Luke 4

Luke loves to have his name written "Luke 3"... if it's his name on a piece of art he colored, or Mom is labeling paper cups at a party, or signing his name to a note, he wanted it "Luke 3".  When he tries to write his own name he even writes LUKE 3.  

but not anymore.  It's Luke 4 now.  

Too bad there's no one around to give Luke a helping hand with his gifts!  ha!  who says birth order doesn't matter??!?!!?

and somehow I missed a picture of him with his big gift.... his new (Isaac's old) bike!  He was delighted and so ready for a bike with peddles!    more on that later....

Much anticipated lunch date with Daddy.

Back home from lunch and off to his birthday party.  We walked the big kids to school (but I let Isaac skip because I am a softie and it was his birthday two days ago and 1st graders should skip school for birthday parties....)  then we headed on to a nearby mall and met some friends at a ball pit for a BIRTHDAY PARTY!

but first.... why not open a gift?  Yes! a tadpole catching net!  It's what his heart has been hankering for!

Birthday with friends and cupcakes at a ball pit with slides and a trampoline.  Four year old happiness.  See his shy sweet smile?!?

Then we picked up the big kids and walked home and he fell in the pond catching tadpoles (low point of the day).  I held his soggy hand and walked his soggy self back home where a new change of clothes helped immensely.  So did the sight of Daddy riding up on his bike and ready to help him get riding on his own new wheels.

And after bike riding practice it was inside for pancakes and we even had a few extra faces at the table (standard operating procedure on the weekends!) and it was off to bed for the weary birthday boy.

So after Luke went to bed Matt and I talked about lowering the seat on his new bike... it was as low as it would go and still not quite low enough.  Thanks to four zillion hours on his balance bike he's totally got the hang of bike riding.   But the seat was just not low enough for him to start and stop on his own.

thanks to our good friends for a good idea, the next morning Matt removed the seat, cut a piece of 2x4, chiseled out a small hole in the center, shoved it on to the seat post and covered it with a hand towel.  Add in plenty of duck tape and voila.... a seat that is the PERFECT height for a just turned 4 year old.

And now he's got it! The low seat is just what he needed and this boy is the newest member of the bike riding club.  Stops like a pro and starts with just the littlest bit of help.

Everyone is proud of little bro, and Isaac wanted a picture of the two of them on the bike they "shared".

but the biggest accolades go to John Paul who cheered for this little brother for the entire morning.  he certainly won the encourage-er award today!

We love you Luke 4!