Happy Birthday Jake!

On December 24, Jake turned 9!

Highlights from Jake's year of being 8....

He rang in new year's at Nana & Gran's house

We went to Auburn for a gymnastics meet and basketball game. It was also a Star Wars theme weekend.

While in Auburn, we saw the movie Sing

He played with lots, and lots, and lots of nerf guns

His class went on a field trip to American Village 

Instead of a big birthday party, Jake invited 3 of his best friends to a basketball game and spend the night at our house

He enjoyed the party food :)

He was Student of the month in February!

He had fun celebrating Dr. Seuss week at school

Ice cream treat for good grades!

He played spring baseball

In March, "tragedy" hit. Jake was playing 3rd base and went to catch a pop up fly. His glove missed a little and the ball hit him in the face.

He unfortunately had eye black all over his cheeks which made cleaning out the cut before stitching it up very difficult.  

First ER visit

He was so brave!!

10 stitches on the outside plus a few under the cut

He felt so very loved by friends and teammates. He had several visitors who brought treats and gifts and came to check on him.

And so very proud of him for getting back on the field!

He is such a good sport about our neighbors coming over to play. Not only are they several years younger, but they are all girls.

He spent spring break at Nana & Gran's

And was still putting together Christmas legos at spring break

We went over the Atlanta to celebrate cousin Mae Stanley's baby dedication 

Nana & Gran & Atlanta cousins came to see him play baseball

And Mimi & Granddad and cousin Jackson came to a game too!

He walked in the MS walk in honor of Mimi

And got to see the ghost buster car

Went to Nana & Gran's church for an Easter festival

And got the game ball!

Last field trip with his 2nd grade class to Old Baker Farm

Participated in his school's Color Fun Run

Was a lego designer for career day at school

He ended the school year at his school's field day and had a blast

His baseball team ended the regular season undefeated and #1!

We went down to Eufaula for the weekend for the Bush Family Reunion

And then left Monday morning for DISNEY WORLD!!!!

AND GOT TO RIDE ON AN AIRPLANE!!

One of the items on Jake's bucket list was crossed off when he was picked for Jedi Training!

He got to stay up super late one night and go to magic after hours with just mom & dad. We rode all the roller coasters and he made it to 1 AM!

He was such a big help with his little cousins

And he got to stay an extra day with Nana & Gran and go to Animal Kingdom 

Once back in Birmingham, his summer camps started. First up was golf camp.

Then he got to go to Father/Son weekend at dad's old high school McCallie

He spent a week at our church's VBS

And we even snuck in a movie since Hollon was at daycare for the summer

He spent 3 weeks at Oak Mountain Summer Camp

And was camper of the week each week!

He spent a week at Samford Baseball Camp

We spent 4th of July up in Chattanooga

We made slime

He attended Camp Nana & Gran

For an end of summer treat, he got to take his cousin Jackson to Alabama Adventure

He started 3rd grade

His teacher is Mrs. Sadberry

He played fall baseball which was his first try at kid pitch

He spent almost every fall weekend in Auburn for the football games

One of his best friend's Braden's family came up for the MS State game

He had a blast at Turner's birthday party which was his first time to spend the night at a friend's house

He got a basketball goal

Had his first 3rd grade field trip to Desota Caverns

We went to a local pumpkin patch

He celebrated Halloween with all his friends from the neighborhood

He enjoyed a Saturday morning father/son paintball with friends

He got to go to his first big rivalry game - Auburn vs Georgia 

And he got to roll toomer's corner

His friend Hayden came to a game as well

Sister & I ate Thanksgiving Feast with him at school

He climbed his first tree at Nana & Gran's (which he also learned it is easier to climb up than to climb down)

He got to see a real snow

He played basketball this winter

And had fun at his class Christmas party

He finally got a BB gun!

It was also a year filled with putting up with that crazy sister of his. Jake is an amazing big brother and I know one day when she gets older Hollon will realize how lucky she is. He is so patient and kind with her (90% of the time). We also call him her 3rd parent, because he loves to boss her around. But he takes such good care of her. He is so protective of her and I hope they have that special friendship their entire lives. 

Oh Jake.... I can't believe this is his last year in single digits. I look at pictures of him over the last 9 years. I wish time would slow down, but I'm so proud of the young man he is becoming.  Here are 9 things that make him an awesome kid (in no particular order):

1) His heart. Jake has such a huge heart. He cares and can be so empathetic. Over Christmas break, he said he needed to talk to me. He sits down and starts telling me that he thinks we should adopt a child. He was so serious and you could tell he had been thinking about it. He said it made him sad that there are some kids that don't have families, and since we have one, we should open our home to them. I tried explaining that adoption is a long, complicated process, you don't just go pick out a kid at the store and live happily ever after. He was not taking no for an answer. So I told him that we pray about it and we listen to how God speaks to our heart. And while God may not be calling us to adopt a child, maybe he is calling us to help children in a different way. He still talks about it all the time, so I'm just praying that I do the best job I can as his mom, to help him follow how God talks to his heart.

2) His social skills. This kid is a social butterfly. He loves to hang out with people, he loves to go places, the more the merrier. He likes sports okay, but I think his favorite part of them, is being a part of the team. He told me the other day that he thought we needed to have more parties. His face lights up when he sees his friends.

3) Speaking of friends, his love of his friends is #3. One of the greatest blessings in mine and Rob's lives, has been the friendships we've had. Somehow, we have been blessed with some of the best friends you could ask for, in each stage of our lives. It is one of my greatest prayers for Jake, that he has good, loyal friends and that he is a loyal friend back. I always tell him, it is not the quantity of friends you have, it is the quality. So far, Jake has been blessed with a great group of friends. It is the #1 reason why we will probably stay in Pelham, verses moving closer into town. We've told Jake, that while it is great to have friends, it is more important to be a friend to others. Especially those that are hurting or that maybe have a harder time with friends. A few months ago, I had a parent DM me. Evidently, there was a kid being mean to her son. Jake stood up for him and invited her son to come play with him. He told him not to worry about that other boy. I was so incredibly proud of Jake. I hope he is always a friend looking out for others and I hope that if he is ever in a bad situation, there will be a friend there for him as well. 

4) He knows more facts about the Titanic than an encyclopedia. He is obsessed. Which I love, because as a child I was obsessed with the Titanic. As I go older, I outgrew it, but his love for it, has reminded me on how interesting it is!  

5) His love for the Lord and the Church. Jake truly loves going to church and it makes me so happy. He is interested about God, asks questions, wants to learn more. He loves to pray. And again, as his mom, I pray daily that I help guide this love and give him the tools to keep it growing and listening for when God speaks to his heart.

6) He is an awesome big brother. Hollon can be such a sassy little sister. He gets frustrated that she is 3, she has crazy mood swings and one second she is so sweet and the next she'll just walk up and kick him. But he always forgives her and he is always there ready to take her back. If Hollon is scared or sad, he is the first one to comfort her, to hold her hand, to try to make her feel better. He worries about her and is so protective of her. 

7) He ADORES his grandparents. He loves spending time with them, he loves going to their houses, he loves hanging out with them. His grandparents play such a special role in our lives and I love that he loves them so much. 

8) He loves to read. He reads books every night and gets so excited when we go to the library. He likes to tell you about the books he is reading.

9) He still wants me to take him to bed every night, he still gets excited when I come to his school, he'll still hold my hand. I see glimpses of him growing up - not wanting me to take pictures of him and his friends, running off as soon as he sees them, not wanting to wear the clothes I picked out. But for the most part, he is still a mamma's boy. My little boy. The baby boy that made me a mother. I love him more than words could ever say. I'm so proud of the young man he is becoming and I cannot wait to see what the next year holds for him!

Happy 9th Birthday Jake!!