Just A Day at the Beach

Our pool was out of commission for a couple weeks getting a new paint job, so we took the opportunity to hit the beach last Saturday instead.  Just one mile away from our house, our beautiful community beach on the shores of Lake Michigan is an under-utilized asset.  The Carpenter clan came down to join us, and we had a ton of fun.

"My two Dads"

Going down the kiddie slide all by myself!

On Sunday Lukers and I headed up to Wisconsin for Inge's baby shower.  Kip and Inge are having a baby boy in just a few weeks!  Another cousin for PJ:)  Kristin hosted the shower for her sister in law, along with another family friend, and it was gorgeous.  Actually, it make me nostalgic for the beautiful shower Kristin and Katie threw me at this same time last year.

I'm a little sad to report that Luke is a little boy now, not a baby!  I have been in denial, but with the walking and the babbling and the expressions and opinions, I have to come to terms with it.  He's such a big boy:)  He is so curious about everything, and loves to climb on top of/under/through everything.  This week he also took 6 steps in a row.  He just laughs and smiles when walking toward you, so proud of himself.  Adorable.

Taking a knee.

Climbing up my dragon to climb on top of the table.

Hanging out in my little chair.

Sliding toys when climbing = splits!

Crazy hair!

Superhero

Standing is my new fave thing

Sorry for the delay in posting this week, our computer crashed and we're in the process of getting it fixed.  If I may offer some advice, back up your computer!  Now!  Today!

Matt's First Father's Day as a Daddy

Matt is such a great Dad.  He's hands on, loving, silly and fun with Luke.  He is so devoted to his family and we're both lucky to have him!!  It was nice to be able to recognize his great Daddy work on Father's Day this year:)

We also were able to celebrate Father's Day over the weekend with the 3 other fathers in our immediate family, Cory, Dad and Emil.  

On Saturday we headed up to Wisconsin to celebrate with my family, enjoying a gorgeous day outside.  Saturday night Mom and Dad watched Luke so Kristin, Cory, Matt and I could go to The Fiddler on the Roof in downtown Milwaukee.  The show was awesome!  You know how I'm a big fan of TRA-DI-TION!!

A rousing game of croquet was tons of fun!

My parent's landscaping looks gorgeous!

Cory napping with CeCe

Delicious dinner al fresco

Dinosaur sightings!  Lukeasaurus Rex and Paigeasaurs Rex!

Sunday we headed back down to IL to spend the day with Emil and Donna.  Emil is still recovering well from back surgery, even walking close to a mile last week!  We all walked to the park and enjoyed some time playing with Luke and being outside.  

Cute!

Three generations:)

Tuesday we had a really bad storm that knocked down a tree in our backyard and knocked out our power for 48 hours!  It was super fun to shower in the dark and listen to the lovely sound of the generator roaring (the generator was a lifesaver as it kept our sump pump and refrigerator running, thanks D&E!).  Thank goodness that the summer solstice meant that we had tons of daylight, and the cool temps made the lack of air conditioning a non-issue.  It actually wasn't that bad.  The tree removal bill is what was painful!

In Luke news, he is still taking little steps here and there, but he really seems to prefer his crawling as the fastest way to get from a to b.  He's happy as can be.  His appetite has really increased, too, just like the doctor said it would.  He has been eating a TON!  Maybe he'll put on some weight now.

Computer screen is fascinating!

Our strawberries are in!

  

Last week I forgot to post his adorable 9 month photo shoot pictures.  He was so cute in every pic, once again it was impossible to pick our favorite poses.  Here are a few.  If anyone wants any prints, I have about 100!  Let me know and I'll send you a wallet:)  Seriously.  

A Few Good Steps

Lukers definitely took a few steps this week!  It is very exciting!  If Matt or I stand him up and then reach for him Luke will take a couple steps toward us before falling over.  The maximum has been three, but that counts, right?  You have to start somewhere.  He's going to be zooming all over the place before long.

Other than that, not too much to report on the Luke front this week.  Unfortunately he has developed a little bit of a separation anxiety problem with leaving Mommy.  While flattering in a way, it becomes less of a novelty when it becomes difficult to share parenting duties with Matt.  How do single parents do it?  In addition to the "only wanting Mommy" phenomenon, Luke also had a couple of days of straight up super-crabbiness.  We're not sure if it was teething or a little cold or what.  We especially did not enjoy the middle of the night crying fests (although it does make us appreciate going back to the full nights of sleep afterwards).  He certainly earned his nickname "Stinkers" this week.  We're happy to report that he's now back to his normal, happy self.

Last Saturday we went to visit Emil, who had just arrived home from the rehab hospital after his back surgery.  He is doing great and making impressive progress.  He's already taking walks around his neighborhood!

Saturday night Mom and Dad came down to spend the night. We had a fun dinner out in downtown Lake Forest, and Luke enjoyed his time with Grandma and Grandpa.

On Sunday we hosted our annual party with our Mackus relatives.  We celebrated Aunt Sue, Aunt Allyson, Uncle Dan, Cousin Ian and PJ's birthdays as well as Father's Day.  It was a beautiful sunny day, though a bit cold.  That didn't stop a few of us brave few from taking a dip in the pool though.  You know Paige was the first one in!

Some other cute shots of Daddy and Stinkers from the week: