30 Pounder

I've been meaning to do this for awhile now. Lucas is growing up before my eyes and each day he looks more and more grown up. It's hard to see the toddler he used to be and even harder to imagine him as a baby. Everywhere I go, people stop to see Axel (I forgot how a baby can draw people in) and tell me how fast time will go by and how fast they will grow. Lucas is proof that it is true. No matter how hard I try to slow him down, I can't. Instead, I've learned to enjoy each stage and try to capture what I can in this blog with photos and documentation.

All about Lucas...who will be turning FOUR this August!
- Huge imagination! Making coffee, blending, food processing, lawn mowing, fertilizing, airplanes, cars, trucks, car washes, spaceships; absolutely endless. I love watching him!
- When we are out climbing he loves catching caterpillars and building pretend fires
- Likes to climb and swing. The higher the better and is very friendly to other climbers. He's always making new friends and makes people smile wherever we go.
- At home, he's a huge helper. Starts the dishwasher for me, will help put clothes away, loves the vaccum cleaner, helps clean up the bathroom but HATES picking up his own stuff. "It's too hard!"
- Whenever he is sad or angry he says, "Mommy/Daddy, I need hugs." I LOVE THIS! It keeps everything in check even when Mommy is irritated. :) I need hugs too and love to get them.
- Loves the color Red and anything that is Red.
- Get's song stuck in his head like Mary Had a Little Lamb and Twinkle, Twinkle. He will hum them for hours usually after we sing them for hours. :)
- Anytime he wants to ask a question, tell us something or show us something he says, "Can I ask you a question?" It makes us smile. We've discussed the difference between questions and statements a few times before. At the end of one discussion he said, "Mommy, can I ask you a question-statement?" At that moment, I realized I should not try to correct him, only enjoy him for this stage will be gone too fast.
- Needs to confirm things with both Mommy and Daddy even if we are all sitting in the same room or car. Example: He asks Daddy in the car, "Where are we going? Mike will say, "The Air Museum." Then he'll turn to me and say, "Mommy, can I ask you a question? We're going to the Air Museum!"
- Loves to learn how things work...takes them apart when possible and studies everything to learn
- STILL LOVES SPRINKLERS. He's our sprinkler EXPERT!
- Infatuated with batteries...car batteries, toy batteries, etc. (This makes Mommy nervous)
- LOVES BOOKS and reading time
- Loves playing card games like Go Fish and Old Maid
- Enjoys puzzles and his favorite is the U.S. puzzle. It's amazing how many states he can recognize. Last weekend while climbing he asked someone if they new where Tennessee was and then proceeded to tell them that it was right by Kentucky. I was proud.
- Loves roller coasters and other fun rides at amusement parks
- Knows his ABC's, can count to 20 with a little help to get 14 out before 16
- Likes to add on his fingers: simple ones like 2+2, 4+3, etc.
- Can identify almost all the lower case letters
- Knows his street address
- Can spell LUCAS, STOP, ON, NO, OFF
- Has meltdowns if he gets hungry
- Love hot dogs, chicken nuggets, mac-n-cheese, oatmeal, broccoli, SUGAR
- Still loves to watch Caillou but is exploring other shows...Peter Pan, Scooby Doo, Sesame Street, etc.
- Enjoys cutting out shapes and gluing them in the form of airplanes...he'll make sure it has two wings, a tail, a fuselage, pitot tube, engines, wheels, cockpit, etc.
- Gluing in general is fun
- Cutting too!
- Play dough and cookie cutters are big around here. Mixing all the colors together is a must
- Likes to paint for about 5 minutes
- Likes to do things by himself. We will get in trouble if we forget to let him help out...opening oatmeal packages, turning on lights, opening doors, ringing the door bell, etc. Such a big boy!
- He's a skinny boy but I think he weighs about 30 pounds...watch out, Axel's catching up!
- Loves to "cuddle" in morning but can't hold still for more than a minute. Elbows, arms, knees and feet everywhere. He makes us smile!

Dear Lucas,
We love you so much and are amazed at how big you are. You are a wonderful big brother and are so good to Axel. Your patience is amazing when it comes to your brother and having to wait for him to eat or get his diaper changed. We love your happy mornings, your hugs, your cuddles, your love and your sweet voice. You have been such a treasure. We love watching you explore and learn new things everyday. We love when you ask questions about the world around you and try to learn new words. We love our chats about fire, the weather, or how something is made or how it works. You bring so much joy into our home and to everyone who takes the time to meet you. You are a smile maker everywhere we go and people constantly tell me what a cool kid you are. We agree, you are a COOL KID! We are so lucky to have you in our family. We are so proud of you and love you so, so much!
Love, Mommy, Daddy and Axel