Every morning when I wake up Luke, he says the exact same thing: "no wipes." He hates getting his diaper changed in the morning - probably because the wipes are so cold (I don't blame him). But regardless, every morning he tries to negotate a diaper change with any wipes. So, a few nights ago, we were playing Barbie dolls with Emma and all three of us were changing the dolls clothes to go to a "party." As Luke was taking off the dolls' clothes, he would look over at me and say, "No wipes. No wipes." Apparently, he didn't want his Barbie dolls to go through the same painful process!

Then today, I was folding clothes in the laundry room. I had just put a load of clothes in and the washer was sensing the load and slowly filling it up with water. It creates somewhat of a loud noise, but Luke thought it was "too loud" and kept yelling at the washer, "that's too loud in my house. That's too loud in my house!" As you can see, he always repeats his sentences twice. Probably because he has realized that we're usually not listening the first time around!!

Lately, all four of us have been cuddling in bed at night, watching T.V. On Sunday, we were watching one of the awards show and I commented that I really liked one of the stars' hair. It was cut super short - almost like a boy cut - and I said that I wished that I had the courage to cut my hair like that because I really liked her hair. Emma looked over and said, "I like you just the way you are, Mommy!"

Yesterday, Casey most of the day chasing the kids around while pretending to be a monster. It was hilarious for the first few hours and then it got annoying. Luke and Emma would SCREAM whenever he would come near. And not just cute little high-pitched squeals - I'm talking blood-curling screams. I asked Luke and Emma several times that they needed to stop screaming. Finally, Casey joined in and told the kids that they needed to stop screaming or they couldn't play anymore. Emma looks at Casey and says, "Daddy, I was screaming at the top of my lungs when you were chasing me." And Luke adds, "Yeah, Daddy, I screaming at the top of my knees!"

On Tuesday, Emma came home from school and said that an orchestra came to visit school today. She was very excited about the various instruments that she saw - a flute, a clarinet, a cello, percussion, etc. We spent a great deal of time talking about the sounds of the instruments and which ones she liked the best. I wasn't sure if it was the Cincinnati Orchestra who visited, so I asked Emma, "where did the orchestra come from?" and she replied, "I don't know. Probably Ohio. They were already there when got to the auditorium."

In order to remember all of the cute stories or comments that Luke and Emma have been recently, I've started a list so that I can blog them later when I have time. So without further ado, here are a few:

A month ago, Emma came home from school with "borrowed" clothes from school and a plastic baggie that contained her jeans & underwear. She had obviously had an accident. She was totally mortified and didn't really want to talk about it other than to say she just couldn't make it to the bathroom. I've seen this time and time again - Emma gets so engrossed into playing that she doesn't want to step away for even a moment. Then the accident happens. So, I start in on the standard lecture on taking the time to take potty breaks and "listening to your body" when its time to go potty and she responds in a frustrated tone, "my body doesn't talk, mommy."

Thanksgiving this year was extra special because of the new addition to our family, William Matthew Henry (Mike & Erin's little one). Mom prepared a beautiful luncheon and we were incredibly blessed to have all of our family present. Megan was asked to say "grace" prior to eating - which was a prayer set to the music to superman. Emma, not wanting to be shown up by her cousin, decides that she, too, has a prayer for Thanksgiving dinner. I look over confused at Casey who only shrugs. At this point, we have no idea what she is going to say. She steps up on the chair, takes a deep breath and starts in... "I pledge allegiance, to the flag...." Immediately, I look around the room and all of the adult have their heads down and their shoulder are shaking. I turn to look behind me and Erin has her hand on heart with an amused look on her face. It was hilarious. We should probably take an opportunity to teach her the "God is great, God is good" prayer. Classic. Here's a few pictures from Thanksgiving:

The kids were pumped to welcome their new baby cousin into the family and everyone wanted to hold him - including Luke. Everytime I had him on my arms, Luke would come running over shouting, "I hold it! I hold it!" We've told him several times that Matthew is a "him" but I don't think he gets it. Here's Luke holding it:


The Wonder Pets is a favorite show of Emma & Luke and they spend a lot of time singing the theme song which has a line that goes something like "what's gonna work? Teamwork?" The day after Thanksgiving, Casey and I bought a new TV and we were in the basement getting it set up. The box had tons of packing styrofoam and the kids were playing around with it, building towers. All of the sudden, the two of them start singing "what's gonna work? Teamwork!" as they are moving the styrofoam from one side of the room to the other. It was too cute!

In a related story, a few weeks later, Luke couldn't move a big pillow from the couch so Emma came over to help him. Once they moved the pillow, Luke looks over at Emma and says, "that's teamwork, Emma!"

Since we got our new TV in the basement, we finally had taken the time to put up pictures and signs and really make it homey down there. I even bought slipcovers to the couch and chairs. I returned home from class one night and Casey takes me downstairs to show me that Luke had drawn on the new slipcover with a pen. Unbelievable! I had the couch and chairs and not once did he touch them. But once I put on a slipcover, apparently he thought it was time to make his mark. Luckily, I got to them quickly and put them in the wash. The next day, I'm driving with the two of them in my car and Emma casually mentions, "So... I guess you know that Lukey drew on your couch with a pen, right?" I told her that I heard and that Daddy had given Luke a lecture. She pauses and says, "I don't know where he got that pen... guess it must have been when Daddy wasn't watching him!" Way to throw Daddy under the bus, Emma!

Christmas was spent with the entire family in Florida. It was the first time that we had done that since 2005 when Emma was a just a little baby! The kids had a great time swimming, playing with cousins and watching movies. Luke and Emma were angels on the trip down and back which may lead to trips in the future!

Please & Thank You

I haven't had too much experience with toddlers but for a 2 year old, I think that Luke is extremely polite... to the point that its just hilarious! Ever since he was little, whenever we say "thank you" to him, its always in a sing-songy voice... kinda like "THANK you, lu-KEY!" Of course, he now mimics that same song when he thanks us.

Last week, I was saying goodbye to him and asked for kisses on the cheek and he shook his head no. So I kissed him on the cheek anyway. He looks over and says "more kisses mommy" so I kiss him on the cheek again. He says "more kisses mommy" and takes his chubby little finger and points to his lips. So I kiss him on the mouth and he proclaims "THANK you, mom-MEE!" It was hilarious!

When I got him out of bed this morning, his hair was crazy-big. So I say "Lukey, your hair is awfully crazy this morning." He replies, "thank you, mommy!"

Wow, so much has happened since my last post... birthdays, anniversaries, vacations, and a new baby!! Since I don't have time (or the memory) to recall all that has happened, I will do my best to re-cap with the help of pictures! Here goes:



Casey spent all of June (literally, 16 hour days) getting our new house all painted and ready for move in day. We finally got everything moved over at the end of June. It was exhausting and I'm eternally grateful for all of Casey's hard work. Here's Luke & Emma at breakfast time - ready to start their day in their new house!





Emma was terribly sad that we had to leave our old house and frequently reminded us that "I never wanted to move." That wasn't exactly comforting to hear in the midst of painting and moving boxes. Fortunately, no one was harmed in this exhausting process!

Karla and Papa invited us to the annual Pipefitters Picnic at Stricker's Grove and we had a blast! So many aunts, uncles and cousins were there and the kids (me included!) had a great time riding the rides!

Emma, Luke and Mamaw enjoy a relaxing carousel ride!

Emma begged Casey to take her on the "big" rollercoaster at the park. She was just tall enough to ride and loved it. Casey said that the look on her face when they dropped over the first hill was priceless - she was terrified! However, after that, she loved every minute of it. What a big girl!

Here are the kids riding the boats (L-R: Shane, Jack, Emma & Kinsey). They had a great time on the rides - especially the "tilt-a-whirl!"












Listen closely, kids... this is what happens when you don't listen to your mommy and daddy!

It was raining one evening, so I had taken the cushions from the porch furniture and stacked them in tall piles against the cabinets in the kitchen. Luke and Emma discovered the cushion piles and started jumping off the top of them. So, I ask, "Luke, Em - please stop jumping off the cushions. Someone is going to get hurt." They, of course, continue. Again, I say, "Luke, Emma, please stop jumping on the cushions." Ignored a second time. So, I lean down to grab the cushions to relocate them and at the exact same time, Emma bends down and jump... right into my face! CRACK! Immediately, my eye starts swelling and I run upstairs to the bedroom (because at that point, I was light-headed). So, Casey comes in and sees the ginormous ping-pong sized ball forming on my eyebrow bone. Meanwhile, Emma is crying and writhing around on the floor, shouting, 'no one is taking care of me!" That is point is when I asked her to leave my room. Needless to say, there was tons of swelling and lots of color. In all of my years in sports, I've never received such a horrible black eye! Even Casey agreed that HE hadn't gotten one that bad either. My work friends had a great time re-telling the story and labeled me "Rocky." Here I am the following day - much better!

AUGUST 2010

In August, we headed to Norris Lake to celebrate Casey's birthday with the Lytle family and Julie and Petey. We had beautiful weather and enjoyed spending each day on the water!

Emma and Wylie playing with poker chips in the A-Frame before bedtime.











Luke and Scout (birthday buddies!) enjoy a dip in the pontoon pool with their juice boxes.

The first day we walked down to the cove, there were a patch of butterflies flying EVERYWHERE in the cove! It was just absolutely beautiful! We were able to get close to them and take pictures. This one was my favorite because the rest of them were black and yellow. This one really stood out! These butterflies were with us the entire trip! It was a comforting feeling knowing that Fort was there to enjoy the festivities!















After we left the A-frame, we drove to Oak Ridge where we stayed for a few days. We enjoyed visiting the Oak Ridge Children's Museum (by the way, NOTHING like the Chesapeake Children's Museum!) which explained Oak Ridge's involvement during the Manhattan Project. It was fascinating! We had a great time staying in a hotel room and the kids were great travelers back home to Ohio. With the chaos of packing and moving, this was a very relaxing vacation! We got home just in time to enjoy the weekend!




HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY, LUKEY THE MAN!

Lukey turned 2 on August 15 and we held a family birthday celebration for him. When the cake was placed in front of him and we all started singing, he got extremely embarassed and started staring intently at his fork rather than enjoying the music. It was hilarious! We were happy to have Papaw-Great join us for the party!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

This year, Emma AND Luke got to join Daddy on the way to school. Emma started Pre-K III this year and Luke joined Ms. Bertsch and Mrs. B at the Early Childhood House. Both enjoyed their first day but were worn out and ready for bed. Yea for school!!!!

OSU vs. OU - Go Bobcats!

A group of us met up at Ohio Stadium to tailgate for the OSU vs. OU game on September 18th. We tailgated at the parking garage directly across from the stadium. We got there super early (8 am! - Fort would be proud). Of course, since it wasn't a big game, we had our pick of parking spaces AND tailgating spaces. We ever saw Rufus the Bobcat assalt Brutus the Buckeye! Good times!

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY, EMMA KATE!

Emma celebrated her 5th birthday by hosting a birthday party for her school friends, Hannah, Simon and Sigourney. We made stepping stones. opened presents and ate pizza and cake. It was a beautiful day and we had a great party with her friends!

And to top it all off - a brand new nephew!Welcome to world, William Matthew!

On final picture - Emma and Luke at the pumpkin patch. Emma just got glasses last month and I have to say - she looks adorable!

Happy Fall!

A Few Cute Stories...

We've been so busy with our big move that I haven't had a chance to update the blog but did manage to remember a couple of cute stories that have happened over the last few days...

Story #1
Luke is a big waver. Everytime he sees someone, near or far, he waves and says "hi." Even if you just walk out of the room and walk back in five seconds later, he will turn and wave and say "hi" like he hasn't seen you in days. Its hilarious. What's even funnier is that he has two kids of waves. Wave #1 is a real low wave that is down by his hip. Wave #2 is when his arm is full extended and he just flicks his wrist up and down. So the other morning, I'm laying in bed in our new house. The door to our bedroom is freshly painted so it sticks just a little bit when you open it. All you need to do is the push the door just a bit harder for it to open but Luke didn't know that. The door was opened just a crack and Luke puts his entire face in a 3-inch crack and starts chanting, "Momma. Momma. Momma." I peek up at him and say "Morning, Lukey." In response, he removes his head from the 3-inch crack and sticks his hand through and gives me a wave (specifically - wave #2). It was a riot!

Story #2
Emma and I were driving to Jen's this week and she asked where her cousins, Hailey and Kenzie, were. I explained that they were in South Carolina, visiting their daddy. Emma asks, "I thought Uncle Mikey was their daddy." I go on to explain to Emma that before Uncle Mikey, Erin and the girls daddy lived in South Carolina and that at some point, Erin and the daddy decided not to live together any more. I further explained that she met Uncle Mikey and they got marrried and now Uncle Mikey is the girls' stepdaddy. She then wanted to know why Erin and the daddy didn't stay together. I give her a lengthy explanation that some dads and mommies decided not to live together but they still love their kids very much. I told her that she doesn't have to worry about her mommy and daddy because they love each other very much and love her and Lukey and that we'll always be a family. At this point, I'm pretty proud of myself because I have reassured my impressionable child that her parents are very much going to stay together. After a long pause, Emma says, "So... who's my stepdaddy?"

Story #3
Last night at dinner, we were discussing the big move and Emma asked Casey if he had ever moved before. Case goes into how he used to live in Athens during college and that when Emma gets older, she will move away and live somewhere else. So, for our own amusement, of course, Casey and I start telling Emma that she can go to ANY college that she wants to in southeast Ohio and that we will help her move into her new place one day. Emma starts getting all weepy and sayss that she doesn't want to live anywhere other than this house with us and that she wants to live with us forever and forever... and then she breaks into tears. Casey and I stare at each other with big eyes and then, all of the sudden, Lukey starts chanting "Ever! Ever! Ever!" at the top of his lungs. We finally got her calmed down but to hear Luke just screaming "forever" over and over was hilarious!

Those are all the stories for now. Hopefully once things calm down, I will be able to post some pictures of the new house!