A Celebratory Trifecta

Well, celebrations abound last weekend in the Lu Crew home! We had a trifecta of Bella's 5th Birthday + Clay's 40th Birthday + Mother's Day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, respectively. Needless to say, it was a weekend full of fun and we are all still pooped from the festivities. A look at how we celebrated each: 

Bella Turns 5!

We kicked off the weekend with Bella turning One Whole Hand! 

Because the forecast called for chillier, rainy weather, we opted to celebrate the weekend before. My sister recommended this awesome inflatable company, Morton Amusement, so we reached out to them and ended up renting a bounce house/water slide combo. That Sunday, we invited friends over and bounced and water-slided (water-slid?) allllll dayyyyy long! Bels loved it and we loved seeing friends of all ages that day. <3 

Her actual birthday was pretty low-key: traditional birthday breakfast date with Dad (which, like Harrison's two weeks prior, involved a to-go order and in-home dining because #quarancation). She spent the morning playing with her new gifts while I knocked out homeschool with the Big 3, and then, it was time for her lunch request: Taco Bell. HA! When I asked Bella what she wanted for her birthday she was insistent on two things: a purple cake and Taco Bell. And what the birthday girl wants, the birthday girl gets. Next, she was surprised by a visit from her Bammy and GGram, who drove up to hand deliver her birthday gifts and spend a little time with us. The day ended with her dinner request (burgers!) and a movie, snuggling on the couch as the rain fell. She had a great day, and we loved celebrating our big 5-year-old birthday girl!

Clay Turns 40! 

We awoke the next morning ready to celebrate our main guy turning the big 4-0! A couple months ago, when this quarantine craziness started, I tried to brainstorm something that would make his birthday special, seeing as how we'd be spending it at home. And then it hit me: how about 40 gifts for 40 years?! I know that sounds like a lot, but it was seriously so fun watching him walk into the kitchen and realize what was waiting for him. 

Some gifts were as simple (but as sentimental) as homemade cards, gift certificates for back scratches, a scrapbook I had created way back in 2002 when we first started dating, a stash of his favorite chapstick, graphic art with the sound wave and lyrics of our wedding song, and a supply of his favorite straws from Starbucks. ;) 

Others were personalized/birthday appropriate items: a new hat, a shirt to wear for the day, a vintage 1980 tumbler, and custom koozie/ornament made by the one and only Molly of Blanchard Designs. 

Still others were things that I knew he would love and were specific to him: Waffle House waffle mix (thanks to quarantine, Waffle House has been selling it online for the first time ever!) and a waffle iron (which I used to make his birthday breakfast), his favorite bourbon, a new hammock, etc. The kids and I seriously LOVED watching him open his gifts. 

He spent the day golfing with seven great friends, and then we spent the evening hosting around several friends and their families at a big backyard cookout. It was such a fun way to celebrate our newly appointed 40-year-old, and we loved every minute. 

Mother's Day!

But wait! Why have two back-to-back celebrations when you can have three - ha! We celebrated a lovely Mother's Day on Sunday, and I loved sweet time with my Crew and the sweet time to myself. :) A definite highlight was that I got to get in a good workout while my hub volunteered to knock out the next day's e-learning. I cannot begin to express the stress this immediately lifted off my shoulders, knowing that Monday's work would be done before Monday even arrived. We enjoyed lunch together before going on a nice, long family bike ride. I got to spend hours reading a great book in the lovely Spring weather while my hub played with the kiddos nearby. I got to relax and write and watch a show I love and lounge around while chores were being done. And then we enjoyed takeout sushi from one of our favorite sushi restaurants. We ended the day with our Sunday ritual of "AFV" before all crashing early (like, before 8:00 pm, all of us!) after an action-packed, fun-filled weekend. 

This weekend was one for the books. I continue to be so thankful for the extra family time we have been gifted during this time of quarantine. While there are exhausting and challenging, stressful and anxiety-provoking, come-to-Jesus moments, there is so much beauty here, too. 

I am also grateful that we are able to slowly start re-immersing ourselves back out into the world, dipping our toes into the social realm as we work to find a better balance in our lives. While I'm not yet sure what that will look like, I do know that this weekend was a really good one, one we will remember forever as we celebrated big and celebrated together. 

Five.

Dear Bella,

Did you know that you have now had more birthdays as a Luton than as an orphan? That makes me so, so happy - knowing you have gotten to blow out candles and open gifts and  be spoiled and celebrated and oh-so-loved, just for being YOU. 

Although this birthday is a little different than your last two birthdays (#quarantine), we have every intention of making sure you know how very much everyone who is lucky enough to know you loves you, from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. 

You don't even know, at the ripe young age of 5, what an inspiration you are to so many, perhaps me most of all. You are resilience and grace, sweetness and strong-willed, loveable and snuggable, all rolled up into one precious Bellaboo bundle. 

You have made some HUGE strides over the last 365 days, Bels. To be honest, they aren't always as obvious to me, seeing as how I am with you nearly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You.Are.My.Shadow., happiest to be touching me at every second of every day. So, while I know you are making gains, I don't always seem the leaps and bounds that others do when they go weeks or months between seeing you. But, especially since quarantine started, you have been blowing people's minds with your achievements: your teachers; your therapists, both private and at school; your extended family; all of them, your Lu Crew: none can believe how much you have changed in just six weeks! 

You are speaking more clearly and putting more and more words together. Your speech has grown tremendously over the last year, and we are so proud of how hard you work to communicate with those who know you and love you. 

You are 100% potty trained for day! And it was the easiest.thing.ever. to potty train you! You were clearly ready - we just didn't know it. <3

You are becoming stronger, faster, and more fluid in your gross motor movements. You can jump like a boss and go up and down steps, holding a railing. You LOVE going to dance and won't hesitate to show off your plie. You also learned to swim at the end of last summer, and I can't wait to get you back in a pool as soon as they open. 

You have made some awesome fine motor strides, too. You can cut a page using scissors independently. You can draw a circle and cross and even a square and triangle on occasion! We are working on writing letters, and I just know you'll get it one day!

You have known all of your numbers, letters, colors, and shapes for some time. Now we are focusing on mastering consistently counting to 10, and you are getting SO close!

You have discovered the "art" of sighing, rolling your eyes, and moaning, "Moooooom!" when annoyed at me. It's definitely a lovely little glimpse of future teen Bella, Lord help me. 

You love, love, love to snuggle. Your favorite is holding my hand AND your dad's hand, at the same time. It's like you hit the jackpot when that happens, your face lights up so brightly. It makes us smile so big. <3

You adore your sweet girlfriends - one in particular - and I have no doubt you two will be thick as thieves throughout your childhood. She is such a sweet cheerleader, protector, and playmate. My heart just melts when I see you two sweet girls together. 

And let me just say: I'm not sure I've ever seen three big siblings adore a little sister so much. Banks, Raleigh, and Harrison just adore you. But honestly, something that makes me happy is when they get annoyed with you. Because it is clear they love you enough for you to get on their nerves, as true siblings should. ;) 

Your world is filled with people who just love you so much, Bels. Your family, your friends, your teachers, your therapists: this world is better with you in it, exactly as you are, exactly who God designed you to be. And today, we celebrate YOU.

From the moment I was born, God knew I would be your momma. From the moment you were born, He lead me to you, perfectly and beautifully laying the path for us to come together on that day, in that room, in that building, in that place. Never ever ever will you spend another birthday alone. Because today, Bella Elizabeth, you have had more birthdays as a Luton than as an orphan, something only God himself could perfectly ordain. 

...Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue. And the dreams that I dared to dream really do come true. 

Happy One-Whole Hand, Beautiful Bella. You are loved, you are loved, you are loved.

With All My Heart, 

Momma