Luke is Five

 
Five years ago today I went into the hospital to be induced.  I was telling people, "Today's the day I meet my baby!" And most of them were scoffing, "Not if your induction goes like mine!"  But mine went great.  My body was ready to have that baby and after only 11 hours of labor I was holding this eight and a half pound baby in my arms!  Five years later he is over forty pounds, can out-talk a used car salesman, and loves loves LOVES people.  This morning Luke crawled into my lap on the couch and snuggled up against me and said, "Thanks for singing me happy birthday mom. Only I wish you wouldn't sing about me being a monkey.  Sing the real one now, will you?"

 Luke says, "Now that Seamus is getting to be a real person, it is much easier to play with him!"

To celebrate our favorite five-year-old we had race track cake, played in the slip and slide with all three cousins (and gratefully watched that thunderhead go north of us!), and were generally pretty silly - mostly because Grammy and Grandpa are here from California, and wouldn't you know they brought disguises along with them!  When I asked Luke what it felt like to be five he said, "Well, it's pretty great most of the time, but not when you make me do things I never want to do like chores."  I'm glad you think life's great, Luke.  And someday you will appreciate the chores and the work ethic we're working hard to instill in you.  

But not today.  Today you're five.