Countdown to Vacation!

Yes... I know my palm tree is under water... I never claimed to be an artist.

The countdown is on!  We are off to Maui for vacation in less than a month and we are so excited.  This will be Luke's first time on an airplane and I have to admit, I am a little bit nervous.  He has been walking really well over the past two weeks and he hates being still and confined, so this should be good (insert sarcasm here).  I have been searching Pinterest and asking all of my friends with kids what they do when they travel so I can attempt to be prepared for 5 hours on an airplane with a walking 11 month old.

Besides being nervous for the flight, we could not be more excited for Maui.  Maui is a really special place for our family, we went on a lot of family vacations there when my sisters and I were growing up, my youngest sister, Haley went to massage therapy school there, Zack and I's first vacation together was to Maui, and Zack and I got married on Secret Beach in Makena.  I can't wait to play with Luke at the beach and pool and take him to all of our favorite spots and restaurants .  It's going to be so fun watching him explore and be in a new environment.  

There are so many things we want to do while we are in Hawaii, we are going with the whole family and I think everyone has a little list.  All I want to do is hang on the beach and by the pool, eat a lot of fruit, play with Luke, and get a picture with Zack and Luke on the beach where Zack and I got married.  Low key and relaxed is what were going for.

I have already started packing Luke's suitcase, which is totally not like me, I am more of a "I have to throw my shit in a suitcase right now because we are leaving in an hour" kind of gal, thats just my style.  But with Luke, I can't help myself, all of his little board shorts and rash guards are so freaking cute, I can't wait to put him in all of them.  My packing will still probably happen at the last minute, but at least I know Luke will have all of his cute stuff.

The weather has been really cold for the past couple of weeks so we are more than ready to leave, we are just counting down the days... We can't wait!

Luke's 10 Month Update

My boy is 10 months old!! Oh my gosh! He is so funny and keeps me laughing constantly.  Month 10 has been a big month for Luke.  He took his first steps, got his two top teeth, has been eating a lot of what we eat, and started sleeping through the night!  

These photo shoots have turned into a complete rodeo!  I told Zack he needs to record us one day because it is usually me holding him against the back of the chair then jumping back, rapid firing a bunch of pictures, then jumping back to catch Luke before he bails off the front of the chair.  Lots of fun!

Luke decided it was time to start walking!  He started out taking one or two steps and now he can take about 6!  He looks so cute walking, he is still so small and it is hilarious watching him carry his toys around.  Luke had been really fussy all of a sudden last week and I was starting to wonder if he was getting a little bit sick, thankfully he wasn't, but he did get his top two teeth!  Teething is such a bummer, I feel so bad for my little guy when he goes through it.

I have tried really hard to give Luke a lot of what we eat lately, he loves feeding himself (and Rowdy) so it has been a lot of fun.  Zack and I eat a lot of spicy food so I have to try to remember to cook a little bit more mild.  I still get nervous feeding him some things sometimes, but he does really well.

And, probably the best thing that has happened this month... Luke is sleeping through the night!  Up until about three weeks ago, Luke would play downstairs with us until about 8 when he started to get fussy and tired, then one of us (usually Zack) bounced with him on the yoga ball until he fell asleep then he would sleep in our arms until about 10 when we went to bed, he would wake up and I would nurse him and put him in his crib, but he would always be restless and be up and down 2-4 times a night.  This was NOT working, nights were awful and none of us were getting a decent night of sleep.  So finally, after a particularly horrible night, Zack and I decided we were going to let Luke cry it out.  We gave him and bath and put him in his crib at 8, he cried for 35 minutes (while I watched him on the monitor crying) but then he slept all night long!  Every night after that first one it has taken Luke 10 minutes or less to fall asleep and he sleeps all through the night.  Another thing to add to the "why didn't we do this sooner" list.  Better late than never, but you can bet your ass we will be doing this sooner with our next kid.

I love this little boy's personality, he is so funny and full of energy, has the biggest cheesy smile and keeps me running and laughing all day.  He is turning into such a little boy!  He is rough and tough and loves to destroy toy towers and ram his walk behind toy into the wall.  I love this age, part of me wants him to stay this little forever, but I just love watching him grow and learn every day.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween was very low key for us.  My parents got home in the morning so we wore our costumes to pick them up from the airport then went out to breakfast.  For the rest of the day we just hung out, ate dinner, then went trick-or-treating at a couple close friends houses and the fire department.  Luke was actually already falling asleep when we were on our way to the first house, so he was over it pretty fast, but we managed to get a few cute pictures and a handful of candy for mommy and daddy to snack on, so I say it was a win.  

My sweet little Superman!

Happy Halloween! Love, Superfam!

I love matching family costumes!  I didn't want to go all out because I knew we wouldn't be out and about for very long so I just got Zack and I t-shirts with capes so we could match, it was a lot of fun and I love having these fun pictures.  My sister, Charley and her husband, Matt got Batman and Robin t-shirts with capes to go along with us, it was a lot of fun!

I am already starting to think about what our family costume will be, I am using Neil Patrick Harris and his family for inspiration, because their costume game is on point!  I can't wait until next Halloween!

Halloween Fun

  I love this time of year!  Cool fall weather, fun decorations, pumpkin spice, costumes, and of course, carving a pumpkin.  If you know me at all, you know that I am absolutely addicted to Pinterest, I mean, who isn't... amiright.  Anyway... I went to Pinterest for some fun fall activities for babies who are not yet old enough to paint or carve a pumpkin and I found the idea to pre-carve a pumpkin, scoop out the seeds and slime and put it into a gallon zip-lock bag so baby can safely play with the pumpkin guts.  Genius!  Luke was all about his bag of pumpkin guts for approximately 3 minutes, so  we moved on.  

I am always on the search for a hilarious picture to take of Luke, so of course I am going to cut holes in the pumpkin and make him sit in there for 10 minutes while I try to take a picture fast enough to keep him from trying to eat the edge of the pumpkin.  We took quite a few pictures, got a few pretty cute ones of just him and a few with all three of us, none of them Pinterest quality, but good enough for me!  "I'm more of a capture the memory" kind of girl rather than a "I have to have the perfect picture" kind of girl.

On another note, I love reading Luke books, even if he is crawling around and playing and not really paying attention.  I have found a few really cute halloween themed books and have been pretty much reading them on repeat this month.

Goodnight Goon // Love Monster // Frankenstein // I Need My Monster // Dracula

My parents get home on Saturday morning, Halloween!! So we are all going to the airport in our costumes to pick them up, I can't wait!  Another post will be coming soon with all of our halloween fun.  

Happy Halloween!

Luke's 9 Month Update

 Lucas turned 9 months old on September 30th, not a ton has changed since I wrote his 8 month update but I like keeping track of the little things.

At Luke's 9 month Dr. appt he weighed 18 pounds and was 27.5 inches long, he is getting so big!  Our Dr. also gave us the go ahead to start giving Luke small soft pieces of what we eat, so far he has just had cheese, lunch meat, kiwi, and a few other fruits.  I'm just easing myself in because I am honestly just nervous to give him much when it is just him and I  at home.

 Luke still isn't walking but he is getting so so close!  He can now stand up without holding on to anything, he kind of does downward dog then stands, it's pretty funny to watch.  We have a little push around walker for Luke and he has recently been pushing it up against the couch and climbing up the front of it, he is absolutely all over the place!  He has been saying "dada" for a few weeks now but over this week he has started to say "mama", which I LOVE!  Even though I know it's just sounds to him at this point, it makes me feel so good every time he says it, he's so sweet.

Luke has been getting really good at waving when we say "hi" and "bye" and every once in a while when Luke hears Zack's truck start in the morning to go to work he will turn and wave at the door, I don't know why... he started doing it on his own, it's pretty funny.

Fall is in full swing here and I love it!  Alaska doesn't really have the greatest falls, they are really short and this year we have had tons of rain, but it is my favorite time of year so I try to soak up every bit of it while it lasts.  The weather has cleared up this week so Luke and I have gotten out and taken a few walks.

This week I realized that I am totally one of those moms that constantly tells stories to anyone that will listen about how awesome my kid is, and these stories almost always include pictures.  Oh well... #momlife

Lucas' 8 Month Update

Oh how this little boy of mine has changed so much over the past month!  I can't even believe the amount of new skills he all of a sudden just knows how to do. He loves to clap when we say "yay!", walk around furniture, and tries to play with Rowdy.

Lucas is now fully crawling and let me tell you, he is quick!  I called it from the beginning, he is so much happier now that he can get where he wants to go on his own.  He loves to chase our dog, Rowdy, around and he thinks it is really funny when Rowdy jumps up and runs to the couch and sits just out of reach.

Zack and I are pretty sure Luke is going to start walking in the next couple months.  I almost hate to say that because I don't want my baby to be able to run away from my cuddles!  Seriously though... I can't believe how fast he is growing up.  Luke can pull himself up on anything then he lets go and stands on his own for a few seconds and looks back at us with the biggest smile, then very slowly sits down, my sister calls it "ass to grass, the perfect squat form."  The kid is strong!  He has also mastered walking along the furniture.  We usually keep Luke confined to the living room because we have stairs going upstairs and downstairs, but I was sitting with him on the stairs one day and I sat him down and he just started hauling ass up the stairs like he had done it every day of his life!  I was a little shocked at how fast he made it up ten steps and when he made it to the top he looked back and he just looked so proud of himself.

Luke is always making new faces and cracking us up but his newest, most hilarious face is his "turtle face," oh my gosh!  I don't know where this face came from, but we laugh so hard every time he makes it.  He also has the most adorable baby belly laugh I have ever heard.

So a few months ago I thought for sure Lucas was getting his bottom teeth, well, he wasn't.  But a couple weeks ago he finally got his two bottom teeth and I have to say, he handled it like a champ.  I never really noticed him being extra cranky, he just took longer naps and breastfed slightly more often.

Poor Rowdy doesn't stand a chance, but he is so sweet and patient with Lucas.

Hello turtle face!

Up those stairs!

We Have A Mover!

Luke has been army crawling around for a few weeks now and actually moves really fast but  last week he actually started crawling on his hands and knees!  Time to go baby gate shopping.  He is such a happy boy, you can just tell that he is so proud of himself.  We will put him on the floor and he will take off across the room and look back at us and just start laughing.  Since he can get where he wants to go by himself now I have found myself extra busy because of course, he is now tired of all his toys, instead he thinks chords and the vacuum are the best!  He has been keeping Zack and I (and Rowdy) on our toes these past few weeks.

Along with crawling, Luke has been sitting on his own like a champ and has started to pull himself up to stand.  I was so not prepared for all of these milestones to happen at once!  It amazes me that he just knows how to do these things, he is such a big boy!

Zack and I have started to use some baby sign language from This Book here and there with Luke so he can start to communicate a little better with us.  We try to be really consistent but neither one of us knows sign language so it just doesn't come naturally to us.  Luke thinks it is hilarious every time we sign anything, especially when we say "no" and do the sign, we may be in some trouble...

Luke is 7 months and I am absolutely loving this age! I can sit on the floor and play and read books and interact with him and I feel like he is actually getting into it, for a few minutes anyway.  He is generally in a good mood, loves to eat, and of course loves to move around and be outside.  I am hoping for a mild winter so we can take Luke outside to play a lot.