Sunday, February 21, 2010

Birthday boy!

Lukes First BDay 114 blog Our little bambino turned one on Friday and what a blessing it was to celebrate the joyful year we’ve been given with him. We are ever amazed at the playful, busy, inquisitive, social, and more-and-more adorable little person he is. We still swoon at all his precious little sounds, expressions, and antics. Grandma and Grandpa Nielsen flew out to visit us for the week and Luke loved being the center of four adults’ attention. Papi and Generational-Name-Yet-To-Be-Determined Ferry didn’t want to miss the occasion either, so they skyped in with their own birthday cake, candle, and song for the little boy.

All things considered, the L-man was much more laidback than we anticipated when it came to his bday cake and hat. After some initial resistance, he actually left the hat on undisturbed for an extended length of time, giving us plenty of time to snap festive pics. He certainly enjoyed his cake and consumed the majority of a piece. But he ate it with considerable calm and restraint given that it was his first sustained exposure to chocolate and intense sugar! In the photo above, you can see him take his first bite in his cute smock-bib, our little numero uno.

Lukes First BDay 323 blogAs it turns out, the little guy’s gift roundup tended toward the ambitious side for a one-year-old. His big presents were Duplos, an outdoor playset, and a bike! He really is such a fortunate little kiddo that he has just about all the wonderful baby toys needed anywhere except a daycare, so it made sense to choose ‘to-grow-with’ toys. Erik and I have already had a lot of fun building with the Duplos, and Luke enjoys banging them together and putting the box on his head. We all laugh when Erik calls the box’s clear lid a ‘baby riot shield’ – Luke is modeling it for you to the left.

Luke’s new-to-us playset gives our yard a little more color and a family feel. Luke hasn’t quite managed to climb up on it by himself yet, but he’s quite close to making it onto the first platform and it’s fun to send him down the slide.

bday blog 2 We’re also excited about the clever design to Luke’s new green machine – his Strider running bike! Instead of pedals, the two-wheeled bike is propelled Flintstone-style by Luke’s two legs. At first toddlers just hold the handlebars and walk, but over time kids learn balance and can zoom along by pushing off while sitting on the seat. We were inspired by several impressive videos on YouTube and so we envision Luke eventually riding it around our house’s quiet cul-de-sac, as well as on paths around the city during family bike rides. But first Luke’s legs need to get just a little bit longer – he can barely touch at the moment!

We are so thankful for our Luke-a-love and treasure each day we’re given to play and learn and grow with him. God bless you in the year to come, sweet little boy!

Bday blog 1

Click HERE for many more bday pics!

2 comments :

  1. Happy birthday, Luke!! He really looks so happy in all the pics -- looks like you all had a blast! I especially love the cake pics. :)

    May God continue to pour out His blessings on your family in the year to come!

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  2. I totally forgot he was turning one, how exciting! He is pretty zen about his cake though. Joaquin was too enamored to make much of a mess, he wanted all of it in his mouth! So maybe Luke was just focusing on not missing any of it. :)

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