Random Picture Friday

Tomorrow we're flying to St. Louis for Thanksgiving. I don't know when I'll be able to update the blog next so I wanted to update it before we left. We didn't take many pictures this week, so here are some random pictures from the last month that I thought were cute.

Luke can now pull himself into a seated position from laying on his belly!

This laundry basket has breathed new life into old toys. It's been a godsend.

I just love those cheeks and I kiss them as much as I can.
Not sure what he was doing here. He still doesn't have any teeth or any signs of teeth.
Proud over his locomotion skills.

And here's a video.

I love how he only uses his right foot to push himself forward. He has already developed a little red callous on the ball of his right foot!

Hoyt Arboretum

Luke really likes trees and being outside, so today we took him to Hoyt Arboretum, one of the most beautiful places in Portland. Oh, and Luke is 8 months old today!

He Just Started Doing It

Clapping!

This morning Luke clapped his little hands together for the first time. We've been trying to get him to do it for a few days now, and this morning he figured it out. He was so proud of himself, he couldn't stop clapping for about 5 minutes. Of course, he didn't do it on demand later in the morning at Day Care when we asked him to show his teachers.

I've been wanting to start a running feature for awhile now called "He Just Started Doing It," where I post short blurbs on Luke's latest tricks. So, here's the first one.

Fun on a Rainy November Day

Today was a typical November day in Portland. Luke gazed out the window and wondered if the rain would ever stop.

"I'm going a little stir crazy in here with these people," he thought.
Just when the cabin fever reached its peak . . .
. . . the rain let up enough for Luke to go outside and play one of his favorite games: pull leaves off of plants.
Here he is dissecting a leaf.

The gingko tree leaves are always a favorite.

Then Luke decided he wanted to go into the backyard to swing on the swing.
The world rushed by in a blur.
Once in a while he'd stop to strike a pose.
He swang until he couldn't swing anymore.
And then he got down on the ground to play with the wet muddy leaves.

He had a blast!
Nothing beats playing in the leaves on a Fall day.

"This is awesome!" Luke thought. "So much better than being in the house."

Here's a video of Luke kicking up his little legs.

Happy All Saints Day

Yesterday was Halloween.

Luke went to school dressed in his skeleton PJs.

Here is Luke at the school Halloween Festival.

The whole family got involved.

And here's a picture for Aunt Ronny, who says we should take more pictures of Luke when he is cranky. This is after I wiped his nose this morning.

Cutie

Nothing really happens in this video.
Just Luke saying Hi to everyone who lives far away.

Mr. Happy

Here is Luke looking like his Mr. Happy shirt.

He is not always so smiley. In fact, about 50% of the time he is kind of cranky. But we don't take pictures of him then.

Luke just woke up!
In addition to creeping, he is also learning how to stand.

It Creeps!

Luke just figured out how to pull himself forward. We always thought that the cable box under the TV was going to be the big draw, and we were right.

It's fun to let him get close to it and then pull him back and watch him creep forward again.

Pumpkin Picking

Today we went to one of the pumpkin patches on Sauvie Island to pick out a pumpkin. Here is Luke posing at the end of the expedition with the little pumpkin we picked.

But first, we had to ride the haywagon out to the pumpkin patch. Luke was not sure he was into it.
Sauvie Island is really beautiful any time of year.

We checked out a few pumpkins.

Luke inspected them closely.

We chose a little one that was just Luke-sized. Here we are on the haywagon going back to the Farmer's Market.

The best smile we got from the day.

Family time at the pumpkin patch.

7 Months

Luke turned 7-months old last week!

We are so privileged to be able to watch him grow and change, and it's so fun to look back at how he used to be. Here he was at 11-weeks.
And here he is now. The faux hawk is sooo last spring. It's all about the wispy bangs now.
Luke continues to get lots of kisses daily. From Daddy.

And from Mommy.

New toys from Grandma Siorek! Teaching Luke to love pizza.

And corn on the cob of course.
Cheese and jalepenos? You might be on to something, Luke.