Luke at twelve

Twelve things I love about Luke at age newly twelve:

1. Luke is so kind. He can't stand for someone to have their feelings hurt. If someone is sad or hurt, he goes out of his way to make them feel better.  Even television shows with unkindness makes him uncomfortable.

2. Luke is silly. He loves a joke or pun and speaks sarcasm very fluently.

3. Luke loves to talk about big ideas. Politics, religion, abstract theories... he happily engages in conversation on any and all topics. He picked my brain at lunch today about the different propositions on the ballet and left the polling place in admiration for the power of the voting process.

4. Luke is an excellent brother. Drew wants to be just like him, Kate adores him, and Grace confides in him.

5. Luke is the sweetest son I could ask for. Truly. I can't even picture Luke talking back to me. If I am frustrated about anything- even something that has nothing to do with him- he apologizes and tries to help. If I am carrying two bags, he offers to take one for me. If I pull in the driveway with groceries, he is quick to come out and help bring them inside. He is a gentleman. Another parent at church told me last month that Luke has the manners of a grown man.

6. He is a voracious reader. He can disappear for hours at a time with a book. He loves to discuss books with others. He rereads his favorites over and over again. He loves a trip to the library.

7. He is great at drawing. I like to see the things he can come up with. Last Sunday, for example, I came home from an event to find that he had helped his younger siblings create a fictional baseball team called "The Westies" and then drew a spectacular mascot for this team.

8. Luke loves little kids and is pretty good with them. Kate has always been drawn to her "Lukey". Luke is great with the kids at my preschool or in my Sunday School class when he is around them. He fights me for a chance to hold babies. He is patient and silly and sweet to them.

9. Luke gives 110% to his school work. At his recent Parent Teacher Conference, two different teachers commented that he is a hard worker who never gives up.

10. Luke knows what he wants. He has favorites and is quite content to stick with those favorites. He likes to wear his favorite jeans and one of eight favorite tee shirts. It was recently time for Luke to get new tennis shoes and he requested a new pair of the shoes he had outgrown, not even wanting to switch to a new color of that style. We are on an every-other-year schedule for new backpacks and lunch boxes. Luke was due for both this year, but was happy to just stick with the same backpack and lunchbox for a third year. If given his choice for restaurant, he always picks Five Guys for a burger and fries. Despite knowing what he wants, he is completely easy-going when he can't have his preference. He is a go-with-the-flow kind of kid.

11. Luke is happiest when outdoors. He loves to be in nature.

12. Luke is not "too cool" for anything. He will happily play with his younger siblings, even if their activity of choice is a tea party or a game of stuffies. If Kate asks him to watch a cartoon with her, he will let her climb into his lap and will watch it with her. He doesn't (yet) care about what is cool, he just does what he enjoys.


Happy Birthday to my Luke. I am just crazy about you, kid.

XOXO,
Mom