So Many Things To Write About!

Visitors in the Lou

Last week Mom, Laura and Brooke came down to visit. We had grand plans to go to the zoo but with two babies on two schedules it just was too hard to do. So we settled for some lounging around and enjoying each other! We attempted to take a picture of Mckenna and Brooke but it is really hard to do. Mckenna has so much love for Brooke and she wants to touch her and give her loves all the time, but she doesn't know her own strength. :)  

Fourth of July

We spent Fourth of July in Iowa. Saturday we did some boating with the Meade family while mom stayed home with the girls. I wanted so badly to bring Mckenna to see the fireworks but she was sleeping when it was time to go and I was afraid we would get all the way there (on the water) and she would be scared. Sunday we spent some time with the VonBon clan. I love that almost every time I go home they all come out. It makes me feel like I am not missing out on everything there! We had a great visit with everyone! 

This picture was REALLY hard to get!

 

Hanging out with Grandma and Papa!

 

Looking so cute, doing some light reading!

 

Sleep...

I know you all have been on pins and needles waiting to hear how sleep training is going! Well, we started last Tuesday, earlier than I expected and it is going quite well. She is going to sleep at nap time and at bed time without being rocked. Most times she will go down without any crying or screaming and will drift off pretty quickly. She is not sleeping all night long yet. She will still wake many times but I have to say I am getting better, if she fusses I will turn off the monitor and wait to see if she starts screaming. So, it has been a LOT less stressful around here! 

 

I think that is enough for today! Look back next week, Mckenna is practicing her walking (even when we aren't looking)! 

 

Love from the Lucas's! 

9 Months Already!

Mckenna had her 9 month check up last week. 9 months goes A LOT faster when you are chasing after a quick little girl than it did carrying that same girl inside me! So, the stats....

Weight: 16lbs 12oz

Height: 28 inches

A Weekend of Struggles Ends Good

By the title of this post I am sure you are wondering what the heck could happen to make us to admit that we have moments of struggles. I don't know if we have dug ourselves a hole by rocking Mckenna to sleep or if she is teething or if she has, I hate to even say it, another ear infection but we had a bad weekend of sleep. Lately Mckenna has been waking several times a night needing Mommy to reassure and put a binky back into her mouth and sometimes needing to be fed or rocked. I am really fearful because she can now remember... she can remember when we get her out of her bed to rock her... she can remember if I change her diaper in the middle of the night... she can remember that I fed her last night when she fussed... So there lies our struggle. What do we do when she wakes up in the middle of the night and she can no longer soothe herself back to sleep. Friday night we tried the "fuss it out" method, in the middle of the night, and it didn't work. She was so fussed that it took me nearly an hour to get her calmed down. What to do...??? We have a doctors appointment tomorrow and we will see if she has a reason for these sleeping problems or if I have just failed myself as a mother. Regardless, sleep training will start July 6th!

Another bummer of the weekend was the United States loss in the World Cup. How could the US loose when they had someone like this..... cheering them on?

I said the weekend ended well, so here are the positives....

Mckenna and Daddy bonded over some guitar playing and singing.

Feeding Mckenna wasn't much of a struggle this weekend... She LOVED the ravioli and frozen yogurt.

One Basket + Plenty of Toys= One Happy Mckenna.... She climbed right in to get a little closer...

Yeah that isn't such a happy face, once she got in she realized it wasn't a wise choice and she didn't know how to get out. 

A new set of wheels... now she can get even further on her feet!

Some swimming in the pool... I know, I know I have posted far too many pool pictures but I'm sorry she looks so cute in her pool! 

Some crawling and walking around in the yard.

Flowers in the hair....

And NINE MONTHS of life! Yes, Mckenna celebrated her NINE MONTH old birthday yesterday! Can you believe it... I can't! So, the weekend of little sleep was obviously overshadowed by many moments of happiness, laughter, and fun. 

Have a good week! Love from the Lucas's!

A LOVEly Weekend!

Last weekend we were in Des Moines for Angela Horstman and Jeremy Schopp's wedding. Angela is my long time friend and could be considered one of my sisters! I was a bridesmaid so that meant Matt had to play Mr. Mom for the day. Mom and Dad were there too but ya know... the hard work fell on Matt's shoulders (I hope)! Of course I was not prepared for the wedding with a fully charged battery in my camera so my pictures are limited. Angela looked beautiful and they had such a beautiful ceremony and day! Here are a few pictures from the day...

A Family Picture (It was sunny so we were squinting quite a bit)

A picture of Mckenna and Mommy (there are not many of these) 

An effort to get a picture of Laura, Brooke, Mckenna and Myself

Take One

Take Two

Good enough...tired babies= not so cooperative! :)

The Fathers... Matt and Chris

And... Grandma Neanie and Papa Ken with their grandbabies!

Other happenings... Mckenna had another play date with Carson on Monday. Man they were so cute! They played a little in the house with Mckenna's toys and then we headed outside to the pool.

Mckenna is working on walking! She will stand for about 10-15 seconds on her own before sitting down. Tonight she was trying to take some steps between Matt and my hands. I took this short video of her making her way from the couch to the window. I think it is so cute to watch her because she knows where she can use the furniture to help her walk and where she needs to go to crawling. Enjoy!

Have a great rest of the week! Love from the Lucas's!

Dear Matt,

Father's Day meant something new to you this year. It wasn't a day where you only thought about your own father but it was a day you thought about yourself! It was a special day for you to celebrate because 8 1/2 months ago this was you...

you became a dad. Father's Day was spent mostly in a car driving home from a weekend in Iowa and mowing the lawn, almost just like another day. But when we laid down to go to bed you said "Thank you for a good Father's Day!" I know it couldn't have been the corny CD "Mckenna" got you and I was right the last thing you said to me was "You gave me the ultimate Father's Day gift, that baby sleeping in the room next to us".  So Matt, this is for you, a picture or two from every month you have been a FATHER!

I am so happy to share my life with you. Happy Father's Day once more!

With Love,
Jenna

All You Need Is Love

So... Today is my birthday and as I reflect on the last year of my life I realize that all I need is love! Today in celebration of my birthday I opened a few birthday cards, hung out with my little family, and enjoyed an ice cream cake and the company of Matt's parents. Matt and I went out last night with a few of our friends. We went bowling and to the local bar. We didn't get home until 2 AM and we were paying for it today. As you can see in the picture below, I didn't do my hair today and was lucky to have make-up on with the Lucas's came over! Mckenna even got a little taste of the ice cream cake.

On other notes...

We went to a Rascals Baseball game a few weeks ago. Mckenna did so well. She sat in her seat next to Matt and I for some of the time and she even got to pet a Budwiser Clydesdale.

Mckenna has also been enjoying some time in her little pool. She LOVES the water! She will bend over and dunk her own head in the water. She will often slip when crawling and go all the way under and she doesn't cry! She coughs and sputters and goes back for more! 

And last but not least... USA Soccer in the World Cup. We had a mini-watch party yesterday to watch the USA team play England. Mckenna was sporting her red, white, and blue in honor of her country and the soccer team representing it! She looked so cute in her star shorts and red bow! 

 

I will wrap this post up with one last picture of the adorable Mckenna. She is playing in the box to my new pots and pans. She loved to be pushed around the house in it! It is funny, the smallest things make her so happy! Have a great week everyone!

Memorial Day!

This holiday was spent with both the Lucas Family and The VonBon Family at the LAKE! We had so much fun! Saturday we started off in Granger to celebrate the graduation of Megan Parker. Great Grandma also stopped by to see us. After the graduation party we loaded up (when I say loaded up... we had three packed cars) and went to the lake! Here are some pictures from Saturday....

Great Grandma VonBon and Mckenna

Crawling up the stairs for the first time!

Scooting down the LONG driveway!

Mckenna's first boat ride with Grandma VonBon and PROUD Grandpa VonBon!

Sunday was Matt's birthday and celebrated we did. A bunch of family from Iowa came out to the lake to enjoy some fun in the sun. 

Mckenna enjoyed the new swing Grandpa hung under the deck. Grandpa VonBon Pushed and Great Auntie Marge (and Baby Brooke) entertained!

Mckenna gave her daddy a card for his birthday.

She hung out with my cousin Katie.

And sat in a bar stool and watched the boys play pool. (How do you like my fingers in the shot snapping? Needless to say I couldn't take her eyes off that pool game!)

And Monday it was time for Grandma and Grandpa Lucas and Daddy to go home. So we took one last boat ride. I need to be more intentional when I take my pictures. I don't have any pictures of Mckenna with her Grandma and Grandpa Lucas at the lake and I wanted to get a family photo while we were there, but failed to do so. I need to get more into a photographer's frame of mind! 

One last boat ride with Daddy before he had to go.