to the door. Luke looked from me to Paul and back again before he broke in to a wide grin and went running into Paul's arms. It was so cute!!! Paul thought he looked different. I do think he has grown since he was gone. We were both so glad to have him back! We spent Thursday night just hanging out as a family.

Catching Up

All smiles

Worn out from "water day"
at school

Amanda and Julie!

I must admit blogging has been toward the bottom of my list for the past week. With Paul out of town on business I spent most of my nights trying to get ready for the next day. Luke and I survived by ourselves (barely)! I certainly have a new found respect for single parents. Both of the grandmothers helped out some which was nice.

Last Wednesday I had an impromptu trip to Murfreesboro to see my good college friends, Amanda and Julie. We have tried to plan something several times before way in advance. This visit came about rather quickly and we all happened to be free at the same time! We had a great time catching up and reliving old times. I had not seen Julie since before Luke was born. Both girls are expecting baby girls this summer! As always we vowed to not let too much time pass before we see each other again.

Congrats Times Two!

I currently have a list on our fridge of all of our friends expecting babies....there are 10 people on the list! The latest sweet additions came this week. Congrats to Jeremy and Katie on the birth of their second son, Elijah (Eli) Henry. Our friends Katherine and Rico welcomed their second daughter tonight, Hanne Clarke. We are so excited for these precious gifts and wish them all the best!

Memorial Weekend

Luke hanging out with Faith and Lauren.

Chillin' in the swing

To the top of the tree house!

"Are there any more Wheat Thins?"

In between rain showers

Memorial weekend can be summed up in one word....food! We went to 4 cook-outs and ate way too much. We started the weekend off right on Saturday by going to the Troutts where we had ribs, burgers, chicken and the trimmings. We topped it off with homemade vanilla ice cream and orange cake. Luke had a blast playing with cousin Lauren and her friend Faith. He also loved going up and down the stairs to the tree house. He wore all of us out with his energy. He was exhausted when we left and was asleep by the time we got to Long Hollow Pike.

Sunday morning we went to church. Luke walked right in his room and barely gave Paul and I a second glance. My how things have changed! We had a couple of hours to rest before we headed back to Gallatin to a party at the Kelley's house. This was our first year to go to this party. There were so many kids there; it was wild! They have a great pool and place to entertain. The Kelleys are originally from Lousiana so they served crawfish, black eyed peas, brisket and corn on the cob. I decided to forgo the crawfish, but I got a kick out of watching Jon and Kristen try it!

From Gallatin we headed south to Madison for the Reynold's annual Presleyterian Camp Meeting. There was a slight damper on the festivities because of a few rain showers. By this time Luke had had abut all the partying he could handle for one day. We cut our evening short after supper so he could wind down.

We ended the weekend with a cook-out lunch at Nonna's on Monday. Somehow I did not take single picture while we were there. We did manage to squeeze in some more yard work between eating! Paul was also busy getting ready for his business trip. He left this morning for a training in Kansas and will be gone until next Thursday. Time will tell how I do as a "single" parent!

Quick Hair Cut

So Paul and I have been contemplating trimming Luke's hair for awhile now. When he is outside or it is humid he has the cute little curls. But when his hair is straight it was getting too long in the back. He either looked like a little redneck child with a rat tail or a funny looking little girl! We finally decided to do it this past weekend. I have absolutely no experience cutting hair; it takes me forever to make an appointment to even get mine cut! It took a few minutes for us to get Luke to hold still long enough that I could snip it. It looks pretty good although I don't plan to make a hobby out of it. I only trimmed the back so now his hair is longer on the sides and it is curling up! Oh well, it will be fine for now.

Fun with Nonna

Peek-a-boo!

Whatcha doin'?

Hmm...let's see...

maybe it goes like this...

or maybe this?!?!

It was so nice to have Nonna come and watch Luke Sunday while we did yard work. We can get so much done when we can both work and someone else can entertain Luke. He tried his hardest to figure out how to get Nonna's sandals back on her feet. I don't think he ever figured it out.

Another Day in the Yard

Hard at work

Hard at Play

I can do it!

As I have mentioned in numerous posts we have quite the project going on in our backyard these days. We inherited a vast amount of landscaping when we moved in a year and a half ago, much of which we have thinned out and modified. With the unprecedented rain falls in Tennessee this Spring we have a big drainage issue! Our back yard is sloped and it is eroding away! We have been working on the problem for weeks now but with all the weekend rains it has been hard to get anything accomplished.

Paul has dug a trench down the length of our yard, laid pipe, covered it with rock and eventually top soil. We have it draining to the road. We hope this will help! If not we are in trouble! We found some great deals at Lowe's so we decided to bring in a load of topsoil and do some planting. Sunday was beautiful. We asked Nonna to come over after church to watch Luke in the hopes we could get some work done. Luke loved being outside playing in the dirt! We made progress but we still have a long way to go. I went back to Lowe's last night and bought a lot of ground cover and grasses in the hopes that they will slow the water that might still flow to the bed. We'll see!

I wanna do it

As usual Luke is right on our heels when we are doing things around the house. Paul was changing out the air filters last weekend. Before we realized it Luke had climbed up the step stool and was reaching like he was going to do it. He climbs on everything! He still has a way to go before he can reach the ceiling!