Rain, rain, go away...

Yesterday it rained on and off all day long. That pretty much equaled torture for our little boy. I didn't realize how much Luke counted on being able to go outside and blow off some steam. Be was in a very ornery mood all day. That equaled NO FUN for mom. Fits were had all day, and Luke was pretty bad too. So this morning we stayed indoors to let the ground dry up a little before I unleashed him. But this afternoon the sun was out and it was just beautiful again. And what's the first thing he did when he went outside? He found the nearest puddle. Of course. He stamped around in the water and just laughed.

Man, I don't know what we're gonna do when Monsoon season comes around and we can't be outside for days at a time. Yikes. I better make sure we have plenty of milk and cookies.

Another Birthday

"In His Constant Care"
by Simon Dewey

Another Birthday for my Sweet Avery. This birthday is different for me, having experienced so many firsts with Lucas. First night home, sleeping through the night, baby food, crawling, walking...so many firsts that I thought I would have had with my baby girl. Each time Luke would reach another milestone, I would relish in the moment. But I'd also feel the tugging at my hearstrings.

I find myself savoring each tiny moment I have with Lucas, knowing exactly how precious they are. What a tender gift each day is. Having tasted the bitterness of losing a child makes the small and unexpected joys that much sweeter.

There are still times when my heart aches and my arms reach for Avery. When I want to gather my family around me and I sense someone missing. And all it seems I have are memories. But I have hope. A promise of the future. I believe with every fiber of being that I will see Avery Christine again. And I am so grateful for the Temple and the promise of Eternity.

Avery, I still sing your song to Luke. I tell him about you, and why that songs so special. Sometimes I hear him laughing in his room and I think you must be telling him secrets and sharing funny stories. How close I can feel you near us when I snuggle him in the rocking chair. And I know you look after you little brother.

We love you Avery! And I can't wait until our family will be reunited someday. What a celebration that will be! Happy 5th Birthday Sweetheart.

Don't I look FABULOUS?

Yes, this is my headband.



He did this all by himself.



And he looks FABULOUS! Right??



Oh Dear.

Ever find yourself doing the very thing you tell others NOT to do? Uh, huh...that was me. So disappointing. Luke's hair has been getting REALLY long. And since it's so curly, it just curls up around his ears. It's so unruly. Matt has been teasing me that he's gonna cut it himself while I'm at work. OH NO WAY! is usually my answer. I then proceed to lecture him on the fact that we're not hair stylists and are not allowed to touch our son's beautiful hair. Bad things would happen.


Well....


Last Thursday I had set up an appointment for Luke's pictures. And we got his outfit all picked out. He was all lotioned and adorable. EXCEPT his hair. I couldn't decide whether it made him look nerdy or girly. Probably somewhere in between. Then the anxiety set in. I couldn't take him in for pictures looking like that. My poor baby...he looked ridiculous, even after I combed and combed his hair. I used so much detangler that his head was sopping wet.


And then I made the split second, disastrous decision that "I" could cut his hair. No problem. I use to cut my Barbie's hair all the time. Just don't ask my mom how they looked after. So there I was with Luke plopped in the sink of our downstairs bathroom and I just went to town. Motivated by panic and vanity. Snip, Snip, Snip...and all I could hear was the conversations Matt and I had about a 1,000 times already. *Guilt* But I couldn't stop.  All I have to say is that I am SO grateful that is hair is curly and  you can't really tell how HORRIBLE I did. His pictures came out great. But we will definitely be going to a professional to fix what Mommy did.

If you can't tell this is his hair in a ziploc baggie. I didn't get too close to Luke on purpose.

A....B....C....

Here we are singing our ABC's at lunch.

Mud Pie

There's something so magical about the smell of sunscreen. Every time I put some on Luke and I, memories of family trips come sweeping into my memory. I love it. The weather here has just been unreal. Absolutely beautiful. On my days off, Luke and I spend at least a couple hours a day outside. Today was no different. We slathered on some sunscreen and I took my book outside and settled in for some vitamin D time. I read a little and then just got the itch to clean up the backyard a little. Note: that happens like never. I consider the backyard "MAN" territory and leave it to my cute husband. Don't know what got into me today. But while I was suffering from gender confusion I cleaned up the poo and then decided to clean up the patio. Minnie never deals well when the patio is sprayed down, so I sent the dogs inside. But I figured Luke would enjoy all the spray, so I left him outside with me. Sweep - check. Spray - check. I was very productive for a vitamin D deficient, gender-role confused person.

Then I look up and see Luke with his new shovel set digging in a mud puddle I just made. Nice. He's having a great time. I even shot some video of it on my phone and sent it to some folks. As soon as I turn off my phone, he takes a giant step right into the middle of the puddle. Then looks at me and screams. Bahahahaha! Well, to top that off, he then takes his shovel, scoops a big ole' slimy heap of mud and proceeds to take a bite. Um, really? Could I be more grossed out? Yeah, probably...but why take time to list all the things that are definitely grosser, and will probably happen in the future. Ewww! Boys are so gross sometimes. Needless to say that shovel time was cancelled and I helped him climb out of the puddle and to the safe patio. Where he found another nice puddle on the cement and sat right in it. *SIGH* At this point I just laughed and thought how grateful I am to have a wash machine and Resolve spray. The life of a Mommy to a cute, messy, trouble making little boy.

Thanks Aunt Mary!

Luke got a home-made pair of BLUES CLUES pajamas for his birthday from Aunt Mary. I know you're thinking, "News Flash, it's March." I know, I know. But I finally got myself together and took a couple pictures of him so we could say THANKS! They are super cute and comfy. They're a little big, but that'll give him room to grow. Not to mention that he's a little on the small side.

Thanks for making such a cute gift for Luke. It's wonderful! Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Fun in the Tub.

What can be funner than bedtime bath? Morning bath time! And the lighting is much better so I thought I'd take advantage and snap a few photos. He's grown a lot since his last bath time photo session and taking his picture is a lot trickier since he doesn't stop moving for a second. It usually requires all my focus just to keep him from falling in/out of the tub and he usually tries to drown himself at least once a day. But...he's getting better about the whole choosing life thing. I love seeing the action/reaction process developing for him. So here we go. Get ready for cute:

Such a sweet face.



Loves, loves, loves sorting things into containers.



Uh, yes. This is his singing face. We were singing "Popcorn Popping".

Laughing because it's his favorite song.

Soapy face. Can I say that I am SO jealous of his eyelashes? Ugh.



"But Mom! I don't wanna wash my hair!"



Squeaky clean!



Look at that hair.



It just gets crazy after we have bath time.

 And now it's nap time and I'm LOVING the quiet. I really should go do something more productive than hang out on the blog. I've got cleaning to do, paint to pick out, and a snack that needs to be eaten. FYI: going to get Luke's 1 year pictures taken. I know, it's late, but life for our family is pretty hectic from December through March. I'm lucky I managed to get myself together before his 2 year pictures :)

In case you're wondering...

I've had a few people assume that since Luke got bit by Tim that he is now going to fear all dogs. Well, here's the proof that this little boy doesn't hold a grudge. He loves his Minnie and Bruno and cannot go a day without showing them at least once how much he loves them. Often we'll find him playing with and hugging Minnie or snuggling up to Bruno to relax with his sippy cup. Bruno makes a great pillow since he just lays around all day :)

Giving Minnie a hug. Awww :)



Trying to flirt his way out of a nap.

  And here's a shot right before morning nap. Right before I took this picture I would ask, "Are you ready for nap time?" and then he'd just smile and shake his head "No." Yeah, right...



Luke's Harry Potter-ish scar.

 His scar is healing up really well. He's still got a bit of a bump, but I assume it's just the tissue still trying to heal itself. We've been putting Bio-Oil on hoping it helps to fade it.

Soaking up the Sunshine

Here's a couple pictures of our little trip to the tot lot by our house. The day was just too gorgeous to stay inside. Too bad I couldn't get Luke to really look at me. I think he was just over Mom being in the way.