Who is that cute baby?

Luke was playing in his bouncer and was laughing like crazy. I couldn't figure out what was so funny, but then I realized he had found a friend.

Little Drummer Boy

Marc loved playing his cousin Cameron's drums. I think he has talent!

Thanksgiving

We got to go to San Diego for Thanksgiving. We loved the warmer weather, good food, but most importantly being with family. There were 19 of us and we had a great time together.

This was an interesting trip because it was the first time flying with the boys, and I flew down with them alone. We wanted to save money and fly a certain airline, but they only flew Sunday and Matt couldn't miss school, so I packed my bags, drove two hours, and embraced what I knew could be a nightmare. First I had to get all the luggage, two car seats, and two little boys into the airport, which went pretty smooth. Then I got to check everything, which should have been easy, but my suitcase weighed 52.5 lbs, so I started pulling stuff out and shoving it in the backpack I was carrying on. At this point Marc didn't want to sit in the stroller, wouldn't stand next to me, and was on the floor throwing a tantrum (Got to love those). After we checked our bags it was off to security. This is where my story gets so much better. There was a mom and a daughter behind us in line that offered to help me, which I gladly accepted, and everything went really well. Then I found out they were on the same flight as me, and I knew that prayers are answered. The daughter played with Marc and helped me before we boarded, and then we sat next to them on the plane. The mom held Luke the whole plane ride and the daughter and I entertained Marc. So all in all we survived.

We spent the next couple of days just hanging out with Matt's brother's family which Marc and Luke loved because they got lots of attention. We went to a flower garden with Cameron and Haley. Marc got to run around and play and he loved it.


Everyone loved holding and playing with Luke. I guess Uncle Eric and Luke are both worn out from playing.


Then the rest of the family started showing up. We had a full house, but it was so much fun. The weather was beautiful (even though it was cold for down there) so we played outside and even swam in their pool/hot tub.

Thanksgiving dinner was amazing. They fried the turkey, had ham, delicious stuffing, and lots of other great food. We certainly had tons of good food to be thankful for! Outside waiting for dinner to be ready.

Friday we went to a wildlife park and had fun walking around seeing all the animals. There was also a train ride that took you out on a little tour so we got to see lots more animals. Marc really didn't get it, he just wanted to get out and walk, but I thought it was cool. The neatest part I thought was feeding these pretty birds nectar and they would come and land on your hands. Matt had three birds just sitting on him drinking the nectar. Marc thought this was pretty cool. Luke loved the park!

Well we made it back after another plane ride that went as well as expected. I was just glad that Matt was with me this time. We came home to tons of snow, but it is really good to be home.

There is hope!

There is hope that my boys will one day be able to play together without Marc beating Luke up. Moments like these just make me very glad to be a mommy!

Luke

Luke is now 5 months. Where has the time gone? I can't believe how big Luke is and how much he has changed. His first tooth broke though and he had his first taste of rice cereal last night. I hope it will help him not want to be fed all the time. He is starting to reach for toys and play a little bit, which is always fun to watch. He has become a thumb sucker even though I try to give him the binkey. He is so ticklish and has such a cute laugh. I love changing his clothes because he always giggles and laughs. We love Luke and are grateful to have him in our family.

Halloween

We had a great Halloween. Our ward had a dinner and a trunk-or-treat activity. Marc loved getting the candy, but wasn't so sure about the pumpkins with faces that had fire in them. As we walked around (in the rain!) he wouldn't let go of my finger. I am glad that he is aware that fire is hot and I hope he remembers this as a teenager.

Luke was a bee and was so stinken cute. I love his chubby cheeks and this costume really accentuated them!
Marc was a spider and would only put on the costume because I told him he could have candy. He had a hat but he wouldn't keep it on. He was super cute and had a great time getting candy, although I am sure he wonders where it all went!

Big Boys!

Marc climbed out of his bed twice the other night, so we decided to take the leap to a toddler bed. He has done okay the last two nights, but right now he is supposed to be taking a nap and I can hear him destroying his bedroom. He seems to like the idea of a big boy bed, but doesn't want to slow down long enough to sleep.
Marc loves to "play" with Luke and Luke usually loves it too. Except when Marc lays on him, or pulls him around or other things like that. I can't wait until Luke can really play, they are going to have so much fun together.

Luke has found his thumb, but he won't always suck on it it. So I need some advice, do I keep giving him the binky and discourage the thumb or put the binky away and encourage the thumb. I can see advantages and disadvantages to both, so what do you think is easier to deal with?
Anyway Luke just keeps growing and is such a good and happy baby. He still screams when he rolls to his tummy, so hopefully we can work on rolling the other way as well. He is a fun boy and we love him lots.

Stitch

I know stitches would be a better title, but it was only a stitch so that's what it has to say. Marc was being a good little helper and picking up all the towels he pulled out of a drawer when Matt heard him say, "bonk". Matt responded, "That is not just a bonk." Marc had hit his eyebrow on the corner of the drawer and had a little gash in his eyebrow. It wasn't big, but kinda deep. We debated whether or not we needed to take him in, but after a visit from a friend (Thanks Melissa) we decided to go and get stitches.

I know this sounds ridiculous but I really wanted to take him even though I wouldn't have stayed in the room. My reasoning... I wanted to have pictures of the whole thing. We talked it over and I decided I would just stay home with Luke. So we don't have it all documented with pictures like I wanted, but it's a good think I didn't take him. Marc absolutely hated it. He was screaming the whole time, and it took three nurses to hold him down. I would have been out in the hall crying the whole time too, so at home was a much better choice. Marc finally settled down when he got a car and a popsicle. He is doing just fine and gets his stitch out Friday. Pre-stitch. They had to wash peanut butter out of his cut (and ears and hair).

One little stitch is all it took, but we are glad it will be a much smaller scar.

Guess Who's Rolling Over?

Well Luke can now roll over. The only problem is once he rolls over he screams because he hates being on his stomach. Now he needs to learn to roll back onto his back.

Luke

Luke is now 4 months old and growing like crazy. He weighs 17 lbs 10 oz and is 27 inches long. He is in the 95 percentile for everything. He is holding his head up much better now and is getting really strong. He is so ticklish and gives us great smiles. He is starting to make fun baby noises and Marc's favorite is when he kicks his legs (I am not sure why he thinks its so funny). Luke has endured many fun times with Marc including: being rolled over while buckled in his car seat, being pulled around on a blanket, and being pushed really fast in his swing, just to name a few. the funny thing is Luke is as happy as can be and has a big smile on his face, Marc is saying fun, and I am usually freaking out. I feel bad because at this point in Marc's life I had taken hundreds of pictures, so here is an attempt to get to that number someday!

Marc is 2!!

Marc is two and I can't believe it. He is getting so big, is talking so much, and is getting much more independent (in some cases this is good and some cases bad). We had a couple fun birthday parties for him. First he had an early party with my sister Rebecca before we left Idaho. We went to my sister's house had pizza and went to my brother's football game. Marc got some fun presents, including an electric guitar from his Aunts and Uncles~ thanks alot guys!! It was fun to be with everyone before we came back to Spokane.


We also had a party here in Spokane with some of our friends. Marc loves Elmo, so I made him an Elmo cake and pinata. It was way fun to make them. Matt said the party was really for me, and he was probably right! We learned a few things from this party:

Marc will not hit Elmo with a bat. All the other kids loved it, but Marc just kept saying, "No, No.". Maybe the next pinata I make should be of a ball! When people ask Marc about his birthday this is what they get. "Hit Elmo, pinata, candy." So the candy made an impression on him.

Next we learned that Marc does not like to blow out candles. I think he was scared of the fire, but the candle did go out even if he didn't mean to blow it out.


Marc is smart. He would look at his present with the wrapping paper on them, and just say,"help". That was much easier than actually trying to pull the wrapping paper off. Then once the paper was off he would take the present to someone and say, "Open". He certainly knows how to get what he wants.

We had a great time celebrating Marc and love him very much. He is such a good boy and is growing up so quickly. He is talking like crazy and surprises me everyday with new words.

One thing we are struggling with is nap time. The last few days I have heard him and I go into his room to find:

Apparently it is so much better to sleep in a spaceship then in a crib.


Ok so I can understand how he got the spaceship in his crib, but a tote I really can't figure that one out. It must have been rough, look at his clothes!

Life

We went bowling and Marc had a great time. I think he got a better score than I did! Marc got his first goose egg and it was a pretty good one. He did recover though and was right back at it in no time. His new favorite place is in Luke's toy and I am just fine with it because I can actually keep track of him for a few seconds!
Luke is such a happy baby. He is so ticklish and will laugh if you barely touch him. He is getting so big and is now wearing 9 month clothes. He hasn't gotten sick again, and we are very grateful for that. We went and saw the urologist again, and things aren't quite like they would like to see, so we will go back in a few months and hope things look better. We love our little Luke and are grateful to have him.

Hat

What happens when Marc is cooking with me and I leave him unattended? He turns the bowl into a hat!

Photo Shoot

I am not a great photographer but I still think my boys are pretty cute!

What Are We Up To?

So I can't figure out how to get my pics to move, so they aren't where I want them, but enjoy anyway!






Well nothing really exciting is going on in our lives right now. We are getting ready to have Matt's brother's family visit and then we are off to Idaho for a long visit. Luke keeps growing. He had his two month check up and weighs 13 lbs. 13 oz and is 24.5 inches long. He is in the 95 percentile for both. He is huge but can't hold his head up at all so he still just flops around. He is starting to smile and make noises which I love! Marc loves Luke and is very helpful and so I have to keep an eye on Luke always. I feel bad for Luke because I never take pictures of him, but here are a few.

Marc just keeps growing and getting cuter. He colored with markers for the first time ever and I think there was more marking on his hands then on the paper, but he had fun. He is starting to talk more and more, and I can even understand some of it! We have to be so careful with what we say. Marc heard Matt say crap and said it and hasn't stopped. He was standing on a wipes container and fell off and what did he say? Crap. We must be terrible parents, please forgive us. He is so busy and keeps us going constantly, that is until he crashes. We are loving life right now and love our little boys.

Hospital Again

On Monday night Luke hadn't woken up to eat which is very unusual so I decided to get him up to feed him and realized he had a temperature. Given his history we decided to take him to the ER. He was admitted and went through all the tests that he went through 3 weeks ago. This time they found an urinary tract infection again and investigated further. He has reflux which means his ureters and kidneys have excess fluid in them because his ureters are not closing off properly and fluid from his bladder backs up into them. This is sometimes caused by immature ureters and will fix it's self, but Luke's case is pretty bad so it might mean surgery. We have an appointment on Monday with a urologist and then hopefully we will know more. We are going home tomorrow (Sunday) and I am so glad. I can't wait to sleep in a real bed and eat real food.

Luke is doing great now and will be on antibiotic so he shouldn't get any more infections. He is growing like crazy and weighs 11 pounds now. I think half the weight is in his head which just flops around because he can't hold it up. He is a cute little boy and we love him and are glad he is getting the help he needs.
Marc came for a quick visit to see his little brother. He didn't last long because there were so many neat things to play with. He loves his little brother and kept saying Luke, sick. I am sure he will be grateful to get back to normal life, but will miss being able to play with different people every day. Thanks to all those who have helped watch him. You helped make this whole thing so much easier.

Blessing Day and Family

We blessed Luke on Sunday. Matt's parents and brother were able to be there with us. It was a wonderful day and we are grateful to have Luke in our family.




Marc loves shoes and loved that Grandma's almost fit so he could wear them around.
Grandma was great to take care of the boys so I could get some extra sleep. Marc loved playing with her and we loved having her with us.

While Matt's family was in Spokane we went to several parks and had a fun time together. We rode a carousel and at first Marc liked the horses, but as it started to speed up he hated it and started to scream. Matt and I had fun though.
I love my boys!!!