Future Careers?

When a child turns 2 years old, it is possible to predict his/her future height by using a time-tested formula that takes into account the following: child's current height & weight, mother's height, and father's height. At Luke's 2-year well check, the pediatrician plugged in some numbers, shook his head in astonishment, and said, "Yes, you're going to have a tall one on your hands!". Using the formula, Luke is predicted to be 6'6" at age 18, with a 2 inch margin of error, and it is stressed that boys continue to grow until they are at least 21 years old. This means that Luke may possibly be up to 6'8" tall as a teenager, and won't even be finished growing yet! I can now start thinking about a WFU basketball scholarship in our family's future, Luke's career as a professional NBA player (when he will financially support his aging parents), and a time when I will someday have to crane my neck and stand on my tiptoes to give my tall son a hug.

And, if basketball doesn't work out, our back up plan is for Luke to be the next American Idol. He sings all the time, full verses to songs, with hand motions and dancing included. Here's a little tidbit from Luke's American Idol audition video:

Click here for a video of Luke singing his favorite song.

Weekend Travels

We had a very busy and fun-filled weekend in Virginia. While Mark and I attended a friend's wedding, Luke stayed with Bean and Poppy and went to Busch Gardens to meet the characters from Sesame Street. As you can see, Luke loved greeting everyone, and he had a wonderful mini-vacation with his grandparents. My parents also stopped by for a visit with the Winterhoffs on their way to the wedding, so Luke was surrounded by all 4 of his grandparents on Saturday morning and was thrilled with all of the attention. On Sunday, we stopped in Richmond for our nephew's baptism, and Luke spent the afternoon playing with his cousins: a perfect solution to tire him out for our car trip home. What a great time we had with everyone!


Saying hello to "Num Num".



Riding the carousel with Poppy.


Checking out Elmo.


One little boy = So much love!



Playing with cousins Lauren and Maya.

Happy Cow Creamery

Today our play group went to Happy Cow Creamery, an organic dairy farm nearby. Luke and his friends visited the dairy cows, took a tractor ride around the farm, and toured the barn and creamery, where they saw where the cows are milked and how the dairy products are made. It was an adorable place for children to visit, and I can't decide if Luke's favorite part was seeing all the tractors or tasting chocolate milk for the first time! Here are our pictures of the day:



The kids were fascinated by the cows eating "lunch".



Riding on the wagon tour of the farm.
(Don't all 3 of our toddlers look annoyed at getting their picture taken yet again?!)



The tractor ride was a big hit with this little boy!



Luke loved talking to the cows: "Hello, Cows!"



Thomas and Luke looking at the cows.



The fresh milk was delicious!



Drinking every last drop!



(Chocolate) Milk Mustache!

Ice Cream!

We took Luke out for ice cream tonight for the first time! Every time I write a post like this (i.e. first time for french fries, whole-wheat monkey cupcakes), I'm sure that you all roll your eyes, shake your heads, and think:
"Poor, deprived child who has never gone out for ice cream. What a crazy mom!"

However, I'm finally starting to loosen up on my strict nutritional guidelines, and it was adorable to see how excited Luke was to have his own cup of ice cream:



In between taking bites from his kiddie cup, Luke opened his mouth wide, stuck out his tongue, and tilted his head toward our cones so that he could have a taste:



We were thrilled to find a place that gives kids (under 40" tall) free ice cream, but quickly realized that our huge 2-year old may exceed the height limit before we are able to return:

Mark and I found this hilarious. I'm not sure Luke thought it was too funny.

Anyway, it was a fun Saturday night activity for our family, and I have a feeling that Luke will be campaigning for a return visit soon!

Cool Dude- Part 2

Continuing the theme from our last blogpost, we present "Cool Dude: The Sequel"! We've had some very hot days so far this May, which have called for ways to stay cool in our backyard, including the baby pool, water table, and Luke's discovery of his new turtle sprinkler:


Luke was tentative at first, as he watched his sister run joyfully through the water.



Daddy encouraged Luke to "run like Winnie"!



Next, Luke decided to get a little closer and touch the water.



Nothing could keep this kiddo away from the turtle now!



Soaked, and definitely very "cool!"


And what cool dude's outfit is complete without appropriate summer footwear (remember the "Mandals" post of 2009)? Here's a sneak peek of the cutest tootsies in SC this season, as we introduce Luke's first flip flops:






And lastly, here are my 2 cool kids, sharing breakfast in bed this weekend. Winnie has finally decided that having a brother who will feed you Cheerios in bed is absolutely worth all of those months of sibling rivalry and adjustment!

The Life of a Cool Dude!

Luke's latest obsession: wearing his sunglasses. We made the mistake of calling him a "cool dude" the first time that he put them on, so now, whenever the sun gets in his eyes, Luke asks to wear his "dudes". Last week, I felt like I was a paid chauffeur/servant driving around a famous celebrity, as Luke sat in the backseat of the car wearing his shades, dictating demands:

"Snack, Mommy."
I am now able to hand the snacktrap of Cheerios back to Luke's carseat in my sleep, with a super-human twisting of my right arm to just the right spot while keeping my head, eyes, and left arm focused on driving.

"Wheels, Mommy." (indicating that I should turn on his sing-along CD, cued up to "Wheels on the Bus".) The average errand requires us to listen to this one on repeat about 17 times.




"Ambu-la-la, Mommy," (meaning we should turn in to our neighborhood hospital to see the parked ambulance in the Emergency Bay).



"Gas, Mommy."
Oh, the thrill of a gas station to a little boy- All those vehicles coming and going!



And when the novelty of the sunglasses wears off, Luke clutches his "new cars" (the 4 matchbox cars that Mimi gave him for his birthday). The cars have accompanied us on every errand for the past several weeks, and must be these exact 4 (not a combination of the many other vehicles that we also own), which posed a problem when one was temporarily "lost" in the depths of my diaper bag.



This cool dude also likes for his fans to wear fireman hats while he stomps around in his boots. My friend, Nicole, came to visit a few weeks ago, and was quite agreeable to being posed and dressed up in such attire.



And when making the celebrity rounds just gets too tough for this cool dude, what else is there to do, but lounge on the couch with a favorite beverage, pantless and adored, living a life of leisure?