Luke Turns 7 and Spring Break Concludes

On Wednesday, Luke turned 7. He was so excited for his birthday that he asked us to wake him up early for the celebration. We told him we would let him sleep, as we had to work and there would be plenty of time for celebrating. Originally, he told me he wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for breakfast, ice cream for lunch and homemade pizza for dinner. At breakfast time, he changed his mind and decided on waffles and eggs. It was funny that his plans for the day revolved around his meal choices. He did express a little regret that he wasn't having a party. But, we worked to make the day special. We also told him as one of his gifts, he could do electronics all day. He loved this and it kept him happy while we worked. And, hopefully, in 2022, he can have as big a party as he wants!

At 1130, his friend Mike came over to swim. Mike brought Chick-Fil-A, which was a fun surprise. I took a long lunch break to hang out by the pool (time I made up workwise), and they had a great time. They had ice cream sundaes and played for about 2 hours. Some siblings even joined in.

I wonder if Mike will want to come back after this?

After Mike left, Luke showered and put his pajamas back on to enjoy more television. After Thomas and I finished work, we made the pizzas and had his requested cake--a baseball cake. Jack had the cake once, maybe for his 6th birthday? Luke had it on his 5th birthday and wanted it again. Originally, he wanted a sports-themed cake, but then I showed him the  pictures from his 5th birthday and he said he wanted the same cake. Fortunately, it is super easy to decorate. He got awesome presents, including an Alexa Dot and "smart watch" from me and Thomas, roller blades from the girls, and a bow and arrow set from Jack. Mike gave him the game Operation and an Amazon gift card. He also got some cards with cash from family, fun books from the Wills, and two friends from his class that live close by (and he frequently plays with) brought over nice gifts. I think he felt pretty spoiled.

Thomas took Thursday afternoon and Friday off, but I still had to work. Thomas has now been with the Government for 15 years, so he earns 8 hours of leave per pay period. I get 6, which means each year he gets a full week (plus 12 hours) more than me. Plus, thanks to the time-consuming protests, he has earned additional credit hours. So, he had more time to spare than I did, particularly after taking time off last week. I need to save up for summer and the winter holidays! Thomas was planning on taking the kids to Fort Christmas on Friday, but Anna's Herbst broke (both on Thursday and Friday!) and the weather wasn't great.

Saturday, we went to Winter Haven to celebrate my dad and Kevin's birthdays. Lou turns 79 this week! Kevin's birthday is the 27th. We had a good visit and again, I completely forgot to take pictures! I am really annoyed at myself.  But, it was nice seeing everyone. Kim brought a Publix cake, which are always great. We got home in time to rest for a bit before I took Luke to Mike's birthday party. It was a Lego-themed party and Luke had a lot of fun.

Today is Sunday and everyone will return to school tomorrow. They are all sad that Spring Break is coming to an end. It definitely wasn't our most eventful Spring Break, and I am sad to think that we were scheduled to be on a cruise right now, but we did our best with what we had. It included 3 birthday celebrations, two trips to Winter Haven, a fun night at Universal, a trip to the zoo, and lots of time in the pool.

Finally, in very random news. I am currently reading Obama's book and Thomas is on Book 6 of Harry Potter.  So, I am reading non-fiction and he is reading fiction. That is VERY strange, and I don't think has ever occurred in our marriage. I do occasionally read non-fiction, but Harry Potter might be the first non-fiction Thomas has read in the past decade or so.