Lucas, you are 5!

Dear Lucas,

Happy birthday! We can't believe that you are five. Thank you for bringing so much joy and excitement to our lives! You are fun, smart, handsome and engaging and you certainly keep us on our toes. People often tell us how much they enjoy your company and that does not surprise us.

Even at this young age, you have shown a tremendous capacity for loving and understanding your creator. Keep the questions coming and we will keep racing to grow alongside you. We love you with all of our hearts!

You have taken five trips all the way around the sun and they have been filled with many great adventures and accomplishments. Here are a few...

First trip around the sun

In your first trip around the sun you learned to smile, laugh, crawl, walk and run. You got your first teeth and your first shoes. You learned to climb stairs and other things that are easy for you now. When you were a baby, you also learned how to be a good traveler. You took your first trip in a car when you were six weeks old and we traveled to Ben and Sarita's wedding in Tampa, Florida.

Your first plane trip was when you were five months old and we flew to Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia. We were hoping that the three hour time difference would take care of your midnight bedtime, but you showed yourself to be a true party animal and stayed up until 3am west coast time with no problems (6am Atlanta time.) We continued to party late into the night, first with Devin Reynolds and his family in Seattle and then with the family in Vancouver. "Look at the face on that little guy!" said our cousin Oleg with a beaming smile. Those late nights led to some serious naps in the stroller allowing mommy and daddy quiet sushi lunches and leisurely shopping in Vancouver's downtown stores. One of your first foods was green tea ice cream. On the way back from Vancouver, we were delayed and later diverted through Tennessee so we were on the plane for nine hours. Luckily there were some cute teenaged girls behind us for you to flirt with. You didn't fuss the whole time!

That year you also traveled to Gulf Shores Alabama, Lake Hartwell, Portland Oregon, Fort Worth TX and Winnipeg, Manitoba. And then you were 1.

Second trip around the sun

In your second trip around the sun you learned to do many things with your hands. You taught yourself how to eat with a spoon, pet dogs and play with cars and trains. You rode in a boat for the first time and learned how to rock in a rocking chair and slide down slides. You learned to be an even better traveler and visited some new places: Boston Massachusetts, Providence Rhode Island, and St. Augustine Florida (the oldest city in the United States of America.) And then you were 2.

Third trip around the sun

In your third trip around the sun, you learned to have tons of fun playing. You learned to ride a little motorcycle (like a balance bike only smaller.) You learned to go on see-saws, make things with play-dough and splash in puddles with your rainboots. During this year you explored puddles and many other things in Prague and Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic as well as Amsterdam, Holland and London, England. We lived in Europe for three months while Daddy worked there. This is also the year that you started school at Arbor Montessori! In this picture you are trying three different fresh juices in a vegetarian restaurant in Prague where we went twice a week. Every time we ate there, the waitress gave you a suitcase filled with fun things to do while you were at the restaurant. And then you were 3.

Fourth trip around the sun

In your fourth trip around the sun, you learned how to play soccer and ride really fast on your balance bike (that is a bike that has no pedals and no training wheels.) You learned to rake leaves and write your name. This year we visited our family in Denver, Colorado for the first time. We also stayed at the Unicoi Lodge in Helen, GA where I stayed when I was a little girl. There was a kids space for sleeping and playing that was so high up you had to climb a ladder to get there. That’s what you are doing in this picture. I taught you how to jump from that ladder and onto the hotel bed. You did that over and over again! But the most important thing that happened this year is that your baby sister Sofia was born seven days before your fourth birthday. And then you were 4.

Fifth trip around the sun

In your 5th trip around the sun, you learned to do many amazing things. You learned to swing by yourself, swim without floaties, play mini-golf and ride a pedal bike with no training wheels. During the summer, you learned to make salad people. You just took different types of food and made it look like a person but with macaroni for hair and carrot sticks for arms. You traveled to two new places this year: Savannah, GA and Navarre Beach in Florida where you spent many days jumping in waves and digging in sand. This year you also got to know your baby sister. You are a great big brother! And now you are 5!