Luke is 10!

Luke turned 10 on Sunday, March 17th. The celebration started a little before that. Thursday was the last day of school before Spring Break, so he got birthday bites at school. Parents aren't allowed to send anything in, but can order something from the cafeteria. Luke said everyone likes the blueberry muffins, so we ordered those and juice. The price is very reasonable and it is hassle-free, so win/win. As a parent of a child with allergies, I don't mind the school taking a harder stance against homemade treats. Thursday was also field day, which 4th grade had in the morning, so by the time lunch rolled around, more than half the class had left for the day. That left Luke with a lot of extra muffins and juice, but he handed them out to their companion class and all were happy.

On Friday, Thomas and I took Luke and Adrian to Fun Spot. Adrian is Luke's best friend from his baseball team. This was their second year going for Luke's birthday and they had a lot of fun. It was not crowded and they rode everything multiple times. They had pizza for lunch and spent time in the arcade. A pretty nice day for a turning-10-year-old! 

While they were riding the swings, Thomas decided to get one more ride in on the coaster. He had it all to himself :)

Last minute, Luke decided he wanted an ice-cream cake. We hadn't ordered one, so after Fun Spot we stopped in at Menchie's and picked out a premade cake. We sang to him that night and he opened his gift from Jack--a Calvin and Hobbes pictures (Luke LOVES Calvin and Hobbes).

Saturday was cruise prep day. We had more birthday cake that night and he opened his gift from Kara-- baseball cards. 

On his actual birthday, we headed out to Fort Lauderdale for our 6-night Caribbean cruise. He got sung to in the restaurant and opened his gift from Anna (a National Geographic book). More on the rest of the day later. 

Since this blog is all about Luke, I am going to go back in time to the weekend before his birthday. He had another baseball tournament. I couldn't go on Saturday, but it went okay for them. They won one game and lost one game.  Luke pitched a little on Saturday, but they wanted to "save him" for Sunday.  I went on Sunday and they won the first game, which led them to the tournament championship game (they were in a lower bracket because of Saturday's loss). Anyway, Luke started the game and pitched amazing! He gave up an earned run in the first and second (two hits total). After the second inning, he didn't allow a single base runner ;he retired the last 15 batters! He didn't walk a single player and had 11 strikeouts. It is rare for kids at this age to complete the full 6-innings, at least based on my experience-- it definitely doesn't happen for us very often, the games usually end because of time. And, for the same pitcher to pitch the entire game is also rare. But, because of all the strikeouts, Luke didn't actually have that many pitches. It was so fun to watch! I think we are getting closer to the age when most kids quit (they have one more year on the smaller field, then it becomes more difficult). I hope Luke continues to play, but if not, I hope he will remember how fun it was to play a solid game and contribute to his team! 

His high leg kick looks like he is standing on one foot in this picture.

After the game, Luke got the MVP award. He had also hit well. I was so glad both Thomas and I were able to be there. 

What else to say about the youngest Wilson??? He is smart and athletic. He is a kind friend with a strong moral sense of right and wrong. He is a nice person who is always willing to share. He has a silly sense of humor and loves comics. As mentioned above, his current favorite is Calvin and Hobbes. (Thomas has the complete collection and Luke will lay on the floor giggling at Calvin's antics.) He likes Mark Rober and Mr. Beast videos. He really likes video games, especially Minecraft and Rocket League. He is not in a hurry to grow up, although he is ready to be tall (he is currently 58.5", which is tallish for his age). He was very excited to hit double-digits and we are so happy he completed our family one decade ago!