Happy 3rd Birthday, Luke!

I'm a little behind here, but our ultra-sweet Luke (a.k.a. "Little Sir" or "Little Guy") turned 3 back on July 21 (I'm not even a week behind here)....

I know this has become cliche', but I "really can't believe he's 3 already....time has gone so fast."

We had a little party for him a few days before -- on Sunday, July 17. We kept the party small -- only family. We both come from small families....so, the party consisted of us, my brother and sister-in-law and their 3 girls, my parents, and Marc's parents.

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And, because I can NEVER leave out a "sleeping Luke" pic, here's one from that morning. He had to be woken up for church that morning....



After church, our Sunday progressed as a typical Sunday....lunch and then naps. We had mentioned to Luke that grandparents, aunt and uncle, and cousins were coming over later, but we did NOT make a big deal about it. We wanted him to NAP. And, being the great and wonderful sleeper that he is, he did indeed nap.

After his nap (but before everybody showed up), Marc and I gave Luke his gift from us -- an indoor tent. Luke thought it was great, and I personally LOVED seeing his smile when he saw it.

Luke immediately had to have his "after-nap" snack and juice in the tent.





Here are a couple of facts about this tent....

a) We found it at Target way back in January. We weren't looking for it. We were on one of our "date nights." We were browsing the "After Christmas" shelves -- the ones where things are super cheap. We saw this tent for $7.48 (yep -- you read that correct) when it was originally around $30. We said to ourselves, "Luke would like this." I, of course, was going to immediately buy it and give it to Luke the next day. My VERY WISE and VERY RATIONAL husband said, "He has enough stuff....how about buying it and saving it for his birthday in July?" I agreed, and I'm glad I did.

b) Originally, when we bought it, we were thinking he could sleep in it on occasion (vacations, etc.). Then, once Marc had it set up, we realized that was not going to be possible. Even at only 3 years old, he's too big to sleep in it. It's really not very big. I guess that's why it's an "indoor tent."

c) This tent was all we gave Luke (as a tangible gift anyways) for his birthday. I know, I know...GASP! But yep, that's all he received from us. I actually had something else in mind for him, but once again, my VERY WISE and VERY RATIONAL husband rescued me from my selfish thoughts.

"Luke has plenty of stuff....he's going to get more stuff for his birthday....he doesn't need to develop a sense of entitlement....we buy him other things throughout the year."

Soooooo -- contrary to what some might thing....this was all we gave him for his birthday. And, guess what? He's super duper content with that!

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Moving on....

After we gave him the tent -- our family memebers started to show up.

I didn't take very many photos from the evening AT ALL (a little disappointed in myself). Marc did take a few.

We had a fire truck theme. I'm not at all a decorator, and I don't get into decorating. But, I did purchase a few plates, cups, napkins, etc. for this party.

Marc grilled burgers and hot dogs. I baked beans. I made a salad. Marc's mom brought her super duper potato salad.

I baked cupcakes, and we had ice cream.

S.I.M.P.L.E....I was sort of feeling disappointed in myself for not decorating a bit more. But, once again, my VERY WISE and VERY RATIONAL husband reminded me that Luke didn't really care about the lack of decorations, but Luke did indeed have a wonderful time.

We did indeed celebrate his birth and his life!

(Luke is wearing my dad's hat and my mom's sunglasses -- a definite "trend" in his little life).







Luke did receive some thoughtful and practical gifts from family. He also received some fun gifts from some friends of his.

We feel so incredibly blessed to have family and friends around that love Luke so very much!

Luke's 3 years of life have truly been a bless to us as well as to others!

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After the party, we all took Luke and his cousins to our local sprinkler park. Again, I didn't get too many photos, but here are a couple.



And, what is it with kids at the sprinkler park who like to sit on the water? I see this ALL OF THE TIME, and that evening, Luke's cousin, Grace, was no exception.



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After everybody left, we headed home to clean up after our fun evening.

Luke, once again, played in his tent -- this time, in his jammies. He insisted on having a little snack and his milk before bed IN HIS TENT!