Memorable Monday

Happy Halloween!

October 31, 2008

 

October 31, 2009

(Yes, we recycled the costume.  Too cute not to.)

October 24, 2010

October 31, 2010

Pumpkin Carving

Scooping the goop out

Drawing the faces 

Daddy was responsible for the carving

Kate's Happy Face Pumpkin

 Luke posing with our yard ornament

 Jack the Jack-O-Lantern 2011

Didier Farm 2011

Last Sunday we made a family trip to Didier Farms to pick out some pumpkins.  It was another beautiful fall day.  After picking pumpkins for each family member (even baby to be) we did a few rides, a bouncy house, pony rides and then enjoyed some Apple Cider Donut holes.  Now that we are only 20 minutes away, I'm pretty sure we will make this an annual outing.

  

Playing Catch Up

I am still back posting a few important things from the summer.  Be sure not to miss the following posts-

A Trip to the Dentist- June 16, 2011

http://hooraymakeway.blogspot.com/2011/06/trip-to-dentist.html

First Library Card - August 3, 2011

http://hooraymakeway.blogspot.com/2011/08/first-library-card.html

Kevin & Meghan - August 20, 2011
http://hooraymakeway.blogspot.com/2011/08/meghan-kevin.html

Happy Little Luke

Luke can be quite moody.  Probably an age thing.  Bath time is tough for him and there are often lots of tears.  On this particular night, he was very happy and chatty.  I think he was relishing being in there by himself.  He enjoyed splashing around and swimming and telling Daddy about the "garbage truck" he had seen shortly before we went upstairs to take a bath.  This is how I hope I'll remember him as a toddler when he is all grown up.

P.S. We call this hair style his Gordon Gecko.  He definitely needs a haircut!

Fall Themed Concert

Kate performed a fall themed concert for us before nap time on Sunday.  These are my three favorites.  All of these songs are from school.  She was extremely proud of herself and couldn't wait to watch her videos.  Enjoy!

Luke at 20 months

Luke turned 20 months old on Sunday and with the weeks of my third pregnancy ticking down I am very aware that he is no longer my baby.  Since everything is relative and he is bound to constantly be compared to Kate, I worry he gets a raw deal sometimes.  I felt the blog needed a snapshot of Luke as I don't want to forget this age and stage.  He is very much his own little person with strong likes (and dislikes) and lots to say about the world around him.  While his verbal development has been quite different than his sister, I am starting to realize that he is talking more and more with new words weekly if not daily.  Luke currently says Mama, Dada, Kate (more like Tate), hi, bye bye, milk, water, apple, strawberry, snack, waffle, noonoos (noodles), more, all done, mess, hat, shoes, car, truck, bus, choo choo, airplane, NO (one of his personal favorites), up, down, rock (usually used as a command to me to rock him to sleep but other times used as a rock outside in the yard), bed, book, door, J-J (his name for our sitter Janet), Elmo, George (as in Curious George), Mimi, Papa, dog, pee pee (signal for dirty diaper of either variety), toes, nose, numerous animal sounds, several truck noises and probably a dozen or so more words I am not thinking of right now.  There is still plenty of language frustration and fits from him at times and he is slow to put words together into phrases, but clearly he is talking!


Luke is obsessed with all things trucks.  Lucky for him we live on a main street and there's been lots of construction in the area.  If he hears a truck but can't see it, he is on edge until you pick him up to confirm.  Every truck we pass requires a response, "Yes, Luke.  That is a truck." or he will keep screaming "truck" until acknowledged.  He is quite the climber - climbing on things at the park Kate wouldn't have dared to try and often times with great success.  He climbs on furniture at home - often in pursuit of seeing a truck out the window.  He loves to run around and to make himself dizzy by spinning in circles.  For all his gross motor activity, he also enjoys puzzles and building with blocks.  He LOVES Kate's pink Dream Mansion Doll House and all the little furniture pieces.  I think he lives surprising me.   He loves Apples.  He eats lots of fruit and lots of noodles - fewer veggies and not a lot of protein but we sneak in where we can.  He definitely has a sweet tooth and as the second child I have let him try countless treats that Kate didn't dream of until long after her 2nd birthday.  He is still an early riser, but thankfully the norm is more like 5:30am these days with one 2 hour nap.  He gives great hugs and kisses.  He knows the baby is in my belly and will give my belly kisses.  Interestingly, when I lift up my shirt and my bare belly shows he generally hits the belly and declares, "No." quite firmly.  I know my swollen, pale belly is quite a site so hopefully it just hurts his eyes and is not a reflection on how he feels about the baby coming out.


Luke does not like having his diaper changed, getting dressed, having his face washed, or wiping his nose.  He does not like his car seat and it can be a real wrestling match dragging him around town to Kate's activities or on errands.  But I know he loves Kate and while he is dragged around a lot, Luke's experiences as a second child are all part of being a sibling - the benefits of which far outweigh the challenges.  I know he'll be a wonderful big brother (in time) to his new little brother or sister.  Here's hoping he embraces his position as the monkey in the middle.

 Our monkey climbing at Clarkson Park on August 27, 2011

Apple Picking

We had a fun morning of Apple Picking and other fall fun with the kids at Apple Holler in Wisconsin today.  We picked Jonathan, Cortland, and Golden Delicious apples.  Luke, anxious to sample the crop, ate more than 50% of probably 5 apples over the course of the day.  The kids both loved feeding the goats and their trip with Dad down the big slide.  Luke enjoyed climbing on hay bales and riding on the train.  Kate enjoyed her pony ride and face painting.  We lunched in the car on the ride home and all enjoyed some Apple Cider Donut Holes!  I hope this becomes an annual tradition.

 The wagon we borrowed from friends was perfect.

 First bite

 Luke ate apples all day long.

 Luke was so excited about feeding the goats - no fear

 Kate was not tall enough to do the slide herself so it was a family ride down the big slide.

 Apple Family Tree