Family Pictures

Here are some family pictures (mostly pictures of Luke:)) we took at the end of March. We were really surprised at how well they turned out considering that Luke had his head down most of the time along with this look on his face:


I think he was a little cold. He also is still getting used to being outside and in the sun, so he spends a lot of time squinting (thanks to those cloudy Ohio winters). He started looking up more after we took his shoes off. Before that he was way too interested in his shoes to even notice us jumping up and down behind the photographer and acting like nerds to get his attention. Our photographer was amazingly able to capture some rare moments of a happy baby. So we definitely recommend her as a good Columbus photographer with reasonable rates. Check out her website for more information.


Here is the family picture winner (as previously seen a few posts ago):

Here is the shot that captures Luke's personality the most:

And here is that token funny picture that would have been perfect if your nose wasn't shaped like Gonzo:
Anyone else see the resemblance?

Bad Mom

Tonight I was cooking dinner and heard Luke yelling/fussing in the other room. I knew he probably wanted me to hold him (as he is a little clingy in the evening) but I had dinner on the stove and didn't want it to burn. I kept yelling out to him to just hold on for a few minutes. After a while, it got quiet. I came out and discovered that he found a way to sleep in the jumperoo. Poor kid. It kind of reminds me of college when you are so tired that you find ways to sleep in really uncomfortable places. You think that if you get you arm in the perfect position, it might just be a suitable replacement for your pillow.

Just as a warning, there will probably be an overload of Luke pictures for a while. I'm feeling super guilty that my family can't see Luke in person at this stage because he is SO fun. I blog with lots of pictures of him to help relieve my guilt!

That's right. He's a tough kid....playing with a pink Easter egg.


Luke usually wakes me up every morning by blowing out of his diaper (I'm awake before it happens, but I'm really awake after it happens). I am starting to get so tired of all the laundry that sometimes I put those plastic diapers (that they use with cloth diapers) around his disposables to help contain the explosion. It seems to help.

He started off a little wobbly...

But has really seemed to master pulling himself up to a standing position.

And he couldn't be prouder

Anniversary, etc.

Happy Anniversary to us! Yesterday was our 2nd wedding anniversary. Only two years!? It feels more like 9 (read here to find out why). 2 years sounds so puny. I can't wait till we get to the meatier years like 12 and 13. To celebrate, Andrew mostly took a day off from studying for his board exams. He made me breakfast in bed, cleaned the house, and was basically wonderful as usual. I'm still in the process of making his gift so I'll have to post about it later. Andrew's Dad drove from Cleveland to babysit for us so we could go to the swanky restaurant, M, which we have been looking forward to for a year (we won a $75 gift card from a photo contest). We feasted on lobster, dover sole, scallops, lobster ravioli and banana bread pudding..mmmmm...my mouth is still watering. To finish off the night, we went to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (kind of weird, kind of cool...definitely different).

Anyone who knows Andrew knows that I am the luckiest girl in the world. When I was about 10 or 11, I figured that if I was ever going to get married it was going to take quite a guy to put up with me (and he'd have to like freckles which my 11 year old self thought was impossible), so I started praying for it every night. My only requirement was that he be a really good man to the core (and it wouldn't hurt if he was a sexy little sucker). I don't want to sound like I was obsessed with getting married because I wasn't. I just knew that I needed extra help to find someone extra fabulous. Well folks, prayers are answered because I married way above me (which is a great feeling). He's not only good to the core AND a sexy little sucker, he is also full of energy, love, humor, patience and fortitude. Happy Anniversary!

Below are some pictures from Easter:

Luke is discovering grass (he hasn't spent much of his life outdoors...yet)
Here are some shots from our Easter egg hunt. I helped him this year but next year he's on his own.
Luke really loved the plastic eggs. They've been a big hit all week.
We thought it was a cute idea...he just thought we were crazy. I can hear him now, "Come on guys, I'm too old for this stuff!"
Luke didn't get much for Easter. This ball was pretty much it. But he's happy with the simple things in life. I love his nostril flare in this picture.

Spring Break

I have a million other things that I really should be doing, but I'm ignoring them all. A few weeks ago Andrew had spring break. It was starting to look like an uneventful week. Andrew spent the first few days completing a first aid course that he had to get done. Then I maliciously tricked him into helping me finish the room I was re-doing at his parent's house. I was starting to feel bad that there was nothing fun and exciting going on (as Andrew is always on the prowl for fun and exciting). So on Thursday afternoon we were wild and adventurous and spontaneously decided to go to Niagara Falls. I don't know how spontaneous it actually was because Andrew likes to spend his free time planning possible vacations and already knew where we could find the coolest deal around.

So here it is (I only share because the deal lasts until mid-May and there might be some Ohioans that can still take advantage).

The Embassy Suites Hotel in Niagara Falls, Canada. One night = $145.00 (Canadian...so around $108 American)
Includes:

• Dinner voucher for $45.00 at any three of their restaurants (we ate at TGI Fridays and didn't spend a dime).
• A sit down, made-to-order breakfast overlooking the falls
  
• A king-bed suite with a whirlpool in the room
  
• More cool stuff you can read about here

We definitely recommend it. We got there a little late in the evening and they upgraded us for free to this amazing suite with a living room and a fantastic view of the falls. We were glad that we had a good view because the next day it rained and we couldn't go outside for a closer look.

Behind Luke is American Falls

Now Luke is kindly modeling in front of Horseshoe Falls

If you're beginning to wonder how many pictures we can take of our baby in front of a window...you have no idea! I'm being highly selective!

Here is a closer look at Horseshoe Falls. It really is spectacular.

Luke likes his space.

And for those who are wondering how the room turned out...

Before (well half-way actually)

After

To top it all off, Andrew's brother and his family came to the Stacey's and so we finished off the week playing with cousins.

Luke really likes his cousin Devor

and carrots.

Why I Love Easter

I have to admit...I'm not a huge fan of pastel colors (or decorating with eggs and chicks for that matter), but I make an exception at Easter because I'm so excited to celebrate Christ's resurrection.

In Japan, I remember teaching a friend about the resurrection of Jesus Christ for the first time (meaning he had never heard about it before). This man looked at me like I was crazy. There are many teachings of Christ that we can know are true through experience. We try living them and can see a change in our lives and in ourselves. However, believing in the resurrection takes a takes a little extra faith (in my opinion) because we can't really experience it without dying. It took my friend a while until he also believed that Christ had resurrected and that every person to ever live on this Earth would also resurrect one day. He came to believe by reading the scriptures and praying to know whether or not it was true. He received an answer as we all can.

The fact that every single person in the world will overcome death through the power of Jesus Christ is not just something that affects us at some unknown time in the future. The knowledge of the resurrection affects my life everyday, especially now that I am a Mom. When Luke was born I suddenly realized how vulnerable I am to having my heart absolutely crushed. If anything ever happened to him, I really didn't know how I could go on. For the first time in my life I was actually afraid of death. I love my family so much that I was scared of losing them. That's when I began my habit of checking on Luke about 5 times whenever he is taking a nap (I still do that). But as I thought about my faith in Jesus Christ and His resurrection from death, I remembered that death is not something that I need to fear. Obviously I would be extremely sad if anything ever happened to my child or husband, etc. But I know that we will live again as a family and that death is not the end because of Jesus Christ. It is not just death, but all things...pain, sickness, hurt...will eventually be overcome through our faith and devotion to Jesus Christ. That is why I can be happy and optimistic even during difficult times.

I know that reading the scriptures can strengthen our knowledge that Jesus Christ really is the Son of God, that He came to this Earth, suffered and died for our sins, and was resurrected that we also will live again. I know that through His Atonement we can all be healed and overcome our weaknesses. Not only did prophets in the New Testament testify of this truth, but prophets living on the American continent also knew of Christ and saw Him after His resurrection. They testified in their record, The Book of Mormon.

I love my Savior... and so I'll decorate with pastels, color eggs, and be the Easter bunny, etc....but more importantly, I'll take some time to feel gratitude for all He has done for me.

Even if you aren't religious, I hope can feel the joy of Easter and contemplate the love our Savior has for each one of us. Here is a link to a short slideshow I found this week. It has beautifully painted images of the Savior and His life. Enjoy.

WITNESS

Last Tuesday, we were lucky enough to make it to a Cavs game (the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team for those of you that are out of the loop). We are huge Lebron James fans. For some reason, I thought that Luke would be fine during the game. Even though it started around the time he normally goes to bed, I just thought he might sleep through it. Oddly enough, I was comparing it to the time he slept during an OSU hockey game. I guess I forgot what Cavs games are like. BIG difference.

At first things were fine. Luke enjoyed pre-game.

Then,

The players were introduced to a coliseum of roaring fans while waves of fire erupted from the center screen. The somewhat demonic Carmina Burana (O Fortuna) blared over the speakers, exciting the fans for the game (myself included), but also reminding me of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom when the heart is torn out of the victim's chest. If you need a refresher, go to the bottom of my blog and listen to the first song. Luke was horrified and added his screams to the fans' cheers. I felt so bad, I spent the next few quarters with Luke out near the dippin dots and TV screens. He eventually fell asleep and I took him back in for the 4th quarter. Did he stay asleep?

The game was close.

Cheerleaders ran across the floor with flags that said, "MAKE NOISE".

Lebron came on the screen and said, "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

It was the anti-baby-sleeping environment. You can see the results for yourself. Is Luke a heavy sleeper?




Slept like a baby....and we got to "witness" Lebron's greatness.

Blooms and Butterflies

My friend Rachel and I went to see the annual "Blooms and Butterflies" exhibit at the Franklin Park Conservatory. Very cool. If you live in Columbus, I would definitely recommend it.



Dale Chihuly created these glass sculptures to be incorporated in the gardens. They are spectacular.