Happy Valentines

Pops and Granna

Granna laughing at something Luke did... she always scrunches up her nose when she laughs at Luke (even on the phone)-- I LOVE this picture!

Pops and Granna babysat for Brent and I so we could get away for a Valentines dinner at Del Friscos. We had the best time and the food was amazing-- the crab cake appetizer was all crab and no cake! Our steaks were crusted in peppercorns and cooked to perfection... we hated to leave behind even a bite, so we did our best! I think I recall Brent saying "Is it strange that I like asparagus because it is like a sophisticated green bean?"

Pops and Granna came bearing Valentines gifts! Luke got swim trunks to come swim at their house this summer:

Allie got a rose that said "I love you... I love you..." every time she chewed on it.

The family:

Wheeling through Hobby Lobby:

Loving on our Luke:

Poor thing is balding... all of his crazy hair is almost gone :(

Missing my Granddaddy

As we come up on 3 years since Grandaddy went to Heaven, I am remembering him THROUGH SMELL! The corn plant that Honey insisted that I take home from Granddaddy's funeral that sits in the corner of our living room IS BLOOMING with flowers! The smell is amazing (kind of like lilacs and jasmine)-- and fills up most of the back side of the house... from what I read this is a rare occurence in mature corn plants and the blooms last 7-10 days. Gosh I miss him, and I hate that he didn't get to meet Luke, but am so thankful for the memories and the subtle hints that he lives on in our hearts! Our "Sweethearts"!

Coming Clean

As some of you will recall, Brent and I had a pumpkin carving contest in the Fall and let you all vote on the best pumpkin... the winner got a new pair of shoes. See pictures of pumpkins here. It was so fun to carve the pumpkins and watch the voting go back and forth for almost a month! There was SOOO much trash talking in our house-- even after I had won-- Brent thought I had cheated because the last night, the votes swung in my favor... over and over again I honestly told him I DID NOT CHEAT! Well, this Christmas, when my sister, Melody, was hugging me goodbye, she whispered in my ear that she rigged the contest! I didn't understand because 1. you could only vote one time and 2. I never told her which pumpkin was mine. We had a good laugh and I totally forgot about it... until today!

I called Brent and told him through the laughter what happened and he was just beside himself talking about "Allison Ethics" and some other babel ;) It was hysterical! Then, I called Melody to finish our conversation to answer the 2 questions mentioned above that still remained a mystery to me. SO, here is what REALLY happened: Melody is on West coast time, so the night the polls were closing, she waited until the CST voting zone closed-- she ran around to all of her friends work computers and voted for my pumpkin-- she went to the gym to vote-- she voted on their home computer and laptop-- hysterical! And, when asked how she knew which pumpkin was mine, she said she knew I would not have chosen an intricate design being 9 months pregnant, and adding paint to a pumpkin for creative points is something I would try in a ditch effort to win. What can I say, the girl knows me!

Only one thing remains-- the statements:
Brent: "It is unfortunate that such a regrettable act occurred during what was intended to be a good natured competition. It is a microcosm of the challenges our country faces during these tumultuous times. A time where those that do what is right and what is noble are forcefully drug into an immoral cesspool by those that do not have the sagacity to free themselves from the bondage of such earthly endeavors. Abraham Lincoln said it best in his lesser known Chattanooga Address when he stated, “Now we are engaged in a great pumpkin carving contest, testing whether that pumpkin sculptor, or any pumpkin artist of the like, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a pumpkin patch of that just contest.” It is heart wrenching that in the days, weeks, and years following that great proclamation that those words no longer bind our hearts. That a pumpkin carver cannot endure, cannot persevere, and cannot triumph because of the woeful actions of so few. A few that have cast their conscience into a roaring sea of their own transgressions." That's my hubby...honest "Abe" to the bone!

Melody: "I just wanted my sister to get a new pair of shoes!"
That's my girl! And that is why I LOVE HER TO PIECES! Thanks, Mel!

Wade is 30... Totally!

Our good friend, Wade, turned 30 and had a rad 80's themed birthday party this weekend!

Ghostbusters:

Rockin' HOT 80's chicks (Sarah complete with Banana Clip and Leggings):

80's trucker and slaptastic baby (Brent shed his puffy trucker vest and mesh hat in about 5 minutes!):

Ahhh, took me back to the days of watching MTV when Mom wasn't looking :)

What's in a Name?

Every week, I get an email update on Luke's progress. This week, you could look up the meanings of names... Joshua Luke.

Joshua means "The Lord is my salvation"-- Old Testament Joshua led his army in the conquest of Jericho and eventually all of Canaan, and was a leader of the Israelites. In short, he was a pretty tough guy that knew from where his salvation came, listened to the Father, and followed His direction.
Luke means "Light giving"-- Luke was a first century Christian who wrote one of the four Gospel accounts of the life of Christ and the book of Acts. He was known as the beloved physician.

So, what is in a name? Hopefully everything! Luke, our prayer for you every day is that you will come to know the Lord in a personal way (salvation) and that you would be bold enough to share what you know with others (giving light). Although we didn't know the root of your name when we picked it, it fits our hopes for you perfectly.

So, to that end, when we dedicate Luke at Church (saying we will raise him according to God's word so that one day he will make the decision to follow Christ (salvation)), we are supposed to pick a "life verse" for the pastor to read. The verse we keep coming back to is found in Joshua no less!

"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1:8-9
Amen!

One Word

This is one I haven't seen, so thought I would oblige! Not as easy as you might think! The instrusctions were to change the answers to suit you and pass it on... It's really hard to only use one word answers.

Where is your cell phone? Purse
Your significant other? Lifeline
Your hair? Brownish
Your mother? Proverbs
Your father? Compass
Your favorite thing? Eating
Your dream last night? Disturbing
Your favorite drink? Macchiato
Your dream/goal? Heaven
What room are you in? Office
Your hobby? Shopping
Your fear? Failure
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Kindergarden :)
Where were you last night? Home
Something that you aren't? Patient
Muffins? English
Wish list item? Massage
Last thing you did? Kiss
Your pet peeve? Selfishness
What are you wearing? Yellow
TV? Office!
Your pets? Allie
Friends? Thankful
Your life? Happy
Your mood? Sleepy
Missing someone? Melody
Drinking? Water
Smoking? Never
Your car? Accord
Something you're not wearing? Socks
Your favorite store? Banana
Your favorite color? Red
When is the last time you cried? January
Where do you go to over and over? Day Care
Favorite place to eat? Lupes!
Favorite place I'd like to be at right now? Hawaii

Lets Make A Deal!

Luke, when you are old enough to read this, you hold your Daddy to the deal you made tonight... if you let Daddy watch the Super Bowl and don't fuss through the entire thing, you can get out of getting in trouble at the time of your choice! Think carefully-- this is a pretty good deal you made! So far at half time, you are holding up your end of the bargain...

Sweet Baby!

Growing Big and Strong

We have been comparing Luke to his Astros Rally Monkey over the months.

Newborn:

2 Months:

3 months:

Other pictures from this week:

On Saturday mornings, when Luke wakes up around 8:00, I feed him and hand him off to Brent so I can sleep another 1 or 2 hours to catch up from the week... this Saturday was like any other EXCEPT that Brent came and woke me up and said he had made breakfast! As he was telling me this, I thought to myself "What could he have possibly scrounged up?" (We have been eating out of the freezer and going through the groceries we have, so we widdled it down to bare bones)... I walked in to the kitchen and he had made pancakes, FROM BISQUICK! I helped myself to a pancake, loaded it up with syrup and dug in! Brent was still getting his plate at this point... as I took that first bite, they tasted pretty bad, but I was determined to get through the pancake since he went to the trouble... at this point, he sat down, took a bite and realized something went terribly wrong! As we were tossing the rest of the stack, he mentioned the recipe calling for Crisco... I didn't even know we had Crisco! I went to smell it and it was WAY rancid! Ugh. I won't tell you the expiration date on it :) In conclusion, Brent can cook breakfast, it was the Crisco's fault! Here is how far I got on my pancake :)

We also had a night out with 2 other couples from our Sunday School class... Leah made a yummy Mexican Stack up dinner complete with a cheesecake soppipilas dessert! Luke wailed through the whole night making mom and dad pretty frazzeled, so we forgot to snap a picture with our buddies :( Next time!

3 Months Old

As Luke grows up, I know the phases will come and go quickly.

What I never want to forget about now:
-the closeness we have during feedings- he props his outside knee up and sprawls out on the boppy, then he waves his hand around until I hold it in mine to warm it up
- running my fingers across his super soft hair-- pictures just don't do his hair justice!
- the smell of his room- paint, baby powder, and pampers
- his gummy smile and his kissable fat cheeks
- the look of calm that comes over his face when we place him in the bathtub as his feet float
- his light weight in my arms as I lower him down in his crib at night
- happy grins as he lays on his back on the changing table

When I don't think I could love him anymore, I do.

What else Luke is up to:

-Opens and shuts his hands

-Swats at dangling toys placed near him

-Mouths objects brought to his face-- loves to stick his fist in his mouth

-Pushes down on legs when Daddy "stands" him up

-Turns his head toward direction of sound

-Follows moving objects with his eyes- watches me cooking in the kitchen

-Beginning to babble-- day care calls him "chatty"

The night time is the WRONG time!

I went to go pick up Luke in the middle of the night 2 nights ago and his diaper must have BUSTED because his sheets on the right half of the crib were majorly WET... gross! Well, at 2 am I wasn't going to change sheets (pull off bumper pad and remove the entire mattress, so I just slid him over to the dry side-- you can do that when they are little, right? ;) The following night, I was changing it all and Brent was rocking Luke going through the alphabet for barn animals... "A... a is for ants in the barn... B... b is for birds in the barn, etc. Luke just giggled and loved it! It is SO wonderful to hear giggles at night now! My heart is so full in those moments, even in the midst of tying A MILLION bows around crib slats! Here is the final product with my favorite barn yard sheets:

Brent and I painted these letters to go above the crib:

The Apple Doesn't Fall Too Far From The Tree

The Apple:

The Tree:

(notice the dent at the top of their ears?...
Their toes are the same too, but Brent wouldn't let me take pictures of his feet!)

My Boys:

Startin' 'Em Young

We don't usually sit Luke in front of the TV... we know better, but this was a special occasion... he likes the colors and movement :)

Luke's Many Faces!

Happy baby by day:

Pouty face that makes me melt:

Unhappy baby by night!

We think we have found the solution to keeping Luke less fussy at night by changing his formula to one where the protiens are further broken down to go easier on his belly. The night we switched, he slept SEVEN hours straight! Yes, SEVEN!!! Hopefully he will be happier at night, and so will we!

Back to Work

Everyone has been asking how it is going since I went back to work yesterday-- it is okay. Luke is adjusting to daycare- my biggest worry was that he would not sleep with all of the activity around him. He is napping throughout the day (big relief) and sleeping really hard at night now. We still get up at around 2 am. to eat, but that time we have together when the world is asleep is pretty much my favorite time of the day-- the choos and cuddles are wonderful! Brent and I were going to switch off every night at that feeding, but I bargained with him to let me do the 2 am if he will put Luke to bed- he gladly accepted! I am getting back in the groove at work-- I have been gone since September so there is a lot of catch up to do! My Sensory Technician may get to stay on which would free up my job to do special projects and customer support that I just can't manage alongside day to day stuff on my own. That excites me that my job may shift gears a little! When the clock strikes 4:00 pm, I am pedal to the medal to see my baby boy! All in all, we are doing fine- of course there have been tears, but we will survive and our family will be better for it! Thanks for the emails, calls, and concern.

Luke's First Day At Daycare

His Momma was a wreck, but he did really good! Here is his report card, sweet baby.

Luke's Photoshoot!

My sweet friend, Kelly, took Luke's newborn pictures over Christmas... they are posted on her website for the next month...

www.kellyhornberger.com
"my peeps"
password: Luke

First Trip to Church

We have been really missing going to church-- it feels like forever since I was on bed rest for 8 weeks before having Luke. Our wonderful Sunday School teacher said we could bring him with us to class if we weren't ready to leave him in the nursery, so that was a baby step I could handle! Well, it went about as we expected... right after announcements, Luke started to whimper-- I took him into a side room-- hungry. I fed him half of a regular feeding (He was supposed to be sleeping after all, so I didn't bring a whole bottle). I got him calm and we went back to our seat. Then, he started up again, this time Brent took him-- wet diaper. Then there was no calming him since he was still hungry, so we spent the rest of class in the side room with the door cracked! Next week, we go prepared!

Playdates are TOTALLY for the kids!

We had a playdate with all of Luke's buddies (minus the Treat twins who are out of town). They slept, ate and played while the Mommas caught up and told all of their baby stories that we spare others from hearing :) Trust me, I do spare you some of the baby details and I know all of you reading appreciate that!! Sarah altered her 3 year old's upstairs playroom into "Babyland" for us and we had a blast with the toys and gadgets... this girl has it all together (she would tell you otherwise!), but she served us homemade tortilla soup and fruit salad for lunch... a wonderful way to conclude my time at home with Luke. (I start back to work on Monday).

Sarah C and Baby Drew, Sarah P and Gracie, Me and Luke

Say ChEEse, Please!

Brent got a new camera with his Christmas cash... he was playing with it today-- how can I not post these!