Our Big Birthday Boy

F.I.V.E  Y.E.A.R.S  O.L.D.
Everyone says it and I'm going to say it: they grow so quickly.

Luca TJ - our firstborn - turned 5 yesterday {even though he's the size of a 6 year old}...

The day didn't start off too well - Austin was preparing to leave that evening for another stint away from his family, nerves were raw, everyone was tired and hot, we were away from family and friends with whom to celebrate with. All in all not a good combination.

A few days beforehand I had invited, in my limited Italian, our friends Andrea & Lorenzo and their two children (whom Luca is special friends with) to ours for Luca's birthday party. So when they arrived, birthday-party-mode kicked in and we ended up having a fun, relaxing time.
And I was well pleased with myself for obviously communicating in Italian at a level of understanding.
Nice.

Luca requested a Ferrari racing car cake so I unfortunately ended up hastily putting one together for him, dreading the thought of having to turn the oven on in what was already a 40 degree hot day.
Because it was such a hot day the cake was unable to cool properly before I had to ice it, and with a combination of still-warm cake and a hot day, the icing melted.
And because I only had pink - not red - colouring for the icing, Luca's cake for his 5th birthday was a pink Ferrari racing car..... but Lorenzo reassured me that a pink Ferrari will be their new release in 2013...

We were also given a large bucket full of tomatoes, aubergine and bell-peppers from Andrea & Lorenzo's garden. I was in heaven. I felt like it was my birthday! I look forward to bottling up this tomatoey goodness - tomato chutney, tomato sauces, tomato juice...... Mmmmmm.

But right now it's all about Luca - this incredibly special little guy who has completely changed our world.
He is one of the most strong-willed people I know (apparently his mother is also strong-willed so that must be where he got it from...). Determined, competitive, thoughtful, tender, quick. He's also one of the funniest people I know.

It's such a scary thing raising a child, setting boundaries and limits for their own well-being and safety - and Luca loves to test all these boundaries on a regular basis, just incase they've shifted/eased up a bit. Which they haven't. Remember, I'm strong-willed also.

I am super-proud of this young man. I have absolutely delighted in watching him grow and develop and discover this world he lives in.
And I am forever thankful and grateful to God for giving me this precious life to care for and nurture and be a Mama to.

:::