Making Music

Making music with the triangle from the music set the Hughes grandkids got for Christmas.

Remote Control Truck

His first time controlling his new remote control truck we got him for Christmas.

Luke & Emma

Emma was hiding in this box and popping out - which delighted Luke to no end!

Dancing with the Snowmen

Quite long video - but so cute. The boy's got moves.

Snowing!

So pretty!

Tickle from Grandpa

Grandpa's beard is tickly!

Making a Snowman

Helping Grandma make a snowman!

Walking in the Snow

So, this is Luke's first experience walking in the snow. He's kind of scared and nervous at first, but eventually gives it a shot. :)

Destroying Lincoln Logs

The first time Andrew left a Lincoln Log house built, Luke came in and DESTROYED it - swiftly, dramatically and mercilessly. It was beautiful.

And it was never replicated. :( We tried to re-stage the event, but all subsequent destruction was sadly lacking in passion. Still pretty cute, though. :)

Dancing on the Table

This was just cute on the first night at my parent's house this Christmas.

Rocking Chair

Cute video showing how he can rock backwards in his rocking chair, climb in and out of said chair, and also a little bit of him enjoying puting his toys in and out of the chair. :)

Riding his Lion

Luke's also starting to figure out the riding function of his lion toy. He also gets quite the groove on when the lion makes it's music!

Pushing Truck

This little truck has become the object of more attention recently - he started pushing it around the house and is quite fascinated by it. :) You can also note how well he walks backwards in this video.

Eating Cereal with Milk

A snippet of Luke's first time trying to eat his cereal with milk on it! He did pretty well - and I managed to capture one of the only successful bites he did entirely on his own this first day. Most of the time, I still needed to help him scoop - but as soon as those Cheerios were on the spoon - he was quite forceful in bringing the spoon to his mouth!

Playing with his Ball

This is a cute video because it shows Luke's ability to throw, crawl, gabber, and look cute!

Spinning in Daddy's Chair

He asked to get up and sit in Daddy's chair, so I spun him around for a bit. He was making more audible sounds of bliss at first, but at least you get an adorable face at the end of this video. :)

Walking in the Grass

Doing so well, and looking so cute!

Singing Snowmen

I tried to get a video of the cute squeals that Luke was making every time these snowmen would shake, but once the camera came out, they stopped. At least he still has a couple cute reactions. :)

Climbing on the Chair

Luke figured out how to climb up onto his toddler chair and turn himself around to sit down. He's also managed to stand up in it, which I've had to discourage. :P

Running on the Porch

When we play on the porch, Luke will usually do several "laps", like he's doing a P.E. drill. :) Pretty cute. I only caught two lengths of the porch in this video, but he had gone back and forth several times before I got my camera out.

Watching Puppies at the Mall

They were quite fiesty - and Luke was half excited/half scared! :)

Walking at the Playground

Happy as can be just wandering around on the bark chips!

Sliding!

Short and sweet! Happy boy!

Felicity at the Playground

I thought it was cool how Felicity figured out these handle bars (she's 3-1/2 now). Good job!

Somersault

Luke has been enjoying doing "somersaults" lately! He needs assistance still, but it was cute this particular evening how he would bend over and stick his head on the ground in anticipation of us rolling him over! :P The funny thing about this video is that he seems shy of the camera! He runs out of the frame and starts to do his somersault where he thinks he's hidden from the camera - too funny!

Puddle Splashing!

Luke was in water-heaven when it rained this week! Thanks to Aunt Heidi for this great coat that has a hood and fits him perfectly!

Saying "Tickle"

Luke likes to actually say "tickle tickle" when he's tickling my toes! Very cute!

Walking on the Sidewalk Again

Look at him go! Such confidence. :)

Throwing Rocks

More rock throwing - this time back in our usual outside play area. :)

Playing on the Porch

Where we normally have been playing outside was wet and muddy from the sprinklers, so when Luke seemed to want to play on the porch when we got back to the house, I happily agreed. I set up a patio chair in front of the stairs to prevent any accidents, and let him play with the rocks, pumpkins and such. He had a very fun time for quite a while! We've played on the porch another time or two since then, also. :)

Climbing the Stairs

This is how Luke likes to climb the stairs. We don't have access to any indoor stairs, so he hasn't been let loose on them independently yet. Pretty cute, yes?

Playing with the Mouse Again

This video shows his continued fascination with this mouse, as well as highlighting his new skill of walking backwards. :) I'm kind of at a bad angle in the beginning because I didn't want him to see me and stop playing.

Walking on the Grass

Luke is finally gaining confidence walking on the grass. It's more tricky since it's uneven, he's so light and his feet are so small to properly pack it down with each step. But, there were some neighbor dogs being walked along the sidewalk - gave him lots of motivation to just go for it! :)

Playing with Dirt

Good little boy fun! Until he tries to eat it. :(

Throwing the Ball

He does a good job throwing and kicking the ball here - including giving them both a running start. :) There's also some footage of us looking for his ball that was too cute to cut out. Enjoy!

Walking in Pajamas

Such a little cutie!

Waking Up Cinnamon

Pretty cute. :)

Talking on the Phone

You only really get to hear him for a brief second "talking" into his toy phone, but it's so cute! Imagine this over and over, wandering around the house. :)

Picking Up Stuff Without Holding On

Luke is starting to master the art of picking things up off the ground without holding on to something. This was another one of those skills that took him a little longer to learn because it involves lifting his head. But he's got it now! And at the end, you'll notice, he put my keys on the ground just so he can pick them up again. :P

Piggy Bank Crayons

We discovered that a crayon fits perfectly inside the slot of Luke's piggy bank! Of course, Luke thought this was great fun, and even managed to set off the switch a few times.

Giving Cinnamon Toys

This was a HILARIOUS stage Luke went through (yes, he's already pretty much over it as I post this mid-Nov.). Notice how Cinnamon already has 4 blocks lined up next to her on the couch - Luke. You'll get to see him generously give her his toy phone. :P

Pulled Up!

He has pulled up before this, but not very consistently. So I finally got it on camera. You can tell how "yesterday" this skill is because he doesn't seem very phased when I praise him for doing it. :) And, I didn't manage to get him actually on the floor all the way to standing because I'm not quick enough with my camera, but he had been sitting. Pulling up is just a matter of course around here now!

Rocking Chair

So, the first part of this video is more of just him looking at his book. As cute as that is, the highlight is really at the end, when he starts rocking his "new" rocking chair! He even grabs both sides to shake REALLY hard! This is his infant seat, repurposed without the toy bar, into a toddler chair.

Enjoying His Piggy Bank

This is for you again, Mom! :)

More Ball Kicking

Lots of fun!

Vijay & Luke

Just a short clip of Vijay and Luke giggling together. Then, I had to cut it short since they were conspiring to steal Joanna's cell phone! :P

Pushing Laundry

He's so very helpful! And cute!

Eating Applesauce

He's doing a lot better using a spoon! Either applesauce or yogurt are good foods for him to try his hand at utensil-feeding.

Throwing the Ball on the Tile

Watch his face as he throws the balls - he knows there will be a loud noise, so he squints his eyes in preparation! He's a little less dedicated than he had been right before I got the camera - that's how it goes. :)

Shaking Water Bottles

The expressions on his face are priceless!

Kicking the Ball by Himself

Now that he can walk well, he loves to kick the ball unassisted - soccer star, here we come!

Watching Pony Rides

We were watching the older cousins ride the ponies and Luke was happy watching and waving!

Walking at the Petting Zoo

He really wanted to just go! The ground was a little uneven, though, so we were nervous to let him go too far on his own. :)

Petting Sheep

Thankfully, the animals at Lombardi's petting zoo were tame and used to kids' exuberance! This is how Luke would pet Cinnamon if he could. :P

Dancing at Lombardi's

Luke couldn't get enough of the live band that was playing at Lombardi's. He only stops dancing here because Daddy was coming over to get him. Later in the day, he actually wandered off and made a bee line for the band, which was pretty far away (Daddy following closely behind, of course!). :)

Walking on the Sidewalk

He's moving on to big-boy status! Walking all by himself, with shoes, on the sidewalk!!! So exciting! :)

Hiding Behind the Table

Another episode of Peek-a-Boo or Hide-n-Seek! Anything to get that happy little chuckle! :)

Dropping the Basketball

He's not a dribbler yet, but this is sure close - and he LOVES it!

Pushing my Chair

My chair is usually pushed in, but if it's ever out, this is what Luke MUST do with it! This happens most often when we're doing a webcam with my parents since I need to move the chair for them to see him walk around. :)

Running (kind of)

Luke's going pretty fast chasing me, but he's not actually "running" technically. If he gets going too fast, he often does a face-plant. Real running is still a ways off, I think. :)

Dancing Again

Phyllis and I were visiting Joanna, her kids and her mother-in-law (to explain all the different voices in the background). Luke wandered into their kitchen and was playing with this magnetic fridge toy they have. He was really gettin' jiggy with it - mainly because I think he thought he wasn't being watched. :)

Playing with Cars

Pure boy!

Playing with the Ball

He was really into this little ball and was crawling all over after it!

Splash Laughing

Luke started splashing HEARTILY - getting me completely soaked. The first time he did it, I squealed, which he thought was great - causing him to laugh HYSTERICALLY! We caught a few of these laughs on video here in response to my fake squealing. :)

Luke's First Car Wash

We normally don't pay to have our car washed, but we had time to kill one Saturday, needed to get gas anyway, and figured it would be fun to let Luke experience a car wash. :) Nothing too dramatic, but he was definitely intrigued!

Tummy-Crawl-Sit

I managed to capture Luke's newest skill! He can now (finally) go from laying down to sitting up all by himself! For most parents out there, this is a skill their babies learned LONG before 15 months, but for Luke and his super-sized head, this is a long-awaited milestone. :) The video doesn't really show him on his tummy cuz I was slow getting the camera, but he had been laying down, then pushed up to a crawl (the move that was hard for him because it involves lifting his head), and from there he can sit (which he's been able to do for a little bit).

Just Being Cute

Enjoy!

Combing Hair

He snagged his comb and brush and proceeded to walk around the house "combing" his hair. At this point, he usually messes it up more than fixes it, but at least he's got the right idea. ;)

Taking a Walk with Grandpa

I was like the paparazzi, stalking my son as he went on a walk with his grandpa. :) My camera is on full zoom - I didn't want him to see me and disrupt their bonding time. I love how he's stopping to examine every bush they pass. :)

Playing the Viola

My Dad always likes to give Luke a lesson on his viola when we visit. I think he's getting better than last time. :)

Chasing Cars

My mom had out some cars that used to be in my Volkswagon Beetle collection for Luke to play with. They would wind up when you rolled them backwards, and then shot forward, much to Luke's delight! He especially liked it when they would crash into something! :)

Walking at the Oregon Coast

Luke had a blast walking around on the sidewalks at the Oregon Coast. He was still very new at walking in shoes and since outdoor ground can be somewhat trecherous for little feet, we always held his hand. Since there were so many doting relatives around, Luke usually had BOTH hands held. :) I'm also trying to film while not running into anything. :P

Squealing at Birds

There were a bunch of pigeons on the pier at the Oregon Coast, when we visited my family, and Luke got SOOOO excited to see them. I think cuz they were fluttering and milling around - he only really squeals once on the video - he did that several more times before I got the camera out! :)

Walking in Shoes

Now that he's figured out the walking thing, the next step is to figure out how to walk with shoes on! He's pretty good - a little unsteady, but getting there. :)

All Around the House

Another demonstration of his rapidly improving walking skills! This video is long, but I find it just fascinating how he is content to just wander around the house. He loves nothing more right now than practicing his new skills. And note his confidence is boosted because he's got something in each hand. :)

Dancing

This is Luke's new original dance move now that he's confident not holding on to something. :) He'll dance to ANY music!

Walking with Bottle

Luke took about a week off from walking very well for some reason - maybe because of a head cold he got soon after he started doing well. But he's back in fine form now! Having a large, empty soda bottle always helps, too. :)

Kicking the Ball

One of Luke's favorite things to do! He gets such a "kick" out of hitting the ball with his foot as he walks and watching it go forward. Any of you soccer fans would be proud!

Testing Out Vijay's Present

This toy is what we bought for Vijay's 1st birthday. Incidently, Luke LOVES it - so, Vijay, your present has been "Luke-Approved"!

Playing with the Mouse

This is an extra mouse that Nathan had. He said I could try it instead of the one I was using since this one is an infared one, but I never got around to switching them out. Instead, I let Luke play with it on occasion - especially when I'd like to get something important done (like snag a treasury on Etsy!). :) He loves it!

Cinnamon's Tail

Luke is ever fascinated with Cinnamon. :) He never actually touches her very much in this video, but his giggles and excitement are priceless!

Lining Up the Ducks

I thought this was pretty cute! Luke started lining up his ducks along the edge of the bathtub all by himself. He kind of got distracted by the time we got the camera out, so we had to prompt him a few times, but you get the idea. :)

Chasing Cinnamon

Now that he can walk, he's putting his new skills to work! Chase the kitty - check!

Walking REALLY Well!

This is a long montage from this morning - can you tell I'm excited about Luke's new walking skills?!?! He's doing so well!!!

Piggy Bank

He can get the coins in his piggy bank all by himself now! He actually learned this trick the weekend I was away at choir retreat and Nathan was watching him. He's doing really good at it now!

Walking away on his own

This is a short one, but shows how he's getting better at just branching out on his own! Yeah, Luke!

Spinning Daddy's Chair

It wasn't that long ago that Luke was too unsteady on his feet to touch Nathan's chair unless it was firmly pushed in. Not so anymore - now it's fun to spin around!

Music Volume Wars

I didn't expect to be having "wars" over the volume of my kid's music until they were teenagers! Luke has discovered the volume control on his stereo, and I thought it was hilarious that he would crank it up, head bang to the music, I'd turn it down, he'd turn it back up again, etc. :)

Walking with a Stick

This is the dowel that we have in the runner of the sliding glass door. This is the first time Luke has taken it with him beyond the window area - pretty funny. I know it's an accident waiting to happen, but it's pretty cute. :)

Crawling!!!

I half-expected Luke to skip crawling altogether (only encouraged by the people who said their children started crawling around the same time they started walking). So it was a pleasant surprise to see him go when we got home from Hawaii! He is a little more fluid now, but still not super interested it it (walking is definitely his favorite!). This was his first day crawling and he did pretty well!

Bath Toys

This is mainly for Mom - to show you that Luke does like the "bath-ketball" toy you got him for his birthday! He can put the balls in the basket and likes to get squirted with the water. Sorry you can only see the top of his head - I didn't want to get the camera wet and Nathan was busy. :P

Fire Dance

The fire dancing during the evening show at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Pretty fun!

Climbing the Coconut Tree

Actually not about Luke for once. :P This was part of the Samoa presentation at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii. Pretty fun. :)

Walking

I never get tired of seeing Luke getting around on his own! Each walking video, he's showing improvement - Enjoy!

Tickling My Foot

I often have my feet up on the ottoman when Luke's cruising around because it helps keep the ottoman steady for him (the chair locks, but the ottoman doesn't). Luke just discovered that he can "tickle" Mommy's feet when they're up there! We tickle his feet all the time, so now he's discovered how to do it back. :)

Dancing to my Music

I was listening to a new CD I got for my birthday (thanks Mom & Dad Hughes!) while watching Luke and got such a chuckle out of Luke's enjoyment of the music also!

Door Laughing

We regularly let Luke poke his finger in the peephole on the door every morning when Nathan goes off to work, and he loves it. What I discovered this day (as we were waiting for Daddy to get home and I happened to be checking outside while holding Luke) was that if I step back and make an exagurated noise when he pushes on the door (to make him think he pushed me away from it all by himself) he will LAUGH HYSTERICALLY! Thankfully, he continued performing this fun trick even after I set the camera up and restaged it. Enjoy!

Walking Better

Luke has been taking his sweet time in learning how to walk. I think part of it might be his inability to get himself up and going. We have to stand him up, still. But, he's getting the hang of it! And he seems to like it!

Kitty on the Ottoman

I thought this was so cute - Luke carefully places his lego kitty on the ottoman and looks at it (or shakes it), then picks it up, moves it, and carefully places it down again. Over and over and over. The beginnings of make-believe!

Rolling all Over

Recently, Luke has decided he can really get around by rolling! He can roll pretty fast, and is quite effective at using his legs to change directions when he hits a road-block. :)

Playing with the Table

Luke really liked playing with these latches under our table (kind of like a certain cat I know!). He's also just adorable cruising and laughing. :)

"Doodle-oodle-oodle"

A few of the fun "words" and noises that Luke likes to make when using his lion walker. :)

Petting Cinnamon

Short & sweet - evidence that Cinnamon is NOT fond of Luke. :)

Eating with a Spoon

I didn't get his VERY first tries on this day, but the cuteness factor of these first attempts were too cute to pass up! I love how he would open his mouth all ready, and be trying to get the spoon in his mouth, even before it was loaded with yogurt. :) When I finally let go of his arm when the spoon was loaded, it would snap back toward his mouth - Luke loves his yogurt!

Playing Peekaboo

Luke loves it when I sneak up on him when he's around the "corner". So, even though I rarely actually say the word "peekaboo", we play this game quite often! Enjoy his laughs and other strange happy sounds. :)

FINALLY WALKING!!!

Here's proof, folks! Luke is finally starting to walk!!! Yeah!!! He took a few steps during a practice like these just after his birthday, but had since developed a severe aversion to these practices and would cry and buckle his legs, etc., refusing to try. Well, on Monday, we noticed that he'd been practicing standing on his own more, where he lets go of whatever it is he's holding onto for a few seconds (which he had also quit doing). Then, Tuesday, I tried some walking practice again and he actually tried some and took a couple steps! Then, today, he did some more for me at home, so I took advantage of hanging out with Joanna and let him practice more - Look at him go! This video is made up of several clips over the course of our visit with Joanna - you can see the progression he's made in just a few hours. :) Go Luke!!!

Lake Gregory

The next day on vacation, we drove a little bit to Lake Gregory, which had a nice swimming beach area. Luke LOVED the water there! Here are a couple clips of him sitting in the water splashing and playing. I wish I had gotten a picture or video of him in deeper water (I took him in up to his waist at times to "rinse"), but that's a casualty of being the picture taker and caretaker at the same time. :( Phyllis was nice enough to take these videos and a few pictures for me. :)

Wading in Lake Arrowhead

Our first day in Lake Arrowhead, we all headed down to a beachy area that was really close to the vacation house we were staying at. Luke seemed to really like tapping his feet in the water! We weren't properly equipped for actual swimming (suit, swim diaper, etc.) and it was kind of late in the evening, but it gave him a little taste of the water!

Walking with One Hand

Our little man is getting more confident! Here he is walking while only holding on to one hand. :) (And look at those cute little legs!)

Tara, Emma & Felicity at the Fair

Here's a video of my sister-in-law, Tara, with her two oldest girls going on the BIG slide at the county fair!

Peekaboo

Just a cute little video of Luke playing peekaboo with the curtains - and a couple little laughs!

Luke & Vijay Laughing

I finally managed to capture Luke and Vijay interacting with each other. They've done this for months - laughing and talking back and forth. It's pretty fun to watch!

Magazine

I was done looking at this decorating magazine, so since it was just destined for the recycle basket, I thought I'd let Luke play with it for awhile - he LOVES paper! He seemed to have lots of fun! :)

Pushing Truck

I didn't think I'd have to teach my boy how to play with cars and trucks, but he was treating them like any other toy - manhandling them and hitting them together/on other toys. There's nothing wrong with that, per se, but it's been fun to watch him figure out how to roll cars and trucks along the ground, after I showed him that's what they do (with "zoom zoom" sound effects). Here, he's playing with his cement mixer, having started rolling it without any advice from Mommy. :)

Luke Sliding Alone

This the first time Luke's gone down a slide this big all by himself! He's done really short ones, or has been held on to on the way down. He did pretty good!

Getting Tossed

Getting tossed in the air - something only Daddy can do! Just relish those giggles!!!

Flying Kite

Here's a little snapshot of our time at the park by Matt & Tara's house where we all went to fly their kite. I was just intending to get a video of Emma holding the kite string, but got bonus footage of Matt swinging Sophia around! :)

Bumpy Voice

On the way home from Matt & Tara's house, Luke was kind of bored and before he got whiny, he enjoyed listening to his voice bumping along. :) He's done this for awhile, like when he's being bounced on someone's knee, but it's still pretty cute. :)

Happy Walker Fun

I know I have posted quite a few videos of Luke using his walker, but he's SO CUTE when he uses it! He gets really happy and excited in this one. :)

Cracker

I have been pretty slow in allowing Luke larger chunks of crunchy things because he used to choke on the pieces pretty often. :( He didn't quite get the concept of chewing/gumming it up so that it was soft enough to swallow. But he's getting better now, and with his 8 teeth, he's enjoying learning how to use them! He can bite pieces off of the crackers that are a managable size (instead of trying to stuff the entire cracker in his mouth!).

Reading the Kitty-Cat Book

Luke has a library of little board books about farm animals (thanks Grandpa & Grandma Maloney!) and the other day, he singled out the book about cats. He started "reading" it! Naturally, I thought it was extremely cute and wanted to get it on video. What you see here is 6 minutes edited down to 1 minute. :P He ended up being pretty distracted by the music or turning the pages (which are cute, to be sure, but not the point of this video), so I cut it down to just his "words." Very fun. :)

Washcloth & Attacking the Camera

Luke had been happily playing with this washcloth for probably 10 minutes! He was throwing it on the floor, picking it up, putting it in the basket, then dropping it again - over and over and over. I was going to get a nice video of him demonstrating his superior bending over skills for you, but after doing it once, he of course sees me and thinks I'm more interesting than what he was doing! So, most of this video is actually him showing superior cruising skills, camera-attacking skills, and lion walker skills. :P

Cruising Outside

This Sunday, we arrived at Nathan's parent's house before everyone else after church, and since we don't have a key, we just enjoyed the shade in the front yard. Luke liked going back and forth along their little brick wall.

Remote Control

Luke discovered that he can cruise down the side of our bed to retrieve the remote control to the fan in our room. He gets so excited about it! I think he thinks he's on an adventure and gets the biggest kick out of me "catching" him. :)

P.S. The first time he got the remote, he immediately pointed it right at the fan! Smart cookie!

More Walker

Luke's getting better and more confident with his walker every day!

CD Player

He's become ENAMORED with the CD player recently! I moved the books that were sitting in front of it (and which were off-limits) and moved it foward a bit so he could get to it. He managed to hit the "skip" buttons a couple of times on accident (sadly not captured on video), but most of the time, he just fumbles with the display screen. Not too finely coordinated yet!

Swinging

Another cute video of Luke swinging - he gets going a little fast here, but there were some cute laughs at Daddy that I thought were precious!

Luke & Cinnamon

Luke & Cinnamon were both "trapped" in the bedroom with me because our guests were still asleep in the living room. Cinnamon wanted to get out - and away from Luke! - more than anything, and Luke was enjoying seeing her close up! There's a squeal towards the end that he was making over and over, which is what prompted me to get the camera - at least I caught it once! :)

Horsey with Uncle Andrew

Luke's testing out his vocal chords while bouncing on (soon-to-be) Uncle Andrew's knee. :)

Walker

Here's a little taste of his confidence with his walker now. He can stop it just about anywhere and go the other direction. He can also push it out of it's dead-end without our help, but doesn't seem to do that in this video. :)

Blocks Laughing

I captured a few hearty chuckles here while Luke was knocking down my block towers. :)

Legos

He doesn't exactly play with them conventionally yet, but Luke's new legos keep him entertained for quite a while usually. :)

Birthday Hats

This is at cousin Lauren's birthday party. I wanted to see Luke in a party hat, so I distracted him with a second one so he would forget he was wearing anything on his head - works pretty good! He figured out how to "bounce" the hat on the elastic string - pretty fun!

Drinking Milk

Luke's first taste of whole milk - I think it went pretty well. :)

Walker

Here's Luke on his actual birthday using his new walking toy. Nathan has already rigged the wheels so that they don't go as fast, so Luke walk behind the toy without us hovering next to him the whole way. We just have to turn it around when he gets to a dead-end. :)

Sounds Book

Anna got this book for Luke's birthday and he is playing with it for the first time here. I thought it was fun that he immediately recognized the cat in the picture! The next day, he even sounded like he said "cat" when he looked at that page, and then said it again when Cinnamon walked into the room shortly after - he hasn't said it again, though, so I'm not sure if he really knows it or not, or if he just figures he's learned that one and is moving on to other things now. :)

Walker

Nathan's parents got Luke this lion walker for his birthday. This is the first "test-drive" once the boys got it all assembled. I thought it was so cute how careful Luke was, taking a short little step and then pushing it forward again, etc. Later, he got more aggressive with it, causing Nathan to put some paper next to the wheels to slow it down some so that it wouldn't get away from him. :)

Birthday Cake

This video is long, but it shows Luke's progression from not sure what to think of this chunk of stuff on his tray to playing with the plate (I was looking away at the time - I'm not really a negligent mommy!) to realizing the wonders of sugar and "shoveling" it in as fast as he could! :) Enjoy!

Sliding with Grandma

Mom really enjoyed being a Grandma while she was here visiting!

Playground

Here's another feature on the playground with a different direction of spinning items - and he figured that out, too. :)

Connect Four

My mom brings some of my things with her every time she visits so that eventually I will be in possession of everything that I'd like to keep. :P This time, she brought my travel game of Connect Four that I thought would be good for when our kids are older to play with on car trips. Luke thought it was great! He liked to shake it really hard - and probably wanted to figure out how to get the little pieces out! :)

Giant Abacus

When my mom was visiting, we went to the park and discovered this huge abacus! Luke loved batting at the balls to make them spin. He's really learning how to add and subtract - since he has so many brains in that head of his!

Ring Stacker

We hadn't played with this ring stacker in a month or more, and when I got it out again, Luke seemed to know just what to do with everything! He could only do the large blue ring before - now he could do all of them! And he seems to know that when he finishes the stack is when he gets the biggest applause, so he'll take the top one off and put it back on just to get the praise. :P

Laughing at Kitty

It's not his real hearty laugh, but you can get a peak into our happy boy's day as he enjoys seeing Cinnamon. :)

Music Appreciation

I think Luke understands this song to say, "If you're happy and you know it, bob your head!"

Sliding

Luke seemed to like this slide - he'd reach forward to grab Nathan's fingers and then pull himself forward - Nathan's not pulling him down at all. :)

Blocks

Luke's enjoying the set of blocks he got for Christmas. I kept them put away for awhile and just brought them out - he quickly figured out how to stack them 3 high!

Sunglasses

Here's Luke looking cool in his baby sunglasses! He actually let me keep them on him for more than a second, so I took advantage of that. :) Notice also how he will grab onto my hand and let go of his other support - kinda crazy.

Cruising Around the House

Luke is now a quite accomplished cruiser! He can cruise on just about anything and he is getting more brave and confident every day. Even looking back at this video take 5 days before I actually posted it, he seems a lot slower and more careful than he does now! (I cut out about a minute and a half in the middle because he's just playing with the grate - cute as it is, I had to trim the video somewhere to keep it a more reasonable length!) Enjoy!

Graham Cracker

Another eating one - I tried a graham cracker again. He did MUCH better than the first time I tried it when we was about 7 months old. :)

Toy Basket

We wanted to watch some of the Lakers game while Luke was still awake, but since it was pretty close to his bedtime, he tends to like to be entertained or distracted to stay happy. Well, I got out his toy basket and let him have access to the whole thing! This kept him busy for quite a while. :) (most of the basket had already been emptied at this point) I think it's pretty funny how he'd look at a toy then throw it back in the basket, then go for the next one.

Screw in the Basket

Luke figured out how to put the screw from his tool bench into the hole above the basket on his sports toy. Very clever!

Napping

Here's a sneak peak into one of Luke's naps. I went in to see if he was ready to get up because it was time, only he was sleeping so soundly. Since taking pictures makes noise, I thought it would be fun to take a video since I can set the camera to start (and beep) prior to going in his room in order to preserve his sleep. I hope you enjoy his peaceful little face as much as I do!

Eating a piece of bread

Here's another example of his first time trying something not cut up. He's still got a long way to go! When he's sucking on the bread, with a huge piece hanging out, I crack up EVERY time!

Eating a Whole Banana

This was pretty much my first attempt at giving Luke something "whole" to eat. I'd tried a graham cracker several months back and he just bit off a piece and choked on it. He still very much needs to learn how to moderate his bites, but it was pretty cute watching him try to eat the banana and figure out how it all worked. :)

Playing with Books

I let Luke have free reign over this once shelf of his board books, and he discovered that he can open and turn the pages on this Bible book all by himself! The cover is larger than the pages, so he can open it easier than other board books (which he really can't do at all yet). And then, once it's open, the pages loosen from each other a little easier than on other books. He was quite entertained!

Cruising Around

Luke does a great job cruising from thing to thing. He situates his feet and makes sure he's balanced on the new item before making the move over. Yeah, Luke!

Turning Pages

Luke has gotten very good at turning the pages of his board books when we read them. He can't yet get one page free by himself, but if I loosen a page, he'll grab it and turn it over. (Otherwise, he'd grab the whole second half of the book and close it!) He gets very excited sometimes - especially when I ask him to turn it and then cheer him on when he is successful!

Couch Cruising

Here's a classic-looking video of Luke cruising along the couch. He's getting more and more brave and cruises almost everywhere! He can even go from thing to thing if they're close enough to each other (about 2 feet apart). Life's getting exciting! (And I realize his pants are a little long for this sort of activity - I rolled up the hem just after I took this video)

Standing Practice

Here is a clipped version of one of his saucer standing sessions. I noticed that he was practicing standing alone ALL BY HIMSELF! It's SO CUTE!!! So, I taped it and cut the video so that most of what you see are his attempts to stand without holding on to the saucer. There's a great big attempt at the end!

Cruising!

Luke has crossed the "cruising" frontier! Here's an example of him cruising to get to the water bottle on the other side of the saucer. Most of the time still, he needs an incentive to go somewhere, but he's getting more mobile with each day! (Also notice at one point he stands up on his tip-toes!)

Throwing Ball

I've shown you Luke throwing a ball before, but he gets all excited now after he throws it!

Standing

Luke's getting much more confident standing! Here he stands one-handed for a while, and even though his solo stand is rather short here, he DID earn the "stand alone" sticker on his baby calender today for doing several longer stands!

Pots & Pans

This is my desperate attempt to keep Luke entertained one morning while he was fussy - it worked! These pots were being thrown away, so there's nothing he could do to them that would matter. :)

Ottoman Standing

Luke kept straining to reach the ottoman while standing at his other toys, so I let him have a shot at it - he did pretty well. And he enjoyed being closer to Cinnamon also. :)

Vijay & Luke

Here's another attempt to get the two babies interacting with each other. Vijay can be MUCH more vocal and excited than this, but hey, maybe he was just really interested in what Luke had to say. :)

Turtle Toy Sounds

I remembered that this turtle toy of Luke's (not pictured) makes ocean and bubble sounds when you press it's tummy. He got so excited when it made noises! (and it was actually kind of hard to press, so I set the camera down so I could use two hands)

Luke's First Swim

Once he got to try out the wading pool all by himself (with no crazy older cousins jumping around and splashing), Luke quickly decided he liked swimming! It's like one big bathtub (and about the same temperature, too!).

Saucer Standing

Here's a good example of what Luke spends a lot of time doing - standing on the outside of his saucer. He has a special "sound" that he makes when he stands and has walking practice, so you can hear that also. In addition, you can see how brave he's getting by only holding on with one hand!



P.S. Google Video has been giving me trouble. I prefer their video uploading method when it's working. If it gets the kinks worked out, I'll probably replace these Blogger videos with the Google ones - if only because the Google ones give you a larger viewing screen. :) Meanwhile, I couldn't wait to share Luke's latest milestones with you! Enjoy!

Walking Practice

Luke is doing better practicing walking. In these video clips, he gets off to a slow start, but still works his little legs. I have learned a trick to this - pull his hands slightly forward and that gives him the incentive to move his legs forward. If you just hold his hands, he's content to just stand there. :) Since this video (and mentioning my trick to Nathan), he walks very well with Daddy as well. :) We can get him to walk all over the house - just slowly.

Opening Drawer

Luke discovered that he's strong enough to open our bottom dresser drawer! And he copied me by pushing it back in for the first time as we were filming. :)

Toys

A little window into our play times.

High Chair Protest

When I've finished cleaning Luke up after he's eaten, I rinse out the washcloth, etc. before getting him down. This is how he lets me know he wants out - a mild protest. :)

Laughing

Here I am trying my dad's trick of popping out from behind the chair to make Luke laugh - worked pretty well!

Standing at Toys

Not super exciting, but shows how he plays while standing up. :)

Luke & Vijay

Luke and Vijay had JUST been laughing at each other, going back and forth waving their arms and exclaiming - but they were standing on opposite sides of the coffee table from each other and we couldn't take a video and make sure they were safe standing there at the same time. :( This video is a lot less animated, but you can still see some interaction between the two. Luke is 2-1/2 months older then Vijay, so at this age, that's enough of an age difference for Luke to successfully taunt Vijay with the toys. :)

Eating

Luke looked so big and mature sitting in this booster high chair, I just HAD to get a video of him. :)

Rocking Saucer

I put Luke in the saucer when we come home from the grocery store since I usually have to make a few more trips down to the garage for more groceries after bringing him up. That way I know he's safe and can't get into anything. When I have the saucer's legs put away, he can rock it back and forth - and has a happy time telling you all about it!

I tried getting a video of him closer, but he wouldn't "perform" with me standing there. So, I propped the camera on the counter and went about putting the groceries away. He doesn't know he's being filmed. :)

Pulling Up

This is the extent of Luke's pulling up at the moment - but it's still progress! He gets up onto his knees sort of - they're still "indian-style".

Scooting Backwards

At the end of our 10-month photo session, I put Luke on his tummy. He started pushing himself backwards - the next step towards crawling! Then, he started getting into the curtains, which is usually off-limits, but he seemed to be playing nice with them (pulling sideways, rather than yanking them down!), so I let it go this time. Pretty cute!

Swinging some more!

More swinging - this time the lighting is better, and he has such fun expressions of joy!

Sliding

This is Luke's second time down the slide (the first was just seconds before, but I didn't have the camera ready in time). He wasn't sure what to think, but I think he'll like it eventually. :)

Luke & Karis

Luke is having fun interacting with other babies a lot more now! Here, he's laughing with Karis when she visited. He was laughing more before I got the camera out (typical). A week later, he got laughing A LOT with Vijay, but I wasn't able to get a video of it. :(

Swinging

This is Luke's first time at the park - he really likes swings! I especially like the times when he lets out a joyful cackle. :)

Basketball

This is a little basketball hoop that my parents gave Luke when they visited.

Throwing the Ball

Luke is VERY GOOD at throwing a ball now! Sometimes he "misfires" and the ball goes off to the side or something, but I eventually managed to capture him throwing it forward several times in a row. Yeah, Luke!!!

Lunchmeat

Another eating video - he's learning how to eat all sorts of foods with all sorts of fun new textures!

Cheerios

Just a cute video to show Luke's Cheerios-eating skills, and happy smiles!

Reaching for the Camera

Luke is pretty persistent here! Also note Cinnamon sleeping peacefully in Nathan's chair in the background. :)

Bouncing

We spent some time as a family out on our porch to take advantage of the cool weather and borrowed patio chairs! Luke was nearing bedtime, so was kind of fussy. Bouncing on Daddy's knee kept him content for awhile - he seemed to like listening to his voice bounce also!

Smiling & Laughing

My parents couldn't get enough of trying to make Luke smile and laugh! Towards the end of the video, my dad hid behind my chair and stuck his head out to look at look - from one side then the other side, etc. The anticipation on Luke's face is almost as excited as when he actually sees Grandpa!

Jam Session

Here, my dad is having a "jam session" with Luke and his music toy. Luke seems a little distracted for most of the video (he was pretty into it right before), but you get some vocals out of him towards the end!

Chopsticks

My dad, Nathan & Luke walked down the hill to Panda Express for dinner. When my mom and I drove down to pick them up (so the food wouldn't get cold on the trek back up the hill), they had given Luke some chopsticks to play with. So when we got back the house and settled in to eat, I got this cute video of him inspecting the chopsticks more thoroughly. :)

Playing with Grandpa

My parents visited from Oregon for a few days and LOVED spending lots of time with Luke! Here, Grandpa is helping Luke play with his toys - you can hear Grandma in the background.

First Big Tub Bath

Luke's first bath directly in the big tub. (He'd been taking his baths in his little tub which sits inside the big tub.)

Talking La-La-La

Here is a great clip of him talking! You can even see his tongue working to say the sounds! It only took me like 10 tries over 2 days to capture this, but here it is! Enjoy!

Talking & Toys

Here's Luke finally captured on camera doing his new version of "talking". And just for fun, he had some cute actions with his toys I thought I'd add. :)

High Chair Rocking

This was my first attempt to capture his new way of "talking". I wasn't very successful with that, but he looks pretty cute rocking in his high chair and looking fresh-faced (this is after breakfast in the morning). :)

Eating Veggies

Here's an example of how Luke feeds himself right now - slow and not alway successful. :) But, he does get one pea in his mouth here. I realize there's also a pea on his bib, but if you'll look closely there's one in his mouth also. He can't smile big and chew at the same time. :)

Shaking File Cabinet

This is one of Luke's favorite things to do. He likes to hold on to Daddy's file cabinet handle and shake it - it makes a fun noise!

Phone Call

Luke hasn't figured out that he's supposed to talk into a telephone, so when I have people on the line who'd like to "talk" to him, he's speechless. But it's not for any lack of excitement! Here's a video to show all of you who call for him what he looks like when he hears you. :)

Steering Wheel

Another toy from the baby sale - a toy steering wheel - a nice "boy"-themed toy. :)

Music Toy

Here's another toy I got at the baby sale - he really likes this one!

Basketball

I had just gone to a baby sale and got Luke some new toys. As I was putting things away, I sat him down in front of this sports station and I glance over and he already knew to put the ball in the basket by himself! So, naturally, out comes the camera! He needed a little prompting to do it on cue, but it's still cute. :)

First Swing

We went over to Gary & Jessica's house one morning to play when Nathan's cousin Michelle was visiting with her son, David. Luke got the opportunity to swing for the first time! He was squinting because of the sun, but would occasionally kick his legs and kind of fussed when he slowed down. :) He seemed to really like it!

Train Ride

This Thomas train was in the backyard at Grandma's house for a while and Luke was taking a ride. Nathan's uncle, Larry, is supervising the expedition. :)

Easter Egg

Nathan's mom gave Luke a few special eggs just for him during the Easter egg hunt - they were filled with baby star snacks! We emptied a ... all » few out of one so that it wouldn't explode everywhere and let Luke play with it to see if he could open it to find the treasures. Sure enough, he quickly snatches up the stars in his cute little hands!

Hiking

When we started out on our short hike in Whitney Canyon (Luke's first hike!), Luke was happily talking away. Wouldn't you know it, he stopped talking when I pressed "record". :( Oh, well - here he is enjoying his first hike being carried by Daddy.

Rolling

More demonstration of his new ability to roll around!

Rolling Both Ways

Once Luke learned how to roll OFF of his tummy, he quickly learned how to roll ON to his tummy! Here he's performing how adept he is at both ways of rolling. :)

Shaking Water Bottle

A friend of mine suggested putting pennies in an empty water bottle as a fun toy for a baby - Luke loves it! He could sit and shake this bottle for a long time! Sometimes the pennies get stuck in the lid, but he eventually figured out that if he shakes the bottle hard enough, they'll come loose!

Ball Clanking

Luke loves to bang two toys together! It's especially fun to see him banging these two balls - he can hold on to them well enough get going pretty well sometimes - and he's very proud of his accomplishments!

Rolling

We've done this a few times - I'll roll him onto his tummy (which he can do but is reluctant to do most of the time) and then he'll promptly roll onto his back - over and over across the floor!

Saucer Monologue

Luke likes to give a running commentary when he stands. It usually nothing more than vowel sounds still, but it's kind of fun to listen to!

Sippy Cup

I bought Luke a new sippy cup that has a softer spout on it (he couldn't figure out that he needed to suck the spout on the last one - he would just bite it and then give up because nothing came out!). This one, he has taken to very quickly! He's still learning how to use it all by himself (and getting it tilted high enough to actually get water out), but he's getting there. Definitely a less-messy bridge to using a regular cup all by himself!

Bath Time

Luke has always loved his bath time. Now that he's standing some, he really enjoys the anticipation of his bath by standing at the tub and looking in. :)

Clapping

This is how Luke claps right now - up and down. I would have tried for a longer clip of him clapping, but my memory card filled up and put a stop to any further recording. :) The smile and laugh in the middle is just to melt your heart!

Rolling Over!!!

YEAH!!! This classic milestone is finally reached!

His first time rolling over was just days before turning 6 months, then he didn't do it again until 7-1/2 months. Now, at one day before 8 months, he is officially a roller! This is the second time rolling over this morning (4th time ever) and he'll do it a third time later in the day.

Walking Practice

Now that Luke's putting pressure on his feet, the next logical step is to help him stand and walk. He doesn't yet know he's supposed to lift up his feet, so walking practice usually consists of lifting his whole body up and moving that side forward. :)

Truck Book

He's not exactly the literary type at the moment! But, he's being exposed to books - when I read to him, he'll happily bang on the pages. When left to his own devices, he'll try to eat the story. :)

Playing with his Hair

He was not enjoying his tummy time at all, but when he discovered his hair, that seemed to keep him content for awhile!

Eating the Camera

He likes all electronic objects and will try to get them - of course his mouth is primed and ready to inspect said objects!

Water bottle

He's scooting on his tummy to get to stuff he wants. And he just likes the water bottle no matter what. :)

Standing by his Saucer

Luke can stand up on his own strength while holding onto (or leaning against) the saucer or couch! He had been doing great here, then started getting fussy right when we got the camera out - but you get the idea. :)

Luke's Truck

Luke loves this cement truck that Nathan's friend Brian got him for Christmas. He can either play with it "properly" by pulling on the green tab, or man-handles it. :) Either way, he has a blast!

Cinnamon and Luke's Ball

Cinnamon discovered these soft little balls that were at one of Luke's showers (I had gotten them out for Luke to play with - which he enjoys also!).

Elephant Ear

He really likes this elephant ear that crinkles when you touch it. He can play with it for quite a long time!

Talking in the red chair

He was happily "talking" to Grandma Hughes and Mommy!

Karis & Luke

This is Luke and his friend, Karis, who's 2 weeks older than him. They really seem to enjoy each other!

Falling toys

He's discovered that when a toy falls off the couch, it goes somewhere! He has this cute, curious expression with his mouth when he looks to see where his toy went. :)

More jumping!

I know - lots of jumper videos - but I think he's so cute when he's doing this! I can't help myself! :)

Jumper fun

He keeps getting better at actually jumping!

Playing with yardstick

Luke found my yardstick fascinating - and Cinnamon finds Luke fascinating!

Spitting "All Done!"

This is Luke's way of saying "No more food, Mommy!"

Standing in Saucer

Happy little boy! Notice he's straightening his legs now to push himself up.

Luke before his bath

Luke gets all wiggly - kicking and banging his legs and arms - right before his bath, no matter what his former mood might have been!

Playing with rings

Playing with his rings, and enjoying the texture of the chair - notice he wants to eat the arm of the chair? :)

Laughing in Jumper

Luke loves it when I make funny noises or kiss his hands and cheeks!

Drinking water

Luke LOVES to drink water straight out of a cup or water bottle! He is still pretty messy here, but you can tell how excited he is by how wide his mouth opens for more - he never opens that wide for food! And this water is refrigerater cold, too!

Entertaining Himself

Who needs toys - just get a little leg-slapping and some toes, and you're set!

Luke in the jumper

Luke's second time in his jumper and he's starting to get the hang of things.

Sitting and Playing

Luke's getting better at sitting - he can play with things while sitting now - doesn't need his hands to keep balance. Cinnamon chooses this opportunity to check out her increasingly active adversary.

Green Beans

Luke's first bites of non-cereal food! At first, he didn't seem to mind the green beans, but eventually, he started making faces, and rejecting them. The next couple days, he wouldn't even eat a bite or two without spitting them out! Thankfully, weeks later, he eventually came to like the green bean. :)