Wednesday, March 16, 2011

ultimate failure!

Ok, so I won't start with how I have failed this blog yet again. I mean, really? I guess I should just stick to saying that I will post once a month and then I won't be disappointed when I realize that it has been so long since I posted! Ha! Sooooo....what has been going on at the Smith household? Well, for starters, it's Spring Break for me and I am sick. It's like some kind of cruel joke. If I don't feel better tomorrow, I'm heading to the doctor for a shot & antibiotic! It couldn't have anything to do with the crazy weather.... 60 one day, 80 the next and below freezing at night. Ahhhh, gotta love Alabama weather! In other super duper important news: We have officially started potting training! Can I get a WOOT WOOT?? And I must say, that little blond haired boy is doing way better than I expected!! Could be the big ol' treasure box that I have set up on the back of the potty. Every time he goes, he gets to go to his "cheshure box" and get a prize. We have stocked with goodies like cars, plastic insects, balls, candy, suckers, & pixie sticks. And guess what he picks most of all? Oh yeah, the baby crack. Wait, you didn't know that pixie sticks are baby crack?? WHAT?? Kids around the country are jonesing for that crap! Luke LOVES it (especially in the morning). Nice. Mental note: Only buy toys for the treasure box next time! He really is doing pretty good. A few accidents here and there. We are gonna try to be a no pull -up kind of family (except at night) and see how he does. Tomorrow will be his first day back at school (mommy needs a break!) so I hope he does well. A nugget of truth that I have learned as a mom: When all else fails, bribery works! It's just how I roll. A couple of cute things that he has said over the past little while ('cause I will forget so I have to write it down...not to bore you or anything!):
*He was playing in his cozy coupe car and he un-did the gas tank thingy. He said "what's that?" and I told him that was where the gas goes. He said "my car needs gas??". Next thing I know he goes out the door, down our steps (dressed only in his undies, mind you....thankfully we live in the country. and we are little red. ;) ). He goes to the grass and starts pulling up blades of grass. He comes inside and puts the grass in the little tank part and said, "look mommy...I put gas in my car!". TOO CUTE!
*I put him down for his nap yesterday and I covered him up and he said "I need Jesus." I said What?? He said "I need Jesus moosic". When he sleeps at his daycare they put on contemporary Christian music while the kiddos sleep.....He wanted to hear his "Jesus moosic" while he slept!!! How great is that??
*Luke is talking talking talking talking! His new thing is to say, "mommy, guess what?" and then he will tell me something. Tonight it was "My goo-goo is coming over!" (he calls my friend Jennifer Goo-Goo for some reason...we are kinda hoping he will outgrow that b/c it's just kinda weird!".
*He has officially learned to text. Yes, that is right, text. He will tell me he wants to text daddy or he will tell Tom that he wants to text me and I will get messages that look like this: dlkhog8AY9 8GA4EW alkdhgosaihlka;IHG;OIAHLKDGA;aligagoiah   I always know who they are from! Can we say he is a little too enamored with technology? I keep waiting for that song from Napoleon Dynamite "I love technology....but not as much as you and me.....but still I love technology..."
*Luke LOVES Dora (he says 'Doe-ra) and Barney still. I can't help it. That stupid purple dinosaur really does teach kids good things.
*He knows all his letters by sight & out of order so now we are working on him knowing the sounds the letters make. He knows way more than I thought he did! He is also counting to 20 pretty fluently. What can I say? I'm a kindergarten teacher! That boy is going to go to his "May-May's" kindergarten class READING!!
 ;)
*We are seriously considering having a baby brother or sister for Luke. Yikes. Um, YIKES! Scary stuff! Luke was not planned at all...he was quite a surprise so it was just like, "um, yeah, ok, I'm pregnant....we can do this". But now talking about having another and planning it (and working it into a budget) is terrifying. Plus, I'm no spring chicken. I will be 35 in a few months and the hubby has some other health issues that are making us say "now or never". I guess we will see....When we ask Luke if he wants a brother or sister the answer is always "NO!". He doesn't want anyone stealing his thunder I guess! Ha!

Luke is just a joy at this age of 2 1/2. I mean, he can be quite a pill sometimes....I can say black and he will say white. And there are days when the only things he wants to eat are breakfast bars, grits & Coke, but I know these days are gonna be over in a flash so I am trying to just sit back and enjoy the ride. I can't get enough of him really. It's hard to imagine, but I would so easily without thought give my life for that child. When I hold him and rock him some nights I look at his sweet face and those chubby cheeks and that blond hair and I think, "man, he is going to be grown one day and leave me and have his own life...". It makes me sad and it makes me excited for him too. I wonder how he will be when he is grown. Where will he go? What will he do? What adventures await him? And it's so hard to realize that honestly, he is just on loan to me from God. How could God love him as much as I do and even more? But I know that He does. And He always will. Boggles my mind, I tell you.
Hopefully it won't be another month before I write again! :) I gotta keep up with this or I will forget so many things!!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Just a few pics....

Just some recent pictures....




Getting some kisses on snow day!
 Oh yeah, he was ready to get out in the snow! Notice his roller coaster track behind him? My living room looks like a day care!
 Luke sitting on the counter. Because I'm all about safety, right? :)

Really? It's been over a month??

Man, I am a slacker. My best laid intentions of really keeping up with blogging have evaded me yet again. Each day when Luke says something cute or something funny happens, I tell myself, "man, I need to put that on the blog or I will forget about it!". And I forget. Every time. Nice. So, I will try to do a quick recap (as much as my "mommy brain" will let me!)
*We had a great Christmas! Luke was really into opening his presents. He kept calling them his "prizes"! Too cute! He had to open my stocking and Tom's stocking after he got finished opening all his gifts! I had to convince him that the make-up in my stocking was for grown-up GIRLS....he was not a happy camper! He wanted everyone's prize!
*We got a big snow/ice storm that kept me out of work for nearly a week. Luke and I had cabin fever big time, but we all did get to get out a few times and play. It was just so slick that Luke kept falling. He loved being out in it though and every time I looked, he had snow in his mouth eating it! After a few days, he started asking for his friends. He was seriously jonesing to get back to "cool" (that is what he calls his daycare). He loves his friends there! Especially Carsyn and Mason....They are all I ever hear about!!
*Luke is talking SO much lately...we are actually having conversations now. Even Ms. Nancy at his school commented on how much he is talking now and asking for things in full sentences. I still don't think we are ready for the potty yet and his teacher, Ms. Chantel agrees. He won't be 2 1/2 till the end of March so I am not sweating it. It's just something that I'm not going to fight and stress about. He will do it in his own time. He does use the potty from time to time, but does not ask to go. He will go when we ask if he wants to....but that is about it. And that is ok with us. Don't get me wrong...I would LOVE to stop buying diapers, but I want him to be ready and I am not about to push it.
*I am amazed at how smart this kid is! So, here is where I have to brag. Sorry. He won't be 2 1/2 till the end of March, but so far he can:
   ~count to 18 (most days....) and identify numbers to 10
   ~recognize all letters of the alphabet (out of order) with the exception of K and R ... he gets those confused still
   ~identify all his shapes (including hexagon...thanks Iphone App for that one!) and colors
   ~recognize that if we spell out L-U-K-E that it spells Luke....now, I am sure that he can't read it, but he does realize when we are spelling his name and it is really cute. He is always asking us to " 'pell Mommy, 'pell Daddy, 'pell Samson, and so on. I am amazed at his vocabulary and how quickly he picks things up.
  ~work my Iphone better than I can!! It's crazy!!
* We are working on ONLY letting him have his "pap-pap" (paci) at night. He still wants at least 3 in the bed with him. He does the sweetest thing though. I watch him on the monitor in the bedroom and he takes one paci and taps his nose with it while he has the other one in his mouth and the other one in the other hand. Every night. Without fail. I love it! I guess this is how he comforts himself and it makes me smile when he does it!
*He has learned (ahem, thank you, daddy) how to "drop an elbow" when we are playing. Nice.

Stats:
Last we checked he was 35 lbs and I can't remember how tall. But he seems tall to me. He is a big boy (which is A-OK with me since he was a tiny preemie when he was born)! I do remember he was 97th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for height back in early December. He seems to be thinning out because he is ALWAYS moving, running, skipping, jumping, climbing..... you get the picture. People tell me he is built like a linebacker!! Oh my!

Luke truly is my world. I wish everyone could experience that pure and total love that a mommy has when she looks at her baby. He truly is the greatest thing that has EVER happened in my life. I am grateful that God has blessed me with him and I am so proud to be his mommy! I hope Tom and I raise him to be a caring, loving, Godly, respectful man....
Well, that is a not-so-quick recap of all things Luke. I hope to not stay away for over a month next time!