Happy Birthday Luke!

I cannot believe that my sweet little boy is one. Where has this year gone? It is amazing the changes that happen in just one year. This weekend Luke got to really celebrate. He had a friends and a family birthday party. It seemed like he was in shock during the entire event. There are a few party ideas that Luke still doesn't fully understand...unwrapping presents, blowing out candles, etc. I am sure he will have it down by his next birthday. Mark and I are amazed at how loved this little guy is. He received so many presents and had tons of friends and family that helped us celebrate! He is very blessed. Thank you to all of our wonderful friends and family. We love you! When Luke was done opening his presents on Sunday he did the sign for more. Too funny! We love our Luke and cannot imagine our lives without him!!!

Tree House Museum

Since it is a cold Spring Break we decided to get out and visit the Tree House Museum. I love this place. When I taught first grade we would go there every year for a field trip! Luke had a blast. I think he was just happy walking around and looking at the kids. His favorite things were the fire truck, Peter Rabbit's tea party and the horses!

Cake Stand

I heard of this idea for a cake stand and just had to try it. It will be great for Luke's party. I just used glass plates from Tai Pan Trading (about $2 each) and glass sundae dishes from Dollar Tree. I put four dots of hot glue on each piece which will hold it for the party and then come apart when it's over! Super cheap and cute!

Flower Bib Necklace

I have been loving these flower bib necklaces lately! On Friday one of my cute students had a flower in her hair. I asked her how she made it and I decided if my sweet student could do it so could I! Here's how it went...

Cut old t-shirts into 1" x 18" strips. You will need three strips for each flower. Tie the three strips together.

Start wrapping and twisting the three strips around the knot. Put a dab of hot glue each quarter turn. Glue the ends behind when you are done!

Lay your flower out how you would like and then trace onto a piece of felt. Cut out the felt and hot glue the flowers to the felt. Glue the flower as close to each other as you can. *The hot glue will smoke on the felt, allow it to stop smoking before you put the flower on to prevent the felt from melting.

Sew an old or cheap necklace onto each side of the bib.

You're done!!!

Easter

Last Easter we were in the hospital with Luke, I can't believe it has almost been a year. This Easter was pretty fun with him. He loved dying the eggs. We dyed a dozen eggs and not one wasn't cracked by the time we were done. He was so happy Easter morning when he would find one of his hidden eggs. It was a long hunt because all he wanted to do was play with the egg he had just found. The eggs were demolished by the time he was done. He banged them together, crawled with them, etc. The eggs were of more interest than the basket of toys!

When he was done we ate Eggs Ala Golden Rod. It's one of my family traditions. My grandparents made it at the cabin for us when we were little. It works great for Easter morning because it uses hard boiled eggs!

Eggs Ala Golden Rod

2 T Butter

2 T Flour

1 1/4 C Milk

3 Hard Boiled Eggs

Salt and Pepper

Melt butter and flour over low heat to create roux. Heat milk in microwave for one minute then whisk into the roux. Simmer over low heat until thickened to gravy consistency. Dice hard boiled eggs and add to sauce. Generously salt and pepper to taste. Serve over toast! About 2 servings. Happy Easter!

WALKING!!!

Luke is walking! He has been holding onto objects and walking for about two weeks now. On Monday he started to let go and take a few steps on his own. I know I will regret this statement, but I have been wanting him to walk. He has been a grump the past two weeks and I think he just wanted to walk and was pretty frustrated. He is so happy now and he thinks he's pretty cool when he's walking. I love how he has both arms in the air and the one finger is always pointing in the direction he is going. He is already turning corners and can go from one end of the house to the other. Way to go Lukers!!!

First Birthday Cake

Today I took Luke's picture eating his first birthday cake. I know he is a few weeks away from his first birthday, but we didn't have much else going on today. I knew that Luke would be great for the birthday cake picture. He loves food and he doesn't mind getting dirty.

When Mark first handed him the cake he instantly started slapping it. He stopped and looked up at Mark to make sure it was okay. Then he dove in and didn't stop. We had a hard time getting him to even look up from the cake. When we were done he was covered in cake and frosting. He then flipped it all over the house as I carried him to the tub. I had to use dish soap to was him off because he was practically covered in lard.

Luke will definitely still have his first year pictures done by a professional, because let's face it, we're not!