Summer fun!

Time has escaped me and zipped by since my last post, as as I considered all the fun milestones and events we've experienced since mid-March, it's a little overwhelming to figure out a way to record everything I want to remember!

Luke celebrated his first birthday, has learned to eat with utensils and drink from a cup by himself, is starting to take steps on his own, and just today, pushed himself to standing from a crawling position.  He vocalizes several words, including: that, apple, dada, all done, outside, up, nigh-nigh (night night) car, mama, and nuh (no).  He also has started shaking his head "yes" and saying "yeah" anytime we ask a question.  I constantly ask him things about our activities and am often amused at his enthusiastic agreement, especially when it's in response to questions like, "Are you ready to take a nap?"  He loves to be outside and play with his push-walker on the sidewalk, and is fascinated with any animal.  We've gotten big grins and giggles in response to seeing anything from a neighbor's dog to a lamb at the farm to a wiggly caterpillar on the sidewalk.  He even played with a fish that we had caught at the farm and put in a bucket, squealing with delight every time he reached in to grab it and got splashed.  Luke loves to watch the action around him and get wrapped right up in it - if the bigger boys are making a racket and being noisy, he squeals and laughs and claps or bangs the table.  Or like tonight, when Daniel said something in a soft whispering voice, he brought his voice down to a whisper as well.

Isaac had his fourth birthday, which we celebrated with a trip to the zoo with Grammy, Papa, and Kayla.  He has learned to ride his balance bike, and is getting ready to start pre-k.  He constantly brings smiles to our faces, sometimes intentionally but often just by doing and saying whatever comes to his mind.  For example, in a recent moment of deep thinking he asked me, "What do you think Jesus' decycles looked like?"  And whenever Luke is sleeping and I tell the big boys that I need to check on him, Isaac will suggest I just "check the baby thermonitor!"  

Isaac posing with his projects at his end-of-school art show

He has shown us such a tender, sweet side, often thinking about what others need and jumping in to help out before being asked.  Sometimes he'll bring a cup of water to someone else or share a snack or special treat, and he loves to get to help with Luke.  Though there's no doubt he is all boy and has some very dramatic and intense moments, his caring nature is a precious thing to see.

I tend to try to use this blog to record our fun, sweet memories, but certainly there are many trials along the way as well.  I try to remember that we see God at work in both the joys and the struggles, and a recent breakthrough in an ongoing challenge we've been dealing with has been an awesome reminder of His power at work in our lives as well as a source of much praising on our part.

Our sweet Isaac has had increasingly strong reactions to many foods for some time now, and when we would take him to our pediatrician or allergist, the only answers we got were bottles and tubes of antihistamines and creams to try to combat his symptoms.  Unwilling to dump drugs into his system to just cover up the reactions, we made some major changes in our diet to try to help his body heal and get back into balance so he could overcome those sensitivities, and covered it all with prayer for direction and healing.  

We saw many positive changes and improvement in the year that we changed our eating habits but he was still having reactions to some things, so we began working with a naturopath in March.  She told us upfront that her goal was to get his body balanced so that it could heal itself - music to our ears!  Through some more blood tests we learned that his immune system was so flared up that it was reacting to many more foods than we realized - including beef, chicken, pork, carrots, green beans, citrus fruits, and others that came as quite a surprise, along with dairy and eggs.  So we began a process of detoxing his system and eliminating those foods from our diet for a time - a challenge for all of us, as we were not accustomed to centering our meals around fish, but we tried to maintain a grateful attitude and proceed with much prayer.

A follow-up blood test after 45 days of this new diet brought some amazing news - most of Isaac's levels of reactivity had dropped significantly, some by 50-60%.  There are still some things that we're avoiding, but all fruits and vegetables are well-tolerated by his system now, as well as chicken, pork, and lamb.  We feel like we've seen a positive change in him, too...his stuffy nose is clear and his itchiness is calmed down significantly.

I give all the credit for his progress to the Lord.  Through this process we've learned what a delicate and perfect balance was put into place by our Creator - one that only He can truly understand and restore.  We have been faced with a problem that we couldn't fix with our efforts, but had to pray through and trust God's sovereignty over the situation.  I was definitely stretched as the purchaser and preparer of food with the drastic changes in our diets, but now feel like we have learned so much about eating more healthfully and have all benefitted.  We have eaten out significantly less and the variety of foods, especially fruits and vegetables, that I have prepared for our meals has expanded drastically.  So we are looking ahead with anticipation, praying expectantly for complete restoration of his body's balance and trusting the Lord's care in his plan for Isaac.

We finally celebrated Caedmon's birthday with a fun trip to the zoo in April; he got to invite a friend along and I made a "creature power suit" for each child, fashioned after the special suits worn by their favorite cartoon heroes on the PBS show "Wild Kratts."  They had quite an adventure!  The next month he finished up pre-k, learned to ride a bike without training wheels, and is now excited about starting kindergarten.  

It's an amazing thing to see glimpses of a developing faith in your child, and I was touched recently when I overheard Caedmon praying out loud in his room.  He had a scrape from a fall off his bike and was praying that it would be healed, and then also prayed for Isaac's body to be healed.  And even though he typically has strong feelings about doing things his own way and in his own time, he has blessed my heart several times recently by taking the initiative to help out, cleaning up his room or the playroom, or vacuuming without being asked.

We (along with the rest of the worshippers in our service) got a chuckle out of Caedmon during the children's message this past Sunday.  The children's ministry director was talking about the kids' favorite super heroes and super powers and asked if anyone knew what Spiderman could do.  My sweet child, who has evidently led a much more sheltered life than the other kids when it comes to these characters, piped up enthusiastically, "He kills spiders!!"  That's just fine with me; the things he has stored away in his mind are so fascinating and I hope increase his awe for our amazing Creator, as he loves learning and talking about animals (especially ocean dwellers) and their habitats, life cycles, and if they're carnivores or herbivores, predators or prey, mammal or reptile, if they serve as a pollinator, if they're nocturnal...his vocabulary and understanding amazes me.  One afternoon we were looking at a bird in the backyard so I got out my college bird identification guide, which he sat and flipped through for some time, searching out and correctly identifying several species of birds that he'd learned about previously.

Caedmon with his art at his school art show

The Overflow

I blog in my head all the time, probably daily.  There are so many things that I want to record, to remember, and be able to look back on and laugh, or sometimes shake my head.  But these boys, they keep us busy!  Of course wouldn't trade our active days for anything but there is certainly less room for other things.

So much has happened since my last entry right after Christmas.  Luke has two more monthly progress photos, though by his 10-month I had given up trying to get him to stay still on the bed for a posed shot.  He is in constant motion, crawling on all fours and pulling up on just about anything.

Just past 8 months in his little Christmas outfit

9 months

10 months

He is still such a jolly, content little guy, and we're so grateful for that.  He loves, loves music - he began "dancing" by shaking his head months ago, later added a little sideways bob to the shake, then recently learned to clap his hands.  He figured out where the guitar is kept and will sometimes go missing during the day, usually ending up hidden away in the closet, batting away at his favorite instrument.  One evening Daniel was practicing for church and Luke made his way down the hall into the playroom to join his dad.  Conveniently, one of his brothers had emptied their "music toy" box onto the floor so he made a beeline for the tambourine and snatched it up, tapping it and clearly feeling very much a part of the band.

Luke also has quite an adventurous spirit outside.  He crawls all around the backyard on his own, usually making his way first to the sandbox.  For a while he would just rest his belly on the top of the wall and lean in to scratch at the sand with his hands, but now he heaves himself over and in, crawls all around, and makes his exit whenever there is more interesting action in a different part of the yard.  He doesn't really try to eat the sand anymore, just enjoys experiencing it.  

We broke up a new square of the yard to use as a vegetable garden and he loves getting to crawl through that freshly turned dirt.  We dumped several bags of compost to work into that soil and he was eager to crawl up one of the piles, have a seat, and rake the compost into his lap with his hands until his legs were completely covered.  He picked it up and let it fall through his hands, sometimes even on his head.  Ahh...what more could a little bitty boy ask for?

Though playing in dirt would likely be his first choice, our Luke does enjoy checking out plants and leaves too.  He has inspected our just-emerging daylilies and vinca, as well as irises and grass.  For some reason, the dianthus in one of my flower pots seem to beckon to him and he feels a strong need to free them from their terra cotta enclosure.  I let the boys each choose a new flower this week when we went to the nursery for vegetable seeds and put Caedmon's pretty orange-blossomed plant in one of the beds in the backyard.  Luke saw the large, showy petals and headed right over to check it out.  From thirty feet away where I was hanging up diapers, I watched him get really close, then look at me to see what I'd say.  "No, sir, we don't touch the flowers."  He shook his head "no" as he looked at me, then back at the flowers.  He sat for a moment and I could see the wheels spinning in his little mind.  He shook his head again as he looked at the plant.  Then he looked back at me one more time - would he get the same response?  "No sir, we don't touch.  Good job, Luke."  He shook his head again.  Looked at the flowers, shook his head.  Then he turned and crawled off to the sandbox without touching.  Sweet boy!

Isaac has also shown me lately what a sweet-hearted helper he can be!  We've been working so hard on having good attitudes and learning how they can take care of themselves as well as contribute to our household.  Just in the last week, I have caught Isaac in the act of picking up Caedmon's clothes off the floor and putting them in his dresser, starting to unload the dishwasher by himself, and making my bed.  He has always been generous with his things and seems to truly take joy in sharing, even when asked to share something that would be a special treat for him.

He has such a delightful sense of humor and imagination.  We are constantly hearing about what his friend, "Big John," is doing - which could be anything from playing in a baseball game to feeding his cows to traveling around the world (which he referred to recently as a "continent ball." A globe.)  His favorite stuffed toy, a polar bear named Poley, also has all sorts of needs that require his attention, from being hungry to having frequent birthday celebrations to needing a new home (usually blocks or a cardboard box).

Isaac also has a lion costume that makes regular appearances, often outside and sometimes even to friends' homes.  The brown suit usually transforms him into a ferocious big cat but it occasionally doubles as a wetsuit for scuba diving or coveralls for other sorts of "work."  One day the furry "paw" gloves that came with the costume went with us on a shopping trip to Costco - the other shoppers were quite amused.

This child is probably the first of the three to want to be outdoors and seems to mind cold weather the least.  He has loved digging up earthworms and catching grasshoppers and putting them in containers to watch, and hunting for snails or any other creature he can capture.  We will frequently have rolly-pollies accompany us on walks and if they happen to fall out of his hand, he insists on stopping and searching for them.  They almost always have a name right away.

Isaac also loves playing his toy guitar.  He will sing praise songs over the prerecorded music on his instrument and dance his little heart out.  His favorite bedtime songs are "The Lord Reigns," "Silent Night," and "Jesus Loves Me, Hallelujah."

Caedmon seems to have gone through such a major period of growth and maturity - maybe it was turning 5 years old.  He loves laying out plans for the day, often drawing them out on paper so we can check throughout the day and cross things off once they're completed.  He's such a social little guy and has no hesitation in interacting with other kids; kindergarten is going to be such a great time for him.  And he is registered - I can't believe we're already preparing to send him to big-kid school!  Isaac is trying hard to remember which school Caedmon will attend next year - "Is it the Mama-sori school?"  Caedmon is quick to correct, "No, MONTEssori!" 

Like his younger brother, he can also be quite a hard little worker, especially outside.  I always know I can count on him when a job calls for a rake, shovel, hoe, yard bag, or nippers, and he really makes a significant dent in whatever we're trying to accomplish.  When the job is done, though, he still loves his diggers and lately has preferred dirt to the sandbox, so there's a good patch on the side of our front yard that has been totally crumbled and "worked."

Caedmon has a wonderful imagination and loves creating scenarios and stories, but he also is quick to memorize facts and figures.  He learned a song at school that lists the 50 states alphabetically, and is going through a phase of particular interest in ocean animals, which has been really fun.  He and Isaac both ask a lot of questions about life and heaven, and one day while talking about the latter, he very poetically stated that he thinks "it will be even sparklier than a polished bowling ball.  Or princess dress."

He has also become quite the finagler, thinking up creative ways to gratify his desires.  From working out who says the meal prayer or sits in the middle seat in the car to trying to go to Grammy and Papa's without Mom and Dad along, he rationalizes, justifies, and sets out prospective "deals" for our consideration.  "Okay, here's the deal.  If I let you sit in the middle seat THIS time, then I get to sit in the middle the next TEN times!"  Who could resist such offers?

Who can keep up?

The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas always flies by and this year was no exception.  Besides all the wonderful opportunities to visit family and celebrate, we had lots of other reasons for wonder and adventure, especially when looking through the eyes of little boys.

He is 8 months old now, but I never got his sweet little 7-month photo posted, so without further ado...

...here is our baby, growing up just as fast as he can so that he can do all the things he sees his brothers doing.  Luke now has four teeth with a fifth expected any day, is feeding himself little bits of anything we'll put in front of him, crawls on his forearms and belly, and is beginning to pull up to his knees.  This brings him to the perfect level off the floor to pull out and investigate the contents of his dad's sock drawer.  Fascinating!  He is finding his way around the house, and if I put him down in our room I can bet his first destination (now, occasionally after the sock drawer) is our bathroom.  Even if the door is closed, it doesn't latch, so he's learned that he can give it a good push and hopefully make it to our bath mat to scratch at it with his fingers before I scoop him up and redirect him.  He is very vocal, usually "sings" with me when he's tired and trying to go to sleep, and also makes sounds the whole time we are at the table for a meal.

The big boys have been waiting for months for a big event at the farm - the preparation for and laying of a pipeline through the property.  The heavy duty machines finally arrived and they were able to spend a few 70+ degree December days taking it all in.

They got to sit in the driver's seat of a brand-new bulldozer and watch all the excavators, dozers, and big trucks doing their work, plus climb on a huge pile of dirt they'd pushed aside.  Does it get any better than that?

It might get better, for Isaac.  He also got to go feed the cows with Papa, which is one of his favorite things to do anyway, but on this trip there was a rattlesnake at the barn.  He watched from the safety of the truck as Papa removed the danger, and was fascinated to check out the snake and its rattles afterwards.  When we returned to where the others were working, Isaac was so proud to show off the snake (minus head + fangs) along with the stick (yes, that short one that he's holding) that Papa used to dispatch it.  That's super tough-guy stuff.

Later on he was tagging along to check on the pipeline action when Papa asked him to show the bulldozer operator what was in his pocket.  He nearly fell over when little Isaac pulled out the rattlesnake rattles and told him in his biggest boy voice that he'd killed it with his "whopping stick!"

It had been such a busy day that Luke didn't do a lot of napping, and by the late afternoon he was just worn out.  A quick ride in the truck from one part of the farm to another was just too warm and comfy, and I felt his little body relax suddenly as he fell over, asleep on Isaac's shoulder.  He had been so interested in everything all day long and finally gave in to a little slumber.

Caedmon and Isaac had been so excited about the digger action happening at the farm that they wanted to take along their toy diggers to participate in the event.  The hole that we had dug in preparation for a new cattleguard became the perfect place for them to "work" in the soft, fresh earth and they played there contentedly for some time.

So if that weren't enough adventure for one week, we had to wrap up our trip to the farm and head home in time to beat the ice and snow that blew in.  The boys were ecstatic when they woke up the next morning to find a world of white outside and were dressed and out the door before I even had a chance to make breakfast.

Even Luke was entertained by the change of scenery, and gave us a wrinkly-nosed toothy smile!

The boys experimented with different items to determine what made the best sled for the slope in our front yard.  They had a ton of fun sliding on a plastic lid from a storage bin, going up and down over and over.

Luke had another opportunity to experience the outdoors, this time from the warm shelter of his dad's coat!  He loved watching his brothers play while staying snugly tucked in.

I mentioned that Luke has a bunch of teeth - with this being the case, we figure we need to let him use them!  He thought he was such a big guy when I put a piece of sausage on my fork and let him gnaw away at the end, all grins.  Meat has definitely become a welcome and enthusiastically received addition to his diet.

Bonus picture!  I loved this shot of Isaac watching his dad demonstrate flying a toy helicopter that Isaac received for Christmas.  So serious and focused...learning every day!

So much to be thankful for...

We are continually amazed at the blessings the Lord has put in our lives.  These boys have certainly been keeping us on our toes but we're grateful to be able to participate in the adventure of raising them.  

Luke is changing so fast.  We feel like he even looks different from one day to the next, we're afraid to blink!  He's also starting to be more vocal and we're hearing Dadada and Mamama and lots of other interesting things, though he doesn't connect them with us yet.  He is scooting all around and exploring everything he can, and seems to enjoy being on the hardwood or tile because it's so much easier to move.  He will get up on all fours and rock enthusiastically, basking in our praise and encouragement to crawl, then happily flop onto his belly and take off.

Luke eats three times a day with us; sometimes he's an eager eater and sometimes he'd much rather play with his bib or see how quickly he can clear his tray of spoons, towels, and his sippy cup.  His big brothers love to help feed him, too.

It's getting more challenging to get a monthly milestone photo with Luke's little bear...he doesn't sit in one place for long!  When I was trying to take these shots, he was much more interested in coming my direction!

Caedmon and Isaac are always creative with their play, often amusing us with their scenarios and ideas.  Setting up drum sets is one activity that never seems to grow old for them, though they have certainly become more complicated.  This one was particularly impressive to me!

Drum set, in action...he wasn't even looking while keeping the beat on the tambourine cymbal!

Both Caedmon and Isaac were big enough this year to understand that Halloween = candy and they were super enthusiastic about that, especially since we rarely have sweets.  They did pause long enough to pose for a quick cowboy, lion, lion photo before venturing around to our neighbor's houses to model their costumes and get some yummy treats.

Halloween in our neighborhood gets pretty crazy, so we decided to take the boys out early and stay in the rest of the evening.  Handing out candy is best done from a chair in the front yard, as the stream of kids is too steady to justify opening and closing a front door.  Even though our porch light was turned off, we still had kids come knock and ring the bell while we were having dinner, and Caedmon was very much bothered by that.  He felt that if there were kids coming to our door, we should share some candy with them!  We told him that I didn't buy any to hand out, but that if he wanted to share his candy with them he could do that.  He grabbed the treat bowl, which was full of both his and Isaac's candy from trick-or-treating and school, and ran outside.

Daniel went out with the bigger boys and I stayed in with Luke while they greeted the trick-or-treaters.  I wondered how Caedmon, who was so very excited about getting candy, was really going to handle sharing it, especially with strangers.  He began by selecting the ones that were not the "favorites" and from Daniel's report, gave them out very easily.  When the bowl was about half gone, he decided it was time to close up shop, but Daniel realized the opportunity for stretching and learning, and pointed out how many kids were still waiting.  Caedmon continued to pass out treats, more slowly and with greater difficulty, until about six pieces remained...his favorites, the Smarties.  He again asked to please be done, but Daniel reminded him about the kids who were still waiting, and told him that when his candy was gone, there would be a different treat.  So our baby-turned-big-boy stayed out and gave away his (and his brother's) beloved candy, down to the very last piece.  Our heartstrings ached, especially as we considered who some of the candy went to...certainly mostly to little kids, but also some to adults... but none of them knowing the sacrifice he was making.  I could have cried.

So, as soon as he came inside and the reality hit - that the candy was all gone - we cheered and commended his generosity, and loaded up in the car to go get ice cream together to celebrate.

And as I recalled the situation, so quickly judging those who in my mind were certainly not deserving of my son's prized treats, I was humbled to remember our God's great love for us, to send His Son to pour out his blood for all.  For those who are grateful, and those who aren't.  For the kids, and the grown-ups, and the grown-ups acting like kids.  Without differentiating.

Mixed in with the hard lessons and stretching has been a great deal of free play out in the gorgeous fall weather.  Luke loves to be outdoors with his brothers, and will kick his legs and protest loudly if I bring him back inside before he is ready to come in.  He has become quite the connoisseur of everything "yard," enthusiastically grabbing leaves, grass, sticks, and anything else he can reach to chew on or, sometimes, accidentally eat.  For example, when I sat him in the grass to take his picture, he immediately grabbed a magnolia leaf from the grass in front of him and had it to his mouth before I could finish snapping some photos.

While Luke keeps everything in check close to the ground, his big brothers are becoming avid tree climbers.  Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, from my Mama's perspective!) we don't have huge trees for them to climb.  In fact, the only trees that they can get up into right now are fairly small, but if they're out in the backyard chances are good that at least one of them is in a tree.

Caedmon has ventured farther up the limbs than Isaac, but I don't imagine it will take long for them to both be higher than I'd prefer.  As they grow, I must grow too - reminding myself that my children are boys, and they're going to do "boy things," and that these adventures are normal and good for them and that we'll all be better off if I let them flex their muscles and conquer new challenges.  They love it!

Little Conversations

I have been so tickled lately by some of the conversations we've shared with the boys.  We're getting glimpses into their little hearts and minds as they learn to express themselves more and more clearly, and sometimes have to smile when their words aren't exactly the ones they're looking for but we know what they mean.

As the weather gets cooler I've been pulling out the boxes of winter clothes and have asked the boys to try on last year's pants and shirts to see what will still fit.  I asked Isaac what sort of pants he liked to wear and he lost no time in selecting "jeams!"  He has called them that ever since.  And, he sometimes goes the extra mile in making his verbs past tense....not only has he won races against me, but he "beated!" me!  Or if we had a brisk pace in an evening stroll, he might have "runned-ed."

Caedmon is always excited to tell me about the things he's doing in school, often pulling everything out of his backpack to show me as soon as he gets in the car.  One afternoon last week he was telling me about something in his "wiggly reader," and it took me a few minutes to figure out that he was referring to the "Weekly Reader" that the kiddos work on together.  My thought was that in a pre-k classroom, they might be more accurately referred to as "wiggly" readers!

Both boys bless my heart with their sweet words, but Isaac in particular has been showing a new depth that is so touching to this mama. When I picked the boys up from school last week I asked them both about their morning, and what they had done.  Isaac said, "No, Mom, what did YOU do this morning?" I described the errands that I had run, and he asked, "But didn't you have lunch?"  I told him that yes, I did, and then he wanted to know what I had.  Only after I had given him all the details, mundane as they were, was he was content to tell me about his morning.  And then the next time I dropped him off and gave him a big hug, he looked in my eyes and told me, "When you pick me up today I want you to tell me about all the things you do this morning!"

We have also been sharing a Bible verse together before meals, talking about what it means and how to apply it to our lives, and trying to memorize one verse per week.  Caedmon is quick to commit them to memory and be able to recite both the current and previous weeks' verses.  Isaac is usually very quiet while we talk, not wanting to practice saying the words out loud.  A recent verse was from 1 Thessalonians 5:11 - "Be kind to one another and build each other up."  Hold that thought.

This afternoon the boys got to leave to spend a few days with Grammy and Papa.  They have been so excited to go and Isaac told me as they were about to drive away that he would see me in "100 days."  I told him that they would need to come back sooner than that but that we could check back in after a couple of days and see how they're feeling.  He said, "Oh, it's okay, Mama, Grammy has a washing machine."  Obviously we hadn't packed enough sets of clothes for 100 days!  I reminded him that they would need to get along and be kind to each other if he wanted to have an extended stay.  His reply was, "Oh, yes, Mama.  We will build each other up!"  Oh my - he was listening.  My heart is full.

I blinked!

Well, this month certainly has flown by!  We've had so many "firsts" and seen so much growth in all three of our little guys.  

Right after Labor Day was the start of the boys' school.  Caedmon is so excited to be in pre-k and to get to go three days a week.  He is really starting to connect with the other kids at school and form fun friendships; he is always excited to go.  He has grown up so much since the start of school last year, when we would watch him go into the classroom and start doing his "own thing," playing beside the other kids but not really with them.  Now he greets his buddies and tells me all the things they play on the playground, and his teacher told me that he's a very social child.  He is also getting very close to being able to sound some simple words out on his own and is starting to take more interest in doing so.

Isaac enjoys going to his class one day a week, too, and would be happy to go more frequently but we're also treasuring our mornings together when Caedmon is in school.  He is always excited to show us the things that he's made in his class and has learned a lot of fun new songs and his making great progress with letters and sounds.

Luke has also had some big "firsts" in the last few weeks.  He is normally such a content little guy but the last few weeks has gotten really vocal and agitated when we would sit down to supper, looking at our plates and complaining loudly.  I hadn't planned to start solids with him just yet but we decided to see how he would do with them and let him have his first food - a banana.  He was really fascinated and did pretty well swallowing it on his first try, only spitting out a little.  We have also tried avocado with him; some nights he eats fairly well and sometimes he's not really interested, but he loves to be a part of what we're doing.

Everybody got to participate in feeding Luke his first taste of bananas, it was a special event for all of us!  The big boys were so proud and excited for him.

Luke is also getting better at holding himself up.  He sat unassisted for about half a minute one day this week, and one night he got to join Isaac for his nighttime snack (held up by Daniel).  He was so happy to be at the little table with his big brother!  I'm sure it made him feel really grown-up.

Luke is starting to scoot himself around on the floor.  I'm sure crawling is just around the corner as he can also get his legs under him and almost push himself all the way up on his arms.  For now he can make forward progress, which comes in really handy when playing on a quilt out in the yard so he can get to the edge and grab a fistful of grass!  He also enjoys a little keyboard that the boys have.  It's a great toy for him because it's low enough that he can get his hands up on the keys and play some good tunes...sometimes playing with both hands and his mouth all at the same time!

I was somewhat shocked yesterday to peek in his mouth and see that he has two teeth starting to poke through his gums.  I could see them under the gum for a while but didn't expect them to come through anytime soon, since neither of our bigger guys had teeth until 10 months or later.  They are all the way through now - our days of toothless grins are over!

Our official 5-month picture!  This captures his little personality so well...he's such a happy little guy and just loves getting to interact with us and especially Caedmon and Isaac.  Our boys are such a joy and blessing to us, and to each other!