Lions and Tigers and Bears

Today we went to the Louisville Zoo. It was hot, but we enjoyed it. The first thing we saw was the baby elephant, Scottie. He was so cute. The handlers had to stay with them, because the other elephant was jealous of the baby and mommy. Lucas just watched in amazement. Then, we went to the giraffes. Lucas and Brad got to feed and pet the giraffe. Or, should I say that Brad fed the giraffe. Lucas likes to look, but he won't touch. The giraffe was just a little frisky. The gorillas were all inside and taking it easy. A couple of them were just laying next to the glass soaking up all of the attention. Lucas liked Lorakeet Landing, but only of they landed on me or Brad. 3 of them loved the velcro on the back of Brad's hat. They just about had it completely off of him. We rode the train, then the carousel. After that, we were all whooped. Lucas was fast asleep not long after we got back in the car. I could have been. Well, until next time......

Saturday Visit

Last night, I was cleaning and when I got the vacuum cleaner out, Lucas went and climbed into the recliner and watched t.v. I knew he was being awfully quiet. When I looked around the corner, he was sitting there asleep and was holding the remote control and part of his duck toy. It was so funny. He's never just fallen asleep like that for me before.

Today, Nanny, E.O., Mike, and Kaylea came to see us. We went to eat at the Mexican restaurant, then it was all play time. Lucas had about a 10 minute nap today, so tonight he was out without a fight at about 9:00. Him and Kaylea played hard. Of course, he had to try on her shoes too. They played tug-of-war with a few toys, but still had a great time. Carol Lee and B.O. took our Aunt Nancy bedroom suite home with them. We will be painting that room and moving Lucas' room to that one. It's a little bit bigger, so hopefully I can put some of his toys in his room. Our neighbor, Joe, took the t.v. cabinet that was in that room. He's handy and it needed a few repairs. I usually offer things to him before I pack them off. Lucas even visited with Marian and Joe. He has a way of leading people around. He even had them doing what he wanted. Well, now the hard work begins. If anyone is good at painting (Leslie), we'll take all the help we can get.

County Fair

We went to the Hardin County Fair tonight. Lucas really liked it. He rode the carousel 3 times. He rode a train all by himself. Brad looked at me and said "He shouldn't be big enough for this yet". He didn't want to get off of the train. Then, Lucas and I rode the tilt-a-whirl. We had anther little boy and girl in the car with us. He REALLY liked going round and round. He even tried to help the others turn the wheel. There wasn't a lot there for him to do, but he had a good time with what he could do. I think him and Kaylea will have good time at Dollywood. They'll be able to ride the rides together.

4th of July

The fourth of July was pretty uneventful for us. I spent the day at the races (horse) and lost more money than I needed to. We had a good time though. Brad and Lucas spent the day at Ervin and Sharon's house. They ate ribs, hot wings, and hot dogs. Lucas tried to make it through lunch, but just fell asleep in his booster seat. Later that day, we all went back to their house and had hot fudge sundaes with brownies. Lucas just loves Ervin and Sharon. They let him get away with anything. He found every phone and remote control in Ervin's house. It started to rain, so we came on home. I was hoping that Lucas would stay awake to see the fireworks, but he tuckered out. Maybe next year. It may not have worked out anyway. About the time I heard the booms of the fireworks, I also heard the boom of thunder.

Lazy Days of Summer

We have been very busy lately. A few weeks ago, I had to go to

Pine Mountain for a work function. Brad and Lucas went with me. The first evening, we got there early enough to sightsee a little bit. We went to Cumberland Gap National Park and drove to the Pinnacle. It was a long, steep, and windy road, but the view was really pretty. It was a muggy day, so the view wasn't as clear as it could've been. Lucas seemed to have a good time. We couldn't let him down around the lookout. There was just a fence railing between you and the straight down fall. Brad and Lucas just hung out for the next couple of days. They went out for breakfast and lunch every day and just hung around the hotel, the pool, and the trails at the hotel. It's a pretty place to visit, but unless you hike, there's not a lot to do there.

On Father's Day weekend, we went home to have a cookout at Granny (GiGi) and Grandaddy's house. Before we ate, Lucas and Kaylea played in the sprinkler in E.O. and Nanny's back yard. That is, Kaylea played in the sprinkler and Lucas watched and ran all around it. After they got all dirty outside, they took a bath together to get cleaned up. Unfortunately, the evening didn't go as planned. Lucas entertained Papaw during dinner, but we really missed Leslie, Steve, Buzzy, Cathy, Jackie and NaNa. We felt really sick for Leslie and Steve about the loss of their business. We know that they'll recover and be better than ever. As Buzzy said, they'll buy lots of new toys. We'll definitely have to schedule another get together.

Last week, we had tile laid in our kitchen and in Lucas' bathroom. Lucas' babysitter also needed off for three days. nanny and E.O. came Sunday and Monday to watch Lucas. They had a good time. Lucas really keeps E.O. on the straight and narrow. It's funny. Gigi and NaNa came up on Tuesday and kept Lucas Wednesday and Thursday. Since my house was turned upside down, they stayed in one of the golf villas down the street. Lucas thought they had moved in. Now everytime we leave the house, he points that way and says "NaNa, Gigi". He had a really good time with them. The house was finished on Thursday afternoon and looks so much better.

Tonight, Lucas climbed into his toy box and started digging for toys. It was so funny. He has started climbing on everything. He can now climb his crib rails and into his crib, into the bathtub, and has even climbed up onto our bed (and it's high off the ground). He has turned into a monkey. He's growing up so fast!!! We were looking at baby pictures and it's hard to believe that he'll be 2 in a few months. He will always be my baby!!!! He even told me he loved me this week.

FUN IN THE SUN

We went to Blue Mountain Beach in Florida and had a great time. Gigi (aka Granny) and Grandaddy spent 8 nights of pure exhaustion with Lucas, Brad, and I. Lucas made sure that Grandaddy didn't get to sleep as late as he usually does. Every time he would get up, he would march down the hallway to Gigi and Grandaddy's room, push the door open, and make sure everyone was awake.

The first day there, we tried the beach. Lucas hated the sand. He wouldn't stand on it and didn't want it in his hand. As much as he loves water, that picture of never-ending water was a little scary. So, we spent the rest of the week at the pool. He's not the least bit afraid of the pool. He'll jump right in. When he wasn't at the pool, he was going up and down , up and down, and up and down the steps around the pool.

We spent several evenings at Seaside. Lucas loved running in the grassy area at their amphitheater. Grandaddy got his exercise running after him. There were a lot of little ones just running and playing. Lucas even got an unexpected hug from a little girl. He wasn't sure what to do, so he just froze.

We had a great time. I'm sure that Gigi and Grandaddy need another vacation now to relax a little. After a week of steps, ring around the rosy, early rising, key lime pie, shaved ice, and constant playing, we finally had to come home. We're looking forward to next year.

Salt Lake City

Lucas, Brad, Granny, Grandaddy, and myself all went to Salt Lake City this week. I had a conference on Early Hearing Detection and Intervention and they all just bummed around. We rented a car, so on Sunday, we went to Park City. Northern Utah is a very different place than we are used to. It was about 65-70 degrees, but there was snow in the mountains. It's very dry there, but really neat. Mountains are all around them. There were people skiing still. We also went to the Olympic Park in Park City. It was nice.

While I was working, everyone else continued to sight-see. They went to Antelope Island Park and visited a ranch, saw buffalo and all kinds of other animals. They went and visited the Mormon Temple and Tabernacle. Dad and Brad even went to a family history museum and tried their hand at researching their family trees.

We just returned today from Salt Lake City. We left on Saturday afternoon and returned today. Neither day of air travel was without it's moments. Saturday, when we got to the airport in Louisville, we were told that our flight was delayed due to weather in Chicago. Well, we ended up about 3 hours delayed. When we got to Minneapolis, we had to run to catch our connecting flight. They had already closed the doors, but they let us on. Today, we left Salt Lake City on time (at 6:00 am). They did have to de-ice our plane. It was snowing when we left. When we got to Minneapolis, I looked at the gate wrong and we went a long way only to find out that we were at the wrong gate and terminal and again, we had to run to make it.

We made it home safely and Lucas did really good on the planes. Now, we are all jet-lagged and I seem to be the only one still awake. I'll get my sleep tonight, because I have to go back to work tomorrow. Brad and Lucas are going to hang out at home the rest of the week.

All In a Days Work

Lucas has been very busy lately. Tonight, he swept the floor and then his daddy made him take out the trash. He was worn out. He had to take a breather in his Elmo chair.

He gathered steam though and went with his daddy to Freeman lake to feed the ducks. Brad said that he would take a bite of the bread and then give a little piece to him to throw to the ducks.

We went to Funtopia on Sunday. They have a great play area for toddlers. LUCAS LOVED IT!!! We couldn't swing him high enough and he was flirting with a cute little blonde. Buzzy will have to come up and play at the playground with him. They have things to climb on, crawl through, swings, and a sand box. There is a larger area for kids that are a little larger. We would have taken him through that area if it hadn't have been so crowded.

Tonight, he also was putting on his own shoes. Sometimes they were on the right feet and sometimes they were on the wrong feet. He definitely has a shoe fetish. Boy will we be in trouble when he gets older.

We are looking forward to going to Salt Lake City next week. I hope he does o.k. flying (Granny too) and I hope we can downsize our luggage enough to make it in one vehicle. I know that Lucas will enjoy spending the week with us and Granny and Grandaddy. He'll have a ball!!!!

On The Road To Recovery

Lucas and I have been pretty sick this past week. Granny was brave enough to come and take care of us. He started throwing up on Sunday and I started on Tuesday. Today is the first day that I think we've both felt almost completely normal.

While Granny was here, Lucas decided that he liked wearing her glasses. He looked like Ralphie from "A Christmas Story". Tonight, he was running around like a chicken with his head cut off in nothing but a diaper and his cowboy hat.

Well, with any luck, Granny and Brad won't get the pukes and poops that Lucas and I have had. They both have been scared and have sprayed Lysol on everything in this house. Lucas is sure going to miss Granny next week while she's relaxing in Florida!!!

Big Boy

Lucas was so funny tonight. He decided to check out his bath water to make sure that it wasn't too hot. He also decided to take off his own shirt. He was so proud of himself and we were very proud also. He tried to take off his pants, but he's not quite there yet. He just looks like Al Bundy. He puts his thumb inside his waistband of his diaper and pushed down. When he gets out of the tub and gets dressed, he goes right into his bathroom to brush his teeth. I think that he just likes the taste of his toothpaste. Tonight, he also learned to throw his arms up in the air and scream like a woman. It's so funny!!!