Pool Day

Around here, the light has shifted just enough to remind us that summer won't last forever. Luckily, Papa & Gigi invited us to the pool to soak up some sunshine while it lasts. Luca hadn't yet dunked into the big pool, so T took him for a spin around the shallow end.

Rock Tot

With no prompting from us, this weekend Luca learned how to stick out his tongue, and discovered that it's a funny trick best performed on repeat. Here he is, showing it off for Auntie Sara at an impromptu taco & inflated pool party at the Johnson 5's house.

We rounded out the weekend with a picnic in the park, and happened to catch a Led Zeppelin cover band at the bandshell. Our little rocker took the opportunity to work on his dance moves and reveled in the craziness of a late summer night at the park.

WE Fest '09 - Part II (from THR)

It seems to me like this iphone pic should have been included in the WE Fest blog post to prove that while A did indeed miss the little lump, she managed to enjoy herself as well.



If memory serves, this pic was taken during a rocking version of Bad, Bad Leroy Brown which so moved the audience that some (actually just Matt) were inspired to rush the stage and begin working out...

WE Fest '09

We are fresh home from a weekend of country living at WE Fest in Detroit Lakes. As you can see, T didn't have any fun at all.

Though the Vikings cheerleaders were a treat, the best part of the weekend was spending time with friends who came all the way from San Francisco to get down with the midwest country crew. And on top of the usual WE Fest fun, our host was in the midst of making a documentary on the experience. Watching him at work was exciting...especially when he was waving at us from a boom up 80 feet in the air.

The biggest deal of the weekend for me was that I spent my first nights away from our little treasure. Luca spent Friday and Saturday with Papa & Gigi, and though dropping him off and driving away was no fun at all, Gigi's text and photo updates were very reassuring. The smidge clearly had a fantastic time - so much so that we were relieved that he still seemed happy to see us when we picked him up yesterday. Luckily his souvenir from the weekend - a new drum - has helped the transition!

Bathtime, all the time

Here's Luca's new favorite game, which would most aptly be called "Throw Everything in the Tub." Morningtime, nighttime, bathtime, they're all good times to scoot into the bathroom and sweetly demand toys, then use them to test gravity. Who could say no to that face?

Self-Taught Dancing Baby

Luca has been trying out some new dance moves lately, and we like the direction his choreography is taking. Ground breaking.
It's strange how babies have an instinct to dance. You may or may not be surprised to hear that A and I don't do a whole lot of dancing around the house, yet whenever Luca hears a good beat he knows just what to do. We can't wait to see how his moves evolve once he's up on his feet.

First Steps

Though this looks like a photo of Luca merely leaning on an empty plastic bucket, what you are actually looking at is a picture of Luca walking with a little assistance from an empty plastic bucket. Thinking back on his memories of Aunt Nic learning to walk with some help from an upturned laundry basket, T emptied the Lego Quatro bin (thanks, Cousin Nathan!!) and VOILA! Luca was off and inching his way across the carpet. Time for the next round of baby-proofing!

The Never Evers

Yesterday's unseasonably cool temps didn't hold us back from heading to the Mill City Farmers Market for organic snap peas and a performance by the Never Evers - aka T, Charlie, and Jesse. The fellas did a bang up job of entertaining us all, and were also conveniently on hand with mics when the news came in that Baby Hegstrom arrived on Saturday morning. Congratulations to Marjorie & Erik!

Belated: Luca at 1 year old

We've been allowing blog entries to slip to the bottom of the to-do list lately, mostly because of our little master of ceremonies' increased mobility. Long story short, he's got us on the run and so we're just getting around to our final 1st birthday post...

Dear Luca,

You are one year old! All in the same moment, it feels like you've always been with us and like you just arrived yesterday. This first year of your life has flown by like no other we've known.

When we first brought you home, we didn't know much about you. Let's face it, we didn't know much about babies and probably still don't. But we've relished getting to know you over these first months of your life, and think of you less as a baby and more as a critical member of the team.

Everywhere you go, you leave a wake of happy women behind. From your stroller-throne, you point at them and wave, flashing a toothy smile. In the airport, on the street, at the grocery store, you always find a new friend. Lately you've developed a tendency toward silliness and have added to your repertoire a new head-grabbing routine that you find hilarious. You save your sloppy, openmouth kisses for mom and dad.

At times you muster a lot of intensity. When you are working on something new, or trying your hardest to get the balloon/toy/door/etc., you do a kind of huffy, lamaze breathing, furrow your brow, and charge on all fours towards the object of your interest. And let no one get between you and your food. You are admired for your appetite and the variety of foods you like, which your picky-eater-parents hope you keep up.

As is to be expected, we often find ourselves in discussions about who you look like. Though you almost certainly have your Papa's nose, an Allen jaw and Henderson eyes, you have a spirit and personality that is brand new and all your own.

Luca Thomas, 1 year old

Birthday shots

For Luca's 1st birthday, we decided to hire a professional photographer to capture how sweet his is right now. Though we felt a little silly about it since we've accumulated hundreds of pictures of him since he was born, once Amy the photographer arrived and got started, we knew we'd made a good decision. Luca was taken with her immediately and let his little light shine bright, as is evident in the sneak peek photos on Amy's blog.

http://www.3peasphotography.com/blog/archives/670

Luca Turns 1!

Our little ham sandwich has turned one. We can't believe it.
We spent birthday eve at Papa & Gigi's with the Johnsons and Marsdens. Luca enjoyed delicious cheese pizza, as well as his first taste of birthday cake.
Today we revisited cake to make sure he really likes it, and he does.
Thanks everyone for your thoughtful birthday wishes!
Happy birthday, Luca sweetie!

Gimme Shelter

Regan and Caroline's beautiful wedding brought us to Shelter Island, NY, this past weekend.

Sadly, this is the best picture we took of the happy couple (we left our 'good' camera at home)...it appears to be the classic wedding photo of a groom wildly applauding his new bride's rapid head and arm movements...

Highlights
The Eight Winds house and crew comprised bride and groom, the Trinity Bantams, Regan's siblings, and ourselves. Before this group headed to the rehearsal dinner, A snapped this picture:
L to R: Jesse D, T, Matt G, Regan, Quinn, Garret R, Maggie V

The wedding and reception:
Shell Beach:


Lowlight
The weekend included Luca's second time being sick with a 105-degree temperature. This bout of fever far surpassed the previous one in terms of stress as we were stranded on an island reachable only by ferry (which did not run 24 hours-a-day). To make matters worse, at the time of the fever spike A and Luca were home alone at Eight Winds while a huge thunderstorm battered the island knocking down humongous trees, further isolating the sicky with completely blocked roads. Thankfully, everything turned out AOK as we were able to get some phone advice from Aunt Sara and to have Luca see the island's doctor with some help from Regan.Hilarious photographic evidence that the kid was under the weather...

Happy Father's Day

This weekend marked T's first ever father's day. We took every opportunity to celebrate, though the highlight might have been letting T play his new Mario Kart wii game to his heart's content. Now phrases like "I was doing great and then two turtles got me" are common around here.

Luca is reaping the benefit of summer vacation by getting to spend some extra time with T. The two of them cracking up at T's silly songs or goofy antics is a sight to see.

Happy father's day, T!

This picture was taken during one of Wiggles McGee's few quiet moments since he took to crawling.



We thought that we knew Luca's personality before, but recently it's as if his world has expanded and his personality along with it. Suddenly he is charging toward every hazard, and he's turned into a real yeller. On the softer side, he's also become more cuddly, frequently pulling himself into one of our laps and trying to give us french kisses. Just when we thought we had him figured out...