"You're My Better Half" *

We officially celebrated our 7th anniversary at the end of August by going to a Keith Urban concert in Nashville. We enjoyed some extra sleep, LOTS of good food, & time together!
Here's what Luke was doing while we were gone. It was our first time leaving him overnight...I don't think he minded :0)We brought a special friend home with us.... Mortimer the Moose is now Luke's traveling buddy!

*This is the title of one of Keith's songs.

Happy 6 Month Birthday

Luke turned 6 month's old on August 27th. During his 6 month of life he started having stinky burps (seriously!), moved backwards in a crawling stance, stopped his 10:00 feeding (Yay!!!), and started a 4 hour schedule (did you hear the cheers?- this was a HUGE YAY!!!!). Here are some other things which haven't already been blogged about:

He started reading ~:0)

He started wearing pajamas to bed every night. We had thought that footed pajamas wouldn't fit in his shoes, but they work just fine as long as they aren't too bulky. This adorable outfit was given to Elijah by his Aunt Abigail. Love it Ab!

We had been putting a blanket over him, but he started rolling from his back to his stomach quite often (we removed the incline that he had been sleeping on due to reflux-go here to see how he used to sleep). One morning at 4:30 I heard him making some noise & when I went to check on him he raised his head to look at me. Once I rolled him onto his back, he went right back to sleep.

I took his 0-3 month clothes out of the closet. It was sad to see all those teeny-tiny clothes packed away, but PRAISE GOD he couldn't fit in them any more!!!

Daddy time is always fun!
This is the first time he actually SAW Jasmine the horse. We'd taken him by a few times, but he never really looked at her. Jasmine enjoys the carrots that we bring her (and your shirt too, if your not careful).

He enjoyed eating with MeMa :0)

Here's some other cute pictures from this month.

Bon Appetit

–interjection French.
(I wish you) a hearty appetite.

When Luke started rice cereal (at 4 months old), we got some big feeding bibs. They don't always keep his clothes clean, but they work hard trying.

Right before Luke turned 6 months old we started *real* solids. I am making his food which is not at all as hard as I thought it would be. I usually make several foods 1 night every couple of weeks. The first yum yum he tried was sweet potatoes.

Funny story about this steamer insert...I purchased this one which goes with our pans at Bed, Bath, & Beyond. A couple of month's later I was putting away the crock pot (which Matt had gotten out) & noticed the steamer was in that cabinet. I wondered why Matt had moved it & then it HIT me....we already had one...the exact SAME one! I had been searching for that BB&B receipt for awhile because it had some curtains on it that needed to be returned. After Matt went through our *files* (bag of chaos), he found it! Even though we didn't have the box anymore, they took it back. Actually we gave them the original one (because obviously we have never steamed since I didn't know we had one). I still use the steamer for some foods, but now cook the potatoes in the oven.

The first couple of batches we STRAINED! This took quite awhile, but the Super Baby Food lady said that those fiber strings could be a choking hazard.

These are 2 Tbs. serving sizes.

Ready for the freezer.

Storage while in the freezer. I just take out a cube when it's time to eat and zap it in the microwave.

First time trying a solid.
Avocados were yum yum #2. A high "good" fat food...perfect for Luke's needs!
These just have to be cut open and then fork mashed.

These pictures don't reveal the fact that sweet potatoes and avocados are now among his favorite foods!

A note about what Luke's eating habits have taught me:

I have prayed MANY times, Lord please help Luke want to eat and to like his food! The Lord revealed to me that this is what He wants for me too, regarding His Word! "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." Luke 4:4 I had some other verses that came to mind, but right now I can't recall them.

I like how someone in our Sunday School class recently said that when you miss meals you tend to get grouchy, irritable, etc. It's the same way when we miss our time in God's word! We need to be reminded of His commands, love, & truth every day!

I often say that Luke is just so busy that he doesn't want to eat. He'd rather bang his hands, watch Jasie, or inspect the crumbs on his tray. So many times I have said Lord, I'm too busy!

I pray that you and I will feast ourselves upon His Word today!

Riding in Style

I'm thinking it would be pretty nice to go running like this...a cushioned seat, shade, toys, and a fan...what more could you ask for...I guess to lose weight at the same time :0)

Jasie even took a ride one time on a SUPER hot day. She kept trying to lay in the grass so I gave it a shot. She rode for a few minutes and then wanted out :0)

Nothing like snuggling up after a long HOT run!

Funnel Cakes & Fried Candy Bars

Luke visited the Wilson County Fair twice this year. (Isn't that a cute website!) Both visits kept him up WAY past his bedtime, but he only had one meltdown ~:0)!

Visit #1: Grampa and Luke had perfect Fair attire!

This picture is blurry, but can you see the big smile on Elijah's face? He LOVED the petting zoo, and the animals LOVED his carrots!

Visit #2: Perfect Fair attire this time included a Bristol Motor Speedway bib!

Last year at the Fair, MeMa & Pa enjoyed spreading this news. This year they enjoyed showing off Luke :0)

I actually didn't have any funnel cake or fried candy bars, but I heard they were really yummy!

Want Free Books?

Ask My Mom How!

This picture of Luke goes with me to all my Usborne events. I started selling these books 2 years ago...yes, before I even had a baby :0) I love books...especially these books! They are educational books that make learning ~FuN~! You'll find LOTS of color, lovable characters, funny stories, information (that's not too overwhelming), internet linked books (think games, pictures, videos all on a SAFE website), puzzles, crafts, and SO much more!

I took a selling break from January to August of this year, but I'm going strong now! So if you would like FREE books, I'd love to have a party for you (or a book fair for your preschool, school, craft fair, etc.)...or maybe you would also like to earn an income...we could be fellow Uzzies!!!

As you can see, Luke will have TONS of books to enjoy from now until he goes to college~and even some to take with him!!! You can view all of these at www.FunWithUsborne.com.

Outtakes...

6 Month Pictures

We love our photographer! Kelli Trontell is SO much fun and, as you can see, does an AMAZING job! These 6 month pictures were taken at Pinkerton Park in Franklin. Luke loves to smile, but not all of these smiles were easy to get that day. Luckily he has a mom who doesn't mind looking like a crazy woman in the middle of a park :0)