Party Time!!!

Luke's birthday is Nov. 27.  He was supposed to have a bowling party on Sat., Nov. 30.  But his doctor said that he should avoid people for 5-10 days.  On Saturday he still wasn't feeling great, and then Jared came down with the flu too.  So obviously we didn't have that party.  But we'd ordered an awesome Lightning McQueen cake that I was too late in canceling.   So Grandma Debbi and Grandpa Terry took their chances and came over on Sunday night to eat cake with us and wish Luke a happy birthday.  Jared hid in our room the whole time.  

So that was mini party #1.

On December 15 we finally got to have his party-- with a new theme.  Once we were into Dec. it was clear that with work parties and such a Sat. wasn't going to work, so we had to come up with something that would work on a Sunday.  We had a gingerbread house party.  Terry and Debbi donated the gingerbread houses, and that was a huge help to me.  It was family only:  Herreras, Andersons, Ortons, and us.  Oh, and the missionaries came for dinner.

Here are some pics from the night:

Micah spent MUCH more time eating candy than decorating.  He had a huge sugar crash the next day. That child can PACK AWAY THE SUGAR.  I wish he wanted to eat anything else.

I want to highlight some of the big events/ changes from Luke's sixth year.

1.  He graduated from private therapy.
2.  He started kindergarten.
3.  He spontaneously gives hugs to his family and friends.
4.  He learned how to pump on a swing all by himself.
5.  He learned to read (He's at a beginning 1st grade level) and to write all of his letters-- lowercase and uppercase.
6.  He started drawing pictures besides a stick person.
7.  He changed schools and changed towns.
8.  He started bathing himself.
9.  He decided that he wants to be a teacher when he grows up.
10.  He can brush his own teeth.
11.  He started an independent tumbling class (as opposed to Mommy-and-me)

I am so very proud of my Luke.  He has grown and developed in ways that I can't put down in a list.  This past Sunday we took cookies to a friend of his.  When we arrived at the home we invited in, and Luke immediately took off with his friend, laughing.  They stayed together the WHOLE time, playing bad guys, etc.  From what I could tell there was very little distraction from fans, etc.  It is moments and experiences like those that let me see how much he has changed this past year.  It is in the conversations that we have and the connections that he makes.

Luke is a sweet boy.  He is very curious, especially when it comes to how things work.  He loves his brother Micah and his puppy, Griffin.  Luke's favorite games right now are play-doh, Candy land, and pretending to be a teacher.  His favorite activities are tumbling class, jumping on the trampoline, riding his bike, and playing at the park.  He enjoys school.  His favorite parts of the school day are eating breakfast in the cafeteria, going to recess, and singing in music.

Luke has a beautiful, simple testimony of Jesus Christ, and he has a strong desire to choose the right.

We sure love our Luke!