5 years of Luke

Poor Lukey always seems to get the shaft. He turned 5 two weeks ago and I'm just now getting around to his post.

I wanted to take his 5 year birthday pictures on our recent trip to Chicago and Milwaukee, where the temperatures would be so much friendlier.  There is something cruelly ironic about trying to escape something (such as the heat) and finding that something even worse at your destination (such as the heat).

Dallas was slightly cooler than either of our Northern stops the entirety of the trip.  But enough about the weather, this post is about Luke.

We had a birthday party with friends about a week before his real day.  He is easy to please so our big water slide, pizza, watermelon, and cake was all he needed.  

Since the party was pretty much free, I didn't feel so bad paying Kroger to make a Harry Potter cake.  He loved it.

My friend Val came for her visit and while she was here, her sister convinced her to come back up with her kids.  

So a few days later, when Luke's constantly talked about Mario cake for his real birthday and the arrival of our guests overlapped, I turned out this beauty.

I figured since I didn't have to make the other cake, I could at least manage this one.  And I had some really cute and simple ideas for a blue skyed, white cloud, yellow starred, Mario cake.  

Clearly, it was not meant to be.  I finally gave up and stuck everything on. 

When Luke saw the cake, he let out a gigantic belly laugh and said, "That cake is crazy!"

But he didn't seem to mind and was more than happy to blow out the candles and get one more wish.

  

 I am told it still tasted delicious. 

Luke is such a sweet, tender hearted boy.  He is quiet and shy.  Unless he's really excited.  And then he runs around crazy.  He loves numbers. He knows all his letters and sounds. He has the biggest sweet tooth and asks every night, "What's for bessert?" He loves his bed.  He is usually the first to wake in the morning and he comes into our room, stands next to the bed and asks, "Can I sweep wif you?" before climbing up and snuggling in (I was sad to hear the recent arrival of the beginning sound 's').  He has recently become obsessed with certain apps on the ipad and ipod, like Swampy and Temple Run. He would play them all day if I let him. 

He is a very sensitive guy even though he is much more quiet about it than some of the rest of us. He has a mind for puzzles and problem solving. He builds elaborate and symmetrical things with his blocks and has no problem crashing them to the ground after I've taken a picture. He gets nervous to go places without me and would rather play at home unless it's somewhere he's very familiar with. He is the balancing force to his siblings.  Luke + Ava or Luke + Max is always an easier combination than Max + Ava.  I'm so thankful for each of my kids, but when I say that I'm lucky to have Luke, it's more like I'm so grateful for Luke and his personality because I feel like it's saved my bacon on more than one occasion.  In many ways, he is my reprieve.  I enjoy him, I adore him, I love him.  I am so glad he's mine.