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.