St. George Visit

Last weekend we went down to St. George. Luke loves it down there. He has tons of fun with his grandma and grandpa Ferguson and aunt and uncles and especially the dog Sophie! He could play outside with her all day! He would follow her all around the backyard and even follow her behind bushes and things. This trip he was obsessed with eating Sophie's dog food. Yes, he would eat it. Then he would spit it out and let Sophie eat the remains. He even shared a sucker with Sophie, we looked over and he was letting her have licks!

Luke and Sophie

Update on Lukie and sister

I can't believe it's been over a month since I have written! I think about it all the time and things I want to write down so I don't forget, but finding the time is the problem! Life with two is going really well. There are days when I am very tired and am going a little crazy watching Thomas the Tank Engine shows over and over with Luke to keep him happy while nursing Halle, and then there are times when I am so overwhelmed with the love for my two little ones I can hardly stand it and can't bear the thought of them growing up. They are both so precious and I couldn't love them more. The hardest part for me right now I think is feeling like I am getting enough time with them both. Sometimes I put Luke down to bed at night and am sad when I realize how much less one on one time I get with him. It's a balancing act I am still trying to get the hang of and hope I can learn to get quality time with both of them and enjoy and cherish the moments.

Helping give sister her first bath.

Luke loves going on stroller rides!

Lukie is at the cutest stage right now and it makes me so sad to think of him growing out of it. He is a bundle of energy and has such a spunky little personality but also has a very sweet, sensitive side. He is very good with his little sister and loves her a lot. When she cries more than just a little fussiness he gets concerned for her and points and gets a little upset himself. This can make for some caotic moments when they are both crying and upset, especially when we are in the car and there is nothing much I can do to settle them down, but luckily those moments don't happen too often. Luke loves "Thomas the Tank Engine" shows and toy trains and also loves the Disney/Pixar movie "Cars". He loves to play with the trains and cars and make the "brrmmm" sounds with his lips. He also loves airplanes, motorcycles, boats - pretty much anything that goes. Everytime we are at my parents house he goes in the mud room and opens the door to the garage and points at there boat and gets super excited and yells "bo bo! bo bo!" He loves that boat. He loves playing with his little baseball tee-ball toy with his daddy and can hit the ball really far! He says "Uh-oh" a lot and says a handful of other words including mommy, dadddy, and baby, but so far doesn't talk too much. There are some times when I wish so bad he could just tell me when he needs! It would be nice to at least have one of my children who could tell me what they need or want instead of needing to cry. I'm hoping he'll turn this corner and start to at least say more little words to tell me what he needs soon. Luke is very into making sound effects to get his point across. If he falls he will re-inact it over and over by motioning his hand toward the ground and making the "du-uhhhh" sound effect. When he wants to watch Thomas he says "toot toot" and tugs and the air like a conductor. There are a lot more sound effects he does that I know I am just not thinking of right now. Luke loves to read books. He would probably read 10 books or more every night before bed if we had time to. He is such a good little boy and is at such a sweet age, I just love it. Sometimes it's fun to think of him gettting older and the fun stages that are coming up, but then sometimes I get really sad to think of him growing up and that I will never get him as this fun, silly, sweet little toddler that he is right now. I hope I can always remember his cute little expressions, his excited little blue eyes, and the sound of his little feet running through the basement (he hardly ever walks anywhere, he runs!) He is so excited and full of life and is such a good boy and we love him so much.

Watching "Thomas"...

Luke, Halle and Grandma Ferguson

Luke loves corn on the cob!

He loves playing with phones.

Luke found a new favorite...olives. And of course he has to eat them off the fingers!

Picture time

Home with baby Halle

Little sister is here

Luke's baby sister Halle was born at 2:52pm on Tues August 11th and weighed 7 lbs 9 oz and was 19 inches long. Here are some pictures from the hospital...

Luke is doing well with the change. The first day we got home with her he was a little upset, he kept pointing to her and crying and would cry over just about anything. But the next day was a lot better and each day has gotten better since. He likes to show her his stuffed animals and toys and help throw her diapers away and LOVES to hold her (with our help of course :) and gives her kisses. I can't believe how big and old he looks next to her! It's like last week he was a baby, and this week he is a little boy. It makes me kind of sad to realize how grown up he is and sometimes I wish I could still look at him like the little baby he was to me last week! It's crazy. But it is so fun having him be a big brother and he is already such a good little helper with her.

"As long as I'm living my baby you'll be..."

Tonight I had a special moment with Luke, and the first thing that came to my mind was this line from the cute book "Love You Forever"..."I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be." Luke has been sick the last couple days with a fever. He hasn't been too horribly sick, but has been a little more subdued then usual and has not been his normal active self. Tonight he was tired extra early so I sat with him and rocked him in the rocking chair until he feel asleep, which didn't take long. I sat there rocking him and looking at his sweet little face and this overwhelming sense of sadness came over me. I'm sad that he won't be my baby anymore and that things are going to change. I love this little guy so much and it has been so much fun and so rewarding the last year and a half with him. It's not that I'm not excited for this new baby, but it's just weird to think that he won't be my baby anymore. Tears come to my eyes now just thinking about it. But as I sat there I thought of this little book and that line in it and thought how true it is, he will always be my baby... no matter how many babies I have or no matter how old he is. I couldn't help but think that even though I hate for him to be sick and not feel well, maybe this little fever and sickness was a little blessing in disguise for me because the last couple days I've gotten to hold him and snuggle him more than usual since doesn't feel 100% himself, we sit and watch Thomas the Tank Engine videos and he cuddles with me and it has just been nice to have that time with him. And then tonight I had that little moment with him rocking him to sleep and it was so nice to have that. I'm so grateful to have him and to have the blessing of being a mom. I couldn't love anything more or want to be doing anything else. And the amazing thing is I'm sure I'll love this new baby just as much. My sadness has gone away as I think of that line from that book and remember that "as long as I'm living (and forever) my baby you'll be". I took this picture of him tonight after I laid him down.

Some of Luke's Favorites...

FAVORITE BLANKY...

Luke loves this blue blanket. He likes to carry it around with him - inside, outside, just wherever we happen to be! He isn't so attached to it that he absolutely has to have it at all times, and sometimes it can be substituted with a stuffed animal, but he always likes to cuddle with it before he goes to sleep, when he wakes up, and just other random times. I usually let him bring it with him in the car if he wants to but I make him leave it in the car when we go in stores and other places and he is usually okay with that. He sure loves it!

FAVORITE SHOES...AIR JORDANS

We got these shoes for Luke awhile back. First, we got him Jordan's for his one year birthday but the didn't like to wear them then, they were too big and clunky for him to walk in. So we exhanged them for a bigger size and got these ones which he now fits in and he loves them! He thinks they are so cool. We always say "cool shoes" when he is wearing them and he smiles. He loves to point at them and make sure everyone notices when he is wearing them.