Spooky Lukey!

Dad can't resist a deal, and Mom can't resist adorable outfits. When these glow-in-the-dark skeleton PJs were on sale at BabyGap, everybody won! Luckily, Luke wasn't the only baby dressed in Halloween finery, but he certainly was the most handsome (in our humble opinion).

Here, Luke shows the flirty kind of look that makes the ladies at daycare go wild:
Then he tried to scare mom with some spoooooky ooga booga moves:And after that he went plain old oogly boogly:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Your 2008 World Champions

In Town Long Sailor?

Before Luke was born, his Grammy bought him a fleecey peacoat for him to grow into. As Luke is a superstar at growing (12-18 mo clothes, for those of you making shopping lists...), he will have to cram a lot of wear into this coat at the front end of cold weather season. We broke it out last week, and, at Grammy & Grandpap's request, had a little photoshoot with Luke.

First he went with a classic baby model "happy baby" approach:
Then he showed his sporty side with this "action" shot:He next wanted to showcase how much this coat allows him to move by standing up:
This coat came with a matching hat, but his big ol' bean didn't begin to fit in it so Mom had to find a matching hat (and mittens!). Again, he started with his classic happy baby move:
He once more showed how versatile it is by standing, but this time decided to take a more "coy" approach:
And in case the picture above made him seem too dainty, he gave his best gangsta:Finally, to show his full range, he summoned some tears for the end of the roll:
The coat is a big hit. When Mom suited him up at daycare last week, all of the women ooohed and ahhhed, and his caregiver, Miss Stephanie exclaimed, "Oh! He looks like a little man!"

Thanks, Grammy!

One for Each Grandma (and the Grandpas, too)

OK, Luke's not doing anything terribly exciting in these videos, but he's being pretty cute and showing off his sitting up skills, his newfound playing skills, and does lots of babbling. And his outfit is rather adorable as well - thanks to pants on loan from The Ronan & Jacob Collection and a sweater from Aunt Cathy (alas, the last of his "Year of Sweaters" from Mom's baby shower), and his stuffed puppy from Auntie Lisa (and it's not too late to click on the link at the right to donate to Team Lisa & the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Cough cough).

Since Grammy Rosella gets a shout out in this one, we'll call this one for her:

And in this one, Luke makes toys out of two Casey relics. The first is a tupperware pitcher Paul has had since before Paige was in the picture that I think was originally Grandma's pitcher. It's now so old it was put out of service (due to some decomposition occurring in the tupperwareyness) and Luke rescued it from recycling. The second is a recent gift to Paul from Grandma & Grandpa that has been donated to the teething cause. Or, rather, comandeered by Luke for the teething cause - sacrificed so that the Phillies and Packers hats may go undrooled upon. And so, we'll call this one for Grandma Casey:

Catch up Post II: Viva La Madonna

One of our favorite Hoboken events is the Feast of the Madonna Dei Martiri, which sends summer out with a bang. This year we were joined by Luke (for the first time) and Charlie and Sharren (for the umpteenth time). Not only was the weather beautiful, but the beers were also cold, and the rice balls hot.

It took Luke a bit to get into the swing of things...


But Soon he was having fun with his BFF, Sharren



Guess which bottle is Luke's?


Later on, Charlie played with Prince Buster...

And pulled the old "Look, I'm giving the baby a drink" trick.

Catch up post I: Paper is an enemy to be defeated

We are behind a bit on the blog, so to catch up here are a few posts.

Many of you know Luke's obsession with paper. At the doctor, daycare, or at home, when he sees a newspaper, magazine, grocery list, or packing supplies, he needs to grab it, tear it and often eat it. Here is some proof.

Celebrity Impersonations VI

"You know, that, that Luke smile of his.... That old Luke smile. Oh, Luke. He was some boy. Cool Hand Luke. Hell, he's a natural-born world-shaker."

Sure one is a baby who is more concerned with bottles, banging cups and napping, and the other was a philanthropist, actor, and icon, but look around the eyes and tell me you don't see a resemblance.


Rest in Peace Paul.

Mom & Luke Ran Breast Cancer Out of Town!

As many of you know, Luke and Mom participated in the Komen Greater New York City Race for the Cure last month. We were honored and thrilled to walk on Luke's Auntie Lisa's team, Team Lisa, and we were even more thrilled to have raised $1250 thanks to the generosity of our friends and family. What's more, our $1250 is just a part of what Team Lisa has raised - as of today, we have received over $11,800 in donations!

We had a great day - despite the crazy heat & humidity in Central Park. Paige & Lisa's friend, Katie, came all the way from Seattle to walk with us, and Luke finally got to thank Katie in person for all of the great hand-me-downs she's sent our way after E-train's outgrown them!

Luke really wanted to fit in on race day, and since Komen doesn't offer "onesies" as an option for team members, Dad designed a special one just for Luke.

As you can see, he looks quite handsome in it!
Mom & Luke got suited up in their team gear and got ready to walk! (er, and ride...)

When Dad dropped Mom, Luke, and Katie off in Central Park, Luke was busy taking it all in, and also preparing to spend 4.5 of the 5k race napping!
He did manage to stay awake long enough to see Auntie Lisa & her niece, Lauren arrive. Doesn't Lisa look great in her pink survivor's shirt?
Team Lisa had three pre-teen members who immediately joined the Luke Fan Club. Below you can see his adoring public marveling at his tiny feet, toes, and pale, soft skin. Luke repaid them with lots of smiles and giggles before settling in to his nap.
....aaaand two hours later we were done!
Sadly, the only photographic evidence we have of Katie's visit is here, she's the one taking the picture of Lisa and her sister, Amy, at the finish line. Hi Katie!
After the Race, a bunch of us went to Ocean Grill for a celebratory brunch. Luke honored the occasion by sitting in a highchair for the first time!
Finally, the race and brunch were done and Dad picked Mom & Luke up brought us back to Hoboken. Luke had a great day, but he really needed a nap!

A heartfelt and enormous thank you to all of you who donated to Mom, Luke, and Team Lisa this year! Should you want to learn more about what Komen does for people affected by breast cancer, please visit their site. If you find yourself with some charitable dollars kicking around - in spite of the last few weeks on Wall Street - it's not too late to help Team Lisa hit the $12,000 mark! Donations are accepted through October, 31, 2008, they're tax deductible, and it's super easy to do online! Go here and follow the instructions.

Next year: Dad designs Team Lisa t-shirts...

The Cookie Thief: An Epic in Four Parts

Literally minutes in the making, The Cookie Thief: A Requiem is an epic story, unfolding in 4 acts. Thank you Peter and Ian for bringing us this work.

Please to enjoy:

The Cookie Thief Part One



The Cookie Thief Dos



Tre: The Cookie Thief Strikes




The Next Cookie Thief: Part 4

BEAT L.A.

Like the rest of the Casey household, Luke is cheering for the Phillies to BEAT L.A., and we have the photographic proof.

Not knowing the Phillies were wearing their throwbacks for game 2, Luke put on his pinstripes to play with the Phanatic this morning.

Then this afternoon, after the Phanatic had a few too many watching the game, Luke played with the holder for Andy P's game beer of choice

GO PHILLIES

Why am I in this little chair?

You might remember Luke's earlier school photos. Apparently Little Stars Portraits likes to keep the cash flowing, and thus came back to daycare to snap some more shots just two months later.

These really didn't work out as well, despite the excitement the kids must have felt being in a library.

The first one is not awful, and is really notable only for the look of utter bewilderment on Luke's face. Why am I here? Why are my pants hiked up? Why is this chair rocking?

The look of despair and confusion on his face is priceless and he is obviously totally pissed at the photographer and whatever puppet he is waving around. The fact that he is trying to get out of the chair is also funny--if he could walk, he would have hopped out of the chair and gone back to the piano bench he loves to play in.

Needless to say, we didn't order any luggage tags, mugs, Christmas ornaments or prints of these portraits.

Special Delivery!

Like other hardworking Americans, we have to tighten our belts in these tough economic times. As you can see, Luke's new favorite activity is sitting in a cardboard box (found on the sidewalk no less) and pounding on the side.

Also making a brief appearance in the video is one of his other favorites, an old plastic bottle filled with rice (it is brown rice, which I guess makes us elitists).



Don't close the flaps on him though-- the fun stops quickly when that happens.

Grammy's Goose

Before we left for daycare this morning, Luke decided he needed to get in a quick snuggle with his Goose, Goosey, who was a gift from his Grammy.

He then proceeded to obsess about the hood on his sweatshirt - not quite as much as he does about a hat, but he could not figure out what that THING was creeping up his neck.

More Videos for Daddy

Luke's Dad gets home late tonight, so Luke wanted to be sure to send him some cute to help him make it home!

When Luke got home from daycare last night, he didn't get to have his usual playtime with Dad, so Mom let him at the Forbidden Fruit: a magazine! He made quick work of it.

This morning Luke was feeling giddy over the Phils' being up 2-0 in the playoffs series.

Then Luke wanted to show Dad his stylish fall outfit. This one doesn't include ONE hand-me-down!

Needless to say, Luke AND Mom can't wait to see Daddy!

Good Morning, Daddy!

Luke's Dad is away on business this week (hobnobbing with Martha and Warren B., dontcha know), and Luke is really missing him. Mom's just not as fun at bathtime or dinner. Since we had a few extra minutes this morning, and because Luey was looking extra cute in his new hand-me-downs from Jacob & Ronan, we made some videos for him.

We'll see you tomorrow, Daddy!