LUKE FINALLY WEARS A HAT

WE FINALLY GOT LUKE IN A BALL CAP.....BRIEFLY BUT WE DID IT. AFTER WEARING A HELMET FROM THE AGES OF 6-13 MONTHS FOR A CONDITION KNOWN AS PLAGIOCEPHALY THERE WAS NO WAY HE WAS GOING TO WEAR ANYTHING ON HIS HEAD EVER AGAIN. RECENTLY, MILES HAS BEEN WEARING HATS TO PRACTICE SOCCER AND T-BALL SO LUKE DECIDED HE WANTED ONE TOO. HE LOOKS SO ADORABLE IN ONE. HIS LITTLE CURLS COME OUT OF THE SIDES. I MANAGED TO CAPTURE THIS PICTURE BEFORE HE TOOK IT OFF. ISN'T HE A DOLL?

MILES' EASTER PARTY AND EGG HUNT AT MOTHER'S DAY OUT

WHAT A GREAT DAY!! TODAY WAS MILES' EASTER PARTY AND EGG HUNT AT MOTHER'S DAY OUT. PAUL'S MOM AND I WERE IN CHARGE OF THE PARTY. SHE BROUGHT JUICE BOXES AND CUPCAKES FOR THE KIDS. MOMMY BROUGHT CHICKEN FROM CHIK FILET AND FRIES. MOMMY ALSO FIXED TREAT BAGS FOR ALL OF THE KIDS. LUKE AND I ATTENDED THE PARTY AND WERE SURPRISED WHEN DADDY GOT OFF FROM WORK EARLY ENOUGH TO ATTEND AS WELL. AFTER THE PARTY WE ALL WENT OUTSIDE FOR THE BIG EGG HUNT. IT WAS IN A HUGE FIELD BEHIND THE SCHOOL. THE 2 FOUR YEAR OLD CLASSES HUNTED TOGETHER AND HAD SO MUCH FUN. LUKE JUST WALKED AROUND WITH DADDY WONDERING WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS GOING ON. I AM SO GLAD THAT WE GOT TO BE A PART OF MILES' SPECIAL PARTY DAY.

ADORABLE TIMES 2

JUST LOOK AT THESE BABIES!!! THERE ARE NOT 2 OTHER BOYS ON THE PLANET THAT COULD COMPARE TO MY MILES AND LUKE. THEY ARE SO HANDSOME. THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN SHORTLY BEFORE WE WERE HEADED TO HAMBLIN PHOTOGRAPHY TO GET THEIR EASTER PICTURES MADE WITH LIVE RABBITS. I CANT GET OVER MILES IN HIS FIRST TIE. HE THINKS HE IS SO GROWN. HE SAYS, "MOMMY, I LOOK LIKE A MAN." LUKE LOVED SEEING THE BUNNY AT THE STUDIO. WE GOT SOME GREAT SHOTS.

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY LUKIE

TODAY, MARCH 18TH, 2008 WAS LUKE'S SECOND BIRTHDAY. MOMMY AND DADDY HAD TO WORK TODAY BUT WHEN WE GOT HOME, BUDMAN AND GIGI MET US AND WE ALL WENT TO DINNER AT CHEROKEE STEAK HOUSE. MILES AND LUKE HAD A GREAT TIME LOOKING OUT OVER THE WATER AT THE BOATS AND THE DUCKS. WE COULD SEE THE RIVER BRIDGE FROM OUR TABLE SO LUKE WAS THRILLED SINCE BRIDGES HAVE BECOME HIS NEW THING. AFTER DINNER THE BOYS FED THE DUCKS OUTSIDE. THE DUCKS BECAME A LITTLE AGGRESSIVE BUT THE BOYS STILL ENJOYED IT. I HOPE LUKE HAD A GREAT BIRTHDAY.

EASTER EGG HUNTING AT THE WANSTRATH HOUSE

TODAY WE HAD AN EASTER EGG HUNT AT OUR HOUSE. KENNEDI, HOUSTON, RYAN, ALEX, MILES, AND LUKE HUNTED EGGS IN THE BACKYARD. WE LET THE LITTLE ONES GO FIRST FOLLOWED BY THE BIG BOYS. LUKE REALLY ENJOYED ALL OF THE EGGS BUT HE WANTED TO OPEN EACH ONE AS HE FOUND THEM. MILES FOUND SO MANY EGGS AND HAD A GREAT TIME. HOUSTON FOUND THE GOLDEN EGG. WE ATE PIZZA, FRUIT, DESSERT, AND THEN WENT OUTSIDE TO PLAY. I AM SO GLAD THAT THE BOYS' FRIENDS CAME OVER. WE ARE GOING TO KEEP DOING THIS EVERY YEAR....ATLEAST UNTIL THEY ARE TOO OLD TO HAVE AN EASTER EGG HUNT.

AND HE KILLS WITH HIS SMILE

LUKE HAS THE MOST ADORABLE "CHEESY" SMILE. WHEN I TAKE HIS PICTURE HE SAYS, "CHEESE" AND GIVES ME A BIG CHEESY SQUINTY EYED GRIN. THIS WAS TAKEN ON OUR BACK PORCH AND THE SUNLIGHT CAUGHT HIS BEAUTIFUL CURLY HAIR. I LOVE THIS PICTURE.

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY LUKE

WHAT A GREAT DAY. WE CELEBRATED LUKE'S 2ND BIRTHDAY TODAY (MARCH 15TH) EVEN THOUGH HIS ACTUAL BIG DAY ISNT UNTIL TUESDAY. WE HAD AN ELMO THEMED PARTY. KENNEDI, ALEX, MIA, AIDAN, CLAYTON, BENJAMIN, COOPER, HOUSTON, RYAN, MILES, AND LUKE ALL HAD A GREAT TIME. THERE WERE ELMO HATS, GAMES, BALLOONS, FOOD, CAKE, STICKERS, GIFTS, SINGING, AND LOTS OF PLAYING. HE SEEMED TO HAVE SUCH A GREAT DAY. IT WAS VERY SPECIAL. HE GOT LOTS OF CLOTHES, ELMO TOYS, A NEW LAWNMOWER, DIEGO TOYS, AND MONEY. WE WERE EXHAUSTED BY THE END OF THE NIGHT. WE HAVE TO REJUVINATE FOR TOMORROW. WE ARE HOSTING AN EASTER EGG HUNT AT OUR HOUSE WITH SOME FRIENDS. MORE ON THAT LATER. HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUKIE. WE LOVE YOU.

I DO

LUKE'S FAVORITE THING THESE DAYS IS GETTING IN THE CAR WITH HIS DADDY AND RIDING ACROSS THE RIVER BRIDGE. I DONT KNOW EXACTLY WHAT INTRIGUES HIM....IS IT LOOKING OVER AT THE WATER, SEEING BOATS, OR IS HE JUST USING THAT AS AN EXCUSE TO BE WITH DADDY. HE ALSO BEGS TO GO TO THE TRAIN TRACKS...SOUND FAMILIAR (MILES IS RUBBING OFF ON HIM). WHEN KYLE COMES HOME FROM WORK OR ON THE WEEKENDS, HE ASKS, "WHO WANTS TO GO TO THE BRIDGE?" AND LUKE ALWAYS ANSWERS, "I DO." IT IS THE SWEETEST THING. THIS IS HIM RAISING HIS HAND AFTER SAYING, "I DO."

MARCH IN TENNESSEE

WELL THE FORECAST FOR SATURDAY, MARCH 8TH WAS 2-5 INCHES OF SNOW. WE WOKE UP TO ABOUT AN INCH AND A HALF. SOME OF THE REST OF THE STATE GOT AS MUCH AS A FOOT OF SNOWFALL LAST NIGHT. THIS IS THE BIGGEST SNOWFALL MY BOYS HAVE SEEN IN THEIR LIFETIMES. WE WENT OUT BRIEFLY AND THREW A FEW SNOWBALLS AND DADDY PULLED THEM ON THE SLED. LUKE WAS IN SHOCK BUT DIDNT WANT TO COME IN. MILES FELL TO THE GROUND FOR SOME SNOW ANGEL ACTION. THE WIND WAS BITTER COLD. BY 2PM THE SNOW HAD MELTED AND WE WERE HEADED FOR A BIRTHDAY PARTY. THAT IS WEATHER IN TENNESSEE FOR YOU. IT WAS FUN WHILE IT LASTED.

REFLECTIONS

LUKE WILL BE 2 YEARS OLD IN JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS. LOOKING BACK AT SOME OLD PICTURES I CANT BELIEVE HOW THE TIME HAS PASSED. 2 YEARS AGO WE WERE SO UNSURE ABOUT HIS HEALTH AND HOW HIS LITTLE LIFE WOULD BE. HE WAS HOOKED UP TO EVERY TUBE AND FEAR DOES NOT EVEN DESCRIBE ONE TENTH OF WHAT I WAS FEELING. WE ARE SO BLESSED THAT LUKE IS A HEALTHY, HAPPY, AND TYPICAL 2 YEAR OLD BOY. WE HAVE SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR. ISNT HE PRECIOUS.