Friday Update

Walmart bike aisle - Luke's checking out future rides while our exchange student, Xin bought his bike which he rides to school.
If Luke is fussy, one strategy we use is to give him the wheel of a toy truck or car to play with.  He especially likes Matchbox cars. 

Just a moment before Luke had been sitting staring at his reflection, waving his hands and talking loudly.  But in this shot, he's turned into a wiggle-worm trying to snatch the camera.  He must think I don't let him have any fun!
It's a little frustrating to not be able to capture his antics on video or camera.  

The toilet has become a point of interest recently.  He found the lid up once this week and played in the water.  Oops!  I washed him good and we keep the lid closed. Thankfully he hasn't figured out how to lift it yet.
He really likes drumming on it, though. 

You can see the curlicues of his hair on either side. They're getting pretty long - about 3.5 inches.  I can't decide if I should try to cut them or not.  They are so darling, but his hair looks really messy a lot of the time.

Have a great weekend!

Welcome Autumn! We love you!

We're so enjoying cool weather, leaves falling and apple cider that are part of the Fall season!

Loving leaves on the driveway! Yay for Autumn!

What our new house looks like in Autumn.....  We anticipate lots of raking, which I'm actually looking forward to at the moment.

 Can Reading Help You Gain Weight? Yes! 

At our house this week, we've continued to work on helping Luke bulk up. At his check-up 2 weeks ago, he was 50th percentile for height, but 1st percentile for weight. 

I learned a trick recently that has really helped.  Here it is...... BOOKS.  Yes, by the time we're done eating, the floor may look like this photo below, but he's willing to eat much longer.  The books get smeary, but most wipe off pretty easily. 

It still takes 30-40 minutes for each  meal, but when he's done he gets the reward of doing this:

Ahhhh......the satisfaction and pride of a job well done. 

Other Snapshots 

Xin, our Chinese exchange student graciously letting Luke touch his laptop.  We tried this too, but only once. Luke somehow locked the left side of the keyboard. Not a good idea.

Happy 40th anniversary to my parents, Clyde and Elaine!  Here I am with  my sister Beth and Mom with the wedding dress she made herself 40 years ago!

 Mom and Dad sharing life lessons from 40 years of marriage.


New Jersey Shore - last weekend with the Hollinger family

 It's so hard to get a good picture of Luke if he spies the camera - here he is crawling towards it.  Katie and Grace are in the background.

 He's too quick!! Ha ha.  He LOVED the sand and spashed a lot in buckets of sea water.

 Luke's first carousel ride at the FunTown boardwalk - loved it.

 Morning snuggle with Grandpa.

Short visit to the beach before we headed home - it was cool and windy, but pleasant.

We were refreshed to spend time with family, walk the beach and just relax.  Watching the sea often brings me a sense of peace remembering that God is the maker of the sea, something so large and unknowable. He knows all the details of the depths of the ocean.  Surely he can handle the details of our lives! 

Have a great weekend!

Laurie

Moving and Playing Catch-Up

Hi Dear Ones,
Life has been hectic with our recent move on 8/27 and new Chinese exchange student arriving on 8/29, but we're counting our blessings, of which little Luke is a main one. Thought you'd enjoy some recent photos.

Moving Day!

Our friends Mike and Trevor loading up on carbs for energy

Kelly and Elaine and our stuff....we were glad we only got a sprinkle of rain while loading. 

Matthew was the boss on the 25' truck

Mike #2 got into the spirit of the day by wearing his Dartmouth t-shirt. :)

My brother Dan actually worked hard, even though I asked him to stop for a minute so I could take his picture. Our exchange-student-son Xin ('Sheen') is in the yellow shirt. I need to get a better photo of him to you all. 

Our worldly goods in one truck!

Life in our new house....

Luke has taken a real interest in the piano, both is little plastic toy you see here and the real deal he's playing.

He saw the camera....

He seems to really like the set up of the living room since he can cruise almost the whole way around it by holding onto the furniture.  This is accompanied by lots of chattering which is really cute. 

He likes his rocking horse.

Funny shot.

Funny shot again....

Ha, ha, ha ....and again!

 Weekend Treat

We usually reserve treats like chocolate and ice cream for the weekend (though due to the stress in our lives lately, we've been consuming them a little more frequently!)  Luke loves, loves, loves ice cream. :)

This is his favorite part. 

Yummy!

 How I Keep Myself Busy

Luke loves drawers, cabinet doors, really anything with a hinge.  

Don't you wish you had this??

It doubles as a teething surface.

Okay, that was our update. Thanks for your patience in hearing from us. Keep us in your prayers as we continue adjusting. 

Love, 

Laurie