I Vowed ...

I vowed I'd never, ever take a cranky child to the store.  I made that vow several years ago ... before I got married, before I even had my first child.

And each time I saw a parent with a cranky child in the store, I vowed once again that I wouldn't do it.

But I had to break that vow tonight.   I was out of my prescription and knew that once Jonathan got home in a couple of hours, our evening routine needed to start and I wouldn't be able to go.

Christian woke up from his nap and I immediately told him we'd be going to Target.  He loves Target, so I was certain he'd be excited.  But he woke up cranky ... really cranky.   Scarlett was cranky, too ... she had been trying to get to sleep, with no success.

But I needed my prescription.

I loaded both kids into the car and thankfully, Scarlett fell asleep very quickly (this picture was taken at the store - I was so happy she'd fallen asleep, I had to capture the moment!).  At the store, Christian had perked up, but was getting impatient at waiting in line at the pharmacy.  He wanted to look at toys ... and made sure I knew it ... over and over and over again.  "That's not fair!" he'd proclaim.

I let him look at toys and books and kept telling him that is Scarlett woke up, we'd need to leave.

And of course, she woke up.  I told Christian we needed to leave NOW and he wasn't happy.  He trailed about 15 feet behind me through the entire store, hunched over, whining that he was hungry (he knows there is a Pizza Hut at the front of the store).

But it didn't end there.

We finally got out to the car, and Scarlett was absolutely hysterical.   It was very upsetting to Christian, who was frantically trying to cover his ears, and was pleading with me to help Scarlett.  I told him that as soon as we started driving, she'd calm down.  But a four year old doesn't have that kind of vision.  Christian began to cry.

It was a sort of cry that rarely happens with him.  It was the same cry he had when visiting me at the hospital and was told he was leaving to go home (without me).  It is the kind of cry that makes me want to scoop him up, hold him tight and never, ever let him go.  It is a cry that absolutely breaks my heart.

And through his intense sobs, I heard him say, "It'll be okay, Scarlett."

Awwww ... my little man loves his baby sister so much!  I see it on a day-to-day basis with all the affection he showers onto her.   But the way he reacted to her being so upset showed me that he's developed a bond with his sister.   And while I'm terribly sorry Christian got so upset, I'm just so proud that he's so connected to Scarlett.

Link from Christian Parent Hub - Christian News Aggregator

You never know what you'll find on the internet ... or who will find you.   Today I noticed that a link to one of my blog posts appears on a website I've never head of

CHRISTIAN PARENT HUB- CHRISTIAN PARENT NEWS AGGREGATOR

The best sites and articles about Christian Parenting aggregated for you!- don't forget to click to read the whole article on the original site

http://christianparenthub.com/2011/12/another-lesson-learned-monsters/

Hmmmm ... interesting!  I have no idea how my blog post made it to their site.

Goes to show that if you put something on the web, anybody can - and will - find you.  So be mindful of what you write.

Valentine's Day 2012

We went to a "Valentine's Day Cookie Decorating Playdate" in our community and had a great time.  We were among the first people to arrive and Christian had to excercise a great deal of patience as we waited for other children to arrive and the decorating to begin.

As you can see, Christian went far beyond simple decorating.  He added an entire candy store to his special cookie.  And that doesn't include all of the candy he consumed in the process.

I look back with a sigh as I remember the days when we didn't give him candy - ever.  And now it is everywhere - school, playdates ... heck, even people at stores like to give him lollypops.  So I just gotta go with the flow.

Christian also enjoyed showing off his new baby sister!  He thinks she's awesome and wants everybody to know.

Hiking Up the North Face

We live a block or so away from the mountain, and so lately the Lucero Men have been going on some nice hikes together.

There are lots of "summits" to conquer and each has its name:  Matterhorn, Christian's Mountain, Neverland Mountain, etc.

Before they go hiking, Jonathan and Christian fill up a backpack with "provisions" so they can have a snack and a drink when they reach the top.

Christian LOVES to go hiking with his Papa and requests those adventures regularly.   And I'm glad they are able to spend time together ... especially now that we are a family of four.  It gives the men something to do without the prissy women of the house being involved. :)

Christian is looking up and admirning the summit from which he just came down.

Christian loves ... LOVES ... dirt!

Christian and his "provisions." :)

Christian made it all the way from our house, to the summit he's sitting on.

I wish I had that much energy!

Quote of the Day

Qoute of the day from Jonathan:

"Christian said, 'Needles are like the cactus on Papa's face,' as he's feeling my goatee."

Ha ha ha ha!!!

And then there's Bella ...

I have been remiss in sharing anything about Bella lately.  Sure, she's a dog ... but she was our first child, after all.  Those of you who have dogs know what I'm saying. :)

We live a block away from the mountains, and lately Christian and Jonathan have been hiking up the mountains together.  Bella even got to go along, and sat there admiring her accomplishment when she reached the top.

I'll be posting pics of Christian, too, from this hike.  But, I wanted to give Bella a shout-out.

So, how has Bella handled our newest addition to the family?  Just fine and dandy!  If she's in another room when Scarlett is crying, she comes running to investigate.

She's also been up on our bed a lot more since Scarlett came.  I think she's trying to get her scent everywhere so we know she's still around and still needs attention - ha ha!

Hairy and Chicken

Somehow, I just came across Christian's daily report from school for January 5th - the day before Scarlett was born.   I had a good giggle:

Memorable Moment:

Ms. Mandee:  "Christian, what rhymes with 'dairy'?"

Christian:  "'Hairy,' Miss Mandee!"

Ms. Mandee:  "Christian, is Mommy having her baby tomorrow?"

Christian, "Yes, she's coming out with Dr. Oland to have chicken!"
Ah ... my little comedian!

The "Big Baby"

We've not pulled out all of Christian's baby gear - the mini-gym (shown below above Christian), the bouncy seat and the swing

Fortunately, he doesn't remember these items ever being his, so he's not territorial about Scarlett using them.

However, Christian has told me, "Mommy, can I be a big baby?"  And then crawls into the min-gym and acts like he's a baby, too. :)  It is cute for the moment, but we'll see where this desire to be a "baby" like Scarlett takes him.  

This might be a "and so it begins" moment.

Wordless Wednesday - February 1, 2012

Jonathan, er um, Christian ... er, um, Jonathan

As I've mentioned in the past, a lot of people comment that Jonathan and Christian look alike, but I don't see it.

I don't see it until I come across photos of Jonathan as a young child.  And I had to do a double-take on this photo, because wow!  It could be Christian in that photo!



Another Lesson Learned: Monsters

I've come to realize that parenting is all about lessons learned.  Our most recent lesson learned:  monsters.

Christian loves Disney movies and so we recorded Monsters Inc. the other day after he caught a few minutes of it on TV by chance, and seemed really interested.

He does, indeed, like the movie ... but there are some scary parts - like when Boo is in the room when Scully is being really scary - and Boo goes running out in tears.   The movie shows monsters in bedrooms with sleeping children, monsters under the bed, etc.

So naturally, Christian is concerned that there may be monsters in his room, hiding under his bed.  Jonathan and I have both done what we can to tell Christian that monsters are pretend and just in a movie on TV and there are absolutely no monsters in his room, or in our house.

Fortunately, Christian isn't terrified, just concerned.  He continues to sleep through the night just fine, in the dark as always.   But we have to answer several questions about monsters before we can leave the room.  And that is fine - we'll spend as much time with him on the topic to ensure he feels safe.

Since Christian can read and see that Monsters Inc. is part of our DVR lineup, we've removed it so he can't request to watch the movie and be reminded of his concern over monsters.

Christian has got some big life changes in store for him in the next few weeks, and hopefully we can put this issue of monsters behind him before those changes take place.

Lesson learned:  no more monster movies, no matter how happy, funny and harmless they may seem to be.

We Three Luceros

My sister got some great photos of we three Luceros ... look for more to come!

Wordless Wednesday - November 30, 2011

Me and My Shadow

Livin' the Dream at IKEA

Today we made our semi-annual mecca to that great big giant of retail heaven:  IKEA.

Christian disovered a display of vegetable pillows, lined them up on a nearby bed and hopped inside for a pseudo nap.   It was pretty darn cute, and amused many a passer-by!

Sure do wish he'd love real vegetables the way he did those veggie pillows.

A mommy can dream!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

Auntie Liz joined us for Thanksgiving this year.  She was kind enough to once again to take our annual family photos.

Doing so was a bit tricky this year as Christian is full of energy and not interested in staying still.  Thankfully, Auntie Liz is full of patience (more patience than I had) and just kept taking pics with the hopes of getting a few good shots.

Afterwards, we headed home for Thanksgiving dinner.  I admire people who make Thanksgiving dinner for large groups of people.  I think making it for three people (excluding Christian, who doesn't eat very much of anything) is enough work.  I haven't figured out how to have everything ready at the same time, though I did a fairly good job of it this year.   Having tasty appetizers certainly does buy the cook some time!

Christian's Fall 2011 School Pictures

A Very Special Muffin Monday - Union Pacific Engine No. 844

Arizona is celebrating 100 years of statehood and as part of that year-long celebration, Union Pacific Steam Locomotive Engine No. 844 is making a ceremonial Arizona Centennial journey along the historic Southern Arizona "Sunset" route ... and the engine had a stop in Phoenix.  And that's pretty cool because a steam locomotive hasn't passed through Arizona since 1977.  

Engine No. 844 is one of the largest engines ever built - so it's quite a thrill for train lovers - both young and old.

So naturally, the Lucero men made their way to the train station to check out this gigantic railway marvel!

A news reporter from our local Fox TV station took the above picture.

Jonathan called me while there to say they had just been filmed on our Fox station, but by the time I turned on the TV, the train segment was almost over - they had aleady shown my men.   A few minutes later, I got a message on Facebook from somebody telling me she thought she just saw Christian on TV.  So ... SOMEBODY saw him!    Too bad I missed it and couldn't record it.

Go Speed Racer, Go!

It has been a few weeks since I've taken Chrstian out on his tricycle, but he's gone out with Jonathan.

Last time I took him out, I'd need to push him along sometimes ... and he'd come to a halt if his tire ran off the sidewalk and into the grass or rock.

When we went out today, however, it was a different story.  First, he was going so fast that I couldn't keep up with him.    He went up the little hills by himself and didn't let a tire off the sidewalk bother him one bit.  I was amazed at his progress in such a short timeframe!

Wordless Wednesday - November 9, 2011

Cabelas - Another Ideal Muffin Monday Location

Another perfect location for Muffin Monday is Cabela's!

They have realistic animals, fish, an escalator, a cafe, a mountain and a cave.  Christian's comment, "Wow, this is amazing!!"

And of course, what is Muffin Monday without a visit to a park!

Happy Fourth Birthday, Christian!