18 days

Luke will be one year old in 18 days. How is that possible? He has rolled off of one bed (it was a high one), and two couches, has had numerous bumps and bruises, been left once with strangers only to cry for his mom the entire time (the strangers were family members), fallen in his bath twice, had suntan lotion rubbed in his eye, has been sick twice AND he has been kissed billions of times by his mother, held and snuggled after every bump and bruise, squeezed tightly after being left with strangers, and loved so much that it makes me cry. What would I do without him? He is a part of me that I cannot live without. He is my sidekick through my many adventures which include folding the laundry and doing the dishes. We go to battle together when cleaning the house by holding him while I vacuum and sweep (he is secretly scared of them both), and when driving anywhere, I keep an eye on things out the front window while he keeps watch out the back window. We are unstoppable.

I love being a mom.

11 months? Really?

I cannot believe it. I know every mom says that "time flies" and they can't believe their little one is so many months old. Well, I join that group of women because I can't believe that Luke is coming up on 1 year. Wow.

(He really enjoyed a piece of bread with strawberry jam on it)

Christmas was a blast! We stayed here with Dave's parents and even spent the night at their house. There's nothing like enjoying the holidays with people that you love.

(Thanksgiving at my parent's house)

(Opening his first present in his special Christmas pajamas with grandma)

Luke is a walking maniac. Just give him an open space and he will take advantage. Our apartment is small so he doesn't get the chance to do that very often. But when we are at his grandparents house he just walks and walks and walks. Such a cute boy. He weighs 21 lbs and is 31 inches long. His favorite game is to have someone chase after him. The funny thing is that he gets distracted as he is running away from you and has to stop to check out the ball on the ground or the shiny magnet on the fridge until he remembers that he was being chased. It makes me laugh every time.


My aunt got Luke this adorable Sunday outfit for Christmas. Unfortunately, he is a rather big boy and didn't fit into the 12 month shirt. We rolled up the sleeves and didn't button up the shirt so that we wouldn't choke him. But we did find another use for the tie. It looks rather cute with a onesie.

(Just another day at the office.)
Wow. This picture really makes him more like a little boy than a baby. I don't think I am ready for that yet.

OTHER NEWS:
Dave got a full-time job on campus at UVU. He loves it and even has his own office. He plays "nooners" basketball on campus as well as with our ward. Luke loves to watch him play and wants so badly to go out and join him on the court. My sister is serving a mission in the Maryland Baltimore mission and I miss her terribly. I am expanding (or discovering) my cooking skills and trying to give Dave more of a variety for dinner. It's fun! But expensive. So I try not to get carried away. I am going to the temple once a week with my friend Aimee (I started last week), and I love it! I am so excited all week long to go again. Dave and I also went last Saturday after quite a while of not going together and it was spectacular. I had an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for baby Luke. He was sent to me specifically to be his mother and Heavenly Father has so much trust in me to take care of this little spirit. What a privilege and joy.

He woke up. I am needed elsewhere. Thanks for reading!