More Flippy Floppies

So this weekend, we really meant to go out to the lake.  Saturday we went to the Parade of Homes and then Sunday we were going to the Lake.  Well, long story short, we didn't go to the lake so we could clean, go to Target, and finish up the last day of the Parade of Homes.

Don't judge us about the Parade of Homes!  We don't bother with the houses that we could actually afford.  We go for the $500K and above.  You know, from the "within our reach sooner or later" to "we better win the lottery twice to afford this crap!".  It was a good time and our house really needed to be cleaned.

So long story short, we left work early (just a little bit) and went out to the lake armed with a few beers, some sandwiches, cheetoes, and some mac and cheese for Luke.

Luke having a bit of fun pre-Mac and Queso and Turkey.

Then we got brave.  We got Luke into his life jacket, I went into the water and Melissa handed him to me.  At first I stayed by the ladder and he seemed alright with the whole proposition, leaning towards the "not liking this" side.  

You better not let go of me dad!

Then I wanted to see if he was cool with me going away from the boat.  He seemed to be calming down, but even if we were looking at each other, I'm not sure he was totally ok with what we were doing...

So we brought him in.  He wasn't screaming ever, just not real comfortable.  I think the more we take him in there he will like it.  It was nice and warm, so that probably helps.  Hopefully, things will go a bit better next time!

Grandpa and Grandma's Housse

Sorry we've been away from the blog for so long! Luke and I took a little two week vacation back to Kansas. Turns out, I am pretty sure I have the best job in the universe. Northwest Pipe has another facility in Atchison, KS, which is only about 45 minutes from my parents' house in Topeka.  My division was holding a meeting, and luckily my boss didn't care that Luke bummed a ride on my lap on the airplane ride home. To top it off, I managed to schedule a trip I needed to make to our Vancouver, WA office immediately after my Kansas meeting.  That way, Luke could spend several days with Grandpa and Grandma Malone!

The timing couldn't have been more perfect because it was Crazy Uncle Mike's 22nd b-day, and it was the week before he left for Ireland! The Lucky Duck is studying abroad in Dublin for the summer and working for a marketing company....maybe I need his job....

Luke LOVED his time in Kansas. Each day, Grandma spoiled him rotten! Grandpa's friends, Mike and Holly, finally had the chance to meet Luke as well. Holly works with kids with special needs, so it was great to hear her advice about Luke. Of course, he enjoyed the attention, so he and Holly became fast friends.

Now, we're finally back together as a family in Shreveport. It was great to see the family, the work meetings went well, and being back in Kansas was awesome, but it sure felt good to get home.

On the boat with our flippy floppies

Another fabulous weekend in Louisiana! The weather was absolutely, positively perfect - low 90s and lots of sun (a little windy, but just a mild breeze by Kansas/ND standards!) Of course we spent as much time as possible out at the lake. Nothing beats Cheetos and beer while out enjoying the day...well, just Cheetos for Luke. After the bag of puffy delightfulness defeated Luke, he passed out for almost 2.5 hours!  We decided it is probably the best babysitter in the universe :) Here are some pics from our latest adventures at Cross Lake.

It has been another fun, relaxing week around the Godinez household. Luke is getting more and more mobile. Now that he figured out he can get around on his own, his new favorite thing to do is head straight for the doggie dishes! He loves to pull around his little train; however, he forgets how fast it moves and manages to bonk himself with it when he's on the tile.  As you can tell from the last picture, the little dude wears himself out! Plus, that fourth tooth coming in sure does hurt :( Good thing a snuggle with Daddy makes everything better.

Dallas

Last week I was all geared up for my upcoming trip to our Houston facility for work. Although I do enjoy travelling for work, I was more concerned about the exciting shopping opportunities in Houston during my free time.  Alas, they were not ready to proceed with our planned project, so the trip got delayed. No big deal for work, but what to do about my shopping?!?!?

Solution:  Dallas!

For once, we had nothing planned for the weekend, and it was simply beautiful outside.  Luckily, the neighbors were willing to watch the four-legged babies, so off we went for a weekend of shopping, eating, and baseball in Dallas.  Luke, as always, was a fabulous little traveler.  We shopped until we dropped, stuffed our faces with delicious Mexican food for dinner and La Madeline for brunch,  and went to Luke's first MLB game (Rangers v. Angels)! As you can see from the picture, it was a bit too much excitement to handle, but it was the perfect way to spend the weekend together.

MOBILE BABY

After hours....and hours....and hours of struggling, grunting, and rolling over in defeat, Luke is FINALLY mobile!! Megan, our speech therapist, took Luke out of class this afternoon to start our session, but, as usual, I was running a few minutes late. When I made it to the room they were already hard at work, so I sat down about 5 feet away. Luke instantly stopped what he was doing, lowered himself to the floor, and went hand...leg...hand...leg...hand....leg until he pulled himself into my lap! As I sat there fighting back the tears, Megan was in stunned disbelief. Luckily, Anita, our occupational therapist, was right across the hall with one of Luke's friends, so when we started yelling and clapping she, of course, had to come check out the commotion. Guess what?!?!!? He did it AGAIN!!!!

And that's not all folks....

With a mobile baby comes....a waving baby!! Yes, it does not matter if you are a stranger at Target, an old lady behind us at church, a tree, or a pretend figment of his imagination, Luke will wave hello to you. Watch out though, he tends to get distracted and wave at himself, which cracks him up more than you will ever know! Nothing beats trying to conduct a meeting after hours at work with Luke in my arms (because Patrick was flying) as he waved to everyone while I tried to talk. Somehow, I don't think they remember what I said....

Pictures/video to come. Do you know how difficult this is to capture on camera??????

Dancin' Fool!

So, my son has dance fever...

About a month ago, the rhythmically gifted (Black) teachers at his school taught him how to dance.  You just do a little beat box (those younger than 40 will know what that is, the rest of you just fake it) and he would bounce up and down!  He loved it!  Then, he started doing it to actual music or people singing!  More recently, he has added a new move.  He will rock back and forth too!  We thought you would enjoy his audition tape to "Dancing with the Starts!"



Pretty awesome.

In other news, Luke is growing up so fast!  He has been transitioning to real food!  That means that he is eating what we eat at home and cafeteria food at school!  He doesn't even use a crib at school either!  They have him napping on a mat.  Crazy.  His new favorite pastime is reading a bedtime story.

This story makes my hair stand on end!

See you later dear readers!