Last Year . . .

Last year at this time . . .
Luke was just sitting up alone.
Luke was just starting to crawl.
Luke was pretty well contained.
Luke was always happy.

This year . . .
Luke runs.
Luke talks.
Luke has an endless supply of energy.
Luke is unable to be contained.
Luke is always happy.

Its amazing how much a little boy can change and grow in the course of one year. But he's still the happiest kid I know. That much stays the same.

Down on the Farm

Today I took Luke to visit farm animals for the first time. What fun! He loved looking at the pigs and the birds, but alas, the cows were not for him. Poor kid.

After watching the ducks and geese run from him and into the safety in their enclosure, Luke had to try to follow them. He could see them in their pen - they couldn't get away from him! He peered underneath the fence and kept saying, "I see you! I see you!"


Can't put anything past Luke . . .

He fed his first goose, which I was impressed with. He didn't cry, but did look a little "put out" when the goose nibbled on his finger.

As always, I felt frustrated chasing him around - he is an endless stream of energy. I try not to get jealous of the other moms with their kids who sit quietly or roam in the area, but it always happens. As I chased him all over the park, I thought of all the reasons I love Luke's energy:

Luke is excited and curious about everything. I know his fearlessness and sense of adventure will keep his life exciting. His enthusiasm and daring is so much fun to watch. There is never a boring moment, and always something to laugh about.

I am thankful for every minute I have with Luke, especially these blessed days I have at home this summer with him. I will not take them for granted - he is entirely too special.

The best medicine.

When things are tough, I love to sit back and listen to Luke laugh. As long as he's well slept and well fed, he's happy as a clam. Why should I be selfish? For your enjoyment: Luke laughing about two pieces of Tupperware being jiggled around.

One is never enough. Version 2:

Yup. That's my creepy laugh/scream in the background.

Happy Naked Bathtime Boy.

Luke LOVES taking his bath. He runs around the house (naked of course) shouting. So I had to take pictures of how happy he is.

He can't be mad at me when he grows up. All is appropriate -- no bits are showing.

Bickel Family Band

Yes. Apparently we're encouraging drums. For better or worse.

Line 'em up and move 'em out!

Luke is all about cars. He is such a little boy - he pushes them around and lines them up on the edge of the couch. They all have to be in order. And he loves to scream "CARS!" whether toy or real. He's such a cutie - what fun to watch!

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Just like Daddy . . .

Of course, Todd is a wonderful role model for Luke and Luke clearly wants to be just like Daddy. He just wants to touch the computer, just a little bit. Please please please! Of course, when Daddy wasn't around, taking the pictures were good fun.

New sport!

I picked up a giant cartoon golf club from Target last week and finally brought it out for Luke to play with. Todd spent a good amount of time teaching Luke how to "properly" hold the club. Luke is pretty good about holding it the "right" way now, but occasionally does just like to hit whatever he can get too. The large cartoon golf ball that came with it was promptly lost. Surprisingly, he hasn't hit anything off limits (walls, windows, people, etc.) at all. Hooray!

Birthday Swim!

For some good, clean family fun, we all went swimming on my birthday. (read: I wore a bathing suit. *gasp!) After the screaming fit in Las Vegas, which was the last attempt at Luke swimming, we were understandingly a little hesitant. But we were wrong! This time, Luke LOVED swimming. Hooray! We got him a floaty "car" to which he took to immediately. He loved to splash and would even put his face in the water when asked. Out of his car, he still loved being in the water. *phew. We were nervous about getting through the summer without swimming, but are thrilled Luke is happy with the pool! (We think being around little fishy cousins was helpful, too . . .)

Shooooos!

Luke loves to say "shoes" (shooooos!) - he shouts it every time he sees a pair and loves to try them on. He'll pick them up and try to put them on our feet. This time, he was working on wearing my flip flops. He's pretty good about walking around in them too!

Happy Belated Father's Day!

A wonderful husband, an amazing father. Luke and I are so blessed!