Fun in the Sun!

Hello hello hello!!

We’ve had a great few weeks here at the Scott household! Last week Amber flew in from Kansas City for our long awaited, long planned visit. We were both ecstatic!! It was so good to see each other again and I finally got to see the little baby bump I’ve been waiting to see for the last few months. After successfully navigating through Atlanta Airport (no adventurous stories to tell there except that this creepy guy kept following Luke and I everywhere we went in the airport when we first got there…luckily, he didn’t follow us out and home…at least I don’t think he did!) Anyway, =) we spent that day relaxing and catching up with a quick trip to the PX and Commissary for some groceries.

Friday we took our time getting ready – pretty much all morning – and just enjoyed visiting together, playing with Luke and walking the dog. That afternoon we went to the mall for one of our favorite hobbies and went shopping! Later that evening, we went to our favorite Mexican Restaurant, Teresa’s, and then headed into Augusta to get a few items at Babies R’ Us and Kohl’s.

Saturday we met up with Scott and Shelley, Paige and Peighton at the South Carolina zoo and had a really great time together. It’s been like 2 years since we’ve been able to see each other, so we were really excited to get together again. The zoo was really nice and we actually got to see most of the animals out and about. The Tiger was the scariest as he hadn’t been fed yet and was pacing around grunting quite loudly. Had there not been a chasm between him and the fence, we all would have been his breakfast for sure! The bears were the funniest as they were playing and fighting like puppies. It was so cute!

Sunday we went to Savannah. Amber and I decided we were glad Chris was driving because it was quite busy and finding a parking spot proved to be a harder task then we thought it would be. We also discovered we had left our camera at home – I take my camera everywhere, so this was sad. We decided to get a disposable, so that worked until we ran out of film! =) Anyway, we had a funny experience at Starbucks – let’s just say Amber and I got our Women’s Room key taken from us and had to end up using the Little Boys Room. After that we walked around Savannah – taking in the sights and visiting a few of the small shops. After that we headed over to Tybee Island to visit the beach. By the time we got there, everyone else had pretty much cleared out, so it wasn’t crowded at all. Luke was a little unsure about the sand at first and cried, but after a quick snack that only mommy can give, he was feeling much better and ready to try the sand again. Once he got used to that, we took him to the water – and he cried again at first, but then really enjoyed it. At the end, he would yell at the water as it came in – it was too funny! The water would come in and you could hear Luke’s little voice carry above it with an “Ahhhhhhh!” and then he would watch the water retreat again. Chris, Amber and I enjoyed the sand and water right off the bat. The weather was perfect and it was just very relaxing and tranquil. We all commented on how we wanted to live by the beach after being there! After we left there, we were all pretty hungry (and slaphappy might I add) so we stopped at an Applebee’s on the way back and enjoyed a yummy meal. All the waitresses fawned over Luke and he flirted mercilessly back. He’s such a ham!

Monday we decided to just take it easy. Amber and I sat on the couch watching TV, playing with Luke and visiting for most of the morning and afternoon. It was a well deserved break – we’d walked a lot in the last few days. So we just relaxed. That evening we got pedicures – which were quite blissful! Then I think we watched a movie and turned in.

Tuesday, we sadly had to make our way back to the airport. =( The only glitch we had there was trying to find a parking place, but after that – we were able to find everything else with relative ease. After some yummy ice cream we said a sad good-bye. =( Other then saying good-bye, we had a fantastic time and the time just flew by way to fast.

On Friday, Carolyn came to visit and we were so excited! She had been in Atlanta for a work seminar, and since we are only a few hours away, she drove down to see us. We had a great time together and it was so good to be together again! We spent a great time catching up and visiting. We went to the Olive Garden that night and enjoyed a yummy meal. Luke tried to dump food all over the place, but other then that, we all enjoyed our meals and visit.

Saturday we spent the morning relaxing, visiting and playing with Luke. Luke took his first steps that day as well! Carolyn and I were talking on the couch and he had been playing on the floor. I guess he wanted Carolyn’s attention, so he stood up and took a few small steps to get to her. It was so cute! It was funny too, because he learned to crawl on the same day Mike, Carolyn, Sharon and Val came to visit us in Maryland in December. So I told Carolyn she had to come back in a few months so he would do his next big developmental accomplishment! =) After lunch we attempted to find the Riverwalk in Augusta – and although there was a short time we were lost, we were able to find it. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed a nice stroll along the river. After that, we went home for a few hours and then headed out to Midland Valley Church to watch their Easter Cantata. It was a great Cantata and you could really feel the presence of God. It made me miss directing an Easter production, but it was also good to sit back and watch one at the same time. I definitely miss being involved and participating in the ministries of the church, but I think this break has been good for Chris and I at the same time. It’s given us time to search out the areas of ministry in which God has called us to focus on. After the Cantata, we headed home and made supper. It was pretty funny because we didn’t eat until 10:30pm! It was fun though! =)

Sunday morning we had to say another sad good-bye to Carolyn as she headed off to the airport in the morning. It was so great to be together and we had a fantastic time!

We are looking forward to our next visitors this month – Jenny and Jamie are going to come and stay for a few days, so we are definitely looking forward to that. It’ll be fun to catch up, visit and watch our boys play together. We are excitedly anticipating what they’ll teach each other. =)

I’ll give some Luke facts in the next blog, but until then, have a wonderful day and week and I’ll blog again very soon!

Squirmy Worm

Hello All!

I’m super duper (how long has it been since you’ve said super duper together?!) excited for Amber’s upcoming visit! She flies in tomorrow morning (Thursday) and I am so looking forward to it! We both may have a hilarious experience to report back about navigating through the airport in Atlanta – it’s huge! It’s been years since either of us has been there, and we can’t remember how it’s set up. It’ll be fun though – an adventure. =) We plan to relax and enjoy these next few days. I’m sure there will be a little bit of shopping and a lot of catching up. We’re also going to meet Scott and Shelly and the girls at the South Carolina Zoo on Saturday and we’re all really looking forward to seeing each other again – I can’t wait! I’ll definitely blog about our fun experiences and post lots of pictures.

Chris is on the mend from his cold – and other then the occasional evening when his allergies flare up, he’s doing well. He’s been working hard the last few days on a big paper for school, so that’s consumed much of his time. We still have nothing to report on where we’ll be heading after this, but when we know something, we’ll post it.

I managed to catch the cold over the weekend, but it seems to have quickly cleared up (Praise God!) I thought I was going to get out of getting this one, but apparently this was a different strain from the 5 others I’ve contracted since moving here. =) I am much better though, so I won’t complain too much. =)

Luke is still slowly recovering. I’m thinking he might be getting an ear infection, so I’m trying to keep a close watch on that. He’s also got a rattley cough. He seems to have an appetite though – and for the most part seems to be feeling fine, so I think it’s just going to take some time for this cold to clear his system.

In other Luke news, he’s growing and changing on a daily basis. It’s becoming more apparent that he’s learning to do things on his own – and we’re seeing a very defiant, independent, strong willed, active little boy emerge.

He’s doing a great job at self-feeding and I’m about ready to strip him down to his diaper, put a drop cloth on the floor and hand him the spoon and let him dish out his baby food. I’ve put this part off because of the huge mess I know that will follow, but he’s getting to the point where he wants to do things for himself…now if only he was able to change his own diaper and get dressed on his own! =)

He has become the squirmiest of fellows and it takes 5 times as long to change his diaper and clothes as it used to. He twists and turns and kicks and squirms. I’ll get one pant leg on and while I’m quickly trying to get the other one on, he’s kicked his leg out of the first one! The worst times are when he’s got a dirty diaper and he pulls his squirming and twisting tricks – that’s when things get really complicated! I won’t go into details, but let’s just say it’s not a pretty sight. =)

He’s definitely figuring out the concept of cause-and-effect and he’s mimicking our actions more and more. If we push a car around the floor, he’ll do it too. If we make a clicking noise, he’ll try it too. It’s so cute! It’s been a really gradual process, but it’s really apparent now how much he takes cues and learns from what we show him. It’s just amazing to see how far a baby comes in 9 months time. They start out as completely helpless and within a few months, they’ve developed into a little person –with a unique personality and all!

Let’s see, what else about Luke can I fill you in on…He’s standing for longer periods of time. He LOVES holding on to the couch and trying to jump up and down on his own. He doesn’t really clear any height, but it’s great exercise for his leg muscles as he lunges up and down. Oh yeah, and he’s giving hugs now! It’s the cutest most adorable thing! He’ll squeeze your neck, and then if you squeeze back, he’ll give you another big squeeze. It makes your heart melt, that’s for sure! He still isn’t sleeping through the night. I’m beginning to take one night feeding away – I know he doesn’t need it; he’s just in the habit of getting it. So I’m weaning him off of his 2am feeding. I’m sure our neighbor’s aren’t excited about it, but I think Luke and I both need to start sleeping through the night. So my plan of action is to gradually lessen the night feedings. Once he’s use to not getting his 2am feeding, I’ll start to wean him off his 4am one…and so on so forth.

The weather here has been fantastic! Not to rub it in to anyone who has been having bad weather, but it has been perfect here. It’s warm, but not humid and most days there’s a nice cool breeze. I know this won’t last long, so I’m trying to enjoy it as much as possible. Pretty soon I’ll be blogging about how humid it is, and how our air conditioner won’t keep up with the heat – but until then, I just want to say it’s really really nice here. =)

Before I sign off, I’d love to get some recipes from ya’ll. I’ve started cooking (I know this will come as a shock to a lot of you) a lot of new recipes of late – and would love to get recipes of some of your favorite dishes to add to my growing recipe book. I got a great start in Manhattan and would love to keep adding to it. So if you have a good dish or a favorite recipe, please share!

I hope everyone is having a fantastic day! I’ll blog more next week!

Oh, and here is your favorite part- pictures! =)


These are two pictures of Luke in his not-so-sweet moments...





Luke likes to get out of his cage once in awhile and get into things...he seems to know we'll clean up after him!









Bath time! We bought some bubble bath and Luke seems to like it a lot, although he can't figure out exactly what the bubbles are. He wants to eat them, just like everything else!









Daddy and Luke playing together. Luke crawled into the laundry basket and got to go for a ride.







This is Luke jumping on the edge of the couch. He LOVES jumping, either in Daddy's lap or on the couch or bed. He's going to be a handful when he starts walking!



And the parting shot!