What a smarty!

Because I'm Luke's mom it's hard for me to have an unbiased opinion about him, so just keep that in mind as you read this. Luke is the smartest 2 1/2-year-old ever! OK, that might be stretching it a bit; you can form your own opinion after reading about all the amazing things he can do!

-Luke started recognizing colors when he was about 16 months old. He knew all the basic colors just a few months later, and he even knew some odd ones like khaki and gray. He's added silver and gold to his repetoire as well.
-Luke knows pretty much any shape you show him and loves to point out shapes when he sees them.
-Last summer when Luke was not quite 2, he could count to 10, and he could also count actual objects. He can now count to 20 and recognizes all the numbers from 0-20 when he sees them written. He loves to count and counts just about everything he sees.
-He also started recognizing letters last summer. The first ones he knew were B, C, D, E, and G. I was pretty amazed the first time he said, "That C!" Like most 2-year-olds, he sings the "ABC's" constantly, but he also recognizes all the letters in the alphabet and tries to write them (although he hasn't written any yet.) The funniest thing he does with letters is finding them in the oddest places; he'll take a few bites out of a sandwich or a piece or toast and then say, "Yook, Mommy, it a L (or E or F or whatever it may look like)."
-Because he knew letters early on, he soon started recognizing some of our favorite letters, USC. He also started recognizing his own name in print, and not long after, he could spell his name. Gary's trying to teach him how to spell Chumley, and he remembers "C-h-u-m . . . y!" We're working on the "l-e", but I still think that's pretty impressive!
-Finally, a few weeks ago I taught him to spell his name in sign language letters. He loves to tell people how to spell his name and show them what it looks like at the same time.

I'm not sharing any of these things to brag on myself. I really don't think I've had all that much to do with his learning any of these things (except the sign language); I never actively tried to teach him the alphabet or colors or shapes. After hearing them over and over, he just picked up on them. I really have to give the credit to God for making such a smart little boy! You only have to tell him something once or twice and he remembers it. He's such a joy to have, and I love watching him learn new things.

It's Super Grover!

This morning the three of us went to Sesame Street Live featuring Super Grover. The show was really cute, and we all had a great time. I was a little concerned about Luke sitting still for the whole show; we've never made it through an entire movie in one sitting, and I was afraid he'd get restless, but he did really well. He watched and enjoyed the whole show and even sang and danced around a little. I was surprised at how quiet all the children were; I was expecting it to be really noisy the whole time, but they were just as captivated as Luke was. It was a nice way to spend a rainy Saturday morning, and we'll definitely go to more shows when they come out this way.



The whole gang dancing and singing.








Just so everyone knows, Cookie Monster was Gary's favorite. He especially liked this scene where Cookie Monster and some sheep do an Irish dance (in his defense, it was pretty funny.)









Super Grover lost his superness. The "Fabulous Five"--Elmo, Zoe & her pet rock, Rosita, and Telly--helped him find it.

The King of Mardi Gras

Well, here he is folks, the King of Mardi Gras! Gary brought these beads home from a recent food show, and Luke has worn them every day since. He always wears all five, too. This morning after breakfast, he put on his necklaces and his Madagascar bracelets along with two glow bracelets (like glow sticks only bracelets) that quit glowing about 2 months ago. It's hard to tell, but he also has a handfull of money. He's really into his money and asks us to give him "big" money (quarters) and "small" money (pennies, nickles, and dimes) on a regular basis. (Gary keeps jars of coins on his dresser, hence the knowledge and desire for money.) Just looking at this picture makes me laugh . . . what a funny little boy!

Happy Birthday, Molly!

Yesterday, February 12, was Molly's 7th birthday. We always get her a cake, and she even gets a piece of cake for our birthdays. Because we've always has this tradition, when we start singing "Happy Birthday", she gets really excited because she knows she's about to get a sweet treat. This birthday was no exception. Luke helped me pick out a very pretty pink heart-shaped cake for Molly, and we all had a piece yesterday. Needless to say, Molly gulped hers down in about two bites. It's easy to see that Luke enjoyed the cake as well.

Kate

This morning Kate, one of Luke's classmates, came over for a playdate. Luke is in love with Kate, and has been since the start of school. When you ask him who he played with at school, the answer is always, "Kate." He calls her his girlfriend and his best friend, so I thought it was high time they got to see each other outside of school. I told him this morning that she was coming over, and for the next two hours he must have said 100 times, "Where's Kate?" Kate finally got here, and they were both excited to see each other. While Kate went from toy to toy, exploring all the new things, Luke just followed her around. Wherever Kate sat, Luke sat right beside her. They did have a few little squabbles over whose turn it was for a game or toy, but they got along really well and had such fun. We went outside for a bit, even thought it was pretty chilly, and they played very nicely at the sand table for 15 or 20 minutes. I had to take a picture of Luke's first girlfriend so we can always remember her.

Bunny's A.P.B.

This morning when Luke & I went to his bedroom to put his clothes on, Bunny, of course, came with us. We did all our morning tasks, and then we went to my bathroom so I could finish getting ready. As I was drying my hair, Luke said, "Where's Bunny?" I told him to go look in his bedroom and his bathroom to find her. He came back Bunny-less and quite distressed. I told him to go look again, but still no Bunny. Then he told me he needed his "stewescope" (sounds just like "telescope") to find Bunny. So, Luke, an empty paper towel roll, and I all went back to his bedroom to look for Bunny. We did two sweeps before he found her on the bookshelf in his room, but he did finally find her, thank goodness (can you imagine the drama if we hadn't found her?!?) As soon as he picked her up, he began with all the adulations, "Bunny! I so glad to see you!" and "Bunny, we not know where you was!" As can be expected, he hasn't put Bunny down since we found her. It's just a stage . . . it's just a stage . . . it's just a stage . . .

Go, speed racer!

This weekend Luke finally figured out how to pedal his little bike and actually go somewhere! He doesn't go very fast or very far, and we have to help him go up any incline, but he thinks he's one cool dude (and he looks like one cool dude, too, doesn't he?)

Big foot

Earlier today I was folding clothes and checking email when I heard a loud clomp, clomp, clomp coming towards the computer room. I looked up, and there was Luke with my shoes on. He's done this several times before, but it just struck me as very funny. So of course I had to grab my camera.

Bunny love

Most of you know that Luke's favorite "loveys" used to be his monkey and a blankie. We still take them to church and to school, and we can't go to bed without them, but monkey has been replaced by someone new, a small white bunny. I have washed monkey several times, and Luke never cared. He has never been particular about his blankie either, which is just one of his many old burp cloths. A few times a week I'll tell him to put his blankie in the hamper so I can get him a new one, and he's never upset about it. Bunny, however, has brought a new challenge to our lives. Luke is extremely attached to Bunny; he calls her his best friend and talks to her all the time. He kisses and hugs her throughout the day, and when she gets sad, he's the first one to cuddle her to make her feel better. His love for Bunny far surpasses anything he ever felt for monkey.

Because Bunny is white, she tends to get dirty. I washed her once before, and Luke didn't put up much of a fuss. This morning, however, was a different story. I started a load of laundry as soon as Luke got up, and I asked if he wanted to wash bunny. He said yes, but then he balked at the idea of putting her in the washer. He finally relented, but as soon as she was in the washer, the water works started. He wailed for about ten minutes, and kept telling me he wanted to get her out. The washer was running, so we were past the point of no return, and all I could do was try to distract him until she was dry. He survived the 25 minutes she was in the washer, and he even put her in the dryer so she could get dry. When I went to check on her load, he came with me, and thankfully she was finally dry. I got her our and gave her to him, and he exclaimed, "Bunny, Bunny, you're clean!" He hugged her and kissed her and was thrilled to have her back. A few minutes later, he was lying on the floor in the hallway with bunny on his chest, talking to her. Then he read her a book, and he hasn't put her down since. Oh well, I'm sure it's just a phase . . . hopefully he won't take her to college with him.