13 Months

This week Luke turned 13 months old. 

What a handsome guy!

And quite a personality too!

I decided his monthly pictures will now be taken in his booster seat. 

Otherwise, you just can't keep this busy boy still long enough to capture a photo.

It's party time! This handsome chap attended a graduation party on Sunday.

Then, we headed out to dinner with Grammy and Grandpa.

We ended the night at Sparky's, where Luke tasted ice-cream for the first time! 

After Grandpa gave him a bite of cookies and cream, Luke let out a definitive, "yummmmmm!"

Monday we headed to the St. Louis Zoo. 

Luke loved watching the animals.

His favorite was the elephants. 

We saw a baby elephant and her mom jump into a pool of water up close to the viewing area. Look past Luke in this photo and you will spot an elephant.  

He also loved the tiger (of course!).

Look, he is petting his new friend.

The rain rolled in as evening approached. We had seen all the animals and were just headed to the train when the downpour started. While we waited, we sang, "Rain, Rain, Go Away," and Luke learned to clap along. These pictures show the art of clapping.

Step 1: Hands apart

Step 2: Vigorously pull hands together

Step 3: Look at hands and concentrate to do it again

Step 4: Laugh!

We didn't get to ride the train since the rain didn't stop, so we decided to save it for our next visit. On the way out, Luke was fascinated by the giant shark towering above. 

 Tuesday Luke and I celebrated our first official day home together for the summer.  We played at home in the morning and then headed to the gym after nap time. I took Luke to the play center at the gym, and I was overwhelmed by how many kids were there. Apparently all the moms decided to bring their kids to the gym that morning. Luke was hesitant, but I walked away as he entered the play area with all the kids. After about 5 minutes on the elliptical machine, I had a feeling I needed to check on him. Yes, he was screaming at the top of his lungs when I peeked at him through the window. I went ahead and took him home; I figured we try again on a less crowded day. He's never had a lot of separation anxiety, so this is new for us both. We went to Hy-Vee and had fun grocery shopping instead. In fact, Luke scored a giant sausage calzone he devoured when he got home.

We are really enjoying our basement this summer. Luke loves playing with his magnet board (idea courtesy of Pinterest; it's an oil-drip pan from Walmart).

After our visit to the zoo, Luke was able to find the elephant magnet. 

Wednesday we headed to the swimming pool for the first time. I figured we'd do a quick trial run before we decided to meet friends there. The first thing I realized is it takes quite a bit of preparation to take yourself and a one year old to the pool. After getting sunscreen, swim diaper, and trunks/rash guard on Luke, I had to get myself ready too. Then, when I got everything in the car, I realized it looked like I was headed out of town over the weekend. I had a giant beach bag, the diaper bag, and my purse stuffed full. I'm sure I'll figure out how to slim that down later. 

Our pool is perfect for toddlers, because it has a sloped entry and a very shallow area where toddlers can just wade around. Luke was quite apprehensive when we approached the water. I held him while I waded around in the water for about 20 minutes (he held onto my neck for dear life). Then he let me sit down in the water with him in my lap. After about 20 more minutes, he got brave and walked around chasing after his splash balls. Way to go, Luke!

Not quite sure about the pool thing...

The best part about our summer so far is not having a schedule to keep (although nap times are VERY important). Otherwise, we just play!

Evel Knievel tries to stand on his motorcycle and do a trick.

On Friday morning we had our first class at The Little Gym. Boy, oh boy, did we have a good time! Luke's favorite was the balance beam; he managed to climb up by himself and needed little assistance to walk across.

Doing pull ups to buff up his biceps.

The air mat was fun for bouncing!

Luke loved climbing on and running up the different mats.

Even with all the new and fun gym equipment, Luke kept running over to the basketball goal. This kid was just born to play ball.

Luke earned stamps on his feet for a great class. Jacob and I had such a fun time watching him interact with the other kids and the teacher at his class. He did such a good job listening and playing!

What a great first week of the summer! 

I know you thought Luke was a basketball star, but check out his soccer skills...