"My Julianne"

Lucas calls her "my Julianne." The other day when Lucas was leaving for school, I said, "When I pick you up, we will do something fun, ok?" He said, "Like go to Julianne's house?" We are going to miss you, Julianne...we will look forward to your return in the fall.

Airshow with Lucas and Scott

Doug here. On Saturday I took Lucas to the airshow at Jones Beach. Scott rode his motorcycle and met us there. The weather was great - not too hot, a nice breeze and lots of sun. Here are some of the highlights.

VFA-106 Super Hornet breaking the sound barrier:


David Windmiller:




USAF Thunderbirds

Pilot giving us a wave (above). Click for a bigger size.





Canadian Snowbirds:


Matt Chapman:


This B-17 Flying Fortress dropped two bombs ...


... into the ocean. (They were really watermelons.)

A Family Scooter Ride

Luc's skinned knee:

This is how Sam rides a scooter:



Lucas calls this the "underground train station" because the trains go by under the grate:

3 hours at the Children's Museum

We love the Children's Museum. We love it so much that we have a membership and we go at least once a week during the winter. During the summer we try to spend more time outside, but today we went there because I suspected that the outdoor water area would be open. And I was right! And because it was so nice outside, the museum was almost empty, which was nice for us.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Today I ventured out to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden with both boys and a few friends. I have not been there since Lucas was a baby. It was beautiful and so quiet. We had a great time, though I am exhausted now from the trek both ways. It was a nice change of scenery.

Sam laughing at 6 1/2 months old

New modes of transportation

I am tired of the Baby Bjorn (I only use it because Sam prefers to face out), so Sam now has two new modes of transportation...on my back and in the stroller.



Sam loves to smile at Doug:



And we had another Riverside Picnic with Gavin and Eli:

Scooters

This is how Doug takes Lucas to school now. I love it!

FAMILY NIGHT & another busy week

Yesterday for Family Night Lucas wanted to make cupcakes for Doug, since he was not home. So we went to the store and got the stuff and then came home and did just that.


This past Friday was the annual picnic at Luc's school. It was in Central Park and it was so much fun. Doug came for a little while and so did Julianne. I didn't take a single picture at the actual picnic - I was too busy trying to keep track of Lucas who was wearing the same shirt as 200 other kids. Afterwards, on the way home, we saw a "new playground" and stopped to play.




Lucas tells me every week that he wishes it was Christmas again. Now, he has started wearing a Santa hat:


This was my sad attempt at making a fort this week, which Lucas called a tent. (Notice the quilt, which I made when I was a teenager out of all of the fabrics that my mom had made my baby clothes out of.)


If Lucas laughs, then Sam does too...every time:


We had a visit from Becca and Henry this week - thanks, guys!


I am grateful for Sam, who smiles almost all of the time:



Lucas had a few rough days this week - I think he is just learning how to manage his emotions. Some people call it the terrible 3's, but I don't like to call it that because really this age is wonderful in so many ways (but I will agree that there are "moments"). After a rough day on Monday, Lucas went off to school on Tuesday in a huff. So while he was at school, I made a treasure hunt for him in the apartment (with new clues), and when he came home he hunted for his prize. This was the prize - a stamp set - which he then played with for the rest of the day.


Another hilarious story from Lucas - this week while we were walking to the park, we saw a man playing chess. Lucas said, "Mom, I want to play chess. Do we have a chess game?" I said we did and that I would find it when we got home. I looked for the chess set, but couldn't find it. I found the checkers set in the closet and figured he would not know the difference. I got it out and we played "chess" for about 30 minutes. Then when I cleaned up the game and put the lid on, Lucas looked at the box. It says (in huge letters) "Utah Checkers" on the front of the box. He said, "Mom, this isn't chess, this is CHECKERS!" I was surprised. Did he read it?


Also this week, I came into the living room to see Lucas "reading" my scriptures. Then he asked if he could have his own scriptures to take to church. So I found this little Book of Mormon for him and he said, "Mom, this is just my size." He now asks me and Doug to read it to him all the time.



And last but certainly not least, Lucas loves to dance. He has loved to dance since he was able to walk. This is his latest move, which he learned from watching the Backyardigans. It's hilarious...

Happy Mother's Day

I feel honored to be the mother of two darling little boys.


This morning Lucas said, "I have a surprise for you and it's the right day." Lucas and Sam gave me this necklace (Lucas made the card for me in Primary):



Today we went to church and Lucas sang songs about mothers with the other Primary children. Near the end of the second song, he bumped his chin on the stand (he still has stitches). He didn't make a peep, but he was fighting back tears. I went up and got him. Poor little guy (although the reason he bumped his chin was because he was leaning over to spit).

Thank you, Doug, for holding motherhood in such high esteem and for being my partner in this adventure of life with kids:

A new aquarium & more pictures of the boys

Even though 2 of our 3 fish died (and Lucas didn't even notice), we decided to get an aquarium...and more fish. Here is it:


And this is the box it arrived in, which was perhaps more exciting for Lucas than having the aquarium.


Sorry these next few pictures are a little grainy.
Here is evidence of thumb sucking:


I love this little outfit:


I love it when Sam makes this face:


And this one too:


Sam is trying to start crawling too:


The other day he fell asleep like this:


And this picture of Lucas is pretty cute too - the king of everything:

School Fair

Luc's new school (where he will begin Pre-K in the fall) had a fair this weekend. We all went and had a great time.

Sam is 6 months old

Our sweet Sam is 6 months old. I cannot believe it.
He weighs 16 pounds 5 ounces and measures 27 inches long.
This picture of Sam is perfect because he is always smiling and happy. And anytime he is in the carrier and we are out and about, he is happy. He loves people and most of all loves to watch Lucas no matter what he is doing. When I lay him on his back, he loves to kick his legs like crazy. He is giggly, smiley, and loves to grab everything. And he sucks his thumb, which I absolutely adore. He rolls over constantly. When he rolls from his tummy to his back, he is does it slowly and carefully so he doesn't bump his head. Last night, he scooted on his tummy a few inches. He holds on to me when I carry him. He is adorable and such a great sleeper. He loves to press his lips together and make the "mmm" sound. Sam, we love you and are so blessed to have you in our family. Please don't grow up too fast!

What happens in a week...

Where did the last week go?! I find myself thinking this every weekend. Thank goodness I take a lot of pictures, because if I had to rely on my memory alone, I would be in trouble. So here are some pictures from the past week.

This is how Sam feels about baby food. All baby food.


I don't think a single day goes by that we don't go for a scooter ride. I love the sight of Lucas on his scooter. On Friday Lucas had a dentist appointment, so I left Sam with Julianne and we rode scooters to his appointment (yes, don't laugh, I rode the Razor and he rode his scooter). It was fun, and afterward I was exhausted! (And Lucas spit at the dentist.)


One of our outings this week was to the end of our street where there is a cathedral. I have written about this Cathedral before. It's The Cathedral of St. John the Divine and it is the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world. It has some gardens and three peacocks that walk around there for people to see. There is one white peacock and two green and blue peacocks. Also, there is a park there with astroturf and playground equipment. We spent an afternoon there and it was great.




Also this week we had a playdate with Gavin. We were with Gavin (and his mom, Emily, and brother, Eli) when Lucas fell and needed stitches in his chin. This time, he had another injury. He was sitting on a low fence and fell backwards off of it. He cut his head and lost a big chunk of hair, but luckily we did not have to go to the ER again. And he is feeling fine now. Here is a picture of Lucas and Gavin before the fall:


And of course the week would not be complete without an egg hunt. Almost daily, Lucas requests an egg hunt or a treasure hunt. He is a funny kid. And a smart kid - he knows that both involve candy.


Also, one of our fish died, but the other two are alive and well. The pregnant one is no longer pregnant, but there are no signs of babies either. ??? Here is a picture of Lucas fishing out the fish so the bowl could be cleaned. He could not be bothered to put down the banana.


And last but certainly not least, Doug baked this lemon cake this weekend...from scratch. And it is delicious! (Or should I say was delicious.)


Today I had a funny exchange with Lucas that ended up being about Doug.
Lucas: (Sam was crying in the background.) Sam wants his mommy.
Me: Oh yeah. Who is his mommy?
Lucas: You.
Me: But I thought I was your mommy.
Lucas: You are. You are my mommy and Sam's mommy.
Me: You mean I have TWO boys?
Lucas: No, you have three. Me, Sam, and Daddy.