ONE.

Well I had been looking forward to this day for a long time, and it has finally come and gone. My baby is ONE!! I can't even believe it. While it is very exciting, it's kind of bitter sweet. I realized on Sunday as I held a friend's 3 month old that time has FLOWN by, and it hit me just how big Luke is these days (literally and figuratively). I got a little teary (I know, you can hardly believe it) thinking about how from 0-3 months of Luke's life, I just wanted him to get bigger/older. Things were so hard in the beginning and my postpartum depression made me so worried and anxious all the time. I just wanted to fast forward a few months and get to the part where I had figured everything out, gotten Luke on a schedule, and learned what he needed/liked/disliked so that things could be smoother and easier...Now that things have been easier for so many months, I have been busy having a blast with my Big Man and LOVING being his mom. Holding the itty-bitty baby the other day made me sad for having missed out on the joy that I could have had with Luke the first couple of months and, at the same time, so grateful for the rest of this year that I have absolutely loved with my baby boy. He is my treasure, and I am more in love with him every day. I can't imagine life without him now! I just wish time didn't go by so quickly...especially nap time. Ha! Just kidding. As Luke and I went for a walk today, I noticed a teenage boy mowing his lawn, and I thought, "I'm going to blink and then that will be Luke." While I know Phil would really love the help, I just wish I could slow time down....This time is so fun, and I just want it to last forever!
Anyway, now that I'm tearing up again, I'll move on to the fun part...
Luke had a fun, very busy birthday today. It started earlier than normal. I think he must have known it was his special day and just couldn't sleep in!

First thing this morning. The remote and a ball in his hands. Perfect start to a perfect day!


Tickled pink that Mommy's not taking the remote away on his birthday.


Laughing at Mommy singing him "Happy Birthday".

We headed out early to my friend Kelly's house to watch her little boy Ty. Kelly is my WONDERFUL friend who has given me most of what I own for Luke. Hand-me-downs, toys, gear, advice, and lots of love and support. I don't get to see her very often, but it's great when I do. This morning I got to babysit Ty for the first time, and he was an angel and so good with Luke. Luke was in hog heaven, because Ty's house was full of balls and cars of every kind. All Luke did while we were there was carry around a ball and a car, throw them, pick up others, and repeat. He had a blast. Ty was sweet and tried to show him how to shoot baskets and play with the cars on his train tracks. He was confused as to why Luke didn't follow along.


Ty tried offering Luke his cool shades to wear, but Luke was not letting go of the balls.


This one was the perfect size for chewing.


Oh. My. Gosh. I have just found the mother load...


...An entire bin of balls. This is AWESOME!

After babysitting, Luke and I ran home so that he could get in a nap before meeting Daddy for birthday lunch. Phil had to referee lacrosse tonight after work, so he wasn't going to be able to see Luke before bed time. Thank goodness for Phil's home away from home: Chick-Fil-A! We met him there and celebrated with some yummy chicken and sweet tea.


Did someone say chicken?


Our birthday boy.


Laughing with Daddy at Mommy singing again.


Yay! A rare photo op with Mommy!


This birthday stuff rocks!

After birthday lunch, Luke was too hyped up to take his afternoon nap, so we headed out for a walk in the wagon. We ran into our neighbors across the street, and Luke got lots of birthday love. The little girls made Luke laugh and laugh for the longest time. It was the cutest thing. Then we proceeded to take the world's longest walk around the block. When a little someone throws things out of the wagon while Mommy is not looking, it makes for a lot of back-tracking recovery missions. When we got home, Luke went for a good swing in his swing from Annie and then headed to the Burch tree in the middle of the yard for his newest obsession...


He loves to peel the paper-like bark off the tree and throw it on the ground.


Well, he usually throws it on the ground, but today he thought it was utterly HILARIOUS to put the bark in his mouth. He'd peel it off, put it up to his mouth, and then I'd pull his hand away and say no. Have you ever heard of anything funnier? I seriously doubt it.


See. It's funny.


Very funny.


Hilarious.


Still funny.


Let's do some more.


Cracks him up every time.


And there he goes again...Silly stinker.

After our bark-eating-giggle-fest, we made a few laps around the yard and deck. Then it was dinner time and bath time for the Stinker. He even got a few extra birthday minutes in the tub. When it was time to put on a diaper and p.j.'s, I had to literally wrestle with him to get them on. He was having too much fun on his big day to stay still. By the time I got him in the bed, he had passed out, and I was wishing I could, too!
Happy birthday, sweet boy. I love you with every little piece of my heart!!