'Twas the Season

Christmas... over already? Man, kids just make it go by too fast. I've been thinking about how this was my first full year of being a mama, and it's been so fulfilling. I am thankful everyday for the blessing Luke has been in our lives.

For the holidays this year, we celebrated Christmas Eve with the Greshams and Christmas Day with my side. Luke got spoiled beyond belief, of course! He got tractors, trucks, clothes, money, gift cards, movies, books, a power wheels tractor, a coupe car, shoes.... the list could go on! However, he still wasn't interested in opening presents.

He wasn't too sure about his tractor at first!

Daddy helped him make a few rounds on it.

Family picture :)

The Burkholders - and their baby!

Merry Christmas!

So on Christmas morning, we woke up to Santa's gifts.... Daddy got an ipod touch, Mama got a Macbook pro (anyone need a regular macbook?!), and Luker got a coupe car. We were all surprised by our gifts!! Again, Luke wasn't too sure about his car, but after a few rounds in the kitchen and living room (and a few donuts, too) with Daddy's help, he was ready to roll. He gets in it and make his "vrooom vroooom" sound and only goes backwards.

On Christmas Day, Luke fell asleep on the way out to Mom and Mike's, so we just let him sleep while everyone opened gifts. I knew the cousins were ready to open, and Luke wasn't a bit interested..... So, he didn't make the gift opening pictures! We were disappointed that all of Jordan and Rachel's gifts had to be left under the tree since they were staying home in Waco to wait on their baby to get here. Rachel was due on Christmas Day, and as of yet, there's been no baby!

While we had some good family time, we truly remembered the reason for the season. We're forever grateful for the birth of Christ. Having one of our own really puts a different level of significance to the whole deal. I saw on the previews to a show the other night that a 400,000 year old human bone may have been found. I told Heath, "Thank the Lord I was born after Jesus came. I couldn't have lived by the law." And I mean it!

Catching Up

Looking back on last year's holidays, I think I was a little grinchy. I went through all the motions, but I didn't enjoy it like I usually do. Heath says it was because of our crop.. or lack thereof.. haha. This year, I get sad thinking about having to take the tree down. Kids make Christmas fun! We still don't know what Luke wants Santa to bring him. Grandparents limit Santa's options! :)

For Thanksgiving this year, we celebrated with Heath's family on Wednesday and mine on Thursday. I took my camera to both places and never snapped a picture........ fail. Luke's favorite dish was the broccoli and cheese casserole. He had 6 plates full of it at Mom's throughout the day. Among many things that we were thankful for because of the various events in our lives in the past year, we were thankful for Luke's health. Little stinker hasn't been sick one day of his life! No ear infections, no tummy viruses, no sore throat... no doctor visits for anything besides shots! Lots of people give credit to him being breastfed for a year... and yes, he was.. but I'm thinking he has a freaky immune system on top of that. (Yes, I just knocked on my coffee table.. just in case.)

Another thing I was thankful for was the reminders we get from the Lord through various scenes here on earth. I knew, when I left for the gym the afternoon before Thanksgiving, that a beautiful sunset was in store for the evening when I was pulling out of the driveway and caught this on my phone.........

That night, we were headed over to Heath's parents and I looked out the back door and told Heath to grab my camera for some pictures. He took a few in the backyard, but wasn't satisfied with them and got in his pickup to go get some better pictures.

So, Luke turned 18 months yesterday. Sooo insane how fast the last year and a half has gone. We got his first haircut last week. I told Luke all day that we were gonna go see Gina and she was gonna "snip-snip" and did the scissor motion to his hair. He did alot better than I expected!

It's fun to see how good he's understanding us now. I see things click in him constantly. Heath was excited a few weeks ago when we were laying in bed late one morning while Luke was playing, and when Heath told him to go let the dogs in, Luke ran to the backdoor and opened it up to let them in. He can "fetch" things now.. which is handy. When we look for a paci before bedtime, I walk around the house with him saying, "paaaccciii!?" Luke says, "meee mee" in the same tone and looks for it, too. Whatever tone I say his name in when I'm looking for him, he says in the same one back to me, "Mammmma!?" --- Heath was gone this last week to pick up a truck he bought in Denver. Every night before Luke goes to bed, I ask him if he's ready to go lay in Luker's bed. That night, I asked him if he was ready to go lay in Mama's bed... he stood there for a second while it registered, and then he took off running towards our bedroom and climbed onto the bed and laid down. We just love our Luker! Sometimes when Heath and Luke are playing, Heath will just stop and look at me and say, "I love him." :)

And last, here's another one of Heath's loves....... Boys and their toys!

Post-Harvest Family TIme :)

After Heath got through stripping, we got the fifth wheel packed and headed to Tyler for some camping and to Rachel's baby shower. We stayed with family on their land, and Mom and Mike took their camper, too. We have cousins who work at a prison there. So, the guys went hunting at the prison, and Heath shot a deer and a couple of pigs. We had a camp fire every night, and one night, we roasted marshmallows and made s'mores - delish!

Rachel had a really good baby shower! I still don't know how they've held out not finding out whether the baby is a boy or a girl.. but props to them for going through with it. I HAD to know with Luke... in fact, I knew at 13 1/2 weeks what he was. I liked knowing, too! For those who really know me, this is no surprise. :) I'm too planny.

Before we left to Tyler, we stopped at Gander Mountain, and Luke absolutely loved driving the car/basket. I laughed until I cried in the store watching how much he loved it. He would get in and out just because he could. I had to watch him real close because he would get out while we were still moving.

The baby will be here before we know it! Luke will soon have even more cousins everywhere we go.. he's getting one on the other side of the family in April.

Rachel was glowing at her shower!

Rachel opening gifts - with her sisters and future nanny. :)

These two can't wait for another one to love on!

She got a travel system from the hostesses of her shower.

Mom and I with Rachel.

Quick family picture before we head back home!

This is where Mom busted the "your mama" joke while we were filling up with diesel. :)

Are pacifiers still orthodontic if he uses them upside down?

Heath and I got to go and watch Shane & Shane last night, and Luke stayed with Grubby and Keetha. They got this clip of him "winking." I know, it's really not winking, but he thinks he's doing it, and we think it's too cute.

Going to Work

Luke likes pretending already... for months, he's been carrying anything he can get over his arm and walking towards the door to the garage while he waves "bye". He's used a coat hanger, the diaper bag, a paper bag (what we take Dad his lunch in), etc.

Here he is going to work with his bucket :)

Halloween & Harvest

We've made it to the downhill side of harvest. It's always an exciting time of year, but by the end of it, we're glad to see Heath more than just an hour a day. Halloween was lots of fun - we actually carried a bucket this year! Luke is going through a phase (it's been a long one) of not wearing hats, so I ordered him a vampire costume and planned on painting his hair black. We got it in, and after several attempts to try to put it on him, and him down right refusing, we settled for his glow-in-the-dark skeleton pajamas.

Our first stop was to Grubby and Keeka's.

She had chocolate candy for Luke, and a new toy, too!

Our next stop was to Mimi and Papa's. They gave Luke a book, glowing sword, and some suckers.

We had a hard time getting Jaxon to sit down for a picture.. They're all so cute!

Ryder invited Luke to his Halloween party with lots of other kids, too.

We've been watching these deer for a long time. They hang out on one of our farms. My heart was racing when I took this.. Heath said it was "buck fever" :)

Heath said he was a stripper for Halloween this year!

My dad is here for a while keeping Luke and me company.. and he's getting a taste of what life is like this time of year for us!

mr. personality

When I was in school, my life revolved around 3 day weekends, Christmas break, spring break, and those few weeks in between summer sessions. Now that I'm married... well, it's all about planting, sandfighting, stripping, etc. We recall different events in our lives and remember the timing of it by the type of work being done in the field. I've thought back on how little Luke was this time last year, and I can't believe he's my little boy now!

This was Luke last harvest - he was 4 months!

And here he is this year!

Now that his personality is really emerging, we both have traits that shine through in him. Just to name a few (some physical, too)....

Like Daddy:

- He loves working and piddling.

- He LOVES driving Heath's stuff. He gets on the stripper and thinks he's in heaven... and when we walk outside to get in the car, he reaches up to the driver's door on Heath's pickup saying, "dy? dy?"

- He has a widow's peak.

- When he has his shirt off, he's rubbing his belly

- He loves to laugh and tell stories.. and can have a tender heart.

- He's very protective of me. :)

- His feet are mini Heath feet.

- He likes to talk on the phone, even if it's pretend... He'll use his wrench if that's all he has.

- He would rather me take his shoes off than him!

Like Mama:

- He is slow moving in the mornings.

- He has a q-tip obsession already. He "uses" about 5 a day.. he'll catch me one of these days. :)

- He likes to cuddle

- He has a freckle on the top of his left thigh in the same exact spot as me.

- He tends to throw things when he's mad... haha.

- One word: chocolate.

- He loves family.

- He picks at everything.. all of his toys have half their stickers peeled off.

wonderful & terrible 16 months

i feel like every time i post about luke, he's gotten to stage that's even more fun than the last. he's become one of the most independent toddlers i've ever seen, but at the same time, he can be a huge clinger - only now, he clings to more people than just me and heath, including grandparents and cousins.

here's a look at his independence kicking in. he's the only one who can feed him now.. and he eats 3 times much as he would if i had helped him. he loves spaghetti and lasagna, but he won't eat ravioli.

more of his favorite foods are hamburgers, sandwiches, chips, green beans, grapes, strawberries, mandarin oranges, ice, reeses, m&ms. unlike most kids, he doesn't like french fries, ketchup, ranch dressing, yogurt, or pudding!

here, we were at a firehouse subs in round rock.

luke loves his grandparents.. all of them. he's developed a different relationship with them and has special things he likes to do with each one. here's luke and keeka outside of gruene, tx. when he's with her, he likes laughing really dramatic and telling big stories.

i think this was the only pretty day that we had at the coast. for the rest of the time we were there, it rained. luke loves watching tv - his favorite shows are sesame street, barney, blue's clues, and price is right. yes, we watch barney. it's probably his most favorite. he claps along and prances around in front of the tv while it's on. but before you knock it, let yours watch it and see how much you can get done! :) it's truly not as bad as it used to be... and it's better than some of the others (especially yo gabba gabba!).

luke's most favorite thing to do is to drive. he prefers trucks. it seriously blows my mind how he already knows the difference. he likes do hold the wheel all by himself and turn the volume way up on the radio. he'll find a truck he wants to drive and reach for it saying, "iieeee". here he is in heath's truck - it's a sideways video. :)

if you can't tell from the video, he's a talker. most of it doesn't make sense, but he's getting a few words out there.

he still says mama and dada.

he waves and says, "eyyee" for "hi"

he's started saying "mawr" when he signs "more".

the words tractor and thank you sound alike "tha thoo".

when he wants something, he points and says, "theese" - because i've always asked, "do you want some of THIS?"

he says "bah" for ball. when he sees oranges in the store, he says, "bahh!"

when we ride on bumpy county roads, he still says, "beeeee" for "weeee".

when we drive by cotton fields, he says, "daaaa DAAAA!"

until recently, when he pushed his trucks and tractors, it was "beloidyloidyloidy". haha. now, he just blows with his tongue sticking out.

now, i've listed off a lot of the cute stuff he does.. too bad i'm too mad when he's dumped all the q-tips out of the trash can, sprinkled half a bottle of comet on the kitchen floor, unraveled the toilet paper, and taken his diaper off and peed in the living room floor to snap a picture!

the "wake" tradition

my next blog will have pictures, i promise!

this past week, my grandpa passed away, and i was lucky to have a window between spraying and stripping to be able to take my family to his service near Chicago. he was 74 and had been in bad health for the last few years. while it was a dreary occasion, it was nice to be able to see family i rarely get to see - especially all in one place - as he had 8 kids, 20 grandkids, and 11 great-grandkids. the day before he passed away, he was given less than a year to live. so again, we were reminded that God's timing is different than the world's timing. something i read recently plainly described the importance of "being ready" by stating: if you're not ready to die, you're not ready to live. true, huh?

so anyway, despite all of that, i was surprised, to say the least, about how different the traditions are up there. you'd expect such differences in a different country, but not in a different state! when we flew in, we were taken straight to the funeral home because they were holding a "wake" service from 3 to 8. my first thought was, "5 hours? for visitation?" now let me just say, i'm not one to view a body. at all. mom tells me it's traditionally respectful to the family to do so, but i just don't really get it. here, when they open a casket before you leave a funeral service, i respectfully avoid it like the plague. come to find out, at these wake services, the body is propped up at about a 45 degree angle out of the casket, for five hours, in clear view of everyone who walks in the front door of the funeral home. the immediate family stays for the whole time, snacks are served, and friends come to view the body. it was really an eerie experience. when we went to the funeral service, it was the same way.. the casket at the front of the chapel, open, body completely visible to everyone seated. made me appreciate the traditions we have here, although i do completely respect the traditions of other places.

to live is Christ....

so the point of even starting this blog was to help me remember some things i didn't ever want to forget... and the fact that i'm sharing with everyone is part of the motivation of keeping it going, i guess. it's a way to keep friends and family updated on events in our lives - because we're sometimes just too busy to keep as good of contact with everyone as much as we'd like to. but after how heavy our hearts have been this last week for the Stanley family, updates to this blog seem kinda..... vain.

so i could give you day-by-day pictures of our trip, but that's not what's been important at our house lately..... maybe i'll post about it soon, because we did have a good time, but this is what we've more-or-less meditated on for the last couple of days.

"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:20-21

i don't know if there's really any other explanation. i want to do whatever it takes to get to this mind set though.. we're driven because of the loss of one of heath's really good friends. the life expectancy in our country is 78... but God's shown that He takes us when He's ready for us, so we want to be ready, too.

pre-harvest jitters

i think we're all getting anxious for harvest with cotton opening up and fall being in the air. we're gearing up for a trip to the coast first though, and i'm really ready to go... it's been a challenge getting heath to keep his checkbook closed up with all the down time he's had outside of checking water. he likes to shop when he gets bored - if only it were just for clothes and shoes! :)

luke has gotten used to heath being around more and throws even bigger fits now when he leaves. he keeps us entertained, for sure, though. when luke wants to leave, he straps the diaper bag over his shoulder and starts blowing kisses.

he hardly uses a pacifier, and when he puts one in, it's upside down every time.

we took him to the legacy play village this morning - he had a blast. he liked walking through, and picking up handfuls of, the wood chips.

he loved this swing, too! when we'd push him, he'd say "beeeeee" (weeeeee).