Luke's 1st set of "Wheels"

It's official...Luke is crawling! Daddy calls crawling "getting your wheels", so Luke now has his "wheels!" He made his move on Saturday (5/23) while we were playing in the living room (Chloe, Michelle and Craig were here to witness too)! A few days into it and he is already chasing his brother and toys that always conveniently move about 5 feet away everytime he goes for them! I just can't believe we've hit the mobility stage. Where did my tiny, helpless baby go? Well, watch out world, here he comes!

Beachcomber Bob

Wednesday was the Annual Step by Step year end picnic. It was a beautiful evening. Blake had such a good time playing with his friends. For as "outgoing" as they seem to be on a daily basis, most of them were wall flowers when it came time for Beachcomber Bob to get the party started. Who wouldn't want to dance to songs like the "Chicken Dance", "SpongeBob Squarepants" and "At the Hop?" Blake finally started dancing on the last song. It was pretty cute. I am absolutely convinced he channels Elaine from Seinfeld when he dances. Here is a video clips to showcase his dance moves.

Prairie Lake

We had such a fun day yesterday! One of Kurt's coworkers, Rodney, and his wife Dawn invited us to visit their cabin for the day. They have a cabin on Prairie Lake, WI which is about a 2 hour drive from our house. They have a great piece of land that was perfect for Blake (and Molly) to run around. They also have a handful of grandkids so they were all set up to entertain our little guys! As you can see we had a blast going for rides on the 4-wheeler and a long ride around the lake on the boat. Blake also got to ride in the wagon on the back of Rodney's lawn tractor, but we didn't get a picture of that. Unfortunately, it was a very chilly day (in the 50's), but it was sunny and we made sure to bundle up tightly when we went on the boat. Blake even got to drive the boat!

BIG slide!

Blake's 1st ride on a 4-wheeler Look at this - can you believe how big my little Lukie is? He kind of looks like a burglar in this picture with all his black!

A Monkey George Party

Blake went to his friend Jonny's 3rd birthday party on Saturday. The theme was Curious George (or as Blake calls him "Monkey George"). Blake goes to school with Jonny so there were a few of his other friends there too...Chloe, Aleksandra, Abby, and Devon. They planted a flower, colored pictures of Curious George, played "Follow the Leader" and had storytime. In typical toddler fashion...they had the most fun running in circles, playing with balloons and of course eating the yummy cake. Here are some pictures from the party and a clip below of the gang burning some energy.

Blake & Chloe

Devon

The Birthday Boy - Jonny

Chloe & Abby

Happy 10 Month Birthday Luke!

Okay, now I'm really in denial...you are actually in double digits (in terms of months)! What is a mommy to do? Is it really possible that you are going to be 1 year old in two short months? I know I say this every week, but I fall in love with you even more with every passing day. Your little smile, bright blue eyes, and "eh-eh-eh" laugh make me smile just thinking of them. I haven't weighed you yet, but I'm sure you've gained a pound (or two) since last month. You don't have a ton of rolls...you are just a sturdy little guy.

We are still waiting on you to take off, but it's getting really close. You say ma-ma, da-da, ba-ba, na-na and a few other random words. You also shake your head no when you don't want something. It's pretty funny. You were in love with carrots and peas (the real deal...not the pureed kind) for a few weeks so we went out and bought a TON...now you won't touch them! You like to eat avocado, bananas, yogurt and club crackers. Your brother thinks you are his little buddy. He likes to play with you and pinches your cheeks and says "chubby cheeks, chubby cheeks." He still calls you "Goo Goo" which is pretty cute. We all call you Lukie or Luke William most of the time, but one of your teachers has been calling you Louie, so that has started to stick at home and school. Sometimes we call you "Lillam." When Blake was learning to pronounce William, he would say "Lillam" so that has stuck too.

A funny story, on Mother's Day we went for a long walk and to a nearby park to play. On the way back, Blake started singing some made up song and hitting all of these notes that I'm pretty sure aren't actually notes. Then Luke joined in...they were both singing in these WAY out of tune voices and it was hysterical. I have to believe we were sending all the dogs in the Northwest corner of Plymouth straight under their beds! Of course we didn't have the video camera with us! I just hope I can remember it forever.

We love you to bits and pieces my little man.

Happy Mother's Day to All!

I'm not usually one that gets into the Hallmark holidays, but I have to admit since becoming a Mom, I've made an exception for this one (and Father's Day)! Even as I'm sitting here typing this I'm thinking about all the things I love about being a Mom. There's obviously too many things to write, but to feel that unconditional love from your children every day is about as good as it gets.

So anyway...Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful Mom. I love you more than you'll ever know. Thanks for helping me realize the simple pleasures in life (reading, napping and being crafty just to name a few). I've learned so much from you through the years and I thank you for that. It has definitely made me into the Mommy I am today. I do wish you lived closer and could see the boys as often as you wanted, but know that you have a very special place in their hearts!

Happy Mother's Day too to my Grandma, Grandma Jarrett and Grandma Lana. And of course to my beloved Sisters. I am so grateful for the families you have created and the Mother's you have become. And a special shout out to all of my Mommy friends that help keep me sane, support me and provide me with advice on all aspects of life! Thank you!!

Catching up...

We have had a busy few weeks! There has been so much going on with both boys. We are so close to hitting a few major milestones...some that I've been looking forward to, yet it makes me sad to think we are already there. And the most exciting part of the last few weeks has been the END of winter! It's still cool out...50's &60's, but we have had quite a few days in the 70's and it has been so nice to get outside and play!

To start...Blake began potty training two weeks ago. I was really nervous because he has shown zero interest at home when we would ask him if he wanted to use the potty, etc. His teacher just told us to bring a ton of extra clothes, shoes and underwear and they would then have him wear underwear and try to get him to potty every few hours until he figured it out. The first couple of days he had a few accidents. The first few evenings after school we just left him in his diaper so we didn't really know how good he was doing. Friday when we picked him up he was wearing the same clothes but his teacher was gone so we couldn't ask her if it really went that well or if they didn't practice that day. Then Friday night he asked to go pee and sure enough he sat on the potty and did it. I cannot begin to explain how excited that little guy was. I think he saw how excited we were and how proud of him we were that his face just lit up. We did all sorts of high 5's and hugging! It just so happened to be Daddy's birthday so that was a very special gift. Maybe not the peeing in the potty part so much, but the prospect that we almost have one out of diapers was something that made Kurt very happy! I just can't believe how well he is doing. He went pee in the potty all weekend and has done great this week too. Here is a picture of him in his little undies...he also had Daddy's tennis gear with him saying "Bye Bye, I go play tennis."

Then there was Kurt's birthday...Happy Belated Birthday! We had oreo cookie cake from Cub...yum yum yum! Blake could not wait to have cake. The first thing he said when he walked in the house on Kurt's birthday was "get the cake out Mom!" There is a clip below of him singing Happy Birthday to his Daddy.

Then there's Luke...he has got more teeth on top now and his front teeth are really coming through. It looks so funny to see him with so many teeth. He's also so close to crawling. He actually does crawl, but backwards and he doesn't even know it. He wants to pull himself up too so we've been working on that. There's a clip below of him doing some of his moves. We had to lower his crib a few weeks ago which was a tough moment for Mommy. It just seems like he is growing too fast. He was having a crazy hair week for some reason so here are some photos of that too.

I think that catches us up!