24 More Days!

Luke will turn one in 24 days. It just doesn't seem possible that a year has gone by since my first meeting with my handsome little one. He has changed SO much. Each day I think how charming he has become. He is so very different from his sister too. He jumps head first into things (often getting himself in quite the predicaments!) and he smiles often. He babbles constantly...and he is a food critic for sure. Each and every meal he practically yells through. He puts food in his mouth and then we hear "Ya ya ya ya!!" and then he repeats the whole thing. He doesn't just talk while he eats, he voices himself loudly. Honestly our house is only quiet when he is asleep. He is also developing into an emotional little guy...if I'm lying on the couch he will crawl or cruise over (he still won't let go and just walk around!) and he leans into me and puts his nose right against mine and just grins. He is such a flirt.

As his birthday has been approaching, I've begun to feel the sadness of him turning one. I love him so much, and now that he is a little older he is much easier to handle. He still keeps me on my toes, but there is much, much less crying. He just is as content as can be as long as he is fed and had a nap. He will play with anything...and even has begun to really play independently too. There are days that although I have an evening out planned (for say a United Methodist Women's meeting) I almost want to stay home to play with Luke and Savannah. When a mom would give up the precious little time she gets away from the house, you know she's in love!

I am just so proud of my little ones. They are such unique little people. Of course, with that comes unique attitudes too. Savannah is already starting some of the drama I'm sure we will see well through her teen years. I am amazed at their development though. They each have different strengths...but they each adore the other.

With all this nostalgia over Luke turning one, I'm sure some have wondered if Carl and I will think about a third. I've been pretty clear that we aren't planning for a third...and the fact that Luke is growing out of the baby stage doesn't seem to change my mind. There are times that I miss being pregnant, or the excitement of having another, the idea of a gender reveal party (which if we had a third, I most definitely would do one of these!), and just the idea of a sibling for Savannah and Luke to love...but then reality wins out. I know I will probably always want to have those things...even when I'm 40! And honestly, our Disney Cruise convinced me that I don't want more children. It isn't that the children on the boat were unbearable...completely NOT the case. It's because I want to take my kids on a cruise like that...and often. Carl and I have already started talking about trying to cruise with the kids every 2-3 years with smaller vacations on the years between. We will visit Disney World in 2014...but then may not go back for a while...maybe 2018? After that we may not go back for a long time...but we will cruise. We love it...and it's magical and relaxing. Disney World is magical, but NOT relaxing. So we want those trips for our kids...and having a third would seriously crimp that plan. Now, if God decides we need a third child, we will love a new one immensely...we'll just change our priorities. For now, we are happy with our family of four...and our plan (although God's plan isn't always our plan!) is to keep it that way for good.

Now just to plan our Disney 2014 trip and keep saving for the Disney Cruise in 2016!!!