T-Ball

Lucas at his first and last t-ball practice of this year.  Long story: we overcommitted ourselves and had to give up something.  He chose to give up t-ball.

Soccer Life

Lucas really wanted to play soccer this year, so we gave in to his wish and hoped he would run off the excess energy.  So far, he has not seemed to be any more tired than before, but we can still dream!  He has already had two games and I'm pretty sure their record is 0-2.  They aren't the best team around but the kids do have fun.  He picked #4 for his uniform.  Why? Because he is 4.  That's the only logic I can figure out for his choice in numbers. 





Saturday Happenin's

TMI

This picture is a little blurry...probably because I was laughing so hard when I took it.

Just A Normal Saturday...

Fishing With Dad

(taken with a phone; resolution isn't good)

Lucas kept track of "sleeps" until the fishing day. It was hard for a 3 yr old to wait for "7 sleeps" to fish, but the day finally arrived!

Lucas Learns How to Peel Carrots

Playing Toy Story

Huck Finn In The Making

More Snow

A Boy And His Boots

A story for you:

Last year, Lucas got a pair of boots from Grammy and Granddad for his birthday. He loved those boots and wore them everywhere last winter. When summer arrived, he switched to flip-flops, and the boots remained in the closet, waiting to be worn again. His new friends at his new school wore boots everyday- even if it was 100 degrees. Lucas, wanting to be like his friends, asked to wear his boots again, usually with shorts and a t-shirt. Around October, the boots started to look like this:


The toes were scuffed, the leather worn, and a small hole appeared in the toe. That hole grew and grew until his socks were visible. The boots that were once square toed were now rounded and splitting from daily use.

Being the good parents we were (are), we decided to buy him another pair (on sale) and wait until his 3rd birthday in the hopes that it would be too cold to play outside and, hopefully, preserve the new pair for warmer weather. While the new boots waited in the closet, his old boots continued to fall apart. The heels wore down, the stitching split, and the holes in the toes grew.

Finally the birthday weekend arrived and the new boots were given! They have already seen their share of wear. I managed to take a picture last week before too much damage was done.

The old boots will be treasured, a symbol of the passing of time and a little boy's love for his boots.

Happy Birthday, Lucas!

Lucas turns 3 today! We celebrated with family last weekend to give more time between birthday presents and Christmas. The theme, of course, was Toy Story. Grandma Charlotte made the cake to showcase Lucas' latest obsession.

This Lincoln Log train set immediately took over the sun porch.

Birthday boy showing off the 3 fingers.

Lucas will have a 3 yr check-up on Tuesday. He is a happy, healthy kid and still brings us great joy. He has a fun personality and talks so much older than 3! He is into trains, dinosaurs, and Toy Story. He wears his cowboy boots everywhere (look for a post about those soon!) and likes to pick out his own shirts to wear. His best friends are Grady and Maverick, but he still thinks Lillian is the greatest and has grown quite fond of his cousins, Cole and Nathan. Happy Birthday, Lucas!

Silliness

Lucas loves to pull all the cushions off the couch and "make a tower" or "make a bridge". However, he has not mastered the art of putting them back on the couch!

No Words

Shirtless, buzz haircut, playing with string-in my mind, this scene should be happening in front of a trailer house.

A Few of His Favorite Things

I'm always sewing something for Lillian- a dress, a skirt, a bag, something. Lucas kinda gets nothing because the options of sewing for boys are few and far between. Some ideas just don't fit the rough and tumble kid he really is! I got the idea to make a small quilt for him after seeing ideas for I Spy quilts on etsy.com. My idea evolved to a quilt of things Lucas really enjoys at the age of 2. I backed it with flannel I already had and tacked a few of the corners. Ta-da! He now calls this his "big blankie" and likes sleeping with it and using it on the couch when he watches a movie.

Adventures in Potty Training

This is how Lucas has spent the past 3 days (except he usually has a shirt on): wearing big boy underwear!

Isn't this the cutest tush ever?!?!

We started somewhat accidently(no pun intended!) but quickly realized he "gets it" and decided to stick with it. The unexpected weather has caused us to be home and inside more than I anticipated so it worked perfectly with getting the potty training going.

Lucas has only had 4 accidents in 3 days- pretty good in my book! After doing it with 2 kids, my opinion is that going straight to underwear/panties is the key to potty training. Pull-ups or whatever only slow the process. It also helps to have a big sister willing to participate in the learning process...as long as she gets Skittles, too!

Birthday Party

Lucas' birthday party was an all day affair. We didn't plan a big shin-dig this year but just invited anyone to stop by on the 19th. We let Lucas open the presents from us in the morning so he could play with them all day. The train shirt was a big hit! The tool bench in the bottom picture was his big gift. That was/is enjoyed by both kids! Brent and I took the kids to a movie in the afternoon. We saw The Princess and The Frog- cute movie!

Birthday boy

Heather and Jesse came in the afternoon. Grandma Charlotte stopped by soon after. They ate dinner with us before heading to various places.

Grandmad Charlotte and Papa gave Lucas a pair of Wranglers and a cowboy shirt with pearl snap buttons.

Modeling the outfit before church the next morning.

Grammy and Granddad came later in the evening for cake and to walk around Guthrie for the Victorian Christmas Walk.

Boots!

Growth Update

Both kids had check-ups today. I'm right on time for Lucas but about 3 months late for Lillian. Oh, well...better late than never.

You will not be surprised when I tell you Lillian is off the charts for height and weight. She weighs 58 lbs and is 51 1/2 inches tall. Doctor's recommendation was to "keep a ball in her hands at all times because if she has any athletic ability at all, she'll be a coach's dream". Perfectly healthy in every way! We can't go anywhere without hearing comments about her height. I smile and shrug. What do you expect? There are tall genes running through both families. I just wish I could have a dollar for every comment because buying clothes for the child is expensive!

Lucas is still running average in size. He weighs 30 lbs and is 36 inches tall- exactly the same as Lillian at this age. Because the comparison charts are different for boys and girls, his size is not extraordinary. I've been told to take a boy's height at 2 1/2 and multiply it to guess his adult height. If he grows 2 inches in the next 6 months (highly possible), that will put him at 6'4". No short children for us!

Merry Christmas, ya'll!

Happy Birthday, Lucas!

Our early Christmas present turns 2 today! As I look back at pictures from the past 2 years, I can't believe how much he has changed. Now we have a little boy instead of a baby boy. We still think he is wonderful despite the challenges that have started as a result of being a toddler. He has made us enjoy life in a whole new way as we watch him discover new things. He and Lillian play well together and she is a very good big sister.


Lucas:
* independent and stubborn
* a thinker
* likes a challenge
*will play for long periods with trains or tools
*still likes to do everything Lillian does
*says 3-4 word sentences
*is able to sit through worship service (a BIG accomplishment)
*prefers a "big" cup to a sippy cup
* VERY interested in the potty process but has yet to actually "go" while sitting on it!
*shows favoritism to certain shirts- i.e. train and basketball shirts
*catches and throws a football well (we will only allow a quarterback or kicker position!)
*shoots a basketball at a goal

*loves being outside

*always asks to "cow feed" (that is "feed cows with Granddad")

*loves to look at Christmas lights

*wears 2t clothes and sz 8 shoe

*still has a raging sweet tooth

*watches Thomas the Train everyday

*can do a somersault

*wakes up dry most mornings

Christmas 2007- 6 days old

1st birthday party- 2008