What's new?

*Originally written 12/2 (was going to add pictures but never got around to it)*

So what is new with the Elliotts? Not too much with me or Josh, although stay tuned for our announcement of where we'll be employed come next July.  We are getting close to making a decision but nothing to announce just yet. 
Really, all that is new is with Luke!  He has definitely become MR. INDEPENDENT.  He desperately wants to do everything himself, his favorite new phrase is "NO, my do it." Here is a little example.  Yesterday I picked him up from school, and as usual the first thing he wanted was his snack.  No "HI Mommy!" he just looks at me and says "SNACK!"  Usually they have a snack to take in the car hanging from his hook outside the classroom, but there wasn't one there yesterday.  I told Luke this and he immediately marched over to the door, tried to open it himself and when he couldn't said to me "Mommy, open this."  I did, and he went right to his hook and looked for himself!  Guess he didn't believe me :)  So typically, then since his classroom is downstairs, I carry him up the steps (he has been known to occasionally walk up them holding my hand) and out to the car.  Yesterday, nope, he had to walk up them by himself.  He even got upset with me when he noticed I had my hands hovering behind him and promptly told me "No, Mommy, No, my do it."  He did climb up all the stairs like a big boy, only near-falling once to which he said "Whoa!" and walked out to the car on his own.  He has also started to try climbing in and out of the car by himself, but I think this has more to do with his fascination of sitting in the driver's seat to play with all the of car knobs and buttons and he thinks if he climbs in unassisted he can outsmart me and get to the driver's seat before I grab him to get into the carseat. 
Seriously, he is so darn cute exerting his independence.  I hope I still think he is this cute when he goes through this again as a teenager :)
Josh and I have been trying to get him to use his pacifier only at night-time, but lately he has been a lot more attached to it.  Not sure what that is about but it is hard to understand him when he talks with it in his mouth.  This led to what I thought was the best moment of my mommy-hood so far this morning, only to realize that I had misinterpreted paci-speak.  Luke had his paci in and blankie in his hand this morning when we pulled into daycare.  I was unbuckling him and what I heard was "Mommy, I going to miss you." My heart melted (since he isn't quite to the point where he will say he loves us without being prompted) and I replied "I'm going to miss you too Luke."  He looked at me weird and then said his phrase again, then I realized he had actually said "Mommy, I bring these two" meaning the paci and the blankie which he knows he is supposed to leave in the car and he wanted to take into daycare.  Got to admit, I was disappointed. 
You can imagine what happened from there...removal of the blankie and paci...Luke screaming on the way into daycare...other parents giving me that knowing look while they are thinking I'm glad it is you not me this morning.