Who knew?

Yesterday was the 10-year anniversary of my first date with Matthew. For our date (in Lexington), we went to dinner with our friends Melanie and Jay, to a piano bar, and then dancing at the Blue Moon Saloon--where Matthew dropped me on the dance floor when he tried to do a little faux-dip with me that I thought was going to be a full-on dip. Good thing neither of us is too easily embarassed. We then talked for hours on Melanie's front porch.

I told this story at our wedding, but I'll tell it again here. The next day Matthew sent me an e-mail (technology was key in our relationship) saying that our date had been one of the few things that he'd really looked forward to for a long time, but that still managed to exceed his expectations. I felt the same way, and continue to feel that way now--10 years, a wedding, two kids, two big moves, two homes, and multiple jobs later, it still exceeds my expectations every day.

To give you an idea of how far we've come, here are some recent shots of Matthew with the kids at the zoo--it's no Blue Moon Saloon, but still tons of fun!:

Happy First Birthday, Luke!

Today our little Lukester turns one! What a crazy, exhausting, fun, funny, and interesting year it's been.

At one, Luke is cruising and crawling very well, though not walking. He dances by bending his knees to the rhythm of the song, which is adorable. He talks and signs quite a bit--he has said mama, dada, ball, Pop, mum-mum, hi, and bye (though that list is not without controversy) and signs more, all done, and milk. He babbles and laughs all the time. Myla is dying to understand him--"What's he saying?!?" Luke loves to swing and play ball, to take baths and play chase with Myla. He loves walks, especially in the wagon.

Luke has lots of funny quirks and habits. He gnaws on his crib, or really anything he can get in his mouth. He loves to eat but won't touch or eat anything wet to the touch, which rules out most table food. He will dive out of your arms in an instant so you have to be vigilant when holding him. If he hears the gate to the stairs open he runs (crawls) to see who it is, and if you should happen to leave the gate open for a second he'll be halfway up them before you know it.

Physically, Luke's defining characteristics are his size and his hair. He's wearing 18-month clothes and even has some 2T t-shirts that fit him just fine. I honestly think I've improved my upper body strength in the last year from having to lift him. He isn't unusually chubby, just tall and big. And he gets a few extra inches from his hair! Luke's hair is a perfect predictor of the weather--on a humid day, it lays flat, but other days he looks like he stuck his finger in a light socket. We get comments on it all the time.

Luke has a very pleasant disposition and the sweetest face. He still doesn't sleep through the night reliably, and I often find myself woken from a dead sleep and crawling out of bed, mumbling curses under my breath. But as I pick him up, give him a bottle, and rock him, he's just so snuggly and sweet that in spite of myself I'm happy to be awake and to have those few minutes with him. And then, when he nuzzles his head into my shoulder and drifts back to sleep . . . well, I just don't think there's anything better than that.

Luke, we have all loved having you in our family this last year and can't wait to learn more about who you're going to be. I love you always, baby boy.

Fourth of July

For the Fourth of July (yes, I know it's the 19th of August), we spent the day at the Smokers' house. Great friends, a swimming pool, a Slip-n-Slide, and a cookout--it was a perfect day.

Pool time for both kids:

Myla joins the big kids at the kids' table (Ella and Henry Smoker, and Lucy and Claire McNally), while Luke and Betty Smoker enjoy the company of adults:

Thanks, Smokers, for a great day!

Pool Time

Playtime

Luke is in the stage where he just plays all the time. Often by himself, but increasingly with Myla. His favorites are pushing things around on the floor (walker, chairs, giant ottoman), his fire truck, and the play kitchen, which he is always pulling down on top of himself. And more than anything, he loves to roll/throw a ball back and forth.



When he and Myla play together, they mostly just chase each other and roll around on the floor. She will grab his waist and sort of tackle him, until he gets tired of it and starts screaming. It actually drives me a little nuts, but I'm trying to enjoy the fact that they're at least doing something together!

Swing Man

Luke is rarely happier than when he's in a swing. I love these shots of him enjoying the swing at the zoo.

Luke 11 Months

In one week, Luke will be one! This week we'll feature lots of recent photos of him on the blog. We'll start with his 11 month photo shoot. I went to book club that night and left Matthew in charge of getting the photos. It was a tall order, since Luke was his usual mobile, mischievous self. And I think Matthew captured that very well--

Here he is, crawling around with a toy in his mouth. He does this so often that we call him our little puppy.

He also loves to crawl under the dining room table. This frequently ends in an injury, when he konks his head on the underside of the table or (as in the picture below) pulls a chair down on top of himself. Waaahhh!

In this one, you can see a nice bruise on his forehead--not a result of the chair incident, but from a few days before when he was eating dinner in a booster seat and banged his head on the table top. On purpose, as if to see what it would feel like.

Ah, Luke! You constantly test our agility, alertness, and first-aid skills, but we love it!

County Fair

In July we attended the St. Joseph County Fair--twice! As featured previously, we went for good (bad) food and to see Myla's birdhouse in the 4-H display. It was hot, sticky, and lots of fun.

Luke loves to ride in the stroller, especially when there are lots of people around, so he was pretty happy. Myla was wary of the rides but by our second trip was excited to try the bear ride. Matthew goes green at just the thought of going in circles, so I got to take her. Of course we had to ride the pink bear.

Pretty Girl