Christmas Card

If you are wondering why you have not received a Christmas card from us yet, it is because we are not sending them this year. I decided to just do an online version.

So, Merry Christmas from the Flanagan Family!

Christmas #1

We had Christmas with my parents on Saturday. It was a little early this year, but it was the best time for everyone to get together. This is Christmas 1 of 5. We are going to need a larger house just to hold all of Luke's toys. I really seriously do not know where we are going to put everything. I think I am going to impose a 2 present per person limit next year - no single person can buy Luke more than 2 presents!

This is the mound of presents before opening. About 6 of these were for people other than Luke; the rest were his!

Luke made gifts for my parents this year. He decorated this mug for Granddad.

My brother Carl outdid himself this year and got my mom a laptop. This was the look on her face when she figured out what he had given her. The other picture is of the laptop bag I got her and monogrammed.

This road making set from Uncle Carl complete with 2 cars was the hit of the night.

The Mohawk Pirate

We went to the mall last night so Jeremy and Luke could get hair cuts. Before leaving the house, Luke really wanted to put on his pirate costume from last Halloween. I went ahead and let him wear it to the mall. When he hopped up in the chair to get his hair cut, the lady asked me what I wanted her to do. He quickly replied, "I want a mohawk." He apparently has a little friend at school who wears his hair in a mohawk from time to time, so now Luke thinks that is really cool. Anyway, I did not allow him to get his hair cut into a mohawk, but the lady did style it that way for him after she cut it. Note the super cheesy smile. I hope we can get at least 1 decent picture when he has his pictures made next week. This is the smile I get everytime I ask him to smile so I can take his picture.

On a random note, this is a turkey Luke made for Thanksgiving. He was very proud of it and requested that I post it on our blog.

When I'm wrong, I'll say I'm wrong.

Ok, so even though no one expected it, we did beat LSU. I apologize for my previous post and have reposted the picture of the Golden Boot in all of its glory.

Silver Dollar City

We went to Branson last weekend with Jeremy's mom and sister. We really had a good time and enjoyed the lights and Christmas parade.

Well, we had a mostly good time. Luke had a bit of a screaming meltdown in Silver Dollar City. We were actually in the process of leaving the park because of the way he was acting when Nana stepped in and set him straight. He was so shocked that Nana was getting onto him that he straightened up (for the most part). This picture was taken after the meltdown as you can probably tell. I told him to smile for the picture, and this is what I got. Have you ever seen a more pitiful face?

Some things make it all worth while

We had our Thanksgiving lunch for the church on Sunday afternoon after services. We ate and then had the traditional short service where Jeremy told people they could say what they were thankful for. Different people stood up and said different things for about 10 minutes. As Jeremy was closing up the service, Luke, who was sitting in my lap, raised his hand. Jeremy said, "Luke, is there something you would like to say?" Luke said, "I'm thankful for Mama!"

Makes a mommy's heart happy!

The Boot

We took Luke to the Broyle's Center last week to see The Boot, because let's be honest, it's not going to be there after next week! He really enjoyed walking around looking at all of the pictures and old uniforms.

Thanksgiving List

Luke made this list at preschool yesterday. At least God ranks above monster trucks; although, Jeremy and I do not. Susie (the dog) also apparently ranks above Jeremy and I.

Working with Daddy

We had a concrete pad poured in the backyard a few days ago. Luke got to help Daddy with the weed eating, and he got to put his name and handprints in the cement.

Flash

Here are some shots of our very own superhero, Flash.

The Fair

I never cease to be amazed with Luke's creativity. He came out of his playroom a couple of nights ago, obviously very proud of himself, wanting Jeremy and I to come in and look at something. When we came in, he grinned from ear to ear and showed us his "fair." Ever since we took him to the local fair this year he has kind of been obsessed with it.

Notice the 2 monster trucks, they are the people attending his fair.

Ah, Preschool!

If you didn't already know, Luke goes to preschool 4 days a week from 9:00 - 2:00. It is a Christian preschool at a church. Now the story...Luke and I arrive home after picking him up at school. As we walk in the door, he requests a glass of milk. I respond with, "You can have tea or water, but no milk until supper." He responds with, "Oh man, that's not fair...you're a s**thead!" Yes, you are reading that correctly, my son called me a s**thead. Now, we don't use that kind of language in our house, so I immediately said where did you hear that word. He responds with, "At school." Later that same day, we were playing outside with our neighbor, and I heard Luke tell him, "Preston, stop doing that you poser." I don't know where these 3 and 4 year old kids at Luke's school come from, but there must be one messed up kid in his class. So far, I have not said anything to the teachers, but if he comes home and calls me another curse word, I am going to need to have a talk with them. I just can't wait for kindergarten!

Brad

The funeral service for Brad Norris was yesterday morning. We were not able to attend the visitation, but were told that 3000 people came through. There were at least 800 people at the funeral, if not 1000. That is a testiment to the wonderful person Brad was. He is going to be deeply missed. If you didn't know Brad, he was about the biggest Razorback fan you can find. I thought this picture would be fitting.

It's never good when...

the director of your child's preschool is waiting for you to arrive!

So, I go to pick up Luke from school Friday, and Miss Kristina meets me at the door. The toilets had been backing up all week at school, and no one could figure out why, or who was doing it. When the teachers take the kids to the bathroom, they are supposed to leave the doors unlatched so the teachers can help them if the need it. Well, Luke always runs in and locks the door before they can get there to stop him. Apparently, Luke thinks it is really fun to whack the toilet paper rolls as hard as he can, and watch the toilet paper pile up on the floor. He, of course, knows he is not supposed to do this, so before the teachers see him, he flushes the evidence down the toilet. He did this several times last week, and apparently backed up the toilets to the point of overflowing more than once. They finally caught him in the act on Friday, and figured out he was causing the overflow. From now on, Luke has to use the handicapped restroom, which has a door that opens out. A teacher must stand at his stall and hold the door open to prevent him from locking it. Miss Kristina just wanted me to know, so I would not be surprised if Luke said something to me about out it. I don't know how I am going to make it through the next 15 years! I have a feeling this will not be the last time I have to meet with the principal.

From The Free Dictionary
Adj. 1. strong-willed - having a determined will, strong-minded, obstinate, stubborn, unregenerate - tenaciously unwilling or marked by tenacious unwillingness to yield.

Monster Trucks Part 2

Here is the last of the decent monster truck pictures. I can't get good action shots because my camera does not have a fast enough speed. I did, however, get a little video. You can get a small taste of how loud it is in the video.

The little trucks are called tough trucks. They are a lot of fun to watch because they race as fast as they can over hills and get some pretty good air. This one is called Wild Thing. Luke liked the monkey.

Monster Trucks Part 1

My brother Carl and I took Luke to see the monster trucks in Springdale last night. He, of course, love it. He sat there for 3 hours and watched everything that happened. He even wore earplugs and did not complain. You have never experienced what loud is until you've been to a monster truck show.

Work

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted. I am now employed, so my posting time is much less. Also, since my job involves sitting at my computer for 6 hours typing, I don't really feel like posting much. I am now a working medical transcriptionist. I really enjoy it. The work is very interesting, but it is definitely hard on your hands and back that last hour or so. I work 5 days a week from 9:00 pm - 3:00 am. So far, it is working out pretty well. Jeremy is handling Luke in the morning so I can rest. Anyway, we are good. This summer has been completely crazy, as ususal. We had the ABA softball tournament a few weeks ago, so here are some pictures from that.

Here's Luke with Brenna helping keep score.

Sleeping Beauty

He looks so sweet when he's sleeping. Unfortunately, it does not carry over when he's awake!

Update

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted. To make a long story short, my computer had to be taken back down to nothing and started fresh. I apparently didn't know how to back things up properly, so I lost everything on my computer, including every picture I have ever taken of Luke. Once the panic passed, Jeremy installed some recovery software, and it looks like we've gotten almost everything back. It will proabably take me a year or so to weed through everything the software recovered, but I think we got most of the pictures. In other news, I think I have found an at-home medical transcription job. I have found a wonderful company that offers benefits (which is rare in this type of job) and has a great training program. The only negative is there are no day shifts available. I will most likely be working 9:00 pm - 4:00 am. Luke is going to be at preschool Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday until 2:00 pm, so Jeremy will get up with him in the morning, and I will sleep until 11:00 am or so. It will definitely be an adjustment! Well, I'm sorry there are no cute pictures, but that should get us updated for now.

Could you sleep like this?

Nate, Ashley, and Clint took Luke for several hours yesterday afternoon to play. They made a run to Wal-Mart, and apparently Luke was pretty sleepy! I would definitely need the chiropractor after a nap in that position! Thanks for the great picture, Nate.

So, I'm a liar!

Ok, so the honeymoon is over with the big-boy bed. Luke has been getting up for a couple of weeks now. Nothing too serious, just a couple of times a night. We about had it fixed, but Jeremy is at Bogg Springs this week filling in for Doug, and Luke apparently decided that means he can do whatever he wants. We both almost died last night. After several spankings, some yelling, and some crying too, he was still running out of his room as soon as I put him down LAUGHING! He thought it was all some big game. After 2 hours and a call to my wonderful mother-in-law at 10:45 pm (thank you, Lana), I finally shut myself in my bedroom after toddler-proofing the house, (as much as one can toddler proof a house). This did the trick. Once he realized I would not engage him at all, he gave up. Either that or he was finally just really sleepy. I'm hoping it was the first reason. After I came out to check on him, he asked if he could lie down with me. I obliged, and he was asleep in 5 minutes. I am praying hard there will not be a repeat tonight; although, I am not particularly optimistic. If he gets up tonight, I am just going to my room and shutting the door again. Hopefully, he will give up before 11:30 pm. Anyway, if anyone has any great suggestions, I would love to hear them.

Branson

We just got back from a 4-day trip to Branson, and had a really good time. We went with Jeremy's family, so Luke had a great time with his cousins. Here are some pictures from Silver Dollar City. Luke would have ridden every ride in the park if they would have let him; he is not afraid of anything.

It was Kids' Fest so they had a VeggieTales show.

Luke and Jillian are only 2 months apart in age, so they really have a good time together.

Rylee is our big girl, she just finished kindergarten.

Buzz Cut

Luke got his first buzz cut a few weeks ago. I'm sorry the pictures aren't very good, but it's very difficult to get a 3-year-old to stand still.

I Wanna Be A Cowboy

Jeremy got Luke a surprise last time he went out of town, and it was a big hit. Luke loves his mask and toy gun. Yes, I said gun! He might as well have a toy gun because he makes sticks, baseball bats, and even his finger into guns anyway.

I PASSED!

I think most (as in the 3 of you that read this) of you probably know I have been taking a medical transcription course from home for the past several months to try and find a work-from-home job. I took my final exam 2 weeks ago and found out this afternoon that I passed with honors! Now, the job search begins!

Here are a couple of pictures of Luke from our recent trip to the Square.

By the way, Luke has been doing great in his big bed. He has been staying in it at night and even not getting out in the morning. He wakes up and calls for me every morning just like he did in his crib. I am so glad we waited until he was 3 to move him out of the crib.

Big Boy Bed

Well, we converted Luke's crib into a big boy bed today. I realize most kids are already in a big bed by the time they are 3, but I got some really good advice (thank you AJ) a couple of years ago to keep him in the crib as long as possible. I have a feeling my sleep is about to start getting disturbed. We've had a long talk about how to behave in a big boy bed, so hopefully he will do ok. I'm more concerned about nap time than anything else.

Luke picked everything out. I was really surprised. He's not really into Elmo very much at all, but he really wanted this bedding.

Here he is "sleeping" in his bed. He made me shut the door and turn the lights off after I took his picture.