End of August

At the end of August, we were blessed with a visit from our good friends, Marcus, Anna, and their two boys Ian and Owen, from Birmingham. They were in town and stayed with us for a night. The boys had fun playing together and we took a fun trip to the aquarium. It had been nearly a year since we had taken Luke to the aquarium and I think he really enjoyed it more this time. Thanks for visiting us Marcus, Anna, and boys!!

Belly picture

I haven't remembered to take many belly pictures, but we did manage to get one.
This is from 8/28/2010, I was 30.5 weeks pregnant at the time.

August Pictures of Luke

Recapping the rest of August through a few pictures.

Luke got his first hand painting done! He'd been hesitant in previous attempts at face/body painting, but one Saturday at Atlanta Bread, the children's artist had just the right approach to him and he allowed her to make him a balloon animal and painted a cool gator on his hand. He loved it!



Luke using chopsticks for the first time. Pretty creative!





Luke starts wearing big boy underwear! His teachers at daycare started really trying to get the kids to use the potty at school in mid-August and we started at home then at the same time. Until then, Luke had not really been interested at all. One Saturday we just let him run around with no pants on and encouraged him to use the potty. By the end of the day he knew what to do :) It's been a process, over the last month and a half, but he has done great. He is potty trained for #1 (other than night time) but not so much for #2. We are still working on that, wish us luck!



So, we had 3 things we were hoping to accomplish with Luke before Baby Bop arrived. Using a big boy bed, potty training, and getting rid of the pacifier. 1 and a half out of three so far :) Luke loves his new bed, hasn't looked back at the crib since we got it. The paci, well it is still here and I don't think we'll be getting rid of that before the baby arrives. I think he'd just want it again if he sees his little brother using it anyway.

Loving the new bed!

The end of an era

It was sad to see it go.

My very first car (ok, actually my second, but this was the first one I bought for myself).

It all started when I graduated from nursing school in 2001. I had saved a little bit of money from the summer working as a graduate nurse and as an RN when I passed my NCLEX exam. My parents called me one day and said they were at the car dealership and were looking at the car I'd always wanted. A convertible mustang. So it wasn't the color I was dreaming of (I wanted a pewter one with a black top) but this was an end of the year model on loner for a homecoming parade and my parents could get a good deal on it. So I bought a red convertible mustang, unseen, on the words of my parents. I recall my dad said if I didn't want it he was going to get it. After sending a money order from my bank it was a done deal. My parents drove the car up to Gainesville the following weekend. I love that car, I know it is silly to love a car, but it was a great car to drive around in in FL with the top down and radio on.
That car made lots of trips between Tampa and Gainesville from 2001-2005 while I alternately lived in and visited both cities in order to finish my PhD and be with Josh in Tampa. It drove us away after our wedding reception in 2003. When we moved to Birmingham in 2005 it came with us and I drove back and forth to Tuscaloosa for a year between 2006-2007.

Then came Luke. Now I have seen carseats in the back of a mustang, but since it was a convertible it just didn't seem like it was the safest or best option to drive a baby around. So, in October 2007 the mustang became Josh's car. I rarely drove it since I was usually going somewhere with Luke. Josh, not being a fan of the convertible top, never really appreciated the mustang in the same way I did. It started to get old. Paint was missing on the front end and hood from all the miles and flying rocks on the highway, the leather interior had begun to crack. It was showing its age. While we never had any major issues mechanically with the car (it pays to get regular maintenance!) with baby #2 coming and Josh needing to drive all over Atlanta and beyond for work now it just didn't make sense to keep a nearly 10 year old mustang convertible.

Don't cry for me though, this story has a happy ending. In July, Josh and I purchased a new Traverse so we can tow around both our boys and have room for visiting family and friends. As for the mustang, my parents ended up with it! After an arrangement trading a washer and dryer for the car, my parents are now the proud owners of a red mustang convertible...in need of a little TLC. I am so happy that the car is still in the family and I love how my parents make a point to tell me how they each drive it and whenever they can they drive with the top down. It is being restored to its days of glory and I can visit it in FL.

Early August

Nana and Papa came to visit in early August to celebrate Papa's 60th birthday. While they were here we were able to do a bit of decorating in the new house, which included our very first trip to an Ikea store. That place really was huge. We found exactly what we needed to put up some window treatments since all of the windows on the main floor were bare. We had a nice lunch in their cafeteria too.
Thanks for all of the help mom and dad, the place looks so much better!





We also took a day trip to Lake Lanier and visited the water park. Luke had a good time, I wasn't sure if he would take to the water or not, he hasn't been a big fan of pools yet. After a few minutes warming up to the kiddie section, he had a great time and Nana, Papa, and me had fun watching him.







My Dad went on this slide.



Baby Bop and I stayed away, but it was so hot outside that it was nice to relax in the pool water. We tried to do the big wave pool and it was fine with Luke when the waves were off, but as soon as they came on he wanted out immediately! The lake itself was right near the kiddie section so we took out the sand toys and let Luke loose in the sand. He had a blast! The sun tired us all out and Luke fell asleep on the way home.

A day in the life...

On a Saturday afternoon in July....

Luke helping mommy make brownies



Noah doing what Noah does best!