Quik Pix

Just a few cute ones from this past week - I had to clear off my camera before going to Oregon tomorrow! Enjoy!

Vijay's first time swinging!

Happy boy!

Probably the cutest picture of Karis I've taken!

Stuck! :(

Happy playing at church.

Little man.

Cinnamon "helping" us pack. :)

Music Challenge Answers

Hi everyone! I'm guessing that the two posts I edited won't be coming back into your readers, so I am posting a quick update to let you know that I added the answers to the main Music Trivia Challenge and the Christmas Music Challenge! Check them out and see if you recognize more of them now that the titles are there. :)

Christmas Music Challenge ANSWERS

***Here are the answers for this Music Challenge also. This one was more successful than the last one, but I'm sure some of you are still wondering about a few of these. :) Apparently, I'm the only one of my friends who has the Steven Curtis Chapman Christmas album. :P ***

I tried doing this first with the same rules as the last Music Shuffle challenge, but a lot of Christmas songs begin with the title, so that makes the challenge not-so-challenging. :P I thought I would try it again, though, since I'm such in a Christmas mood. Therefore, I am including 25 songs that DON'T have the title as the first line (I didn't do the shuffle thing this time because there are actually a lot of random "Christmas" songs that most of you would have a hard time guessing - just like the last challenge. This one's supposed to be fun!). Guess the song in the comments & I'll cross them out as you guess correctly. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas!

1. Bells will be ringing the glad, glad news, oh what a Christmas to have the blues
***Please Come Home For Christmas***

2. In a one bedroom apartment on the humble side of town
***Christmas Is All In the Heart, Steven Curtis Chapman***

3. Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?
***Winter Wonderland***

4. Sing we now of Christmas, sing we all Noel
***Emmanuel, Michael W. Smith***

5. Way up north where the air gets cold, there's a tale about Christmas that you've all been told
***Little Saint Nick, The Beach Boys***

6. I'm dreaming of a...
***White Christmas***

7. Said the night wind to the little lamb
***Do You Hear What I Hear?***

8. Come, they told me, pa rum pum pum pum
***Little Drummer Boy***

9. Her house was where the family gathered every Christmas Eve
***Home For Christmas, Steven Curtis Chapman***

10. Well he cried when he was hungry, did all the things that babies do
***This Baby, Steven Curtis Chapman***

11. Dashing through the snow, in a one horse open sleigh
***Jingle Bells***

12. You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen
***Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer***

13. I'm dreaming tonight of a place I love even more than I usually do
***I’ll Be Home for Christmas***

14. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
***The Christmas Song***

15. So this is Christmas, and what have you done? Another year over, a new one just begun
***Happy Christmas (War is Over), John Lennon***

16. Long time ago in Bethlehem, so the Holy Bible say
***Mary’s Boy Child***

17. I think I saw old Santa through my window Christmas Eve
***(It Must Have Been Ol’) Santa Claus, Harry Connick, Jr.***

18. Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful
***Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!***

19. You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I'm telling you why
***Santa Claus is Coming to Town***

20. I'm sure he must have been surprised at where this road had taken him
***A Strange Way to Save the World, 4Him***

21. Don't get so busy that you miss giving just a little kiss to the ones you love
***Don’t Save it All for Christmas Day***

22. I have traveled many moonless nights, cold and weary with a babe inside
***Breath of Heaven, Amy Grant***

23. The mood is right, the spirit's up, we're here tonight, and that's enough
***Wonderful Christmastime, Paul McCartney***

24. Haul out the holly, put up the tree before my spirit falls again
***We Need a Little Christmas***

25. Greeting cards have all been sent, the Christmas rush is through
***Merry Christmas Darling, The Carpenters***

Music Trivia Challenge ANSWERS

***Here are the ANSWERS for the Music Challenge post I did a week and a half ago. Once you see the title, let me know if you recognize any more of these. :) ***

All right all you music aficionados, this one's for you! Leave your guesses as comments and we'll see if you can guess them all correctly (yes, I kept a key so that I would remember!).

Step 1: Put your music player on shuffle
Step 2: Post the first line from the first 25 songs that play, no matter how embarassing
Step 3: Strike through the songs when someone guesses both song and artist correctly
Step 4: Looking them up on Google or any other search engine is CHEATING!

1. Time to spread some hope, make the spirits rise, do you see the wonder in their eyes?
***It’s the Heart that Matters Most, Charlotte Church***

2. This is how it seems to me, life is only therapy, real expensive and no guarantee
***You Move Me, Susan Ashton***

3. One day at a time, I walk this road I've traveled so far
***One Day at a Time, Jeremy Camp***

4. I say "I love you", I say "I need you", I try so many ways to say how my heart beats for you
***What I Really Want to Say, Steven Curtis Chapman***

5. Ten cent lovers, beneath the covers
***Return of the Post Moderns, Better Than Ezra***

6. The day I first met you, well I thought you quite funny
***So What Does it All Mean?, West, Gould & Fitzgerald***

7. I'm so tired of being here, supressed by all my childish fears
***My Immortal, Evanescence***

8. Come on, get ready, this is the spring of our love
***Get Ready, Live***

9. Do you feel you've been disowned, left outside in the cold and without a home?
***If This World, Jaci Velasquez***

10. If I tell you somethin' you need to know, I gotta back it up, I gotta let it show
***Good Stuff, Newsboys***

11. We watched the season pull up its own stakes and catch the last weekend of the last week
***Stolen, Dashboard Confessional***

12. Collapsing was much softer, still falling always hurt
***Nobody Loves Me Like You, Jars of Clay***

13. I've gotten close to many times, try to fit in, I don't know why
***You’re the Only One for Me, Allure***

14. You and I got something, but it's all and then it's nothing to me
***Here Is Gone, Goo Goo Dolls***

15. I do not want to be stuck one second longer than I had to be there stuck inside the door
***Split Second, Lisa Loeb***

16. What am I gonna be when I grow up? And how am I gonna make my mark in history?
***The Power of a Moment, Chris Rice***

17. The road is long with many a line unturned that leads us to who knows where
***He Ain’t Heavy, Clay Crosse***

18. Lord you are here in this place, Your presence here has caused us to remain
***Forever, Forgiven Much***

19. I could live life alone and never feel the longings of my heart, the healing warmth of someone's arms
***Can’t Live a Day, Avalon***

20. Every single word I say, you know it before I speak
***Lay Down My Pride, Jeremy Camp***

21. Our love is like water, pinned down and abused for being strange
***All Over You, Live***

22. I've got a new life, you could hardly recognize me, I'm so glad
***The Sign, Ace of Base***

23. And I'd give up forever to touch you cuz I know that you feel me somehow
***Iris, Goo Goo Dolls***

24. The grass looked greener on the other side so I tried to snatch myself from your hand
***Where I Began, Caedmon’s Call***

25. Ecstasy is all you need livin' in the big machine now, are you so vain?
***Big Machine, Goo Goo Dolls***

17 Months Old!

Our little boy is growing like a weed! He's 17 months old now! Here are some recent pictures:

Luke was all cute and sleepy-looking after his nap two Saturdays ago (after Thanksgiving), so I wanted to capture that. It didn't work too well since I needed the flash, but this picture also serves as a good "before" picture since I cut his hair last Monday. Noone has made any comments about it, so either it looks bad or isn't very noticable. :) I cut the sides and back quite a bit shorter than they are here, but the top I cut using the longest comb our clippers came with so that it stays a little longer - Luke has a tall forehead and looks a little "off" when his hair is cut too short in front. :)

I kept forgetting to take pictures of Luke on his 17 months day last Tuesday, so I quick took a few that night, even though the lighting is terrible after the sun goes down and I need the flash. :) You can also see his new short hair.

I bought some wrapping paper and supplies at Hallmark using some deals and rewards $ that I had, so when we got home and were done with lunch, Luke had so much fun playing with the rolls! The long one is taller than he is - that's the one he enjoyed the most! He also got a kick pushing them around the house in vacuum/lawnmower fashion. :)

On Friday, I took Luke out at about 10am to go play outside and scope out various locations around our building to see how the sun looked at that time of day. We were planning to take our family Christmas card picture the next day at that time, so I wanted to see where might be good spots. So, I got lots of cute pictures of Luke - and no, not all of the locations/angles in these pictures were potential Christmas picture spots, just capturing fun moments with Luke!

Oh, and Luke found this key chain in Nathan's desk drawer and decided it would be fun to play with. The hilarious thing was that he associated it with an earring since it dangled on it's chain, so he kept holding it up to my ear! Notice his face - a study in concentration.

Our new Christmas card picture! I think it turned out really nice!

Walking on the short wall with Daddy after taking our family picture.

Luke really enjoyed Grandpa while we were out picking our Christmas tree. As we walked around the plants section of the garden store after we picked our tree, he let go of our hands and ran over to Grandpa! And the fact that they happened to match that day made it a perfect photo-op! :)

He asked to sit in Daddy's chair - he feels to big and important sitting there!

Our Christmas tree this year - all decorated and smelling marvelous! Luke has been very good about not touching it, too. He slightly touched the tips of a couple branches the day we brought it home and we said "no", so for the most part, he just goes about his day without even trying to touch it. :) Cinnamon on the other hand has already knocked off one ornament overnight (thankfully a non-breakable one). :P

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, the title is a little misleading because most of these pictures aren't about thanksgiving - I actually forgot to take any pictures that day until the very end, when it was almost all over. :( Oh, well - enjoy how thankful we are for Luke every day of the year!

Old news to some of you, but this is what we woke up to a few Saturdays ago. Kinda scary - and unfortunately prevented us from going free to see the L.A. Kings hockey game in a luxury box that night because the freeways were closed. The second picture was taken in the late afternoon before it got dark - you can actually see the flames! This picture was taken from the overlook just outside our building. There were actually many more flames visible, but in the time it took to go back inside to get my camera, they had already put lots of them out - good for us, bad for pictures. :)

Happiness is playing with this mouse!

Taking a walk with Mommy and Daddy outside is pretty fun, too!

Or swinging upside down! (Note the family picture from when I was a baby on Nathan's screensaver!)

When we came home from getting the mail last Thursday, I wouldn't let Luke play in his usual spot because the sprinklers had turned his dirt pit into mud. :( So, when he wanted to play on the porch, I gladly let him. I set up a patio chair right in front of the stairs, so I could prevent him from trying to walk/fall down them, and let him go to town playing with rocks & pumpkins and getting excited at every airplane that went by. :) Oh, and the picture of him smiling is definitely fuzzy, but it's SO CUTE!

Gentleman on a tricycle. :)

Outtake from our attempt to get Luke smiling for the grandkid Christmas card picture. He cried every time we tried to have him stand with his cousins, so he'll be photoshopped in this year. :P I love how I'm laughing in this picture, and also - note that his dropped hat hasn't actually hit the ground yet. :)

Cutie!

Eat your heart out, Oregonians!!! It actually rained for a few days this past week! I got out the nice coat that Aunt Heidi got Luke for his birthday, since it had a hood (which thankfully was plenty big enough for his supersized head!). He was in heaven with water everywhere! Coming from the sky, all over the sidewalk - he repeatedly bent down to pat his hands in the water. Thankfully, he never sat down! :P

Happy Thanksgiving! Here's Luke waiting for some pumpkin pie! We had a quiet morning at home, with a webcam visit to the family in Oregon. Then, after Luke's nap, we went over to the Hughes for a yummy Thanksgiving meal with most of the immediate family - including 8 kids ages 6 and under. :)

The day after Thanksgiving, we went to the park - Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Matt and the Hughes cousins all came to play also. Luke had such a fun time walking around one of the play areas that was covered in bark chips. He's getting so much better at walking on uneven surfaces that he spent most of the time just wandering here and there and everywhere. He also managed to squeeze in some swinging and sliding. :)

That evening, we went back to the Hughes' to celebrate Sophia's 2nd Birthday!

This morning, we let Luke try out his toy chainsaw that he got for Christmas last year. At first he was a little scared of the noise, but he eventually warmed up to it and enjoyed it quite a bit. :)

We also went to see the puppies at the store in the mall - Luke had so much fun watching them, even though they startled him a few times when they would jump up on the fence right near him.

Caught Up on Videos!

All right! I'm all caught up on posting videos. I will try VERY hard to be more consistent with those. I'm sure fewer of them actually get watched when I post a gazillion at once than if you were to get one or two cute clips at a time. :) Anyway, thanks for watching them if you are!

Here are another few links for this latest set: Eating applesauce with a spoon, pushing the laundry basket around the house, a few videos of him kicking and throwing a ball, giving Cinnamon his toys, looking super cute walking around in his feetie pajamas, walking on the grass, climbing up our outside stairs, and more!

Oh, and I've been stitching again! I've made three new note cards for the Christmas season. I sold the JOY one this morning, right after I listed it last night! WooHoo! So, I'll post the teddy bear one tonight (finished it this afternoon), then start working on a new JOY one - maybe I'll sell another before Christmas!

New Videos!

Hi everyone! I know I got about 2 months behind in posting videos to my video blog. :( BUT, the good news is, I got one whole month caught up today! Yeah!!!

So, if you don't already subscribe to the feed from that blog, here are a few links to intice you to go over and enjoy some Luke cuteness in motion! Chasing Cinnamon with his new walking skills, kicking the ball around the house (with Daddy's help), a couple cute videos of him walking all over the house, a couple cute videos of him dancing, learning how to play the viola, demonstrating how he can finally get to a sit from being on his tummy, intrigued with his first car wash experience, a couple cute bathtime videos, great skills walking outside on the sidewalk with shoes on, petting the sheep at Lombardi's and many, many more! Enjoy!

More Pictures

I took more pictures last night after posting that blog post. And they were SO CUTE I just couldn't wait to have a weeks' worth of pictures - you get them right away!

Someone's happy! I think it's because Daddy's home now!!!

Sitting on the counter - so high up!

My boys! Love them both so much!!!

"Do you think kitty will mind if I poke her?"

Another preview of the Hughes grandkids Christmas picture (taken Thanksgiving weekend). All the kids were trying their outfits on for last-minute alterations. All Luke's needed was his pants hemmed. I'll be doing a quick, non-permanent hem for this picture since I hope to have him wear this again to my little sister's wedding in May! (It also has a jacket, but this picture was cuter than what I got while he was wearing it - check our Hughes album for more).

Oh, and I finished another doll dress this afternoon! It's up on Etsy already, along with another ornament. :)