Christmas Day

The boys saw a commercial for pillow pets several weeks ago and immediately put them at the top of their wish list. This is Andy with the much-coveted lady bug. Luke received a crocodile that he doesn't pay any attention to. Go figure.
Other than eating, this is pretty much how Elias spent his first Christmas. Must be nice.

Luke's new most favorite possessions: his Lego Yoda and Lego Luke Skywalker. Our family of Lego figures has expanded once again.

Showing off our new wildcat airplanes from Grandpa Don.

Big Brothers

Can I hold him? Please, please, can I hold him?
So proud

Breaking in the new sleds with dad at Snoqualmie

What Is Going On?

He doesn't have his eyes open very much, so we must have caught him at just the right moment. Maybe he was blinded by the light of the camera flash, I'm not sure. It still makes for a good laugh.

Day 9: First Bath

Little Mister was not at all concerned with matters of personal hygiene. We tried to tell him that if he insisted on peeing all over the place when we took his diaper off, he would simply have to take a bath. He still screamed the whole time. The brothers were very concerned. Andy sat on the floor next to the tub and didn't say a word. Thankfully, the fuzzy yellow ducky towel made everything better.

J is for Jaundice

Mom helped me take Little Mister to his first pediatric appointment. He was 3 days old. I started undressing him for his weight check and realized he was quite yellow. I was so bummed. We have visited this pediatrician for almost 6 years and I am finally starting to appreciate him. He was very calm and did not freak out at all. He sent us home with instructions to feed him every two hours and offer a supplement, as well. We had to go and have his blood drawn, though, which was tough to watch. Grandma held him so I didn't have to. His numbers weren't too bad, so we probably aren't going to do any of the lights or blankets that sometimes goes with jaundice. With a lot of hard work and very little sleep, he gained an ounce in 24 hours. That seems like nothing, but as long as he gained, I guess we are in good shape. We don't have to go back until he is 10 days old.

The Little Brother Has Arrived

Our little fella was born over the weekend
The brothers are quite proud

He loves to be swaddled

We are having record cold temperatures here, but our decorations have survived

Battling a little jaundice today

REI sells what?

Steve and the boys went to REI today. Steve had a gift card that was burning a hole in his pocket and I wanted them out of the house so I could eradicate all manner of dirt from the premises. Steve wasn't in the store 2 minutes and Luke spotted a Lego head lamp. The last place on earth you would expect to find a Lego and the salesperson steps up with a Lego head lamp.

And she only had one. Steve almost had Luke talked out of getting it since there weren't two available when Andy decided he would prefer an airplane, anyway. Whew! Crisis averted.

Luke had the best time "hiking through the forest" with his head lamp. This mostly involved strolling through the house and looking under the couch or the stove while wearing his head lamp. He turned to me in all seriousness and said, "Mom, when Andy wakes up from his nap can me, Dad and Andy go and find a forest?" Although I admired his desire to go outdoors and explore, I had to remind him that it was about 38 degrees outside and they probably should wait for another day to visit the forest. Sometimes, he just cracks me up. I bet this photo will come in handy for all manner of blackmail one day...not that I would do that, of course.

A Little Turkey, A Little Birthday

We decided to celebrate several birthdays all at once: Steve, Emily and Mom. Steve picked chocolate cake and Emily appointed herself the official lighter of candles.
The annual LaRue family photo. My, those kiddos are growing up!

Our first family picture of the year with all 4 people in relatively good moods.

Patiently waiting for some grub.

We had another enjoyable Thanksgiving in Eatonville. Steve and I are usually in North Carolina, celebrating with his family. I am due in 2 weeks and was not able to fly, so we decided to stay close to home. It was much different than we are used to, but a very nice, relaxing day. Gobble, gobble!

The Boyz Must Bounce!

Due to parent-teacher conferences and the joys of being a half-day kindergartener, Luke is out of school for a whole week. Ugh. This is one very pregnant mama and I struggled to think of things to do on these soggy, November days. I have mentioned the benefits of indoor inflatable bouncy places before. I found another one that we hadn't seen before, just a few miles from Steve's office. We had a great morning, bouncing around and getting all of our wiggles out. The boys declared it a big hit and climbed back in the car, totally exhausted. Mission accomplished!

A Blast of a Baby Shower

Some dear friends of mine came together and threw a baby shower for me last week. I have known these women since Luke was just a little guy. Even though that's only 5 years, it is amazing how motherhood draws ladies together. The restaurant was totally swamped, so we had tons of time to hang out and talk. We don't get a lot of kid-free conversation these days, so it was definitely just what we needed. They were so generous and showered us with some fantastic gifts. Thanks, girls! You're the best!

A Little Girl Time

Some friends of mine organized a Girls' Night Out in lieu of a baby shower. We consumed significant quantities of pasta at the Spaghetti Factory and enjoyed lots of kid-free, adult conversation. My group photo didn't turn out very well, but I thought this was a cute shot of Mom, Heather and my oh-so-pregnant self. I felt very blessed to have such thoughtful friends and I'm looking forward to introducing them all to the little bambino in a few weeks.

Pumpkins, Tricks and Treats

Darth Vader, Buzz Lightyear and Luke Skywalker enjoying the Halloween festivities
He wasn't quite ready for carving yet, but he loves anything with a happy face on it. He carried the pumpkin around the house, giving it hugs and kisses.

I couldn't get anybody to cooperate for this picture. The boys were eager to see the finished product, but a little digusted by the messiness of the pumpkin's interior. That was probably the fastest Steve has ever carved a pumpkin in his life.

Halloween is not my favorite, but the boys enthusiasm is contagious. We were invited to our friend's for dinner and trick or treating. Andy woke up early on Saturday morning asking "is it time? Is it time?"

Finally it was time and the adults inhaled their delicious dinner while the kids chased each other through the house. The rain had finally stopped and it was a great night for wandering the neighborhood. At first, Andy came back with an empty bucket. But with a little coaching, he caught on very quickly. It wasn't long before his bucket was loaded with chocolate. He would come back from every door yelling, "Mama! I got some more! I got more candy!" He was always delighted to find out that we could go to yet another door and get MORE candy.

Luke enjoyed the thrill of the hunt, running with his friends and collecting candy. However, since we got home I don't think he's paid any attention to his loot. Meanwhile, Andy asks about every five minutes if he can have something from his pumpkin bucket. When we tell him "no", he says "I'm just going to look, okay?" Then proceeds to beg for more candy. He's going to make a fantastic adult one day: such persistence and passion is much more admirable in a grown up.

Pumpkin Patch (Sort of)

I need to teach them to say something else besides "cheese" when I take their picture.
Playing with the ducks in the water and making his motorcycle noises...because ducks and motorcycles make the same sound, you know.

This is Luke's favorite activity at the pumpkin patch: cranking the pump to make the ducks go.

We were celebrating a friend's 3rd birthday at the pumpkin patch. Luke loves to play with the birthday boy's older brothers. He wanted to spend his whole day in the hay maze and the corn box. If only I could find a way to install a giant box of corn in my play room...just think of the hours of endless entertainment.

Another huge fan of the corn box!

So we never got close to the actual pumpkin patch. By the time the birthday party was finished, it was pouring down rain and the tractor ride to the patch was totally packed. I piled the boys and their pockets full of corn back in the van and headed for the warmth of home.

Lego Mania Continues

Steve has gone to Charlotte to visit his family this weekend. The boys are not at all pleased with his absence. In an effort to distract them and combat the rainy weather, we are knee deep in Legos. This is the latest edition to the family. I think it is Darth Vader's ship. Luke is delighted to have his very own Lego Darth Vader. He insists that his Darth Vader is a good guy. He asked me to post a picture so everyone could see it. There you have it. Now isn't your day complete?

Movin' On Up

Andy has migrated down the hall to his very own ''big boy" room. He is so very excited! I found the whole process to be totally overwhelming to even think about, so I was hesitant to even start. But, I hit the 32nd week of pregnancy yesterday and thought we should probably start making some progress. Steve was a huge help, doing a majority of the moving and lifting, since I'm not supposed to be doing any of that. I can't get over how much stuff we have. Is it all really necessary? We spend so much time managing our stuff, too. How silly.
Andy's toddler bed, dresser and shelf have been sitting in the garage and riding around in the back of the van for a couple of weeks. We decided to put it all together and just "see" what his response might be. This is not a kid you can force into a big move. It definitely has to be his idea. Once he saw the Lightning McQueen blanket and pillowcase, he was totally sold on the whole deal. In fact, we were too tired to finish the project last night and insisted that he wait until today to start sleeping there. He was so stinkin' excited that he just could not take a nap. Tonight took a little longer to fall asleep, but he stays in bed and doesn't mind the dark or having his door closed. I can't expect it to be this simple every night, but I feel so much better having this hurdle behind us. Now I just want to sit down and have a good cry because my "baby" is getting to be such a big boy...and he's about to become a middle child!

Costume Fetish

This started out as your standard game of cowboys versus bad guys, but morphed into something completely different...
Dollar store masks and a light saber make one's day complete

Jedi knights in training

Luke's Halloween costume

I had no idea boys would enjoy dressing up in costumes. I really thought that was a "girl" thing. Apparently I stand corrected. It started out as preparation for Halloween but is quickly becoming a daily activity. Luke negotiates for some play time with dad every night (aka staying up later than usual) so they can play a variety of games, complete with wardrobe adjustments.