THEN:
& NOW:
"Oh my goodness where does the time go?" has been the trademark saying of near every older person that I meet in various places when I have my children with me. Or how about this one, "Enjoy every moment, it goes so quickly!" Or the one that makes me cringe, "enjoy them while they are young, because when they get to be teenagers..." (you know the rest of this very negative statement). The list of these could go on but here is the scary realization that I have come to, they are all too true! Our time with our man Jake has gone so quickly, even though we really make our best attempt to relish the moments raising and loving him. But guess what? He is FOUR as of tomorrow! Happy birthday Jake!
Here is a little bit about Jake at age FOUR:
Jake loves most all people & rarely knows a stranger.
Jake LOVES wrestling.
Jake cherishes bedtime books and songs with mommy.
Jake protects, calms, & distracts his little sister like a pro.
Jake really wants another baby, preferably a boy, so he can name him "Jake."
Jake doctors his precious Loa.
Jake is fascinated by cartoons of Diego & stories of Maxamillion (a monkey) from Dad.
Jake often has imaginary visitors named, Joey (another monkey), Diego, & Dora.
Jake has a good sense of style & a strong opinion of what he & MOMMY wear!?!
Jake pretend plays with visits from the big, bad, wolf, a sloth, and occasionally Goliath.
Jake frequently turns into a puppy and crawls around panting with Loa and attempts to recruit Elin too.
Jake often goes on walks or errands dressed as Superman.
Jake loves to plant flowers and dig in the back yard.
Jake is a great baker & an even better taste tester.
Jake's face falls and heart breaks when his sister screams bloody murder in his face, or detests him at all.
Jake puts his trains to bed under the couch.
Jake wants desperately to ride Jesus's horse when we get to Heaven.
Jake loves water & swimming lessons.
Jake loves picnics & popsicles on the front porch with Mom.
Jake loves to be read to & is loving learning to read.
Jake jumps, squirms, wiggles, or flies himself everywhere all day long.
Jake loves to clean, fold, and re-fold.
Jake's right arm is often an airplane and his mouth is full of little boy sound effects.
& last but not least,
Jake has, probably, the kindest heart that I know.
Love you Jake, Happy Birthday!
