A Farm and a Zoo

Last Saturday (10-11) we went to Nash Farm in Grapevine with the Wages. Boy did we have fun!!

Kaleb and Lukas ready for the farm.



Petting a very tolerant sheep.



Lukas getting a lesson in combine engine mechanics.....'yawn'.



First pony ride!



He knew exactly what to do on the pony. When it stopped, he kicked his feet and shook the saddle horn. He wanted to RIDE!



I know, 3rd pony picture, but he so cute!



Mommy and Lukas just hanging out.



Kaleb pulling Lukas in the wagon. Yes, Kaleb is that buff, and Lukas is that light.



Lukas barely pulling the wagon himself. Since Kaleb did it though, he had to do it as well.



Lukas wanted to take this goat for a walk.



While we were there we also rode a tractor (it was a hayless hayride), petted animals in the petting zoo, decorated a pumpkin, watched a blacksmith, and listened to a bluegrass band. Like I said, we had a ton of fun!!

Then on Monday (10-13) we went to the Dallas Zoo for some family fun since Eric had the day off. Yay, Columbus Day!

Watching the penguins swim.



Lukas' favorite part...the gorillas. This one got up close and personal.



Eric is laughing because Lukas was pounding he chest and saying "oooh, oooh"...in other words, gorilla. He did this over and over all day.



Eric and Lukas viewing the gorillas from another angle.



Lukas viewing yet more gorillas...and he was very excited that these two were moving around right in front of him.



Lukas - Alligator Conqueror!



He sat here for 2 seconds...long enough for the picture.



Sliding!



Cute in the tunnel!



He got mad at this horse because it didn't go anywhere.



Yay for "fishies"! Every time he sees fish he says "fishies" over and over again.



We also rode the monorail around part of the zoo, and saw animals from Africa. In the children's area they had a guinea pig and rabbit out to pet. Lukas LOVED this part. He bounced back and forth between the two until more kids showed up and we had to take him away.

Can't believe he's almost 18 months old! That post will be coming up soon.

Future Musician

17 Months Old!

Lukas at 17 months:
- is about 23 lbs
- is about 32 inches tall
- still eats very well, but certainly has the "picky toddler-mode" times
- is beginning to really push some boundaries....He will do something, get told "no", and then proceed to do the exact same thing but slower while watching to see if I'm going to discipline him.
- can add the following words to his repertoire: juice, ices (good thing grammar doesn't count yet), fishes (no matter how many fish, it's "fishes"), uh-oh, cat, doggie, teethies (teeth), Elmo, Kaleb, and Bible. I'm pretty sure he says something for cars because he points at them as we're driving (while saying something), but since I'm in the front and he's in back I've yet to decipher it.
- can match his puzzle pieces to their picture slot (he's actually been doing this for a few months now, but I've never put it down on a monthly post)
- loves to freestyle color. He will color on coloring book style paper, but he prefers the blank sheet with no lines. He is also very picky about what colors he uses. If he has a choice he will choose, and use that color until he is ready to pick a new one.
- loves school! Now that he's used to school, he absolutely loves it. He has no problem saying bye to me when he sees me, and always wants to talk to his teachers when he sees them outside of class.
- will watch the entire hour of Sesame Street, and most of it will be done sitting down.
- is able to find even the most hidden technelogical device, and wants to use it. He will find a remote (no matter what it's to) and point it at the tv. He will "talk" on the phone for quite a while.
- will be able to open his own library soon. He has so many books, and will continue to aquire them because he absolutely loves to read.
- wants to do everything the big kids are doing. He goes to the park and watches what the older kids are doing and then proceeds to try to do it himself. Nevermind the fact that most of it he physically can't do.
- has a temper that rears it's ugly head when he's tired or not feeling good
- loves to "help"....unfortunately at this stage his helping skills are a bit more on the unhelpful side
- listens to Mommy and Daddy's requests and commands most of the time
- will put something back where he got it when he's done....if you remind him anyway
- is very independent....this is a good and a bad thing.
- loves music. He turns on the cd player and dances (see previous post), and is starting to do the motions to Itsy Bitsy Spider. He also really likes "adult" music....classical, jazz, and acapella being his favorites right now.
- loves Mommy and Daddy more and more every day!

Things we've been doing lately....

Getting ready to move.



Watching Sesame Street.



Helping Mommy clean.



Drawing.



Loving Melody.



Eating lunch with Daddy during the "Picnic with Daddy" at school.



Getting tickled by Daddy.



Drawing on the bathtub with new bath crayons (very, very cool).

Dance Baby, Dance!

He's practicing for Spring Sing already!

Getting Ear Tubes

This past Friday (September 5) Lukas had minor surgery to insert ear tubes at Texas Pediatric Surgery Center in Richland Hills. He was such a trooper, and we were so proud of him! He got something akin to Valium before the surgery to relax him (because he was mad from being hungry...no food after midnight), so we got to see him "high". It was very funny! The entire surgery only took 7 minutes!! We were so surprised and very grateful at how fast it was. He even got a stuffed dog as we were leaving. Hopefully this will help out with his many ear infections.

Putting on socks to have warm feet during surgery.



Daddy comforting an upset Lukas.



Lukas was very bored, so even the hospital bed was interesting for a few minutes.



The nurse who took a very drugged Lukas back to surgery.



Waking up from anesthesia with juice.



We are very thankful for all the prayers that surrounded Lukas during his surgery. He got home ,slept off the anesthesia, and was back to normal after a very late lunch.

First Day of School

Yesterday (September 2) Lukas went to school for the first time! He is attending the Butterfly School at Riverside Church of Christ. I am also teaching a toddler class (although not his class), so we see each other several times a day. He was very excited, and had a ton of fun! Like my mother taught me, I took several pictures. Enjoy!

Eating a healthy breakfast!



Excited to have his own backpack.



Very ready to go.



Mommy made Lukas sit down for this picture.



In the car, ready to go.



At the drop of spot (the gym) for all the teachers kids. I seriously doubt he actually rode that tricycle.

Our First House!!

Eric and I have now officially signed our life away so that we could own our very own home!!! Needless to say, we are extremely giddy first-time home buyers. On our walk through the night before closing I took a bunch of pictures which I will post below, and don't worry all the stuff you see in the pictures is now gone. Our new home is in Denton, TX, and we will move into it in a couple of weeks. There are a couple of painting projects to be done first. It is a 3 bedroom and 2 bath. Our backyard backs up to the local elementary school.

The front combined living room and dining room.





The kitchen...with a pantry!





The laundry room, which thankfully should be large enough to house the cat's litter box.



Our back, or informal, living room, and really neat fireplace.





Bedroom #1: This will be Lukas' room. This room is painting project #1 because it has a bright neon pink wall (which I did not post a picture of).





Bedroom #2: This will be a study and guest bedroom. The open door on the right of the picture opens into a closet that the master bedroom shares...so they are connected.





The master bedroom.



The closet on the left is that pass-through closet to the "yellow" room.





The master bathroom, which I think is really pretty.







After 5 years of apartment life, we are super excited to have a garage.



Our backyard, and this picture doesn't even show all the grass on the left. The field on the right (over the fence of course) is the elementary school.



So, I know that was a lot of pictures to put in a row. Not that I wouldn't have posted them all, but next time I'll find a better way of doing it...like a slideshow or something. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed them!