Luke is Four!

Luke, you are one of the most passionate people I know.  Whether it's throwing a ball around with the neighbors, learning how to swim, screaming in anger, or laughing with hilarity, you do it loud and strong and give it all your focus.  You have an incredible attention span, for things that pique your interest (movies are one of your favorite treats, and you can sit through an entire film, or an entire bowl of cookie dough!).  You show incredible courage and strength in testing the limits of your body.  You climb to immense heights and jump down again.  You tumble and fall, and laugh as you pick yourself up.  You love to dance. You are attentive to other people's feelings - you are aware when other people are angry or sad or scared or hurt.  You are strong willed, which some people use as a nice way of saying stubborn and unruly, but which I say means you know what you like and go after it. You will not be cowed into following the herd, you will choose your own path.  I love that about you!

You love to read.  Sometimes I will wonder where you are and find you sitting quietly in front of the bookshelf, paging through a pile of books. You pick up new words and phrases the way dogs pick up fleas. You show little interest in "crafts", but when given a pen, you find very creative uses for it and its ink (see the above photo).  You can spend hours narrating your race cars adventures.  You can make your brother laugh the hardest laugh I have ever heard.  You care little for shirts, and would rather wear swim trunks everywhere so that you're always ready should you chance to see a pool, fountain, or sprinkler.  You enjoy jumping into the pool, totally submersing your head and pushing off the bottom with your feet to come back up again.  Your favorite toy at the park is the slide, and you love the challenge of climbing up the slide from the bottom - especially the really steep one.  You like the swings, but really only if somebody else is swinging beside you.

You are very social.  You often wake me up in the morning with the words, "Who are we going to see today?  Are we going to do something fun?"  I can't plan enough outings for you.  You generously invite total strangers home for dinner, and prefer to take your snacks out front to share with the entire neighborhood (when you came in to ask for grapes for a fourth time I became suspicious.  My suspicions were confirmed when I looked out the front window to find all the neighbor children sitting on the steps, eating grapes). 

You are active, but you rest long and well.  You still take naps, sometimes up to three and a half hours in the afternoon.  You sleep eleven hours at night, and always sleep straight through.  You have been excited to share a room with your brother the last two months, but every now and then you want some space and you take a nap in the spare room, or in mommy and daddy's bed. You like to play catch with your brother, but you also sometimes need to take a few toys to the kitchen table and play alone.  You love being outside, and sometimes shout at me when I call you in for dinner that you won't come in when it's so nice out, "I'll come in when it's Winter!"

You are learning to tell the days of the week based on when your Dad is home, "It must be Saturday, Daddy's home!"  And anytime Dad is working on a project you want to be there, pitching in.  You love watching Dad use the power tools, and you love love love driving with Daddy in his work truck.  Your Dad is your favorite person in the whole world.

I remember praying that you would grow up quickly so that we could communicate with you.  And you have.  You have grown up so quickly that sometimes I wish I hadn't prayed that you would grow up so quickly!  But we love who you are, who you are becoming.  We love talking to you, and hearing your stories.  We love that you can tell us what's wrong when you're hurt, and understand us when we try to explain complicated things to you...like how people are related to us (you've got genealogy skills kiddo!), or how internal combustion powers vehicles.  You are truly incredible. 

Dear Luke,
keep learning, keep growing, keep courage, keep loving, keep playing and resting.  God bless the path you're on, wherever it takes you.  We know you will find yourself on many wonderful adventures.  We love you, Luke.  You're FOUR!!!!