Locked out.

Luke has discovered how to lock doors. At first, this new skill was only used on his bedroom door. Luckily, he has a jack-and-jill bathroom that adjoins to the other bedroom upstairs, so Mom and Dad always have an alternate route for entering. However, he's decided to apply his technical expertise to the master bedroom door downstairs. Small problem ... there's only one way in and out there ... no back-up plan. The first day he mastered the "lock-out" Jami was able to find the humor in it. She tried to unlock the door using various means, but to no avail. So she had to complete dismantle the door knob and remove it to get the door open. Luke received a short lecture about not locking the doors. We thought that was the end of the silly game.Nope. The next day Luke exercised his right to lock the door again. This time Mom didn't find it nearly as humorous, while Luke didn't find the fun in the extended time-out period in his room following the lock-out. Let's hope the lesson is learned on both accounts -- no more random lock-outs for Luke and that Mom and Dad fix the doorknob so he is unable to lock it going forward.

Nice ride, baby.

What better way to spend a rainy day than with the playgroup pals at Chuck E. Cheese! We originally planned to go there because it's still so hot, but it ended up being a good plan because of the rainy morning. The kids enjoyed all the games. (How can they understand the concepts of tickets and tokens at such a young age!!) Luke and Lucy took a spin in this hip roadster.

Better get out the boat.

Because it rains so rarely in Arizona, it's a BIG deal when it does rain. This morning we had quite a thunderstorm and downpour. On the way to our playgroup outing in Scottsdale, we drove through this completely flooded area. Luckily, people were driving cautiously ... except for Jami who was taking pictures of the deep water while driving! Drainage systems weren't a big concern obviously when the city was expanding, so there are a lot of areas that don't drain well when it does rain a lot. Better get out the boat!

33 and 7.

This marks Jami's 33rd week of pregnancy with 7 weeks to go. It's getting a little harder to stay active and chase after Luke, but Jami is still feeling great ... although she's ready for the hot, humid weather to be over. Unfortunately, it doesn't cool down in Phoenix until right when the baby is due. Luke has been talking more about "baby brother" lately, and Dad has been hard at work painting the nursery a great shade of slate blue. We've chosen a zebra nursery theme! The whole family is getting ready for the big arrival!

Kick it!

Luke has mastered the skill of the drop kick. Check out this video! He's also sporting his new fall shoes. What an all-star!

Splish splash.

Luke enjoyed a day out at the Tempe Town Lake Splash Park.

Family pic.

Jami talked the boys into taking this photo one night this week. Cheese!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Lately, Luke's favorite movie is "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Whenever given the choice for what movie he wants to watch, the answer is always the same: "Charlie Bucket." (If you recall that's Charlie's last name in the movie.) We have the original version with Gene Wilder on DVD, and he never seems to tire of it (and we never tire of laughing about Gene Wilder's unruly hair.) We lucked out and the new version with Johnny Depp was on HBO tonight, so we recorded it. The collection is complete now with the old and new versions! Long live the Oompa Loompas!

Terrible twos.

This past week has been an ultimate test of patience and discipline as Luke took every advantage of exercising his right to behave as many young children have before him in the rite of passage known as "terrible twos." Since we were halfway through 2 and on our way to 3, we were thinking maybe he'd just skip the terrible twos. Nope. Not the case. Instead, he decided to save up all his really mischievous antics for one solid week.

There was the one-hour whining and screaming fit one morning. Or the lunch out with friends where Luke proceeded to spend more time under the table than in his seat. Or how about the boycotting of an afternoon nap for several days in a row that led to him falling asleep on the kitchen floor during dinner (while he was lying on the floor pouting in one of his many fits).

What happened to that well-behaved boy we once knew? He obviously checked out for a week and left quite a devilish character in his place. We are finding the humor in it now, which is much better than the 2 days in a row that Jami cried over Luke's defiant ways (not to mention that her pregnancy hormones plus the summer heat amplified it all).

So send positive thoughts our way as we start a new week. This weekend was better, but we're not out of the woods quite yet.

The intellectual.

Is it Super-da-man or Clark Kent in his glasses? Luke decided that wearing these glasses would be ideal for his evening bath. We had to chuckle at how distinguished he looks in the specs ... but no books in the tub for this guy.

3 lil' monkeys.

Luke and his buddies Ethan and Robby Glanville cheese it up for the camera!

10 weeks to go!

The countdown is on! This marked Week 30 for Jami and the baby. Jami is still feeling great ... no swollen feet or back pains to slow her down yet! The baby is moving all the time now and kicking mom in the ribs!

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!