Signs of Summer!!!

Ok, so we are not quite singing "School's Out For The Summer" (I have 3 more days before I can sing that song), but nothing says summer like spending Memorial Day at the pool! Luca and I are going to be spending many of our summer days here, but today was extra special because daddy came with!
Luca had a blast and LOVED the water! In addition to looking super cool, I think he thought it was a giant bath! He did keep trying to drink the water, and by the looks of it, I am beginning to think he needs sunglasses!
He even made a new friend! No, not the sea lion water spray that was next to him, but a little girl just his age. We all felt the day couldn't have been more perfect!

There's more than just a lake at the lakehouse!

Thanks Auntie Lynn for introducing me to the sandbox! Thanks to you, I think my mommy and daddy are going to get me my very own!
What good little babysitters Courtney and Kaileigh are for Luca! (I guess they learned from the best!)

E-I-E-I-O!!!

And on this farm there was a deer? Yes, deer at the Nottowa Fruit Farm. We saw also saw a sheep, miniature horse, some goats and a few kittens, but by far the most thrilling of them all was the fawn. Luca squeeled with delight when cousin Kaileigh showed him how to feed them. Now he walks around ripping out hand fulls of grass trying to feed Gus!
Woah! That is one pretty big wheel! But it looks like Luca wants to take this tractor on!
Where there are stairs there is a luca. Doesn't he look proud of himself for climbing them? He is probably just waiting for someone to pull him off!
And he makes it! This is the cutest little farmer I've ever seen!
It was as if he has driven a tractor before! Isn't it amazing they know what to do without having actually had the experience yet? I'm amazed everyday! :)

Captain "Crabbypants" Luca

This boat trip started out as a remedy for Luca's fussy day. It worked for a little while until...
We put the life jacket on him. It pretty much ruined his day. Not even driving the boat with nonnie was much of a consolation prize.
He was very torn about how to feel. Here, he seems very excited with his duty as captain...
all the while he is waving his hands back and forth as in "all done" in sign language (meaning "I'm all done with this life jacket. PLEASE TAKE IT OFF!")

YES! Michigan

With Mike being VERY busy in his new job, Luca and I headed to Michigan for the start of Memorial Day weekend with the rest of aunts, uncles, cousins, nonnie and papa. And like all Memorial Day weekends, there is work to be done before the playing begins - no ifs, ands, or buts about it (not even for babies!)
Can somebody please let us in? We are clean and dry!
Luca's 2 great loves ~ pretzels and papa.

It's like peanut butter and jelly, french fries and ketchup, corona and lime...

some things are just meant to be together!

All Boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Does this image remind you of anything particularly BOY???

chapter 15: INDEPENDENCE

So, I don't know what it is about turning 14 months 3 weeks, but it has introduced a whole new chapter in our lives: independence, opinions, and tantrums. These pictures derive from luca not wanting me to use the fork, but it had to be all him... After many attemts at stabbing the food, he found it works better just by shoveling into his mouth with his fingers. Hey, whatever keeps him happy!