Dear Luke, 10 months

Dear Luke,

What a great month!  Let's recap: You have learned how to do "So Big", figured out how to use your play table as a push-toy to practice your walking, gone on many walks in lovely weather, met a few celebrities, and developed the best belly laugh to date.  You've also gotten taller this month.  Your head is just about hitting the bottom of the console table and last month you were a good inch below it.  Your hair has also grown... a lot.  I need to cut it, but for some reason it just feels wrong, so I apologize in advance if you find yourself with a mullet.  I promise I won't let you have one for too long :).

You've also grown your little personality.  We've had So. Much. Fun. this month.  Your interaction with us has increased 10-fold. You want to play with us and try to make us laugh and I can't tell you how much we are enjoying it.  You like to do this fake laugh to get our attention that usually has us doing it back to you and before we know it, has us all laughing.  When we play the game "I'm gonna get you" you scream with delight and go about your fastest crawl until you decide to turn around and just let us get you.  It's something I have to do with you everyday.  We have watched you become quite the dare devil.  I have yet to find something you are afraid of.  You love being tossed in the air, splashing in the tub, putting your face under the running faucet, riding on Daddy's shoulders, and hanging upside down.  All of these things guarantee a big smile from you.  One thing that has not changed this month is your toothless grin.  STILL NO TEETH.  I may have been a little off with my predictions about your teething, but they have got to pop through sometime soon!  Don't get me wrong, I am not rushing them.  I want you to stay in baby stage as long as possible and seeing your gummy smile makes me feel like it's not flying by as fast as it is.  However, I am aware that this month may be the last month of your adorable toothless grin.

It delights my heart to see you filled with so much joy, Luke.  I've been reading a little about joy and where it comes from.  One thing I know is, joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit and when we have joy we glorify God.  Luke, your joy is contagious and I pray God continues to use it for His glory through out your life.

We celebrated Easter this month.  Each year I am literally in awe of what Jesus did for us, but this year it took on another dimension of meaning for me.  I have a son.  I literally cannot imagine what Mary experienced watching her son willingly go to his death.  I cannot understand the love of God knowing what his precious son would do for us.  What an intense love.  Because of what Jesus did, death is not the end, hell is not our fate.  We can stand in the light with Jesus because He is alive!  What JOY we have in Him.
You fill my heart with joy, Luke.  Don't ever forget it.
Love you,
Mom

How Great Thou Art

Take time to reflect on the gift God gave us, His precious Son.

Death conquered

My sins forgiven

You make all things new

How Great Thou Art!

Caution: You're about to see CLUTTER

Confession: My pantry is ridiculously embarrassing.   

Granted it is the tiniest closet possible to house all things pantry, but my organization skills are admittedly lacking.

Here is an embarrassing picture of my very messy tiny closet pantry

Woah! Scary.

and here are some beautiful pantries that I hope to use as inspiration.   Some day I might have more than a tiny closet to house my pantry items and someday I might buy coordinating food, appliances, and kitchen ware to make it look even more sparkly and beautiful (YA RIGHT).  Go ahead, take a gander and you too might get inspired to clean and organize your tiny closet pantry.

(don't hold your breath for an after picture of my pantry... you'll probably be dead before you see it)

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What is your favorite item or organization in your kitchen/pantry?

My new friends

 Guess who I met?

Hello Sheryl Crow

My husbands biggest crush, Kimberly Williams Paisley

and of the sweetest figure skater of them all, Scott Hamilton

I sat right behind them and all three are apparently friends :).  Cheryl Crow said my Lukey is adorable and tickled his tummy! :)  Nashville sure has some fun perks! And, no I did not bust out my phone and ask for a picture.  I wanted to play it cool in front of my new friends when I gave them my phone number.

HELP! I need a vacation!

Alright my blog friends, I am in need of some help.  The big 5 year anniversary is coming up in June and we are in DESPERATE need of a vacation!  Unfortunately, we are having a hard time deciding where to go or what to do?  I've been searching aimlessly on the internet waiting for the perfect picture to grab me and say "GO HERE", but I've had no such luck yet.  The real problem is everything looks so darn good!  I think we are suffering from what is called, "The 1st year of parenthood".  You know, the year in which you do mostly nothing by yourself and when you do, half the time away is spent thinking about the one you needed to get some time away from.  It's cruel, sick and twisted but we can't help ourselves, can we?  However, the time has come!  And although I can't promise I won't be thinking of my sweet Luke while I'm far away (possibly being massaged and sipping a Mai Tai next to my handsome husband) ...at least I'll be far away :)

So here is where you come in!  Tell me some of your favorite vacation spots.  Where are some places you have been or wanted to go?  What are the fun things you did at those places?  We are open to all suggestions, just keep in mind we are on a budget and have limited baby sitting time (about 4 nights 5 days to be specific). :)

Dear Luke, 9 months

Dear Luke,

You've been out of my belly as long as you were in my belly, so your trial period is over. I think we'll keep ya. And just so you know, you are way better than I ever imagined you could be.

You had your 9 month check-up at the end of the month and I'm happy to report you are one healthy boy. You dipped into the 10th percentile in height and weight, which is rather stunning when I look at your healthy lamb-chop-legs and your sweet chubby cheeks. There isn't a lack of appetite on your part either, which always makes meal time very entertaining. You have learned how to sign "more", however you don't sign it the way we taught you. You sign it by slamming your hand over and over again on the highchair.  We know when you do this you want MORE as QUICKLY as possible. Usually, we don't even have the spoon out of your mouth before you begin slamming your hand up and down again. I'm not sure if this is the most polite way to ask for more, so I guess we'll have to continue to work on that one :). People usually comment about how lucky we are that you aren't a picky eater, (which we are grateful for) but I don't think they take into consideration what happens when the food runs out. :)

I'm happy to report you are now on a real schedule. One nap in the morning, one in the afternoon, and bedtime at 7:30pm. Up until about 2 months ago we didn't really have you on a "schedule" so to speak. You were such a content baby we just kind of let you tell us when you were tired or hungry. You were easy and so much fun we didn't care if you went to bed at 9 o'clock at night. Don't get me wrong, you are still an easy baby and still a lot of fun, but Mom and Dad have learned we need "Mom and Dad time"..... and this time comes when you are in bed.  

As your Dad knows all too well, I have a little pity party for myself when you grow and move on to something new. One of the things I grieved this month was rocking you to sleep. Your Dad and I have rocked you to sleep pretty much every night you've been on this earth. Last month, we began trying to teach you how to put yourself to sleep. This came about when it started taking us over 30 minutes to rock you to sleep. We figured out this doesn't work so well for instance; when we have guests over and the hosts disappear for 30-45 minutes. It took several weeks, but now I can lay you in your crib at nap time and you just go "night night" all by yourself :). You cry sometimes, but no more than a few minutes.  At night your Dad and I take turns rocking you for a little while. Not because you need it, but because we love it. I will never get tired of your little head buried in my armpit when you're tired.  

I know you love your Mama, but you give the biggest smile to your "Da Da" when he comes through the door. It melts my heart every time. Both your Dad and I play his entrance up big time to try and get the biggest reaction possible out of you. You love it when he calls us and I put him on speaker phone. You have lots to say to him and usually laugh and smile when he talks back to you. You know who your "Da Da" is, but he also shares his name with me, your toys, strangers, and mostly anything else you point at.  

You are one busy kid. You rarely sit in one spot for more than a few seconds. You are crawling, standing, cruising, sitting, rolling, and climbing. You can even stand without holding onto anything for a few seconds and with control, bring yourself to the floor. You are so curious and I am constantly finding you in precarious situations; like when you just knew you could squeeze yourself through the wall and the leg of the kitchen table...  It didn't work out so well for you.

I can't believe we just have a few months until your 1st birthday. I am soaking up each and every day with you because this time really does go by so fast. 9 months ago I had no idea how much I would love you, Luke. I am truly in awe of it all. You are such a gift. We still find it incredible that God chose your Dad and I to be your parents.  We are so blessed.  

I love you precious baby boy,

Mama

Spring Break

There has been a lack of posting here.  I apologize for that.  Luke is 9 months and 1 week and as you can see, no letter has been written yet.... because we are still recovering.  

Here's the story.

We all went to Michigan for spring break to meet my new niece Charlotte 

(which was heaven because she is the sweetest little angel... ever)

Visited our dear friends and their son Easton, who is obviously Luke's brother from another mother. 

and then I went on to spend a week at my sister's in Holland.  We went downtown, ate at Cranes, stopped by the best place ever (which also happened to be my high school job), went swimming, worked out, watched movies, and of corse played and played and played.

and then.  

The day before we left for home... 

We had an attack of

 - - - the ORANGE vomit - - - 

My sweet little orange puker started with the bug and so graciously passed it to my niece Abbi, my unsuspecting brother-in-law Dave, and his puke catching, down the pants/in the hair Mama.  I know some of you can relate to how horrible it is to have a sick baby, but not all of us are so lucky to have a sick vomiting baby in someone else's home.  

You get an extra measure of 

uncomfortable 

watching your son vomit orange nastiness on 

someone else's 

carpet, toys, and couch.  

Lucky for me, I have the sweetest sister in the world who did not freak out or banish us from her home 

(which is something I would have considered)!  

Instead, 

she felt bad for us and then helped clean up the mess.  

WOW.

She may not have thought twice about it, but that incredible act of kindness was truly the hands and feet of Jesus to Luke and I.  What an example! I will not soon forget it. 

Love you Jenn :)