Happy Birthday to Mr. Magnifient Awesome!

We cut our teeth on this little golden child right here....

Life suddenly sobered up when we found out we were having a baby.  Nothing like a positive pregnancy test to make the world look a little differently.  We took becomming parents very seriously.   I remember all the stresses of learning how to parent...reading books....taking classes, etc. etc.  It was too much.  One day I said to Nana...."this book says to do it this way....that book says to do it that way..."  She said, "You know?  It's hard to kill one."    That brought a lot of peace to us.  We soon figured out that parenting was more about learning from the kids than a text book. Nothing like on-the-job training.  Luke was our first preceptor. 

Luke was the first of three excellent professors that have taught us about EVERYTHING we never knew we never knew. As the first born, he has been such a patient little guy as we figure out who we are as parents.  He is just about as perfect a kid as you can get. We could not have ordered better.  God was merciful on us to give us a Luke Mitchell.

We picked his name out immediately.  Luke Mitchell means, "Bringer of Light.  Who is like our God." His name suits him.  He is super fun to be around.  Learning to experience life like he does is something everybody should do.  He is a very compliant child.  We can count on one hand the times Luke "checked to see who is charge."   Any time he got out of line a bit, we just reminded him of his name....who he is.  

His name continues to grow as he does. As an infant, we called him, "Mr. Amazing." 

We've always thought he was rockin' awesome, but I'm not sure we truly knew the treasure we had hiding little toys in strange places.  It seems easy for new parents to take perfect kids for granted. We were the typical first-time parents.  I have more pictures just for Luke's first week of life than the rest of the boys put together.  We have more video coverage of Luke cooing and ooing than there are infomercials.  We packed in more memory-making, family fun in one little year than I remember for the decade before. Even still...I'm pretty sure I was greener than car sick turtle when it came to parenting.   Maybe some moms get it immediately, but it took me having three boys in 37 months before I really felt like a mom. It took three boys sleeping side ways in our bed before I really began to understand that sleep is not a right, but a privilege.  It took breastfeeding, diapering, and food processing for YEARS  before I let go of  my expectations, pressures, and  beliefs about what I thought a mom was.  It took three boys for me to give up and learn.  I see things like I never saw them.  I learn things like I never learned them.  Everyday I discover the meaning life.    Believe me....I KNOW what I've got now.    I  enjoy my boys...and it all started with the Amazing Luke Mitchell. 

   Once I told Luke I had a secret to tell him.  Then I whispered in his ear, "Did you know I think you are awesome."  Then he said to me, "I have a secret to tell you."  and he whispered in my ear, "Did you not realize I've had diarrheas since Easters?

Luke was born "older."  He is the most confident, dependable, secure, innocent, and responsible child I know.  He sees himself as "bigger."  If a big kid can do it.  So can he.  That is why he was running at 11 months old,  climbing out of his crib from  the lowest level at 9 months old, and did a flip off the diving board the very first day we removed his life jacket. His great aunts always said he was "sure-footed."   

Luke has no idea there are limits.  But he is well aware boundaries. 

One of my favorite stories was a time we were driving through town.  Luke was sitting in the car seat with a sippy cup.  He looked out his window and saw a tall, middle school boy with a large-frame walking home by himself from school. Luke said, "Huh.  He's big like me."

One day when he was about four years old, I asked Luke, "Would you rather be called Awesome or Magnificent."  He tapped his finger to his chin to think about it for a few seconds then said, "I think both." That is when his name grew into, "Mr. Magnificent Awesome."

Luke knows things I am not sure how he knows.  He is always telling me things that God tells him or shows him.  He tells me about conversations they have. He makes grown up decision and tells me that God helped him decide.  He told me we didn't need to have quiet time in the car before school, because he talks to God at school too. His relationship with him is evident.  His nature is His nature.  Luke makes it easy to understand why it is so important to be child-like.

Luke is a cartoon.  He does goofy things.  Once he got a little scratch on his hand and acted like a fish out of water flopping all over the floor.  I said, "Get up, Luke!  You didn't scratch your leg!"   I even hear his brothers say at time, "Quit being a cartoon, Luke!"

The child is good at everything he does.  He has a hard time with himself if what he does isn't as good as he thinks it should be.    The challenge with Luke is to keep him from being too hard on himself.  This is the child who would throw up in the floor and the first thing he thinks of is he needs to get a towel to clean up the mess.  His Uncle Ben says, Luke is all alligators.” (A is for Alligators.)   He was born for academics.  He loves to learn. 

Once he woke me up because he gave me a kiss on my forehead has he crawled into our bed.  I've seen him bend down to protect the legs of a girl when the swing was coming a little too close.  I've also seen him throw a fit when he found his new cousin would be girl instead of a boy.   He is goofy, funny, smart, nerdy, athletic, and easy to get along with.  His wheels are always spinning.  He creates and creates some more.  He makes up stories, He illustrates his books.  He makes up games.   He builds creatures, contraptions, and booby traps. He is always creating something.  We started calling him, "The Amazing Mr. Magnificent Awesome." 

Luke is tender-hearted.   He loves Planet Earth, but never wants to watch the one about desserts because the baby elephant gets lost from its mother.  He loves his brothers.  Luke is always thinking of them, aggravating them, and trying to make life easier for them. 

I told Luke one day that he is such a good teacher.  This puzzled him.  He doesn't understand why he is teaching when he feels it is him who has so much to learn.

I always wanted to know what Wayne was like when he was a little boy.  I don't know how he was, but I do know if you could squish Wayne down to a little boy, I'm sure he would be Luke Mitchell. He is so much like his daddy and a HUGE daddy's boy.  When the boys get in "trouble" for having a pouty attitude, we have them tell us things we are thankful for.  Luke ALWAYS starts off with, "I'm thankful for my dad." 


He has the best laugh in the world.  He is strong as an ox. He is competitive and likes being the champ, but he let's his brothers win all the time just to maintain the peace.  Luke he has no problem putting people ahead of him. He is willing to try anything.  Last summer we added, "fearless" to his name because he is. 

 When Luke was born, I always felt like I was raising him for other people.  I have learned so much about relationship from such a good little teacher. I've never seen a child value people the way he does.   He makes friends everywhere he goes. He is comfortable to be around.  He is a great peace maker.  He enjoys life and he enjoys sharing life with people.  He is always respectful and kind, but secure so that he doesn't feel like he has to play with people who "bother" him.

Luke believes in people.  I have witnessed kids who were falling behind suddenly boost ahead just because Luke said they could do it.  I have seen life spark in the eyes of other children when they began to believe in themselves like Luke believes in them.  I have never seen leadership from a kid like that before.

 

  A couple of years ago while thinking about Luke, the Lord told me to tell Luke how he is a prince.  I knew this was perfect timing because He-Man had become very popular in our house.  Luke was very aware of Prince Adam and his role as He-man.  Luke would "get" this.

 Luke is so compliant that we have to be careful not to take him for granted.   He is asked a lot to put what he wants on hold for other people in our family.  He is always willing to do it.  He's a good sport.   He is on the front-line of our child rearing, and he takes it like a man.    We have had to learn to "listen."   When he acts out, something is wrong.  It could be something that looks like throwing a fit to him finding some ridiculus excuse to come downstairs after bedtime.  Those types of behaviors are loud and clear.  He needs more attention.

We are super proud of such a golden little boy.  Can't believe it has been seven years this week, but so happy to be recipients of this fine little man.  

Happy 7th Birthday to

The Amazing and Fearless Mr. Magnificent Awesome,       Prince Luke Mitchell of Blaylock Mountain

We named you well, our little "Bringer of Light."