Earrings!

I have been wanting to get Millie's ears pierced for a year. I kept asking her if she "wanted earrings like Mom". She told me no every time. So disappointing. Over Father's Day weekend we were shopping and I decided to take her into Claire's just to look at the earrings. Well, she was sold on the idea once she saw the Hello Kitty earrings. Yes! Unfortunately, their wasn't two employee's there to "double gun" her ears, so we didn't do it. A few weeks later, I took her to the mall and we got them done! I decided to go for the nicer earrings so she wouldn't have a reaction to the metal, (i am such a nurse) and so she couldn't get the hello kitty earrings. But she did pick some really cute light pink flowers. The girl that pierced her was super clean and really took her time to get the placement right. I was very happy! The actual experience of getting them pierced wasn't too pleasant for Millie, but she loves them now!

After getting her ears pierced, enjoying a sucker.

Peanut Allergy

Remember when Lucas had this reaction on the way home from Denver when he was one years old?

Well, since our little discovery of Lucas' allergy to peanuts, we have been avoiding them at all costs. It has been a source of annoyance, but overall it's been fine. Over the years, he has been exposed to peanuts once or twice that I know of. I stopped being super careful of avoiding products that say "processed in a facility that has peanuts" quite some time ago. So, knowing that 1 in 5 kids grow out of the allergy, we decided to see what it would take to find out!

I called an allergist and set up an appointment and we started the three step process.

The first thing that we needed to do was complete the skin test again with negative results. Check.

The second thing that we needed to do was draw blood for titers. Check.

Side note: the blood work was an insanely traumatic experience for Lucas. I was physically restraining him while he was sitting in my lap... all the while him screaming at the top of his lungs. It was not the best day. Heaven help me if he ever gets admitted to PCMC for something serious.

The third thing was a peanut challenge. Check.

We were instructed to bring our own peanut butter and something to eat it with.

We were also instructed that it would last 4 hours. Yup. FOUR HOURS!

He would eat small amounts of peanut butter over 4 hours and they would monitor him.

I brought books, movies, and his e-reader. It was so, so, so long.

Even worse than that, it was complete torture for Lucas and for me to get him to eat that much peanut butter. I brought bread and honey for him to choke it down with. We ended up there for almost 5 hours because he struggled so much with getting that huge glob of it down.  

lucas during the looonnnnngggg peanut challenge appointment.

At the end of it all, he grew out of his allergy. Yipppppeeee!

The bad news though.... he hates peanut butter. We have tried everything. Candy, cookies, milkshakes, sandwiches. Hates it all. The good news is however that going into the public school system in the fall we don't have to deal with the allergy issue for snacks and lunchtime.

Kindergarten Orientation

lucas was so excited for kindergarten orientation. he is ready. more than ready. i am excited for him to be able to go to school every day. i am excited for him to make some new friends and to learn new things.

lucas has grown up so much in the last year at his preschool. i am so glad that we decided to hold him back a year from kindergarten. now he will be the very oldest instead of the youngest. he will be ahead of the learning curve when he starts kindergarten instead of behind. yeah!

lucas' favorite part of the orientation was sitting by his friend Josh from preschool and taking the tour around the school. especially the computer lab and the actual kindergarten classrooms!

lucas was easily the tallest kid there.

even millie was as tall as some of the kids starting kindergarten.

yowsa.

First Day of Vision Preschool

After we moved in April, one of my top priorities was finding a preschool for Mr. Lucas.

He's been asking when school was going to start about 2 weeks after it ended in May.

After some searching and researching we found a place. 

So far so good people. He really loves his teacher, Miss Ann and is already learning so much!

I have high hopes of a independently reading child by the end of the school year!

Can you tell he is excited?!

Poor Millie is left with boring Mom...

Talking to Scott on the way to school. 

So excited. So adorable.

Here's to another awesome year of preschool! 

Swimming Lessons

This year we decided to try out private lessons in the Henderson's backyard pool.

This cute teacher's name is Kourtney. She was amazing with the kids.

We did 5 private 15 minute lessons.

I was amazed at how much she accomplished in that time. 

I would do these lessons again in a heartbeat. Lucas is now independently swimming in the pool!!!

Millie is soooo much more comfortable in the water! 

The kids are obsessed! Needless to say, we have been swimming A LOT this summer!

Back Floats

Back Stroke

Breast Stoke

Princess Scoops!

Back Floats

Lucas watching Millie's lesson

Swimming for rings!

End of Preschool 2012

Last October I switched Preschool's with Lucas. 

I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am that we made the change. 

Granite School District Preschool's program is amazing. I loved every piece of it. 

Lucas LOVES school and learned so much!

He had a crazy and fun class that was very diverse...

-3 kids spoke english as a second language

{spanish, russian, & haitian}

-one partially deaf child

-one autistic child

-one teacher from the Sudan

this may not sound very diverse to some... but for utah, it was diverse!

I was able to co-op in his class about every other week. 

It was so great to see the teachers in action and to see Lucas interact with his classmates.

These pictures were taken at his end of the year program. 

The kids sang a bunch of songs and they all got certificates for graduating from Preschool!

Lucas and Miss Angie

Lucas and Miss Samar

Lucas and Reagan

Lucas and Millie

I should have had the foresight to know that Lucas would be extremely anxious and wouldn't want to take any pictures or basically do anything the whole program... but alas I didn't. 

I am sad that I didn't get better pictures of him with his teachers that he adored

and with his friends that he loved. 

Lesson Learned.

Millie Turns Two!

Last week Millie turned two years old! 

Today we went for her two year old check up.

We tried a new pediatrician in Riverton and had a great experience!

She was even up to date with her vaccinations so she didn't have to get poked! 

Win. Win!

At two years old Millie is:

28.5 pounds (72%)

36 inches (98%)

Dr. Ring said that you can double a girls height at 2 years old... 

so there is a good chance she'll be six feet tall one day!

Guess we better get this girl playing volleyball and basketball!

Some things Millie is doing/liking at TWO:

-her hair grows so fast! (the girl needs a cut pretty bad at the moment!)

-OBSESSED with the color pink!

-loves cookies and calls them coocoo's!

-finally on track with her speech! Yeah!

-loves playing outside

-loves her toy babies and her new kitchen

-insists on morning and nightly warm milk

-friendly with other kids, not too shy

-pretty darn good at the climbing wall at the park

-has her own agenda and will impose it on others

-loves her brother a whole lot

-OBSESSED with babies (every time she sees a baby she points and yells BABY, BABY! and then insists that she sees the baby face to face)

-recently getting into princess's. likes cinderella best.

-really loves her grandparents and aunts... but is super selective on which uncles she'll play with.

-is showing lots of interest in potty training.

-continues to love Minnie and Mickey Mouse

-has turned into our little singer

-OBSESSED with animals. Dogs especially. She loves them all! Big or small.

-a bit of a drama baby. aren't all girls?

Happy Birthday Millie Girl!

Millie: 18 months

On Thanksgiving Day, Millie turned 18 months. 

She is such a joy in our home. She is growing up and learning so much right now.

She is our little blond hair blue eyed beauty.

Millie is doing the following at 18 months:

running everywhere. i think she forgot how to walk.

becoming quite the drama baby.

naps 2-3 hours a day.

is obsessed with babies...

real babies. toy babies. babies. babies. babies.

has her grandparents wrapped around her little finger.

talking more and more. 

recent words this week are:

lego, hi guys, millie, tree, car, ball, Lou (Luke)

is not allowed pens or markers of any kind. she is our little artist. on everything but paper.

loves stickers and mickey mouse.

teases her brother.

hides from everyone in closets.

dances to music.

can do a somersault all on her own.

this picture above perfectly shows Millie on any given day. 

Happy Eighteen Months Millie!

All pictures taken by Miss Sarah D. at our family session this fall... more to come!

15 months and 4 years

I can't believe I forgot to post the 15 month and 4 year old stats...

Just ignore the fact that Millie turned 17 months this week.

On September 1st, Lucas and Millie went in for check ups. I brought Scott for backup per usual.

Vaccinations for everyone! Yeah! 

Millie

Millie is right on track with everything but her verbal skills. She's on track for a boy, but girls are usually more verbal, so she's behind for a girl. We'll be watching that closely...

Millie is taking a real liking to her baby, Lego building (seriously she builds right beside Lucas), and teasing her brother.

Height: 33 inches, 98%

Weight: 23 pounds, 50%

(Just a side note here... 95% of the time Millie eats MORE than Lucas. Hands down.)

Lucas:

Lucas has really started coming out of his shy phase of life. He has come a LONG way from a year ago.

(Don't get me wrong, he is still shy.) 

I attribute this to primary, and preschool, but mostly just time. 

I got some flack for not starting him in Preschool last year... he was 3 after all.

However, after our experience this year, I am sooooo grateful we waited.

If we would have done Preschool last year, it would have been a horrible and terrifying experience. 

This year, he LOVES it. I am glad that he goes willingly and happily each day. 

Lucas loves sports, Lego's, the Disney channel, and teasing Millie & Dad!

Height: 47 inches, 100% 

Weight: 55.5 pounds, 100%

(Lucas is WAY over the curve for height and weight. We saw a new pediatrician and he made the comment that he had never seen a bigger 4 year old boy. That's our Luke!)

and for those that are interested...

Scott at Four Years Old:

44 inches

42 pounds

Pictures taken at Lucas' Birthday Party.

September 1, 2011.

First Day of Preschool

Yesterday was Lucas' first day of preschool! 

He was very excited about going to school... and has been talking about it for months. 

Anyone who knows Lucas well, knows that he is a anxious and shy little boy. 

He does NOT do well in new situations with people he doesn't know.

The past week I had been preparing him for this big day. 

I'd walk him through what was going to happen... told him it was just like Primary. 

I'd drop him off, he'd wave and say "goodbye mom" and then come pick him up.

Well, all the prep work paid off... 

Lucas did amazingly well!

Although he was nervous, he walked right in and didn't look back!

This was a MONUMENTAL day... he has come SO far!

Before School.

This is what I got when I said, "Smile Big!"

Lucas' first art project in preschool... a cute apple.

He already has homework... and is super excited to go back again this week!

Lucas and Millie after preschool.

Happy Birthday Lucas!

It's hard to believe that this little guy...

was born FOUR years ago today. 

We love you more than words can express.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Mom, Dad, & Millie

Newborn picture taken at 10 days old

Four year old picture taken mid-august in Bear Lake

Millie: One Year Old Pictures

The second week in July, Sarah took Millie's one year old pictures. 

I could not be happier with the results. 

I loved our location... so glad we did it outside this time!

Thank you Sarah... you are always amazing. xoxoxo.

My favorites were truly hard to narrow down. Here are some of them:

The best one of Millie and Luke... although that wasn't the objective of the shoot, so the fact that we got some of them together and a few great shoots of Luke was a total bonus!

Is this picture not the epitome of motherhood... 

I mean really. Luke thinking... really mom? Millie pulling faces. 

Classic. Just classic. One of my favorite pictures. 

These two are probably my top two... 

although, ask me tomorrow, and I may have changed my mind.

Thank you so much Sarah!!!