HaPpY 3rd BiRtHdAy SwEeT LuKe!!!

(Luke, Winter, 2009, sitting on his hero's lap).

(Luke @ 10 months)

It's my little boys 3rd birthday today!! Man, I love this kid! He has a tenacity that I rarely see, even in adults. If he has to do something he would rather do it himself, then to ask for help. Very similar to the way he was born. "Here I am Mom, I don't care if the midwife is here or not, I'm ready NOW!!" Luke has something I like to call "the soul stare." It seems you can see right into his little soul when you look into his eyes. He has so much to share, if you'll just take the time to search for it. The above pictures show a glimpse of it. It started a very young age.

He likes goals and thrives best when he has a purpose!! Here he is helping make homemade, freshly churned ice cream a few months ago. He stayed out on the front porch the entire time, from start to finish and loved every minute. He is very hands-on. This was the perfect thing for him.

He isn't very expressive unless he is alone with you or knows you well. Normally, you'll get a little glance from him or maybe, if you're lucky, a high five. But if he allows you into his world, you will feel so loved. He likes everything JUST the way it's "suppose" to be done. He adores his Daddy and plays "Daddy" at least once a day, dressing up with all his "gear": phone, hat, boots, lunch box, measuring tape, sunglasses, pack of gum and the lid of my kitchen pan for his truck steering wheel.

He has a silly side that is endearing. He can be crazy with Tyler or just content by himself. He likes when people laugh at him, but only if he initiates it. If someone is laughing at him when he wasn't meaning to be funny, he'll hide his face and say something like, "no body looking at me."

Most everything he puts his hands to he has a purpose for. I have to be careful not to pick up after him without getting the go-ahead because he is usually in the middle of creating, building, inventing something. He plays well by himself and is normally a follower, going along with the flow is just fine by him.

Pretty sure he's about to do something mischievous....don't you think?

Yep, he just threw all that rubber mulchey stuff into the air!!

He is very sensitive to outwardly:

• sun in his eyes~he loves to wear his "eggo glasses", (Diego) and
  makes sure he has them everywhere we go.
  
• his favorite type of gum is "spicy" gum, (big red or peppermint).
  
• He likes hummus and anything spicy he will eat.
  
• He loves to play the guitar and sing loud.
  
• he doesn't like when the music is too loud in the car, but when he's in control, the louder the better. And when he plays the guitar he loves the music to be LOUD!!
  
• his socks have to be on his feet just perfectly, "all jack up Mom" if it's slightly off.
  
• one of his favorite things to do is to put lotion on his face and chapstick
  on his lips, (normally done in stealth mode) after which I will ask what he's
  doing. "Look me handsome" he'll matter-of-factly say.
  
• Each night he prays for the same group of people:
  "Aunt Chris, Tom, Vonnie, Sophie, Bennett."

Dear Luke,
I love you so much.
You adapt so well to whatever comes your way.
You have taught me a lot about being sensitive to others needs before my own.
You take life with a grace that is beyond your years. You go with the flow like no one I've ever met before.....oh wait, I married someone like that and he Fathered you, never mind!

Like this song says, "My wish for you is that this life becomes ALL that you want it to,
Your dreams stay BIG, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more then you can hold. And while you're out there gettin'
where you're gettin' to, I hope you know somebody loves you."

Jesus has a GREAT plan for your life and I am honored to call you SON!

Love,
Mom