Back to School

Yes, it's that time of year again. I am back to school, working full-time this fall. I just finished my fourth day of classes and everything seems to be going well. It's great to feel the energy of having students on campus again - I am so blessed to have my job. That means Luke is also going to his own "school" each day at day care. Luke loves watching and "talking" to the other babies and toddlers. We are so fortunate that Luke is easy-going. But he does give his daddy a huge smile when he picks him up at the end of the day.

My mom spent the past few days with us, so she took care of Luke yesterday and brought him to campus. It was such a treat to have lunch with Luke and introduce him to my students.

Luke is getting his fifth tooth now, so he bites anything that fits in his mouth. He has recently learned to love cantaloupe and tolerates yogurt and peas. One of his favorite activities is to squeal as loudly as he can, usually at an ear-piercing pitch. He can also say "da da da da", but we have no idea if he associates the babbling with his daddy. He can move now, too - so leaving him on the floor is no longer safe. He does not crawl, but he can spin around on his tummy and push himself backward.

I need to give "Bacon" a bath now. Yes, that's what I call Luke. I used to always say, "What's shaking, Bacon?" because Luke is a constant squirmer. Now I call him Bacon more often than I say "Luke". Here are a few pictures of him from the past two weeks:


Luke played cards with Sharon


Luke is a happy little guy


Resting with Grandma


Luke plays on the computer with daddy - look at those teeth


M Go Blue!


M Go Blue (again!)


Napping with daddy - the boys slept in last Sunday

Boys' Time

Luke and I had some more 1-1 time this weekend. Tammy and her mom went to the Safeway golf classic Sat. Morning. Then they went to opening mass at UP in the afternoon (one of the things Tammy is required to do as a faculty member). So I took the opportunity to take Luke to Lowe's. It was his first trip to a hardware store. Luke had a lot of fun. He was smiling and laughing a lot. We did not need a lot of things, but we wandered around the store a little. Then we later went to the park and played on the swings.

After opening mass, we all went to the opening women's soccer game of the season. UP beat Oregon, 3-1. It was then followed by a fireworks show. We left the game a little early so that the fireworks would not frighten Luke. But they started on our way home and he was intrigued by them. He could not take his eyes off of them. He did not even mind the noise.

Then this morning Luke and I were both tired so we took a nap together for a few hours this morning. You have to take naps when you get up at 6:30 in the morning. :) I had not even made it out of the bed yet.

Tom

Something to Sink My Teeth Into

That's exactly what Luke looks for every day...something to chew. It slipped my mind to write about Luke's teeth (but, believe me, I am reminded of his teeth each time he eats). Luke has four teeth - two lower and two upper - and wants to bite everything. I will try to capture a tooth-filled grin sometime soon. In the meantime, enjoy these photos from our adventures in August.

We watched the Portland Beavers baseball team with a friend and his daughter. Even though the Beavers lost in extra innings, it was an exciting game with great plays in the field and several home runs. We were all much happier after we moved to seats in the shade.

Tom and I celebrated our eighth anniversary yesterday (time sure flies...). We usually take a long weekend trip to remember our nuptials, so we headed to Eagle Crest Resort in Central Oregon this year. We enjoyed three days of fun and relaxation at a house we rented. It was a great way to say goodbye to summer, since my first day of school this fall is August 25. We played miniature golf (true mini golf on grass with fairways, rough, bunkers, and water). Tom beat me soundly, especially after I took 11 shots to complete the first hole - it took me about 5 attempts to figure out how to putt out of a bunker. We also rented a go-kart bicycle (see below) and toured the resort on wheels - a lot of fun, but no gears made climbing hills very difficult. Luke spent an afternoon in the kiddie pool and we got in a few games of pickleball and basketball.


Look mom, I have your sunglasses!



Look dad, I have your hat!



I just love the swing



Mini golf



Picturesque Central Oregon



Luke enjoys the kiddie pool



Our bicycle tour

A visit from Karen

Our friend, Karen, from college came to visit us and meet little Luke. We had such a great time with her and were sad to see her go. Well, actually, we saw her leave twice... her first plane was delayed so she took another flight back to MN 8 hours later.

We were quite busy during her visit (busy for us, not so busy for her). We visited the science center, had dinner with my brother's family, hit balls at the driving range, hiked to the top of Multnomah Falls, toured a brewery, visited a winery, watched windsurfers in Hood River, went golfing, went to book babies, and visited the zoo (all in 5 days!!). My favorite two activities were golfing and getting a massage. I enjoyed hitting the golf course again, and, much to my surprise, my golf game has not fallen apart. I shot 5-over-par for 9 holes, which is close to my pre-Luke scores. Anyway, we thank Karen for taking the time to visit us from MN.


Luke likes Karen!


Our family at the driving range


Karen plays with Luke and Mark


At Multnomah Falls


At the falls


Karen and Luke


Tammy and Karen


We made it to the top!!


On the way down...


Our family


Luke is so happy!


Karen on the golf course


Luke and Zora at Book Babies


Karen fed Luke avocado

Luke is a cutie!

Luke has certainly been a busy boy lately and he is sure a cutie (we're a bit biased). Enjoy these cute pictures of him. For those of you who want developmental updates, Luke is not yet crawling. As you might already know, Luke does not enjoy "tummy time", so learning to crawl will be quite a challenge. Luke continues to enjoy sitting without support and playing with toys, books, and cups. "Playing" is a loose term - his main objective for every toy is to get it into his mouth, regardless of size. His favorite item is a noisy, plastic yellow ball and he has mastered the art of "palming" balls.

Eating update: Luke is more eager to eat solid food now, which has caused some problems on the other end... diaper rash. He continues to love yams, sweet potatoes, squash, bananas, puffs, and baby mum-mum teething crackers. He still hates peas and is slowly getting used to carrots and pears.


Luke enjoys posing for the camera


Luke loves his toes!


Luke loves the ball pit at the science museum


Brian (Tammy's cousin) and Luke


Dim and Luke - thanks for the wonderful dinner, Dim!


Luke plays in his tub on our patio


Sierra and Luke (thanks Sierra and her mom for babysitting Luke one afternoon)

Luke's First Mariners Game

Tom, Luke, and I took a quick trip to Seattle for the weekend in mid-July. As you can probably tell by my lack of posts, we have been busy lately. Our trip to Seattle was, yet again, a whirlwind tour visiting several friends. On the way, we stopped to visit Luke's godparents in Tacoma and caught the beginning of the Air Force Flight Show - it was a great air show. We managed to get to the Mariners game by the end of the second inning (traffic was heavy), grabbed the last parking spot in a nearby lot, and a Mariners employee gave us free tickets! It was our lucky day. It was not so lucky for the Seattle Mariners, though - they played awful with several errors in the field and poor hitting. Despite the poor play against Cleveland, Luke enjoyed the game (well, probably just watching nearby spectators). Kimmy and Alan graciously hosted us for the evening. On Sunday, we attended our former church and saw several friends. After church, we visited with three sets of friends: Jessi, Matt, and Lukas who are friends from college; Ratul and Martha who are friends from grad school; and Lindsey, Mike, and Isaac (Lindsey is a childhood friend of mine). We had a wonderful time and hope to get up north soon! Enjoy pictures from our trip.


Luke enjoys being almost naked


From the air show


Watching the Seattle Mariners


Our family at Safeco Field


Luke with the Pauls Family


Tammy, Luke, Matt, and Lukas (Lukas is almost exactly 1 year older than Luke)


Luke and Ratul - such different skin colors (Ratul and Tammy are good buddies from grad school)


Isaac, Lindsey, and Luke