Happy Birthday To You!

Erin turned 27 years old today!  I want to wish a happy birthday to an amazing husband and father.  We have had a very busy week so a Sunday to relax was a perfect gift before we start into another hectic week.  The month of January is almost over, which is just unbelievable.

This was also marks the day 8 years ago that Erin and I first starting hanging.  We have come a long ways in the eight years, and I wouldn't change a thing!  I won't put you through all the mushy stuff :)  Lets just say I love this guy!

18 months Old

Do you realize how quickly life is flying by?  I wish I could figure out the secret to slowing things down.  I know everyone thinks this way, but why as a child did the days take forever and now as an adult I blink and its over. 

Well that is all it took, a blink, and Lukas is another 6 months older.  I have looked back at his birthday picture and WOW how this boy changed.  He has gotten so tall all of a sudden.  He reaches things up on the counter like its not even a challenge.  He grows and grows everyday just like the love that we have for him.

18month Update:

Ready for the SNOW

Playing bumper cars with his buddy Eli

Lounging on the kitchen floor

Look at that SMILE

Practicing his doctor skills

• Lukas is still a very happy child.  His smile brightens any day!
• He is obsessed with Mickey Mouse and anything that has to do with it.  The "Hot Dog" dance is very common in our household.  (It is the cutest thing watching him though.)
• Our blankies have become very important.  He needs to have it when he goes to bed.  We try hard to keep it in the crib though.  It doesn't come everywhere with us.
• Lukas still sucks his two fingers. (I can't blame the kid, I was a thumb sucker until Kindergarten, awful I know)
• He has 12 teeth
• This boy LOVES to eat!  He does about anything, except meat.  We are able to sneak some things by him, but for the most part he will catch you and spit it right back out.
• I think we are going to have to invest in a booster seat for the kitchen table.  He likes to sit right at the table with us to eat.  I think he feels like a big boy in the adult chair.
• One of his favorite snacks are "Nemos" .... aka Goldfish Crackers
• His vocabulary is increasing everyday.  He has started to copy more and more what we say.  He has gotten much better with people's names.
• Lukas wears anywhere from 12month to 24month clothes.  It just depends on what it is.  The 12 month things are getting pretty snug though.
• We are working on our alphabet and colors, he can repeat letters, but when you point to one he usually replies with A or B.
• The kid still loves dogs.... We are not giving in yet though.  Our friends all have great dogs that entertain him well.
• We go to a lot of basketball games now adays and he does a really good job usually.  He really likes to dance to the drums at the high school games.  He yells "shoot" as he watches the game and throws his arms in the air.

I am going to finish it off with a video of Lukas dancing and singing to his favorite Mickey Mouse song.  It is not the greatest.  Sorry you have to turn your head side ways.  He gets back into it a little towards the end.  Enjoy!

Backfire!

Okay so I was so excited about getting the email of our new tickets for the concert.  Well I got another email from the company three days later......the concert has been postponed!!!  Are you kidding me!!!!  We bought the tickets for March 15th, it would run into our spring break and work out perfectly for us.  It is now moved to October 22nd, yeah 7 months later, on a Monday in the middle of football season!!  NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.   Talk about super frustrated.  I had even bought the insurance, but of course a postponed event is not covered, just a canceled one.  My wonderful Christmas present just turned into the worst one ever, "Hey honey I just threw away some money.  Merry Christmas."

If anyone out there is wanting to see the Red Hot Chilli Peppers concert in October let me know.  I have a GREAT deal for you!

Please someone buy my mom's tickets :)

Mental Break Down

I feel like the new year brings a fresh start to everything.  I have had a hard time getting started with much at all though.  I am trying to get back in the swing of things at school, got all of the Christmas put away (except for the random things I keep finding around the house), laundry done, and all the basketball games beginning.  Through all of the hustle bustle I think I have lost my mind.

Let me back up a bit.  Erin is very difficult to buy for Christmas.  He is almost impossible to surprise with anything.  In years past he would just look at the box and know exaclty what it was.  Or he would just say what he thought I was getting him and I couldn't keep a straight face.  Well this year was different.  He has been real big on builing memories instead of "things".  So I came up with tickets to a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert.  Erin has always told me that if I ever had a chance to get him tickets to see them, he would love to go.  So I looked into it and made it work.  Erin was surprised at Christmas and I was so happy he didn't guess it.

So yesterday at school I am thinking about where I put those tickets.  I remember taking them and placing them in "that spot" so I wouldn't lose them or throw them away.  Erin and I had cleaned up the house on Sunday and taken all the trash out for the trash pick up on Monday.  So Monday after school I came home to just double check that I knew where they were.  I checked everywhere I thought I had placed them and they were no where to be found!!!!  I searched the house for about an hour (prayed to St. Anthony) all while Erin was at practice.  It was awful.  I ruined the present.  Erin came home and I told him.  He just knows that we threw them away.  I decided to call the customer service of where we got them.  I was hoping maybe they could mail me new tickets, but I wasn't counting on it.  The service lady just asked if they were printed tickets or actual tickets.  When I told her they were printed she said she could just email me new ones!!!!  I dont' know why they didn't do that in first place!!!  Either way, don't worry, I have new tickets and we can once again go to the concert. 

For those of you that are actually still reading this blog I am atleast going to give you a picture of our little man to enjoy.  Sorry I got so long about nothing :)

This smile always makes things better!  (He is a fan of Aunt Beth's glasses)

Christmas Recap

The holidays have come and gone and they flew by again this year.  We had a wonderful break getting to spend a lot of time with all of our family and friends.

On Christmas Eve morning we decided to do our family Christmas with Lukas.  Erin and I were so excited to give him his new train table and rocking chair.  He got a few little odds and ends things as well.  Lukas has become a HUGE fan of Mickey Mouse.  He especially likes the "Hot Dog" song from the cartoon.  We got him a book with a little music player that players about 10 different songs.  Lukas only wants to listen to Hot Dog though.  He plays it over and over again.... I can handle it though because he does the cutest little dance as he listens.

We went to the children's mass at our church on Christmas Eve and got to listen to my mom in her bell choir.  This is my favorite mass of the whole year.  The whole meaning of Christmas is celebrated with so many people around and all the smiles on the little kids' faces.  It is just such a perfect way to start things off right.  We went over to Claflin afterwards to see all of Erin's Strube family.  Lukas loved getting to play with a few of his cousins.  Trying to get a picture with them all is almost impossible though.  Santa also stopped in to visit.  Lukas was not real sure about the guy, but in his defense, it was pretty late and Lukas was wearing down.  It was a great evening though.

Lukas, Loghan, and Hagen

Checking out Great Great Grandma' s cane

Relaxing with Kandice and Kelli

Grandmas with the kids.... It was impossible to get everyone looking

Checking out Santa

Not too bad

Not okay with sitting on his lap

Christmas morning we celebrated with my family.  It was something else this year when there are two boys under the age of two running around.  I think Cade was a little more interested in the presents than Lukas was.  They had a good time chasing each other around as we all opened gifts.  I don't have very many pictures from it though because I messed up and left the camera in the car overnight and the battery was drained :(  Sorry

Checking out his presents

Beth, Christy, and Jana with all their gifts

For the afternoon we headed over to Claflin to start all over again.  Lukas was starting to figure it out a little bit, but we pretty much just pinned him in the corner with presents and let him sit and play.  We got to spend some good quality time with all of the family for a couple of days.

Showing Daddy "Toodles" ...another Mickey thing

Lukas with Grandma Karlynn

All in all it was a great holiday and we feel so blessed with everyone in our lives!  We had a wonderful 2011 and look forward to what is planned for us in 2012!  Happy New Year!!!!! :)