Jake is 8 !!!

I can not believe that my little man is now 8, WOW!

It really does seem like yesterday he was small. I am feeling extra sentimental today and I really want to gush about my love for this boy, my son, my child, my flesh and blood, my friend, my love. He makes me so proud :) On the day he was born I was so excited that he looked like me, I was so happy he had light brown hair like mine and wrinkled ears just like his sister had. He was so tiny - he was my smallest baby but ONLY at birth, as he grew he really...grEW by the time he was 6 months old he was so dang rollie pollie and his eyes were so so blue - he could capture your heart in just one moment. He walked very early and then he ran. Next came the climbing - what a dare devil this kid turned in to. As soon as his legs were under him he had to have everything else under him too - like the ground - far below him! Jake has been very fortunate that he hasn't sustained any major injuries from his Monkey-ness! And when I say Monkey I mean it, before he was 1 he learned to climb on the back of the couch and stand up with nothing behind him. It was then on to bigger and better things, by 3 he was on the top of the swing set yes I said the top! By 5 it was on the play ground equipment and then hanging from the door jams or walking on the walls down the hallway just like a spider. He started gymnastics last summer - and what a perfect fit for him, he has excelled at learning the tricks and can now do hand springs and back bends. Jake is a very active kid - he loves playing outdoors, gymnastics, and soccer. He is crazy about riding his new bike and also learning tricks on his skateboard and ramp. Jakob has a very sweet side to him too - this I knew way before he hatched! During my pregnancy I craved sweet things like chocolate cake and cream filled donuts, maybe this explains his teeth???? Te He.. After he was born he would cuddle me and I would sing to him or read to him and he would be calm, he was always calm. He was such an angel baby I knew he'd be amazing. It was when Jake was a preschooler and I got pregnant that he started to act up/out. I think being so young and knowing that there was a new baby on the way and that Jake wouldn't be the "baby" any longer was hard for him, remember he is a sweet one. And really it worked out because - you see Jakob is the BEST BIG BROTHER anyone could ever ask for, he plays with his younger brother, he teaches him new things, he helps Bradford to be adventurous and imaginative but most of all he shows him that he loves him. Jake and B have always been close I think it has a lot to do with how close they are in age. Of course they fight and they have their sibling rivalry but really they are each others closest friend. I remember when we brought Jake home and how B just couldn't let him out of her sight...for like the next 3 years and only momentarily even now. I really might go on and on about this wonderful child that I am so very blessed to have as mine, but if he reads this and it doesn't talk about the birthday party he may be disappointed, so on with the story...



Jake took forever to make up his mind this year about what he'd like to do for his birthday. Finally, about a week before he decided to have a cake and ice cream party with a sleep over to follow. OH BOY!


Cake and Ice Cream was Saturday 3-5pm Jake invited everyone. He invited so many people that when it came time to eat the cake we ran out - - - - and I made 2 cakes!! The weather was nice and the kids played outside and downstairs and everywhere really.

Matt was in charge of the game during this party. The kids played Pin The Tail On The Donkey and since Jake was 8, Matt spun the kids around 8 times each. It was so funny - the donkey was so small and the kids didn't know the end vs. the top of tail. It really all made for good laughs. Little Joshy got pretty dizzy - he was so funny he kept wanting to walk in the other direction and he kept stumbling over his feet, it was so cute!

Jamie Eddens made us laugh the hardest! Jamie is the oldest and biggest that was at the party he also gets the most dizzy too! After about 6 times around, Jamie could hardly stand up (you've all seen this guy at the bar), he couldn't stop giggling and he became easily disoriented, when he was finally able to pin the tail it wasn't to far off as we all thought it would be.

Everyone played a good fun and fair game. The champs are
1st Place - Sergio Mendoza Jr. Prize - Whoopee Cushion,
2nd Place - Makayla Nohava Prize - Balloon Rockets,
3rd Place - Jonathan Mendoza Prize - Mini Bowling.

I can not believe how many gifts Jake received - it was like he was Prince Jakob Robert. (Okay so he is). - Thank you everyone for your very generous gifts. Jake really is enjoying everything. Some of the most fav's include; art supplies, bike, soccer balls, cones, and baseball bases, Game Stop & WalMart Gift Cards, not to mention the Land, Sea, and Air AirHog! WOW!

So Eethan, Jordan, Elijah and Isiah stayed the night. Holy Moley - it is super astonishing at just how much energy a bunch of 8 & 9 year olds can have when all put together - Yikes!!! Matt took them (yes all of them) to pick up pizza and to BlockBuster to pick the "sleep over" movies, they chose Godzilla.

I figure hey seems like a good little boy movie - um yeah - it was in subtitles, and the kids couldn't sit still long enough to read on sentence, so we came back to ol' trusty Open Season! The boys had fun - more fun then we the parents had but reallyI am glad that the boys had such a fun time.

Jake is already making plans for next years party - and we'll let you know the details about a week or two ahead of time. :)

Happy Birthday Son, We are Proud of You!