Relaxing outside

He was pretty proud of himself for sitting in a big chair.

Sleepy boy

So I set the kid up to watch a show while I took a shower (yes, I am now that mom). When I came out this is how I found him. He was out cold. I guess he really needed a nap! I wasn't gone that long either.

What a sweet boy he is! And yes, he was still sporting his pajamas (a birthday gift from Gramma and Grampa) at 11 o'clock in the morning...

Gramma and Grampa and the kid.

We so loved having Andrew's parents in to visit for a long weekend at the beginning of April. It had been a while since we last saw them. Mum came to visit in September for a few days and we'd seen them both on our annual trek to the Great White North in August. We had a delightful weekend catching up. Luke loved talking with Grampa and reading with Gramma. It was great to see how Skype has helped us to stay in touch and helped Luke recognize and be more comfortable with his long distance grandparents. Definitely a fabulous way to keep lines of communication and vision open! Luke loves to go around (okay, and I love to show him off) showing people how he talks with Grampa with his hands. Love it.

Come back soon!

Funny Outside

Luke loves to play outside. Shocker, I know. :) My goal for the nice days of summer (and even the not-so-nice ones) is to be outside with him for at least an hour a day. He would be happy if it was 8 hours a day, I think. He loves to pick dandelions and put them in a cup for me, run, look for neighbors, watch for doggies (Busa, in particular), draw with chalk, and just play. He has so much fun. I can't wait until it's warm enough to break out the inflatable baby pool. Well, maybe I can. I can just hear it now... "Pwease Mama! Want swim in pool! Pwease Mama?" Here are a few pictures of him in the shirt Uncle Mark and Aunt Jena got him for his birthday. He is funny. :)

I love the expression on his face in the picture. You'll have to click on it to get the full effect, but it just makes me smile.

Although this one is good, too. :)

What a happy boy! He's taken to patting his chest and saying "My boy!" to me. It's pretty sweet. Yes, Luke, you are my boy!

Big Shoes to Fill

So, the kids still has some pretty big shoes to fill.

However, it looks like he's pretty happy with his efforts.

Go Bye-bye

Luke got all dressed up to go bye bye on his truck. What a goof ball.

Visiting Friends

This post might let you know how very behind some of these posts are. While some of them have been more current (birthday, etc), several are from a month ago. This was my college roommate's visit from last month with her beautiful, much prayed for, new baby boy Cameron. What a blessing he is.

I just love his chunky little self! He was so sweet.

This was Deborah and I with our boys... what a wonderful thing that is to write!

Luke had the best time with "baby Camra" as he called him. He loved talking with him, lying beside him, just about anything to do with him. He still is calling his Cabbage Patch "Camra."

What a big boy he is, holding the baby. He really enjoyed being allowed to hold Cameron. And Aunt Deborah was very accommodating and laid back about letting Luke enjoy the baby. I was impressed. I'm also pretty sure he got this expression from his daddy!

Luke enjoyed learning all about bottles and LOVED "helping" to feed Cameron. Deborah was great about letting him be involved and he had the time of his life.

Here Luke was "helping" to wash bottles. It was too funny to listen to these two laughing in the kitchen together. I'm sure I was busy getting in some baby cuddles!

We had SUCH a great visit. It was lovely to catch up with an old friend, but it was most wonderful to get to see Deborah be a mom. God has truly blessed their family with their newest addition. He seems to be doing great, even if his daddy dresses him in Duke wear. I'm so glad that God planned bringing Cameron into their lives, even if it was quite the surprise for them! I enjoyed talking with a close friend about the joys and struggles of adoption. Keep praying for their still-new little family!

Sleepy boys

We've had some sick, sleepy days around here in the last month or so. That's all.

Do you want 'Smore?

We made a fire in our backyard a few weeks ago and Luke really enjoyed watching it from afar. He had no idea how yummy fires could be though... We took the opportunity to let him have his first 'smore, minus the chocolate for mess factor (and also cause Mommy didn't want to share the chocolate!).

You can see "nGogo's car" in the back ground in this one. It is no longer there (bye bye West Virginian label) and no one really knows how it came to be nGogo's car. And yet, nGogo's car it was.

I think the 'smores were a rousing success, at least with this little one!

It eventually rained on our parade and we had to take the party inside. But, a good time was had by all. :)

Canadian Boys

Here are my two boys proudly sporting their Canada sweatshirts. Uncle Luke and Aunt Helena bought Luke's for him around the time he was born, and I've been dying for him to fit into it! With any luck, it'll fit next year, too.

Loving Luke's smile. He makes me smile.

My two favourite boys in the whole wide world.

Poor Lukey still gets confused about West Virginia and Canada. Inevitably when asked what the WV is, he'll say "Candadada" and vice-versa. Poor kid.

Gramma and Granpa are here!

Well, Gramma and Granpa Mack arrived safely yesterday afternoon. Woo hoo! Luke is having a really good time playing with them and enjoying the blocks and lacing cards they gave him for his birthday. :) It is SO neat to watch him interact with his grandparents. I just love it. We are SO glad that they are here. Looking forward to a fabulous few days!

Here is Luke "cuddling" Granpa. He ran over, climbed up, and said "awwww!" while leaning his head on Granpa's arm. Too sweet!

Planting Seeds

We are pretty excited to have some seedlings peeking through to greet us! This is the start of our garden. :) Right now, it's just a few tomato seeds that are poking through, but hopefully soon their neighbors, the peppers, will join them in their quest for sunlight. We haven't yet grown our tomatoes and peppers from seeds, so it's been awfully fun to examine them each morning to see if there is any new growth. I can't wait to teach Luke more about God's world through our garden. I know he will have fun working with us in our garden this year, and I look forward to many years of gardening fun!

Some "Endless Summer" tomatoes showing their pretty green leaves.

I love seeing little green specks all through! Woo hoo! Luke is learning to pick out the new shoots, but he gets excited over little green specks in the potting soil as often as he does about the actual plants... Oh well. We're getting there!