Happy Father's Day...{better late than not at all}!!!

We had a great time celebrating Father's Day last Sunday...
We woke up early (Luke's idea) and made Daddy a yummy breakfast. Then we gave Daddy his presents.


Mommy made Daddy a T-shirt with his favorite quote on it from his favorite movie, The Big Lebowski, and also bought Daddy a much-needed new pair of shorts.


Luke and Mommy picked out some good pictures of our family, edited them on picnik.com (luuuuuv it), and framed them for Daddy's new office. Mommy wrote out a card for Luke to give to Daddy, and Luke did his best to color it. Daddy really liked all his presents...phew!

After that we played for a while and then went to church together. We had a good time and Luke had tons of fun playing with the big kids in the nursery. Mommy was super thoughtful and made SURE to be ready ON TIME so that we'd make it to all of the worship time before the sermon started. That made Daddy soooo happy. After church, we went home and had lunch together. Luke took a long nap and Daddy took a short one. Mommy cleaned the bathrooms and the floors, and then Luke decided to wake up and play. Daddy had to do some work in the yard, because the monsoon on Friday night made it too wet for Daddy to work on Saturday. Luke and Mommy played in the swimming pool while Daddy fixed the lawnmower. Then when Daddy started mowing, Luke and Mommy watched him mow while swinging on the hammock. Luke really liked this part. After that, it was Luke's dinner time, then bath time, then bed time. All in all, it was a fun day of relaxing and hanging out together as a family. The only thing we didn't get to was putting up a special post on our blog for Daddy, so I promised Luke we'd get it done this week. Luke wanted to share some of the many, many reasons why he loves his Daddy, so here goes!

Luke loves Daddy because...


Daddy loves to play with him.


Daddy loves to read to him.


And Daddy will even play Blue's Clues games with him on the computer.


Daddy helps him out of sticky-stucky situations.


Daddy kindly shares his 2 passions with him,
#1 being Chick-Fil-A...


...and #2 being Georgia Tech.


Daddy's not afraid...


...to dress alike.


Daddy goes with Luke when Luke is too scared to go alone.


Daddy is always teaching Luke just how to do things the right way.


Daddy is so funny and always good for a laugh.


Daddy is strong...


...and fierce...


...and yet he makes Luke feel safe and secure.


Daddy's not afraid to give Luke kisses...


...or even wear him on his chest.


Daddy always has killer style...


...and was kind enough to pass down his awesome good looks to Luke.

But most of all, Luke loves Daddy...


...because Daddy first loved him!


We'd also like to acknowledge two other daddies that we absolutely love and adore around these parts.

One is Phil's daddy, and Luke's "Papa T.", Stanley Tatum.

And the other is my daddy, Rick Miller, and Luke's "Pops".



Thank you to both of you for being wonderful fathers and awesome grandfathers. We are so blessed not only to be loved by you, but also to see and experience your love for our son. We could not ask for better fathers and role models to both of us, as well as Luke, and we love you both so, so much!!

Tampa Time.

About 2 weeks ago we were in Tampa for my parents' 60th birthday party. Phil could only stay for the weekend, but Luke and I got to stay for a little more than a week! We had so much fun. For one thing, Luke got to meet my brother, Ben, for the very first time. I was so excited about this that I made up a song about it for Luke. No need to be impressed. The lyrics were nothing more than "We're going to meet Uncle Ben" over and over. (Music is in Phil's genes, not mine.) Anyway, my brother is really good with babies, and somehow, even though he's about 6'4", babies always like him. Sure enough, Luke really liked his Uncle Ben and vice versa. Luke also really liked Ben's wife, Abbi. He thought she was so fun and just stared at her and smiled, proving that he is a smart boy, because Abbi is GORGEOUS! Luke got to go to my Aunt Carol's house to play for a few hours and also got to go to my parents' office so they could show him off. Lots of family came to see him at my parents' house, too, which was so nice. Luke even got to play with his Tampa girlfriend, Finley (my best friend Paige's little girl), for a while. Finley's an older woman, so he was quite enamored of her. It was too cute. All in all, we had a fabulous time and left with lots of memories. (Well, I did anyway) Here are some pics from the trip!

This picture pretty much epitomizes what everyone did for fun: watched Luke. He we are watching him eat. Fun times.


Luke meeting his Uncle Ben at the airport.


Uncle Ben trying to make his cheeks as big as Luke's. Luke failed to find the humor in this.


Yet again, the center of attention. My best friend, Paige, my sister, Anne, and my dad are trying to get Luke to smile. Finley had better things to do.


Staring into Finley's big, blue eyes and trying to figure out how he can get down there to give her a big ol' kiss.


Finley, the older woman, with her gorgeous, big blue eyes.


Love.


So in love that he's willing to let the woman drive.


Luke being loved on by one of his biggest fans, my grandma.


Luke being fed by my grandma in my parents' LIVING ROOM! This proves how spoiled grandchildren are. My siblings and I weren't allowed to eat in the living room until we were at least 21. I'm still not sure if we are....


Playing with Pops (my dad).


Chillin' with my Aunt Kate and Cookie Monster.


Hanging out with my wild and crazy Aunt Debbie.


Meeting my silly Uncle Johnny for the first time. Luke's first encounter with a mustache. He didn't quite know what to think.


Speaking of silly Uncle Johnny...this was his doing.


Laughing it up with my Aunt Carol.


Going for a dry run in Uncle Johnny's kayak.


Having fun with his Aunt Annie, my little sister.


Helping Pops write up a contract.


Playing with Flipper (my mom).


Taking a spin in my old walker...yes, I know it looks like an ancient torture device, but supposedly I loved it and would fly around my parents' un-carpeted house like a speed racer. Luke kept getting body parts stuck in it, so he wasn't such a big fan...


Loving being the spoiled only grandchild...and loving having a grandchild to spoil!

Beware the LukeNess Monster...

Back in July, Luke and I were in Tampa, and I was talking with my mom and said something like, "Well, I guess Luke could be a LukeNess monster for Halloween...". Mom and I chuckled, and I didn't really think much more of it. A couple months later, mom called and said she had just bought a pattern to make a LukeNess monster costume! She was good to her word, and, even though Luke's ever-increasing size threw things off a bit, she was able to save the day by modifying an appropriately colored fleece onesie she found at a consignment store and making a hood and tail to go with it! My mom can do pretty much anything...She's awesome that way. Anyway, the LukeNess monster was a big hit. Since he goes to bed at 7 pm, he wasn't going to be able to make his rounds through the neighborhood, so we took him next door to our favorite neighbors, the Schrocks', house. (For those of you who keep up with the blog, it was Reid's house.) We had so much fun showing him off and letting him play. They were expecting him and knew that he wasn't quite ready for candy yet, so they made him his very own little trick-or-treat goodie bag with a little orange toy football (Reid picked it out just for Luke) and an orange sippy cup. Luke was thrilled to have new things to chew on! Here are some pictures of the LukeNess monster in all his big, bad glory and some interesting facts about him, should you not be familiar with the species.

The LukeNess monster is in the process of evolving into an independent sitter.

Do not be fooled by the LukeNess monster's head scales. They can sometimes look like a rooster's comb when they slide down onto his forehead, but they are in fact VERY sharp and dangerous and nothing like a rooster's floppy, useless comb.

The LukeNess monster, with his one razor sharp tooth, loves to chew on anything and everything.

The scales can sometimes cover the monster's eyes, but his vision remains precise and perfect for toy-hunting.

When at rest, the LukeNess monster can often be found in what is known to some as the "calendar pose".


The monster's movement resembles a crawl, but is more of a scoot and pull.


When sleepy or needing a bit of a break, the LukeNess monster loves to suck his thumb.


Interestingly enough, the LukeNess monster is often surprised to find that he has a tail.


...And lastly...
Beware the LukeNess monster...He has been known to kill with his cuteness.




We had a great time dressing up our little guy for his first Halloween. He was such a trooper and never fussed about having to wear the hood. It was a really cold day, so the fleece was snugly warm and perfect. Luke definitely had fun on his first Halloween, but maybe not as much fun as we had with him!

(P.S. Thanks, Mom!)