The Hills Are Alive

We just got back from a very quick trip to Dallas, Thursday to Sunday.  The entire trip was set into action when Tad was cast as Rolf in The Sound of Music.  We were all so excited and anxious to see the play, so when we found some extra low airfares, we jumped at the chance to go.

Before we could start to enjoy family and the play, we had to make it through the flight.  This was Ruby's first flight and she did great.  I kept her in a sling most of the flight and very few people even realized she was on the flight with us.  Luke, on the other hand, was another story.  We were super lucky to travel with my parents and Jessica and it took a village to tame the boy.  We had books, treats, movies, toys and his blankies and there was still a lot of chaos.  There is definitely a reason that once kids turn two they have to buy their own seat - we all could have used the extra space.  

L

Friday morning we went on a freezing cold run then Tim, my dad and I went downtown to the JFK Sixth Floor Museum.  Tim had not ever been to Dallas or the museum and it had been so long since I went that it felt like a brand new experience.  It was really fascinating.  I loved seeing all of the artifacts and photos and being reminded of all of the details of history.  The visit of course sparked the conversation of whether or not we thought there was a conspiracy, more than one shooter, etc.   None of us were willing to commit to a specific theory but all believe there is something more to the story.

You can't take photos of any of the exhibits so I just snapped a few as we were leaving.

One of the best parts about a trip to Dallas is a lot of time just hanging out.  It is especially fun to watch everyone enjoy the babies.

The highlight of the trip was, of course, the play.  We went to the matinee and evening showing and I could have turned around and gone again today.  I know that Tad worked and practiced hard and was thrilled to land the part of Rolf.  I was so nervous before the play starts but clearly had no reason to be. Tad's singing was amazing and he is such a natural on stage.  Flower Mound High is known for putting on extremely good productions and this was no different.  I hope to continue to see him perform over the next several year.

Lots of family support

Luke - Twenty One Months

Luke and Calvin enjoying Ruby's new playmat.

Once Luke turns two, I promise I will stop referring to his age in months.  I know that it is a little annoying/confusing to people who don't have toddlers, but they change so much within the space of a few months that it doesn't really work just to lump them from one year, to two years, etc.  Actually just typing that my next update will be when Luke turns two, and realizing that is a few months away, makes me want to cry a little.  It feels like time has sped up significantly since this sweet boy came into our lives.  I love seeing him learn and progress, but at the same time, I hate realizing that he won't be little for long - I'm trying my best to really just enjoy him and all that comes with him growing and exploring this big new world.  I have a tendency to be a little uptight and get too worried about a lot of things that don't matter.  I really have tried hard with Luke to take a deep breath and let him be little without me always feeling the need to intervene, fix it or clean it up.  I've done pretty well, and am almost used to my house being messier than I would like and my schedule almost always getting thrown off.  I still kind of freak out, and probably always will, when it comes to safety.  As he has gotten bigger and more coordinated, Luke has started climbing more and has figured out how to get into almost every cupboard, drawer, etc.  He still climbs on the couch, but also now climbs up the stools to play on the computer or sit in the middle of the island.  We really don't leave him alone for more that a few minutes but that is plenty of time for him to get where he wants to go.  He is always so pleased with himself that I feel a little bad getting him down, but it really terrifies me.  I try to be stern with him when I get him down, hoping to get him to stop.  That usually results in him laying on the floor crying but I guess that is better than crying because he fell.
It has been so fun to watch what he picks up and how quickly he learns.  One day he started shaking his finger at me to say "no no".  I about died laughing and wondered how many times I had done that to him.  He is learning to eat with a fork and does pretty well - especially since I bought some baby size forks.  We bought some coloring books and fat crayons and he will sit in his high chair for a long time and color - especially if someone else colors with him.  He is still obsessed with balls, I'm not sure that will ever go away.  He has gotten surprisingly accurate at throwing and loves to show off how hard he can throw.
Luke still doesn't seem to be very interested in talking.  He makes a lot of sounds and noises to convey what he wants.  Everyone tries to get him to talk but he mostly just laughs and shakes his head "no".  I might worry except it is very clear that cognitively, he is constantly on alert and very aware of what goes on around him.  He got some new plastic frogs and immediately went and looked through his books until he found his book with a frog on the front.  When we point out one object that is a specific color, he will then go through all of his toys, socks, etc. and bring me other items that are the same color.  Sometimes he will surprise us and speak with no prompting.  The other day Tim came walking in the house and a clear as can be Luke said "Hi dada", but now just laughs when we try to get him to repeat it.  He loves to look for the moon and the stars and wants us to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  He doesn't sing the actual words, but whenever he sees a star, he sings the tune of the song.
Currently Luke's absolute favorite thing is Curious George.  He loves to watch Curious George on TV, read his books and play with a George puzzle that he got for Christmas.  I used to have to fight to get him to wear a hat but now that he has seen several episodes where George wears a hat, he brings his hat to us so he can be like George.
Luckily, Luke is still a great sleeper.  He usually goes to bed around 9:00 p.m.  I get him up around 6:00 a.m. for a bottle then he goes back to sleep till about 9:00 to 10:00.m a.  Most days he takes a 2-3 hour nap.  He still has a bottle before bed and likes to sleep with his blankies and a few toys, usually his sheep and a car or a ball.  He's super cute about giving good night kisses to everyone and has started insisting that he kiss the pictures of "baby Luke" good night.

Halloween was a bit of a bust.
His boxer costume was so cute but he
Refused to wear the gloves and was
Not excited about having to keep his candy is the bucket.

One of Luke and Tim's favorite things to do
Is to go downstairs and play the drums.
He has pretty good beat and coordination.

In honor of my Uncle Rusty,
Nothing cuter than a jumpsuit boy.

He's pretty proud of being able to play
On the playground without much help.

And even happier when he can play with grandma.

Luke loved the dragon shirt.

Funny hat.

Luke still loves to read,
Even better, this was a Curious George book.

Luke absolutely loved playing with the Little People nativity,
He was pretty creative in his play,
Mary in the monster truck was one of my favorites.

One of my favorite pictures ever,
He is so lucky to have his cousins.

Daddy is still his best bud.

He is so cute with Ruby,
He doesn't always understand the need to be soft,
But we do get some tender moments.

Luke is so lucky to get to spend time with
Both sets of grandparents,

One of his favorite things to do is
Put on my shoes or slippers
And run away.

After a few visits, Luke warmed up to Santa
He still says "ho, ho, ho" when he see his Christmas jammies.

He was much more excited about his gifts this year,
Second Christmas was much more fun.

Luke wasn't sure how he felt about the colored bath water.

He definitely knew he didn't like the sock around his neck,
Tim's old time method to cure a cough.

Hey may have inherited my sweet tooth.

He was pretty sure that sister needed some toys

I caved and let him get a second hair cut,
So sad, I just really like him with long hair.

This isn't to how the hair cut,
Rather his wet hair after he finished "washing" it,
In the toilet.
Just trying to be helpful, I told him it was time for a bath.

Ruby's Blessing

We were so excited to bless sweet Ruby and share in the celebration with so many loved ones.  I searched for a very long time for the dress - I wanted one that was a classic old fashioned style.  The one I found was short sleeved and seemed a little cold for a winter baby.  Just my luck, my mom had given me some clothes to go through that included a sweet little sweater that had been hers as a baby.  It was the perfect addition and I loved having a piece of family history be part of the blessing.  The entire day was perfect and truly was a blessing.

Love these babies!

Three generations

Cousins

It turns out the headband was a little tight.
Poor baby girl was still good
Even with her head being squeezed. 

Brunch
Of course we have to have a pic of the food.