Toddy: Luke's 3rd Birthday Celebration

Well, I am ashamed that it has taken me this long to post pictures of Luke's 3rd birthday celebration that took place here at our house on Saturday, December 29th. As expected, Luke was surrounded by a ton of family and friends that love him very much. Our house was super duper crowded but everyone managed to put the chaos aside and enjoy each other.

Several months ago when I began thinking about what we would do for Luke's birthday party, I decided to ask him what his thoughts were....he said, "Mommy, I want my friends to come to my house." He then mentioned that he wanted his buddies - William and Silas - to play with him on his birthday. Well, I decided to take Luke's lead and do what he wanted. I invited William, Silas, and a few more toddlers and their families and then, of course, we invited Luke's cousins and family. We didn't go crazy with food or decorations - I just kept it simple and provided a few small snacks and cake and ice cream.

Luke seemed to enjoy being in his house - his comfort zone. The kids played inside for awhile - they didn't stay in one place too long - they rode the tricycle, the scooter, played with play doh and then the favorite toys included the trucks and cars that Luke has. At one point, all of us mommies looked around and noticed that each boy was playing with a different truck in a different way. They were all stuck in their boy world having a blast! The mommies were actually able to have some adult conversation because the kids were playing so nicely together. I think they would have played like that for hours. :)

At one point, even though it was VERY COLD, we wondered outside for a little play time. Luke jumped on the trampoline with Lexi and Lauren. Some of the other kids had a chance to jump. Luke rode his lawn mower and then let Silas ride for a little while. Ella and Regan slid down the mini-slide and several kids pushed the red car and push mowers. We stayed outside and played for as long as we could stand the cold, which wasn't very long. :)

We came back inside and sang Happy Birthday to Luke. During his song, he was surrounded by a bunch of sweet girls singing with him. And the cutest part....Luke sang his own birthday song to himself. He sang the whole time! It was adorable! He grinned and grinned and then couldn't wait to lick the tiny hammer on his tractor cake. After eating cake and ice cream with his friends, he opened his presents. He got some more trucks and a big Chuck and a big Handy - he smiled and grinned as he opened each gift. We ended the party by having the kids pull open the pinata to get them some candy. They each went home with plenty of sugar - sorry mommies! :)

Before leaving, the boys played one last time in Luke's room. When I walked back to check on them, Luke and Silas were sitting on the Elmo couch watching William use the vacuum cleaner. It was so sweet watching them all play together. I was able to get Silas, Luke, and William to all 3 look at the camera for a quick second - you will see that picture at the very bottom.

It truly was an exciting day and I would not have changed one thing - chaos and all! :)

Right after everyone left, I jotted down the following statements to say, "Thank You"....God has been so good to me, it gives me great pleasure to say Thank You to Him for all of His blessings...even the blessings that seem so small...

"Thank you, Lord...."

Thank you for the tiny, innocent faces covered in blue and green icing.

Thank you for the twinkle in Luke's eyes when he saw a gift he wanted to open.

Thank you for the smile on Luke's face as he sang his own birthday song with his friends and family.

Thank you for the laughter amongst all the different conversations in the room.

Thank you for the smiles on the faces of the proud parents as they watched their children play.

Thank you for the HUGE mess of toys and cars everywhere and for the tiny hands playing with each toy.

Thank you for the health of these kids - their energy is contagious!

Thank you for bringing all the families and friends together to celebrate LIFE!

Thank you for the helping hands of all the mommies and daddies that wiped faces, cleaned up toys, and picked up trash.

Thank you, Lord, so very much for my sweet, sweet family....Landis and Luke make my heart swell each day!

Enjoy the pics....