Finding a Wife and Other Important Things...

I just had such a funny conversation with Jakey in the car. He was asking about marriage and how you get married. Craig told him that when he finds the girl he wants to marry, he should ask her and give her a ring. But then very seriously he told us that everyone in the world is already married so he wouldn't be able to marry anyone! We had to explain to him that there are little girls out there that are 3,4, 5, 6 years old that would be growing up at the same time as him and when he was ready to marry, they would also be grown up and ready to marry as well. So then naturally he wanted to know how old he had to be to get married! Oh my goodness!

Soooo, skirting around the issue that I myself was married at 19, I told him that he should go to college so that he can get really smart and become a Marine Biologist and become a Shamu trainer like he's always wanted. Then at that point he would be about 23 or 24 depending on how much schooling he would have to do and around then would be a good time. His response? That's a LONG time!! 

I then had to talk about how little he is and asked if he liked living with us to which he replied he certainly did and didn't want any of us to grow up! Cute little guy! He then moved on to how he wants 4 kids and what if he can't have 4 kids?? I assured him that if he talks to his wife before he asks her to marry him, and makes sure that's what she wants as well, he should be OK. I told him since I was a little girl of about his age, I knew I always wanted  4 kids. And even if something happens that they can't have kids, he could always adopt. He also wanted to know what to do if his wife was a selfish  person...and didn't want that many kids, "Should I ask her if she's selfish??"

Oh my goodness, this boy is too much!

8

The birthdays just keep rolling in at our house! This past Saturday Zachary turned 8. To celebrate we headed to Sea World for the day. Zachary loves animals and all the kids have grown up at Sea World. It seemed fitting to spend his special day there. As one of his gifts we made reservations for Dine with Shamu (very excited they had a kids eat free promotion!)and he opened that gift in the morning. He was so excited! The day was perfect and very relaxed. We only saw one show all day and wandered about the rest. Zachary really wanted to go on Atlantis which we rarely ever go on so that took awhile for the boys to wait through the line. They also spent a good amount of time in the play area. It was fun watching Alexis play in the little kids area and remember how each of our boys have played in there as babies.

Before Dine with Shamu we spent time in the under water viewing area of the killer whales. Zachary and Tyler especially love this area and trying to get the whales to interact with them. We were all excited when it was finally time to go up and find our table for dinner. They had a good buffet with a lot of different choices. Of all things Zachary was super happy they had hot dogs! There were pastas and fish and lot's of yummy fruit! The waiter's all gathered together and sang to Zachary to which was a really special way to end or time there!

We had told Zachary that he could pick out something for his special day. True to form he just couldn't make up his mind and we had told him no more stuffed friends since there is almost no room left for HIM in his bed! While walking by the guys that draw caricature, Craig suggested getting that done for him. We stopped to check it out and Zachary decided that would be fun. It turned out to be a great idea! It was so fun watching him get drawn and he was the perfect little model staying still and smiling. The results were so awesome and we couldn't have been happier with how good his picture came out! That really added a special element to the day and we headed out afterwards feeling happy!

Over the years Zachary has grown and changed so much. He went through a tough stage of extreme stubborn-ness! Craig and I talk about how it's hard to remember him being that difficult. For the most part he is a sweet, easy going kid. Since he was tiny though I always knew there was a lot going on in that little head of his and it's still the same today. He loves to be right and for that matter, usually is! He is very articulate, artsy, smart, kind, considerate, funny, charming, silly, and still has that stubborn streak! His love of drawing still continues and he can often be found at the craft table putting together his latest book. His books have now grown to include full pages of writing as well. And his reading! He has just taken off as a little avid reader!! We are so proud that while in second grade he is reading books at a 5th-6th grade level! As a lover of reading myself, this makes me so pleased!

We are also so proud of how well he is doing in school! His teacher, Mrs Jones, has really taken the time to single him out, challenge him and really make him feel special. She was telling us last night at their Open House that if they do an assignment where it's pick on yellow and one red, she makes him do 2 of each instead. Or when they did an art project where you have to draw the opposite side of a plate animal, she picked the hardest one for him to do. Or when she could only pick 2 students to try a new computer learning program out at home, she chose him. All of these things just make us proud parents and even more, we are excited to see him doing so well!

I love that he likes to make us all laugh and he can often be found saying, "I was born to be funny!" He likes to talk in silly voices and loves watching and listening to himself. He will record his voice and listen to it over and over or if there is a funny mirror somewhere he can be found dancing in front of that for long periods of time! He is very aware of things going on around him and often figures out "surprises" before he's supposed to! I love how caring and big his heart is. Once when his sister fell down some of our stairs he came running to see how she was and was genuinely sobbing for her. Last night she got away from us for a minute at Disneyland and he was so shook up! After he realized we had her safe and sound Craig saw him nealing beside her and whispering to her not to get lost again because he was so worried about her. Such a sweetie!

I love to see our little Zoo Bear developing and growing into such a caring little man! Thank you God for blessing us with this sweet soul!

6

My Jakey Boy turned 6 years old last Saturday. Every time one of my children has a birthday, it makes me reflect. And as you hear most parents say, I wonder where the time has gone. I wonder how that tiny little baby is just about to finish Kindergarten. How he's learning to read, write, and do so many new things on his own.

I remember cuddling him in the NICU when he was in his first day of life. Hating that week in the hospital and just wishing more then anything, that I could take him home to his brothers. I remember what an amazingly sweet little bundle he was. Calm. Content. Peaceful. He nursed well, slept well and smiled willingly very early on. Now at six years old I wouldn't necessarily describe him that same way but he is funny, smart, strong willed, full of emotion, kind, intense, and has one of the cutest smiles around. He has a difficult personality yet he can charm you just the same. When he loves on you, he really loves on you. He feels everything super intensely...either way. And you always know exactly how he's feeling! And to this day he is still a great sleeper! At six years old Jacob has a strong, strong passion for all things Angry Birds and Scooby Doo. Not a day goes by that he doesn't beg to play Angry Birds on the ipad and to watch Scooby Doo. He loves his snacks and we are working on not asking for one every few minutes (he told me the other day that his stomach is just always hungry!). He still needs to take a nap and does so almost daily. He does OK missing a day but go more then that in a row and it doesn't get pretty. He has had a fantastic year in Kindergarten! We have been amazed at just how well behaved he is at school. He has gone the entire year only moving his clip down once...and that was a traumatic day for him. He prides himself on his good behavior at school. In his class they have the opportunity to move their clip up two times and he has done this almost every day and is still full of pride about it. His printing skills still surprise me, he writes so well for a little guy! And his reading skills are really starting to take off and before I know it, he will be plowing through books with his brothers! I'm thankful to God for each one of my unique children. I'm thankful for their lives and their health. My prayer for Jacob is to grow into a strong, confident man that has a great love for Jesus. I know that if he takes all of the determination he has and uses it in the right way, he will do just fine!