First of all, let me say that I love Luke just the way he is, and I’d only change one thing about him if I could: his birthdate. Seriously, what were we thinking??? I mean, this was very much a planned pregnancy, and I never once gave any thought about what conceiving a baby in March meant: a mid-December birthday.
I feel kinda bad for him because his birthday is just in the middle of what is already a busy season. I’m glad that we were able to carve out time for a birthday party for him with his friends, but it just all feels so crazy rushed.
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Friday night, Matt and I looked like this:

And Matt pretended his dinner looked like this:

We attended the wedding of a good friend of his from high school (the wedding was in STL, thankfully) and had a great time! It’s so much fun to get dressed up, and I will never tire of watching friends say their vows. But that also meant that I was giving absolutely zero attention to the party that was happening the next night.
Saturday morning, we got Luke one of his presents, which was a pair of African Dwarf Frogs, the absolute lowest-responsibility animal you can own. You feed them twice a week, clean the bowl 4 times a year, and that’s it. This is the kind of commitment I’m willing to make! I still need to get a picture of him with them.
But because we did that first thing Saturday morning, I had to go to Walmart and the grocery around 11am. On December 13th. Worst. Idea. Ever. This is why I get almost all of my shopping done early and online when possible. However, I swear I saw heavenly light shining down at the Walmart bakery, when there in the cooler I spotted 6 cupcakes with the requisite sports-themed ring/cake topper thingy. Footballs, which were probably Luke’s last choice, but he only said he wanted something sports related, and that counts. And, 6 cupcakes was perfect! One for Luke, one each for the four boys attending the party, and one for Bennett (Jack Henry and his daddy ran an errand during cake time!
) So, finding that saved me a significant amount of time, as my alternative was baking cupcakes and somehow decorating them with something I could find. Or potentially, crafting the look of a soccer ball on top of the cupcakes, which would have been a disaster, I know. Big THANK YOU GOD is in order there.
Luke’s party was a faux sleepover (6-9 pm, kids in pjs), and let me tell you, it was wild. Very loud, which doesn’t bother me when there’s no one getting feelings hurt or physically hurt, which wasn’t always the case, and I just scheduled it for too long (lesson learned). But, I think everyone had a good time despite me redirecting their play a few times when it got out of hand! I know Luke really enjoyed himself.

jack henry joined the boys in the living room for pizza!

i know; so lame. but he loved them.

note the forced smile: "hurry up mom so we can sing and then eat!!"

love this expression when he opened his gifts! he loved everything the boys got him; they all chose very well!
Today was Luke’s actual birthday, which we spent at church, his soccer game, back here with my dad and AnnMarie for a bit so that he could open presents, and then we went out to CPK for dinner (a boy after my own heart!). He had a smile on his face all day long. Now, just a couple more weeks of school, and the Christmas fun can really begin!