Big(ger) Boy!

Today my oldest baby turns six years old!

Didn't I just write his fifth birthday post? It feels like it.

This summer has been a turning point for our boy who has been quickly growing out of five. He's not really little anymore, but he can't quite keep up with the big kids yet. He's transitioning, and the transformation has been a gift to witness. This young man, still confined to his childish body, is a problem-solver, an adventure-taker, a boy determined to be like his dad, but still clings to Mommy at the end of the day when all the toughness has worn off.

When he was born, I had a hard time those first few weeks. He was the same then that he is now--unable to be satisfied with anything except for the new and exciting. As a newborn, he was never content to sit or sleep or eat or look. At only a few days old, I already knew that my firstborn was anything but typical, and quickly learned to adapt his environment to be creative, stimulating, and educational.

But still, it was very hard. That first year with an especially demanding infant was a breaking-in of the selflessness that would be required later on. "You jiggle and sway me through the apartment all day now, Mom," the baby Luke said to me with his demands, "But when I'm two and need to do jigsaw puzzles all day, or when I'm five and need to play outside for hours on end to satisfy my curiosity, you won't think it's so bad, you'll just be used to it. You'll do what you need to do."

And so, year after year we've done this dance of me trying to keep a step ahead of this precocious boy. Each year I've loved him a bit more for who is, understood him better, and have been ever more thankful for the blessing he is and the God-given gifts he has been given. I'm not sure what his future holds for Luke, but I can be sure it is something exciting.

Happy 6th Birthday, Luke. We couldn't be happier or more thankful for our son. You keep us high on our toes, and our hearts warm with your love and affection. Even if we dreamed it, we couldn't come up with a better version of YOU. You've changed our lives for the forever better, and we love you more everyday.

Milestone.

***Attention** **Attention***

We have a LOOSE-TOOTH in our family! The FIRST loose tooth!

Bring on the Halloween candy!

Milestone.

Michael is 4 months old! He is the sweetest, chubbiest, most delightful little baby ever. He sucks his thumb, loves his two older brothers, and loves to giggle and be tickled. Indeed, this little one is bound to get spoiled with how much his parents and brothers dote on him. 

And may I add that this one looks A LOT like his oldest brother, Luke, at the same age. Wow!

Luke @4 months

Milestone.

Hey all.

I'm wearing a belt today.

No kidding.

It's been over a year, so I'm kinda having a party in my head.

That is all.

Milestone.

Monday marks a big day in our household. I'll be dropping Luke off at church every morning and then picking him up after lunch for Vacation Bible School. It goes all week.

A big deal? YES.

It's uncommon that I'm away from the children for any amount of time. If I am, it's usually for a grocery run, or a rare weekend lunch with friends. If we ever leave the kids they are almost exclusively left with a close relative. This time I'll be leaving Luke with strangers all morning--for five days in a row! Maybe it's more of a milestone for me than for him?

Luke is supremely excited, and I'm confident that leaving him in a classroom full of unfamiliar faces won't daunt him a bit. He's just that kind of kid, which is nice, but a little heartbreaking for me as I await my hugs and kisses goodbye only to see that he's made two new friends and has engaged them in an game all in the span of 45 seconds.

Yes, he's getting big. Our conversations are slowly shifting to the serious business of loose-teeth, pants with zippers and buttons, and learning how to wash hair in the shower.

How'd we get here? It's amazing to think, as I nurse and rock and coo my two-month old, that I did the very same things with my VERY soon to be five year old. The transition from burp cloths to Buzz Lightyear did go fast.

I had Luke only a few months after turning 22, and Mark and I were sharing with him last night how when he's a teenager that he'd have parents younger than many of his friends. Mark was trying to get Luke excited about this fact and told him how cool and hip his parents would be, you know, being in their forties and all.

Luke, looking confused  shared, "But Dad, parents can't be cool."

And then we wondered if it was him or us that had grown up too quickly.

Regardless, here and now is a wonderful place to be.