Dear Lucas (34 months)

In two more months you will be three (how is that possible??) and some days I feel like I'm already living with a teen-age boy. I know I this is cliche to say but being your mom has seriously been the greatest and challenging thing I have ever done (and probably will ever do.) You are so smart, sneaky, and STUBBORN! I can already tell we are in T-R-O-U-B-L-E the older you get! We have had to start putting locks back on the fridge and cabinets because you LOVE to sneak food and smear it all over the carpets. Also you have some sort of radar to be able to find any pen or marker in a room and proceed to the thing you can do the most damage to (furniture, walls, my cell phone, your body... basically anything that is NOT paper!) The magic eraser has become my best friend!

You have started on this new habit of constantly chewing on your baby and it drives me NUTS! Thank goodness we have back up loveys because I am constantly having to sneak to switch your babies out because they get so wet and slobbery! This all has started in the last month or so and I'm not sure why. I am always having to tell you "take your baby out of your mouth, I don't know what you are saying!" In your defense you always do take it out and then repeat what you originally said without any fuss.

You are getting better at so many things. Lately the main thing we have been struggling with is teaching you to pick up after yourself (and not trash your room in the first place.) This week you've just really started to "get it!" The trick is to give you little jobs like "put your cars in the basket" or "put your books back on your shelf." Sometimes when you don't feel like cooperating then we just tell you "Okay, well you aren't going to get anything else out to play with until these get cleaned up." You will usually pick up the toys then while you cry about how you don't want to clean up. As soon as the last toy gets put up magically you are over pouting and will proudly announce "I DID IT!" Sometimes if you see us cleaning up something when we finish you will also say "YAY MOMMY! You did it! Good job."

You are still a really great eater. You still eat a banana every morning as soon as you get up. Then you usually eat yogurt and will beg for an egg. You LOVE eggs. I don't mind making eggs for you though because I do it the easy way. All I do is spray a bowl with cooking spray, scramble the egg up, and pop it in the microwave and a minute late you are chowing down. You are still really good about eating your veggies too. If you see me making a salad to go with dinner half of the fresh veggies end up in your tummy before the salad bowl even makes it to the table. Your favorites are tomatoes, avocado, and black olives.

You also still love your books. We have always read before nap time and bedtime and every once in a while during the day but lately you've been bringing me stacks of books and I will usually drop everything so we can read together. You love to sit on my lap and will sit perfectly still listening to the words and looking at the pictures. It doesn't matter if the book is long or short. You just LOVE books. I honestly think we read about 15 books a day. I just ordered us a ton of new books from eBay and I can't wait for them to get here. Even though you will listen to a story 5,000 times in a row I'm starting to get bored of your books. I know we can always check books out at the library (and we do that often) but you get attached to books and I hate having to return books that you've fallen in love with.

You are also still very passionate about your prayers every night and your Jesus. I think you would go to church everyday if you could. Almost every morning you ask me "Church today mama?" If you see a cross anywhere while we are out you have to point it out to me and say "that's from Jesus." I never want you to grow up and feel like I shoved my beliefs down your throat but I do hope you grow up to have faith and have something to believe in to get you through the ups and downs of life.

Another thing you adore is your family. You are always asking to go visit your cousins. You love to ask to "go to Hunter's house" or "go see Colby." You also ask to go visit with your Grandparents. "I want to see Papa!" "Go see Grandpa O." "I want my Grandma with the big bag (Grandma Andrea)" of "Go see Grandma and Great Grandma (my Mom and Grandma!)" I'm so glad that we live so close to so many family members. You are one well loved on kid.

Bugga, I love you to the moon and back!

Mama