My Larry Bird Birthday*

*Thank you, Shannon, for finding a way to make #33 special!






Today I am 33, and it is my favorite birthday yet! Luke sang happy birthday to me this morning going "happy, happy, happy, mommy, mommy, mommy"






This weekend was full of fun and celebrating and love. I am so lucky and thankful for my family and the wonderful life that I share with them. Saturday, I took Luke to the lake for some beach time. We normally stay there for about an hour, but he LOVES it and I had to bribe him away after 2 1/2 hours and nearly falling asleep in the sand! Here he is as we left, happily reading and snacking.


He was asleep before we got home. I spend his long naptime on the deck soaking up some sun, enjoying a summer BLT with a tomato from our yard, talking to my amazing friend Lesley and photographing some beauty that has grown happily in the backyard.

I also got to visit with my parents and take a quick swim before it was time for round two (post nap) with Little Man. Sunday and today have continued the party, but I will have to write about that fun later...

Luke has fun at a wedding

He tried to drink champagne, he sampled lots of desserts, he savored parts of the delicious dinner and he enjoyed lots of attention from family. Uncle Mike was a special buddy all night, even though he is the father of the the groom, he took lots of time to share fistbumps and love with the Lukester...It was a fabulous celebration of Michael (my cousin) and Sylvia's marriage (which is two weeks old by now!).

A boy and his borrowed Jeep

All taken at my Aunt Ellen & Uncle Mike's lovely farm up north...Luke driving a borrowed and well used Jeep that he would have jumped on I-57 and driven home if Uncle Mike had enough batteries for the 27 hour drive time (going about 6 miles at hour, tops)









I especially like that he could still pose with a 'funny face' while driving and the shot of him with his hand in the air saying 'no' to anyone daring enough to put a hand on the vehicle and help him steer it. He spent about 6 hours a day in this thing and even ran to it as we were loading the car to head home like it was a long lost love. It was love, though, of a little man learning how to make something go 'broom broom' for real. BIG LOVE.

Collared shirts never looked so good

I just love these two...


...and I love their shirts, too.

PS - Five years ago after I moved back to s. Il, I bought an instant lotto ticket (which I NEVER do) and told myself that if I won anything I would call this guy Steve that I had met a couple days before at a 4th of July party and ask him to go to the lake or have lunch with me. So....I won $4.00 and I called him and we went to the lake and we got married and each July 4th since then I smile and think how much I really won.

the 4th

Time is precious in the summer and I just don't spend much on it on the computer so I seem to be lacking in the blogging department...here are a few fun pictures of our 4th of July adventure to St. Louis. We covered all of the bases: Cardinals game, cool hotel with a great view and comfy bed, fireworks under the arch and in front of a firetruck plus a police car with lights on as we walked back to the hotel for a nightcap with our wonderful friends, Bill and Claudia. It was 24 hours of memory making! And it wouldn't be the 4th without a glow in the dark necklace ;)

Last Friday

I took Luke on an adventure in the south suburbs of Chicago. Mum Jackie enjoyed a visit with Aunt Ellen and Daddy went golfing with Papa Nick. So...Luke and I did this...








We rode the commuter train out to Joliet and back to the Tinley Park station. It was quite a time, and we both enjoyed it. I love the picture of him waving to the train as it pulled away after dropping us off to go back to Ellen's.

Follow a train ride up with a visit to a ginormous Target with an even more ginormous snack bar and it was quite a day. He fell asleep on the way back to the farm and slept for almost 4 hours before being hustled off to another fun event.

Guess what we did today?

TIE-DYE MANIA @ Montessori School to kick off July! They asked for parent volunteers that could help so I got to hang out all morning with my little fella. It was tons of fun, we came home with a very cool t-shirt and new memories to savor. HAPPY JULY!