Move to Illinois: Phase One

Before our little family could move to Illinois, we had to first rent our home in Washington. We were so blessed that Katie & Sean , our favorite neighbors, happened to know of a couple looking for a house to rent. This couple came over to look at our home and signed the paperwork shortly after. We were so lucky to have found renters so quickly, especially with the large number of properties available just in our neighborhood alone. The only problem was that they wanted to move in two weeks before we could start our trip to Illinois. So this is how "phase one" of our move to Illinois went:

Step One: Move in and take over 2 of 3 bedrooms of your best friends house (Not sure how Carl really felt about Luke turning his "man room" into a nursery!).

Luke, Alyson, & Carl

In order to completely take over you must:

Bring your baby & all of his really big & bright toys!

Bring your dog, his bed, bowls, & of course more toys!

Step Two: Have your beautiful best friend tote your baby around while she cooks you amazing breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You of course are probably doing important things like checking your email or sipping a glass of wine!

Alyson & Luke

Step Three: Make the boys take numerous pictures in their hats until you get the perfect one!

Jason, Luke, & Carl

Step Four: Say goodbye to your best friends...the friends you prayed for when you first moved to Washington. The friends who you can really be yourself around and they still love you. The friends who were there with you when your baby was born. The friends who you can spend every waking minute with for two weeks and still feel that it was not enough time. Carl & Alyson are these friends. We will miss them more than they could possibly know. Thank you for all of the wonderful memories over the past 3 years...time truly does fly when you are having fun! We love you with all of our hearts always!

The Besties & Luke the morning we said goodbye :(

Best buddies & their "lady killer" smiles!

Our little family

To be continued....

Six Months

Luke, you are six months old...has half a year really gone by already?!? You are still such a joy and truly are the love of mine and daddy's lives. You smile so big when you see us and this just melts our hearts. We have so much fun with you and really cannot remember what our lives were like before you.

Your Stats:
You weigh 20 lbs 1 oz (91% percentile)
You are 27 1/4 inches tall (71% percentile)
Basically...you are perfect!

In the past month we have made a break-through for your naps and night-time routine. We can lay you down in your crib awake with your paci and you will just play yourself right to sleep. We are so proud of you!

You love to play in your baby exerciser and with a little help from Miss Renae, your physical therapist, you are rolling all over the place. We originally went to see Miss Renae because at 2 months Dr. W noticed that your head was slightly leaning to the right. It is not an unknown fact that you, my precious Luke, have a large head! Dr. W let us know that this was common in babies with larger heads because it puts more pressure on the neck muscles. We were told that this would probably correct itself, but given the option to take you to physical therapy. Your momma and daddy just want the very best for you, so we decided that we would definitely go to physical therapy. We were not able to get our first appointment until you were almost 3 1/2 months old. By that time, you were doing so well with your head, but did not want to roll over! Since Miss Renae thought you were just about the cutest and happiest baby she had ever seen...and since the physical therapy sessions were free for us...she offered to see you once a week and help you with your rolling. We were all sad at your last session, and we will greatly miss Renae!

Miss Renae & Luke


Happy St. Patricks Day!


We started using your high chair (a wonderful gift from Miss Heike) this month. You love to play with your toys while I make your bottle and get your food ready. You love to eat! We have worked our way through most of the solids. You are not a big fan of peas or green beans...but pretty much everything else is great. You love sweet potatoes, carrots, peaches, & pears! We have started trying a sip-pee cup, but you are not the least bit convinced that it could ever replace your bottle!

You continue to love your bath time and getting dressed for bed. Your momma changed some words to the Locomotion and sings the Lotioncomotion when she gives you the baby massage. You think this is just about the most hilarious thing you have ever heard!

Luke you are such a blessing. We love you more and more each day!