Our Smiley Guy

Little Luke is starting to smile. It is so cute, but also makes me sad to think of how fast he is growing already! Babies are little for such a short time, and with every child it seems to go faster and faster. When he smiles, I don't know if I want to smile back or cry. Whichever reaction comes, I just try to cherish these moments and memorize this precious face.

Luke - 6 weeks old

These big brothers sure love this little guy.

"Tri" it for Memorial Day...

...a "Tri"athalon, that is! It is becoming a Memorial Day tradition for the Dickson crew it seems to compete in the Heart of the Valley Triathalon in Corvallis. This year, Tyler gave it a "tri" in the kids competition along with Caden and Dad (and some of the priest quorum from our ward). The weather was beautiful, and even though my boys had little time for race preparation leading up to this big event, they all did so well and I was one proud mama!

Tyler's all numbered and ready to compete. For kids of a neat freak mom, getting to have numbers written on your leg is a pretty cool thing!

Caden and Tyler with their swim gear on, waiting for their heats to begin.

Ty's at the edge of the pool, waiting for the start whistle and looking pretty confident. Once he pushed off from the wall, he got a nose full of water and was a little thrown off. But he took some deep breaths, listened to mom and dad encouraging him and hung in there to finish the 25 meter swim like a champ.

Ty's out of the pool and on his way to mount his bike for the next leg, a 1/2 mile ride.

Dad was ready to help out in the transition area as Ty dried off and jumped on the bike.

after a 1/4 mile run, Tyler is coming down the stretch toward the finish line...almost there!

With his medal on and water glass in hand, Tyler can smile and feel proud of his awesome accomplishment. Well done Ty!

Caden's heat was up shortly after. Here he is in the water waiting for the start whistle to begin his 100 meter swim.

Then, out of the water and off to transition to the bike.

In Caden's division, parents were not allowed to help in the transition area, so Cade was on his own with drying off and getting on socks and shoes.

Caden mounts his bike for his 1 mile ride

Cade is an achiever and always pushing himself, so we should have known he'd be up with the head of the pack. But he was so fast on the 1/2 mile run that we were caught off guard and barely saw him in time to watch him come through the finish line. Caden is always up for a little competition, but he commented afterward "triatholons are hard, I like baseball better." Good job Cade on a huge effort and big finish.

Bart's race was so early in the morning, that we didn't make it down to Corvallis in time to watch him compete. But we can always count on our super Dad to do great. Here are my 3 tired triathaletes. After the race, we headed back home for an afternoon at Grammy and Papa's swimming and BBQing with the family. It was a full but fun Memorial Day for our crew - everyone slept GREAT that night!

Baby Shower or Bust

My sister Haley is a smart cookie, so to surprise her by showing up to her baby shower in Utah was no easy task. After weeks of anticipating our trip and a heavy stream of lies to keep it under wraps, my mom, sister Jyl, and neice Madison fulfilled our secret mission. It was a fabulous girls day (plus little Luke of course) and worth the hard work! We left the hubbies and other kiddies back at home. Papa was so generous to let us use miles on his charter plane - so we flew out early on Sat morning, May 16th - just us girls on a private jet - right in to Provo, Utah to an unexpectant Haley.

Photo shot mid-flight. All smiles for the fun day ahead and all the ease of flying non-commercial.

Madi was loving being one of the "big-girls" for the day and Luke was content to just sleep on his first airplane trip.

Here cute Grammy is on the airphone trying to make sure that our little white lies were still holding up.

Madison got her first flight lesson from our friendly pilot. She had the plane all in her control for several minutes! All aboard knew by the dips and rocking that took place - luckily no one got too sick!

Outside the Provo airport with our little pregnant sis. We managed to pull off the mission perfectly and Haley was completely surprised. We spent the day stopping at "girly" shops, eating yummy meals and enjoying the day together.
Haley's shower was lots of fun and we loved spoiling her and her little-guy-on-the-way. At the end of the day, we hopped back on the plane and headed home. It was a full trip to fit in one day, but there's nothing like your first baby shower, and we wouldn't have missed Haley's for anything!

Luke's Blessing

Our amazing, supportive, and awesome families gathered together like always for Luke's baby blessing on Sunday, May 10th. We spent a wonderful weekend with Bart's parents from Florida, his grandparents from Tacoma, his brother's family from University Place, my sister and her husband from Provo, and the rest of my family (who are always nearby). It was a memorable blessing and special day, especially since it was also Mother's Day and the sun was shining!

A Happy 10th Anniversary

I knew 10 years I ago I was doing a good thing to marry my best friend...I just didn't know HOW good! Bart and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary last week. While we had to delay any plans for an "elaborate" celebration since we had a 1 week-old baby, we enjoyed a quiet lunch date and a chance to reminisce about our fun, fabulous, busy, and memorable 10 years together. I can honestly say that in these years together, I admire and adore Bart 10 times more. I am 10 times a better person because of him. My life is 10 times more blessed. And I love him 100 times more!

Thank you Babe for 10 great years. I just can't imagine how the next 10 could get any better - but, with you, I'll bet it will! Thanks for "asking" 10 years ago...I'm glad I said yes :).

Luke's first 2 weeks

Luke is 2 weeks old, and according to his doctor's appointment today, already a pound heavier and an inch taller! Time is flying by so fast. It seems like just yesterday that we brought him home. But at the same time, we already can't imagine life without this little guy.

Some highlights from Luke's first 2 weeks include attending 3 baseball games (the first one at only 4 days old), helping dad break in his new car, and tagging along on mom and dad's 10th anniversary date! Luke is a bright-eyed, alert little guy who likes to have his hands up by his face, he likes to cock his head back when he is held, and he could probably beat out a grown man in a "loudest burp" contest.

Luke has graduated from sponge baths to "real" baths...although as you can see, he's not too sure about this first one in the kitchen sink!
We think Luke is probably just glad he survived his first 2 weeks with some of the craziness at our house.

Bo found some "earbones" (headphones) and figured out how to use the i-pod. And like any good brother, he remembered to share! Luckily Bo also remembered to turn down the volume "nice and soft" for his little buddy.

Baby Luke

Our new little guy arrived just perfectly on Tuesday, April 14th at 11:18am. He worked up a huge burp only minutes after his arrival, making it perfectly clear that we indeed had yet another BOY! He is healthy and as cute as could be. We are so glad he is here and love him to death already.

So happy to be loving our Little Luke here, and no longer inside me!

Our tribe of five!

Cade and Ty show off their newest little brother

Bo, so proud of himself and his new little buddy.

Ready to go home!

After a couple of peaceful nights in the hospital, me and Luke braved the quest of coming home! We are all doing well, thanks to the endless and amazing help of my dear mother. Luke is a great eater and hopefully becoming a better sleeper :). We feel so blessed and lucky to have this new sweet little guy in our family. While life doesn't seem to slow down an ounce anymore for a new baby, we are reminding ourselves daily to stop and take all these precious moments in. A new baby fills a home with love and we can't imagine anything better.