Picture and Update OVERLOAD!

Has it really been since April 30th that I last posted? I can't believe that much time has gone by! So, give me a minute or two to get back in the swing of things.

In reverse order, this is what we have done since May! (Sorry for the picture overload... I tried to keep it to a minimum!)

July 13-14
We went to Ashley and Matt's wedding in Des Moines. On Friday we enjoyed some pool time with Uncle Jim and Auntie Marge, along with my mom and dad. Friday night Mckenna and Brooke had their very first sleep over. They slept in the same room on two little cots. (Dad did his Lamb Chop routine for them, it was so very cute!) Saturday was the wedding.

 July 7th
Quentin's first haircut! He was such a good boy and looks so handsome in his new haircut!

July 4th
We went to the O'Fallon Parade. Mckenna had a great time watching the floats and catching candy. I think our favorite memory of that day was Mckenna screaming "Look, it's a tuba!" when the marching band marched by. She was right, it was a tuba, Matt couldn't believe that she knew what a tuba looked like! After the parade we went back to John and Charlene's to rest, play in the pool and have some BBQ!

 June 28
The zoo opened the new Sea Lion exhibit. It was awesome. I didn't get too many pictures, as there were a TON of people there and I couldn't get them out of my way!

June 12-13
It shall be mentioned, only once, that I turned 30 this year. Mom came down for a quick visit. I really enjoyed my day with her. We took the kids shopping and then we went to dinner. Sadly, I don't have any pictures to show for, but this was a special day and I wanted to make sure it was recorded in some way!

June 9
All Saints Picnic... We took the kids up to the picnic again this year. Just like last year Mckenna loved the rides. The favorite this year was the Farris Wheel. I think she rode it 5 times, recruiting someone new each time. (Let the record show that I am still a wimp and didn't ride on anything, except the Merry-go-Round) Quentin was a great sport and watched his big sister, without a doubt he will be along side her next year!

May 31
Mckenna's Little Gym celebration. She has grown SO much over the last year. She can almost walk on the balance beam by herself, she can swing from the bars, do a basket on the bars, she is close to doing a roll around the bars. She amazes us! Quentin also got to join in on some of the fun this day!

May 25-29
We spent Memorial Day in Iowa as usual! John and Charlene came with us and we were joined by all the Von Bons too! We had a great time boating in the new boat, playing in the water, watching the boys play games and eating good food! On Monday Angela, Jeremy, Addison and Carter came out too! The girls had a great time playing and the boys even got a little wrestling match in! :) On Tuesday we spent some time with Auntie Marge poolside!

 May 12
For Mother's day we went to a local restaurant, JJ's with the Lucas clan. We tried to take some pictures of the group. It is very difficult to make 3 toddlers and a baby look at the camera at the same time. Or I could argue that it was even more difficult to get the big boys to look at the camera and smile with their mother.

May 6-8
Just hanging out and spending time together. The pool has been out many times and the kids are enjoying the sun. Mckenna got her first ice cream of the year from the ice cream truck.

Well, that's all... I think! Hope I didn't take up too much of your time. Love from the Lucas family!

In April...

There has been swinging in our backyard...

There has been excitement of a new swing set at Maw-Maw and Pa-Pa Lucas's house...

There has been trying new foods...

There has been visits from 2nd and 3rd cousins...

There has been Easter baskets...

There has been Easter egg hunts...

There has been time with the Aunt Kelly...

There has been snuggles after bath time...

There has been riding on scooters and walking in walkers...

There has been 2nd Birthday celebrations with cousin Brooke...

There has been playing with Great Grandma Von Bon...

There has been climbing up stairs...

Believe it or not... there has been so much more! This is just a sampling of the 216 snapshots of special moments we have had in April.

April was good....See ya in MAY!

Love from the Lucas Family!

AND... It's April!

The last few weeks in the Lucas house have been busy! The kids and I spent some time in Iowa for Spring Break. I made the 5+ hour trip there and back with very little excitement! Just the way I like it and expected it would go. I felt blessed to spend some quality time with my family. Laura and Mom took some time off  work and we were able to spend a good amount of time together. Laura and I went shopping together and shared many laughs as she picked some new clothes out for me and I complained the whole time. I will admit though, I have been complemented on almost all of her picks! The weather was great, 70's almost every day! Therefore, we spent a lot of time outside. Mckenna and Brooke were a kill to watch! They truly started to play together. They played hide-n-seek with Papa Ken, hid behind the curtains and behind Brooke's bed and raced Uncle Chris in the backyard! I had the kid's pictures taken while we were there and had too short of a visit with Aunt Marge, Uncle Jim, and Aunt Karen.(Notice what Auntie Marge is already training Mckenna to do?)

When we returned home Matt and I took Mckenna to Disney's Princess on Ice. We decided to buy the mid-priced tickets and it was totally worth it. We were the second row from the ice on the right side. Most of the action was faced forward but since it was "on ice" the skaters moved all around. I was able to take enough pictures to create a memory book for Mckenna to look back on someday. At one point I had to take Mckenna to the restroom and as we went all the way to the top she was yelling, "I'll be back, hold on, I'll be back!" Then once we were in the bathroom she was telling me all about Princess Tiana and kept asking, "What's next?" Matt and I will definitely remember this moment with her and will tell her about it for years to come!

We have spent so much time outside lately. We have been swinging up a storm, BBQing, and soaking up the sun! Mckenna and Quentin have enjoyed every moment of it. The patio furniture is out, the flowers are up and the trees have opened their leaves! We couldn't be happier around here. Although, I think Matt would argue he could have waited a few more weeks for mowing season to start.

Mckenna

When I look at Mckenna, I think "where has my baby gone." I get tears sometimes when I look at her because she really doesn't even look like a baby anymore. I think she looks more like a little girl. She uses complete sentences and can really express many of her feelings. She has taken a little step back in the way of potty training. She has had several accidents lately, we are thinking some more potty celebrating and "nemmies" (m&m's) is needed! Mckenna is a singer! She can sing the lyrics to several children's songs as well as some of the chart toppers! She will request "Sometimes I Get a Good Feeling" and "We are Young" when she is riding in the car with Daddy and will sometimes spontaneously start to sing! One of her favorite phrases lately is "probably no" or "probably yes".  It makes me chuckle every time she says it! We tried to see the Easter Bunny but she refused, holding tight and saying no. Later in the evening I asked her if she wanted to go back and see the Bunny and her predictable response, "probably no". Mckenna can tell you what the majority of her books are about. The other night she wanted one more book, she grabbed one of the shelf (one we haven't read in a long time), and said, "I want sharing book". She was totally right, the book was about sharing! I couldn't believe it! She has her "terrible two" moments sometimes, but most of the time she is very sweet to us and her little brother.

Quentin

 Quentin is on. the. move! He is into everything and prefers Mckenna's toys to his. He began army crawling right around Spring Break and hasn't looked back. He will get up on his hands and knees, rock back and forth, but he still hasn't figured out how to make crawling work. He is getting really quick and will choose where he wants to go. He loves to splash in the dog water and when we say "no" he will look up at us. He can move from the crawling position to the sitting position and vice versa. He can play for long periods of time sitting up and spends very little time on his back. We are still doing baby food, however, I have been trying small bits of banana and recently he has gnawed on a watermelon on the rind. He loves the watermelon until it breaks off in his mouth, then he chokes and spits the pieces out. Not quite ready for chewing. He continues to be a very happy baby and we hear his cute little laugh often!

 Love from the Lucas Family!