Jake

#4 is 4, and what a fun 4 he is!  Jake has had so much fun in his first year of preschool!  He is so incredibly smart and social, and is loving every minute.  His favorite is science and playing on the playground.  When I look at pictures, I immediately think of the pictures I've seen of Buck at this age, and think their personalities must be so similar as well.  So stinkin' cute, and full of mischief.  But I suppose he's more silly than mischievous.  He loves to dance and spin.  He is rough and tumble, and gets dirty all the time, but for some reason doesn't like to get dirty if it's planned or anticipated.  He is ridiculously smart.  He can recognize numbers all the way up to 100, including the teens, which are tricky!  Not too long ago he asked me, "When Jesus comes back, is He going to bring Gabriel with him?"  I was amazed at the thoughts he put together to form that question in his mind.  He's very inquisitive.  He went through a phase where he asked all about volcanoes, and even learned that lava would not melt titanium.  I grew so weary of recounting those facts over and over again in the car!  He loves rhyming words.  His vocabulary and memory always surprise me, although at this point they shouldn't.  He knows he's smart, and I suppose that's why he argues everything (and I can't stress "everything" enough).  He is sure that he's right and either I'm wrong, or I don't KNOW (meaning I'm not certain).  He still has bouts of raging temper and screaming when he doesn't get his way, but it's getting to be less frequent and less severe.  I'm not sure if that's because he's getting ahold of his temper a bit, or if I'm just learning how to manipulate and/or avoid it in certain situations.  He likes to argue with Will, in particular, for the sake of arguing, and loves pushing buttons.  He is also still very affectionate.  A few mornings we made it through taking the girls to school and I still hadn't gotten a hug from him, so I said, "You know what I need."  Now he calls me into his room in the morning and says, "You know what I need," and gives me a big hug and a kiss.  Jake is full of life and love.  When he gets excited, which is often, he gets SO excited, and I love this so much.  He remembers everything even if you tell him just once.  He loves reading, Star Wars, several different TV shows, playing outside, the zoo, the airport playground, snuggling up, getting me to smell his stinky feet, his brothers and sisters, and just life in general.  He also loves having conversation and is just a treat to sit or walk and talk with.  In some cases he will talk to anyone, then he will randomly become shy and not want anyone to see him.  He has enjoyed his first season of soccer for the most part.  He practices well and does exactly what the coach tells him to do...and does it quite well.  When it's time for the game he mostly runs distracted in circles or chases after the mass of kids that's chasing after the ball.  He does love to run.  Every time we go to the Y, he has to run 1 or 2 laps around the track.  His excitement, enthusiasm, friendliness, and affection as well as his silliness make him so much fun.