Arizona!

A few weeks ago we visited Meemom and Uncle Paul in Tucson. We had a really wonderful visit (not counting Lucas' resistance to sleeping) and Lucas was so showered with love, attention and toys that I felt like I had a nice break from mommy-ing. It was great having a slower life (I didn't have to run errands, cook meals, or really do anything!) and spending good time with everyone.
We got to meet Boris (a huge 120 pound St. Bernard mix) and Lucas was in LOVE. Boris was so tolerant and was totally fine with Lucas patting him, lying on him, and screeching around him. Most dogs understandably act pretty skittish when Lucas lets out his "I'm SO excited!" banshee squeal.

Lucas really enjoyed the storytimes with Meemom and her amazing skills at bringing his stuffed animals to life. It brought back such good memories for me from when MY stuffed animals sang and danced and talked; and I was SO entertained by it that I felt like I was a little kid again.



Lucas also enjoyed time with Uncle Paul. He warmed up to him almost instantly (though not surprisingly... Paul has a gift with babies) and when I couldn't get Lucas to sleep that first night, as soon as Paul came back from his parents' house I handed him over and Lucas fell asleep in his arms after 2 books.
One of Lucas' favorite pasttimes in the house was riding a wooden rocking horse my mom built years and years ago. See how much he loves this horse? :)


Thanks for a fantastic visit, Mom and Paul! Can't wait to see you again in December!

Meemom's Visit!

What a wonderful time we all had with Meemom in town! She came bearing gifts of dinosaurs and trucks and completely won Lucas over. He even let her read his pre-nap stories (usually a domain held exclusively by mama!) We went to the playground, planted flowers (thanks SOOO much, Mom! It's so nice to walk up to our front door now!), played in the backyard, and got a visit from my Uncle Bill who coincidentally was in Waco for a horse show. It was great to catch up with him and we all met Laith for lunch at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, Zocalo. Though we tried to keep things low-key and relaxed since my mom has MS and asthma, that's almost impossible with a toddler in the house. Fortunately, the weather was perfect for her asthma and the TX allergens aren't the same as her Arizona triggers so my mom had an amazing amount of energy during the visit. We REALLY appreciated all the help with cleaning, organizing, planting and Lucas-diverting! It was so much fun to include her in our daily-doings and show her a day in the life of Lucas. We miss you already, Meemom and can't wait to see you in July!

Tucson!

So much activity these past several weeks. I'm getting behind again with the blog posts! Especially with all our family visits and all the cute new things Lucas has been learning.

I was so happy to get to spend some time last month with my mom in AZ and that she got to experience all the Lucas-joy that I'm enjoying right now. Lucas warmed up to Meemom right away and especially enjoyed all the birthday toys she had waiting for him: Baby-sized legos, a couple of trucks, a see-and-say and a batman ball! He is so much fun and such a happy baby- especially around animals. By the end of the visit, Sierra was hiding from Lucas- not because he was rough with her at all but because he was too loudly exuberant as he quickly crawled toward her in an effort to either head-butt her or crawl under her- we're not sure what the goal was. :) I need to get more of this dog-related excitement on video. We had a great time relaxing at the house, getting in the hot tub (at a cooler temp setting), going to the playground, and shopping. Lucas loved all the chatting and playtime he got from Meemom. He wishes he could've spent more time there to have the chance to bond with Paul as well but a few days was all we could manage with Lucas' sleepless traveler tendencies. Next visit we'll hopefully have more time with the whole family and he'll certainly be even more fun to be around as he learns new things and gets more communicative. Thanks for the wonderful visit Meemom! And thanks for selecting such great toys, Paul! We love and you and look forward to seeing you again soon!

Visit to Tucson

This past week Lucas and I visited my Mom and Paul out in Tucson. Last time they saw him he was 7 weeks old so they were chomping at the bit to have Mr. Squirmy Smiley Pie in their arms.Paul had a row of toys waiting for Lucas when we arrived which was a good thing because this little guy likes action! It was so nice for us all to see eachother and spend time together. Lucas had all the attention he wanted, got lots of kisses from Sierra the dog, and went swimming in the big pool for the first time!
In between baby care (Lucas went back to nursing every 2 hours in the dry climate) and naps together (he wouldn't sleep independently on this trip), I had the chance to catch up with my mom while going for walks around the neighborhood and relaxing on her beautiful back patio. Thanks for a great visit Mom and Paul! Can't wait to see you next time- when he's crawling! Ack!