Happy 2nd Birthday!

Luke turned two years old today!

We surprised him this morning with lots of balloons, some presents, and a blueberry birthday muffin.

Luke got some books and a chair from Grandma and Grandpa Siorek . . .

. . . and some fun birthday glasses!

At day care, they made Luke a special birthday hat.

And he surprised me by actually wearing it.

We had a little birthday celebration at day care, and brought banana bread to share with the class and teachers.

Luke got a great comfy chair from Aunt Ronny.

And a vintage car book from Uncle Matt.

The lucky boy also got a PlasmaCar from Grandma and Grandpa Siorek! Here he is showing Uncle Matt how it works.

Yard Work, Motorcycles, Kitchen Update

Spring is coming to the Northwest. Time to plant. Luke and I went to Portland Nursery this weekend and bought grape vines to plant under the pergola.

Luke wasn't too much help with the planting until the time came to water. (Awesome. Don't you love the stove in the backyard. We need to get rid of that old thing and get a new one.)

Then he was all over it, and even watered plants that didn't need it.
A couple of weekends ago, Luke discovered the Honda motorcycle dealership in our neighborhood. He loves nothing more than visiting the dealership to sit on all the motorcycles. The guys who work there are very nice to let this two year old run around and sit on the motorcycles.

This one is more Luke's size, but he was least impressed. He prefers the choppers.

Last night, our little ham put on his daddy's slippers and said "Camera Daddy. Daddy get camera."
Here's the progress on the kitchen: upper cabinets are in, lower cabinets are faced, sink and counter top is in, wood floor is laid.

This week: floor is sanded and finished, window is framed out, white subway tile backsplash installed, sand and wax countertop, cabinet doors and hardware . . . It'll be a few more weeks. :( I am missing a good home cooked meal.

Birthday Party

Today Luke went to a birthday party for his best buddy, Max. The party was at the Multnomah Athletic Club in one of the gyms. There were bouncy houses and play structures, but what Luke loved most were these cool scooter cars.

He made sure to ride one of each color.
Aunt Ronny got to come, too! She was visiting from Michigan.

Here are Luke's two best friends from day care, Renne and Max, the birthday boy.

During cupcake time, they all sat together on the bleachers.
Renne, Max, Luke, Jacob
Best buddies

Kitchen Remodel

Last year I had asked, half seriously, on my Facebook page, "Second child, or kitchen remodel? That is the question." Well . . .

Here is a picture of our kitchen remodel underway. I'm sure Luke will appreciate it in the years to come much more than he would a brother or sister.

Here is the before picture. I'll post more pics as it starts to come together. It is going to be so sweet! Custom cabinetry all the way to the ceiling, farmhouse sink, black paperstone counters, window trim, crown molding, bead board wainscoting, and wood floors. My talented brother Matt is doing all the work.

More pictures of our little 23-month old.

Grandma Pictures

Here are some cute pictures that Grandma took while we were in Kauai. Luke had a great time while we were gone, as you can see from these photos.

Luke and his best buddy, Max, at a birthday party.

Things with Wheels

Note: Mommy and Daddy are in Kaua'i right now on vacation while Luke is at home getting spoiled by Grandma and Grandpa Siorek. Of course I brought the laptop and now I have time to update the blog.

Here are some photos of Luke's Christmas present from Uncle Matt.
Two cool, hand-crafted wooden race cars! Luke loved them.

Luke loves almost anything with wheels.

He likes to lay down and watch the wheels turn.

Speaking of wheels, check out these cool wheels Luke got for Christmas.
He is very proud that he can ride his bike by himself. Mostly we ride in the basement but when the Portland weather cooperates we go outside.
He loves riding his bike around the block!

Aloha!

We recorded video greetings to send to Luke. These are stills from the videos.

Happy New Year!

Wishing everybody a happy and healthy 2010.
Love, Matt, Daniela, Luke, and Roosevelt.

Luke, being less cooperative than Roosevelt was, in his New Year's hat.

Christmas Pictures

Santa spoiled Luke again this year.
Luke is a lucky, happy little guy.
He got a tricycle . . .

. . . and a fire truck.

Trains were another big hit this year.

Luke practicing Art.

Luke reading the instructions.

Luke unwrapping a present with vigor.

Tiger bed was also a big hit. I can testify that it is nap inducing.

Here's a photo I took tonight of Luke listening to one of his presents from Mom and Dad. His favorite band is Weezer and his favorite song right now is "Troublemaker." (You can hear the song playing in the background in the video below.) When I look at this, I can imagine him as a teenager, hopefully without the ga-ga!

Christmas Video

Here is a 4-minute video of highlights from Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning.