Lukey's Half Birthday

Yes, I am two days late writing about Luke's half birthday. It's been a long week, and I'm glad to have it over. However, I'm really glad we got a few minutes this week to celebrate our lovable little man. This past 2-1/2 years has gone so fast, and it's certainly been a bumpy ride. I finally feel like we're in a pretty good place health wise with Luke, and he's starting to talk more and more. It's been fascinating this past month finally hearing what's going on in that head of his. I'm so proud of him for all the work he's been doing in speech therapy!

However, let's not forget the fact that Luke is two. I would hate to paint this with completely rose tinted glasses. He's also a master mess maker, and his favorite word is no. It's like he figured out all of sudden that he doesn't have to do what we say. Now it's up to us to correct that fallacy. I have my days where I wish our kids could skip from 2 to 4, but I guess you take the bad with the good in parenting. If push really came to shove, I wouldn't actually wish away any stage in our kids' lives. When he's not being a pain in the butt, Luke is a sweet little boy. I love cuddling up and reading books with the little man. I wouldn't trade those moments for the world.

Jack's Half Birthday

Today our Jackaroo is six months old! In some respects, it feels like the longest six months of my life, but parts have gone incredibly quickly. Jack is a completely unpredictable baby. He's the happiest kid in the world, and he rarely cries unless he really needs something. Unfortunately, he's also the worlds worst sleeper, and he's ups three or four times every night still. It's the most fun you can have exhausted.

Jack learned to roll from his back to his front this week, so that's big news. He also can spin himself in a full circle on his stomach. He would learn to crawl very quickly, if he liked being on his stomach, which he doesn't. He's also slept in his crib for the past week without any problems. Part of me is very sad that he's not sleeping right by me, but it's also been nice to reclaim my room.

His favorite, and pretty much his only food, is oatmeal cereal. Meal time is the highlight of his day, and he's excited to try out new foods. I could probably push the food more, but I'm a little gun-shy thanks to Luke. We've also tried out pumpkin, blueberry, and green beans, all with massive success. The only non-starter so far was yogurt, not because he didn't like it, but because it was too thin for him to keep in his mouth. Mealtimes are messy, but happy.

Jack is such a blessing in our lives, and these past six months have really been fun as a family. Jack is the perfect caboose to our set of Three Musketeer boys. He's beloved of his brothers, and just about the cutest little man ever!

Snow, Snow, and More Snow

Holy winter! We've gotten more snow over the past two weeks than we've had in years. I'm not sure why the Chinooks haven't been forthcoming, but we have over two feet in accumulation and the roads are a complete mess. That hasn't stopped the boys, however. If there's one thing I've learned from parenting boys, it's that they need to get outside, no matter the weather. Darreck's been pretty accommodating, including pulling Luke around on a sled for a "walk". Max has played outside every day after school this week, in spite of near zero temperatures.

However, things came to an abrupt halt for Max yesterday when he got sent home sick from school. He was acting fine in the morning, so we sent him thinking all was well. At noon, we got a call from the school secretary, and Max had a fever of 103. Here's the kicker: he didn't want to leave because he'd miss computer lab! Darreck had to go to the school and haul his scrawny little butt out of there, and it took me promising him an hour of computer time at home for him to quit whining. He never did act sick; he was just warm. He's completely better today, but we still kept him home from school for the just in case. He's so bored he's going a little nutty, but he's liked spending some one-on-one time with me. I miss that little munchkin when he's gone all day! I think today proved he might miss me a little, too.

In other boy news, Jack has started sitting in the high chair for feeding and to play with toys. I think he appreciates getting to sit upright and stare at something other than the ceiling. He's also learned to roll over from his back to his front, and he's tantalizingly close to sitting up on his own. Any day now he's going to figure out crawling, and life as we know it will be over. Oh, and ignore his gross hair in the picture. We had to oil his head this morning to reduce his cradle cap. He always looks a little funny for a few days afterwards.

And Luke? Well, he's just plain old cute. Actually, he's making great progress with his speech. People kept assuring us that he would make really rapid gains after having his tubes placed, and six months later that prediction is coming to fruition. It's fun hearing what's happening in that crazy little head of his!

Jack's First Hair Cut

I did it. I finally capitulated to pressure and got Jack's hair trimmed. My family has been bugging me for weeks now that Jack's bangs were finally starting to obscure his vision, and mom and dad threatened to buy him bows to hold it back. It's bad enough that people always confuse him for a girl, poor kid. So, I was getting my my hair cut by a friend at her house, and I asked her to take care of Jack's bangs and out-of-control sideburns. I'm still a little sad, but everyone else is happy with me. Hair or no hair, he's still stinkin' cute, so I'll take it.