Let It Snow

We got a lot of snow last night, (which kept me from having to go to work today) so we decided to get out and enjoy it.  Lukas has seen snow before, but he has never really played in it.  It took him just a little while to warm up to it, but then he was ready for a snowball fight.

Lukas and Daddy checking it out

Found himself a snowball

Coming at ya

We wish everyone safe travels for the holidays.  Christmas is right around the corner!  Stay warm :)

Preparation for Christmas

The house has been decorated for a couple of weeks now.  I have started to get some presents under the tree.  The music is always being played to keep us in the holiday spirit.  Lukas has really enjoyed having all of the new things out for the holidays.  We have a whole new stack of books to read, a lot of music boxes that I have received through the years from my grandma (Lukas loves to clap and dance to the music), and his new ornaments on his tree to play with. 

I am excited for this coming weekend.  Erin and I are going to make a trip to Wichita together to get our Christmas shopping started/done.  I love Christmas shopping... hopefully we can find what we need before Erin wears down. 

Lukas showing his new Mickey ornament from Grandpa and Grandma Beck.  He is in love with Mickey right now, anything Mickey! 

Lukas really likes to help out.  He was such a great help at wrapping presents as you can see.  It is nice that I can wrap his presents right in front of him though and he has no idea :)

Our little Santa's Helper posing for a picture.  The little snowman and dog beside him sings and dances.  We have gotten to know that song quite well :)

Not a Baby Anymore

I have started to realize more and more how big Lukas has gotten.  First off there is his size.  He reaches up on the table and counters to get things himself now.  He seems just so tall, then I go to pick him up and he is one solid little man.  He works really hard and trying to get himself on the couch and chairs.  He has not quite figured that out yet, but I'm sure it is only a matter of days.  He has accomplished climbing on the ottoman and getting himself in the tub.

There have been a couple of specific things that have happened lately though that make me realize he thinks through things himself.  One situation was over Thanksgiving break.  We were over at my parents on Sunday afternoon.  My mom, sister and I were working on some crafts while the guys were watching some football while they dozed off.  Lukas was very content playing with the toys he had spread all over the basement.  We had brought the play pen down to the guest room and had it set up for his nap.  He went into that room to play with all of his toys.  After a bit I went in there to check on him and he had gotten into the play pen and put himself down for a nap!  I was in shock.

Here at home he has started doing similar things.  He reminds Erin and me daily to say his prayers both morning and night.  He will point and yell at the prayer on the wall until we say it.  Tonight Erin got Lukas into his pajamas and sat him down to play in his room.  Lukas walked over to his crib said night night and tried to figure out how to get in his bed.  Erin picked him up and he practically dove into his bed.  I guess he was tuckered out.  The kid loves to sleep just like his father.  :)

He is such a good little boy and I just can't believe how much he learns every day.  It is amazing to watch his little mind work.  Sorry it was a lot of writing for this post, but I just had to share.

Babies, Babies, Babies

March has always been an exciting month for me; my birthday is at the end of March.  Who doesn't love their birthday?  This year though it is 3 times more exciting!  Erin and I are going to have 3 nieces come the end of March, yes that is right 3!  I have a couple wonderful sister-in-laws that are pregnant and due in March.  I am really not sure which one is going first so it will be exciting to see.

Jana is my brother's wife.  They have Cade, my nephew that is 2 and a half months older than Lukas.  They just found out a couple of weeks ago that is was going to be a girl.  We are all very excited!  This will be the first girl to add to the Keeley grand kids.

Here are the Keeley women.  Jana's' belly is adorable.

Kayla is Erin's brother's wife.  They have an almost 6 year old son Maddox.  It was great getting to watch Lukas and Maddox interact while we were in Mississippi last month.  They actually went in for their sonogram about a month ago.  Their doctor had thought it was a boy, so that is what they expected.  They were wrong, it is actually TWIN GIRLS!  We could not believe it.  I am so excited for them!

Kayla, Lukas, and I at the Ole Miss game.  Here belly is hidden in her coat, but it looks adorable as well.

Pink, Pink, Pink and lots of ribbons and bows! All of us are excited for the new shopping opportunities this brings.  Everyone knows that there are so many more options for little girls than boys. I can't wait for all of my new nieces to make their arrival!

Thanksgiving

As I have gotten older Thanksgiving has become such a special holiday to me.  It is coming close to taking over first on my list.  I still love the holiday season that we get to share in between Thanksgiving and Christmas though.  Thanksgiving is such a great time to actually sit done and thank God for all of the blessings in my life.  Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the hustle bustle of life and take things for granted.  I hate letting days rush by and not taking the time to enjoy the little things in life because we all know that the little things are truly what matters.  So now for my list of things I am thankful for. (Sorry I don't have pictures for all of them.)

First for my husband, Erin.  He is an amazing man who gives me so much support and love everyday!  He works hard to accomplish his dreams and I admire that so much.

Then we were blessed with Lukas.  I thank God everyday for him.  It still amazes me to this day the amount of love I have for this little boy.  His little smile can make every worry just disappear.  The joys of motherhood were never truly understood until I became a Mommy!

My family has always been such a big part of my life, and I am so grateful for them.  My mom and dad are two people with the biggest hearts I know.  They are always there to help anyone in need and just want what is best for everyone.  My brother and sisters know just how to make me smile.  I love how close we are still to this day! 

Erin's family is so special to me.  I always look forward to spending time with them during the holidays.  I am so lucky to have such great in-laws!

I am thankful for all of the family that I have.  Not everyone is close to their extended families and I feel very special for that.

My niece and nephews are some of the cutest kids I know.  They all have their special things about them.  We love getting to spend time with them and just watching them grow.

I am thankful for all the grandparents in my life!  Since we lost my Grandma Keeley around this time last year it is kind of bitter sweet.  I know she is happy in heaven with Grandpa, but I do miss them both so much.  I am so thankful that I still have my Grandma and Grandpa Schartz to spend time with.

We have such great friends that are a part of our lives.  Some old and some new, but all of them are special to us.

I am thankful that Erin and I both have good jobs to support our family with.  I know there are days that I get frustrated at work, but I still get the chance to help a child everyday and try to make a difference for them.

I know there are many more things that we are fortunate to have.  God has blessed me in so many ways.  I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!   Bring on the turkey :)

Down South

We are back from our quick vacation to Oxford, Mississippi to visit Evin, Kayla, and Maddox.  It was our trip to get away since football is over and basketball is getting ready to start.  It was nice to get to spend some good family quality time together.  Lukas did a great job on the flights.  One the way there he got to sit in his own seat, and he thought that was pretty cool.  He loved to play peek-a-boo with Grandma Beck in the seat behind him.  He was a little trooper.

Friday evening Erin, Kayla, and I went and met Evin up at the school for a tour of campus.  Lukas stayed back at the house with Maddox and Grandma Beck.  Their campus is very different with all of the landscaping and shrubbery that they have everywhere.  We went down to the square to eat and hang out for the evening.  I have to admit I felt quite old when the "loud" music at the bar bothered me cause we couldn't hear each other talk.  We did stay long enough though to outlast the 70 year old lady sitting front row by the band.

Saturday we all went down to the square to look around and do a little shopping.  It was homecoming week, and there were a lot of people out and about.  It was a lot of fun to just look at all the old homes there with the big front porches and their historical character.

Playing in the yard

Erin and his sleeping buddy.  Maddox wanted to sleep wherever Uncle Erin was.

Watching a little Tom and Jerry before bed.

That evening we went up to the game.  Tailgating is a big deal at Ole Miss, but it is done very differently than anything I have ever seen.  I am used to the tents and people playing games in a parking lot.  They have an area called "The Grove" on campus.  It is a large grass area in the middle of campus which gets covered with tents the night before from people setting up camp.  You don't see any grills though.  You hear generators to plugin their big screen TVs and chandeliers.  Not kidding there were multiple tents with chandeliers hanging from the middle.  A lot of people bring in catering for their food.  The students are dressed up for the occasion.  The guys where khaki pants, collared shirts, suit coats or sweaters.  The girls wear dresses and heels or boots.  (Kayla and I agreed the jeans and Washburn shirts were much more comfortable.)  It was very interesting to see and walk through.  Lukas was in awe of all the people.  He thought the stadium was cool too.  He just stared for awhile when we walked out to our seats and saw everything going on.  It was a great experience!

Walking through the grove

Check out the chandelier

Catering

Not a great picture, but we tried

Watching the game

Kayla, Lukas, and I at the game

All in all we really enjoyed just getting to hang out and catch up.  We even got a chance to play some pitch, which Kayla and I did beat Evin and Erin in 2 games to 1.  They don't handle that very well :)  It was a great trip and we can't wait to see them again at Christmas!  Lukas has been asking about "Maa" (Maddox) all night.  Lukas is missing his buddy already.

Weekend Getaway

Mississippi here we come!  Thats right....tomorrow we are flying to Oxford to see Evin, Kayla, and Maddox!  I am very excited to see everyone, but I can't lie I am very very nervous about the flight.  First off I am not a big fan of flying, but worse than that we now have an almost 16 month old to entertain.  One good thing is its a direct flight to Memphis and its only a hour and a half flight.  I think the thing I am worried about is I grew up with a sister that struggles when random kids freak out in confined areas.  She says how she just always seems to be lucky enough to be seated right next to these families.  I keep picturing someone boarding the plane and seeing us thinking, "O great they have a young kid I get to sit by."  Hopefully his cuteness will over shadow any cries.

Wish us luck!

Who me???  Why wouldn't you want to sit by me :)

Happy Halloween

This has been  busy week of Halloween festivities for us.  It started out with getting our pumpkins ready for the big day.   We had our friends over to carve pumpkins.  Amanda and I worked hard on them, and I think they turned out great!  Lukas was already in bed when we did this, but I didn't want him to feel left out so I thought we should paint a pumpkin with him.  He was very excited about it, until he decided to suck on his fingers in the middle of the project, and yes his fingers were covered in paint.  We got through it though and Lukas was able to finish his pumpkin.

Next came the trick or treating!  This year we decided to make the most of the holiday and spread it out for two days.  I figured since I made the costume we needed to wear it as much as possible :)

Sunday we went over to Claflin and trick or treated with Lukas' cousin Loghan at Grandma and Grandpa Beck's.  We were able to see a lot of family and get some good pictures.

Monday evening Erin and I took Lukas around to a few places here in Great Bend.  We even got to see his little buddy Eli in his elephant costume.  He started to figure out getting the candy and putting it in his bag.  He did a great job in his costume and the hood didn't bother him too much.  No complete break downs anyway.

It was a very successful 2nd Halloween!  The only bad thing is I had bought candy for our neighborhood kids, and we weren't home long enough to get any trick or treaters.  The problem is we have a lot of candy left for me to eat!

Fall in Full Swing

If needing to take care of all those leaves in your yard give Lukas a call.  His evenings are pretty open, but he does need to be in bed around 8:00.

We have had a great weekend getting to spend a lot of time outside.  Lukas loves leaves!  He just goes around picking them up and carrying them around.  We took some time to play in the yard and tried to pile them up.  He likes to spread all of the leaves back out.  He finds it very entertaining.

On Sunday we finally got to a pumpkin patch.  I have been wanting to go for a couple of weeks and was so excited to get us some pumpkins.  We thought this year we would check out the patch south of Ellinwood.  We got there and no one else was around.  We thought it was strange but got out and started looking at pumpkins anyway.  Soon a boy comes running out to us with his dog just to let us know that they are closed on Sundays.  I felt bad for dragging Erin and Lukas out there without checking on that, but I thought all pumpkin patches were open all weekend.  The boy said we could still buy pumpkins though, so we did and then went on our way after we snapped a few quick pictures of the event. 

All in all it was a great weekend.  I just love getting to spend such quality time with my BOYS!!

Kisses for Mommy

Playing with Daddy

First Hair Cut

I have trimmed Lukas' hair multiple times with scissors to try and keep it from getting out of hand.  However lately I have been struggling with the way it looked.  It has taken him awhile to grow much hair, especially in the front.  Then to add to it, the hair is very fine and blonde as can be, so it is kind of hard to see.  The problem area was in the back where the hair stuck out every which way.  I would try to add some product to keep it down, but it wouldn't last very long.  Erin and I decided to give him his first hair cut with the trimmers.  I have been cutting Erin's hair for about six years, so I do have a little experience.  He loved the cape and flapping his arms like a bird.  We have some before and after shots.  We think it turned out cute and the back looks MUCH better!

Two Weeks Left

I decided to take on the challenge of making Lukas' halloween costume this year.  I saw a pattern that I thought was adorable, so with some help from my mom (I need her reassurance constantly) it is coming together.  Here are some pictures of the process along the way.  I will show you the finished product when its done.  The countdown is on and only two weeks left to finish :)

Family Weekend

We have had a lazy weekend....and we are LOVING it!  We finally have gotten some rain here, which changed some of our original plans for the weekend, but we made do.  Lukas got a special treat and got to spend Friday with Grandma Beck and Loghan.  He has been opened to a whole new world with other kids at day care, but has adjusted well and really enjoys playing with other kids.  I know he liked showing Loghan all of his toys here at his house.  On Sunday he got another surprise and got to play with his other cousin Cade.  Those two just chase each other around talking their own little language.  Lukas became Cade's shadow and just wanted to follow him around.  It was very entertaining to watch.  Other than that it has just been a lot of hanging out playing and watching football.

I am a little late on this, but we do want to say Happy Birthday to some special people; Grandpa Mike and Loghan share birthdays on October 5th, so I know we are a few days late, but we hope you both had a wonderful birthday and wish you a wonderful year!  We are actually going to go have a birthday dinner with Grandpa tonight to celebrate.  Lukas is looking forward to some cupcakes!!

Here are some pictures from the park last weekend.  Have a great week!

Pictures.... Pictures

Okay so I apologize that it has been a little while since I last posted.  Honestly its because I was procrastinating on uploading pictures to the computer.  Well I finally did that so I am going to just share some pictures of what has been going on with us lately.  Some of the pictures are a little older, but I didn't share them so I am going to now.  Lukas has gotten to hang out with a lot of his little buddies lately too!  The weather has been AWESOME and we are loving getting out and enjoying it!

Enjoying the bath tub

Checking out Mr. Mack

I think Mack is about to punch Lukas for stealing his snacks.

Spaghetti Face

Erin and Dustin w/ their boys

First home football game.... It was a little chilly.

Chillin w/ Eli wondering what their crazy moms are doing....wouldn't crack a smile.

Check out our skills!

Daddy Time

Giving Mommy some kisses

Enjoying his birthday present finally from Dad and Mom