Happy Halloween!

Isn't Lucas the cutest Dalmation you've ever seen? He LOVED his costume... so much that he wanted to wear it the next day too! And Bennett looked adorable in his pea pod costume - even though it was a tad too small for him. We had fun going to Great-Grandma's for a party and then trick-or-treating around our neighborhood. Lucas seemed to enjoy the holiday much more this year than last... and Halloween seems so much more fun to us now that we have kids. I can't wait for both of the boys to be going door to door!

Naked Boy

I will keep the pictures on this post PG, but just wanted to document the recent phenomenon of nakedness. Lately, Lucas has really loved getting naked (or "nay-nay" as he calls it) as much as possible. Not sure why this is, but we are just trying to go with the flow. Hopefully this will aide us in our potty training efforts (no luck so far however).

Fall Festivities

We have been getting into the fall spirit over the last couple of weeks... and the beautiful weather has certainly helped! We have visited a couple of pumpkin patches where Lucas was able to pick pumpkins, eat treats, ride a pony and see all sorts of other farm animals. At home, Lucas liked painting a pumpkin but when it came time to carve the first pumpkin, he wasn't so sure about it. Today however, he and Erik carved another pumpkin and he had a blast cleaning out the pumpkin. By the end, he was throwing seeds everywhere and even tried eating the insides of the pumpkin. Obviously, Bennett is rather oblivious to the activities but we were able to capture a little smile with him posed in his Halloween onesie.

Beaver Baseball

Last weekend we took advantage of the great weather and took in an OSU Beaver baseball intrasquad scrimmage down here in Medford. Lucas loved the experience... watching the players, eating hot dogs and peanuts and throwing rocks. He has continued to imitate the umpire's loud "Striiiiike" call over the last week.

Lucas update

Lucas continues to turn into a big boy more each day it seems. He is beginning to embrace his role as a big brother, giving lots of kisses to Bennett, sharing his toys and comforting him when he is crying. It has been fun for Erik and I to watch Lucas become more independent with his playing and incorporating lots of imaginative play now. He loves to sing songs (especially "Twinkle, Twinkle", the "ABC's" and "Hello everybody")... the louder the better! He is talking non-stop and still loves to play golf and football, ride bikes, read books (lots of Curious George lately) and play with vehicles (especially Hot Wheels now). They have started construction on a house right next door to us recently, so that has been fun for him to watch everyday. He is certainly becoming more assertive in his opinions and desires (typical of most two year-olds) which can be frustrating and entertaining all at the same time. We are so proud of the kid that he is becoming!

Brotherly Love

Having a little brother has been quite an adjustment for Lucas - and understandably so. At first he seemed very intrigued, then maybe a little resentful. Now he seems to be getting used to the idea. Although he can't play with Bennett yet, he likes to help by giving him his binky, getting diapers, pushing him in his swing and encouraging him during the dreaded "tummy time". Lucas is very good about giving Ben lots of "hugs, more hugs and kisses" and showing him all of his favorite vehicles. I am proud of how Lucas is handling this big change and am excited to see this relationship develop over the years.

1 month old!

It is hard to believe, but our baby Bennett turned 1 month old yesterday! I can't believe how the time has flown by! He has been a very good baby so far... nursing is finally getting better, he is growing like a champ, and sleeping is slowly getting longer (and in the basket rather than our bed all of the time!). He has his periods of fussiness, but nothing too bad and mostly in the evenings now. At his 3 week appointment, he was 9 lb, 2 oz (almost 2 lbs over his birthweight!) and 22.4 inches long. By no means am I comfortable with handling two children yet, but it seems to slowly be getting easier. Bennett has been such a blessed addition to our family... we can't wait for the memories and moments to come! Here are a few pictures from the last couple of weeks...