Santa Visit 2011

Saturday we had lunch with Santa!

When we walked in, we were greeted by Frosty the Snowman.

As usual, Luke showed no fear and went right up to the character.




We had some lunch and then heard some bells, which could only mean one thing - Santa was here!


Paige was taking it all in (I seriously can't get enough of that smile and her cheeks!).


Luke patiently waited for his turn to see Santa up close.


Handing Santa his letter...


and getting his turn to tell the Big Guy what he wanted for Christmas. Of course, he couldn't quite get the words out. You could see how much he wanted to talk to Santa, but he just couldn't get the words out.


Then Paige got to jump on his lap too!




Santa insisted on taking a picture with just Paige too since it was her first Christmas!


I have to mention though that Luke looked very sad as he walked away from Santa and I knew exactly why - he didn't actually TELL Santa what he wanted. I knew he wouldn't be happy until he did so luckily Santa stuck around for awhile so Luke was able to see him again and actually say what he wanted (Smokey the Fire Truck). I think Luke was much more satisfied after that.

Then there was a puppet show for the kids to watch.




Paige was able to sneak in one more picture with Santa!


And we had to get a picture with Frosty before we left!


Wait, can we zoom in on that last picture??? Watch out Frosty, this little girl likes carrots :)


After we got home there was a little bit of this going on!


Apparently this is a big thing in the grade schools these days and they have been doing it in daycare too. There is a timer that they can push and then set up the cups and bring them down. Luke didn't want to leave one day because he was in the middle of this game when I got there.

Santa Visit 2011 was a success!

Happy Birthday Luke!

My baby boy is 3 years old today! These most certainly have been the fastest 3 years of my life.

At 3 years old, you are smart, funny, sensitive, sweet, sassy, independent, a daddy’s boy, inquisitive, crazy, imaginative, and a top-notch procrastinator.

A lot of big things happened for you this year.

You were potty-trained. You have been out of diapers since January, and we haven’t looked back. Seriously, you did awesome at this! I can probably count on one hand the number of accidents you have had at night since March. We had a very minor setback around the time you became a big brother. I 100% trust you to go on your own now, but sometimes it takes a little coaxing to “make” you go before a long car trip or before bed. One of your favorite things to do is pick out your underwear for the day J

You transitioned to a new room and a big boy bed in February. Again, you did great! You adapt to change very well. As long as we prepare you for what is to come, you can handle most everything!

In July, you took on the title of big brother! While you still don’t pay too much attention to Paige, I can see you beginning to see that soon she will be able to play with you. And just so you know, she will be the best playmate you ever have! You are always concerned about where she is, but as long as she is taken care of, you move on and keep playing. You like to play with her in her jumperoo and gently push her in her walker. You are very helpful when your Daddy and I need you to pick up a toy she dropped or run upstairs to get diapers or whatever else we ask of you. You are a great big brother!

You have been dressing yourself from head to toe for close to 6 months now. You insist on doing it yourself the majority of the time. You have become much better at putting your socks on (that was a little tricky at first) and you can now also zip and button your clothes and coats. At first this made getting out of the house difficult since we needed to allow ourselves enough time for you to do things on your own, but we have all adjusted and let you be as independent as you want to be when getting yourself ready.

Speaking of being independent, you certainly are! You can basically do everything yourself, of course you also have those days where it seems that you need us to do it all. You also entertain yourself and play by yourself very well.

You are really starting to use your imagination and some of the things you come up with just crack us up.

You love your cartoons. Your favorite right now is Transformers Prime (not Mommy’s first choice for you, but Daddy loves it!). You also enjoy Super Why! and Little Einsteins.

You love movies too! You have a lot of favorites, but your current favorite is The Polar Express. In fact, we watch the movie at least once a week and listen to the soundtrack everyday, twice a day while in the car. Currently, one of my favorite things is watching you listen carefully to the words of each song and move your lips along. You are really starting to catch on and have the sweetest little voice!

Eating is hit or miss with you. I still have those days where I feel like you haven’t eaten a thing, but then you will make up for it a few days later. I try not to stress out about it since you have a lot of energy and sleep well. We go for your 3-year check up on Tuesday and I have a feeling you haven’t gained more than 2 lbs. since your 2-year check up. You are definitely tall and skinny! Adjustable waist bands are a must!

You are so smart! Everyday you surprise us with something new. Your vocabulary is huge and some of the words and phrases you say are way beyond your age-level and definitely make us laugh coming out of a 3-year old!

You have an amazing sense of humor. You often say, “that’s so silly!” and your belly laugh is THE BEST!

I really could go on and on about you, but I will end this by saying how lucky your Daddy and I are to have you as our little boy. You make everyday a happy day no matter what! Each day is a new adventure for all of us and we are certainly enjoying the ride!

Happy birthday Lucas Walter!

We love you to the moon baby boy (and as you would say, “and back again!”)!!!

St. Nick

St. Nick made a stop at the Zukowski house! He may have been a day late (St. Nick was prepared, but this Momma forgot to have her children put out their shoe before they went to bed Monday night. Luckily, St. Nick was kind enough to stop by on Tuesday night), but he left some goodies!

Paige made out with some new teethers and Luke got The Lion King movie and book that he has been wanting for quite some time.



Here is Luke coming out of his room and seeing his gifts for the first time (I was prepared for this...I was nursing Paige in the glider in her room which has a perfect view of Luke coming out of his room. I was balancing taking the camera and feeding Paige, but I got a couple of good ones!).







Showing Daddy what he got!

Dads and Daughters

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook, and I just had to share it!

I am the daughter of a dad that did basically everything on this list. My sisters and I are very lucky, and I know Paige will be too! Love you Dad!

Click here and enjoy (and maybe grab a kleenex!).
http://www.fromdatestodiapers.com/50-rules-for-dads-of-daughters/+

Sweet Potatoes for my Sweet P

Not the most exciting video you ever did see, but we had to document it. It went well. I think she enjoyed it much more than her oatmeal. So here we go on our food adventure with Paige!

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Bath Time

(All phone pics)















And one of Paige sitting up with her glow worm

5 Months Old!

Paigey you are a happy, silly, content, and playful baby girl! Here is what has been happening this past month.



You have kept up your poor sleep habits. We had one 'good' week in there and one amazing night's sleep (7:30-6:45), but it didn't last. And I feel like every night you wake at different times yet your bedtime routine is the same so we just keep plugging along and hoping that another good night's sleep is in our near future!



We also took a trip to the doctor's for a terrible cough this past week. It sounded like croup, and they treated it like croup. Poor baby girl! Although, if you didn't sound so bad you would never know you were sick. At this doctor's visit, you got weighed and are up to 16 lbs 11 oz. WAY up from the 14 lbs 5 oz at your 4-month visit (this further convinces me that your weight was not correct at 4 months).



We have been giving you some oatmeal every night for the past 2 weeks or so. You still have the tongue reflex going on a bit, but other times you go right after that spoon. I think we will move on to a veggie next week and see how it goes. You don't love it, but you don't hate it so we'll just keep offering it.

You have been grabbing your toes for awhile now, but recently you have started eating them too - ha! And last night you started to make raspberries, you aren't very good at it quite yet, but you are trying!





As I posted earlier in the week, you are just about sitting up completely on your own. You still are not rolling (lazy girl!), but you love to sit up and have a really strong center. I love that you now have a new view of the world!

Oh and you still are not a fan of being on your tummy!

We hear that giggle more and more these days. It is mostly when we are tickling your thighs or just being crazy with you - the crazier, the better!



And the smiling just doesn't stop. You started smiling very early and haven't stopped since. Seriously, you are just so happy!

I thought you might be heading towards baldness for awhile, but your hair seems to be coming back in fairly quickly.



You have a very distinct whine that is just for your mommy! You are definitely still a mommy's girl. In fact, your newest favorite thing is to maul my face and pull on my hair. You basically 'attack' me as soon as you are in my arms - ha!

We are enjoying watching your personality grow and getting a glimpse of who Miss Paige is and will be!



Right now you are cuddly, squishy, sweet, smiley, and perfect :)

Love you sweet P!