Thanksgiving

I know one thing no one is thankful for this holiday is my frequent blog updates :-) I have been just terrible updating the blog. To apologize and promise to be better just seems lame at this point. I will just push through the introduction and update everyone on what is happening around these parts. I am at work today so I can't upload any pics but I'll add them after the fact



1. new set of wheels... Legolas, my taurus, died. Bill and I set a price in our heads of the money we would put into him. It turned out to be too expensive to fix. He sat in the driveway dead for about a month. Bill's Honda Civic, Gimli, did a great job being our main car and it wasn't as bad as expected to share a car for a while. It made our carbon footprint a lot less which is good because our new set of wheels eats carbon like no one's business. Bill really wanted a pickup truck. We borrow our friend's truck enough times a year that we wanted one for ourselves. Also for our fireplace Bill is always picking up wood so the trunks of our cars are nasty and full of dirt and wood chips etc. We test drove the Honda Ridgeline which we really liked but that was until we drove the Ford F150. That is such a great truck and now it is ours. We bought a midnight blue giant 4 door Ford F150 which is just a beast. We love it. She/He has yet to be named.



2. Lucas...At times I think I am the only parent who feels this way about their child and then I realize everyone feels this way. I can't really even put into words my love and delight in him. He is such a good boy. He started walking at 17 mo and 3 weeks-- 8 days before he would have been considered 'developmentally delayed'. He has just been a slow mover. He started crawling after his 1st birthday in early May. We did have him evaluated by physical therapy and they thought he was fine and just progressing on his own time. He has kick ass fine motor skills. He has ever since the beginning - he loves to put things in containers and take them out. He loves to take pen caps off and recap them. He especially loves to cap and uncap blistex tubes. He loves to takes things apart and try to put them together again. I think he may be an engineer like Grandpa Joe. Anyway he started cruising well in July, climbing up stairs and just got better and better at moving but with support. On Oct 21st a few hours after I arrived home from a 3 day work trip to Baltimore, Lucas was cruising in the front hall when all of a sudden he let go of the door and kept on going. Bill and I had been working on getting him to go a step or two between us which he had done so those may technically have been his first steps but I'm counting the ones I saw on 10/21 as his first. He has just gotten better and better on his feet. He has started talking too; he says dada, mama, up, down, cookie, milk, more, please, what's that?, open, ball and will repeat anything we saw. He talks ALL the time- I wonder where he got that from- only part of it can we understand. He understands us and will go get things when asked- find his shoes, his snuzzle blanket, his snack. It is so sweet to say, "Lukey go get your shoes" and he toddles off and comes back with them. He makes a 'puppy' sound when he sees a dog and can moo like a cow. He mimics a lot of animal motions.



He is becoming very strong willed. He hates his car seat and we had a total screaming fit in the car last week on the way to Walmart. I say 'we' because he was screaming in the carseat and I was yelling in the front 'I will not be held hostage by your screaming'. Not my finest moment of parenting. Yesterday he woke up from his nap just screaming and didn't calm down for almost an hour. It was really weird. I finally got him calmed down and we were watching a video in the basement. He said 'up' so we went back upstairs. Then he walked to get his sippy cup, brought it to me. Then he got my diet coke and brought it to me. Then he went to get his snacks. I didn't know what he wanted to do with all three; he didn't want to eat or drink. He started screaming again so I put him in his crib for a time out (mainly for me). I went to get him in 2 minutes and then he took his sippy to the basement stairs. My sweet little man wanted to take his drink and snacks back downstairs to watch his show and he was thoughtful enough to include my diet coke in this plan. I started to cry; he had such a great idea but I couldn't figure it out and had 'punished' him for screaming in frustration. Also not my best parenting moment. Lucky for me, he seems to love me no matter what and I can't believe how lucky I am to have him. He toddles over to me, stops at my legs and says 'up' and I actually may melt one of these days. I am the luckiest lady ever to have lived because I get to be Lucas' mom.


That is a long enough update for today. I do want to blog about the amazing two week trip we had to Mexico. Happy Thanksgiving to one and all.

bug's got some mad spoon skills

Lucas is getting better and better with feeding himself. I just to love watching him learn new skills.

a musical genius

i like how he changes the song in the middle to one he likes better. i wonder where he gets that from. he did this for about 10 minutes this afternoon and due to camera issues i only caught the tail end of it when he was getting 'all done' and ready to move on

jumping bug

I was hoping to get a video of happy jumping bug for my mom's birthday on Tuesday but he woke up covered in his own semi-dried vomit that day so we had to postpone. He sure looked cute on Wednesday getting up from his nap and was all smiles and jumps.

How could you not be in love with this little guy?

A tribute to the best mom and grandma around

Today is my mom's birthday. Though it says Sept 6 2010 on the top of this post that is because I uploaded the pics on my birthday but waited around to type until my mom's special day. I know everyone loves their mom and I know I'm biased but I know I have the best mom out there. She is so supportive and loving and helpful and sacrificial and kind. I love that she laughs a lot when she gets tired like me and Lucas do. She was such a terrific mom to me and my brothers; I can only hope and pray that I am just as good of a mom to Lucas. She always knew she wanted kids and I am so lucky to have been one of them. She waited a long time for me to have a child and she just loves on Lucas like no one else. I have to constantly remind her that I am her baby and that Lucas is my baby :-) They had such a great time together at our visit home. He just lights up when he sees her and points to the computer all day here hoping her face will pop up on the screen when we skype. I just love this series of shots
Grandma kisses are the best
Mom- I love love love love love you. I know you are sad today the first birthday without your mom. I hope and pray you had a great day. Lucas and I wish we were in your kitchen to give you kisses. There are no words to describe how much to mean to us or how lucky I am to have a mom like you. Please come visit soon, we miss you like crazy.

Enchanted Forest Water Safari where the fun never stops

And another tradition now on our trips to Manlius is a day adventure to Enchanted Forest Water Safari where the fun never stops. Again this year my brother David and niece Madison came for the day; that that you can tell by this post because Lucas was the star of the paparazzi. It was Bill's first trip. He admitted he thought it was going to be 'dinky' but he had a great time and loved the rides I dragged him on.

He just loved the water

No day off for Grandma's boot camp

family shot with Paul Bunyan, a must

peter peter pumpkin eater

Cinderellas carriage

one of the 3 blind mice

We had a great great great day! Weather was awesome and the lines were super short! We also had a great fried Pied Piper lunch to round out the wonderful day.

the Great New York State Fair

The great thing about going home in late August was the chance to take Lucas to the Great New York State Fair. Bill went into thinking the Iowa State Fair is better but we won him over with the roasted corn and the fried dough. :-) Lucas had a grand ol time. He had his first cup of cold NYS chocolate milk, got his first cow eraser and tasted his first fried dough. My mom, Madison and I won him a teddy bear by throwing darts at balloons on our first try-- it only cost us $5.

Lucas wasn't so sure of the goats. Right before this shot, he touched this goat but I missed it.
ready to get our milk

yummy

NYS's super cool ass butter sculpture -- it was great this year.

Measuring Lucas in the dairy building

and my favorite shot of the day...

ahh the fair was awesome; the food was great. so great in fact that two days after we went, i paid $10 to get in to just buy us some more roasted corn and fried dough. they should really have a take-out service available... people waiting at the gate for food orders so you don't have to pay for admission.

Our time in Manlius

We had a great trip home to see my folks. little Bug just loved Grandma's boot camp -- lots of walking causing increased fatigue which then in turn caused long naps. Mommy and Daddy liked that part of being home as well. Right when we got off the plane, our friends, the Walls who went to college with me and Mexico with us last spring, came for a visit. We hit the Manlius highlights. Pavones, the Swan Pond and Sno Top.

I love this picture of Lucas looking out over Manlius

yummy Pavones
looking at the fish and ducks in the Swan Pond

first bite of Sno Top

super yums

helping Grandma and Daddy unload the dishwasher-- he climbed up there all on his own when their backs were turned

ahh being home on Candy Lane was just glorious. my most favorite week of the year!!!

fun with grandma and grandpa

I have a ton of pictures from our time with my folks -- these are actually from my mom's camera of times we had out and about. Soon I'll try to post some pictures of Lucas' tricked out wagon.

A smiley picture Grandma sent me at work

trying to enjoy the swing- lasted for about a minute
cruising about at tot time

coloring at Chilis while out to lunch

bug likes to drink from a straw

out at Atlas. wow we really do look alike.

we had such a fabulous time with my folks. Lucas misses Grandma and Grandpa so much. We'll see them again next week--- yipppeeeedddddooo!

first hair cut

I am way behind on blogging I know. Now I have 100s of pictures from our visit with my folks so it seems a bit overwhelming to get back on track but I'm working on it. Last night Lucas had his first hair cut by Bill. Bill's granddad was a barber so apparently it is an Iverson tradition that Dad gives the kids their first hair cuts. Lucas was a bit squirmy and almost got his eye poked out a few times :-)

Here are a few before shots -- long curls in the back, not much on the sides

long hair in the front
what are you doing daddy?

trimmed

time for the back

looks less shaggy

i saved his sweet curls, of course. i'm a mom that's what we do.

now in 25 years i can find this envelope, show Lucas and he can say 'oh gross Mom' ... just wait until I start to collect his teeth !

a tribute

This is what I read at my grandmother's service. It is a tribute to both of my grandparents really and the lessons they taught me.

Five years ago when I was married, I remember looking out over the sea of witnesses congregated there; all the examples of marriage and love and life long friendships assembled. I was starkly aware of on couple who was missing; my grandpa scott too ill to travel and my grandma scott who never left his side-- in my estimation, my grandparents had an epic love story. As I said my vows, I thought about how for my life, they had put flesh and bones to these words and showed me such a wonderful real living example of marriage. They truly loved well and loved much.

For better or for worse-

for worse- they met and married, yes, during the prime of their youth but also during perhaps the worst of times. A world war raging with an uncertain future; married before d-day planning had even started; they had no idea how it would turn out-- maybe that is why grandma was a german major. Grandpa in the navy; would he be shipped into harm's way? would he come back alive? how long would this war last? how many friends would be lost?

for better- raising 5 such uniquely wonderful children; summers at sand spring; weekends at the farm; traveling the world together. And then seriously, life couldn't get much better than when the parade of grandchildren stated to arrive. After all, we are a smart, overly attractive bunch, aren't we?

For richer, for poorer-

From the days of having boarders when grandpa worked for Sherwin Williams selling paint to the success and wealth they enjoyed as grandpa rose in tenure at Ford.

In sickness and in health-

They had many many years together in good health but for us, grandkids, it was the times after grandma got sick that we remember most. Her frustration with not being able to communicate fully yet her saying "Oh Will" with just the right tone or the right look spoke volumes to grandpa. How she would say 'yes' three times when she got excited usually over shopping or a Tiger's victory. Their enjoyment of life together did not seem to diminish after she got sick; I remember just as much laughter in the house after as before

To love and to cherish-

My childhood is filled with funny stories and memories of my grandparents, but what I remember most is their love for each other. They did not only love each other; they cherished each other just like their vows had said. I remember sitting in the living room when grandpa gave grandma a card, it must have been their anniversary. He read it to her and it was filled with just as much of the glow of that one true love that was contained in the telegrams he sent to her while they were dating that I found in the basement last night. They starred at each other like they were the only two in the room and his words were filled with such emotion. I know their lives had hard times but they made the decision to love through them and I believe their marriage just grew stronger and stronger right up until death do us part. And now they are together again. Their love and devotion to each other spoke volumes to me growing up and their marriage stands as true testament to us all.

We would all do well in our lives to live and love like they did; for better and for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do us part. Not only in our marriages, but in our friendships and in our families, with our siblings and our children. Their love story was truly epic; one of an old time Hollywood movie. Their legacy will be carried on in us and will never die when we choose to love like they loved.

bug's love affair with his phone

Lucas loves his phone. This is his 4th old cell phone. He has two identical phones and loves to pretend to text. He also is a big fan of dialing a number and hearing the recorded Verizon lady talking to him. He thinks it is hilarious. these days a phone, snuzzle, milk and some goldfish is all this little bug needs to be happy

hold on, gotta get a swig, be right back

different day, same position

wait gotta grab a goldfish

texting at the table

oh my little bug is getting so big and cuter by the minute!