Bathtime or "bat time"

This little boy loves his "bat" time! Luke usually gets a bath every other night, but lately it has become a nightly festivity. Last night while I was getting dinner ready Luke came running out of our bedroom hollaring "bat, bat, bat", so I followed him and he led me to our bathtub. While he has his own bathtub, he is obsessed with taking baths. So last night was not our "scheduled" bath night and when I said, should we go put on your pajamas, he shook his head no and said "bat". I said, no honey, it is not bath night, let's put on your pajamas. He shook his head no again and said "bat". As if that wasn't persistant enough he took off up the stairs, into his bathroom, pulled a washcloth from the drawer, threw it in the bathtub, and started grabbing at his clothes. How could we not give him a bath! Here is our little Luke enjoying his "bat"!

Gymnastics

Monday Luke had his 1st gymnastics class! He was very shy at the beginning, sitting in the circle just watching as everyone else began doing jumping jacks and stretches. It took a good few minutes for him to warm up then he just started jumping up and down. This is an interactive gymnastics class led by an instructor, but parents go through all the stations with the little ones. So Luke had seven stations to go through, head stand, cartwheel, jumping on the trampoline, walking the balance beam backwards, back roll over, summersalt, and his favorite the uneven bars in which he climbed and hung like a monkey. At one point they where to hold onto the bar and walk their feet up the mat that was against the wall. Well, Luke took it to a whole new level. He not only walked his feet all the way up the wall but then he wrapped is feet around the bar as well, it was quite hysterical. When the class was over we did ring around the rosy, some stretches, and all the kiddos got stamps on their feet! Luke loved it! I am so glad we were able to find this fun class for him. He has a lot of energy and there is nothing better than letting this kid jump on the trampoline and hang on the monkey bars to wear off some energy! I didn't get any pictures because it was very hands on! Maybe next time daddy can go with us and snap some shots of the monkey in action!

Baby it's cold outside

Brrrr....is all I have to say to sum up this morning! Coldest day yet this year, in places it is -25 with windchill, many schools are delayed two hours because of the brutally cold temps. My car read 0 degrees at 3:30 this afternoon with the sun beating down on my black car! To say I am jealous of everyone in temperatures above 40 is an absolute understatement. To name a few close to me that I am insanely jealous of...first and foremost SEAN! Sean has been enjoying 70+ temps in beautiful San Diego since Tuesday. He is away this week for his National Sales Meeting. This is his first time in San Diego and he is in love with it, and he sure picked a great week to be gone. Luke and I miss him so much, we are halfway through him being gone. We are headed up to my parents this weekend to visit and hope that Sunday gets here soon!
Next on my list of jealousy...my brother Bryan and his wife Kate! They left for Mexico with Kate's family to enjoy some fun in the sun!
Lastly, I am insanely jealous of my brother Nate who has been enjoying the California sun for the past few winters! I think today he is actually golfing, probably wearing shorts and a t-shirt too! This will be his last California winter as he is moving back to Seattle in February! We are so happy for he and his fiance Debbie that they finally get to live in the same state after a couple of years of long distance!
We are hoping this weather passes quickly. Let me tell you...I have been searching some tropical weekend getaways and we may have to book a couple of tickets if this weather doesn't turn around SOON!
I was walking into an account this morning and my chest hurt from breathing in the cold air...brrrrr!
Stay warm and enjoy some comfort soup!

What's Luke up to?

As the weather here in Iowa is brutally cold, we are spending lots of time doing inside activities. Luke has had several first experiences with finger paint, chalk, crayons, and bath tub crayons & painting!

Luke's 1st painting

Let's just say this was a big ole mess! We have painted again, and each time we do a better job of cleaning up so I am not wearing paint and it isn't all over my counter! Hence, why we are giving bath tub painting a shot!

Luke driving the ambulance at the Children's museum.

Best investment of the year...buying a family pass!

We frequent the museum and Luke absolutely loves it. He knows exactly where to go first. After we check in and hang up our coats he darts for the stairs so he can go work in the Farm Room! He plants vegetables, drives the tractor, racks the garden, and goes down the slide in the barn. When we are done in the Farm Room, off to save some people! Luke loves to drive the ambulance and hold the babies in the hospital nursery.

Caught red handed eating my yogurt~Such a big boy

This is what happens when Luke is finished eating his breakfast and I make a mad rush to clean up his tray before he scatters his remains all over the kitchen floor~yes, we are working on keeping food ON THE TRAY! I turn my back for a couple of minutes to clean up his mess, only to find him sitting in my chair, eating my yogurt like a big boy!

I also want to document for my own purposes that we have started time-outs with Luke. I wish I had a picture of him sitting so good, but I didn't think that would serve a good purpose. We were very reluctant because Luke does not sit still for a moment, we thought, how in the world can we get him to sit in time out. Much to our surprise, he does a good job. He has a spot on the 2nd step on the staircase going up and he faces the front door. Right now, he sits for 90 seconds. He has been in time out a few times for throwing food off his tray when we tell him "no" and he shakes his head NO then throws it across the kitchen. He has also been in timeout for climbing the wine fridge after several warnings. We have to be careful saying the word "time out" because he will run to the stairs on his own. As everything is...a work in progress!

Luke's 1st Haircut

We took Luke to get his 1st haircut Saturday, January 15th at J Street Salon in North Liberty. Andrea cuts Sean's hair, and did a wonderful job with Luke. Luke had a comb in both hands and occasionally dad would pop a fruit snack in his mouth when he started getting squirmy. He did a great job, even let her break out the clippers to even out the back. I didn't realize just how much hair this little guy had. We were so sad to see his curls go and are hoping they will come back. I can't believe how much a small haircut can truly change the way a person looks. Luke looks sooooo grown up now, which is NOT what we are going for, but truly he looks like such a little boy rather than our Baby Luke!

Luke, comb in hand!

Not really sure what to think about the scissors or the clippers but he did so well!

Just chillin' after his 1st experience getting a haircut...that was a lot of work!

such a big boy...helping dad clean out the fireplace!

Wordless Wednesday

"Who needs a haircut?"

Grandma's Boy

Well...it has happened, Luke is definitely a Grandma's boy! It was pretty apparent over the holidays that he favored my mom, but still giving lots of attention to Grandpa and his aunt & uncles. However, it has become more obvious that this little boy is all about his Maam-ma!
This weekend my parents were kind enough (I know right...I had to twist their arms) to come down and watch Luke so Sean and I could go to Chicago for the day to attend his dad's induction into the Illinois Track & Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame. (more on that later)
Luke calls my mom maam-ma or maybe even sometimes maa-maa, and my dad Bop! He had such a fun time with them this weekend, and enjoyed a visit from Uncle Mitch too. One of Luke's new words "Mitch" and he says it plan as day. They played lots of basketball, colored, road on his new bike, and of course watched football, or BAWW as Luke says.
Come Sunday morning when it was time for Maam-ma and Bop to leave, the tears started flowing. I am sure it made it so hard for my parents to leave knowing that Luke was reaching out for his Maam-ma and crying all together.
What I haven't mentioned, as that when my mom is around, I apparently to not exist to Luke:( boo-hoo!
It is so wonderful to see how much Luke loves and enjoys his grandparents!

Snapshot of how Luke loves his Maam-ma, he wanted her to hold him during their picture. Sorry dad, but to make you feel better Luke said Bop first and says it all the time! Every time he plays or sees a tractor he says Bop!

Our New Years

We enjoyed a relaxing New Years weekend in the comfort of our new home with our great Kalamazoo friends, The Rozewicz. We enjoyed lots of fabulous food, wonderful company, and as always many many laughs!
Luke and his girlfriend Melina, six months apart, played so well together. The last time they were together was in October and it is amazing to me to see how much more they played together.

Happy New Year 2011

Sean the bartender serving up some new years cocktails!

Mike & Deb

Chef Roz!!!

Mike served up one delicious meal:

Crab legs

Homemade pasta sauce/meat balls & sausage

Pasta

My contribution: pear salad

our two little munchkins checking out the wildlife

Who knew you could have so much fun in a cardboard box

Now it's time to play in the tent

Lounging...beer in hand, football on TV...does it get any better???

Reflection on 2010

After our first day to work in 2011, I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on the joys of 2010. It amazes me to see the pictures below and watch our Sweet Little Luke grow from a baby to a toddler. He certainly has brought so much joy and love to our loves, so much it is hard to imagine so much happiness can come from such a small little guy. Our days are becoming more and more exciting with our crazy little boy and we wouldn't have it any other way.
A big milestone for our family in 2010 was the addition of my sister Kate, who married my brother Bryan in May. I turned 30 in April and enjoyed a weekend getaway to Mexico while my parents watched Luke for the weekend! Our big milestone of the year was building our new home. We thoroughly enjoyed the building process and we feel so fortunate to have had such a remarkable experience. It means so much to us to have built the home that our family will grow up in and many memories will be made. Again, we are thankful for another healthy year for our family. 2010 was a wonderful year and we look forward to all that 2011 will shine upon us. We wish for a healthy year for all of our dear family and friends, and much happiness to all!!!

Our sweet little boy flashing smiles at 4 months old

Luke is getting his 1st taste of rice cereal at 5 1/2 months


We celebrated Luke's 1/2 birthday March 4, 2010 with Uncle Mitch

My three boys celebrating Daddy's birthday March 18, 2010


Our mover and shaker
Luke started crawling in April 2010 right before mommy & daddy left for Mexico to celebrate My 30th birthday! Luke stayed with my parents for his first weekend without mommy & daddy.


Mr. and Mrs. Bryan Einck
May 29, 2010


Our family helping Bryan and Kate celebrate their wedding
Luke's 1st time being a ring bear at 8 1/2 months old
Daddy pulled him in a wagon and he did such a great job!


Construction was started on our new home in June


Luke loved spending summer nights in the nude playing on his blanket


Luke's hair is starting to grow in


Enjoying some pool time in July
Luke loved his swimming pool so much


Luke's 1st car in July
This is still one of his favorite toys and he loves to push his friends around on the car


Chewing on everything....

In July we enjoyed our 1st family vacation to Whitewater Lake, WI and Wisonsin Dells
Luke had so much fun on all the water toys


Enjoying the indoor water park
Unforunately you ended up getting hand, foot, and mouth disease so mommy spent the rest of her vacation taking care of a sick little boy


1 year old
September 4, 2010

Celebrating our little guys birthday on the actual day. We enjoyed a football themed birthday party after the Iowa Hawkeyes won their opening game for the season. Many family and friends came to help celebrate and you LOVED your chocolate football cake!


Enjoying your 2nd halloween, this year as a monkey.
Luke loved playing outside this Fall until the street lights came on, so he thought it was a real treat to run around the neighborhood until dark seeing all the fun costumes. He was such a silly little monkey and had so much fun.

Our sweet little monkey boy...and that he is!

Our new home near completion
We closed and moved into our house Thanksgiving weekend

Luke and Daddy showing off Daddy's prize trophy buck

This was the 1st buck Sean harvested with his bow and arrow, November 5, 2010

Luke enjoying the 1st snow

He wasn't really sure what to think of it and wanted me to carry him until he go comfortable. This little boy loves being outdoors, regardless of rain, shine, sleet, or snow!

Luke loving the Christmas tree

Our Family
December 24, 2010

Our Christmas 2010

Our Christmas 2010 shared by the photos below...

Luke and mommy while we waited in line to see Santa on 12/20/10 at the Coralville Mall

Luke on Christmas Eve 2010

Our living room after our little family Christmas
We celebrated our Christmas, the 3 of us on December 23rd before we headed up to my parents for the weekend. We enjoyed our day together and watching Luke get so excited to open presents this year. He would tear a little piece of wrapping paper off and hand it to me, he was so proud!

Luke's 2010 ornament

Each year we will adore the Christmas tree with an ornament for Luke

We chose this ornament because of his obsession with footballs, basektballs, any sort of ball he can find.

Sean gives me a "family" ornament every year. Starting off with wedding in 2007. This years ornament is so fitting because Luke loves to sit on Gunner and we chase him ALL over the place!

Luke opening up his gifts from mommy, daddy, and Gunner

opening presents

Luke really enjoyed opening gifts this year, it was so much fun. I look forward to the many years ahead to celebrate with our Sweet Little Luke

Perfect, now Luke can help me clean!

Another obsession of his is sweeping the floor.

a new pair of earrings!

Thanks Santa!

Sean and luke opening gifts

Sean opening some new clothes

Luke's 1st letter to Santa...

He wrote "I've been a good boy all year long. Please bring me a mega play land and my 1st gun! Love, Luke" and left two cookies...

...but not without taking a bite first!

It was so darn cute, we laid out the plate and letter and wanted to get a picture of Luke with them, before we knew it he had taken a bite!

Daddy and Luke on Christmas Day 2010

Mommy & Luke on Christmas Eve before mass

Our Little Family

Christmas Eve 2010

We most definitely enjoyed a white Christmas

Christmas morning we took Luke sledding and he loved it. He mostly loved watching the cows eat after "Bop" (aka Grandpa) fed them.

Santa came!!!

Luke got his 1st Gun...a nerf gun

Joking around with daddy and putting nerf darts on his forehead

Christmas morning opening up gifts from Santa.

Luke awoke at 6:15 ready to see what Santa brought him. His Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncles Mitch & Nate were just as excited so everyone woke up bright and early to watch Luke open his gifts from Santa! Then enjoyed a delicious gourmet breakfast via my mom!

Grandma and Luke playing in his new tunnel

Uncle Nate being silly and playing in the mega playland with Luke on Christmas morning

Hugs and kisses from Uncle Nate!

We enjoyed having you home and spending lots of time together!

We miss you!

The Guys on Christmas night!

and the girls...a little outnumbered! But not for long...

Luke with Grandma and Grandpa Einck on Christmas night

aka "Maam-ma& Bop"

Luke patiently waiting for the dinner dishes to get cleaned up and our tradition of grasshopers being made so we can begin opening gifts...he was such a good boy and enjoyed being the center of attention!

Einck Family

Christmas 2010

Missing Debbie...but Nate showing off her stocking!

The mantle is becoming more and more crowded and it is a wonderful sight! My older brother Nate will be giving me another sister this July! Unfortunately Debbie was not able to make it back from Seattle for the holiday. We look forward to the years ahead!

Luke ready to open gifts!

Alright...it's time!

Luke opening his gift exchange from Godmama Kate

"A tent"

Luke was so excited he got a tent that he wanted to carry it all over the living room.

Sean opening his gift exchange from Mitch

Personalized glasses for his bar

Luke didn't want to sit still too long, he was ready for the next round of gifts!

Luke & Grandpa in deep thought

My crazy family who I love dearly, having fun playing games and sharing lots of laughter...the true meaning of our Christmas together...being together and laughing until we cry! Lots of tears shed from laughing so hard, what a wonderful feeling...

Laugh so hard you cry