Luke Turns 1! {The Party}

Yesterday we celebrated Luke's first year with family and friends. After much debate over party themes, I went with what seemed natural...a farm party! Although Emma's party was much easier this year, it was still a challenge to plan two parties in two weeks. I decided not to get too elaborate.

Since we happen to own a barn, it seemed only fitting that we have the party there. We (and when I say we, I mean I...because if it were up to "the husband" we would have had a cake at the house and called it a day) decided to have brunswick stew. I was worried the weather would be too warm, but it turned out to be a perfect fall day! Along with the stew we had Mexican cornbread, crackers, pigs in a blanket, sausage balls, haystacks, and cake! The party favors were animal crackers, sugar cookies (with cow print and red number ones), and picture cards.

A closer look at the picture cards and cookies...

We took a family pic before the fun began...

I had to include this one, because it sums up our days over the past year...

and I wouldn't trade a single second of any of the past 365 wild days! :)

Mommy/Son pic...

Bryce let us borrow his barn, and it was

a hit with ALL the kids...big and small!

(check out that hair:)

The most important part of the first birthday is, of course,

the smash cake. Most of the pictures speak for themselves. :)

*He removed the bib before the fun began.

Sissy decided to give him a little help.

Of course, the birthday boy was showered with presents...

He lost interest in the actual opening of presents

fairly quickly, but he did enjoy playing with all his loot!

After the party we decided to send all the leftover balloons

to Heaven, so some special people could share in our joy. :)

Luke:12 Months

Luke, you are twelve months old today!

One.Whole.Year.

You have added things to my life that I never knew were

missing, and I can't imagine a life without your sweet smile.

Here's what you're up to these days...

• You weigh 23lbs. 3oz. (up  15lbs. 13oz. since birth and 3oz. since last month), and you are 31.5 inches long (up 11.5 inches since birth and 1 inch since last month).
• You are wearing mostly 9-12 month clothes, with a few 6-9 and some 12-18 mixed in and size 5 diapers.

• You still sleep great, going to bed around 6:30PM on weeknights and waking up around 6:30AM. On weekends you go to bed at 7PM and wake up anywhere from 7-9AM. When we are at home you usually take a 45 minute morning nap and a 2 hour afternoon nap.

• I have no idea how much milk you drink, because we are completely bottle free. You haven't been drinking from a bottle in over a month, but I was still using them to mix formula. At the end of August I began gradually moving you to whole milk, which you seem to like pretty well.
• You are eating baby food, table food, and you love to snack on puffs and yogurt melts. However, you DO NOT like the Stage 3 baby foods with the chunks. You will stick your tongue out, make terrible faces, and nearly gag if I try to feed them to you. You would much rather have a jar of Stage 1 or 2 baby food or whatever we are eating.

• You still haven't mastered the art of walking, but that doesn't stop you from getting what you want!
• You are pulling up on everything, and you stand for extended periods of time...I'm fully expecting you to break out into a run one day.
• You will utilize the pack n' play on occasion, but you are much happier when you are free to roam...which makes my job much harder! ;)

• You still aren't saying Mama, and I'm seriously considering speech therapy (just kidding...sort of;)! You say "dada", "daddy", "sissy", "uh-oh" (after you've thrown dropped something on the floor), "hey" and "bye" (as you wave). There's been a time or two I would have sworn you said "Ashley", and as bad as that sounds I'd settle for it, ha!
• You have 8 teeth, and you're working on a 9th!

(As they say...enough's enough! It's my birthday, and I'll cry if I want to:)

These words from one of my favorite children's books describe my feelings perfectly when it comes to my two miracles --

I am your parent, you are my child.

I am your quiet place, you are my wild.

I am your calm face, you are my giggle.

I am your wait, you are my wiggle.

I am your audience, you are my clown.

I am your London Bridge, you are my falling down.

I am your carrot sticks, you are my licorice.

I am your dandelion, you are my first wish.

I am your water wings, you are my deep.

I am your open arms, you are my running leap.

I am your way home, you are my new path.

I am your dry towel, you are my wet bath.

I am your dinner, you are my chocolate cake.

I am your bedtime, you are my wide awake.

I am your finish line, you are my race.

I am your praying hands, you are my saving grace.

I am your favorite book, you are my new lines.

I am your nightlight, you are my sunshine.

I am your lullaby, you are my peek-a-boo.

I am your kiss goodnight, you are my I love you.

I love you sweet boy. Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Luke! {Daddy too!}

Happy Birthday to my two best boys!

I can't believe a year has passed since my heart doubled in size (again!).

I remember everything about that day so clearly,

but my favorite memory from that day is this...

Words honestly cannot describe the feeling a mama gets when her

baby is holding her baby...two of God's creations...placed in my care...

Luke Joseph, you light up my days (but not my nights, which I am ever so grateful for:)! I love you to the moon and back, and I pray that you will grow into the man God has intended you to be. Happy 1st Birthday precious one!

*Side note: Justin, I love you to the moon and back too and hope your day is special, but all the glory that is this post must go to the little guy...that's the price you pay for sharing your birthday with my other favorite boy. ;)

1 Year Ago Today

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Since I had decided at the last minute to make Monday my last day at work, Emma and I hung out the majority of the day. She had been to the doctor Tuesday for "the crud" in hopes that she would be much better in time for the arrival of her new baby brother. We tried to make her last day as an only child as normal as possible, so we headed to church at 6:30PM. After church we took her to MawMaw's to spend the night. We went home to rest, but we were so anxious, excited, nervous, etc. that we didn't rest at all. In the chill of the night we loaded the car up with "hospital necessities," stopped by MawMaw's (she couldn't sleep either, so she baked us some muffins and peanut butter cookies to snack on), and headed to the hospital.

The Final Stampede {Clay Bowl}

We, along with 9,736 of our closest neighbors, attended the final Clay Bowl Friday night. For our girl, it was her first and her last.

We're excited about the new school and all of the opportunities it will bring. We are thankful our children will have a state-of-the-art facility to be educated in (and all that comes with that), but we are also a little sad that our girl (and boy) will never know what it means to be a Lineville Aggie.

They will never know the pride that comes with red and black.

They will never know the excitement of chanting "It's great...to be...a Lineville Aggie!" (Although Emma did learn this chant at the ballgame Friday night and shared it with all of Oxford on Saturday:)

They'll have old yearbooks...old jerseys, sweats, shirts, and balls...old dance and cheerleader uniforms...

And they'll have us...

But what they will know is CHS...

The Volunteers (the red, white, and blue kind...not the orange kind).

They'll have their own chants...their own cheers...their own memories...

I hope they are as proud to be CHS Volunteers as we are to be LHS Aggies!

*For the record: The game ended in a loss for our team (7-6)...on the scoreboard anyway. Those boys played their hearts out...and if I do say so myself, they beat those Panthers everywhere but the scoreboard!

The Birthday Questions: Emma {Age 4}

1. What is your favorite color?

• pink

2. What is your favorite toy?

• Care Bear

3. What is your favorite fruit?

• grapes

4. What is your favorite tv show?

• Dora

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?

• green beans

6. What is your favorite outfit?

• a princess outfit

7. What is your favorite game?

• matching games

8. What is your favorite snack?

• ra-rola (granola) bars

9. What is your favorite animal?

• bears

10. What is your favorite song?

• God Gave Me You for the Ups and Downs

11. What is your favorite book?

• Olivia

12. Who is your best friend?

• Ensleigh

13. What is your favorite cereal?

• Cheerios

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside?

• play baseball

15. What is your favorite drink?

• Capri Sun

16. What is your favorite holiday?

• Christmas

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night?

• a baby

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?

• biscuits and oatmeal

19. What do you want for supper on your birthday?

• Red Lobster

20. What do you want to be when you grow up?

• a boss

Happy 4th, Emma Catherine!

Emma Catherine, you are four years old today!

September 18, 2007

My life hasn't been the same since the day I met you, my sweet baby girl, and held you in my arms for the first time. You are such a blessing in my life, and I don't (nor do I want to) remember a life without you in it. A few things I want you to know (and I always want to remember)...

• You are my sunshine...really! Those aren't just words in a song. Your smile and sweet lovin' brightens my day like nothing else can.
• You are a stinker...hard-headed, strong-willed, determined...whatever you want to call it, that's you! When you set your mind to something, it's "do or die." I'm hoping you'll use that to your benefit someday. :)
• You are the smartest kid I know...really, you are! You examine things, think them through, and ponder way more than any 4 year old should. You ask about 736 questions a day...but I don't mind! I'm hoping all that knowledge will pay for you to go to college one day.
• You love the Lord! It absolutely brings me to tears when you talk about our Saviour. I pray each day that you will accept Christ at an early age. I also pray that you will spend your life telling others about Him. I love to hear you tell about what you're learning in Sunday School/Children's Church (yes, you've finally decided you like it). 
• You are an AMAZING pray-er (not sure if that's really a word, but the reading/English teacher in me knows that the suffix -er/-or means "one who")! It does this mama's heart good to hear you bless all the people/things around you.
• You are ALL girl...loving to change clothes about 43 times a day, paint your nails, dress up, wear makeup, jewelry, high heels, etc.
• You love your Daddy...which makes you love the things he loves. You may be in your fanciest clothes, jewelry, makeup, and heels, but you're always ready to head to the pasture to check on cows.
• You are the best big sister in the world! You love your brother, and you love to take care of/boss him. I worried that once he got big enough to get into your things you wouldn't be as sweet and understanding...I underestimated you. You are so good at sharing. The only time you tell him "no" is when he is trying to get something that will hurt him. I love watching you two together.
• You are my best girl...you and me, baby, we're stuck like glue...no matter what you do!! 
• I have loved every second of being your mama. It's not an easy job, and you definitely keep me on my toes. I think God gave me you to teach me patience, love, and understanding...but I wouldn't change a single thing about you. Every day is a new adventure, and I can't wait to see what the next year has in store. I love you baby girl...Happy 4!

September 18, 2011

A few stats & other info...

• You weigh 41.5lbs. and are 43.25 inches tall.
• You are a great eater...the only thing you don't like is eggs.
• You are a decent sleeper...you usually go to bed at 8PM (7PM if you're in "a mood") and wake up between 5:30 and 6:30AM. I would LOVE for you to learn to sleep later in the mornings, but for now you are just an early bird. We've tried letting you stay up later, but it doesn't work!
• You are FULLY potty trained (and have been for almost a year now:). You started using the potty at 17 months and were daytime trained by 2. I put off taking the diaper away at nighttime for my own sanity, but you rarely wet it. When Luke was about 6 weeks old (give or take) you told me that you WERE NOT (see "strong-willed" above) wearing diapers anymore...and you meant it! You have had maybe 3 accidents...the last time you had an accident I told you if you had to use the potty in the middle of the night it was okay to get up, go to the potty, and get back in bed. Ever since then you've done GREAT...and you do get up some nights/early mornings, use the potty, and go back to your bed.