Luke Michael Allen- Age 6

Dear Luke,

Your 6th birthday is finally here. The day you have been waiting for since your 5th birthday! Birthdays are so exciting for you at this age which makes it super exciting for me.

What a year of growth this has been for you. First you started off your first sports team, soccer. Then new school, new teacher, new friends, new schedule and you have aced them all buddy! You have handled all of these changes like a champ (much better then me- I have been a wreck all year). You have always been such a sweet, obedient, caring, and trustworthy boy but this year you have proven all of those things to be true by your actions. Daddy & I could not be any more proud of the young man you are growing into.

Keep doing what you're doing and doing it well and you will go places you never dreamed. Keep working hard and never quit just like you do now. Keep learning and getting better. Keep listening and following directions as you do so well. Keep setting an example to your brothers. You're on a great path and I hope you stay focused on that path.

I know this next year is going to be a great one too! I love you so much and am so incredibly thankful to God for you. I couldn't have asked for anything more.

Love,

Mom

Shadycrest Carnival!

Yay!!! Luke's school carnival was this Saturday and boy oh boy was it fun! This is actually our first school carnival to ever attend. Since I work with the PTA, I knew some of the things that would be there and worked to help get it set up, but I really didn't know what to expect.

First stop, cotton candy. I usually try to stay clear of candy and stuff like this, but carnival day is an exception. So, I think the boys truly were in Heaven.

Right after we got there, Madi & Abi got there just in time for a train ride.

then, face painting. Star Wars characters- I will be glad when this phase is over- don't tell the boys I said that though.

We even had a real life Angry Birds game. This was what Luke had been waiting for! He did good too!

Bungee Trampoline

Fishing Game for my little fisherman Brady.
and lots of other fun things.

The carnival was a huge success! We look forward to many many more school carnivals!

Happy 6th Birthday Luke!

Luke was super excited about his birthday! It was on a Friday this year so he got to celebrate not only with his family, but also with his friends at school. He had a pretty full day...

First thing in the morning he had breakfast with Daddy at Chickfila. Dad has a tradition to take the boys to breakfast on their birthday.

Then for lunch, Brady & I met him to eat in the cafeteria, and we brought...chickfila!

Luke D., Zachary, Luke A., and Malachi at lunch. What a fun lunch it was!

At snacktime, I took cupcakes up to the school and had a little party in Luke's classroom. Luke's face lit up when his whole class sang "Happy Birthday" to him. I have learned that he really likes it when people sing to him. Funny, I know.

After school Ms. B & Steph came by to bring Luke balloons and a cookie cake before he left to go to Grammy & Papaw's to celebrate with them. Guess where they went for dinner....CHICKFILA!

All in all I think my birthday boy had a wonderful day!

Tomorrow...

Tomorrow, my first baby will be 6 years old. He has been waiting for this day for months now! I love the excitement that goes along with kids birthday as they get old enough to understand. It is such a blast! At my house growing up, my family ALWAYS made a big deal out of birthdays so it's my nature to make it super special. To me, it's that one day a yearthat can be all about them- so why not?

As a surprise- I snuck into Luke's room tonight as he was falling asleep on the couch and decorated his room for when he wakes up tomorrow. Nothing major, just a few balloons and streamers, but he is going to absolutely love it. I can't wait to see his sweet little birthday boy face as soon as he wakes up tomorrow. He is going to love it!

Easter 2012

We had a very busy Easter weekend! It officially started on Thursday for Brady & Owen when they had their Easter parties and egg hunts at school. Brady was a little nervous about his egg hunt, but it turned out fine.

Good Friday- Caleb & Luke were home with us the whole day! We spent the day together as a family which was really fun. We heard about this walk through Easter Experience that depicted the events that lead up to the cross which was amazing. They even had a children's version which I think really gave the kids a good visual of what all Jesus went through.
Friday night we had family pictures in Galveston (will post soon), swimming at the beach, and dinner.

Saturday- We had our church sponsored neighborhood egg hunt!


My Luke and one of our neighbors who is also named Luke :)

Dad & Owen getting ready for the big hunt!

Go Owen Go!

By now, Brady is a pro at egg hunting. All that practice paid off!

and Luke...well, he takes any sport VERY seriously- even if it is just egg hunting.

All three did well in the hunt and came home with lots of candy :/

Both Lukes with Scarlett & Carter. Sweet friends!

Then it was time to dye some eggs!

Before...

During...

After! Very lovely!

It doesn't look like these boys are afraid to get their hands dirty :)

Oh Look! It's a monster!

Easter Morning- the boys woke up and found their baskets from Mom & Dad and two gifts from the Easter Bunny. We had to switch things up a little because a certain someone saw one of the items that was supposed to be from the Easter Bunny ahead of time- oh well, it worked out.

Family picture before church.

Easter picnic- after church we met both sides of our family at the park for an Easter picnic.

Kennedy & Owen enjoying lunch.

All of the cousins ready to have another egg hunt.

Owen showing Yaya how good he is at finding the eggs.

Mom & Dad before time to leave and get some rest from our busy weekend.

Happy Easter everyone!

Happy Birthday Mrs. Soders

Tomorrow is Mrs. Soder's birthday. Another mom in the class and I had a nice little birthday plan to have the kids in the class bring her homemade birthday cards in the morning, bring her lunch, and then end the day with a cupcakes and balloons....that was, until we found out that she was not going to be there on her actual birthday. So, all of those plans got moved to today.


Below is the sweet card Luke made for her. He did all of the spelling himself which makes it even more sweet :)

(notice the utilization of his exclamation point)

Above is a picture of a bunny & a flower. Very nicely done from a student who LOVES his teacher!

Here is the whole class after they sang Happy Birthday & ate cupcakes.

What a fun day!

Women's Retreat- 2012

Last weekend we had our annual Crosspoint Women's Retreat at Forest Glen Retreat Center in Huntsville, TX. It was a wonderful time of rest, growth, fellowship, and healing for me. We had an awesome guest speaker, Dori Powledge Phillips who did an amazing job.
During our large group times, I learned the importance of allowing God to free us from the things that have us in bondage and I can't wait to apply the things I learned into my life now that we are home.