Happy Birthday, Jake!!

Dear Jake,

5!  5?  How did this happen?  It's your 5th birthday, but if I sit here and close my eyes, I can still picture you as my little baby boy; snuggling into the crook of my arm as I rock you and sing you the "Go to Sleep" song that daddy made up for you when you were just a few weeks old.  I can still smell your baby smell, and still see your little fingers curled around mine.

Fast forward to now, and when I think of you, I see a handsome little boy who makes us so proud to be parents.  You are strong willed and independent, and while sometimes those qualities can be a challenge as a parent, we know that we are lucky because we can count on them to serve you well later in life.

You are caring when it comes to your friends and family, and especially your brother.  Sometimes when you are talking to Liam (and probably think no one is listening) I hear you say things to him like, "You are my best friend, Liam...did you know that?  I will never let you down.  I will always be there to be-tect you".  (On a related note, I'm going to cry when you stop saying "be-tect" instead of protect.  I love it.)  5 minutes later, you might be fighting with him over a toy, or accusing him of always stealing your stuff....but I know what you really think of him and how much you love him :)  It warms my heart when you say stuff like, "Can we have a family day today?  I love my family."; I can deny it all I want, but I know the day will come when you won't want to do that, so I'll treasure it now while I am able to.

Your athletic ability (which thankfully you seemed to have inherited from daddy and not me) always amazes me, whether it's playing t-ball with your team, skiing without an ounce of fear, or throwing a perfect spiral with a football while outside playing the yard.  You are starting to recognize more and more numbers and letters, and your teachers tell me that you seem to be most interested in science-related things at school. You can run around me in circles for what seems like hours, but then 5 minutes later, crawl up into my lap and sit still while I read you book after book after book.

Thank you for all of the memories of the last year, and for being YOU.  We love you, Jacob Charles...happy 5th birthday!!!

3 days old

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old

4 years old

5 years old