Counting is cool.

Luke has really been into counting lately. So far he can count from 1 to 13 (not sure why he stops there). On this particular occasion, he gave 4 and 5 the cold shoulder and skipped them. He'll get them all filled in eventually in the right order! When prompted by Dad about the missing numbers, Luke avoids the subject and asks for a photo by his fans! Too cool for counting.

Luke and Lexi.

Today we went to a birthday party for Luke's girlfriend Lexi. She actually turned 2 right around Christmas, but they celebrate her birthday in the summer so it doesn't get lost among the holidays. Hugs for the birthday girl!

Moms Night Out

The moms of our Thursday Playgroup enjoyed an evening out and about with dinner at Cafe LaBella, a quaint Italian restaurant in Downtown Phoenix. Pictured are Sandy, Misty, Mandi, Stacie, Rachel, Amy, Anne, and Jami.

Super-da-man!

We have a new superhero in our family ... Super-da-man! He's a step up from regular Superman. For some reason, Luke throws in the extra syllable for some added pronunciation flair! When Grandma Dixie found out about his interest in Superman, she set forth on a secret project. The end result was a specially sewn red cape and these stylin' Superman pajamas.

All aboard the Georgetown Loop Railroad!

Today we took a road trip to the mountains to ride the Georgetown Loop Railroad. This 1 hour train trip took us from Georgetown up to Silver Plume and then back. This was Luke's 2nd trip on the Georgetown train, and he loved it as much as the first time! Afterward, we enjoyed lunch in Georgetown at the Happy Cooker and then checked out the town. A great day spent in the mountain air!

Insights from Big Brother Luke

Luke is so excited to be a big brother!! With the excitement and anticipation of welcoming his younger brother, he's also developed some pretty funny insights about the baby. Here are a few...

- Luke enjoys talking to Mom's tummy. When we ask what he thinks the baby is doing in there, he says, "Shhh. Baby sleeping."

- The other day Luke gave Mom a hug and then emphatically announced, "Mama has a BIG tummy."

- While Grandma and Grandpa were watching Luke, they told him they were going to see someone very special (meaning Mom & Dad who'd been gone overnight). They asked Luke who he thought they were going to see. He contemplated it for a bit and then said, "Baby brother?" Too sweet. Sorry, buddy. He's not here quite yet!!

Parents' Night Out

For a bit belated celebration of our 7th anniversary, we enjoyed dinner and an overnight trip to a nearby bed and breakfast on Friday night, while Grandma and Grandpa watched Luke. The B and B was located about 20 minutes from Jami's parents between the towns of Morrison and Aspen Park. The Meyer Park Ranch was a great spot for hiking nearby the B and B, so we enjoyed an evening hike on Friday and an even longer hiking journey on Saturday morning. We took full advantage of the great outdoors and the cooler temperatures ... and the fact that Jami's still feeling active at 7 months pregnant!

On the Moooove in Downtown Denver

Today's Colorado adventure took us to Downtown Denver to see the CowParade exhibit. We rode the lightrail downtown and hopped off to see the brightly painted herd of cow statues. Each cow depicted a different theme as determined by the artist. We're pictured behind the "Rhythm and Moos" cow!

Luke Armstrong.

Colorado here we come! We are enjoying a nice vacation in Colorado. We bid the 110+ degree heat goodbye and swapped it for some cool mountain air. Luke is loving the time outdoors, especially since he discovered the bike that Grandma and Grandpa Nelson got for him. Last night, he rode up and down their front sidewalk and entertained the neighbors. Scott had to jog several times to keep up with the lightning pace of Luke Armstrong!!

Cheese!

When Jami was a little girl, her family used to tease her because she would smile "too big" for the camera. Usually, she was grinning from ear-to-ear so much that she would squint her eyes. Now many moons later, that same smile-for-the-camera cheesy grin is surfacing in Luke, as he loves to get his picture taken and belt out a loud vocal "cheese!" He also likes to take people's pictures with his ViewMaster slide machine or this nifty camera that Dad made for him out of Legos. You outta be in pictures, baby!!

Nap wherever whenever.

In preparation for the baby's arrival in a few months, we have begun to transition things to the new nursery downstairs. We have already moved the changing table/dresser, crib, and rocker to the new baby's room. Scott still needs to paint and we need to pick out a theme, but at least the big ticket items are moved in and ready to go! Since this furniture is no longer inhabiting Luke's room, he now has found great joy in treating it like a jungle gym ... climbing on the changing table and crawling under the crib for his new hiding place.

Today like many days, he was playing in the nursery. It got very quiet very quickly in there. I walked in to discover that Luke had found his new perch in Little Brother's room. He was fast asleep in a pool of drool on the changing table!

Lucky 7.

We celebrated our 7th anniversary on Monday, July 10! Where has the time gone?!! We enjoyed a nice dinner out to a restaurant called 98 South in Downtown Chandler, complete with a jazz band. Luke enjoyed a nice "date night" too with his babysitter Maribeth, a Theta from ASU who also happens to live in our neighborhood. With our 7th anniversary comes several other milestones just around the corner ... 7 years living in Arizona and of Scott working for Motorola.

Seeing in 3D.

Today we ventured out to the IMAX movie theater for Luke's first 3D movie. The feature film of choice was about the deep sea. Turtles and sharks and squid ... oh my! We explained to Luke beforehand that we were going to a special kind of movie where you had to wear glasses. He likes wearing glasses so we figured he'd like wearing the 3D specs. We settled into our seats and put on our 3D glasses, which resembled something that Bozo the Clown might sport because these spectacles were gigantic! Luke debated back and forth whether to wear them or not. At one point when he was pro-glasses, he hopped off Scott's lap and started flapping around in the air in an attempt to catch the swimming fish who looked to be a mere two feet before us. He must have been quite intrigued ... until he experienced the downside of these magical glasses. A shark quickly swam on the screen and toward the audience. Luke jumped back in fear and ripped the glasses off his face ... gasping and his heart pounding. Of course, Scott and I were laughing it up because of his funny reaction. Soon after that, Luke tried to take Scott's glasses off. Perhaps he was worried Dad might get scared, too. Objects in the 3D glasses may appear closer than they are!

Happy 4th of July!

We celebrated the 4th of July by having our friends the Wellings over with their 7 kids plus Jami's parents who are visiting. Eric and Charity also joined us later. What a fun evening! The kids splashed around in the kiddie pool and slip-n-slide, and we enjoyed root beer floats with homemade root beer and homemade ice cream. Luke and his buddy Nate especially enjoyed the dessert treat!
We walked over to the lake area to watch the fireworks from a show at a high school about a mile away. It was a perfect view to watch the grand fireworks display over the water with palm trees in the skyline and ducks paddling across the lake. A storm started to blow up during the fireworks show so we got double the entertainment with some far-off lightning, too, and not to mention a personal mister system with the rain sprinkles that started falling toward the end. Last year at this time we were just getting moved into our house, so this ideal firework-watching location is another great recently discovered perk of our community.

When Grandpa babysits...

We left Grandpa Jim in charge for a bit one morning. When Luke was hungry for a mid-morning snack, what better thing to eat than leftover pizza with chips and salsa! Two peas in a pod!

Ruling the pool.

Luke has achieved another pooltime milestone ... jumping off the diving board. This feat was accomplished at Uncle Eric's pool last weekend with some assistance from Dad. As you can see, there's little hesitation in the warm-up and approach to jumping in the pool. Ready ... set ... JUMP!

San Antonio Travels...

Jami spent the last 4 days in San Antonio for the Kappa Alpha Theta Grand Convention. Nearly 500 Thetas from across the United States and Canada gathered together to meet regarding Theta policy and planning for the years ahead. The trip started off a bit rocky as Jami was without luggage for the first half of the conference since her bags were somehow mistakenly sent to Ithaca, NY, by America West!! But things started looking a bit brighter as the chapter that she advises at Arizona State won fantastic honors as the top Theta chapter internationally! Here's a photo from the awards ceremony: College District President Stacy Rini, Jami, Fraternity President Karen Ledbetter, Current Chapter President Katie Hernandez, and Past Chapter President Jackie Vollmer.
Here's another photo of Jami with her friend Heidi Pollmann, who's the new president for the Greater Kansas City Alumnae Chapter ... and also a K-State Theta.