Riding for a cure, Part III

On the weekend of April 12, Daddy will be participating in the BP MS150 bicycle ride to support the Lone Star Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The ride is a two day fund raising event in which thousands of participants bike over 160 miles from west Houston to downtown Austin. Riders raise money through pledged contributions from their friends and families in recognition of their commitment of support of fellow Texans in need through months of training.

This is Daddy's third year to participate in this event and he even inspired Momma to ride with him last year. Momma really enjoyed participating in the event and is jealous that she can’t ride again this year, but with little brother due in just a few weeks she will just have to help me cheer Daddy along the way. Daddy has been training hard this year with the help of Uncle Rob. I’m sure that next year he will have Momma, Rob and half of the family “riding for a cure” with him.

Last year’s event raised over $12 million dollars and this year’s goal is set at $14 million. Please help in supporting our fellow Texans fight MS by making a one-time, tax-deductible donation. Please send your contribution by check to Daddy at home or pledging a contribution online at: http://www.ms150.org/edon.cfm?id=217858. Any amount you feel comfortable giving is deeply appreciated. Checks can be made payable to the National MS Society. Thanks for your time and thanks in advance for your generous contribution.

-Luke

WARNING

There are belly pics below...Look at your own risk!

Caroline's Baptism

Mommy was honored to welcome Caroline into the Catholic Church on Sunday. Mommy is her Godmother. Caroline was so good- she slept through almost the entire event.

Party Pics

Taken by Veronica on the way to Galveston. I can say "Veronica" really well!
Self Portrait.
Not a self portrait- this is Luke's first party pic.
Luke's second photo op.

Livestock Show

Luke went to the livestock show with Mimi, Michael, and Veronica. They had a great time and even became local celebs.
Sausage on a stick- a livestock show favorite. Check out my western pearl snap shirt. So festive.
Michael used some of his spending money to make a lariat. While he was spinning his rope the local news snagged him for an interview and some video footage. He made the 6pm news.

The obligatory pony ride. I hated it at first but warmed up to it shortly.

Not for the faint of heart

WARNING- Belly pictures. Momma started to feel like Davis was going to feel like he got the shaft on the blog so she is posting a few belly pics. Believe it or not, people have actually asked for these. Masochists.

This is 33 weeks along. Can you say HUGE?

Family Photos

I practiced family names all weekend. I can say my version of everyone's name. Here we have Nana, Pappy and Luke (pronounced Yuke).
Momma (repeat 17 times), Daddy (repeat at least 15 times) and Luke.
Bob and Chell (Uncle Rob and Aunt Michele). Note- I used to call him Uncle Rob but shortened it to Bob recently and now everyone thinks that is SOOO cute- so I keep saying it.
Marsha, Daddy and Luke. I said Marsha's name about 700 times this weekend and she responded every time. It was awesome.

Here is Yuke alone with his Easter eggs. Momma thought it was a great picture!

Happy Easter

Momma wishes she had a video camera this morning. I was in Nana's kitchen and looked out and saw the coolest thing- MY EASTER BASKET! I screamed with excitement and woke up more than half the house. I got good loot from the Bunny but my most favorite thing was the chocolate bunny (mini, thank goodness).
Here you can see how totally excited I am for Daddy to open my chocolate bunny. Hurry up Daddy.
Pure chocolate bunny bliss!
Not so much bliss for my bunny! I gave him a break while we went to Church, but hit it a little more when we got home. This bunny was not completely consumed but I really put the hurt on him!
Post chocolate bunny consumption (and about 400 M&Ms, some jelly beans, some sips of coke and cheese puffs). How fun was this Easter. I loved it.

Huntin Eggs

I had a great time hunting eggs. Such a great time I got to do it twice. First I hunted eggs from the Easter Bunny. They were filled with chocolate and jelly beans. YUM!
Then, I hunted egss that I dyed the day before. I enjoyed doing this but it was cold in my Easter outfit and Momma and Daddy kind of rushed me!
Nanna and Pappy's yard is HUGE. There was lots of room between the eggs but Momma and Daddy ran with me from egg to egg. Fun times.
Daddy helped me find the hidden eggs.

All the pretty fyed eggs that I found.

Good Times

We did fun stuff not related to the Easter Bunny too. I fished in a bucket- literally. My cousins left a silly purple pole with a magnet on the end at Nana and Pappy's. I used it to stab at and torture 3 little minnows. After seeing my aggression, Pappy replaced my pole with a net. It wreaked just as much havoc. Poor minnows. Note- no minnows were killed or really tortured- just annoyed to no end.
After all that fishing in a bucket I needed to get out on the water- so Pappy and I drove his boat around the lake. I screamed with glee when Pappy went fast. I loved it. I also loved running over the wake and making Bumpys! Thanks for letting me honk the horn and drive Pappy.
Before having a humongous fit for no apparent reason I dyed lots of eggs with Nana, Momma and Marsha. It was fun for a while and then I had an unexplained meltdown and had to leave the area.
I did nothing but throw the ball around Nana and Pappy's house all weekend. I would say over and over- "Watch This" and throw the ball up in the air. This started to drive Momma crazy so Daddy tried to control it and let me throw it up in the air while I laid with him. It was fun.
To calm my meltdown, Daddy took me outside to play. We played with the minnows, fished for a little bit and then came up with a really fun game- throw the pinecones in the lake. There are almost unlimited pinecones in East Texas right now. The pine trees are actually poofing pollen all day long as they drop the cones. Anyway, I would drop the cones in the water and Daddy would pick them up on the other end of the dock and let me throw them again. This game went on for at least an hour. Momma and Aunt Marsha came to play with me too. Pappy thanked me for ridding his yard of some of the pinecones!

Momma is Over the "First" Hill

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

My Momma turned 30 today. She had a birthday party this weekend and even invited me to come and play. The party was at Mimi and Buddy's house. We had burgers and hot dogs and there was lots of green bottled beer (including an O'Douls for my Momma).
There was a lot of other green stuff too!! Momma and her BFF Leigh were dolled up!
Buddy was in the spirit. Sue Sue was sporting her own "flair" too.
Caution- Fire Hazard! It took Momma two tries to blow out all the candles. She blamed that on Davis pushing against her lungs and something called heartburn.

Proof I made the party. Keegan and I had a great time running around. The highlight, by far, for me was falling in the pond. Don't freak out. I had my lifejacket on and I popped right up and Daddy swooped me out. My main concern was my fishing pole. Ever since I got out of the water I have been telling the story. I say: Fishing, pond, Daddy, wet. It is a rivoting story, I know, that is why I keep telling it! Happy Birthday Momma- "and many more!"

20 Months

20 MONTHS.

I'm figuring out this big boy thing. I'm dressing like a big boy. I eat like a big boy. And, I'm really talking like a big boy. I say so many words that Momma and Daddy can't count anymore.

I certainly move like a big boy- I like to climb-everything. The slide, the chairs, even door jambs. I'm already ready for my third haircut. I like to make fish faces. I have slept in my big boy bed every night. Some nites, I even try it without my paci. I really like my big boy room. We are still working on filling it up but I help Daddy put all the furniture and toys together. I'm learning to stay in the room until it is "sunshine" outside. Daylight savings is messing me up though. The 4 a.m. wakings seem to have gone away (knock on wood).

I like helping out. I bring the trash cans up from the street. I try to help cook dinner and have learned to help Mimi make hot chocolate. I like to play "steal your nose" but don't think you can get anything past me. I am learning to whistle. It cracks my folks up. I know the name of all my family members. I do a check list of everyone's name everytime we get into the car. I like hanging out at Mimi and Buddy's house and can't wait to head back to Marshall for Easter and fish with Pappy at his house (and on his boat, if Momma will let me).

I'm still digging on school. I like to paint and color and do them at home too. I'm also best friends with Archie and Lady now. Poor dogs. Looking forward to a super fun springtime. Talk to you guys again soon.
-Luke

Insert VERY LOUD SCREAMS here

Yep- Momma went to Hannah Montana. She and Aunt Marsha took Brittany, Ashley, Veronica and Michael. Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus (and Achy Breaky Heart Singin' Daddy Billy Ray) performed at the Houston Rodeo. You have NEVER heard such loud screams. NEVER.
Pre-Rodeo poses. This is just a slight preview of how crazy things would get. Poor Michael is all I have to say, though I hear he really enjoyed the rodeo part of the concert.
Everyone's favorite- the calf scramble.
Did you know they actually sell light up mouthpieces for kids?
Fun times before the singing started. Once Hannah came on stage Veronica, Brittany and Ashley stood and sang every song. Along with 74,000 other girls under the age of 12. It was a sight. And, Momma swears, you have NEVER heard screams that loud. NEVER!!

Busy March

Momma and Daddy woke up the other day and remembered they were going to have another baby. They wondered how they would transport us both around. That began the search for the "perfect" double stroller (you know how my momma is). The search led us to the Phil and Ted's. Right now it is a stroller for one kiddo (me) but then when baby Davis gets here there is an attachment that goes on top for me to sit in and he will go below. When he gets big, the attachment goes below and he will sit there and I'll sit like I'm sitting in this pic. Cool, huh? Let's see how well it works in practice. Momma said she felt like a wimp but she could not handle some of thos other bulky strollers. They are, as I say, "Hebby".
So when you get a double stroller you realize you need a bigger car. The fast car went away and Momma came home with this bus. Seriously. I can run like a wild man from front to back. This bad boy is loaded out. Cousin Kyle called it a "pimp ride!" It has videos, MP3 player, fold down seats, and actually is pretty fast too. It is a "hebby" car and so Momma is learning to drive better. So far, she has been pretty good at parking it. We'll let you know how she fares. Luckily it is so big so it is also pretty safe. And yes, Momma loves it but she misses her fast car too.