Dear Lucas (30 Months),

Yet another month has gone by way too fast. How are you already halfway to your third birthday? Maybe time just seems to speed by so fast because you keep me on my toes so much. As cliche as it may be, being a mom has been more rewarding and more challenging then I could have ever imagined. I love that you are still innocent enough to think all problems can be solved with a hug and a kiss.

Since the last major "poop episode" we have been keeping you fully clothed at all times. Luckily it has kept the poop in your diaper where it belongs. However, you sure find other ways to get into things. This morning I went to get you up for church and SURPRISE you were already up and your room looked like you had thrown a toddler house party. I have no clue how you managed to completely pull your mattress off your bed or reach the things on the highest shelves of your bookcase. Now I understand why some people invest in video baby monitors!

One of the skills we have been working on is getting you to pick up your toys. It is a constant battle ALL day EVERY day but we are getting there. You will even beg for us to just throw away certain toys instead of having to pick them up. Sorry, to let you know that this is not going to be a battle you are going to win. My future daughter-in-law is going to be very thankful!

We've also been working on getting you to be nice to Jadie again. I know it is party our fault that lately you don't want to have anything to do with her except for every once in a while when you feel like playing with her for five whole minutes. Sometimes when you refuse to eat at mealtimes we will tell you that if you don't ear we will give your food to Jadie. Suddenly you will be all "NO! My food!" and start eating. Similarly if you don't want to put your shoes on we will tell you that we will just give your shoes to Jadie. Your response is always something like "NO!! My spiderman shoes! Not Gay-dddd's" I'm not sure if this is a bad parenting strategy or not but it sure makes things easier to appeal to your "I'm a toddler and everything is MINE" philosophy.

You have become quite the builder and play with your blocks constantly. Right now I think you might even play with them more then your train set (although you do build lots of trains and tracks out of your blocks.) Actually, you use your imagination to turn the blocks into quite a few things from telephones to presents. Sometimes you bring us block food and we are expected to pretend to eat them and then tell you how wonderful they taste. You also like to stack blocks to see how high you can build them and you count them "1, 2, 3, 1, 2,3, 1,2,3." I guess it is time to introduce you to the number "4."

One of my proudest parenting accomplishments to date is that I was able to pass on to you my love of reading. Tonight I introduced you to the Sunday Comics and you thought they were the coolest thing ever. I know you didn't get the humor in them but you enjoyed pointing out different things in the pictures. I think we might have found a new weekly tradition.

Bugga, I love you to the moon and back,

Mommy