Luke - You're 6!

Lukey Bear,
You're 6 years old! Your birthday is one of your very favorite holidays, so we work really hard to make it extra special for you! We began a countdown about two weeks out and began our official celebration about a week before your birthday with a trip to the movies to see Angry Birds 2. On the day before your birthday you brought ice cream to share with your class and you opted for a family birthday party again this year so we had your party and opened presents at home. You had an Into the Spiderverse party. On your ACTUAL birthday, you had a pancake breakfast and got to check out of school early to go to Build-a-Bear and out to lunch. We planned to take you shopping with your grandparent money, but all you wanted to do was come home and build your new Harry Potter Lego sets, so that's what we did! I can't believe you're 6...it sounds so much older than 5. But you've grown and matured so much lately and you're wearin' 6 well!  Here's a little more about 6 year old you:

• Height/weight update coming after your check-up.
• You wear size 6/7 in clothes and 13.5 in shoes.
• You have the most magnificent imagination and creative mind I've ever known a kid to have. You still often retreat to "Lukey Land" where you happily play, alone, for very long stretches of time with anything at all (pipe cleaners, sticks, straws, etc.) You tell the most creative, outlandish stories and you seem to view the world through fascinating, rainbow colored glasses. 
• Your favorite foods include: pizza, breadsticks, egg noodles, waffles, pancakes, pita bread...yup, all the carbs. You also like black beans, corn bread, edamame, and kiwi. You're still very picky and getting you to eat an entire meal (other than breakfast) is an act of Congress. You don't like the food on your plate to touch. :)
• Your favorite TV shows are Odd Squad and Boss Baby.
• Your favorite toys are: anything random that you can make "your own" - pipe cleaners, random Lego pieces, etc., Legos, superhero figures, your Easy Roller.
• You're still quite attached to Giraffe Blankie and sleep with him every night.
• You are in karate and you're good at it, but you're interest in it is waning.
• You are super silly and love to laugh and make others laugh with your funny faces, silly dance moves, or shocking statements. :)
• You love to read. Your genre of choice is graphic novels. Your favorite series include: Eerie Elementary, Dog Man, Narwhal and Jelly, Dragon Masters, Notebook of Doom, and Ricky Ricotta. You read to yourself every night before you go to sleep. We read the first Harry Potter book together and you LOVED it! You LOVE to write your own books and your writing sounds and looks just like the books you love to read. Your imagination really shines in your books!
• You're very, very sensitive. You are highly perceptive and pick up on the slightest shift in tone of voice or energy around you. 
• Your favorite things include: Spider-Man, Giraffe blankie, snacks, books, your Fire, Teddy, Mommy, Treat Night, family pizza/movie night, the Boy Cave, playing games, playing in the play room.
• Your vocabulary is insane. You constantly shock me by the things that come out of your mouth, "I unknowingly...Perhaps we should...I am mindful of the fact that..." 

I've said it since you were an itty bitty baby, and it remains true 6 years later - I am utterly fascinated and mesmerized by you. My biggest hope for you (aside from the obvious hopes of being healthy, happy, kind and loving person forevermore) is that you stay on your unique path and that you find all the right opportunities to capitalize on your special gifts - you have so many. You are unique, creative, ridiculously smart, funny, sensitive, handsome...so, so handsome, and overwhelmingly loved. Happy Birthday to YOU! 

Atlantis!

This summer began with a BANG - a trip to Atlantis!  I've always wanted to visit Atlantis, so finally going was a real treat.  It was BEAUTIFUL!  The ocean water was crystal clear - big gorgeous palm trees everywhere, white sand, cruise ships in the distance.  So pituresque!  The resort was beautiful as well and full of exciting things to do from morning until night!  We woke up, put our bathing suits on right away, then headed out to explore the island - checking out the many beaches, pools, ocean animal exhibits, hotels, and the water park!  Our favorite parts of the trip were Rise and Shine with Dolphins (we got to feed dolphins, play with them, and race them down the beach), the Mayan Temple pool, Cove Beach, the rapid river, Marina Village, and the water slides at Aquaventure (Leap of Faith, the Challenger, and the Serpent).  Lukey loved playing at Splashers!  We had the most wonderful time and were so grateful for such a memorable vacation.  It's definitely a place we hope to visit again in a few years.  

Spring Break 2019

Another Spring Break is in the books!  This year we headed to VA in what has become a bit of a spring break tradition.  We started our trip at GJ's house and kicked off the fun with an egg hunt.  The eggs were full of candy and half dollars.  On Sunday, we headed to Roanoke and went to Center in the Square, Mill Mountain Star, and had lunch at Awful Arthur's.  On Monday, we went to Busch Gardens and had the best time!  Luke's favorite ride was Davinci's Cradle and Cade's favorite was the Loch Ness Monster.  We stayed the night in Williamsburg and headed to the Jamestown Settlement the next morning.  It was a little cold, but it was fun and we learned a lot.  Afterward, we headed to....the Great Wolf Lodge!  Our favorite's there were the Howlin' Tornado, the hot tub, the "blue slide", the gift shop, the arcade, the fire place in our room, and the MagiQuest.  The next day we headed back to GJ's house for some backwoods exploring and a long drive home. 

I'm so grateful for this precious family time with my mom and my sweet boys.  They are at such an exciting age right now!  This little preview of summer has us excited for more vacation days ahead!