Just in case you missed it...

Sleepy Boys

My two boys on a lazy afternoon. :)

Poor Baby

This photo says it all. This is how we spent a very long 24 hours. So glad that "Dr. 'Lari" was able to pop his elbow back in quickly if not painlessly.

"It's called style"

Here Luke is playing a kazoo with a phone in his hand (yes, my old banana clips make GREAT phones) and another phone (calculator) and a truck in his pockets. This is one cool dude.

Private Pool

We've gotten Luke's baby pool out a few times here at home. He LOVES it. It's pretty cute.

Waiting *patiently* for it to fill...

Big smiles at the thought of getting his hair wet!

Here he is lying back and getting all wet. He had such a good time.

Just chillin' in the water. He really likes water a lot. It's sweet.

He thinks it's really funny to pour water over his head in the bath/shower, so he thought he'd try it here, too.

I love this kid!

Public Pool

Here are a few shots of Lukey playing in the baby pool at New River. The last day we were there was great for him because everyone decided to eat lunch right after we got there and we had the baby pool entirely to ourselves for a while. It was lots of fun for the kiddo.

He had a really good time. I wish I had gotten some pictures of us going down the big water slide. He had SO much fun! I was afraid he would be scared, but he had such a blast! We did it over and over again. He calls it the "swed." I love that kid!

Potty Training

We recently (at the beginning of July) began the journey to potty training (learning? what is the politically correct phrase now?). Luke is doing spectacularly with it, but it was a difficult start. However, I love the method we used (3 day potty training), but with the next kid I'm going to use it right! The first 7-10 days were really hard. But it was so worth it! I think if I had not messed up the first three days and then had to go back and start over (not to mention any "bad" habits I taught him in those first three failed, frustrating days!) it would have been much smoother. I decided on day three to buy the e-book for this method and it was a life saver. Or at least a sanity saver. :)

Here is his first finished chart (charts and stickers worked REALLY well for this kid!)

He was so proud of himself! I must admit, I was pretty proud, too. We went through four charts with 12-16 spaces for stickers and then I went to one with about 60, hoping he would lose interest after that cause I didn't want to be handing out smilies for the rest of his life! He did stop caring about a week and a half ago. He got one big sticker for his hand and a little sticker for his chart after every time he used the potty. Plus he started getting mini M&M's about a week or two into it and that helped, too.

Every time he filled up a chart he got a little toy. Here are the stamps he got for his first chart. He had a lot of fun with them. He also received a little matchbox motorcycle, and some Cars underwear. He was excited.

He's doing great and still gets a sucker for successful "number 2" completions. I suppose I shall start weaning him off of those someday soon. Or not. :) Anyway, that's part of what is going on in the Mackay household these days.

Visits with Friends

Luke was quite excited to have Uncle E.Lee and Aunt Deborah and most importantly, baby Cameron come for a brief visit last week. Luke talks about Cameron all the time and it's really sweet. They were able to stop by for a couple of hours on their way home and it was a lovely little visit.

Luke love to hold "Baby Camra." At their last visit, he could actually hold him... this time, not so much. Cameron's growing fast!

Look at this sweet face... and also the adorable fluffy cloth diaper bum!

Luke is in his element. He was so sad when they left, but so happy while they were here.

"Pwease Mama, I can hold him?"

Lukey's New Bike.

I've been drooling over balance bikes since before Luke was a year old. Now that he's actually old enough for one, I've been struggling to justify the cost. Then I found a really cost-effective one and I am so excited. He just received it yesterday and is already becoming a pro. :) I love to watch him ride and hopefully it will be great prep for a two wheeler with pedals. Probably more to come on this later! Also, please excuse the messy house. Potty training equals Mommy doesn't do as much housework as she should! But he's doing great on the potty training front. :)

Silly Face?

That's all.

Mr. Brown

Luke absolutely adores our neighbor, Mr. Brown. I don't think I can describe the excitement that fills his entire little body when he sees him coming up the driveway. He runs to watch him through the window and begs to go and talk with him. Of course, Mr. Brown is a fabulous sport and chats with Luke like he's the most important person in his day. It is really special for me to watch them interact. We have a wonderful neighbor. (Plus he often shares his watermelon with us!) The delight that one man can put on my son's face is priceless. Thanks Mr. Brown!

Trains to play on

Luke and I went to the pool a few weeks ago with some cousins and friends. Lo and behold, they had an old train engine there to play in/on. Luke was in love. I think he liked it better than the water slide, which he really loved. Hopefully I'll get a better picture soon, but he was definitely having a good time!

Just chillin' in the grass with Dad

Thanks Gramma and Grampa for the Toy Story tattoos. They are a big hit.

Chalk it is

Let me just say that it was a good thing no one else saw this kid after this... I tried and tried to scrub the chalk off his legs, but it didn't come off. He looked all bruised up! His legs were purple, blue, and green for days.

Needless to say, he thought it was pretty cool!

Popsicles are fun!

The kid now asks far too frequently for a popsicle, but boy does he have a good time. And really, they're so easy to make that they're a great summer treat. I got a free set of popsicle molds from doing a few reviews for Franklin Goose and have had fun. I can't wait until he finishes the current batch (only one more to go, I'm sure it won't be long!) so that I can try a blueberry and spinach blend (think frozen green smoothies!). I'm excited and I'm sure he will be, too.

Happy about his lot in life...

Yummmmy!

Mom, it's cold!

Sleepy mornings

Here is our cozy little guy early one morning all cuddled up on the chair. He's a sweetie!

Smile for the camera!

Better

Here is Luke showing off his New River Coal addiction... Around the Mackay household we loving term this song "Uncle Sam's Song." Hope you enjoy the dazzling vocal talents of Mister Luke Mackay.

Runway Luke

Here Luke is showing off the new style of shoes. I wish you could see the shoes better, but they are definitely stylin'. These particular shoes are Aunt Jena's shoes. He has even dubbed a woman in one of his books "Aunt Jena" because she wears high heels. It makes me laugh. He was quite proud of himself.

More splash mat fun

More fun in the sun.

Luke's motorcycle

This is the famed motorcycle that we are borrowing from a sweet aunt and uncle whose boys no longer have need of it. Luke is in love. At our church, all the slightly older kids (the 4-12 group) all bring bicycles to church and ride after the meeting. Luke was constantly asking where his bicycle was. It was heartbreaking, actually. Plus, he used to pronounce "bicycle" really oddly. It was cute. And now, he has a "bicycle." He loves it. His face lights up when he rides it. I am so thankful for it. :)

Here it is in all it's glory.

Here is the kid asking if he can ride it "rightchere?"

And, the other day I heard him crying and calling for me. When I went to rescue him, I had to get a quick picture first. He was pinned between the motorcycle and the fence. But he was pretty darn cute.

Luke and Daddy rockin' out

Here are my two precious boys. Luke was enjoying hanging out with Daddy and sharing musical interests...

How sweet is this picture?

And, here is a short video showing off what Daddy's been teaching Luke. What a goofball!

I totally should have saved this post for Father's Day...

Luke's "Fwash Mat"

Luke really enjoys his splash mat. This first time we got it out, it was SO cold. But I had told him we would get it out, so we did. He had such a good time.

I love the look on his face in this picture. It's like he's asking permission to touch the water. Love him!

What is with this kid trying to eat the water?

Tentatively reaching out...

What a happy little guy.