'Tis The Season

We have been very spoiled by the weather in Colorado lately. We have enjoyed sunny days in the 60s, it has been wonderful! I think that Winter might have decided to arrive finally, but it was so nice while it lasted!

We have looked forward to decorating our home for Christmas and carrying on traditions in our family.



"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care..."



"Oh Christmas Tree..."

I bought this tree at a garage sale for dirt-cheap, pre-lit and all! Not too shabby? There might just be one or two shorts in the wires for the lights, so once we found the exact spot, hands off! :)

One tradition that Bryan and I enjoy is that of graham cracker houses.Bryan is very precise in the construction and final touches of his house.



I think that I am still in the mode of "pile as much candy as possible" onto that house!



Luke also participated in the tradition, well, he was at least present.


There is something incredibly special about having Luke in our home. We feel so blessed, particularly this time of year.

3 months!

We can't believe that Luke is already 3 months-old! Well, sometimes it feels like he should be 3 years-old! It is fun to watch him discover the world around him. He seems fond of discovering
more of the night world and manages to wake up several times at night...oh well! Maybe at some point we'll get a little more sleep around here! :)

He assumes his boxer position quite regularly to study these things we call hands. Or, he is trying to get a message across that things aren't going his way... "put up your dukes!"

We took Luke on his first fishing trip. He didn't catch anything, but as you can tell, he was thrilled to be part of the action. We've been practicing the phrase, "Fish On!!!," hopefully on his next fishing trip he will be able to use it.

We needed to take a break from all of the "excitement" of fishing. The sun was out and it was a little bright, so I took matters into my own hands.

"Pretty fly, for a white guy..."

Here are some fun and random pictures of our little man.


"Tummy time"












I'll interpret this smile..."I am 3 months-old and lovin' life!"

Thanksgiving

It is amazing how a person that is so small can take up such a huge amount of time! Hence, the blog has been neglected lately. I'll need to back track a few weeks in order to catch us up on recent events.

We decided to make the trek to Utah for Thanksgiving by car this year. We evaluated the weather and decided that we could make it before the storm would hit...we were wrong. We made it about 15 miles outside of Evanston, Wyoming when the white wall of snow was upon us. The majority of semi-trucks were pulled off on the shoulder placing chains on their tires. We knew we were in trouble as we inched along in our Accord . Our suspicions were confirmed when we saw the sign on the freeway informing us that I-80 was closed, bummers! Who wouldn't want to spend a luxurious night in Evanston with a 2-month-old??? As Bryan pointed out, we made it to India in better time (no exaggeration). However, once we made it to Utah, it was well worth it. We were excited for Luke to meet more of our family and friends.

Cousins Sydney and Madi gave Luke plenty of attention, and he loved it...

We even had a sign on the door, letting us know which room was ours, or correction, which room belonged t0 Luke.

At times, things were a little crazy with all of us (23!) in my parents house. However, my dad was able to find his own serenity.



Luke was also able to find his own quiet time amongst all of the holiday happenings...


As part of the Thanksgiving festivities we brushed up on some bowling skills at the local bowling alley. Dan was also brushing up on his turkey trot dance, in anticipation of obtaining three strikes in a row.



Sad to say, no additional turkeys at the bowling alley, but Bryan did manage to make the "Today's High Score" board. He felt like "the man" and attempted to show his competitive edge in the picture below.


It was a great Thanksgiving. We were glad that we could make it (to Utah and back home!) ...probably our first and last winter road trip with a baby. :)

Yakety-Yak!!

I promise that we did not hang our child upside down in order to obtain this video. My technology skills, or lack thereof, prohibited me from being able to turn the video right-side-up. I think it is still quite enjoyable. What can I say? I'm definitely a first time mom. :)

2 months...and counting!

We had Luke's 2 month appointment yesterday. This was his first round of shots. He wasn't too thrilled about that part of the appointment (or his parents). One day he'll understand. :) Our favorite part was finding out how quickly this little guy is growing!

Weight: 14 lbs 9 oz (97th %tile)

Height: 24 inches (86th %tile)

Head: 42.3 cm (95th %tile)

Our pediatrician joked that maybe they measured around his cheeks and not his forehead--we really like our doc. Maybe he isn't so "little" according to the growth charts! We're quite proud of Luke and his growth achievements. He has been experiencing more reflux-type symptoms lately. We decided to try him on Zantac and see if that helps him. Let the guessing game of parenting begin! Otherwise, he is doing great!

One of Luke's favorite things to do lately is to hang out on the couch.







However, he thinks that he is a "big boy" now and can sit up like one. He just needs a pillow or two by him and he feels like he is one of the guys. Bryan and Luke have enjoyed quite a few Saturday afternoons together, just like the picture below, watching college football.




The post-game discussion...

I love this picture.




Luke has also discovered his hands, much to his delight. He manages to gum them quite regularly. I can't believe how quickly he is changing, maybe he is turning into a "big boy."

Luke's Blessing

Yesterday was Luke's blessing. It was such a special day for our family. We were lucky to have both sets of grandparents make it! I cannot believe that Luke is almost 2 months old already. He is such a joy in our lives.

Happy Halloween!

This year for Halloween we tried to keep our "traditions" alive, a little bit more tricky with Luke around. We did manage to carve pumpkins and dress up, but the caramel apples didn't make the final cut. We did, at least, have apple slices and dipped them in caramel sauce. :)

Luke was ecstatic to carve his pumpkin...

For our costumes we decided to dress Luke up as the sheriff and we were the outlaws. I thought for sure we would be a hit at our ward trunk-or-treat, but Luke was a little tuckered out from the day and fell asleep on the way to the church (a whopping 5 minutes away). I couldn't bear to wake him up and pull him out of his car seat, so he remained in his peaceful slumber--in his car seat. He was definitely the key piece to our costumes, not nearly as clever without him. We managed to snap a few pics of our trio before the little man called it a night.

I loved Luke's hat. Greg and Tiff (Bryan's brother and his wife) gave us the hat that made the whole "sheriff" costume complete.

I found these spurs at a dollar store to go on the boots, pretty good, huh?!?




To wrap things up, I'll include a few more pictures of Luke. He is very smiley lately and loves to coo and make all those fun baby noises. We have really enjoyed this time with him. It's quite entertaining to watch what Bryan (or I) will do in attempts to get him to smile.

Estes Park

To celebrate Luke turning one month old we headed up to Estes Park for a one night get-a-way. It was beautiful Fall weather and Luke enjoyed the trip. He even slept 6 hours straight that night! Bryan and I aren't holding our breath for that every night, but we sure thought we could get use to it. :)

Luke wanted to wave hello to celebrate turning a month old.





The elk were bugling like crazy in the park. It was music to Luke's ears and lulled him off to sleep.




We went on a little hike around Bear Lake, it was gorgeous.





Beautiful Fall weather. I hope that we are able to enjoy Fall a little longer before Winter comes along.

2 years ago...

Just 2 years ago Bryan and I were sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple. I can't believe how quickly time has flown by! I consider myself to be the luckiest gal to have snagged Bryan. He is so wonderful to me and I have loved seeing him as Luke's father (I know mushy-mushy). Happy Anniversary!

2 WEEK STATS

A week ago Luke had his follow up visit with the pediatrician. Luke is doing rather well for himself. His stats are as follows:

Height: 22.5 inches (96 %tile)
Weight: 9 lbs 14 oz (81 %tile)

He is definitely growing so quickly! Every day brings something new. We have loved having Luke in our home, he is such a sweet boy. Here are some pictures to prove it. :)


He loved snuggling with Grandma Carrie.
Thanks so much for coming and spending time with us!


The multi-purpose binki.



After many months of planning the nursery, Luke spends zero time in it sleeping, he has a few other favorite sleeping spots...



The carseat



The floor, it is soft carpet :)




And his favorite spot??? The bathroom with the fan on. He is his father's son, and LOVES white noise. Could we be a little more white trash than putting our kid in a bouncer, in the bathroom with a t-shirt as a blanket? Probably, but it might be hard to beat. I guess we will just about try anything for a few hours of sleep. :)



Luke sported his baseball outfit to support Bryan at his softball game.



Our first family picture.

LUKE

Luke Bryan Nielson joined our family on September 15th at 1:07 pm! He weighed in at 8 lbs 10 oz and was 22 inches! He decided to throw a few "kinks" into the labor and delivery plans, but he made it safely. We have loved having his spirit in our home. It is amazing how fast life changes with these little ones. To say that the past week and a half has felt like a blur would be an understatement. I'll keep the words short and post what everyone wants to really see, pictures! :)

Headed in to be induced-the little stinker decided to hang around an extra week.

All smiles and thumbs ups??? I had absolutely NO idea what was about to transpire in the next 18 hours.



Proud papa




Grandma Mona made it out the day after Luke was born. We wouldn't have survived without her here. Let the anxiety build for when she leaves Wednesday... uh-oh.




Our favorite nurse, Trish. She was wonderful, not only to me and baby Luke, but also to Bryan. She even put a chocolate on his pillow, such service!




Going home.

Luke's first bath, he wasn't too sure about the whole experience...

Enjoying some time with mom , or rather, mom enjoying time with Luke.

Sweet sleep

(Bryan and I should also be sleeping and not taking pics, but how could we miss this???)

Welcome Baby Luke.