Christmas in Iowa

(Happy Birthday Grandma Donna!)

We spent Christmas in Iowa this year, and got to celebrate with the Widmers (except for Aunt Tia and his newest cousin Sarah!), the Millers, and of course the Darby's.  Before we left, Lucas was just a regular ol' baby that smiled, cooed, and drooled.  But after only a few days in Iowa he became a much bigger and more mature little boy!  Aunt Carol found his first tooth(!), he is eating solids(!), he sat for 10 seconds on his own(!), and he turned 6 months old(!).

Having all the kids & grandkids under Grandma & Grandpa's roof made for lots of good quality time.  Lucas especially liked hanging out with his big cousin Jacob.  Jacob played games like airplane, played songs on his new guitar, and taught him "boy noises."  

Lucas eating his first food, avocado, at Christmas brunch with the Darby's.  I think he liked it! 

M22

Ever since we arrived in Michigan we've been seeing bumper stickers that say "M22," and we've been so intrigued.  What is this M22?

Last week we found out when we went to help Pat and Chuck with a house they are working on near Traverse City.  The second day up north we drove around the Leelanau Peninsula on M22, passing through great towns like Suttons Bay, Leland, Glen Arbor,  and also the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.  There are wonderful farms, vineyards, lighthouses, sand dunes, bakeries and restaurants along the way.  We picked up a copy of Edible Grande Traverse at the food co-op in Traverse City to help guide our tour.  We loved it and think you all would, too.

Lucas woke up for a bit to play at the lakeshore near Empire. 

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Tonight we hung the ornaments on the Christmas tree.  We let Lucas pick out the ones he wanted to put on the tree, but he was more interested in putting them in his mouth.  I think he was pretty entertained with all the colorful little toys hanging on a tree!  

Tis the season!

 

Last night we went to our first Shop Hop in Grand Rapid's Uptown Area.  We had a wonderful, festive time checking out the shops and getting into the holiday spirit.  Then all of a sudden Santa appeared!  

Our baby can sleep!

Life as we know it has changed.  Drastically. 

For the past three nights, Lucas has SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!  And I'm not even talking about the 12:00 to 5:00 a.m. baby definition of sleeping through the night.  I'm talking about 11 hours of no crying, no nursing, staying in his crib.  Here he is - so proud of himself. 

I thought the first night might have been a fluke, and then two nights seemed promising.  But three nights?  I think we have a trend, folks.  

Sam and I have been working hard towards this goal.  We have this fancy new crib (thanks to friends of friends) that doesn't shake when he kicks his legs, we've been working on a solid bedtime routine for two months, nap time has been getting consistently better, and also he's a little older.  

Please continue to send your happy sleeping vibes to our little baby.  

A new milestone

Today we went for a little daytime adventuring in the Manistee National Forest along the White River.  When we got there, Lucas experienced this exciting milestone, the first of many manly achievements.  

Flyin' Baby

Get ready for cute baby laughing!!

Happy 5 Month Birthday!

Lucas turns 5 months old today!  This month he has mastered the Roll Over.

Turkey Day Photos

The weather has certainly turned cold the past couple of days.  We were just getting used to the beautiful fall days in the 50's and 60's. 
Here are some more photos from Thanksgiving Day.  Pat and Chuck hosted a large group of family and served all the good fixin's. 

Auntie Em

 

(These photos are thanks to Uncle Dan)

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year we are thankful for...

A healthy and happy little boy,

Loving family,

Wonderful friends,

And President Obama.

A quick recap

I'm starting this blog after a wise woman told me how meaningful it was to see images and videos of her far-away grandchildren, the little daily happenings that would otherwise be lost to her.  In that spirit, I will share little moments of our family life with Lucas beginning with a quick recap of how it all began.

June 26, 2012

Lucas was born in Portland, Oregon on June 26, 2012.  He has a sense for travel, taking his parents from Portland to Grand Rapids and traipsing through twelve states in between.  

6 days old

He has seen the beautiful rivers, striking landscapes, and large buffalo of the west.  He's had glimpses of North Dakota's great plains, a few dozen of Minnesota's thousand lakes, and the bright fall colors of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  The rolling hills and farmland of the Hawkeye State produced the best sleep of his life! (Seriously, he slept through the night in Iowa.)  Lately he has been spying deer and wild turkeys in his new backyard (at Grandma Pat & Grandpa Chuck's house).  He may not know that he has seen these things, but that's okay.  They have permeated his psyche.  

"Buffalo!" 12 weeks old in Yellowstone National Park