before bed

luke enjoys taking a spin on his bike before heading off to bed most nights. nothing like a naked bike ride!

and he also loves to take his good friend, Scout, for a walk around the condo.

big shoes to fill...

luke loves to try on daddy's (or anybody's) shoes that he sees in the hallway. he gets such joy out of getting them on his feet and trying to walk around.

belly-button!!

luke found his!

notice how he sucked his belly in once he realized the camera was on him! :)

luke is 17 months old! 3.6.11

you make our hearts sing! we love you luke!

things you love to do these days:

*ride this very bike all over the house

*spin around and get dizzy especially when your favorite music is playing

*play with your helicopter toy and watch it follow you as you pull it behind you

*help daddy take out the garbage

*turn light switches on and off

*open and close doors and say "dah" for any word that starts with "d" (includes door, dad, down, dog)

*play ball with daddy - "he shoots. he scores."

*"read" a ton of books a day and point to various objects in the books

*do the sign for banana when you see them sitting on the table and then eat at least one a day

*sing, hum, and dance to your favorite songs from Ralph's World

*point to each of your family members when we ask "where is..." either in person or in photos

*point to your eyes, ears, nose, mouth, belly, toes, head, hair, knees

*walk really fast up and down our long hallway

*play cars and trucks all day

we can't wait to see what you have in store for us next month!

balancing act

eric and i often find ourselves balancing things (stacking cups, books, blocks, etc) on our heads or luke's head when we're playing with him. it's fun for him to come over and knock the object off our heads or for him to knock it off his own. towards the end of dinner tonight, luke demonstrated that he has learned the art of balancing as well. here he is "balancing" the plastic wrapping from a piece of cheese on his head. :) love you, and your funny personality, luke!

happy valentine's day

happy valentine's day! love is really all you need and even luke knows that!

we had to postpone valentine's day this year as our little household came down with a bad stomach bug that affected all three of us at different times over the course of several days. on valentine's day itself, eric slept all day, while luke and i lounged around trying to relax and slowly get back into the swing of things. eric was the last one afflicted but it seems like it hit him the hardest. so, our v-day this year was a little different than we imagined, but we're all better and that's what matters. :)

luke posing with his card (he is really into penguins right now) and his new books. him laying down was the only way i could get him to pose for the camera.

and just because i like to look back in picture time, this was valentine's day last year. seeing these side by side makes me realize how much luke has changed over the last year.

saying goodbye to great grandma j

great grandma j passed away on february 4th after 93 years of life in this world. we were so very sad to hear the news, but we know that she loved jesus and she has gone to be with the Lord.

we made the 6 hour drive to osceola, iowa to attend her funeral services over the weekend. while it was a sad time, it was also a wonderful time spent with the johnson family. there were tears, laughter, great conversation, and plenty of liverpool rummy playing.

we're so happy that she and luke were able to spend some time with each other back in september.

you are dearly loved and dearly missed, grandma j.

we love our pj luke!

luke is 16 months old! 2.6.11

and is busier than ever!! we love you lukie!!

chicago blizzard 2011

we had quite the blizzard blow through town these last 48 hours. we hunkered down for the majority of the time, but ventured out for just a little bit so we could get an up close and personal look. these are the times that we are very happy to live in a condo in the city. no shoveling or snow blowing to be done! we could enjoy the snow without dreading the grunt work.

luke and daddy working from home.

out to the streets we go.