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!

Jenna's San Francisco Vacation!

3 1/2 days baby-free! I met my friends Kari and Kate at Danae's house in San Francisco (walking distance to Golden Gate park, Barker Beach, and the bridge)! We had a great time romping with the family's dog, lazing around, going to coffee shops, going out on the town and watching movies. It was so great living life at a slower and more self-centered :) pace for a few days. I also had the opportunity to catch up with some old friends (Peter and Andrea) at an amazing tea house for lunch but unfortunately don't have pictures of that (rainy day). Laith and Lucas had their own fun together while I was gone with lots of special outings and eating out at restaurants. Daddy-Son photos are at the bottom of the page... lots to see here, sorry if it loads slowly! :)

Dogs and Trucks and Balls, Oh My!

Heaven, Lucas-style...
If Lucas ever saw this in real life I think we'd get some huge leg pumping, double-handed pointing, panting, squealing! :)

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!