A Beautiful April Weekend in Oregon

On Saturday we went to The Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn, Oregon. They have 40 acres of tulips!

Here is Luke walking in the tulip field with Langston.
There was a lot for little boys to soak in.

Then on Sunday, we went to the garden center to get some flowers to plant in the backyard. Here is Luke hauling the flowers from the car in his wheelbarrow.

He is going to be such a big strong helper!
We also bought a bag of ladybugs to eat the aphids on the rose bushes.
Luke was fascinated, but didn't really want to get too close to them once they were out of the bag.
He prefers looking for insects under rocks.

He likes centipedes and slugs.

Luke is going to be a big help this summer.

Coat Trick

Here is a cool trick that Luke learned at day care.
It has made mornings a lot easier and more fun.

Living Room Camping

Luke got a tent from Grandma Stewart for his birthday. Luke and Daddy tested it out in the living room.

We put Tiger Bed inside the tent and Luke ran back and forth from his bedroom to the tent with books to read.
Luke's favorite book at the moment is The Car Book, a book from 1968 that Uncle Matt found.

On Friday Luke had his 2-year check-up. He's in great health and gained 3 pounds in the last 6 months despite his picky appetite. He weighs 32.5 pounds and measures 37 inches tall, which puts him at the top of the curve for height and in the 90% for weight.

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.