2018, Week 4 (Jan 21-27)

Sunday, January 21

Jack's new favorite thing to do is to climb up in this chair. When he does, Luca usually yells to let me know and we both run over (he fell off the ottoman once, which put us both on edge). This time Luca climbed up too. 

The sweet brotherly love photo shoot came to an abrupt end when Jack started to hit Luca in the head. 

Jack's new thing is to smile like the above photo. When I say "can you smile for Momma?" He puts his chin down to his chest, lifts his shoulders and does the biggest, sweetest nose scrunching smile. Only problem is you can't see his face like that. It is the sweetest face though. 

Luca had asked to take me on another date. So this day we went to Panera and got a chocolate chip cookie (he requested the cookie) and we had the best conversation. We asked each other questions and just sat there for about 30 minutes after he was done eating just talking. It was the absolute best. 

After our date we ran to Trader Joe's together. Once we got home from Trader Joe's Luca went on a date with his Nana. Such a special day for him! 

This cracked me up- he put his arm on my shoulder. Always looking to be in the most comfortable positions. 

I was making my healthy, Whole30 dinner with those two snacks beside me. Two of what used to be my favorites. 

Post date "picnic" before bed. 

Monday, January 22

Luca was eating Pirate's Booty and Jack wanted to try some. He was not a fan.

It was really warm this day so after naps we played outside. It was Jack's first time using sidewalk chalk. He liked it, mostly because Luca was doing it. He did have to stop for some "let's play ball" breaks in between drawing though. 

Chase! I love, love, love seeing how Luca creates art. I love his method, I love his process, I love his creations. I also love watching it all grow and mature in him too. With age and developmental growth, his art becomes so much more detailed. But I think more than anything, I love how much he loves to create art.  

I asked Jack if I could take his picture and he walked to his "spot" in front of the fire place. 

He is so obsessed with those crocs, he bathed with them on this night. Obsessed. He tends to pick one thing that he carries/is super attached to and it varies each day. But these crocs have been the item for multiple days in a row. If they aren't on his feet or in his hand, he screams. We take them off at bed time and say goodnight to them, and first thing the next morning he stands in his crib yelling and pointing at them. 

The super cute face, but angled down so you can't see it.

My super creative mother in law made me a birthday book (for me to record everyone's birthdays and keep them in one place, genius!).

Tuesday, January 23

I am currently reading 100 Days to Brave by Annie F. Downs. It is so, so good. That top underlined paragraph is such a profound truth that I think we often forget or don't even ever think about or fully understand in life. After God made me, after He made you, He threw away the mold. Because there was no need to ever fix or correct or change anything. YOU are enough. I am enough. 

Jack makes a seat out of anything and everything. This day it was the salad spinner. 

Jack was obsessed with "cleaning" this week. He would take the towels off the stove and start wiping down every surface and/or person that he was near. 

Really getting it done. 

Luca was in time out. Jack doesn't care where Luca is, he just wants to be near him. 

And maybe touch him/wrestle. 

When I see Jack, especially in all the clothes that used to be Luca's, I always feel like he looks just like Luca did. And then I put their photos from similar ages side by side and while they definitely look like brothers, they don't look as identical as they do in my mind. I think it's because what's so similar about them are their eyebrows and facial expressions. Their mannerisms are the same. And that can't be captured in a still photo. 

Wednesday, January 24

Jack and I went to the chiropractor this am and got to carpool really early. So we had some snacks and took some selfies. 

Eating green beans! 

He has to know where Luca is at all times. 

During Jack's nap Luca set up his Rescue Bots to make shadows like that. I asked if I could take a picture (because I thought it was such a creative idea) and he said "no not yet" and knocked them over and then said "I want to do it over for the picture" and then redid it all and added a bunch more Rescue Bots. 

I went up to get Jack after his nap and went to go into Luca's room and couldn't open his door because...

After his nap, Jack was just so happy to be next to Luca. He sat there for so long with the goofiest smile on his face. If I could hear his thoughts I know he would be thinking "this is the best." 

I am posting this photo even though I have a chunk of food in my teeth because I want to remember that when I snapped this photo Luca said, "Bumblebee! Smile!" 

Thursday, January 25

Post work snuggles with this cutie. 

Luca asked me to document him moving his bots. I kept snapping photos and then he would ask to watch, took me a minute to realize he wanted a video. 

Friday, January 26

We stayed home this day and I did a lot of cleaning this am while Jack napped. Luca set up all the things we could do together after I was done cleaning. He worked so hard at setting it all up and telling me about what he put in the "playroom" for us. I love his heart. 

We discovered that Jack loooooves blueberries this day. He and Luca both willingly ate strawberries and blueberries. I was so proud! Both have tried them before but neither ate them after the initial first bite. This day, I asked Luca to try them and he did. No hesitation, no arguing or whining, and then he continued to eat them! I mean, I had to cut the seeds off the strawberries first, but I still could not believe it! Luca ate multiple bites! After Jack ate each, that was all he would eat for lunch. He ate a ton of berries that day. Probably too many for one sitting but I was just so pumped I didn't want to deny him. 

I tried throwing some bread and cheese in the mix for some variety but he mostly just ate all the berries. 

Sarah arrived this afternoon. I didn't get to see her much because during the boys naps I had bills to pay and things to get done, and then afterwards she played upstairs with Luca (just the two of them per Luca's polite request, "you and Jack could go downstairs if you want"), and then I made the boys and Sarah dinner because she was babysitting them that night while Lee and I went out. She sent me these two photos of the boys dancing. They sure do love dance parties. And their Auntie. 

Lee and I met Chad and Kristi for dinner which was so much fun. Also, it was so nice to have a long car ride to just talk to Lee. No interruptions, no distractions- it felt so good. I wish we had taken a picture with my cousins but I forgot, maybe next time. 

Saturday, January 27 

Sarah and I offered to go to work with my mom this day. I was already planning on it, but since Sarah was in town and mom was so swamped she offered to help too. 

I love getting texts with pictures from Daddy when I am at work.

Eating more berries, his new favorite.

Twinning coworkers- again! 

Dad always comes to "work" on Saturdays too. Just in time for lunch. 

After work, Sarah and I got groceries and picked up Chipotle for everyone for dinner (my parents came over too). We all ate and then played and it was a really fun night together.