Snuggles and more...

When I was little I would go from bed to bed at night wanting to snuggle. So naturally I prayed for a little baby that would like to snuggle...well, the Lord so answered this one:) This is Luke's snuggly that he sleeps with at night. I must admit that I started him on it when he was born...I just thought it would be cute for him to have something to carry around. Well...he normally wants it when he is tired, or sick, and at night. In our last house, Luke could see us from his crib...so there would be nights where we would bring him in bed with us and he would sleep like a champ. We decided when we moved here that he would get his big boy bed and that would be it for sleeping in our bed...except for the Sunday afternoon naps:) Things were going well for the first week or so and then he figured out that we would come when he called. So he would call for me and say "snuggle mommy" or "rub tummy" or "rub back" or "rub head"...you get the point. He just loves to snuggle and be with us. In a way this is really cute...until you have a couple of nights of being up for several hours. So...we stopped going in to snuggle and we all are sleeping much better. I'm still so thankful that Luke likes to snuggle with us! Our routine at night...get a bath, get some milk, grab our snuggly and snuggle on the couch for a bit. LOVE THIS!
In other news...my dear friend Amy had her baby last week. Little Annaleese is now the proud big sister of little Caroline. Caroline was born 5 weeks early, but thank the Lord healthy and came home with mommy!

I also had another friend, Alston, have a little baby girl yesterday. I guess it's in the water to have girls right now...we found out that our little baby is a GIRL! She is going to have some great friends and a great big brother:)

First Day of School

Well, our little Luke has started "school". We put him in a Mothers Day Out program 2 mornings a week and this was the first week. Dave and I had parents night, then we took Luke to meet his teachers, and then the big day came. We got up on Monday morning and off to school we went. Luke seemed to be ready. We talked about how they would sing songs, read, play, practice letters, and so much more. When we got there (it is at the church we are attending) Luke went right in...it was very cute. When I went back to pick him up...he was ready for his nap. Boy does school make him tired. Today we didn't even get 2 minutes away before he feel asleep and then slept for 2 hours!

I must add that since I was a teacher I said there were certain things I would NEVER do. Well, I did one...I e-mailed the teacher after the first day...just to make sure Luke did a good job. Mind you, they had sent a note saying he had a good day. What can I say...I'm a mom now:)

Where do I begin?

Dave and I found out in November that we would be moving to GA for a new job and therefore getting a new home. Here is Luke in his new "sports" room in his big boy bed.

I've totally fallen off the blogging thing...for several reasons. Once we had Luke's birthday party in late May....we soon found out that we were pregnant:) Yes...I'm 13 weeks pregnant now. I felt great for the first 4 days and then we kind of went down hill for a bit. Since I didn't have any sickness with Luke (other than throwing up on a Whale Watching Boat trip) this has thrown me for a little loop. I keep saying that I am SO thankful that I can get pregnant and that the Lord has allowed me to do it again. So...I'm finally feeling better. I'm so thankful that school was ending for Dave so he could care for Luke...I literally was in bed all day some days...yuck! Again...I'm finally feeling a little bit better and we were able to see our little one on Friday:)

Then on July 17th...we loaded the truck and started out on our new adventure! Have I mentioned that I've been sick...my mom had to drive the entire 9 hours and stop every hour for me to throw up...how gross is that?! But we made it safely to our new home and we have settled in nicely. The people have been wonderful. Families from the school Dave will be teaching at provided numerous meals for us. Our neighbors have come over and introduced themselves and have just been so welcoming...we are so thankful! I'm also so thankful that my brother and his friend packed the truck, drove the truck, unpacked the truck, and helped us set up before heading back to VA. What a huge blessing!

What else? Today was our first time trying out a new church. The biggest part of finding a church for us at this point is making sure that Luke is safe and learning about Jesus. The church we went to today was SO great. They took Luke in and loved on him right away...that put my heart at ease. We will go back and see how it goes...

Dave and I know that being here is where the Lord wants us. We feel like we are at "home" for now. I don't think I've had time to get homesick...but I've prayed that I wouldn't feel homesick all the time. We live within minutes of a huge mall, Target, Marshalls, Pier 1, tons of places to eat, and on and on...so we love the area. A little shopping therapy is always good:) I'm sad I can't just call my girlfriends to go shopping and hang out, but I'm looking forward to making new relationships! Oh...the Lord did allow for one of my best friends (Amy:))to be right around the corner...yeah!

Luke has already found a new buddy...Leo. His family came over for dinner and the boys played like crazy...again...I'm so thankful!

Whew...that is a little update on our family. My goal is to be better at keeping up with blogging:)

One more thing...Dave and I celebrated our 4th anniversary on July 30th...I love this man!

Birthday and Barrel Train

We finally had Luke's birthday party...only 3 weeks after his real birthday:) What a "cool" party as Luke would say. We started off the day getting all ready for our guests to arrive. I wanted Luke to wear something special for his birthday...so I asked a friend from MOPS if she could sew a cupcake with 2 candles on a shirt and here it is! Isn't it super cute? As we were planning the big day, we were trying to decide what we would have at the party. We thought of those big bouncy things, but we finally decided on this Barrel Train. This was just fabulous! The sweet man came to our house, pulled out these barrels that he had made into this train, wore a conductor outfit and pulled the kiddos all over. I didn't put any pictures on here, but there were some adults that rode this train as well. Dave had to ride with Luke the first time around:)

By the end... Luke and Eva (this is what Luke calls Eveley)rode all by themselves...ADORABLE! The real theme of his party was sports...Luke LOVES sports. He wakes up playing ball and he goes to bed playing ball. So I was able to get this sports cake...how fun?!

Luke was so excited to blow out his candle. We actually did it twice for the camera:)

Last call...this was after playing games, having cake, opening a few presents (Luke didn't want to sit to open all of them), running through bubbles, and just so much fun. As the kids would pass by they would wave...again, adorable!

What a great day with a bunch of family and friends!

Love Bug

There are so many reasons why I love this little guy...so here are 10:)1. I love that Luke snuggles!

2. I love that he wants to pray before meals, as we're driving, and really anytime of the day!

3. I love that he is ALL boy...I'm learning to have my game on at all times!

4. I love that he tells us he loves us all the time!

5. I love his kind heart!

6. I love his laugh...you know, the real belly laughs?!

7. I love that he loves his Dada SO much and gets excited every time he walks through the door!

8. I love that he gets excited when he knows we're going to church!

9. I love that he wants to pray for his friends...last night was Eva and baby CaCa:)

10. I love his blond curls...I just think he is adorable!

I'm so thankful that God gave him to us!

Road Trip

Our little family went on a road trip...to check out our new home. So with the car packed, snacks on hand and a borrowed dvd player...off we went. Luke did a great job! We decided that our stops should be good stops...so Chick Fil A was the winner. Not only do they have the best sweet tea, but they have fantastic play areas. Here is one of our stops... This was so funny...

We went to see where Dada would be getting his next degree....Luke and I played outside, while Dada met with advisors.

We also met a new friend...his name is Angus! A sweet family offered for us to stay with them and Luke and Angus became fast friends. We must get a dog...

One of the best parts of the trip...we were able to see our friend Annaleese! We've missed her and her Mommy and Daddy!

All in all it was a good road trip. We only had to listen to Elmo a hundred times or so:)

EASTER

Easter is such a special time of year for our family. We are so thankful that Jesus died on the cross for us and then rose up on the third day. Our church baptized many people on Easter Sunday.....many young children. As I was sitting there...I was thinking about Luke and praying that he will choose to serve the Lord with all of his heart, soul, and mind. This is the core of our family and we want Luke to know Jesus like we do!

Here are my guys...aren't they so handsome! The family shot...it was a little windy:)

It was a beautiful day!

Our friends had us over for an Easter dinner and of course we had to have a little Easter Egg Hunt. Eveley and Luke would find an egg and then want to eat what was in it right away. They are so adorable together...we love our friends!

Whew...

Well...we didn't escape the winter germs! Poor Luke has had a rough month or so. He still is such a boy and loves to play!

Before we got the last set of germs...we were playing and drinking some sweet tea...yes my little guy loves some of mommy's sweet tea! I just love this pic:) We were also able to go to the park...this was the night he got really sick. I didn't take a picture of that for obvious reasons...but I also wasn't at home when it started. Dave called me and told me that Luke was sick and that it was horrific...not good.
So after a few days of isolation...we had to get out and play with our friends.



Now today I think we have turned a corner! I don't think his system is at 100%, but around 2:00 today it was like my Luke was back.

We usually just sleep with our snuggly, but we've carried our snuggly around for the past week now.

While Luke slept today I was able to hopefully scrub away the germs. We're praying for a good night tonight:)

Introducing...

Trenton Cole!

This is my second nephew and boy is he a cutie! Trenton was born last Friday and weighed in at 9lbs 1oz

So now my mom is a grandma for the 5th time!

Trenton's big sisters are so in love with him and want to hold him all the time!

I was so thankful to be at the hospital when he was born. I'm still amazed at the whole process...babies are a miracle from God!

B is for Busy

We have had a busy week or so...fun busy that is! First we went to a birthday party and that was a ton of fun. I must say that these pictures are not the greatest. I'm hoping to get a new camera soon:) Luke loves him some Evie as he would say. He remembered this place and remembered that he was a little scared at first. Once people started coming in, Luke ran to the door and kept saying "GO," but once Evie got there...everything was good to go! The cake was cupcakes in the shape of Elmo...it was very cool! But as the kiddos sat down, all I could picture was red ALL OVER Luke. While no one was looking, I scraped most of the icing off and then gave the cupcake to Luke hoping it wouldn't land on his shirt:) I know he is a kid and kids get dirty...but I was still holding my breath. He ate a good part of it and then said ALL DONE...can you believe nothing got on his clothes...yeah! Let me say that I do let him get dirty...sometimes:)
Then we were able to go to a lax game with Evie and her family! Luke was in heaven...he had all his favorite things together all at once!

I know this is blurry...but I had to post it. A friend was in town visiting her family and we were able to head on over to play. They had one of those big trampolines...Luke LOVED it!

He just wanted to keep on jumping and jumping and jumping!

We've also been loving some warm weather. We've gone to a couple of parks, played outside a ton, and walked around our downtown. As Luke and I were sitting on a bench sharing a smoothie...I thought...this is the greatest!

I love playing with Luke, I love laughing with Luke, and I am just loving the stage we are in right now with Luke. He is just so much fun!

Snow + man = Snowman

What a beautiful snowfall to wake up to this morning! I really didn't know if we would get a real snow this year...boy we were surprised. Luke calls it "snowman!" When I was teaching, I loved snowdays! I always said it was a win win situation. The students win by staying home and the teachers win by also staying home:) So, I was thrilled that Dave was able to stay home and take Luke outside to play.
Dave said that he had a ball!

There is something about a daddy and his little boy:)

After a morning of playing with our toys, playing in snow, and eating our lunch...Luke passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow. I tried to get him to finish his milk...he almost did! He slept for 3 1/2 hours. What a great day of fun!

Loving Life!

I was thinking the other day...Luke has one thing in life right now that he is SUPPOSED to do...PLAY! He wakes up ready to go. I used to not be a morning person, but I've learned that I have to have my game on right away with this little guy. Don't get me wrong...I still have those days where I beg him to just snuggle with me:-)

This was the first snow that he went and really tried to play in. I bundled him up, put his boots on, and off we went to play in the barely there snow. He was wondering what this "stuff" was at first, but soon he realized that he could throw it and so it was great. Luke loves his "girlfriend" Eveley. They were dancing away to the tune ABC by Leap Frog:-) I love their pjs!
This is the first time that he went down one of the long curvy slides by himself...he loved it!

This is what I get most of the time when I try to take his picture...he wants to be on top of me and the camera. I love this face...I really can't believe how big he is getting.

This is his Valentine shirt...it says Call Me! I do love some Target:-)

Luke is Loving Life!

GOOD MORNING WORLD!

I could not resist!

Sometimes Luke will wake up a little earlier than I want to get up...so I will bring him into our bed. This is him after waking up at 5:00 and then going back to sleep until 9:30! WOW! He has some curl like his Daddy...but today it looked like he stuck his finger in a socket! I could not stop laughing and taking pictures! He is so much fun!