a little of this...a little of that

Luke's first day of school June 13, 2011
Luke all ready for Ms. A's
We started Luke in a structured playschool one day a week that began yesterday. He will be going one morning a week during the summer and will transition to two mornings a week this Fall. We thought it would be good to get him acclimated prior the the baby's arrival in September. To say I was a bit nervous is an understatement. Luke has become a very early riser these past couple of weeks and when I say early I mean 430-500 a.m. Which means, he has been in need of a nap by 8! So I prayed all night Sunday that he would sleep good and be well rested for a full morning of fun and learning! Well, that didn't happen, but as it turned out, he was such a good boy at school and enjoyed it greatly. When I dropped him off he dove right in to all the activities she had set up and started saying "bye-bye" and blew me kisses. I took that as my cue to get out of there before he changed his mind. Every time my phone rang, I would get anxious that it was Ms. A calling to tell me Luke was having a major meltdown. Pick up time was 1130 and when I arrived he was having the time of his life with a group of kids. I asked how he did she said "he is one curious, busy boy!" Of course we know that! She said around 1030 he started saying mama and pointed to the stairs, but no tears. When it was time to go, he didn't want to leave, we literally left kicking and screaming. I take that as...he had a great time! I am so thankful for his outgoing, social personality that allows him to be so independent at times:)


This is what I returned home to after church last Sunday

As I mentioned earlier, Luke has been an early riser, therefore resulting in an early morning nap. So when I left for church last Sunday the two boys were playing in the toy room. Luke saw me pull out of the driveway from his toy room window and had a massive meltdown so Sean sidetracked him by taking him out back to the swing...the rest is history! Luke took a nice long hour nap in his swing while Sean listened to a little Dave Matthews Band on his iphone!

27 1/2 weeks...welcome 3rd trimester! My waistline no longer exists and I feel this baby growing daily! I had my 28 week appointment today and baby is measuring right on target, heartbeat 144, and moving like a little jumping bean! Baby should be around 2 lbs and 14 inches long. I am happy to share that I passed my glucose screen so no more fruity orange drink for me! I am feeling good, aside from some aches and pains but that is to be expected. Last week during my travel to Orlando, I was extremely uncomfortable with all the sitting and little time for any sort of activity, but have started feeling much better now that I am back chasing after my busy little Luke. The weather has been great and I can actually enjoy being outside, so I pray that it continues to be mild. This baby is still highly favoring my right side, specifically under my ribs, which is not pleasant while I sit. It is hard to believe we are on the homestretch and this little one will be here in three very short months! We cannot wait for this Sweet Baby to join our family.

Maybe we don't say it enough

Thank you..
As I sit in the Minneapolis airport, anxiously awaiting my flight to LaCrosse, WI so I can get in my car and get to Waukon to see my sweet little Luke, and furry child Gunner, I can't help but be reminded of how thankful I am for such a loving and supportive family. I am blessed. It truly takes a lot of coordination, patience, and support from my family to allow me to work outside of the home and help take care of Luke. Maybe I don't say it often enough...maybe I don't say it at all, but Thank you to my sweet family and great friends for being so supportive and understanding, as sometimes the demands of our work can get us sideways and it is always the ones we love the most that sometimes get the backseat.

Last night in Orlando, we had our awards ceremony for the top performers of fiscal year 2011 that we closed April 29th. Something my company did that they have never done before was truly amazing and brings tears to my eyes as I sit here and think about the thoughtfulness that went into this big surprise!!! Every year we recognize the top sales representative and district sales manager within our organization, which is one of the biggest accomplishments you can receive during your career. First they announced the District Sales Manager of the Year, after she took the stage and to receive her award they asked her to turn around at the screen that lined the back wall. They played a video of her sweet little five year old boy and her husband congratulating her and telling her how proud they were of what she has accomplished. It brought tears to my eyes to see how proud her family was of her, but most importantly because that award belonged to them too. Next up was the Sales Representative of the Year, after he made his way to stage, they asked him to turn around and look at the screen. Out walked his wife, three young kids, and his parents carrying a large bouquet of balloons...I don't believe there was a dry eye in the room. This young gentleman spoke to our sales force and pointed to his family...this is why I work! As he stood on stage with his family, his five year old little boy gave him a pat on the back, his dad gave him a kiss on the cheek and told him how proud he was. He accepted the award on behalf of his family because without their support and patience he couldn't accomplish the success that he has. As I sat with my team of guys and girls, we all wiped tears from our eyes, some more than others (I promise it was hormonal!), I made sure to remind them all this morning...thank your families! So, THANK YOU to my family and my friends. I am blessed!

Luke stories

Luke is always wanting to go bye-bye...here he is in Uncle Nate's shoes!

Today our family is going in three different directions. I am off to Orlando for a work meeting until Saturday, Sean takes off for New Jersey for work tomorrow morning through Sunday, and the two boys...Luke & Gunner are at the farm! I took Luke up to my parents today so he could spend a few days at "camp Bop & Nana". As hard as it is for me to leave my sweet little boy, I don't think it was nearly as hard for him to say good-bye and blow me kisses. He was a happy little camper knowing he was at the farm with his Bop & Nana. This morning I was packing my suitcase, when Luke saw what I was doing he said "bye bye, Bop?". He has been wanting to go to the farm for days, so it was great to finally tell him, "yes, you are going to see Grandpa & Grandma". He went up to his room, into his closet and brought his bag down, of course empty, but the idea of him grabbing his bag just made me laugh. To top it off, he went and got his crocs and had one on, the wrong foot of course, and holding the other one asking for "belp". After we loaded up the car, he continuously said "Bop" over and over. I told Luke, "go nigh-nigh" and when you wake up we will be at Grandpa & Grandma's. Shortly into the drive he fell asleep and I was enjoying a very quiet drive, radio off, just the pure quietness, when out of the blue Luke yells "Bop!" This little guy doesn't forget a thing. It is so great to know that not only do my parents completely love having him for a few days, Luke is loving his time away from mommy & daddy. I just hope he misses us a little. A couple other funny Luke stories...last night the three of us were laying in our bed watching his nightly episode of Backyardigans. After his bath, we usually let Luke watch one episode of Backyardigans before we take him to his room for books and bed. One of the characters names is Pablo and he is usually the first to appear as they are opening up the show. He comes on and says "Hi, my name is Pablo!" Last night right when the show came on and the music started Luke yelled out "Pabo!" Sean and I died laughing. After the show was just about over, Luke knew it was coming to an end he started to sign for more. I told him we were all done, it was time to give daddy a kiss good night. He looked at Sean and said "moat, moat" is this strong Canadian accent, we realized he wanted the remote for more. My last funny story of Luke last night...Sean put him in time out for throwing his food at the dinner table. (constant battle at our house and we are open to ANY and ALL suggestions on how to break this!) I asked Sean to put him in time out because he usually sits better for him. Sean took him to the stairs, where we have him sit on the 2nd step. I was in our kitchen cleaning up from dinner and Sean walked away from the steps and was talking to me. All of a sudden Sean saw Luke peek around the corner of our dining room, he said to him sternly to get back in time out, Luke ran as fast as he could back to the step and sat there again. This continued to go on over and over, I was laughing so hard I was crying.

I know I keep saying how amazed we are at all the recent developments and new happenings each day. It is truly amazing to watch this little rambunctious 21 month grow and learn each day. We are so in love with him, he makes us laugh everyday, and brings pure joy to our everyday lives. We do have our moments which make us question our parenting and searching for advice, but its all about him learning, even if its learning how to push mom and dad's buttons!

26 1/2 weeks

I am due for a Sweet Baby Merrick #2 update...unfortunately for those asking, no bump picture to share. I will try to get one over the next few days as I am sure it will take many of you by surprise. This baby is growing, growing, growing...therefore my waistline is growing, growing, growing! Everything is going well on the baby front. This little one is taking after Big Brother already...quite the busy body. Moving at all hours of the day and definitely wants to be "seen" taking some big jabs so we can all see my stomach jump from side to side! Sweet Baby is definitely favoring my high right side just like Luke did which makes sitting for long periods of time a little uncomfortable. I believe Baby is in breech position based on the kicks and movements, again like Big Brother, let's just hope that this sweet little one doesn't get too comfortable sitting like that and makes a major move in the next 13 weeks! Time will tell...we have a very open mind for whatever needs to be done for a healthy delivery/baby. Next Monday I have my lovely "orange drink" appointment to test for gestational diabetes, along with my rhogam shot. I will see my doctor on Tuesday, then begin seeing her every two weeks. Currently Baby should be weighing almost two pounds and measuring a little over a foot long! I suppose it is time to start organizing Luke's clothes?! When we moved I literally threw all of his clothes in totes, not taking into consideration how nice it would be to have them labeled and sorted 0-3, 3-6, 6-9 months! Good project for a rainy weekend:) Other than that, I seems weird to not be going crazy getting stuff ready. Everyone keeps asking me if we are ready and I get a bit concerned...Am I not as prepared? What else do I need to do? Am I not as excited? What's wrong with me? As long as I have a few gowns and newborn diapers I should be okay, right? Right now I am just hoping the weather cools off a bit so I can "enjoy" these next few months outside!

Luke's toy room

Well, it is a whopping 95 degrees with a heat index of 102 today! Typical Midwestern summer day, well not exactly summer yet, but day in June! I'm hoping this isn't any indication of what this summer will be like or this lady will not be leaving the AC:) Two summers ago when I was pregnant with Luke we had a week of very hot and humid temps for Western Michigan, in the high 90s, for a couple of weeks early in June then it subsided to a very pleasant, mild summer! i am hoping the same goes for this summer. Luke is enjoying his monkey pool and sand table, along with running crazy with all the neighbor kids. I find myself easily winded as I run after him, but its worth it!
A couple of weeks ago while Sean was out of town my parents came down to help me hang all our pictures and artwork around the house. I had been meaning to get the alphabet up in Luke's toy room and am happy to say it is finally complete. I bought all the wooden letters at Hobby Lobby and painted them in primary colors to line one of the walls in his toy room. Next on my list are numbers 1-10, and shapes! Let's hope it doesn't take me 6 months to get this completed:) Luke loves to point to his letters and sing the alphabet...at least he is trying! Luke is talking more and more each day and we now have to watch what comes out of our mouths very closely because he will repeat! We are certainly enjoying each and every new milestone, and working very patiently on managing his temperament!

Memorial Day weekend

We spent our Memorial Day weekend in our old stomping grounds, Kalamazoo Michigan, visiting lots of great friends! We had such a wonderful weekend and were able to see so many friends, eat food from all our favorite places, and visit our old neighborhood. We took off Thursday end of day hoping Luke would take a nap, however no nap from this boy! He was such a good traveler though, with the help of Curious George! Luke watched a movie after about an hour and a half of being a good little passenger. We enjoyed a very pleasant trip, aside from a minor detour due to construction. We made a pit stop at Bass Pro Shop in Portage, IN...very fitting, I know! We ate dinner, let Luke run around to see all the animals and fish, put his pjs on and hit the road. He finally fell asleep about six miles from our destination! We stayed with our great friends, The Jankovic's, and can't thank them enough for their amazing hospitality. Friday, Sean went into Stryker to visit, while Luke and I enjoyed Luke with some neighbor friends, The Eliuk's (who lived across the street from us who happened to be Luke's 1st non family babysitters), and Carie Doerr. It was so great catching up and visiting while Luke and Caitlyn played. Friday night we had our favorite, Chinn Chinn (amazing chinese), with our friends The Rozewicz's, Jankovic's, and Adloff's. Saturday was a big ole fashion BBQ! The Jankovic's hosted a Memorial Day BBQ so we got to see so many of our friends and the kids got to run wild. The weather didn't cooperate the best, but we made the most of the situation and you will see from the pictures below, the kids had a ball with the sidewalk chalk! There were nearly 20 adults and 17 kids, 14 of which are 4 and under!!!! Talk about craziness. Luke slept great Saturday night:)

Luke is pulling Brayden (Ryan & Erin's son who is 6 months younger) around in the garage. Check out all the art with sidewalk chalk!!!
Luke playing with Johnny Twork! Johnny is 4 months older than Luke

Sean with a few of his Stryker guys

Jim, Brian, and Jeff

Luke absolutely loved Brayden's rocking horse

Our dear friends the Rozewicz's!

Sweet Brayden Jankovic!

Friday afternoon, Sean took the boys for a wagon ride

Yes, that is marker on Luke's face! We were visiting the Eliuks and this is how he left...green marker all over his face:) It was washable!

Buddies!

Nate & Debbie's shower weekend

Nate and Debbie's pre wedding celebration weekend!

Debbie with the two mom's
Our spread of food!
The cake and flowers

The dessert table...cookies, cupcakes, and chocolates!

While I am just a couple of weeks behind, I wanted to be sure to share with you our wonderful weekend celebrating my older brother Nate and his bride to be Debbie, upcoming wedding. Nate and Debbie got engaged one year ago on Memorial day weekend at my parents farm, and will soon be celebrating their wedding this July in Seattle, WA! We were so fortunate to have them back for the weekend a couple of weeks ago, along with Debbie's mom and sister. The guys enjoyed a rainy day of golf, good news was they had the course to themselves, and followed that up with a bachelor party for Nate. While the guys played, my sister-in-law Kate and I through a bridal shower for Debbie. (of course, with the help of my wonderful mom!) I have attached many pictures from our fun filled weekend, and I apologize for the order and randomness of the photos, I had some trouble formatting! After the bridal shower, many of our family went up to the country club to continue celebrating with the guys after they finished golf, so they could see Nate while he was back for the weekend. We had such a wonderful weekend and feel so fortunate to have such a loving family that makes weekends like this so special. We are overjoyed to have Debbie joining our family and thankful to have the opportunity to meet and visit with her mom and sister over the weekend. As hard as it is to have my older brother living halfway across the country, while we all miss him so much, I am so thankful to know that he is joining such a warm, loving family! We are so excited to visit Seattle this July and celebrate their big day! We love you Nate & Debbie and are counting down the days!

The soon to be BRIDE & GROOM!

A cousin picture with those that were able to make it! We are so blessed by such a loving & fun family

Nate with Grandma Einck and Grandpa & Grandma Hackman

My 3 brothers and I (apparently we were lining up tallest to shortest...my brothers are all 6 ft plus and I was wearing really high heels!)

The Einck Family is growing...I love it:)

The girls are growing in numbers...not so outnumbered anymore!

A familly snapshot

Nate with Davida (future mother in law) and my mom

My dad's siblings & my Grandma Einck

My mom with her siblings (minus one sister) and my Grandma & Grandpa Hackman

The happy couple

Three cute little boys! Hudson (August), Luke (September), and Jordan (January) are all 2nd cousins and born within 6 months of eachother. Luke had so much fun playing with the boys all afternoon!

My sweet little boy!

He sure is a Grandma's boy!

With my sisters!!

Debbie and her sister Susie, maid of honor!

Luke and his aunt Debbie!

Debbie with our two sweet Grandma's