Showing posts with label Lucas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lucas. Show all posts
Monday, November 26, 2007
Update on Lucas
I realize that it's been a few weeks since I last blogged. It's not because there hasn't been anything happening; just the opposite. A busy few weeks for me personally and family-wise. So I thought I'd jot down a few lines while my confirmation kids take their quiz on the Ninth and Tenth Commandments.
Lucas has been eagerly awaiting the time when the leaves would begin to fall and snow to fly. The reason for this is quite simple: his father has been reminding him that Christmas won't come until the leaves fall off the trees and the snow begins to make its annual appearance. Both events have transpired in the past few weeks. We held onto our leaves longer than normal, it seems. A late fall provided for that, no doubt. But when they began to fall, they fell quickly. The church provides for a lawn service, for which I am truly thankful. The men worked for more than three hours this past week cleaning up our front and back yards (which aren't large), and they had all the necessary power tools to do so. If I had done the job they did myself, it would have taken me at least twice as long. Then on Thanksgiving Eve we had our first real snowfall. I didn't really think that we would see any accumulation based on what the weather folks were saying, but as it turned out we did have a sprinkling of snow that stuck. When I threw up the curtains in Lucas' room on Thursday morning, he got a glimpse of our newly-whitened neighborhood and declared that it was now time for Christmas. Naturally, I had to break the news to him that he would need to wait, but that Christmas was getting closer. I always try to use any mention of Christmas by Lucas to remind him about the Christ Mass. He seems to be catching on.
Lucas' anticipation of Christmas, however, has more to do with his looking forward to receiving additional pieces for his wooden train set. His favorite pasttime remains looking at Thomas the Tank Engine items on "Dada's computer." He pulls out his "train map" (little flyers that come with each engine) or his "train book" (the larger catalog) and works his way through requesting to see on my computer just about everything he finds in those. His memory is pretty impressive, and the fact that many of the engines are numbered has also helped him in identifying his numbers. When a cousin, whose not familiar with all the different engines, was calling each of them "Thomas," Lucas quickly corrected, "That's not Thomas; that's Diesel 10," etc. His father and he have become quite the "experts."
Besides his memory, one other thing that impresses us about Lucas is the relative ease with which he expresses remorse. He's a pretty sensitive kid, so when he says, "I'm sorry," it's pretty clear that he really means it. We don't usually have to ask him to express his sorrow about things. What's even more interesting, however, is how quickly he says, "You're forgiven." For instance, when he's been playing on the floor before, I've accidentally swiped him with my shoe as I stepped over him like a klutz. I'll say, "I'm sorry, Bub," and he'll say, quite non-chalantly, "That's O.K., Dada. You're forgiven." I haven't been around enough three-years-old to know whether or not they usually understand the concept of expressing forgiveness so readily, but we're happy to see that he's catching on.
Lucas had lots of fun playing with his cousins over the Thanksgiving weekend. He actually had the opportunity to play with cousins Sarah and Nathan for an extended period on four straight days. He and four-year-old Sarah finally have begun to mesh in their play together, as Lucas has seemed to catch up with her on a imagination level. The past two evenings were spent "going to school" and "making meals" in our downstairs playroom. While there is still the occasional fight over this or that item, those fights have begun to take place much less frequently. It's obvious how much Lucas has begun to enjoy this play time because when it comes to an end he has an emotional meltdown (though he recovers quickly).
That's a little update on Lucas. An update on Grace is coming soon!
Lucas has been eagerly awaiting the time when the leaves would begin to fall and snow to fly. The reason for this is quite simple: his father has been reminding him that Christmas won't come until the leaves fall off the trees and the snow begins to make its annual appearance. Both events have transpired in the past few weeks. We held onto our leaves longer than normal, it seems. A late fall provided for that, no doubt. But when they began to fall, they fell quickly. The church provides for a lawn service, for which I am truly thankful. The men worked for more than three hours this past week cleaning up our front and back yards (which aren't large), and they had all the necessary power tools to do so. If I had done the job they did myself, it would have taken me at least twice as long. Then on Thanksgiving Eve we had our first real snowfall. I didn't really think that we would see any accumulation based on what the weather folks were saying, but as it turned out we did have a sprinkling of snow that stuck. When I threw up the curtains in Lucas' room on Thursday morning, he got a glimpse of our newly-whitened neighborhood and declared that it was now time for Christmas. Naturally, I had to break the news to him that he would need to wait, but that Christmas was getting closer. I always try to use any mention of Christmas by Lucas to remind him about the Christ Mass. He seems to be catching on.
Lucas' anticipation of Christmas, however, has more to do with his looking forward to receiving additional pieces for his wooden train set. His favorite pasttime remains looking at Thomas the Tank Engine items on "Dada's computer." He pulls out his "train map" (little flyers that come with each engine) or his "train book" (the larger catalog) and works his way through requesting to see on my computer just about everything he finds in those. His memory is pretty impressive, and the fact that many of the engines are numbered has also helped him in identifying his numbers. When a cousin, whose not familiar with all the different engines, was calling each of them "Thomas," Lucas quickly corrected, "That's not Thomas; that's Diesel 10," etc. His father and he have become quite the "experts."
Besides his memory, one other thing that impresses us about Lucas is the relative ease with which he expresses remorse. He's a pretty sensitive kid, so when he says, "I'm sorry," it's pretty clear that he really means it. We don't usually have to ask him to express his sorrow about things. What's even more interesting, however, is how quickly he says, "You're forgiven." For instance, when he's been playing on the floor before, I've accidentally swiped him with my shoe as I stepped over him like a klutz. I'll say, "I'm sorry, Bub," and he'll say, quite non-chalantly, "That's O.K., Dada. You're forgiven." I haven't been around enough three-years-old to know whether or not they usually understand the concept of expressing forgiveness so readily, but we're happy to see that he's catching on.
Lucas had lots of fun playing with his cousins over the Thanksgiving weekend. He actually had the opportunity to play with cousins Sarah and Nathan for an extended period on four straight days. He and four-year-old Sarah finally have begun to mesh in their play together, as Lucas has seemed to catch up with her on a imagination level. The past two evenings were spent "going to school" and "making meals" in our downstairs playroom. While there is still the occasional fight over this or that item, those fights have begun to take place much less frequently. It's obvious how much Lucas has begun to enjoy this play time because when it comes to an end he has an emotional meltdown (though he recovers quickly).
That's a little update on Lucas. An update on Grace is coming soon!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Doctor's Orders
I was gone the last couple days to a pastoral conference, but while I was away Tarren took Lucas to the doctor. He had been quite crabby for the past week or so. Crabbiness is not terribly uncharacteristic for this almost three-year-old boy, but the level of his crabbiness was uncharacteristic. We wondered if it could be allergies or an ear infection or both.
Here was our logic: In the past a rise in crabbiness had often indicated that he was suffering from an ear infection, so we wondered if maybe sinus congestion from allerigies had led to an ear infection, which in turn would lead to his crabbiness. Tarren had been giving him Claritin from time to time.
Anyway, Sunday was the kicker for my wife. Lucas was especially uncooperative in church and later at the church picnic, so we decided it was time to go to the doctor.
The doctor indicated that his ears were clear and that he may be suffering from some minor allergies, but he strongly suggested that we stop giving him Claritin, as they can lead to behavioral problems.
Then, interestingly, he proceeded to give Lucas a short lecture about listening to his Mom and Dad. Lucas cowered but didn't cry. He wondered what we did when he misbehaves. Tarren told him that we put him in timeout. How long? For three minutes. Not long enough, said the doctor. Put him in his room and make him stay there for thirty minutes.
Tarren's conclusion: I really like this doctor!
Here was our logic: In the past a rise in crabbiness had often indicated that he was suffering from an ear infection, so we wondered if maybe sinus congestion from allerigies had led to an ear infection, which in turn would lead to his crabbiness. Tarren had been giving him Claritin from time to time.
Anyway, Sunday was the kicker for my wife. Lucas was especially uncooperative in church and later at the church picnic, so we decided it was time to go to the doctor.
The doctor indicated that his ears were clear and that he may be suffering from some minor allergies, but he strongly suggested that we stop giving him Claritin, as they can lead to behavioral problems.
Then, interestingly, he proceeded to give Lucas a short lecture about listening to his Mom and Dad. Lucas cowered but didn't cry. He wondered what we did when he misbehaves. Tarren told him that we put him in timeout. How long? For three minutes. Not long enough, said the doctor. Put him in his room and make him stay there for thirty minutes.
Tarren's conclusion: I really like this doctor!
Friday, September 7, 2007
Other Pictures
Here are a few other pictures for your enjoyment, the first three of which are from our visit to the Z-O-O last week.
A Father's Love
Lucas made his first purchase last night at Barnes and Noble. We had gone there after dinner so that he could play with the Thomas and Friends trainset that they have set up in the children's department. Naturally, they also have their display of Thomas trains for sale right next to the trainset. When there was no Thomas engine available for play, Lucas noticed with excitement that there was a Thomas available in the box. His father played the part of the ogre by telling him that we couldn't take Thomas out of the box because we would have to pay for him first. Besides, he already had a Thomas engine at home.
Within a few minutes it was time for us to leave, but before heading out of the store I decided to stop off for some Starbucks. As I was putting some half-n-half into my coffee, Lucas noticed a penny on the floor. He picked it up and ran to me with a bright smile: "Look, Daddy, now we can play (sic) for Thomas." Tarren and I looked at one another, realizing that his penny wouldn't cut it, but reluctant to undercut the sheer joy of his "good fortune."
We went back downstairs to where the trains were, and he selected an engine by the name of Salty. We escalated back upstairs to the cash register, Lucas proudly plunking his prodigous penny on the countertop with profound pleasure. When papa provided his "two cents worth," Lucas was the proud owner of a new Salty engine, and he had a nickel's worth of change to spare! What a deal!
On the other hand, when one considers what our heavenly Father has graciously given us, there is no comparison. Besides freely giving us everything we need for this life (all things, from the food we eat to the air we breathe to the life we live), he also graciously bestows his greatest gifts of forgiveness from all sin and eternal life, purchased and won solely by the precious blood of his only Son. All these things he gives us, though we stand before him completely penniless, empty-handed, spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and destitute. "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:4,5).
I became twelve bucks poorer to purchase a train for my son which will give him hours of joy and happiness. Christ Jesus surrendered all riches for you and me (2 Corinthians 8:9) to purchase and win for us an eternity of bliss and freedom from sin and death.
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! ... This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins: (1 John 3:1; 4:10).
Within a few minutes it was time for us to leave, but before heading out of the store I decided to stop off for some Starbucks. As I was putting some half-n-half into my coffee, Lucas noticed a penny on the floor. He picked it up and ran to me with a bright smile: "Look, Daddy, now we can play (sic) for Thomas." Tarren and I looked at one another, realizing that his penny wouldn't cut it, but reluctant to undercut the sheer joy of his "good fortune."
We went back downstairs to where the trains were, and he selected an engine by the name of Salty. We escalated back upstairs to the cash register, Lucas proudly plunking his prodigous penny on the countertop with profound pleasure. When papa provided his "two cents worth," Lucas was the proud owner of a new Salty engine, and he had a nickel's worth of change to spare! What a deal!
On the other hand, when one considers what our heavenly Father has graciously given us, there is no comparison. Besides freely giving us everything we need for this life (all things, from the food we eat to the air we breathe to the life we live), he also graciously bestows his greatest gifts of forgiveness from all sin and eternal life, purchased and won solely by the precious blood of his only Son. All these things he gives us, though we stand before him completely penniless, empty-handed, spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and destitute. "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:4,5).
I became twelve bucks poorer to purchase a train for my son which will give him hours of joy and happiness. Christ Jesus surrendered all riches for you and me (2 Corinthians 8:9) to purchase and win for us an eternity of bliss and freedom from sin and death.
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! ... This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins: (1 John 3:1; 4:10).
A picture of Lucas and his new engine Salty:
Monday, August 27, 2007
School Days
Today is the first day of school - not for our children - but for the children of our church's grade school. I headed over to the classrooms this morning to greet the children. There were lots of bright and smiley faces, though I also saw some apprehension on a face or two.
The start of school means that the Prange family will be forced into a little more structured schedule as well, since I have catechism class Monday through Thursday beginning at 8:30 A.M. That means far fewer "lazy" mornings when I can kind of hang around the house and help out with children as needed. All of which leads Tarren to conclude that we need to find Lucas some additional stimulation outside the house, playing with other children. Being the oldest, he doesn't have older brothers and sisters to occupy his time, which means that Mom and Dad normally have to occupy it. Without a lot of kids around his age (other than cousin Sarah), it's hard for him to keep from being "bored," (can a two year old be bored?) and his boredom usually leads to mischief and sometimes an outright rebellious nature. So we're going to start looking into possibilities for getting him out of the house to be with other children two or three times a week. It will be interesting to see what we find.
The start of school means that the Prange family will be forced into a little more structured schedule as well, since I have catechism class Monday through Thursday beginning at 8:30 A.M. That means far fewer "lazy" mornings when I can kind of hang around the house and help out with children as needed. All of which leads Tarren to conclude that we need to find Lucas some additional stimulation outside the house, playing with other children. Being the oldest, he doesn't have older brothers and sisters to occupy his time, which means that Mom and Dad normally have to occupy it. Without a lot of kids around his age (other than cousin Sarah), it's hard for him to keep from being "bored," (can a two year old be bored?) and his boredom usually leads to mischief and sometimes an outright rebellious nature. So we're going to start looking into possibilities for getting him out of the house to be with other children two or three times a week. It will be interesting to see what we find.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Potty Training
Lucas has been getting plenty more attention these days with the advent of his using the potty. Tarren and I are running to that small chair with him about every other hour during the day, and he's been almost accident-free. He has reveled in it, of course, and seems to be developing on almost every front. Recently, Tarren has mentioned more than once that he's eating us out of house and home. His limbs seem to get longer by the hour, and he's putting thoughts and words together much more ably. It's amazing to watch each of these "tumblers" click into place according to God's great developmental plan.
Now if only I can teach him an appreciation for J.S Bach! Isn't that the next tumbler?
The way the Cubs are playing recently, I might encourage him to skip that discouraging tumbler and to become a Cardinals fan. But I suppose he's doomed to cheer for the losers in Blue.
Now if only I can teach him an appreciation for J.S Bach! Isn't that the next tumbler?
The way the Cubs are playing recently, I might encourage him to skip that discouraging tumbler and to become a Cardinals fan. But I suppose he's doomed to cheer for the losers in Blue.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Museum travels
On Sunday night we had the privilege of hosting my classmate, Steve Pagels, and his family at our home. Then yesterday morning we headed to the Museum of Science and Industry, my first visit there since about the sixth grade. Both Tarren and Lucas had been there once in the past couple years. It was a beautiful day for a morning drive down the lake shore.
Lucas served as the trail blazer most of the day, forcing the pace for the rest of the group. More than once Tarren and I said to one another that it would be nice to come to this museum without a two-year-old! We lasted until about 1:30 P.M., though Lucas was insistent that he wasn't tired. Of course, he feel asleep as soon as the car started moving. A nice day.
Summer is slowly creeping to an end. Forecasted temperatures over the next week dip considerably. We are looking forward to fall!
Lucas served as the trail blazer most of the day, forcing the pace for the rest of the group. More than once Tarren and I said to one another that it would be nice to come to this museum without a two-year-old! We lasted until about 1:30 P.M., though Lucas was insistent that he wasn't tired. Of course, he feel asleep as soon as the car started moving. A nice day.
Summer is slowly creeping to an end. Forecasted temperatures over the next week dip considerably. We are looking forward to fall!
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Deers Captured and Other Pix
Lucas and I were finally able to snap a few photos of our neighborhood deer. I'll add a couple other pictures which give you a flavor of our afternoon walks, as well as a couple of our little Miss.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Screaming Earplugs
We took Lucas to the audiologist yesterday afternoon to get some molded earplugs made for him. He graciously and enthusiastically accepted her invitation to come back to her office to do so, but I heard his screams of horror from the waiting room within minutes (I was holding Grace, who was sleeping, so Tarren went with him while the two of us waited). After about ten minutes of these cries for mercy, Tarren came out to get me. They had managed to get one of the molds made, but she was worn out from fighting with him and so asked me to serve as her tag-teammate. Lucas found out that his Dad is stronger than his Mom, and we were able to mold the other earplug within a few minutes. I felt sorry for the little guy, as he is sick and tired of doctors picking at his ears, but we'll hope that these earplugs help.
On a few happier notes, Grace did better yesterday with her additional medication and Lucas continued to make strides in his potty-training. He's also excited about going to Grandma's house today. Great-grandma Vance will be there as well.
On a few happier notes, Grace did better yesterday with her additional medication and Lucas continued to make strides in his potty-training. He's also excited about going to Grandma's house today. Great-grandma Vance will be there as well.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
That Day
"That day" finally came today, the day Lucas figured out that he can get himself out of his bed. Up until this point, whenever he woke up, Lucas would cry out to have either his Mom or Dad get him out of bed. Last night about 1 A.M. Tarren awoke to the sound of a certain young man opening the door of his bedroom. He spent a few minutes in our bed before his mother escorted him back to his room. Then this morning at 6:03 A.M. he popped his head out of his bedroom door and, finding his parents still asleep, he lightly slammed his bedroom door shut.
Now if we could only teach him to turn on the TV and make himself his own breakfast. When that day comes, I won't be blogging at 6:30 in the morning! By then, of course, his little sister will probably be at the same point he is right now.
On another note, Lucas and I took the camera along with us yesterday on our afternoon walk, hoping that we might capture a picture of "our" deer. Nothing doing. We did spot one, but it was amongst the myriad of trees. Hopefully we'll find one out in the open soon so that we can give you idea of what we see on many afternoons.
Grace has an appointment with the GI specialist this morning. We will see what he has to say about her situation.
Now if we could only teach him to turn on the TV and make himself his own breakfast. When that day comes, I won't be blogging at 6:30 in the morning! By then, of course, his little sister will probably be at the same point he is right now.
On another note, Lucas and I took the camera along with us yesterday on our afternoon walk, hoping that we might capture a picture of "our" deer. Nothing doing. We did spot one, but it was amongst the myriad of trees. Hopefully we'll find one out in the open soon so that we can give you idea of what we see on many afternoons.
Grace has an appointment with the GI specialist this morning. We will see what he has to say about her situation.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
The Evil Reflux Monster
Grace continues to suffer from acid reflux. So far the pediatricians have put her on three different prescription medications. All of them have worked effectively for about a week, and then their long-term effectiveness seems to wear off. Tarren called the doctor today, and he has put us in touch with a GI specialist, since this latest medication would normally do the trick with most who suffer from reflux (apparently its the strongest medication available). So we'll see what the specialist has to say about her situation.
Lucas and I have been taking afternoon walks through the park pretty regularly the past few day. We normally stop off for some "swings and slides" afterwards. There are deer where we walk (very tame), and they aren't spooked even when we pass within twenty feet or so. There has been one young family of deer frequenting a particular spot on our walks recently. Lucas greets them as if they were his own.
Lucas and I have been taking afternoon walks through the park pretty regularly the past few day. We normally stop off for some "swings and slides" afterwards. There are deer where we walk (very tame), and they aren't spooked even when we pass within twenty feet or so. There has been one young family of deer frequenting a particular spot on our walks recently. Lucas greets them as if they were his own.
Monday, August 6, 2007
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