Father's Day 2015

Father's Day weekend was a busy one. Saturday we went to Bonne Maman and Bon Papa's house to celebrate. Luc showed off riding his bike, taking one hand off the handle bar while peddaling.
Sunday, we went to Grandma and Papa's house, and Uncle Dave was there too. Again, Luc was keeping Daddy outside the whole hot afternoon to be on his bike and help Daddy BBQ.
A few days before Father's Day, Aria started saying "Dada Dada Dada". She's not associating it with anything specific, but it's still cute that she was saying it all Father's Day weekend.

Frederic is a great father who works extremely hard to provide for his family. He puts in many hours at a stressful job he doesn't love 100% so that we can live in Columbia and are able to enjoy the city, go on vacations, live comfortably, and not worry about paying bills every month. He loves his children unconditionally, and they light up whenever he comes home from work. 

Mange! Mange!

It's all gone!?!

With a little bit of time (like a week) and some practice (because Aria was just so excited about eating solids I couldn't withhold it from her without feeling guilty of denying her pleasure), Aria is lovin baby food! And her infant tongue reflex is gone.

While trying out sweet potatoes for the first time, Luc decided he liked it too (though I think he was looking for attention more than wanting to eat a pureed vegetable). He took a spoon and would come up to me and take a scoop from the bowl and leave and to eat. Each time Luc came back for more, Aria started crying.

Let me get that last lick.

Pedal, Pedal! Go, Go!

Um, how did we go from this...

Luc got this trike for his First Birthday.

to this?...

Luc, riding like a pro.

Aria now has a new toy, though she liked trying to chew the horn best.

Luc picked up biking with training wheels like a natural. He's only fallen off a few times. He loves going around and around the block. Even in one day of biking he's needed less and less help getting a little more momentum to get up an incline.

Watching him bike by himself, up and down the street, made him look like such a little big kid, not even a toddler anymore. (I'm having a hard time with this aging thing). And it reminded me of when I was kid and doing the same thing with my brother.

He wore himself out from biking all day, when we put him to bed he told us, "I think I know what's wrong with me. I'm tired."

50% Belgian - 50% American

  

Luc and Aria are of course half Belgian by birth, genetically. Now they are also half Belgian by nationality. Frederic was able to get them Belgian citizenship!
Because they are minors when we're obtaining this for them, they have from the time they're 19 until they turn 27 to decide for themselves is they wish to keep it or not.
Frederic and I see this has a great opportunity. They share this with their Dad, grandparents, and aunt. They also can travel on either passport and skip some long lines. And who knows what the future of the world will be when they're older. It might be very beneficial to hold two nationalities. 

Luc at 3 1/2

Luc spraying his face with the water gun.

Weight: 28 lbs
Height: 36.5 inches

Luc likes to help put Aria to bed. While I'm changing her, he'll climb up the changing table and comb her hair. Then he'll go into his room to pick a book for me to read to them.We'll sit on the chair all together as I read the book. Luc helps with the pop ups and pointing things our for Aria. As Luc puts the book back in his room and I'm saying a goodnight prayer to Aria, Luc comes back to be in the room as I hum a song and rock Aria. When I put her down into her crib, Luc runs out and into our bedroom where he grabs the baby monitor to hand to me. He often informs me, "Mommy, Aria is cryin again."

Luc is excited about starting school. Every afternoon on the way home we pass the school on the highway. Luc asks when it's coming up, and I have to tell him so we can say "Hi, School!"and wave.

Luc is not a morning person! At least when you have to wake him up. He already acts like a teenager and tells me to give him 5 more minutes and to close the door all the way when I step out of his room.

I let Luc play around with my flute. It was a little big for him.

In the past year Luc has been very into music. He loves to sing songs, listen to his CD in the car nonstop, and even try out instruments. He's tried to play Papa's horn, likes to blow on the tuner, and loves whistles. The other day, Luc was singing a song while eating dinner, so I chimed in on certain words. He then wanted me to sing the song while he was chewing and started to tap out the song on the table with a coin that was laying there. Wow! The next day, Daddy was singing from a french kid's song book (now Luc's favorite bedtime book), and Luc took his toy pull whistle and started blowing into it and then started to pull the piece in and out to play the song. And he did! We were a little stunned. I think someone will be starting music lessons pretty soon.

Luc has started to say the funniest phrases lately!

"That's ridiculous."
"That's disgusting." (emphasis on the last word)
"I don't know what I'm talkin about."
"What's happening here?" (with hands on hips)
"Turn the engine on!" (when he wants Daddy to accelerate quickly and the car engine to make noise)
Instead of saying, oh darn, Luc came up with his own word and we have no clue where it came from: "Oh Bominade." [Bomb-in-aide]
While in the car, Aria started talking to her toy nonstop. When there was a moment of silence, Luc says: "Another party heard from." (I know he got that from Grandma!)

sleeping on Daddy

Luc,
I'm still trying to learn how to accept you are your own person, with your own personality, likes and dislikes. Things were a little easier when you were younger and I had more control over you. Now, I have to constantly remind myself to take a deep breath and wait for you to finish what you're doing because that's just the way you do things. I'm also still learning that some things are not worth fighting over.
You're such a sweetheart. You love to help take care of your baby sister. You pick up her toys, bring her things, give her monster hugs (which scare her, by the way) and lots of kisses. You're just now starting to realize you're going to have to share toys with her. When it's something you don't want, you have no problems letting her even play with your favorite toys (your Paw Patrol cars, train, even Monkey Hairson!). When there's something you want of hers, well we're working on that.
The best part of Daddy and my day is when you're in bed and half asleep. During the day you like to pretend you don't like hugs and kisses from us. But when you're half asleep, you cherish them. And you'll even "fight" with me for who loves who more. 
You remain a total clown and love to make people laugh. Now you'll even say, "What? Why are you looking at me? Why are you laughing?" But you say it with a smirk on your face, knowing exactly that you're the source of fun and happiness.
Even though you're tons of fun and helpful, you still have your moments where you test your independence. Many times you do not give up easily when you want something. Sometimes we can trick you, and distract you into something else. But you have a great memory for things, and just when we think you've forgotten it, you bring it up once more.
I catch glimpses every day of ways you're getting older and turning into a little boy and no more a toddler. It's a different kind of transition for me to think you're growing even more into your own and less dependent on me.
But, you'll always be my Baby Luc-Luc.

Mommy