A Perfect Thanksgiving

i hope you enjoyed the pics above. im posting from the car on my phone. there are several things i cannot do so please ignore the all lowercase post.

the first three pics were taken on thanksgiving night at a friends house. that is tanner hoover that you see luke playing with. the rest of the pics were taken at creeksid park last sunday. it was a gorgeous day so luke and i played on the playground and then played in the leaves. as always we had the best time.
now, on to todays post. luke, landis, and i have had the perfect thanksgiving. we started our holiday on thursday morning with luke and i cooking in the kitchen while christmas music played in the background. luke made his own music with the bowls and spoons on the floor while we both sang and danced. then, when the pumpkin spice muffins were in the oven. i gave luke the opportunity to lick the bowl, but amazingly he didnt want to have any part of getting dirty.he put one finger in the bowl, made a squished up face, and pushed the bowl away. it was cute. after lukes morning nap, we went to my mamaws for lunch and stopped by carolyns house for a little while. by then luke took his afternoon nap while i decorated the front porch with the christmas decorations and lights. i was also able to get our christmas cards ordered and months worth of video put on a dvd. ivebeen very proud of my nap time accomplishments this weekend. our perfect thanksgiving continued yesterday. we took our time around the house just playing in our pajamas together as a family for hours. i thoroughly enjoyed sitting in the floor playing with blocks, books, peek a boo, and whatever else we could think of. it was just perfect. we finished our day by eating lunch as a family and then shopping at the apple store. landis got himself an early christmas present. now, this morning after i cooked a big breakfast for me, landis,, luke, and donnie, we are headed to raleigh to see my aunt sheila, uncle larry, and cousin, andrea and her two boys. i cant wait to see luke, emmitt, and mason play together. when i picture holiday times in my mind, i always think of sitting around with family laughing and making memories and i can honestly say that we have had some quality time this thanksgiving. i sure have enjoyed my time off of work adn have enjoyed my many blessings. we plan on finishing the weekend up by hanging out with the gang tonight at tricias and then church and tree decorating tomorrow. what a way to spend a hoilday. i hope you and your family had as much fun as we have had. let the christmas season begin. i sure am in the mood. f.

11 Months!

Luke says..."I'm 11 months old!!"

Yes, that's right...today, Luke is officially one month away from the exciting one year birthday celebration. I ordered his invites for the big day this morning. I can't believe how amazing this year has been...full of blessings and great memories!

Here's a quick update of Luke's newest accomplishments...(I hear him playing in his crib after finishing his nap...so this is going to be quick)!! Speaking of playing in his crib after napping - he has a habit of taking a "stinky" after his naps - he goes to the very corner of his crib, sits perfectly still, and does his #2 business...it's quite funny to watch on the monitor.

Luke is now...

-taking 6 steps at a time

-waving "bye, bye" and "hi there" on command consistently

-copying any kind of sounds we make - "vroom, vroom" like a car, "woof, woof" like a dog, fake sneezes, fake coughs, and these adorable vibrating sounds with his fingers and lips

-he loves to throw things down and watch us pick them up

-he loves to knock things down - like a tower of rings or blocks - he makes a serious looking tough face when doing this

-he will give you a kiss - a wide open mouthed one (like a fish)

-it is so cute to watch him eat his puffs with his fingers and then drink his juice - he looks like such a big boy

-he is starting to climb things - he is told no frequently for trying to climb the entertainment center - and, he will climb into his little red car all by himself when he's ready to ride - so cute!

-he loves yogurt - we let him eat a yogurt as a snack each day

-he continues to love music - he dances (a.k.a-does knee bends) all the time

-he continues to love to read - no matter how wound up he is, he will sit on my lap and read for 30 minutes at a time

So...that's it for the 11 month old adventures...see you next week...here are some pictures

This was at the Thomasville parade yesterday - he had a blast! I couldn't believe he sat there with me, my mom, and Lexi for an hour and a half.

Lexi, my sister/niece, turned 8 on November 13th...we celebrated at the Mexican restaurant..check out the pics and the great hat!

The next pics were taken at an old playground close to my house...he loves to climb and slide, play with the grass and leaves...and play peek a boo...

Here's Luke in his high chair eating puffs

Here he is playing with a puzzle...

And getting into the frig....

The last two pictures were taken by my friend Ashley when she visited a few weeks ago...

Just Me and You

I am so blessed...beyond words....to have my little guy, Luke, in my life. There are many days/nights that I ask myself what I did to deserve this joy of being a mother. I enjoy my time with me, Landis, and Luke...but often, my most special times with Luke come when it is just me and him...I know that there will come a day when Luke is grown and I am looking up at him that I will long for these days when I was holding him in my arms...to help me remember, this blog is dedicated to recording these memories of just me and you, Luke, my precious baby boy...

Just me and you...at bath time...I love to feel the sprinkles of water hit my face as you splash us both while we sing, "Splish, splash, I was taking a bath, at home on ---- night." (whichever night it may be). I love to watch your sweet smile as the fish and crab blow bubbles while I fill them up with water and squirt them at you to make you laugh.

Just me and you....on Sunday afternoons...taking a "siesta" in the big black chair...with you on my chest...while daddy snores on the couch and football plays in the background.

Just me and you...reading book, after book, after book...in the rocking chair on the front porch and in the glider in your nursery....in both places, I love to watch your face light up as you look at the characters in the books...you love to watch the faces of the "babies" in the pictures and you love to show me your ears when we get to the ear page...one of my favorite afternoons ever was a chilly afternoon in October when you fell asleep all bundled up with me rocking on the porch for a quick late afternoon cat nap. I just held you and looked at your sweet face as the traffic drove by...so sweet!!!

Just me and you...bouncing around like crazy during our "giddy up horsey" rhyme with some extra tickling sessions and upside down play...I love to hear you cackle when I tickle your upper thigh and belly. That gummy smile is the sweetest ever.

Just me and you...shopping...at Wal-Mart, Babies R' Us, the mall...you love to smile and wave at the people who come up and talk with you...you are already such a flirt.

Just me and you...swinging at the park...I love to hurry home in the afternoons on pretty days so we can go swing at the park...watching you relax in the swing while listening to that sweet humming sound you make just makes my day.

Just me and you...snuggling in the mornings when you first wake up....you brighten even the darkest, dreariest mornings by snuggling with me....I love the way you put your head against my chest, look up at me with that tiny grin, and then put your head back down as I sing, "You are my sunshine...my lovely sunshine...you make me happy when skies are gray...do you know, Luke, how much I love you? You are my sunshine everyday." I hope you sing this same song to your sweet boy one day...

Just me and you...exploring Barnes and Noble...I love to watch you knock the trains off the track onto the floor...I love to chase you around as you cruise from shelf to shelf exploring that big new world...

Just me and you....riding in your red car while I push....I love to hear you make the sound that a car makes...you are super cute when you wave to the cars..."Hi there" we say....

Just me and you...the sweetest boy I know...and, such a blessing from God...

Enjoy the new pics below...

Luke at the mall playing on the cars...

Riding in his car...all bundled up...

Playing in the tunnel...

Playing in his diaper...

Getting into the drawers...

Playing in the bath tub...

Have a great weekend! Visit again soon!

Toddy

Dedication and Dancing

There's the little Bumgarner monkey named Luke...that was his Halloween costume on Sunday. He did pretty well - he wore it, head gear and all, for about an hour and a half while family stopped by and saw him. I don't have many still pictures...I used the video camera most of the time. In these two pics, you can't see his tail sticking out..that was the cutest.



This next picture is a Halloween classic, "Mom, why did you make me wear this costume?' picture. Check it out...





Quick Update on my 31st Birthday: The last time I blogged, it was my 31st birthday and me, Landis, and Luke were heading to Charlotte to spend the weekend with my college roommate Megan and her husband, Eric. I must say...this birthday was one of the best ones I have had. We had a blast! Another college friend of mine, Katie, and her boyfriend, Garrett, came over for dinner. We had delicious lasagna and yummy chocolate cake. Megan - thank you for the fabulous meal. Before and after dinner, we had a great time playing catch phrase....we laughed several times to the point that I had tears in my eyes. The next day - Saturday - me, Luke, and Megan enjoyed a gorgeous walk to the shopping center up the street that was having Halloween festivities and then we came back to the house for Luke to take a nap and swing in the rocket ship. Megan has no kids yet; but, when she bought the house, she also bought the swingset in the back. Well, this worked out perfect for Luke - it had a swing that was shaped like a rocket ship that was the perfect size for him. Friday night and Saturday afternoon he swung for an hour or so at a time. Luke was very sweet the entire weekend, the weather was beautiful, we had plenty of time to relax, and it was very nice to have some adult time with friends that I do not get to see a lot. Thanks again, Charlotte gang, for making my 31st birthday one to remember!

Dedication:
I have briefly written about Luke's dedication in a previous post, but I was waiting to add more details after my family sent me some pictures...well, I now have them. Before we get to the pictures, I would like to share a few of my thoughts on the dedication...


First of all, why a "dedication" and not a "christening" or some other "religious" name for it? Well, that's exactly what it was...a "dedication" of Luke to God....you see, Luke is God's property and I am just blessed to borrow him for a little while. Landis and I have a big responsibility to raise this child of God as just that...someone who loves his Father and grows up in a relationship with Jesus. This is our biggest responsibility as parents. During the dedication, Pete, our preacher, made this responsibility quite clear to me and Landis. He also laid his hands on Luke and prayed for the Lord's protection and guidance. One of the most interesting parts of the dedication was Pete's summary of what Luke's name means. Pete looked up the name, "Luke" and it means "a light". I really like that. He also looked up his middle name "Shelton" and found that a "shelton" is a place that is off the beaten path - sort of like a farm or pasture. So...Pete summarized that Luke's name meant, "a light that will shine off the normal path". I REALLY like this...I didn't look up what Luke's name meant before making a final decision on his name, but I am pleased with what Luke Shelton stands for...I'm hoping he follows in his namesake and is a light for Jesus, which will require him to go off the worldly path. Interesting, huh? :)

So...enjoy the pics below of Luke Shelton Bumgarner's dedication to God...(I should mention that I do not have pictures of everyone that was there...my mom and stepdad were also at the dedication and they are not in the pictures). Thank you to everyone who came for this special occasion.

As you can see in the pics, Luke fell asleep right before Pete started and he slept through the entire "talking" and praying part - it couldn't have worked out better. I was scared he was going to be wild in front of everyone.

Something else I should mention - some of you may be wondering why we waited until Luke was 9 months old to dedicate him. Let me explain - Pete, our pastor and Landis' uncle, was the preacher at our wedding and he is also our teacher at Bible Study and on Sunday mornings. We trust in his ability to pray in the spirit directly in line with what God is telling him and us, so we were not going to have anyone else do Luke's dedication except for Pete...we said this a long time ago before Luke was born. Well, unfortunately, Pete got very sick and had to have several surgeries about two weeks after Luke was born. He was weak and could not lift anything for several months...basically, it took 8 to 9 months for him to heal enough to hold Luke and it was important that he be able to hold him while he prayed. The timing of 10/10/10 was perfect for us and for Pete's health...matter of fact, Pete had to have one final surgery right after Pete's dedication and Pete is doing great! God is good and always has perfect timing!

Now...on to a less serious part...DANCING...Luke has started to dance when he hears music and sometimes when he doesn't hear music...he is also standing up without holding on to anything...he will not take steps without holding on, but he is getting better and better at his balancing everyday...I think he will walk very soon. Check out these videos...in the first one, he is standing without holding on and is trying to dance at the same time...and, in the last one, he's showing his dancing moves in his diaper after a bath...enjoy!!!

As always, thanks for stopping by...check back in soon...I've already got some pictures and some thoughts for my next blog...have a great weekend.