Not so little Lukey

Here are some pictures of Luke's day:

Wearing his new Cubs jersey-- thanks Grandma Barb and Grandpa Doug!

Playing his new Thomas game on his video player-- Thanks Grandma Meg and Grandpa Lee.

Wearing his train engineer hat and bandana from Mom and Dad.

Books!

Diego socks!

He was really funny while he opened presents. Everything he opened was "just what I wanted!"

This is his birthday dinner: dinosaur chicken nuggets and smile face french fries. He was really excited about it but only head one head of a dino because he had...

filled up on root beer! This was perhaps the highlight of his day-- drinking pop. He almost never has pop and so he was really excited about it. I think that he found it a little sweet though, he kept asking for sips of my water.

It was a good day. Business as usual for the most part. He still had to take a nap, follow most of the rules, say good-bye to dad in the morning, and get dragged around while I did my calling. There were a few treats though. He got a German oven pancake for breakfast, got to open presents, eat ginger snap cookies, and wear his pajamas almost all day. Nat is still sick and so he isn't up for much. I am feeling a little sad, lonesome for baby Luke. I should just focus on enjoying big boy Luke. There is a lot to enjoy. He's smart, funny and totally himself. But, I still have to ask, Where does time go?

A Green Thumb

A few months before Luke's second birthday we were talking a walk. Nat and I were engaged in conversation and Luke was zoned out in the chariot. As we walked past a plant Luke perked up and said, "There's a bleeding heart, mom." Like I said, he was less than two at the time. He was like that all of last summer he talked about hostas, ferns, iris, and columbine. He helped me plant all the cana and knows that they are bulbs. He recently asked me when we were going to "put the bulbs in" (you put cana bulbs in the spring because they won't survive a midwest winter). He also knows the importance of "getting all that creeping charley". He has an amazing attention span for working in the yard. He stays close to me and knows what to pull and what to water. His enthusiasm has continued this year. When he saw the hostas and ferns come up he cheered. He cried when I told him that I thought we had lost the bleeding heart out back when it snowed in the middle of April (it surprised me and came back-- thank goodness).

Here he is clapping for the iris that just started blooming.



He keeps picking me "bouquets of dandelions". I would love to know where he learned the word bouquet.

He examined the iris and decided that they look like they have eyes but no mouths.

We are going to plant pumpkins, squash, and zucchini this week. I also want to do some tomatoes in bucket on the back porch but I think I have a little more time before they have to be in.

8:52 a.m.

We made it to church early today! It was a very different experience. We had our choice of pews, a chance to sit down and get settled, and Luke even got to shake the Bishop's hand-- a treat because he adores our Bishop. I highly recommend arriving a few minutes early. I had forgotten how great it can be.

Your mom goes to college

My mom graduated from college today. I was sad not to be there but celebrated from a distance. We're all ploud of you mom! Congratulations graduate!

{photo courtesty of Luke}

Almost there!

The pictures aren't great but here are some shots of our little one about to take off. I love the process of learning to crawl. He's at that fun stage where he gets up on his knees and rocks back and forth and then lunges forward. Very cute. Again, the drive to develop amazes me.

Do dogs have lips?

We were driving home from a quick trip to Target (where I bought a bunch of things that we don't really need) and Luke got quiet for a minute or two (this is rare-- it usually means one of two things, he is falling asleep or has found mischief) he then asked me in his most serious voice if dogs had lips. And, he continued, if they didn't have lips how could they kiss? I answer questions like these a million times a day. But, the sincerity of this particular one struck me. He is experiencing all this for the first time. He is making sense of this life of ours and relies on me for guidance. What a privilege. What a lot of pressure! There are times when I hardly feel up to the challenge. Tonight I just feel grateful that it's mine.

Bon Voyage Emma!

There are lots of times when I wish that I were more articulate, better able to express the way that I am feeling. I have often thought that If I went back to school I would like to get another degree in being articulate. Right now I am finding myself at a loss for words.

I have felt, from time to time, like Heavenly Father has allowed me clear impressions of why I was sent to earth when I was. I was sent to be Nat's eternal companion, to mother my boys, to learn from my parents, to serve a mission in Chile-- meet and teach the people there. I have always felt like Marisha was part of my earthly mission.

Well, I just hugged and said good-bye to another part of my life's work. Emma will be getting on a bus at five in the morning to move to Utah, in large part because I pushed her to do it. I have felt all along that this was the right choice for her and that she would be better off out west. I still feel this way but I am also feeling a sense of loss. This feels like a chapter of life is closing, a very special chapter. I was able to witness Emma's conversion to the gospel and watch her, with awe, as she made difficult choices and overcame great obstacles. It has been a huge blessing to watch her grow and be able to mentor her through the transition. I am so proud of the progress that she has made and am excited to see all the progress that she is about to make.

But, there is a sense of nostalgia because now it feels like she is growing up and moving on. I feel like the most time intensive part of my work with her is done. She's a big girl now and what she does from here on out will determine the quality of the rest of her life. But, it is now time for her to make those choices alone. My influence is more limited and I am having a hard time letting go. I can only imagine the way that her moms feel. I am excited that at the opportunities that she will have but sad that I won't see her everyday. Is this what it feels like when your kid goes to kindergarten? I wonder if I taught her enough about the gospel, bore my testimony enough, told her how much her Heavenly Father loved her enough. Was it enough? Does she know that the atonement is the answer to all things? I sure hope so.

So, I'll tell her one more time. Emma, Heavenly Father loves you and has a plan for your life. I am grateful that your plan included meeting me. Christ loves you and has atoned for your sins, mistakes, and heartaches. Say your prayers, read your scriptures and rely on the Lord. We love you, Emma!

Family, take good care of my little Emma!

"You need to go to time out!"

This toy, affectionally named "Bob's sister" is sitting in time out. I am not sure what she did to earn her time out but there she sits.




Here is a glimpse into what is happening at our house this morning. I absolutely love listening to Luke's dialogue as he plays with his toys. He is quite skilled at playing by himself as long as Nat is not home. He becomes completely unable to play alone once Nat walks through the door. His play then turns into, "make daddy do whatever I want".

I was listening to him play this morning when his voice got louder and louder. "You need to go to time out!" he told Bob's sister emphatically. I then heard a discussion between Luke and Bob where Luke explained that mommies are the ones that put you in time out. Alfie Kohn would have a hey-day with this one.

Peek-a-Boo

Sunday Shots

Happy Sabbath!

Hey Chicago, what do you say?

The cubs are gonna win today!

Well, not so much. We took the boys to a Cubs game on Friday and they did not win. Don't ask me anything about the game though because I didn't pay any attention.

It was Noah's first game and Luke's second. We took Luke when he was even younger than Noah (they both wore the same outfit). I spent Luke's first game nursing him standing up in the bathroom. I learned my lesson and went down to the first aid station to feed Noah.

The boys were both really good. Noah loved looking at all the people and made lots of friends. I really can't take him anywhere without him charming everyone around with that smile of his. The guy sitting behind us couldn't get enough. He kept taking pictures of him. Noah didn't like it when people yelled though. But, he got accustomed to the noise and even took a nap. Luke was another story. He was really excited to see the baseball players and to eat a hot dog (only ketchup, please). He cheered at appropriate times and had a longer attention span than I do for what was going on. It was a beautiful sunny day but was a little breezy in the stands and so Luke was a little bit cold. We think this slowed him down a little (like when you freeze a tarantula when you want to clean his cage). Luke also spent part of the game inside Nat's shirt-- he was a little underdressed. He really loved the whole thing. We are going to another game in June-- he's already excited.

Sat-ur-day is a special day...

I think that I mentioned before that we have been having a hard time getting to church early enough. I felt the need to turn over a new leaf. When we got home today I got out the iron and ironed the boys shirts and pants and set them out for tomorrow and then got the diaper bag ready. As I was ironing I was letting myself feel like a good mother, you know the kind that the general authorities talk about. The kind that every Saturday evening ironed all thirteen of their children's Sunday clothing so that they could be presentable before the Lord thus teaching her children an unforgettable lesson about the importance of the Sabbath and church attendance. I just had to tune out the chaos around me to continue in the fantasy. While I ironed Luke began pulling all the clothing out of his closet (Nat caught him before he got very far) and dumped his bath water all over the bathroom floor. Noah scooted around the front room putting choking hazards in his mouth. Nonetheless, I felt like I was doing the right thing by ironing little linen pants and button down shirts. Do you think I have my priorities messed up?
Here's the whole mess, ready to go in the morning.
This is Luke's pile. I even sat down and wrote out dot-to-dot reverent words for him to practice tomorrow at church. He has a special snack and water as well.
I have been such a terrible baby mom lately. When Luke was Noah's age I always remembered to bring him developmentally appropriate toys wherever we went. Noah gets to play with whatever I can find in the car. I was feeling so ambitious tonight that I went through and found him two quiet toys to play with in sacrament meeting tomorrow.

I even picked out and ironed my church outfit. This should really save us some time because I usually try on three or four outfits before settling on the same thing that I wear every week. I used to drive my mother crazy because I wore several outfits everyday. I haven't changed much. Now I just drive Nat crazy.

We will know whether or not my efforts were successful if we get in the car a few minutes earlier and still like each other (Sunday mornings can cause hurt feelings if you're caught up in the rush).

Mixed Media

Who says drawing with markers should be limited to paper? Luke discovered that his face and arms are also wonderful media for exploring the hues of his washable (thank goodness) markers.

He was promptly placed in the bathtub after this incident where his arm dyed the water blue. "It's my favorite color!" he exclaimed as he watched the water turn blue.

Little No-no

No-no is a terrible nickname isn't it? I am not sure where it started but it seems to be related to the fact that Ian is Ee-ee. Anyway, we are happy to report that Spring seems to have stuck this time around. We have enjoyed two consecutive days in the 60s. We have been to the park twice and the zoo once since the on-set of warmer weather (cold weather doesn't really keep us from the zoo-- we went twice while Ivy was here). Here are a few pictures of little Noah in the backyard swing. He's delicious, isn't he. We took him to the doctor last night and he does have an ear infections. Poor little guy. He likes the antibiotic though, he was sad when he finished his dose. If he could talk I am sure he would have said, "mo mo" (more in babyspeak).

Elm Lane meets Elm Avenue

Here are the pictures of Elm Lane. Family, can you believe that it's the same house? They have really added a lot on. What used to be the dead end is now Elm Avenue. I guess Elm Lane wasn't upscale enough. We always knew that the cornfields would someday be houses. I guess it just makes me feel old to see those houses. Nothing is constant except change. Mom, do you have any pictures of what it used to look like?