The BEE MOVIE

Lucas, for the first time in his life, has found a movie that he will sit and watch over and over...well, at least part of it. He has not been interested in T.V. (Sesame Street, etc.) or Movies until this one. The reason?...in the last few chapters for the Bee Movie there is a big airport scene and he loves it. Come to find out, he really loves "Vanessa" the main character.

The problem...we rented the Bee Movie and therefore had to return it to he movie store. This was a sad day after watching the Airport part every morning for a week. He was depressed for two days. He asked about Vanessa daily and then one day his prayers were answered. We were outside playing with sprinklers and the postman drove up with a package in hand for Lucas. It was the Bee Movie and his eyes brightened as he thanked the postman. A BIG HUGE THANKS TO SARA FOR SENDING US THE BEE MOVIE! She knew how much he loved it and now she's the coolest ever!

9 Days Already?!

Boy oh boy, I'm a bad mommy for sure! I can't believe it's been 9 days since my last post. Lucas had a friend come over the other night. Mason Hendricks is a few months younger but is built like his football player daddy! It was a good experience for Lucas to have to share his toys and have another boy in the house sucking up attention. Lucas and Mason did great and the best part was singing songs...they were rock stars for sure!
Here Mason is jammin' to some wonderful nursery rhyme song.
Here's Lucas sitting one out...it's tough being a rock star! We sure were glad Mason came to play. We discovered that he LOVES trains so the train book was a huge hit. For mommy...it was an eye opener to life with two kids. It felt crazy at times when they each went their separate ways. Good thing Daddy was here to help. :) Mason's a good boy for sure.
So, Mommy thought it would be great to let Lucas play with some homemade yellow play dough. We tried sitting in the high chair but the rolling pin was too long and didn't work. I moved him into the living room expecting that my wonderful two year old would keep all the play dough on the table. I was in the kitchen and turned around to see Lucas stomping around the living room like a big giant. It took me a few minutes to realize that he places to big ball of play dough on his shoes and was making yellow foot prints all over the carpet. My heart sank...I just love when more chores are created in an instant. Luckily, my Shaklee cleaning supplies came to use and we were able to get out all the play dough without much work. He was very proud of his work! He also loved helping me clean it up...not sure what he learned from this experience but Mommy learned a lot!!
"SMILOLL" (SMILE) Lucas says when the camera comes out so we get a lot of funny faces from him. Grandma and Grandpa Jakulewicz came through town last week on their way to New Mexico. It was so nice to see them and visit over dinner. Lucas even had his "Grandpa J Shirt" on so they looked great together. Grandma was hiding from the camera so we missed getting her on the blog this time around. Watch out Grandma J...we'll get you next time!

At dinner we had a brownie sundae dessert which of course was the best part for Lucas and Daddy. Lucas somehow managed to not eat very much dinner but still end up completely in control of the sundae spoon. One bite for Daddy....Two or Three bites for Lucas...One little bite for Mommy (sometimes)...he was a big tease and say, "here's Mommy's bite"...show me the bite and eat it in front of me. When I asked him "what about Mommy's bite? " He said, "It's in my belly!" Too much fun!

I've been pretty impressed by Lucas these days. He is speaking in full sentences and really works on pronouncing words correctly. He has also been talking about things he has seen or done in the past at Grandma & Grandpa Anderson's house during Christmas, Grandma and Grandpa J's house, Steven and Ellen's house, Kate and Marks visits....and relating them to things we do on a daily basis. "Mommy, do you remember at Grandma A's house when I got my bike from Santa Claus?" "Lucas' house doesn't have a chimney for Santa." Just little things like that. It really makes me realize how much he remembers and how he is learning everyday.

Mike was singing a silly song about some kind of food in his "Tummy Tummy Tummy" and Lucas said, "No Daddy, it's in your Belly Belly Belly!" If only we could capture all these moments on camera?! His learning amazes me every day!

Climbing with Grandpa Jakulewicz

We had the chance to take Grandpa J to the climbing wall with us a few weekends ago. This is Lucas' second home so he was excited to show Grandpa everything including the bear poop and fire pit on the way up the trail. It's funny what he finds interesting! He did big swings and showed off all his climbing skills for Grandpa!Lucas climbing up, up, up...
Grandpa J and Lucas enjoying the sunshine!
Lucas and Daddy learning about the power drill! We started taking down parts of our indoor climbing wall and we had a big helper. Lucas loved the drill and was very eager to help!

We hope everyone is doing well. We are very busy getting ready for our departure to Dayton, OH in August.

Love, Janelle Mike & Lucas

Lander, Wyoming...A Little Chilly!

Coming straight from Georgia to Wyoming was a little shock to our systems. You can't tell in these photos that it was chilly. Actually the nights and mornings were the times of freezing cold and the days climbing up by the south facing rock was quite enjoyable. Lucas had a wonderful time climbing around to rocks. He even hiked the entire way up the trail all by himself...the kid pack is being repaired from over use. :) This is a pretty long trail and we would get really tired carrying him so it was a nice treat for us too! He was a trooper for sure and his favorite activity was putting on his harness and tying into the rope so he could do giant swings from inside the climbing cave all the way out in space. It was so much fun. I have great video of it but need to get the photos Steve took of him swinging. So much fun!
A little "bouldering" to get warmed up...he even has his chalk bag on!
Rest days turned into relaxing days at Steve and Ellen's house. We would go on walks, go to the park, take a hike or build paper airplanes. This little book was great and he built all 5 planes and tested them out numerous times. This was a perfect activity on really cold days. He also loved playing in the back yard pretending to turn the sprinklers on and off. We would bundle him up and he would be content for hours in the freezing cold. Hot chocolate was always in order after playtime!
Coffee makers still rank very high on his list of favorite "toys!" Here he is showing Steve how the filter works...what a treat to be able to check out Steve's big silver coffee maker!

Home at last! He was so happy to be home just as the rest of us were. It's always nice to go out of town but coming home is comforting too. Lucas came home to a surprise in the mail from Grandma & Grandpa Anderson...a big jumbo puzzle and chocolate Easter bunny...yummy! Thank you Grandma & Grandpa A!!

Grandma & Grandpa J's

We had a great flight back from Georgia into Denver. Before setting off on our next big adventure, we decided to surprise Lucas with a night at Grandma and Grandpa J's. It was Easter weekend and a perfect time for a quick visit...much too short but a great visit! Lucas was very excited to see Grandma and Grandpa but after hugs and kisses, it was all business. He had to make up for a whole week without a blender or coffee maker to play with. At the end of the night, Daddy and Lucas recapped the day at the airport by reading his favorite book, "AIRPORT."
Great photo of Grandma, Lucas and Grandpa! HAPPY EASTER!
5:00am the next morning...we were on Georgia time so it was 7:00am to our brains although you wouldn't think that looking at Mommy's face. To Lucas' surprise, the Easter Bunny had arrived and left wonderful treats. The cookie cutters were a huge hit but the chocolate bunny topped the list! At one point, Daddy offered to help Lucas with his chocolate bunny and after only a moment of processing what had been said Lucas was on the defensive. "Nooooo, I don't need your help, it's my bunny...nooo daddy!" He was almost in tears until we all started laughing and reassured him it was HIS BUNNY and he needed NO HELP!
He was happy to hear that but not so happy when we had to leave so quickly that morning.
Within minutes of leaving, his sadness was forgotten and the chocolate bunny became his new focus. Nothing like chocolate at 5:00am...I did manage to get down some oatmeal too!

Air Museum at Warner Robins

Since Daddy was missing all the fun touring Georgia, he wanted to set up a trip to the Air Museum. Lucas loves anything to do with airplanes, airports and air towers so Daddy thought this would be perfect. We met for lunch and had PB&Js under the A-10 and B-1. Daddy took Lucas on a whirlwind tour...the place is huge so we tried to see as much as possible in the time we had. It was hit for sure!
Lucas got to sit in a real pilot seat.
He was very excited to learn about girl pilots and had to take a photo of this "pretend" one.
Mommy and Lucas by the "fast jet"...another "pretend cadet" in the back ground. Lucas thinks anyone in a uniform except for Daddy is a cadet.
The big C-141 outside was cool but not as cool as the airplanes with propellers!

What a great day!! Thanks Daddy!

Georgia Aquarium - Worlds Largest!

Lucas was pretty intrigued by all the under water creatures and really wanted to touch the fish. This aquarium is really amazing and provides different view points to see everything. The tunnel was really cool and you could clearly see the big Tiger Sharks swimming around.
A big Sea Turtle came by to be in the photo...you can see he caught Lucas' attention.
Self portrait of Lucas and Mommy.

We took the kids to a 3D movie and this was my view of Lucas while we waited for the doors to open. He was a little shocked that the fish jumped right out of the screen. He would pull off his glasses anytime one got too close. His favorite part...the spraying water and bubble maker!!! We had to check it all out after the movie and boy was it a big bubble maker!

A beautiful Beluga Whale who gracefully showed off his twists, turns and flips. You could tell he loved his audience.All tuckered out at the end of the day. Good thing we had the stroller and two mommies to help out...oh, snacks helped a bunch too.

More to See in Georgia! (Part 4)

Big tractors!!

We took a trip to the local Peach Tree Orchard in Warner Robins. Peaches were not in season but they had the most delicious oranges and tangerines from Florida I've ever had. Soooo tasty! They also had very cool tractors outside in a play area. Lucas was amazed and wanted to know what each knob and lever did. He also had to know about the lights and where the gas and oil went. I had to make up a few things along the way as soon as I discovered my tractor knowledge was a little limited. Daddy was in class and could not chip in during the discussion or shall I call it...the question and answer session.
Another big tractor and if you look close...you can see Lucas standing in the seat.
One afternoon we all headed to Ocmulgee Nat'l Monument for more stamps in our Passport Book. Grandma J, we were thinking of you! Here is a photo of Lucas, Sydney, Sara and Logan. Lucas standing at the entrance to one of the Indian ruins. There was no hesitation to go inside and find out what it was all about!

Inside the ruins...makes you happy to have a house! It was a great day filled with lots of exploring...

running and hiking...

showing off for the ladies...
who are showing off for the camera...diva girls!...

and time for Mommy to realize we were still a mile or so away from the parking lot which closed 5 minutes earlier. Yep, we got a warning ticket because we ended up being 40 minutes late after our big hike through the park. It was worth it!

Exploring Georgia & Tennessee (Part 3)

Tennessee Wall in Chattanooga, TN. Even after sever rain storms the day before, we were able to climb a full day here. The rock was amazing, the cliffs where beautiful and the climbing was just down right fun! Here Lucas shows off his new airplane from the REAL pilot.
Photo by Lucas Anderson...a little ladybug enjoying the needed rainfall.
While driving from TN to Warner Robins we stopped by the Kennesaw Nat'l Battlefield Park...Grandma J will be soooo proud of us! It was closed so we couldn't get our stamp for Lucas' passport book but we took photos and enjoyed a quick visit. Oh, and we taught Lucas how to ignore posted rules! It was just too inviting and we probably would have not thought to put Lucas on the cannon until we found this sign!
The sign didn't say he couldn't "sit" on the cannon! Too fun!

Hotel Fun (Part 2)

Lucas took his favorite bear, Sedrick, to all the water fountains in the hotel. He showed him how the water sprayed, where the bubbles came from, all the money at the bottom of the pools, how the elevators went up and down, the paths and the sprinklers for the indoor plants. This was a perfect place to hang out and wait for Daddy to arrive.
Photo by Lucas Anderson...he loves Sedrick!
The big fountain, this one was really, really cool!
Pajama Head! It almost looks like he has an earring in his right ear...yikes! He was jumping on the bed while singing the "no more monkeys jumpin' on the bed" song. It was very entertaining for sure and he only bonked his head a handful of times.