Happy 6th Birthday Jake!

We kept things pretty low-key this year for Jake's birthday. He didn't have school because of Kindergarten end of level testing (which he passed, in case you were worried...) so we met up with Pa Dave, Caite and Patrick, and Josh and Huck and caught a matinee of Monsters Vs. Aliens. I loved it! Jake has been quoting it non-stop, and Evie... well, Evie really liked the popcorn. The movie was in 3-D and the glasses wouldn't stay on her head very well, so after awhile she just gave up on the movie and concentrated on the treats. We then went and hung out at Pa Dave's, we were going to go swimming, but the weather just wouldn't quite cooperate. When everyone else got done with work, we went to dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory. Or as Jake keeps calling it, the Old Ba-scetteri Facty. (If you think that is funny you should hear my kids try to say aluminum linoleum.) And, horrible mother that I am, I completely forgot the camera. Fortunately Uncle Patrick saved the day and took pictures for us on his new camera. Jake got some great presents, books, hot wheels and even a Smart Cycle! (Ever since he got to play with his cousin Beckham's, he has been dying for one.)


This is an awesome skate park for his Tech Deck skate boards from Josh and Elena


And we couldn't have a birthday without Hot Wheels, this is a water play set for the color shifter cars that are his current favorites!


Then we had cake and ice cream. Jake picked chocolate cake with chocolate fudge frosting. (Yup, he is definitely my kid.) And on Sunday we did it again with Brian's side of the family. Including the chocolate cake with chocolate fudge frosting... at least he is consistent. Grandma and Grandpa T gave him some summer clothes, a cool Rubik cube game, and a Tech Deck. And because it is Grandma T, both the girls got some new jammies. We really love our families. They always go above and beyond to take care of us and make us feel loved.

And because I forgot to do this on the day:
"6 Reasons I Have a GREAT 6 Year Old!"

1. Jake is a smarty-pants! But what I love most is his thirst for knowledge. Just recently for a school questionnaire we were filling out it asked what his favorite thing about school was. His answer, "Just learning as much as I can about everything!"

2. He is the best big brother any girl could ask for. He is sweet and protective and always ready to do anything he can to help either one of his sisters. He is laid back and easy going with Evie when she gets bossy to him, and he loves to make Lila laugh and smile.

3. He is a great helper and a lot of the time will look for ways to go that extra mile without being asked. Just the other night, I asked him to pick up the living room so Brian could walk through without tripping over things. After he had picked it all up he came and asked if he could vacuum it for me!

4. He is a great friend and gets along great with everyone. Jake just has a truly caring nature and (so far, at least) doesn't get caught up with teasing or leaving other kids out. Whenever we go to a park or playground he will find someone to play with and make a least one new friend.

5. He is hilarious! He has a dry and witty sense of humor far beyond his years and he just makes me laugh every day. Just today as I picked him up from school he told me he needed to make a schedule. When I asked him why, he replied, "Oh, I'm just the kind of guy that likes to schedule out his day."

6. Despite being a big 6 year old, he is still (and will always be) my first born, sweet baby boy. His hair isn't golden curls any more, but he still has those great big blue eyes and a wonderful smile with dimples! So Happy Birthday Jakers! I am so proud that you are my son and I love you to pieces!