Happy Birthday, Luke!

My sweet baby boy is three.  THREE.  Happy Birthday to Luke!

I just finished up writing in a journal I keep for Luke.  I write in it from time to time when I feel like I have something to say to him.  Sometimes it's after I read something profound, sometimes it's after I get done praying and God puts something on my heart, sometimes it's completely random.  Luke's third birthday is obviously a perfect and ideal time to write.  And, I will be honest, I'm basking in nostalgia right now after writing to him.  Reflecting on this past year with my little man brings tears to my eyes.  He has grown from a toddler to a little boy in the blink of an eye and I keep asking myself: where does the time go?!  

Here we are, the day of his third birthday and I couldn't be more grateful or feel more blessed to be raising this boy of mine.  As a mother of a three year old I know that not every hour is perfect or even good.  Some hours are hard, really hard.  And those hours are sometimes days.  But, then I have one of those perfect moments where time seems to freeze and it's as if God is reminding me that my little three year old boy is simply human and good and beautiful.  God entrusted me with this little life and I am blessed beyond words to love him day in and day out (cue the tears).

Onto my little man!  Here is what this kid has been up to...

• Luke's favorite things in life are tractors, trucks, trains, and hitches.  He is also fond of grain carts, combines, cars, grain bins, diggers, dozers, skid steers, and cranes.  If it has wheels, Luke is checking it out.
• Luke is a sleep champion.  He loves a three hour nap and a good 12 hours of sleep at night.  God bless him for it.
• Eating is, um, not Luke's best asset.  His five food groups are: peanut butter and jelly, yogurt, muffins, cookies, and raspberries.  Put anything else on his plate and there is a 50% chance he will eat it.
• Luke plays well by himself and is working on playing well with others.  He will spend hours reading or lining up his cars on the counter.  Sharing his cars and toys is something that still needs a bit (or a lot) of practice.
• Luke has started to 'read' Kevin and I books.  It is probably the cutest thing in the entire world. He has a few books memorized and will read them to us at night.  He likes to read us Dig It and Maisy's Tractor.  They are both library books, so we are probably going to have to scramble soon and find them.  I can only renew them so many times...
• Luke loves hot tubbing with Kevin and I after Lily goes to bed at night.  We have been doing this a few nights a week and Luke loves looking at the stars and the moon.  
• Luke is an awesome big brother.  As in most sibling relationships, there are times of frustration and annoyance, but when Luke says 'it's okay, Lily' in a high pitched voice as Lily is crying or when he goes in her room to 'get her up' or when he gives her a great big hug and Lily is cracking up...those are moments I see his big brother skills really shining through.
• Luke loves riding the tractors and mower with Daddy.  He is also a big fan of riding in 'Daddy's car'.  If you know what Kevin drives, this will crack you up.
• There is a train museum in downtown Council Bluffs that Luke adores.  Kevin has taken him to it and he would spend hours there if we let him.
• Luke loves 'helping' me in the kitchen when I am baking.  Most of the time it's so he can snag some chocolate chips.
• Luke has adapted to Lily's mobility by playing with his toys on tops of tables where Lily can't reach them.
• Certain experiences seem to etch themselves into Luke's memory more than others. Whether it is positive experiences such as riding combines, going to Chicago, and seeing trains or scary events like thunderstorms, he'll continue to talk about them for weeks.
• Luke has the best 'one-liner' responses. You could tell him the meaning of life, and he would probably say, "Oh yeah." as if it were a given. 
• Luke has an extensive vocabulary of equipment names. RV, tanker, dozer, firetruck, ambulance, grain cart, grain truck, auger, driller, plane, helicopter, school bus, truck transporter, engine, garbage truck, the list goes on... and on. You name it, he probably knows it.

Let's take a walk down memory lane, shall we?  (Warning: There are lots of pictures.)