So Big!!!!

Luke has recently started waving "hi" and "bye" which of course I wasn't able to get on film!! However...I WAS able to get him to so "So big" for me and I just had to share. He really is "so big" and it blows our minds every single day. He is the light of our lives.....we had NO idea it would be this much fun :-)

First Trip to the Park!

We have been so blessed with some early beautiful days here in East Tennessee. Joe and I thought it would be great to take Luke and Kona to the park. Luke had never been before and he had such a blast (except the one time Joe made him think he was going down the slide alone!)! The day inspired us to get Luke a swing for our backyard. He absolutely loves it!

New Faces

Luke has learned some great new faces and it has made for hours of laughter for me and Joe!!! I was able to catch a few of them and also a few cute ones of him checking himself out in the mirror!

Another Surprise Trip to Michigan

Well, we surprised Grammy for the second time! Mom and Grandma Westwood were supposed to drive down to visit us in Tennessee but that plan changed when mom fell and had to have knee surgery! She called to tell us she wouldn't be coming and was in tears because she wouldn't get to spend the week with Luke. We were so excited to have them here and since they couldn't come here, we decided to go there. Dad picked us up at the airport and we were back to their house before 10am. Luke is a great flyer and was perfect on the plane! Mom and Grandma were both so surprised and we had a wonderful weekend. I even took out Luke one afternoon to meet my friend Cathy and Brad and Nicole for a few hours. I think he's excited about going to Michigan when the snow goes away and it's a little bit warmer!

February Firsts

February was full of a lot of firsts for Mr. Luke. His first tooth poked through, he experienced his first official "snow day" where school was cancelled and he got his first haircut! We hesitated about getting his haircut so early but it was SO fluffy before. We were so glad we did it when it was done! Such a handsome boy!<

Visit to Michigan

One weekend in the middle of January we decided to take a trip to Michigan. Luke stayed with Grammy and Grampy while Joe and I went to a comedy show with Brad and Nicole and spent the night with them at their house in Royal Oak. We had so much fun! It was great for us to have a night out and great for Luke to spend that time with mom and dad.

Bath Time!

One of Luke's most favorite times is his bath time. As soon as he was able to sit up and play, it became a lot more fun! He loves to splash and it makes a huge mess in the bathroom but it's so worth it to see him laugh!

New Years 2008

This year for New Years we decided to do something different. We went with three other couples and all of the kids to a cabin in Gatlinburg, TN. We stayed for three nights which made it feel like a real vacation and gave us all time to unwind. There was an indoor pool nearby so we swam a few times and a hot tub at the cabin which was enjoyed by all. We played lots of board games, watched movies and ate a ton of great food! I think we all feel like we need a vacation from our vacation but it was well worth every second!

Luke's Baptism

Luke was baptized at Asbury United Methodist Church on Sunday, December 28th. Rev. David Woody led the service. Although I couldn't see his face, apparently after Rev. Woody put the water on his head he faced the congregation and was laughing and smiling. He also let out a great, happy scream when he was handed back to us. It was wonderful! It was definitely one of the most special days of my life. We were joined by family and friends at church and then again for lunch at Link Hills Country Club.

Christmas 2008

This was the best Christmas ever! It's amazing how children change the atmosphere at Christmastime. Grammy and Grampy and Great Grammy Westwood all arrived in Tennessee on the 23rd. We had the most incredible weather while they were here-70's and sunny most of the week! Santa came on Christmas Eve and was very good to all of us...especially Mr. Luke! We opened gifts Christmas morning and prepared for Joe's side of the family to join us for lunch. They arrived around noon and 20 of us (including Luke) sat around a huge table and enjoyed a wonderful family lunch. Uncky B (Brad) arrived on Friday night and spent the weekend with us. We missed Auntie Cole but had her with us in spirit! Grammy and I took Luke to Dollywood on Saturday while the boys played golf. It seems there was a celebration at our house every night that week. It was a wonderful, wonderful week.

Mr. Big Brain

I can laugh about this now but it was very scary at the time. Luke had his 6 month check-up on December 17th. His pediatrician, Dr. Cobble did all of the routine exams and for the most part, everything was fine. His head, however, seemed to be growing at a much faster rate than the rest of his body. Dr. Cobble is a very cautious doctor (which is one of the reasons we chose him) and suggested that we get a CT scan done to make sure there was nothing serious causing the accelerated growth rate. So, after two sleepless nights for mommy, on Friday he wen in to have the scan done. We had to be at the hospital at 5am and the scan was done at 8am. Thankfully we had Papaw and his prayers with us at the hospital. He was a huge support. We were out of the hospital just after noon. It was an exhausting morning for all of us but, as always, Luke was a trooper and remained in great spirits the entire time. We found out at 4:00 that afternoon that the scan was clear and everything was fine. Christmas Eve day I got a text from my good friend Maxi saying to tell Mr. Big Brain that Santa was coming that night! That definitely brought a good laugh to all of us!!!

2008 Christmas Play

As much as I'd like to be a stay-at-home mom, I have to admit there are so many benefits to Luke going to daycare. One of them is that this Christmas we got to see him in his first Christmas play! His class (the Roo class--there are 7 of them)sang Rudolph and Luke got to dress up as Donner. His teachers kept this all a secrect from the parents so it was a wonderful surprise to watxh them the night of the program!

First time in his highchair!

December was a very exciting month for us for many reasons....Luke's first Christmas, his baptism, he's rolling both ways and starting to sit up on his own, and he's finally holding his own bottle and sitiing in his highchair!!! It's all a tad bitter sweet. It makes life much easier in some respects to hand him his bottle and let him feel himself and it's wonderful to watch him learn and grow, but I can't help wondering where my little baby boy went.

Thanksgiving in Key West

Thanks to all who have patiently waited for me to update this blog and are still checking it! The last few months have been crazy!!! Luke spent his first Thanksgiving (and his first vacation) in Key West. We went down there with Mom and Dad, Brad and Nicole and our friends Joe and Donna Meade. The weather was beautiful and every day was spent poolside. Luke LOVED swimming and Grammy even put him under for the very first time and he didn't even cry! We went on a sunset cruise and took lots of walks into town.

It was wonderful relaxing with family and friends.