Life Keeps Going

And that's just how Grandma would have it.

Luke has been very busy: sprouting his second tooth, peering down ladies' shirts to look for "nummies," encountering Alexander the Great, chomping on french fries, and wrestling bears.


Hi.


With his Auntie Gracie, Luke mastered the art of sucking his pacifier and his thumb at the same time. O the talent.


"Gee, Grammy, where does a french fry go?"


"Aha."


"Or shall I use it as a cigarette instead?"


After munching on the french fry, Luke seemed quite proud of himself.


And he celebrated by going upside-down.


Getting down to serious business, Luke reads a Baby Bible with Grammy.


Luke, my boy, not everything is edible.


Really, Son...


Luke is currently obsessed with ceiling fans. We have found him squawking at them as he is splatted on his back.


Richie: "Wow, this toy has a lot of suction." Bethany: "Yeah, it sure does. Go look in the mirror." Poor Richie got to go to a wedding and his annual work party with a toy-hickey on his forehead. Fatherhood doesn't get much better than that.


Luke with Uncle Shi. (Click on the picture for a close-up. They both look awfully handsome.)


Luke with Bethany's big stuffed bear from childhood, Brownie (got to love those creative names).


Bethany used to cuddle with her bear. Luke would rather wrestle it.


Grrrr.


Luke has a new friend! A boy this time. A real live boy. Born May 9. Welcome to the world, Timothy! (Son of friends Nick and Beth from Massachusetts. Nick is working with Richie on his PhD, and they just moved into Orchard Park a few steps away from us.)


For once, Bethany has a tall friend who does not make her look like an Amazon.


Oh well. (By the way, congratulations Haley. You made the blog.)


Doesn't every baby need keys to ride in the car?


Last weekend we ventured on a trip to Lake Berryessa. Like most adventures we've embarked on since Luke was born, it was disastrous.


Members only? Hee hee, very funny.


Caught yawning. Berryessa? Boring?


The cheeky smile.


When Richie discovered that he can skateboard with the baby strapped on, fun with Luke reached new heights. And new speeds.


If babies didn't have daddies, they'd never have so much fun. Life with just Mommy would be dull!


The morning that Grandma died, Luke provided comic relief. Here he makes us giggle outside her apartment.


Staring, staring...


He wanted more of that Baby Bible. This time, he grunted, chirped, and squawked right along.


We think Luke has a crush on Gracie.


Maybe the crush is mutual.


Luke is trying very hard to crawl these days. But he can't seem to be able to lift his bootie and get going.


At the end of a late-night walk. (We have no photo documentation of the 2AM trip to Safeway to look around while Luke partied it up, or the 1AM trip to the basketball courts to watch the Bigboys play. Every night is an adventure.)


"Hey, who's in my Jumperoo?"


It's Shealyn!


We took this shot just to get a photo of Luke's cute shirt. (Thanks, Erica!)


Last Sunday, Luke finally got to meet Alexander the Great! But when we got there, Alexander really had no interest in Luke. It was milk time. Slurp. Here his beautiful mommy, Kristen (Bethany's cousin), feeds him.


Lisa and Luke watched Alexander eat, wishing they had bottles too. (Lisa is another of Bethany's cousins, the next "kid" in line after Kristen.)


Everyone got a turn to feed the baby.


The faceoff: Alexander the Great vs. Armstrong the Determined.


It was funny to watch the cousins "play." They couldn't care less about each other.


Alexander with his Poppi and Noni.


"Walking."


Check out those pecs.


Luke hangs out with his friend Timothy again. (It made us long for the days when he used to sleep like that...)


"Which address do you need next, Mom?" (See, life with just Mommy would be dreadfully boring. She'd put him to work!)