Happy Holidays 2009

First off I would like to start by saying…sorry it has been forever since I have updated this page. There is so much to tell you all about I am not even sure where to begin.

Well…let’s start with our little guy, Lucas. He is almost 16 months old now. I can hardly believe that my baby is growing so fast. He is a ball of energy all day long. He is a lot of fun these days. Around every corner is a new adventure, skill, activity. He definitely keeps us on our toes and we are love every minute. He started walking really well about a week after his first birthday and is now going full speed running around the house. He is constantly babbling and starting to throw in real words here and there. The holiday season has been extra special this year as Lucas is discovering all the lights and decorations…he loves all of it. He is especially excited about Grandma & Grandpa Gilbert’s big tree. He walks in the door and waits for someone to turn it on…it is the cutest thing ever.

We settled on the old house in late August and we are currently living with Jason’s parents. Our new Berks Home is under construction in Lancaster County. We are so excited!! We hope to settle by the end of March…if Mother Nature doesn’t have other plans.

The end of March is what we are hoping for because the newest addition to our family is due on April 30th. We are expecting our second child this spring…so between that and the new house we have many wonderful things to look forward to in the New Year.

Let’s see…what else is there to update on…Jason has decided to try a couple big biking events next year. He plans to start training after new years. I will post more information as they approach. I know at least one is a charity ride and I am sure Jason would love your support.

I posted a few pictures below of some of the activities we have been up to in the last 3 months. They are all pictures taken from my cell phone. I promise when I have a workspace in my new home to do a better job of posting photos and updates.

I hope that everyone is doing well and enjoying the holiday season.
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Wonderful New Year!

Love,
The Tolley Family

Playing in the leaves at Grandma & Grandpa Gilberts house...Lucas loves leaves!

Riding my four wheeler that Mommy & Daddy got me for my 1st Birthday.

Lucas' first visit to the race track (LANCO of course). End of season practice day 2009

Daddy and Lucas reading up on cycling

Helping Daddy put up the lights at Granny & Pop Tolley's house...Do you like the Elmer Fud hat?

Lucas' Portrait Session

Hi! I am Brigitte Dilbeck, Lucas' Photographer. In celebration of his first Birthday I am posting a special present for all of you to enjoy.


To view Lucas' latest Portrait Session go to my website: http://www.photographiccreations.ifp3.com/. His Portraits are under Gallery/Baby Portraits/Lucas

I can't believe he is one already. The year flew by. He is such an adorable little boy. You are all so lucky to be a part of his life.

I hope you enjoy the video!

Sincerely,

Brigitte Dilbeck
Brigitte@PhotographicCreations.us

One Year....WOW!

I can not believe two things as I type tonight.

One...I have not updated this blog in nearly four months. Shame on me.

Two...My baby will be One Year Old at this time next week.

Lucas has grown so much. We are enjoying every moment. So much so that I am never on my blog anymore. I promise to do an update in the coming month. Lucas is getting his one year pictures taken tomorrow evening and his party is scheduled for next Sunday. After that I will have lots of fun pictures to share. I may also have a clearer head...I am fitting a cold at the moment and the meds have me a bit loopy.

Take care and I will update soon.

Promise!

Time to get outside...

The past few weeks have been wonderful and were capped off today with an afternoon in the park where I took some great pictures of Lucas.

Here is a recap....

Lucas is eight months old now. He is growing faster everyday. He is working on his top two teeth now and we are sure he will be moving faster each day from here forward. He is still scooting with his belly dragging but he really does get around well. He also is very good at standing up as long as he has a good hold on something. It is clear that he knows "Mom" & "DaDa" now. We are a regular part of his gibber jabber...and are to come when called...lol. He is sleeping through the nights all the time now and even sleeps in late sometimes on the weekend. He really is an angel baby.

Last weekend was wonderful...almost like a mini vacation. We spent our three day weekend surrounded by friends and family. We attended a party and picnic and hung out with friends. I honestly feel it might have been our return to us. I can't describe what I mean but as a new parent I finally feel like my life is getting its balance back. I think it was missing and I didn't even know it.

On another note...Daddy got a new toy. It is an early Father's Day gift and he is very happy to be the proud owner of a very nice mountain bike. He picked it up on Thursday evening and rode it 32 miles yesterday. The Tolley's have decided to get healthy and this is one step in that direction. Jason loves to ride his bike so I thought now was the time to make the big purchase...prior to the new house. Now I have to get my rear in gear to keep up.

On that note. The house has been on the market a few weeks now and the showings are starting to pick up. So we are hopeful that we can get some good buyers here and get a good offer soon.

That is about it for now. Life is just generally good for us right now and we feel really lucky to be us. As I watch some of our friend go through struggles that I once faced myself, I realized how blessed I am to have come through them and the rewards have been indescribable.

Wishing everyone some of their own fun in the sun...

Love,

Us

How to end up in the kitchen sink...

Here is how the story of Wednesday evening went...

Lucas decided that because it was so warm outside he would hang out in his just his onsie. Then at dinner time he decided that apples and prunes would be fun to spit out everywhere. You know...spray Mommy with fruit. At which point mommy gave up on dinner.

While Mommy cleaned up the dishes Grandpop Tolley and Daddy took Lucas outside for some fresh air. At some point they decided to put Lucas in the back of Daddy's truck and there he stood for 10-15 minutes all by himself. What a big boy. Then Mommy realized Lucas had no shoes on his little feet...hence the dirt...

So now we are sweaty, fruity and dirty...not to mention exhausted. So Mommy decided it would be best to get a quick bath in the kitchen sink. Which was a great idea!

We had fun getting cleaned up and slept like a rock for the rest of the night.

The End.

It is amazing how quickly out little guy is growing up. He is getting so big. He will eight months old this week and we can't figure out where the time is going. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful child. And life for that matter.

Life is great and we are so fortunate to be so blessed. We can only hope that all our friends and family are just as fortunate. We hope you are all enjoying the nice weather...when the sun decides to come out.

Take care.

Love,

Us

How about a game of catch up...

As usual I am not sure where to start. Above are some pictures of Lucas and Jason. Lucas is just shy of 7 months old. Wow...where does the time go. I am so lucky to have a wonderful Husband and child.

We have been working very hard the last month and half getting our house ready to be put on the market. And I am glad to say that it is all done. We listed the house on Tuesday evening and it showed up on MLS Thursday. Yeah! Everyone was exhausted by the process...even Lucas. Who has been enjoying spending lots of extra time with all his Grandparents while Mommy & Daddy work their tales off at home. We are sure the effort and sacrifice will payoff for us in the end. As you can see below...at the end of the day Sunday Lucas laid down on Daddy's lap to enjoy some relaxing time. It was really cute...

Lets back track for a moment...sorry. I forgot to mention Easter. Lucas had a lot of fun with Easter. Below are some photos from the day. We were so blessed to share the day with some of Jason's extended family as well as both sets of our parents. Lucas is a big fan of Uncle Bob and I am sure as he grows older he will only love him more. We were so happy Bob and Glenda could celebrate Lucas' first Easter with us and Jason's family. We can only hopes that everyone enjoyed the holiday with family as much as we were able too.

Lucas on Glenda's lap enjoying the CAT hat he got in his Easter basket from Grandmom and Grandpop Tolley.

After celebrating with the Tolley Family it was off to Grandma and Grandpa Gilbert's house. There Lucas had a place setting just for him. Complete with sippy cup and toys to eat. Next year he is holding out for big boy food. lol. He also loved the little red sports car walker that the Grandma and Grandpa bought him. It has now found a home parked in the garage. YES...I said the garage. Right next to where Grandpa works on his race car. Now he can sit and play and watch Grandpa...He is a big fan of time with Grandpa in the garage.

We were all very happy with our day with family. Can't wait for the next gathering.

We are waiting for Lucas to start gibber jabbering soon...he is really becoming vocal and learning new sounds everyday. He now has a second tooth and is still working on mobility. We almost have crawling down...but it is more like a spinning top...we just have not figured out to pull that belly off the floor. I am sure the day will come soon and then we will wonder why we were so anxious for it...as we will be getting more exercise running after our little guy. Until then Lucas enjoys floor time with toys and his Jumpers. As you can see...

And so now we will sit back and enjoy time as a family at 1005 Rill Road until it sells and we can build a new home for our family.

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying spring...summer will be here before we know it. I am sure the sun will come out one of these days.

Take care all...

Love,

Us

Six Months Old....

Can you believe little Lucas is six months old? I know Jason and I can't believe it. He is growing so quickly and showing us more personality and skills everyday. He had his six month check up and is doing very well developmentally. He is now 27.75" and 17 lbs 12 ozs. "Sooo Big" He also had his six month pictures taken on his exact 6 month birthday. Brigette did a wonderful job as usual. So much so that I am having a really hard time deciding which ones to buy. As soon as I get them I will be sure and hand them out. I have posted some and she did a really need video of them on her blog. Please check it out. You can also visit her website to view all the pictures.

Brigette's Blog: http://photographiccreationsbrigitte.blogspot.com

I will try and post more pictures from home when I get a chance. Aside from the pictures I am going to try to figure out how to get video from our video camera to the blog so you can enjoy some of Lucas' entertaining new "skills". He is always surprising us by finding new ways to be mobile. We are working hard to crawl but until then we have resorted to rolling and/or scooting across the floor. We have also been learning all kinds of new sounds to make with our voice. And Lucas now has one front tooth. Exciting stuff. Well I have to run. I will try and update again soon. Take care. I hope everyone is having a wonderful Spring.

Love ~Us