4th of July

On 4th of July this year, we went down to a children's bike parade on the beach. 400 kids were there with their bikes jazzed up for the 4th! We went because an organization there had made it possible to get bikes donated for inner city kids who don't have bikes. 12 of our kids from Citylights were able to receive these. I wish you could have seen the joy on their faces. They got to ride in the parade along the beach and then take the bikes home with them. It was an exciting experience! While Luke wasn't old enough to ride in the parade, he was excited just to be there... and his day was made when the firefighters let him sit in the fire truck! AND we got to experience the glow on these kids faces as they rode their new bikes for the first time!

Best Friend Sleepover

Well, it's now Summer Break and I'm home for 2 wonderful months! Last week we watched Luke's best friend Lizzie for a few days while her parents went away to celebrate their 10th anniversary. They had a wonderful time playing together and cried on the 3rd day when she had to go back home!

Here are some fun shots of their summertime fun together:

Spring Break

The best thing about Tom working part-time is that when I'm on vacation, we're both on vacation! For Spring Break, Tom worked Mon and Tues and we spent the rest of the week relaxing- as much as you can with a crazy 2 year old! These pics are of Tom and I with Luke on our day trips- we went to the zoo, took a train ride, and found some new parks. Our idea of a relaxing Spring Break has definitely changed as we've gotten older! I think one of the best parts was coffee and a book during naptime! :)

Easter with Luke

This was the first year Luke got excited about Easter... since the whole idea of Christ dying on the cross is a little much for a 2 year old, we told him that on Easter we celebrate how God loves us.
Before church, we gave him a small Easter basket. Since he doesn't eat candy, we filled the eggs with some of his favorite things... raisins, cheerios, cracklin oat bran and the all-time favorite-- frozen peas. It was quite hilarious to watch his joy on opening plastic eggs to discover these tasty treats. He found an egg at church and handed me the candy inside, saying "I want cheerios". Aaahh, 2-year-olds!!

Easter at CityLights

Easter is usually a crazy day for us. At Citylights, we plan a community outreach event to celebrate Easter... what a better way to celebrate Christ redeeming us- the glory of Easter- than by serving the community alongside our church family! Since we don't have use of the community center on Easter, we planned a family outdoor service in the park and a huge BBQ and Easter egg hunt afterwards. It was an amazing time this year. We had lots of families together for the church service outdoors- probably 200 people- and another 200 joined us for the celebration afterwords. It was a crazy, crazy day but full of joy.
Here's a few shots of our outdoor service:

Grandpa's Little Boy

Luke loves his Grandpa. It helps that they are two peas in a pod. Since the time Luke was a newborn baby, Grandpa has been there full of energy and activity and cool toys attached to his belt. Luke is how I picture my dad as a little boy... nonstop motion!! It's no wonder they get along so well. Luke has a very special place in his heart for his grandpa.

Luke the Model

The other day Luke decided that he wanted to pose for some pictures (normally taking pictures interrupts his busy day of play). But this day he suddenly decided that he wanted me to take pictures of him on different pieces of furniture and in different poses. These are the result: