Shhhhhh!

So, obviously, Phil and I spend a lot of time telling our dog Clara to be quiet because, now, every time she barks, Lucas goes SHHHHH!!! And when we ask, "what do we say to Clara", he answers SHHHH!!!

I'm not sure that it counts as a first word, but it's pretty cute :)

Thankful Thursday: My Man

This week, I get to be especially thankful for this guy (the big one):

In honor of Valentine's Day and Phil's birthday this week, I will now brag on him and prove why he is pretty wonderful (and why I am thankful for him and to God for bringing us together).

Phil is the world's best husband: he loves me and tells me so every day, he does the dishes EVERY night, he deals with my craziness with grace, he is kind to me, he loves to play games with me (and is gracious about the fact that he has NEVER beaten me at Trivial Pursuit...hehe), he works hard at his job so that I can stay home and raise Lucas, and might I say he's pretty darned good looking.

Phil is also the world's best dad: there is never a diaper that he won't change, he wrestles and plays ball with Lucas every day, but also cuddles with him and tells him how much he loves him, he gets up early with Lucas on the weekends, he makes Lucas' face light up every time he walks into a room, and he would rather be with his son than watch any tv show or sports game.

So...today, I am thankful to my husband. Thanks for being amazing! (And funny, and sweet, and...) Happy Birthday...Lucas and I love you very much.

11 Months!

Lucas is 11 months old today...what?!? How is he almost a year old??? Here are his 11 month animal pics and some updates on his development:

 At 11 months old you...

• are walking like a pro! No more crawling for this big guy!
• Point to things and say "da" (that).
• Know and use the signs for milk, water, more, and change.
• Love to throw things...everything, actually.
• Love to climb up the stairs and play up there.
• Love to eat anything that comes off of mom and dad's plates.
• Carry your two lovies, bear and lion, with you everywhere
• Suck you thumb a lot and get mad when we won't let you at the dinner table
• Tell Clara to "shhhh" when she barks
• Give big sloppy kisses and wave bye bye before bed.
• Love to turn the pages of your books...so fast that we can't really read them.
• Are starting to look like a little man in your "big boy clothes"

Thinking Beachy Thoughts

Since I am iced into my house again today, I am thinking beachy thoughts to keep warm. And since I didn't have the blog to share pics from our beach trip this past summer, here are some pictures to warm you up too!




Cutest beach bum EVER!




The sand feels kinda weird, but isn't my outfit cool?




Lucas and Papa




Family Picture




Lucas actually really liked being in the water. He giggled ever time a little wave splashed him.




My sister took this awesome shot.

Can't wait for next summer's beach trip :)

Apparently We Moved to Canada.

We are having another ice storm here in Dallas. There is a little less than an inch of ice on the ground this morning, and snow has been falling on top of it since about 8.This was supposed to be my 8th day back teaching. There has only been school on 3 of those days. Yeesh! I can't remember weather like this (or schools being shut down this often) EVER in Dallas. So, it is (at least) one more day of entertaining Lucas in the house, trying to keep him away from Daddy while Phil is working from home, and trying not to go crazy without fresh air and sunshine :( Something to look forward to, though...65 degree weather this weekend. Oh, Texas! How we love you!



Fun with icicles...a childhood tradition.

This is how we spent most of the day...



Clara was bored, too!



Enough Already!

Ok, ice and freezing temperatures. We get your point. You may leave now.

So, we have been iced into our house since TUESDAY. (It is now SATURDAY!!!!) Overnight on Monday, we got about 2 inches of ice. This almost always means that the Dallas-Fort Worth area is completely shut down, and it was not helped by the fact that the temps were in the single digits for the next few nights and never got about about 18 for two days. This did make for an easy first week back to work for me, since I only worked for one hour on Monday. School was cancelled for the other four days this week. I have lived in Dallas for the vast majority of my life, and I NEVER remember getting 4 inclement weather days in a row!

Phil stayed home from work on Tuesday, but managed to (slowly) make it in on Wednesday and Thursday. He didn't make it in on Friday because, that morning, we woke up to find about 6 inches of snow had fallen on top of the ice. Yeesh! At least we were able to get out and play in the snow...I was about to lose my mind after being inside for so long! Here are some pics from Lucas' week in the cold.



Trudging to the mailbox with mom when we needed to get out of the house.




I was attempting to get a pic of Lucas standing on the massive sheet of ice outside our door...then he bit it.



Day 1: Walking on the ice.



Day 4: Ummm...how am I supposed to move in this stuff?




Helping Dad clean off the truck.

 We are hoping to head out on an exciting trip to Target or something today. Our big church conference was cancelled because of the weather. Tomorrow is the Super Bowl, and we can't help but wonder...Is this what Jerry Jones gets for making that deal with the devil so many years ago? Perhaps...

Thankful Thursdays: My Kindle

I love to read. A lot. (Thanks to my mom for passing that habit on to me!) I read just about any kind of book or magazine I can get my hands on. For most of my adult life, I carried an extra book or two around with me in my purse...then came my Kindle. Ahhhhhhh. It takes up almost no weight in the bag, I have a little cover that is ugly but keeps out spills from bottles and such, and I can take as many books with me as I want.  Not to mention the word games....so addicting! When we went on vacation to the beach this summer, I didn't have to compensate for the 10 pounds of books that I normally bring with me...just my little Kindle stocked with light summer reading and its fancy beach cover to keep out the sand. I still love the feel of a book in my hands, and am, consequently, still a devoted library patron, but the Kindle helps me take my literary life on the go. So, today I am thankful to Amazon for creating this wonderful little device, to my super husband for getting me one for my birthday, and to writers everywhere for sharing their art with me.

When We Couldn't Stay In Any Longer...

We've been iced in for two days, so Lucas and I finally bundled up and headed out in the 15 degree weather. Notice that I slip on the ice, not Lucas, and that Clara thinks Lucas' hat is a new toy :)

Back to School

Yesterday, I started a temporary return to the world of teaching. I will be subbing 7th grade English at MCA for six weeks while my friend Amanda is on maternity leave. (Yay, Baby Ellie!) I am very excited to be back in the classroom, and Lucas is excited to spend some time with his friend Ally every day for a few weeks. Although I am really enjoying being at home with Lucas, getting ready for this class over the last couple of weeks has reminded me how much I love teaching and look forward to being back in the classroom someday. This long-term subbing is a great way to keep my foot in the door and my skills sharp in the meantime.

I have never taught English before, so that will be an adventure. (7th grade grammar lessons, anyone?!?) It has already been a bit of an abnormal week around MCA. Day 1: This week is "Wild Week" where the kids dress up in themed costumes. Yesterday was Ancient Civilizations day, so I was greeted by smiling children in togas, a ninja, a full-on Roman warrior (complete with giant shield), and a handful of other costumes. Makes learning those names a little more difficult! Day 2: ICE DAY...no school.  So, there go all those lesson plans Amanda so nicely put together for me :) Such is the life of a teacher...more stories to come, I am sure.

Gymboree

Lucas' favorite place in the WORLD is Gymboree. If we could go every day, he would be the happiest boy in the world. (Or if we would just very kindly build him a Gymboree in our house, that would be even better!) He loves climbing, he loves sliding, he has a HUGE crush on one of his teachers, and he LOVE LOVES all the balls. As soon as we walk in the door, Lucas crawls (or now, toddles) through the door into the playroom and makes a beeline for the tub of balls that is stored in a back corner. If that whole "class" thing didn't get in the way, he would spend an hour chasing all those balls ;) In the four months we have been going, he has gotten much better about paying attention and participating during singing time, and he really looks forward to playing with bubbles and parachutes at the end of class everyday. Here are some photos of a very happy Lucas!

This first set of shots are from a couple of month ago (when he just learned to crawl):

These are from last Saturday: