October in a nutshell

It's been a while since I've posted.

I'm convinced October is the new December. That used to always be our big month with tons to do. We've had tons of activities going on every weekend. It's been craziness, but fun. The first weekend we went to Applefest, the next we drove up to Weston (again) so I could take my cousin's senior pictures and some family shots as well. We ended up driving down to Olathe (where their from) and spending the rest of the weekend with them. The following weekend I went to my grandmother's church's annual Christmas in October event. I've gone the last four or five years and love it. It's a women's evening conference where you get the full royal treatment for the night- catered meal, dinner music (this year a gentleman played smooth jazz on a sax... it was awesome), a speaker & live music, and workshops to shop, do crafts, get recipes, etc. It's a great bonding time with the "G-ma" and I find that it's one of the best ways to usher in the Christmas season. I usually find myself listening to Christmas music by August because I can't resist the urge, so by October it feels like December and I'm already ready for the season. Having a baby has brought a whole new perspective (and schedule). Hence, I haven't even gotten ready for fall (didn't bother decorating like I have in the past with gourds and pumpkins). I think later this week, we'll get a few pumpkins (now that they're down to half price) and decorate a few. I got a great idea from a gal in my MOPS group to take Luke's feet, dip them in water-based paint and put them all over a pumpkin or gourd. I can't wait to see the result.

This last weekend was a full one. On Saturday, Nick & I drove down to Overland Park. Nick had some "male bonding" with Luke at his parents' house while I went with his mom for some "girl time". We ate a late breakfast at Le Peep on Metcalf and then boogied on down to the Junior League's Holiday Mart at the Overland Park Convention, where we shopped 'til we dropped. It was the longest time I've ever been away from Luke and the most amount of time Nick has spent alone with the baby. I wasn't worried, though I feared Nick might get overwhelmed. I got a few phone calls throughout the day where I could hear a wailing Luke in the background- Nick just calling for affirmation on what to do. When I got back he was surprisingly mellow and seemed to have everything under control... though he was very quick to hand the baby over!!! ;) I greatly enjoyed having time away though I couldn't wait to get my little guy back in my arms again. Julie & I hit the jackpot with good finds... almost everything for Luke, of course. I got him two pairs of Baby Legs (look them up online to get an idea of what they look like... they're pretty darn awesome), some Smart Wool socks (ridiculously expensive but I got hooked on them when I received a few pairs as shower presents), Santa "shoes" (they're really socks, with black buttons down the middle), and a baby sign language book. Can't wait to use that in particular. He'll be of age within the next few months.

Sunday morning was a big day for our little family as we had Luke dedicated at church. Both sets of grandparents were there, filming and taking pictures. You would have thought Luke had his own Paparazzi with all the pictures being taken. Nick & I were so happy to stand before everyone and commit to raising Luke in a Godly fashion, and asking everyone in the congregation for their support in our endeavor. It's so counter-cultural to make that decision, but I know it will reap huge dividends in the end... we hope the Luke will grow in wisdom & stature and fully live up to his name's meaning to be a "light on a hill; a beacon".

The fun didn't stop with baby dedications. After church, we ate lunch at Cheddar's with Nick's parents and later that afternoon we picked up my sister McKenzie and all drove down to the Red Barn Farm for family photos with all of Nick's extended family (Kenz was the photographer for the day). I had organized us doing that back in August and with every one's busy schedules that was the soonest it worked to get together. I spent several hours putting together a "Shot Sheet" (poses for every one's family shots) with various locations around the farm in mind. I was thrilled that with the Indian summer we've had, the trees were in full grandeur this late in the month, as they'd make a terrific back drop. The weather seemed to be beautiful as we drove to the farm, so I panicked when we got there and the wind was so ridiculously strong, we couldn't even stand outside without getting pummeled with gravel and dirt. Add to that the awning in the back (which would be a good barrier for wind, and a good backdrop) was being used for a big function. What a huge blessing when after half an hour, the function was over and the owners let us use the facilility before yet another group was to use the "outdoor room". We had to improvise, didn't get to go to all the locations I was hoping, and the "shot sheet" didn't get much using but I was very happy with the results nonetheless.

Luke never ceases to amaze us. This month he's had more firsts than any other time. He's now an expert tummy-to-back roller and is perfecting the back-to-tummy roll. He loves to do raspberries and motor boat noises, and anything is fair game to be grabbed and drooled on these days. I've been eager to see if he's a "righty" or a "lefty" and though I know it's too early to tell have been trying to make predictions. Nick is a south paw and it tends to run in the men in his family; seeing as it's considered a sign of "genius", it wouldn't hurt my feelings one bit if Luke was the same. For a while I thought he might be (without mentioning m,y curiousity about it, my aunt and cousin mentioned they thought he might be left handed which left me hopeful). Still, it will take time to see.

The lastest breakthough is that we have a bit of a routine in the Greenlee household. Up until the last week, Luke was still going to bed after midnight. This week something snapped and he's now going to bed between 9:30-11:00pm. Needless to say, I am one happy momma as I'm in charge of night duty with him and the earlier I can get to bed myself, the easier it is to cope with being up with him at night.