Luke's 1st Birthday!

Luke's big day started out a little rough when he woke at 6:50 am to his leg being caught between two rungs of his crib. Luckily he recovered quickly and things went uphill from there. First, he enjoyed (what I believe to be) his favorite breakfast - pancakes.

Then it was time to open presents, which required a little assistance from big sister and Daddy.

Luke's favorite gift was a box of his very own tissues! I got the idea from my cousin Jen, who gave her baby a box of tissues for Christmas one year. Since Luke is constantly into everything, I thought he would get a kick out of it, and I was right. I just love all his facial expressions.

Then it was time for a bath with his new bath toy. When I saw this, I knew Luke would love it because he loves running water. There is a pump in the bottom that recycles the bath water and creates a constant stream.

After getting dressed, I let Luke loose, to terrorize the house and much as he pleased, with out the normally repeated 'no'!

After he played with his new stacking cups, he was tuckered out and took his morning nap.

For lunch, he ate bologna (that was a first), cheese, and grapes. Sorry about the girly bib buddy!

After lunch, I went for a run, and from what I understand he was grumpy the entire time I was gone. So, I gave him a bottle and he took another nap. Oh, what I wouldn't give to have a nap or two a day!

After regaining some strength, it was time once again to terrorize...

and then we took a little trip down to the farm at Thanksgiving Point.

Luke had so much fun and really got a kick out of all the animals. It was so fun to see his face light up as we walked past each new animal.

And I had a serious case of deja vu when I snapped this photo:

Here's why:
This picture was taken when Trent was about 11 months.

Yes, you can definitely see the family resemblance. And here are some more pics from our little outing.

Here is Trent before he decided that he didn't like horses. After this, we walked over to see another horse and when Trent got close enough, he bit Trent's earlobe. Ouch!

The calves were especially adorable.

We ate dinner at the cafe and then Luke had a special birthday treat.

We came home, had a wardrobe change and then headed up to Red Butte Garden for a reception and took the opportunity to snap a few photos.

By the time we got home, Luke was plum tuckered out and so we put him in his jammies and he went right to bed. It's unfortunate that he will not remember this day, but at least he enjoyed himself in the moment. And, at least it is recorded so that he can read about it some day.

He is such a joy and has added so much to our family in the last year. We will be celebrating his life with our families on Friday with a ball party. I have a feeling that he is going to give us a good show when he eats his cake! So, stay tuned!

Luke's First Haircut

Why must one single haircut instantly age a child? So sad. My baby suddenly grew up after I gave him his very first haircut. This was him earlier in the day, just chillin' on the stairs -

Brian has been bugging for weeks, no, I mean months to cut his hair, but I wanted to wait until after his first birthday. And I would have, except that Trent was in need of a cut as well and if you are going to do one, you might as well do two.

Luke before, with no clue what was about to happen.

I was prepared for the worst because Trent HATES haircuts. He cries and whines and moves and well, if I wasn't so cheap I'd take him somewhere to get it cut so I wouldn't have to deal with the stress and trauma of it all. So, how did Luke handle his first haircut?...

Like a champ! In fact, he handled it so well, that Trent promised he would be brave like Luke and not cry during his haircut. And he stayed true to that promise. It was great! And now I have a very grown-up looking baby.

And while I do think it is sad that he seems so much older now, I also think he looks pretty darn cute!

Smart Start

Trent started soccer on Tuesday night. It isn't a regular team with games, it is called 'Smart Start Soccer' and is basically an introduction to the sport. It is a six week program that will get him ready to join a regular team by teaching him all the basics: kicking, dribbling, trapping, etc. Brian is required to work one-on-one with him at each session and it should be a great experience for both of them. Trent was so excited all day and did a great job that night. Ashlyn, Luke, and I watched from the sidelines and it got me really excited to watch my boys (and Ashlyn if she feels so inclined) at various sporting events for years to come.

Dancin' Queen

Ashlyn had her final dance recital last Friday night and she did great. I was so proud of her. My heart swelled when she walked on stage and I got all teary-eyed during her performance. Her class danced to "Dancin' Queen" and it was just adorable. It has been so fun to see her learn and improve this year. I loved each time she came home with a new move to show me. I have been very impressed with her teacher and we already have her signed up for next year.

A great bonus to the evening was seeing equally adorable performances from Madi and Maya as well. They each did an outstanding job! So stinkin' cute.