L is for Luke...and Livie

Happy Birthday to Who?

2012-01-22T11:13:00.004-06:00

We had a very small celebration last weekend for Brent's 35th birthday and his mom, Debra's, birthday (her birthday is the day before Brent's).
Luke was so insistent that it was his birthday so we just went along with it and let him think it WAS his birthday.
Here's a video of us singing happy birthday to ~~Brent and Deb~~ Luke. I recorded it on my phone and for some some reason it didn't come out very clear...I'm woking on getting that figured out though...anyway, Luke was so excited.

A few things to notice -

we didn't have any regular candles so we had to use an obnoxiously large taper candle
Luke sneaking a bite of icing mid-song
no one knows who to sing happy birthday to
Luke's momentary look of panic near the end of the video when Brent takes the cake away to cut it.

Photo Card

2011-12-05T21:23:00.004-06:00

So this is not our best Christmas card by a long shot, BUT getting these two monkeys to sit still together for two seconds to take a picture is close to impossible. I had visions of getting professional photos of all of us taken and then having fancy Christmas cards printed on heavy cardstock....so much for that...Brent won't let me spend ANY money :(
Next year I am going to demand we get professional pics taken so I don't have to go through this all over again. Anyway, here it is...coming soon to a mailbox near you.

Wrapped With Color Christmas

Turn your favorite photos into Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Fall Fun!

2011-11-06T12:25:00.001-06:00

We have been having sooooo much fun this fall!

picking pumpkins at the pumpkin patch -

carving pumpkins and watching football at Lolli and Pawpaw's in Kerrville-

and hanging out in Houston -

Olivia's 1st Birthday!

2011-10-08T15:15:00.001-05:00

Our sweet little Livie is one!
We did things completely different for Livie's first birthday compared to how crazy I went for Luke's. It was just a small get together with family. Miss Livie had so much fun and loved being the center of attention!

Click here to view these pictures larger

Love Bugs

2011-07-23T15:01:00.000-05:00

My babies have been so fun and sweet lately!

I have to admit, when Brent and I first found out we were preggo with Livie...we were both TOTALLY freaked out! But watching Luke and Livie play and giggle with each other lately, has completely erased any anxiety we had about having TWO kiddos so close together.

Luke is such a good big brother, and Livie absolutely ADORES him!

I just love them!

Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch

2011-07-13T00:34:00.000-05:00

Brent and I took the babies to Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch this past weekend and had sooooo much fun! Luke absolutely loved it while Miss Livie slept through most of it, but did wake up just in time for the petting zoo.
Brent and I had so much fun watching Luke's reaction to all of the animals, It was so stinkin' cute!

4th of July

2011-07-12T23:52:00.002-05:00

DISCLAIMER: I have totally been slacking on picture taking lately so I apologize for the limited number of posts and pics.

My brother came in town for the 4th of July and we all headed up to Kerrville to hang out with my parents.

Luke was so intrigued by my brother's guitar.

Brent and Luke hanging out in the pool

showing their muscles, poor Luke could barely bend his arm with the floaties on

"playing" golf with Brent

Livie and my dad

Who'd a Thought

2011-06-22T12:52:00.000-05:00

So last weekend I'm in the middle of my Deb Diller Conference (which by the way was fabulous!) and I get a call from a San Antonio area code. I don't usually answer calls from unknown numbers, but for some odd reason this time I did and boy am I glad I did! It was MAX LUCADO!
For those of you who don't know who Max is, he is a best selling author and preacher at Oak Hills Church, and quite frankly nothing short of amazing. He also happens to be our neighbor. We see him and his wife Denalyn all the time out walking or driving by so we are always catching up on each others crazy lives.
Well last week Denalyn came over and pointed out how Brent's car has been home a lot lately and how she doesn't notice him traveling near as much. I agreed and filled her in on a little story which she in turned passed on to Max and that became a part of his message at last week's Father's Day sermon!
Not that you'd want to skip through the message, but Max doesn't mention us until near the end of the sermon, so you have to listen to the whole thing to catch our 5 minutes of fame!

Good Question - Week 3 - Home - Max Lucado from Oak Hills Church on Vimeo.

Spaghetti UH OHs

2011-06-21T20:05:00.002-05:00

I wouldn't normally feed my children sodium in a can (aka SpaghettiOs), but I am DESPERATE to find something that Luke will like so he will actually eat!
I took both babies to the doctor for their check-ups and Livie weighs 5 pounds less than Luke! Luke's 26 months and Livie's 10 months - DO THE MATH! I'm starting to freak out! PLEASE! I need suggestions for this boy! He's so picky and always too busy to eat.

Anyway, Luke was not into the SpaghettiOs so I gave Livie his leftovers and of course, she devoured them...she's an eater (takes after her mama).

Hair Bows and Buzz Cuts

2011-05-15T11:36:00.002-05:00

I was determined to put a bow in Olivia's hair yesterday, but sadly there was just nothing for the bow to attach to. At one point, I was able to get one to stay but it was hanging on by one little hair and she started crying. Oh well, someday.

See the little pink fleck dangling on the side of her head?

Luke was standing by watching the whole mess, so I thought let me see what these cute little bows would look like if she DID have hair.

Exhibit A -

Can you see the excitement just ooozing out of Luke, he was such a good sport though.

Apparently Brent didn't like what he saw because he quickly scooped Luke up and ran out to get his hair cut.

Exhibit B -

So now my sweet boy is just as bald as his sister. When Brent and Luke walked in the door I was so upset, but I'm getting used to it and "it's growing on me" :)

Bathing Beauties

2011-05-01T21:37:00.002-05:00

I was super lazy this afternoon and bathed both babies in the little tub and at the same time.
I showed Brent these pics and he said don't post any of Livie smiling because she looks like a troll. She is just getting her teeth and I have to agree, she does have a goofy little grin.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T18:50:00.001-05:00

We went up to Lake Buchanan this weekend to celebrate Easter at Brent's Granny and Papaw's.
Luke loves going to the lake and spending time with Papaw and Bonnie (their rat terrier). He came inside only to eat and sleep...and getting him to come in for either of those was a huge undertaking. All three of them were so exhausted by Sunday, I'm sure Papaw and Bonnie were so relieved it was time for us to go home.

Livie was her usual wonderful self, smiling and babbling at everyone. She is absolutely the happiest baby ever (she gets that from her mama) :)

Luke was busy the entire weekend, he was literally going from sun up to sun down

Fiesta and the Farmer's Market

2011-04-16T19:23:00.001-05:00

Every year in April, San Antonio celebrates Fiesta. It's a week long party with parades, festivals, food-n-drink, and tons of fun events.

People go all out decorating for Fiesta

We took Luke and Livie out to one of the Fiesta events this morning, the Pooch Parade. Luke loved seeing all of the puppies dressed in crazy outfits and true to form, Livie slept through all of it.

After the parade, we headed over to the Pearl Brewery to check out their farmer's market. It's a year-round farmer's market that has local produce, tons of food tastings, and live music along the River Walk.

When we finished browsing through all of the goodies at the farmer's market, we headed over to La Gloria for some yummy mexican food. It was such a beautiful day so we sat out on the patio overlooking the river walk.

such a fun day!

A Tribute to "Boogie"

2011-04-15T22:01:00.002-05:00

About 5 years ago Brent was on a business trip in Austin and called me on his way home to let me know that he had rescued a dog. I immediately wanted to know what kind it was, if she was cute, so on and so on. I'm sure he hesitated with his answer, because anyone that has met Boogie knows that she definitely has a face only a mother could love.
As soon as Brent walked in the door with her, I thought to myself "oh no, that thing is hideous". I convinced myself that I wouldn't get attached to her because she looked like she was practically dead anyway and probably wouldn't be around long. Well the years kept passing and she continued to stick around. Now several years later, I have grown to love that dog and all of her craziness.

Today we lost our special friend...sweet Sugar (affectionately known as Boogie) went to meet Jesus.

It's so strange to look at her bed and not see her shaggy grey face. I never thought I'd admit it, but I'm gonna miss hearing the non-stop pacing around the house with her obnoxiously long (and therefore loud) toenails or almost falling every time I was in the kitchen because she would be right under my feet just waiting for any little morsel of food to drop, or hearing her whine to go outside literally two seconds after she had just come in.

I know she's in a better place and back to her old spunky self, but I am sure gonna miss her.

I love you Boogie and am so blessed to have known you.

Happy Birthday TWO you!

2011-04-04T18:34:00.011-05:00

Our little Lukie turned two today! We celebrated his birthday this past weekend at Willie's Restaurant in Leon Springs. We picked Willie's because, as I've mentioned before, Luke is absolutely obsessed with sand and they have a HUGE sandbox. Luke had so much fun and just as we figured, he was in the sandbox the ENTIRE party.

I went with a construction-type theme so that I could incorporate sand...

The invitations were from my friend Kimbree at Invitation Chicks -

Luke's cupcakes were "sand" and "dirt" and super duper yummy! They were made by a friend from church, Kathy Young...She makes the most delicious cupcakes and cakes you've ever eaten!

I made these cute little party favors with cookies from Lily's Cookies ...WOWZA! they have the prettiest and best tasting cookies EVER!! and staying with the construction theme, I added a label from this shop I found on etsy partyINK In case you can't read the label it says "Thanks for making my party a load of fun"...too cute!

Playing in the sandbox

taking a quick break to eat

Lukie and "Miss Kia" (his teacher from day care)...it was so sweet of her to come...Luke absolutely loves her!

My Dad and Livie in deep conversation

pizza and presents (the after party)-

all partied out

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Psalm 127:3

Thank you Lord for our precious gift!
Happy Birthday Luke!

Piles of Smiles

2011-03-16T21:50:00.000-05:00

Fiesta Farm

2011-03-16T21:37:00.000-05:00

Since we are on Spring Break this week, my friend Emily and I scheduled a play date for our boys this morning. She brought her son Collin and nephew Parker. We took the boys to Fiesta Farm which is a working farm with tons of animals and fun little activities for the kiddos...and it's super cheap! We were the first ones there at 9:00 this morning so we practically had the whole place to ourselves. Luke absolutely loved it!
He got to pet and feed all sorts of animals: goats, bunnies, pigs, horses, and llamas. He went on a pony ride and a hay ride AND best of all they had a huge sandbox for him to play in (the kid is absolutely obsessed with dirt, sand, shovels and anything messy).
He was too busy to pose for pictures so I wasn't able to get many pics of him looking at the camera...most of the shots are of the side or back of his head :(

chasing chickens -

Lake Tahoe

2011-02-13T15:24:00.025-06:00

For New Year's this year, Brent's dad and step-mom treated us to a trip to Lake Tahoe. We had soooo much fun and saw more snow than we've ever seen before!
If it's up to me, this should be an every year tradition.

I was really worried about traveling with two little ones, especially on an airplane, but both kiddos surprised us and did such a great job!

hanging out before the flight...watching the airplanes and waiting to board

enjoying the plane ride

These are of our first day in Tahoe...it was the only sunny day of the trip..we put both babies in a toboggan and pulled them around the condo. Our condo was right on Lake Tahoe! We also took a gondola up to the top of Heavenly Ski Resort...so beautiful!

The rest of the week Tahoe had record breaking snow fall...it was CRAZY! We had never seen that much snow before and loved every minute of it! The temp was in the negatives, but that didn't stop us from getting out and playing in the snow.

our snow puppy

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T14:29:00.014-06:00

Christmas was so much fun this year, we were very busy and very blessed to be able to spend it with our wonderful families!

We went to Taylor the week before Christmas to celebrate with Brent's dad's side of the family.

Brent's Grandma Dessie with Livie

Brent's Aunt Sandy

Brent's Dad Gary with Livie

Luke and Livie opened their presents from Santa on Christmas morning.

Later Christmas Day my family and Brent's mom's side of the family came over.

Brent's step-dad Timbo

Brent's mom Debra

Brent and Luke with my dad and brother

a very sleepy Luke

Encouragement for the Week

2010-12-12T19:47:00.000-06:00

You say: 'It's impossible'
God says: All things are possible
(Luke 18:27)

You say: 'I'm too tired'
God says: I will give you rest
(Matthew 11:28-30)

You say: 'Nobody really loves me'
God says: I love you
(John 3:1 6 & John 3:34 )

You say: 'I can't go on'
God says: My grace is sufficient
(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

You say: 'I can't figure things out'
God says: I will direct your steps
(Proverbs 3:5- 6)

You say: 'I can't do it'
God says: You can do all things
(Philippians 4:13)

You say: 'I'm not able'
God says: I am able
(II Corinthians 9:8)

You say: 'It's not worth it'
God says: It will be worth it
(Roman 8:28 )

You say: 'I can't forgive myself'
God says: I Forgive you
(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

You say: 'I can't manage'
God says: I will supply all your needs
(Philippians 4:19)

You say: 'I'm afraid'
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear
(II Timothy 1:7)

You say: 'I'm always worried and frustrated'
God says: Cast all your cares on ME
(I Peter 5:7)

You say: 'I'm not smart enough'
God says: I give you wisdom
(I Corinthians 1:30)

You say: 'I feel all alone'
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you
(Hebrews 13:5)

ATL

2010-12-12T19:12:00.006-06:00

Brent and I spent the weekend in Atlanta for his company Christmas Party. (Brent is one of the few employees that is not housed at the home office in Atlanta so each year the owner flies us in and pays for our weekend) We've been flying to Atlanta for the past three years now, ever since Brent went to work for this company...so fun!!!
Brent flew out at the beginning of the week and I met him there on Saturday. It was really hard for me to leave this year because I am completely obsessed with my babies so I only stayed away for one night.
Brent's mom and step-dad came in town to watch Luke and Livie. They seemed to have done a fabulous job, but did look a bit exhausted when we got home on Sunday.
Luke was SOOOO excited to see us and Miss Livie was all smiles Sunday afternoon.
I forgot my camera at the hotel Saturday night so I didn't get any pictures of the Christmas Party :(

Lukie hanging out in my suitcase while I was trying to get ready

Our first year in Atlanta, one of Brent's coworkers recommended we eat at a restaurant called the OK Cafe. It is southern style home cookin' and one of the best places I've ever eaten!

Our favorite thing on the menu...FRIED CHEESE GRITS...they are little pieces of Heaven.

Pictures with Santa

2010-12-08T19:57:00.011-06:00

Brent and I took the babies over to Bass Pro Shop to try and get some pictures with Santa. Luke did so well last year so I was hoping this year would be the same, well, not so much...now that he's older and "wiser", he wasn't such a fan of Mr. Claus. Livie on the other hand could care less...she was the perfect little model, sort of...she looks a little clueless in most all of pictures and her outfit is about 5 times too big (but Brent insisted that she wear it), not to mention she has a cone head.
Needless to say, definitely WILL NOT be using these in the Christmas card this year.

Luke was a HUGE fan of the free candy cane though

Our friends Emily and Rodney and their little boy, Collin, met us over there...Emily and I tried so hard to get our boys to take a picture together and as you can see we weren't very successful. I promise Luke and Collin really do like each other, although you wouldn't know it from looking at this picture. They could care less about having their picture taken. What is that saying "it's like trying to herd cats"...that's exactly how it felt.

Collin - such a little cutie!

checking everything out

my little angel -

So Very Thankful

2010-11-26T19:22:00.018-06:00

This year Brent and I had the luxury of staying in town and hosting Thanksgiving at our house. Traveling with two little ones these days is quite an undertaking so being able to stay home was a very welcomed change.
Brent's mom and step-dad came in town from Houston, my parents drove in from Kerrville, and my brother came in from Dallas.
We ate soooo much food, watched a great football game between The Saints and The Cowboys, and then went back and ate some more...such a wonderful day!

Brent and Luke enjoying lunch.
Brent looked so cute in his Grandpa's old hunting shirt

Luke and Uncle Rich walking off lunch

Relaxing outside waiting for the cool front to blow in

me and Miss Livie

Luke's Thanksgiving card with his sweet little handprint

Sleeping Beauty

2010-11-07T19:27:00.008-06:00

Some pictures of my baby girl...doing what she does best.

A New Normal

2010-10-08T21:22:00.017-05:00

Transitioning from one child to two has been a bit of an adjustment to say the least. Now that I'm officially back at work, things are pretty hectic during the week.
Brent continues to travel just about every week and as hard as I try, I can't help but be envious of his evenings away enjoying expensive dinners with clients followed by 8+ hours of uninterrupted sleep. Some days I want to strangle him, but then I think 'wait'...I need his help!

MY evenings now consist of - bottles, baths(unfortunately, not my own), too many diaper changes to count, putting Livie's pacifier back in her mouth for the ump-teenth time, wondering who's calls I'm missing as I hear my cell phone ring but can't answer it because I'm holding TWO babies, driving the neighborhood listening to lullabies so the babies will fall asleep...or at least quit crying, reading the same baby book over and over to Luke while still holding Olivia and trying to get them both to fall asleep...yet keep myself awake.

Trying to figure out how to balance work and family has been quite the challenge, so far I'm not doing so well...I'm pretty sure I've been kicked out of the Mom of the Year Club.
I've accepted the fact that I'm going to have to lower my expectations and if my hair or make-up is not done or the house is a wreck, it WILL be OK!

As crazy as life is right now though, I wouldn't change it for the world! I absolutely adore my family and couldn't imagine my life without them!

Some pictures of our craziness -

Happy Fall Ya'll!

2010-10-05T14:45:00.011-05:00

I absolutely love this time of year...there are so many wonderful things about Fall -spending time outside in the beautiful weather, watching college football with my hubby, and anticipation of the holidays and eating way too much!

Brent and I decided to get out and take advantage of the beautiful weather so we took the kiddos to Millberger's, a little nursery not too far from our house. We were so excited when we got there because they had completely decked the place out for Fall! There were all sorts of things set up for little ones - a pumpkin patch, a hay maze, and a train that drove around the nursery. Luke had such a great time while little Olivia slept through it all in the stroller.

waiting for the train ride

his hair was such a sweaty mess

Playing in the Rain

2010-09-27T22:01:00.000-05:00

My little Luke is completely obsessed with being outside...If I had a nickel for every time that child says "out" in a day, I'd be a very rich mama. I don't so much mind him being out, but I can NEVER get him to come back in.
To make matters worse, we've been having crazy weather in San Antonio this past week where it would be clear and sunny one minute then pouring down rain the next. Well of course, Luke and I were outside when one of these crazy storms blew in and he absolutely refused to go inside...thus the following pictures of my soaked little man.

The Lucado's

2010-09-09T21:14:00.008-05:00

Brent and I are blessed with wonderful neighbors! We live down the street from Max and Denalyn Lucado, our pastor and his wife. They brought dinner (Denalyn's famous taco soup) and some books for little Livie.

Max just finished this book - it hasn't even come out yet and our little girl was the first to receive it...how cool is that?!

They also sent us a cookie bouquet the day Livie was born.

Before they left, Max said a sweet prayer over our family...such an amazing couple!

Livie

2010-09-09T20:42:00.005-05:00

Here are more pictures of our sweet Olivia. She is such a blessing to our family!

First Encounters

2010-08-28T16:26:00.007-05:00

Luke is not quite sure what to think of his new little sister...He checks her out a lot, but doesn't seem too interested, EXCEPT when Brent is holding her...then he gets VERY upset! He's such a daddy's boy.
Knowing Brent, I wouldn't doubt it if he made a deal with Luke to cry when he holds Livie so that he could get out of baby duty.

I just love this one!

and then he's over it, back to Raisin Bran

Livie is here!

2010-08-25T20:47:00.005-05:00

Sweet Olivia Paige made her debut this morning, August 25th, at 6:25am. She weighed 6 lbs. 6 oz. and was 19 inches. It was a very quick delivery (Brent and I almost didn't make it to the hospital on time) but so worth it! She is absolutely perfect! Thank you Lord for our sweet little family!

Luke's Latest

2010-07-07T14:36:00.013-05:00

What is Luke up to these days? Well, he keeps us on our toes that's for sure!
He's ALL over the place, walking from room to room and getting into EVERYTHING!

He absolutely loves to be outside. He must say "out" a hundred times a day and he waves "Hi" to EVERYONE that drives or walks by. It's really bad when a neighbor is out, because he says "Hi" and waves over and over and over again!

He gasps when he gets really excited about something and clinches his fists when he's upset.

He's gotten really good at dropping things on purpose and then saying "uh-oh".
He loves to unroll the toilet paper in the restrooms and to flush the toilet.

He also loves to talk. He's started using all kinds of inflections when he talks. He tries so hard to get his point across by using his hands. Whatever he's trying to tell us is always VERY important!

and embarrasingly, he loves to eat Dog Food! We have to feed the dogs at the same time we feed Luke so that he's in his highchair and not on the floor with them when they eat...otherwise, he steals their food.

He loves to eat and says "mmmmm" whenever he sees me open the pantry or refrigerator.
He loves fruit too which makes me so happy, but I made the mistake of introducing him to Cool Whip one day when we were eating strawberries and now he's hooked!

He loves to give kisses and hugs, especially to Tobie. His kisses are so cute too because he opens his mouth really wide.

He loves brushing his teeth

and playing in the tupperware cabinet (which helps so much when I'm trying to cook)

and he loves to put on our shoes and hats

Crystal Light

2010-07-07T13:41:00.005-05:00

Luke has gotten to the point where he absolutely HATES laying down to have his diaper changed. In order for him to stay still long enough to get changed, I usually give him something to play with while I'm changing him. We have his changing pad on the kitchen counter (random, I know) so I just grabbed the first thing I could find which was a Crystal Light packet.
Oh...my...goodness...it took him no time to bite into the packet and have Crystal Light powder EVERYWHERE! Unfortunately, the Crystal Light was red too. It was all over his changing pad, the counter, the floor, and him, he looked like he had been in a horrible fight.
I immediately gave him a bath, and got most all of it off of him.
When I took him out of the tub, I gave him his lovie, Raffie, to calm him down while I attempted to put another clean diaper on him. WELL apparently, Raffie had Crystal Light powder all over him too! So, once again Luke was a mess, Crystal Light all over! So we went back into the tub and I made sure there were no remnants of Crystal Light anywhere near when I finally put a clean diaper on him.
These pictures don't do it justice, but I wasn't able to get any pics of him before the first bath because I was so frazzled on what to do with him and everything else that was covered with Crystal Light.
Never thought I'd say it, but I think I'm ready to go back to work :)

Hanging out in Houston

2010-07-04T18:00:00.014-05:00

Brent, Luke, and I spent all of last week in Houston...Brent had to work, but Luke and I got to hang out with Gran and Pap all week. We were hoping for sunnier weather so that we could go to the beach and the zoo, but we still managed to have a lot of fun indoors!

We went to the Houston Children's Museum

and to the Houston Aquarium

and spent lots of time being silly at Gran and Pap's House

this is what happens when you run out of swim diapers...poor Luke was having a hard time walking because his diaper was so water logged.

and Brent and I had some much needed adult time with friends

McKenna Children's Museum

2010-06-15T17:02:00.017-05:00

My friend Emily and I took our boys to the McKenna Children's Museum in New Braunfels. It is the coolest place for young kiddos - they have a pretend grocery store, bank, campground, ranch, hospital, choo choo train, spaceship, ambulance, etc. They encourage the kiddos to make messes and there are volunteers walking around to help clean up and put things back in place. They even had a snack time where the boys made graham cracker and cool whip sandwiches!
Luke had a blast, he was ALL OVER THE PLACE...poor guy was so pooped when we left the museum.

On our way to the museum...the boys were singing and throwing Kix all over the back seat...they thought it was hilarious.

in the kitchen

riding a horse on the ranch

on the campground

(Luke loved the fireman hat and insisted on wearing it all around the museum)

fishing at the campground

canoeing in the river

at the bank

(I tried to paint Luke's face, but he wouldn't sit still long enough - that's why he has a black nose in some of the pictures)

at the hardware store

making and enjoying his cool whip and graham cracker sandwich

at the grocery store

outside at the water table

on our way home dreaming about our next trip to the museum

Our Little Picasso

2010-06-14T20:05:00.009-05:00

I took Luke to Clay Casa, this cute little place where kiddos paint their own pottery. I picked a plain square tile for Luke to paint and he went crazy with it! He made such a huge mess! It's a good thing the paint was non-toxic and washable because he got it EVERYWHERE - all over the table, his clothes, his hands and his face! I apologized over and over to the staff, but they reassured me that it was OK and that kids make messes there all the time.
Luke had such a great time, this might be our new summer hangout.

Story Time

2010-06-10T19:46:00.010-05:00

My friend Emily and I took our boys to Barnes and Noble for Story Time.
They could care less about the story, but had a blast climbing around the stage and on and off of chairs; and taking books off the shelves and tossing them onto the floor.

First Trip to the Zoo

2010-06-09T09:40:00.006-05:00

My friend Emily and I are determined to keep our boys busy this summer so we arranged a play date for the first Monday after school was out to go to the zoo. Luke had never been before and I wasn't sure that he would really get it, but he did! He had so much fun looking at all of the animals and hearing all of the noises from the birds and monkeys! He especially loved the hippos, the fish, and the birds. We had such a good time that I decided to buy a family membership so we can go every week!

Luke and Collin are only 5 months apart, but Luke looks so much younger since he is such a shorty. Also, I doused him in sunscreen so that's why his hair is spiked up in a greasy mess.

Luke and Collin at the Hippo tank.

Giving the Hippos "a Hug"

Trying to get a better look at the gazelles

He loved the petting zoo too, but not because of the goats...he loved playing in the gravel and with the goats' brushes... he kept digging in the dirt and brushing the gravel then getting excited because I had to wash his hands. I think we spent majority of our day at the petting zoo getting dirty and then washing our hands.

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T10:23:00.001-05:00

My mother's day breakfast and card from my two sweet guys. Poor Brent tried to actually make me breakfast while I slept in, but he couldn't do any better than a bowl of Cheerios since he was watching Luke...still a sweet thought.

1st Birthday Party

2010-05-03T18:59:00.021-05:00

Luke officially turned one on April 4th, but thanks to Brent's job and hectic travel schedule, we weren't able to celebrate with a birthday party until this past weekend.

Our good friends Pete and Christy came in town with their three adorable babies a few days early to celebrate. Luke was off of his schedule to say the least and by Saturday afternoon it had definitely caught up with him...he was completely pooped at his party and in no mood for a celebration. He went to bed at 5:30 that night and slept until 7:00 am!

Here are some pictures from the weekend.

Luke's "Smash" cake

grown-up cake

opening presents

prepping for birthday cake...
(Brent was holding his hands away from the flame)
Luke loved when everyone sang Happy Birthday to him and clapped

CAKE!

the next day...feeling much better

breakfast on the back porch...eating "cupcakes" (that's what the twins kept calling their muffins)

enjoying presents

and MORE birthday cake

both Luke AND Brent in his new tunnel

Happy Birthday Sweet Luke!
We are unbelievably thankful to God for blessing us with such a precious gift in you! We love you to the moon and back!

Momma & Dada

Spring Fling

2010-04-25T14:23:00.005-05:00

Luke's day care had a Spring Fling festival this weekend. Luke was too young for most of the activities, but still had fun seeing his teachers and all the other kiddos.
He had his first taste of a snow cone and loved it so much we ended up having two.

Taking a picture with one of his teachers

on the playground...

Snow Cone #1

Snow Cone #2

"Bowling"

Muddy Buddy

2010-04-21T20:11:00.007-05:00

Now that the weather has gotten nicer, Brent's been eager to get out in the yard and get the flower beds and lawn looking good again after our unusually cold winter.

We spent most of last Saturday outside pulling weeds, pruning and planting flowers, and just getting things back in shape.

Luke had so much fun spending the day outside and as you can see from the pictures, he really enjoyed playing in the dirt.

"Raffie"

2010-04-18T11:05:00.006-05:00

Luke has a giraffe lovie that was given to him by our good friends Damon and Amanda. We call it "Raffie" and Luke absolutely loves that thing...he can't go anywhere without it! Whenever we leave the house, Brent and I are constantly asking "Did you get Raffie?", "Where's Raffie?" I'm always paranoid we're going to leave it somewhere and poor Luke would be traumatized for life...he loves "Raffie" that much! You won't see many pictures where "Raffie" is not right next to Luke and if you do, it's because I had to pry "Raffie" out of his hands in order to get a picture without it.
The problem is, that if "Raffie" gets dirty from food, spit up, dirt, etc., I have to wash it. This of course creates a huge problem because Luke is forced to be away from "Raffie". So, I e-mailed Amanda to find out where this blanket came from so I could have a spare for times when "Raffie" had to get "a bath". Luckily, I was able to find it at Crate and Barrel children's store Land of Nod. The best part is that they sell them in packs of three for this very reason. Luke was so excited when I showed him his three clean, new Raffies!

Our House is Growing by Two Feet

2010-04-11T09:00:00.003-05:00

As of August our family will be changing from a family of three to a family of FOUR! We will have another baby to hold, another little one to love!

We just found out this week that it's a baby girl! We're so excited about the news and can't wait to meet our precious little girl in just a few short months!

I am 19 weeks which calculates to a due date of August 28th, but if Baby Girl is anything like her brother, she will be early. That will make Luke and his new little sister 17 months apart.

God has poured out His grace and mercy and favor on us while blessing us with this new little one to join our family! We give Him so much praise for the life He's created and for being so sweet to bless us with a little baby girl!

Birthday Bunny

2010-04-06T16:04:00.013-05:00

Luke celebrated his 1st birthday this past weekend on April 4th, which was also Easter Sunday...What a great blessing to be able to celebrate Luke's first year of life the same day we celebrate our gift of eternal life from Jesus!

Brent and I took Luke up to Marble Falls and Lake Buchanan to visit Brent's grandparents and have a small Easter Birthday celebration. We had been planning a birthday party for Luke at Brent's Granny and Papaw's house ever since Luke was born...we go there every Easter so this year would be no different.
Sadly though, Brent's Granny had a stroke a few weeks ago and is in a rehab facility until she gets well enough to go home. We didn't want her to feel left out of the celebration, so we took Luke's birthday party to her. We reserved a room at the rehab facility, brought snacks and cake, and lots of presents for little Luke.

Luke had so much fun playing in the lake at Granny and Papaw's, opening birthday presents, eating (and wearing) birthday cake, and getting goodies from the Easter bunny!

Luke enjoying his new red wagon...Brent hated Luke's birthday hat, he said he looked like a "Ruskie". I thought he looked adorable and told Brent I'm going to have one made for BOTH of them next year:)

Opening more presents...we had to put the other presents in the wagon at first so that Luke would actually pay attention to them, he just couldn't get enough of his new wagon!

Playing in the Lake

Cruising around the lake in his wagon...he was pretty pooped by this point

Bluebonnets

2010-04-06T15:18:00.006-05:00

I took Luke to the park by our house to take some pictures in the bluebonnets. He kept trying to pick them and eat them so these are the best pics I could get.

"Her" name is Luke

2010-03-29T19:28:00.010-05:00

After almost 6 months of no blog posts, we are finally back!

Sometime during the Christmas holidays Luke "slimed" our digital camera making it virtually impossible to take or retrieve any pictures.
Brent and I ordered a new camera and got it just in time to take pictures of Luke's 1st haircut.

Brent was so frustrated with Luke being mistaken for a girl, that he had had enough and insisted we take him to get his haircut asap.
I thought Luke looked really cute with his long hair, but it WAS getting a little ridiculous having to tell people "her" name is Luke when they would say "Oh, she's beautiful, what's her name?"

Luke didn't do so well when we first put him in the chair, but once Brent sat with him and held him, he was fine.

Before:

During:

After:

Updated Pics from Thanksgiving and Christmas

2010-03-11T09:50:00.000-06:00

I was able to salvage all of my pictures from our other camera that Luke slobbered all over right after Christmas!
Here are some pictures from the Holidays...better late than never, right?

Christmas is so much fun with a little one...I'm not sure who enjoyed it more though, Luke or his grandparents.

at Bass Pro Shop with Santa

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-18T14:52:00.008-05:00

I was able to pull Brent away from football for a few hours this weekend to take Luke to the pumpkin patch. I found a really fun one out in Medina, about 45 minutes Northwest of San Antonio. They had farm animals, face painting, pumpkin painting, and lots of other things that Luke is too young for.
We walked around for a while and took TONS of pictures of Luke in the pumpkins.
I bought Luke a little pumpkin costume for Halloween so I thought it would be fun to dress him in it...he was definitely the cutest pumpkin in the patch!

a pooped pumpkin

Just for Fun

2009-10-13T20:03:00.003-05:00

Some silly pictures of Luke...

His shirt got stuck on his head while we were undressing him for his bath...he looked so funny!

His first day of daycare...

Things I Already Miss

2009-10-10T22:10:00.010-05:00

Even though Luke is only 6 months, there are certain things I already miss about him being a newborn.

Like how tiny he was and his teenie little outfits
(he only weighed 5lbs. 9 oz.).

and how he used to suck on my nose while waiting for his bottle

and how he would get cross-eyed when he was trying really hard to focus

and how he would smile really big at the lights above his changing pad (still not quite sure what that was about)

and how he slept in the bed with me because he hated sleeping on his back and I didn't know what else to do to get him to sleep! (don't have any pics of him sleeping on me.)
The thing I miss the most though is being off of work and spending every second with him!

Halfway to One

2009-10-10T20:42:00.004-05:00

Our sweet Lukie is already halfway through his 1st year!
He has learned so much in his first 6 months and so have Brent and I! We have all of his cries figured out, when he's hungry, sleepy, or needs a diaper change; and know that when he starts sucking his thumb it's only a matter of minutes before he's off to dreamland.

He is so much more active now and keeping up with his curiosity has become quite a challenge! He's constantly reaching for and trying to eat things that he shouldn't - the remote control, our cell phones, the computer, my hair, Tobie's fur, magazines, paper, and on and on. And of course as soon as we take something away from him, he gets extremely upset!

And he is so interested in food! When Brent and I eat, he leans forward and opens his mouth wide and as soon as he sees his bottle, he starts reaching for it and will even cry if we don't get it to him fast enough. The teachers at his daycare say he does the same thing at school...they end up feeding him constantly because any time one of the other kiddos eats, Luke thinks their eating his bottle and starts to cry until someone feeds him...what a stinker!

In the last 6 months, our Luke has changed so much and so have our lives...I have loved every minute of it and can't wait to see what the next 6 months has in store.

Not-So-Sweet Potatoes

2009-10-10T17:31:00.004-05:00

Lukie tried sweet potatoes for the first time.
He wasn't such a big fan of the sweet potatoes, but he loved playing with the spoon. Every time I gave him a bite, he would try to take the spoon from me. After fighting with him too many times to get the spoon back, I just let him have it and went and got another spoon to feed him. Of course, he then wanted that spoon too. We had sweet potatoes EVERYWHERE! He flung them all over the place! I tried not to laugh because I didn't want to encourage him, but it was so funny!
After it was all over, Brent asked me if we could hold off on giving Luke solid food for a few years :)

Hanging with Uncle Rich

2009-10-10T17:05:00.003-05:00

My brother Rich came in town from Houston to visit.
He hasn't seen Luke since he was about 3 weeks old...he says he's grown so much.
They had a great time hanging on the couch and talking football.

Primrose Parade

2009-09-29T21:25:00.006-05:00

Primrose had a "Parade of Cultures" last Friday. Luke's classroom represented Mexico and dressed in Fiesta outfits. It was so stinking cute!
I wish I had better pictures of it, but it was really crowded so I wasn't able to get any close ups.

The Odd Couple

2009-09-29T20:43:00.005-05:00

My good friend Katie came over this weekend with her sweet baby boy, James.

Luke and James are only 6 weeks apart, (even though they look like they could be 6 years apart). Lukie is such a little peanut and Katie calls James "James the Giant". They are at complete opposite ends of the spectrum when we compare notes from their doctors' visits.

Lukie got really upset when I put him next to James for a photo op...so then of course James got upset. It was hilarious...Katie and I were cracking up while trying to get a picture of our blubbering baby boys.

Game Day

2009-09-19T22:10:00.004-05:00

Brent informed me this morning when I was dressing Luke that Game Day gear is NOT OPTIONAL...Lukie kept pulling the booties off so that he could suck on his feet.

Baby Bug

2009-09-19T21:36:00.004-05:00

Luke has been so sick all week. He woke up Monday morning with a runny nose and a horrible cough. Luckily Brent was able to keep him home so that he could rest all day Monday and be ready for day care on Tuesday. Well, Luke had a different plan...as the day went on his runny nose and cough got worse and he wasn't able to keep any food down.
I made an appointment with his pediatrician for first thing Tuesday morning.
Turns out Luke had an infection in both ears and a really bad cold. His doctor prescribed antibiotics for the ear infections and a nebulizer to get rid of the congestion in his chest. Lukie HATED the nebulizer!
He ended up staying home with Brent all week which made for a very hectic work week. He went back to the doctor Friday morning and was much improved...their was no more fluid in his lungs and the ear infections were gone.
Needless to say, Brent has made it very clear that Luke WILL be going to day care next week whether he is feeling better or not.

Our Little Red Raider

2009-09-13T14:19:00.005-05:00

"We interrupt this marriage to bring you football season"...Whoever came up with that saying was referring to my marriage for sure. Brent's been waiting for this day for the past 5 months...Luke's first day of football season.

Grandparent's Day

2009-09-13T13:51:00.005-05:00

Today was Grandparent's Day and coincidentally Brent's parents, grandparents, and my parents all came over to visit. Luke was bombarded with hugs, kisses, and tons of attention. He was passed around like helpings at Thanksgiving dinner, but he took it all in stride. He was all smiles and seemed to love every minute of it.

My dad and Luke.

Bath time with Brent's Granny.

Luke and Brent's mom, Debra.

With Brent's step-dad, Tim, during dinner

With Timbo and Papaw

The First Supper

2009-09-13T13:30:00.005-05:00

Over the past few months, Luke has been sitting with Brent and I at dinner in his Bumbo seat. Lately he has seemed really interested in our food and watches every bite we take. He watches the food as it goes from the plate to our mouths over and over, so we decided it was time for him to have his first taste of food.
His first meal was the infamous rice cereal. He wore most of it and I'm not really sure if any of the spoonfuls actually made it into his tummy, but it sure was fun.

We've tried it the past three nights and noticed that he now has a runny nose and watery eyes...not sure if it is an allergic reaction to the cereal or just allergies or a cold, but we are going to wait a little while before we try again.

Here are some pics to document the momentous (and messy) occasion.

The Reason for Harrison

2009-08-30T20:32:00.003-05:00

Here's Luke with one of my dear friends Gina Harrison...she is one of the most amazing women I know. Such a God-filled woman and such an inspiration to those around her. Love, love, love her!

Delighted with Day Care

2009-08-30T19:00:00.006-05:00

I went back to work two weeks ago which means that Luke has officially started day care. We enrolled him at Primrose, a cute little day care right up the road from us. I tried to ease him into it by starting him three weeks ago while I was still at home. I would drop him off for an hour or so while I ran errands. He absolutely hated it! He would cry for quite a while and then get so tired from crying he would fall asleep. It broke my heart!
This past week was his first full week there, and I am happy to report that he is now loving it! He doesn't cry anymore when I drop him off (and neither do I). He smiles a lot and "talks" to the teachers and the other kiddos.
I've been timing how long it takes him to fall asleep on the way home. The longest he has lasted has been about a minute AND he now sleeps 12 hours straight each night!

4 Months

2009-08-02T15:01:00.004-05:00

It's hard to believe Luke is four months old! I'm sure he still looks very small to most people, but to me, he's a giant. He looks almost nothing like he did when he came out of my tummy. He's longer, bigger, and he has at least 2 more chins. He's not a newborn anymore, and although I don't like time moving so fast, it's exciting to see him grow and change.

He's much more awake than he used to be, he smiles a lot, and he just had his first laugh! He was laughing at something that wasn't funny at all, but that didn't make it any less exciting!

He recognizes mommy and daddy and is endlessly entertained by the T.V. He grabs toys and has found (and is totally mesmerized by) his feet. He drools a lot and now that he is grabbing things, he puts EVERYTHING in his mouth.
He's also become quite content with playing on his own which means that now I might actually be able to get caught up on housework.

I love you sweet Luke! Thank you Jesus for blessing us with this precious baby boy!

Movin' On Up

2009-07-29T05:26:00.003-05:00

Guess who slept 10 hours straight last night...My adorable little baby boy! (Which means that now I will be too!)
We moved Luke upstairs to his big boy crib and have spent the last 5 nights working on getting him to sleep all night without waking up for feedings. Many tears have been shed on his part and mine, but it was all worth it to finally have him sleeping through the night!

Storytime

2009-07-25T15:09:00.008-05:00

I took Luke to Storytime at Barnes and Noble. Even though he's too young to read, I thought it would be good for us to get out and be around other children (and adults).
He was by far the youngest kiddo there, but I could tell he was having a good time because his eyes were SO big while he sat on my lap and took it all in.

I bought him two books while we were there. Here are some pics of him "enjoying" one of his new books.

Strictly Strength

2009-07-14T19:43:00.009-05:00

It's been almost a year since I've gone to the gym and I've been really anxious to get back in there to lose this baby weight. 'Strictly Strength' is one of the classes offered and it sounded like a good one to start with on my first day back. How ironic, it seems that both Luke and I needed just that...emotional strength.

As soon as I made the reservation for him this morning, the butterflies started. I kept thinking of excuses why I should stay home, but knew that it would be best for both of us if we went.

I dropped him off at the nursery (after going through my million instructions for the cute little college girls that work there). I got to my class, started sweating and calming down a little bit, only to look over and see a young girl from the nursery holding a big dry erase board with my name written on it!
She informed me that Luke had been screaming for the past 20 minutes and that I would have to leave class and come get him.

As soon as I got to the nursery and picked him up, he stopped crying and even started smiling...such a toot! He fell asleep immediately in the car on the way home and once we got home, was only awake long enough for his bath. I read him a book right before putting him to bed and I started nodding off myself...I guess I got more of a workout than I realized.

I snapped a picture of him in his car seat right after I picked him up. Hopefully I will get to stay for the entire class next time.

What's Up, Doc?

2009-07-13T12:07:00.005-05:00

I took Luke back to the doctor this morning...he went a week ago because he was sneezing and coughing and had drainage in his eyes. He is no longer sneezing or coughing, but he still wakes up with goopy eyes. The doctor is thinking that it might just be a blocked tear duct but if it doesn't clear up soon with ointment, he will need to go see an opthamologist.

The true reason that I took Luke back this morning though was because he has been spitting up and refusing to eat. (I quit breastfeeding last week so now he is exclusively on formula and ever since, he has been super fussy and spitting up A LOT!) I was certain that he had reflux, but the doctor said that Luke should have been spitting up with breastmilk this whole time if he had reflux. So....after giving me a guilt trip for not breastfeeding any longer, the doctor suggested that we try some different formulas. He thinks that Luke is having a hard time adjusting to strictly formula and we need to switch to one that is more gentle on his tummy. I'm hoping this works because I would really like to be able to stay in the same shirt all day...laundry has really been piling up.

He weighed 12 lbs. 1 oz and was 24" long. He should start putting on weight too now since he no longer has diarrhea from his cold and will hopefully start to eat with this new formula.

Here's a picture of him laying in the doctor's office after having his height measured...hence the pen marks above his head.

Separation Anxiety

2009-07-09T05:00:00.010-05:00

This week marked a huge milestone in Luke's life and in Mama's as well.

I attend a Bible study at my church every Tuesday evening for two hours. The church provides childcare during the Bible study for children ages 3 months and older. I usually leave Luke with his daddy on Tuesday nights, but now that he is old enough I thought I would try putting him in the church nursery.
It sounded like a good idea at the time, but as the day got closer, the knot in my stomach grew bigger!

I'm not sure who cried more when I left him, me or him.

I don't think I heard a word of our lesson that night...It was still the same two hour lesson, but it honestly felt like an eternity! I must have looked at the monitor a hundred times to make sure Luke's name wasn't scrolling across it. I think I was secretly hoping that his name would appear so that I would have to leave early and go get him. I had no idea how hard it would be...I missed him so much!
I did manage to sneak out once to peek in on him and it was the cutest thing ever! The ladies that work in the nursery were singing "Jesus Loves Me" to all the babies while one of them was rocking Luke.

We both made it through and I am planning on trying again next week, but I'm not promising that there won't be any tears. And honestly when we got home, Luke was so pooped out...I gave him his bath, fed him and sang to him, and he slept the longest he's ever slept...6 hours straight!

Here he is waking up after 6 straight hours of sleep.

4th of July

2009-07-09T04:46:00.006-05:00

Brent and I took Luke to his great grandparents' house on Lake Buchanan for the 4th of July. Luke hadn't been feeling well so he wouldn't let anyone hold him but mama...these are just a few shots I was able to get of Luke when he wasn't crying or wanting mama.

Foot Fetish

2009-07-03T20:41:00.006-05:00

Luke's latest fascination is his feet.

He curls his toes just like his daddy does.

Visiting The Green's in Gruene

2009-07-03T18:49:00.010-05:00

To start our weekend off with a 'bang', we took Luke to Brent's dad's for an early 4th of July celebration. Brent's dad, Gary, and his wife Cate live in an AWESOME house right on the Guadalupe river in Gruene. They have a gourmet outdoor kitchen with all the bells and whistles, a huge dock on the river to watch tubers go by, an outdoor T.V., and a swimming pool with a volleyball net.
Needless to say, we love trips to Gruene.

We were only there a few minutes, before we decided to test out Luke's swimming skills. Brent and I have been anxious to get Luke into the pool to see how he would like the water; so I went out earlier this week and bought him a swimsuit and a baby float with a canopy. Luke wasn't sure what to think at first...but after a few minutes, he and Daddy were cruising around the pool smiling and making funny faces at each other.

Mamarazzi

2009-06-30T22:13:00.012-05:00

Since starting this blog, Brent has been referring to me as Mamarazzi.

(Warning! This post is mainly for family members who have made it abundantly clear that they like to see a jillion pictures of Luke on a regular basis! Don't say you weren't warned!)

Splish Splash!

2009-06-30T15:30:00.005-05:00

Luke loves bath time (even though his facial expressions in these pics don't really show it.)

Three Generations of Greens

2009-06-30T14:19:00.007-05:00

Grandpa and Grandma Green came by for a visit today and as you can see Luke is extremely comfortable with Grandma (Cate).

The Littlest Gardener

2009-06-30T13:34:00.011-05:00

Mom's got the camera, Dad's got the hose, and Luke has a hat that was made for a seven year old...I bought Luke a hat so that he wouldn't get too much sun on his face when he's outside with Brent, but as you can see the hat I bought will be able to fit him for YEARS to come.

Discovering New Things

2009-06-28T14:22:00.016-05:00

Our little Luke has been so much fun! I think one of the best parts has been watching him try to figure out all of the new things around him.
His latest discovery has been his tongue. He is constantly sticking out his tongue and trying to figure out what in the world to do with it (which is resulting in gallon after gallon of baby slobber!).

He has also discovered how to smile...he grins from ear to ear when he sees his daddy. It's probably because Brent is so good at making funny faces and noises that crack him up. Luke desperately tries to imitate him...it is the cutest thing to watch them stare at each other and smile. They could honestly play that game all day long (and they do!).

First Post in Blogging World

2009-06-28T14:17:00.005-05:00

Well...we have finally joined the world of blogging! Because so much has happened already with our little Luke in the past three months, I couldn't wait to enter the blogging world so I could have a place to document all of the new and exciting things he's doing that keep his Mommy and Daddy laughing and on their toes.