Saturday, October 18, 2008

Luken is FIVE!!!!!

Yes, it's true - my little baby boy has turned into a five year old!! Boohoo! We tried really hard to keep him four, but he insisted.

It felt like we opened presents all day long!! Lucky boy!

It started with this guy:
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I helped Grandma and Grandpa pick him out on Thursday while Luken was in school. We had to smuggle him and all his fishy paraphernalia into the house after we picked Luken up, as we'd been out running errands the whole time and hadn't been home.

In the morning, we put the fishbowl out and let Luken come in and discover him!
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Isn't he beautiful?
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Luken seems to want to name him "Fishy," but we're hopeful that he can come up with something a little more creative. :D

Time for some more presents!
A soft squid from Mommy and Daddy.
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His name is Soft Squiddy. :P

A really cool set of octopus books from Grandpa and Gram!
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Grandma made a cute quilt out of sea animal fabric (octopus represented, of course!) Now Luken has his own blanket to snuggle up with on the couch!
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A plush blue ringed octopus from Mommy and Daddy.
Look he has a beak!
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He wanted to name him Soft Stripey, as all of his soft octopuses are named, but I talked him into "Ringey Stripey." :D

Hanging out with Grandma for a few minutes!
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A Sally Lightfoot crab from Grandma and Grandpa.
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Right about this time, Keeley really wanted to play with some of this stuff, but Luken wasn't having it, so I managed to find a "Happy Little Sister Day" present for Keeley - a pet hospital playset.
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Luken thought that was a super cool toy, too, so he wanted to play with it! Argh... the best intentions, huh?

It came with a tiny flashlight, which Keeley thought was just the bees knees, and she had so much fun shining it on many, many things...

Her belly:
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Her kitty:
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Her tongue!
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Sweetie pie!
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Luken got to pick where we went for dinner on his birthday, and I was pleased to hear he picked Red Lobster.... mmmmmm.... cheddar biscuits!
The last time we went there, he ordered the crab kid's meal and ate it all up! My son, for sure! :D He was excited to order it again!
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Then, an ice cream sundae for dessert, complete with candle and "Happy Birthday!"
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After our delicious dinner, we headed home to get the kids into their PJ's and open a few more presents. (See, I told you he opened presents all. day. LONG!)

A cool octopus kite from Grandpa and Gram!
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A racecar sweatshirt from Great Grandma Muffer.
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An awesome sea monster octopus pirate set from Aunt Michelle, Uncle Greg, and cousins Chris, Kirsten, and Ashleigh!
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A nautilus fossil from Grandpa and Gram!
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And the piece de resistance... Luken has been begging for his very own umbrella since the middle of the last school year, when one of his classmates came to school with a Hello Kitty umbrella of HER own. I managed to find an OCTOPUS umbrella for Luken, and he LOVES it! :)
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Aren't they ridiculously adorable??
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Luken jumped for joy about all of his wonderful gifts!
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Then it was time to feed the fish before bed. Just a few pellets!
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And then Luken scooped up all his loot and headed to his room. We think he will have to sleep on the floor, because he has sooooo many new things on his bed now, haha!
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It was a fabulous day! Todd took the day off of work and we had Grandma and Grandpa here to spend the day with us! Luken is thrilled to be five, and I guess I will just have to accept it.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Happy International Cephalopod Appreciation and Awareness Day!

I've been busy searching the internet for all kinds of octopus information and images in preparation for Luken's birthday - it has to be octopus this year, of course!

In my searches, I ran across International Cephalopod Appreciation and Awareness Day! What could be more perfect? Ha!

Check out this Cephalopodcast (har har! The pun potential here is unlimited!) for all kinds of fun facts!

I wonder if Luken will be featured here someday! ;)

Go hug an octopus! :D

Monday, September 29, 2008

Party Animals!

On Sunday, we attended the joint birthday party of two sisters who have been our close friends since Luken was just weeks old! They had a farm theme, and had a petting zoo on site at their beautiful home!

Luken was in love with this white chicken!
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Here is a mama Guinea Pig with her baby!
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The birthday girls!
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Keeley joined in on the fun, but was eventually distracted by sand in her sandal.
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She had some giggles with Daddy when he helped her put them back on.
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Cake time!
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Mmmmmm....
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We were very excited to see our friend, Avin, there, too! Luken is very attached to her - they've known each other since they were babies, and also attended MDO together for two years. We are at different schools this year, so the kids miss each other!
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We've decided the arranged marriage is still on, though! ;)
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The girls opening their present from L&K
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And a sweet 'thank you' hug!
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What a fun party that was! :D