VanderMeander

Wow. Where have the last five years go? Oh wait. I know. Looking after an over-sized, super-energized little boy. It’s been an exhausting adventure, but looking back it’s been really good. I’ve learned about love in a whole new way having this boy who is so opposite from me and my old expectations of what a “good” kid is. I’m glad I learned these lessons early in his life. I’m hoping that means that I won’t have traumatized him with my lack of patience and complete frustration. Things are so much better now. And Luke is a wonderful little boy — if you want to call 63lb at age 5 “little”. (Yep. The doctor weighed him the other day and he weighs 63 pounds — that’s the combined weight of my neighbour’s 3 and 5 year old girls!) He’s got such a great little personality. And he’s become such a little organizer. Last night he got out wrapping paper for me so I’d be sure to have some when I wrapped his presents. He told me what we should do in the morning (even though we’ve been doing the same thing for every kid’s birthday for 14 birthdays now!) And today he said that I should cut the cake and he would pass the plates out to everyone. I like seeing the way his mind works. He is a character. He is strong and passionate and sensitive and he really likes to sleep. Come to think of it, maybe he’s not as different from me as I thought…

Here are pictures of the day.

The morning tradition: birthday balloon in bed while we sing “Happy Birthday”, discovering the decorated house, and presents before breakfast of toast with chocolate sprinkles.

Spiderman is the theme this year. Marc made this pretty sweet web out of streamers and Madeline helped me make the spider in the middle.

Luke with his new skateboard. And, yes, he wore his Spiderman pyjamas to the mom’s group this morning, changed into clothes for preschool, and then back into his pyjamas for supper.

Olivia being the elephant for the mom’s group (and then Cat in the Hat) at supper, well, I can’t explain that. (It was a beautiful, reasonably warm, but misty day all day today. It was kind of nice, actually. And the kids are so very happy about all of the puddles.)

Supper together. Homemade macaroni and cheese (so not worth the effort), chicken, and broccoli.

Singing “Happy Birthday”.

My boy with his Spiderman cake!

This was right before he bent over too far and burnt his face.

So he tried it from this angle.

And this angle finally seemed to work.

Happy 5th birthday, Mr. Luke! We love you very much.

Filed under: Family, Kids by Dixie Vandersluys