the Lukester turns 4

The little guy turned 4 a couple of days ago. I feel that we have had a lot of growth over this last year when it comes to Luke. I'm sure it's been more on our end than on his, but either way I'm pretty sure we have made some progress. Maybe I have just learned to appreciate him more and see what a special kid he is. It's no wonder why he is a favorite among grandmas, aunts, and uncles - I don't think that I have met anyone, big or Luke-sized, who loves like Luke loves.


This year for his b-day we kept things pretty low key. Hangin' at some parks with family and friends... doesn't get any better than that. He did get the Bumblebee gun that had been his only request. He was pretty stoked. Of course, he decided it would be a great idea to take it outside and fill it with dirt and rocks. So, we (Adam) had fun taking it apart and cleaning it. That, my friends, is why you shouldn't waste money on toys. Bubbles and boxes. That's all they need.


Luke requested yet another volcano cake. Well, actually he first requested a 'girl cake'. When I asked him what a girl cake was he said he wanted me to be on it with a volcano. I talked him into putting dinos and spiders on it and he was content.

Here he is flying his new Spiderman kite. It's a good thing the wind was blowing 100 miles an hour that day.

So here are a few things about Luke at 4. I noticed that a lot of them are the same as the list from his last birthday - just worded differently:

1. As mentioned above, he is full of love (unless his brothers are bugging him). He is constantly covering us with kisses. Whatever body part is in the line of fire is what receives the kiss (yes, sometimes it's a little awkward) - usually it's my legs, which explains all the food stains on my pants. He is extremely cuddly and can give the best hugs ever - he just wraps his entire little body around you just like a baby monkey. He tells us he loves us about 3 dozen times a day and finds something to compliment us on at the same time. He simply has a big heart.

2. He can be quite dramatic when he doesn't get his way. He will usually run to his room and sulk until the drama queen in him has subsided. Other times he just collapses into a heap on the floor - unwilling to cooperate or function in any sort of way - I think he knows this is the one that drives me the most crazy. But, one good thing about him, is that when he is done with his 'moment' - he is done. And, he goes back to his pleasant (or semi-pleasant) self.

3. When Luke disappears for more than a few minutes I am usually guaranteed to find him chillin with his blanket on his bed, just taking a break, OR under the table with some gum or candy that he knows he's not suppose to have - he can be pretty sneaky.

4. He is obsessed with getting the mail. Literally, obsessed. His first thought of the day is to go check for mail. It doesn't matter if you tell him it hasn't come yet or that the mailman doesn't deliver on Sunday - he has to see for himself.

5. He is extremely playful. Chasing, laughing, tickling, teasing, wrestling, and spanking bums are what Luke is all about.

6. He loves being with his dad. If Adam is going anywhere, Luke wants to go. The folks at Weller's have the balloons ready for him when they know that Adam will be stopping by since he is his little shadow.

7. When he says, "Thanks Heavenly Father for the food", during a prayer, he usually points to the food as he does so. It's pretty cute.

8. Luke's goal at the moment is to catch a bird. Whenever he spots a bird on the ground, he will immediately go after it and try to chase it down. He's frustrated that he hasn't managed to wrangle a bird yet. Adam told him he needs to sneak up on it, so he's been practicing that technique.

9. He finally enjoys books.

10. I asked Isaac to list some things about Luke and he said, "He likes spiderman, and he likes bumblebee. Oh, and he likes to pick flowers." Luke LOVES to pick not only flowers, but anything that grows in the ground - dead or alive - weeds, grass, leaves, whatever - he loves them all. And, everything he picks ends up in the house - usually in a baggy, since a lot of what he picks are tiny remnants of plants.

disappointed gratefulness

1. I did what I swore I wouldn't do this pregnancy... get my hopes up. I went into it completely expecting to have another boy, but I guess the hormones messed up my logic or something. There were moments I really thought I might have a girl after all. But, it's a no go. I visited my sis at the hospital and she did an ultrasound for me, and I swear the first shot we saw was the ever so recognizable penis. I feel guilty for feeling disappointment because I know of so many people who struggle just to have a child, but that's what I feel... disappointment. Of course I know that I will welcome him with open arms and he will be all I could ever want. But for now, I'm a little bummed. Oh, and I don't want to come up with another boy name.

2. This morning Luke came up to me and said, "You are sure a good mommy." Then kissed my leg. Maybe he could sense my mourning. :)

3. As we were eating dinner the other night, Isaac kept going, "Mmmm...mmmmm...mmmm..." as he was eating. Finally, Adam asked him if he could stop making that noise (cute at first - after a while, not so much). Isaac managed to keep quiet for a few minutes, but then said, "It's so hard not to make that sound because it's so yummy."

4. Another dinner moment: As we were eating Luke said, "This will make me strong, huh?". Then he ran into the other room for a brief moment and ran back to the table and said, "Nope, can't lift up the couch yet."

5. Isaac started his second year of soccer. So fun. It really is. It's fun to see him get excited about it. It's also pretty amusing to watch the pack of kids fighting for the ball - elbowing teammates and opponents out of their way so that they can get the goal. Isaac actually managed to score a goal on his very first game! So cool!


Isaac after his goal - he was very excited.

Still excited.

Go team yellow!

A couple other pics:

Asa is constantly bringing me his shoes (ooo) to put on him so that he can go outside (si). The other day he brought me some shoes, these socks, and this belt to put on him so that he could go outside. I thought it was a well thought out number.

Adam built a birdhouse per Isaac's request the other day. Then the boys painted it in a variety of beautiful colors. Now if we can convince a bird to take residence in it, we will have two very excited boys.

easter 2010

Another fun Easter filled with egg hunts, family, and way too much candy. Isaac did a great job of reminding us why we celebrate Easter, and I did a great job of overeating. I really love this time of year. Spring is busy trying to break through and I am soaking up every minute of sun and warmth that is willing to come our way. Here are a few pictures of our Easter happenings this year:

the salesman

1. I know what Isaac is going to be when he grows up. I use to think he'd be something like an engineer, architect, or rocket scientist. Then I heard one of the most convincing sales pitches,ever.

He came running up to me, and very enthusiastically says, "We need to get a minnie swivel sweeper!" I guess he had been watching an infomercial. He continued, "It comes with two! You don't have to worry about plugs! It doesn't have wheels, only sliders (as he starts running around the room, imitating how it works). It slides on carpet OR tile! It's awesome! The G2 - it's called the G2." If only he had written down the phone number - I would have SO bought the G2.

2. So, it's pretty hard for most people to understand Luke (which is why it was pretty surprising to me that he didn't qualify for speech therapy through the school - but, that's another story). Sometimes I even have a hard time trying to figure out what he is trying to say. That is because he sometimes makes up his own words.

One of those is 'wocco' (pronounced 'walk-oh'). Every time I would make him chocolate milk or hot cocoa, he would say, "I want to wocco it." I would ask him, "What is wocco?", and he would show me the action for stirring. So, I would tell him to say 'stir'. He finally started saying 'stir', but I never quite understood where 'wacco' came from. But, then the other day, I heard him say, "wacco, wacco, wacco", as he was stirring his cocoa. Then it dawned on me. It was the sound effect for stirring.

One more. He wanted me to make him a sandwich and he wanted 'junk' on it. I told him I had no idea what 'junk' was, and asked him if he wanted a PBJ. He said "Yeah, I want junk on it." Not having the slightest clue what he was referring to, I asked him to show me where the 'junk' was. He points up to the cupboard, and just a little to the left of where the normal peanut butter is. There it was. Chunky peanut butter. He was trying to say 'chunk', but since he can't pronounce the 'ch' sound, it was 'junk'. So, now we have 'junk and jam' sandwiches around here. Well, except for Adam. He prefers not to have any junk on his food :)

3. Isaac was noticing Adam's chest hair one morning and said, "Someday I'll have hair on my chest, huh?". Yep, someday. Then he adds, "Someday I'll have big nipples too, huh?". Now, I need to point out that Adam doesn't have big nipples, but it was still funny.

4. So, it has finally happened. My potty mouth has bitten me in the butt. So far I have been abnormally lucky not to have my boys repeat any swearing they may have heard from me (although, they have repeated words like stupid and crap, and I did trace those back to me). It's not like I'm a sailor though - I've definitely improved dramatically since having kids, but accidents still occur. Anyways, a phrase that, unfortunately, I tend to say too often when frustrated is, "Good hell!" So, now Luke, when frustrated/confused/surprised, has started saying the same. I have apologized to him for my poor example and told him that if he won't say that word, then mommy won't either. He has been doing good (so have I), but sometimes he mixes up the 'okay' words with the bad word. He now tries to say things like 'oopsie' or 'oh nuts!', and being a true Utahn, 'good heck!' And after each one he'll ask me, "Is that okay?".

5. I can't wait until I regain some level of motivation. For now, it has completely disappeared... along with my waistline.

Pics of the week:

Asa before his recent haircut. I miss his shaggy hair.