Happy Birthday Jack!!

Another year with this amazing little boy!  I'm beyond grateful that I get to be Jack's mom.  

He has such a special place in my heart and I just love him to pieces.  

The first thing he wanted to do when he woke up was open his presents.  No cake, so singing.  Just open his presents.  How could we argue with that?  So we celebrated a little in the morning, and a little more in the evening with some cake and candles!!  

More Hot Wheel cars and a big car transporter to put them in.  And because he goes through clothes like toilet paper, lots of new clothes.  

He's never wanted to eat his breakfast in bed, so he got a whipped cream, chocolate chip pancake at the table.  Just the way he likes it!

There are so many things I love about Jack.  I love his exuberance and zest for life!  I love that he finds a friend no matter where we are.  We can be at the park and he's picked up a new friend to swing on the swings with, or we can be at Torchy's eating tacos while he runs around outside with another little boy at a neighboring table.  He's just the friendliest little guy!

Along with his exuberance and "zest" comes A LOT of dirt.  Jack is BY FAR our messiest kid.  He gets food all over the floor when we eat meals, his clothes are filthy at the end of the day and his shoes smell like the lion's den at the zoo.  He is the true definition of the "smelly boy with cooties" that us girls would plug our noses at in elementary school.  No matter how clean he is on his way out the door to class, he always comes home looking slightly homeless. 

When we were remodeling his bathroom, we placed the toilet in the bathtub so the tile could be replaced.  Jack assumed the toilet would dispose of his bodily fluids just as well in the bathtub as it does attached to the dark hole in the floor (gee, I wonder what that hole is for anyway?!).  We discovered the foul stench a few days later after he had used the toilet several times without being able to flush.  This is what Sadie means when she talks about having 2 "stinky little brothers."  Ha!!

No matter how stinky, I love Jack soooooo much.  He's a little sweetheart and somewhat shy in new situations, but I think a lot of that is just his laid back personality.  He may look a great deal like me, but he's ALL dad on the inside!

If he's not playing with George, he's running around with Evan who lives down the street.  These two are as thick as thieves and are often getting into trouble.

Lately I've had to ask them "are you making good choices?" because in the past we've found them throwing Legos at the furniture, denting it in the process.  They've also been known to take sun block and spray it all over the house, cars and garage.  Those who make messes together, clean up together!

He's not a big fan of chores but loves helping me cook or rake leaves with Dad in the backyard.  If he chooses, Jack can be very useful!  Especially if he's promised 30 minutes of "screen time" after he's done!

(the one and only picture I have of Jack in a tank top)

This kid LOOOOOVES his tablet.  Almost too much!  we've had to limit it more and more because he can't get enough of it.  It comes in handy though when he and George have to sit through Sadie's loooooong piano recital!  He loves Minecraft which is actually kind of a cool game because he builds things.  He got a minecraft book from the book fair and studies it every night in his bed. 

Electronics are entertaining but it's WAY more fun playing outside, running around with the two dump trucks, jumping on the trampoline or swinging on the swings.  He and George can spend hours in the backyard racing around with those big yellow trucks. You can tell he's been learning about exercise at school because one day he came home and said "Mom, you need to get more exercise.  If you're a woman and you're lazy, then you're a lazy woman."  He said this to me after I decided to walk to the park with the family instead of ride bikes.  I was 39 weeks pregnant and even a short walk just about did me in.  A bike ride would have delivered the baby!  

I also saw him running around outside one afternoon and asked him what he was doing.  He replied "I've got to get my heart pumping!"  He's obviously getting more from P.E. than Math or Science at school!

He still loves his super heroes and will occasionally wear batman socks with capes to his soccer games.  He says "I wore my batman socks today because I wanted to get more exercise."

Chase and I are always impressed with what he builds upstairs.  Sometimes I get mad because he likes to destroy the tracks I assembled for George on the train table and make a new one of his own.  I shouldn't say "destroy."  "Embellish" would be a better word for it. He'll take tracks from the table and extend them onto the floor with blocks and other support systems.  If this kid isn't an architect one day, I will be very surprised!  He's a very bright boy and I'm excited to see where all his creativity takes him.  

The other night Chase asked him what he was going to dream about that night and jack replied:

"I don't know Dad.  My brain just picks it."

When we play Rummikub together he'll stop and say "Wait, I'm strategizing."

It's not every day you see a kid this happy at the doctor's office.  He's pretty low key about most things but when it comes to storms he's a basket case.  Texas storms are no joke and they've left certainly made a lasting impression on Jack.  If there is even the slightest hint of a gray cloud and precipitation, he runs inside.  We were walking back to Pops and CC's house from Sugarhouse park because the winds picked up and it seemed we were about to get dumped on.  The walk was about a half a mile and he stayed by my side the entire time until he had a clear view of the house at which point he began sprinting to the back door.  CC greeted him at the back door and he shouted "I've got to take cover!  There's a storm coming and my scooter has metal on it!"

He's always been my cautious one.  Getting him to ride a bike or even use the potty for the first time was a major challenge, but once he's figured it out, he has no problem at all.  I'm not sure he'll ever get over the storms though.  There's not much you can figure out from a tornado and having to hide in a closet.  Poor kid.  We might have ruined him!  But if it means he'll snuggle me a bit longer then it's a win for me!

I took Jack to Jack Allen's the other night because I felt like we needed a date.  He loved that the restaurant was named after him (of course) and he thought his hamburger was good enough that we came back for his birthday a month later.  So glad I've talked one of my children out of Chick fil A and Pterrys. 

Note the basketball wrist cuff and his soccer shirt.  He loves his sport clothes.

"Mom, ninjas can breath through their masks.  Don't worry."

He's simply the best big brother on the planet.  Everyone loves Jack!!

He's a pretty healthy little guy unless it's spring and then the allergies take over.  Poor thing can't even open his eyes they get so puffy.  

One day his allergies were so bad we kept him home from school.  

That pollen was totally wiping him out!

And we're the terrible parents that made him sit in a field of blue bonnets so we could take his picture.  

There's something about a puffy eyed boy sitting in a field of blue flowers that seems wrong to me.  

We won't make him do it next year.

He's the sweetest little boy.  He even brings me worms from outside when I'm not feeling well. 

Jack hates picture day because I make him wear "church clothes" to school. He basically will ONLY wear "sports clothes" whenever possible.  He has agreed to wear what we ask for special occasions (church, picture day, and weddings) but the rest of the time, it's basketball shorts, and dry fit t-shirts.  He prefers his athletic wear be adorned with some sort of "symbol" to indicate to the rest of Kindergarten that these clothes are indeed reserved for those who wish to sweat!

He's entered the time in life where it's important what other people think.  I'm going to miss his blind ignorance.  It's so liberating to have a toddler who will wear anything and basically run around naked if he wants to (George).  We've been putting lentil soup in his lunch and he devoured it for a while.  Then after a few days of coming home from school with his lentil soup, I asked him why he wasn't eating it anymore.  He said "I can't eat my soup because all my friends say it looks like throw up!"  I think it's time to add "A Bad Case of Stripes" to our family library.

He will NOT wear tank tops under ANY circumstance.  He says:

"I don't want to wear a tank top because people will see my armpities and want to tickle them. I don't want anyone to see me wearing this!"  He won't swim at the pool without a swim shirt either.  He's such a modest little lad! 

We had a FHE the other night about pornography.  Our bishop sent out a link to a great video the church produced for kids on how to react when you see pornography.  I thought it would be a good idea to explain what pornography is a little before showing them the film.  We talked about what you should do if you see it and that we will never be mad if they come and tell us.  Then I proceeded to say that we were going to watch a short video about what I had explained to them earlier.  Jack got really excited and said "Yay!!  I want to see pornography!!"  I felt the need to explain to him again that we weren't watching pornography, but a video about what to do if we see pornography.  I began to worry about what he would tell his teacher and friends at school the next day ("I watched pornography with my family last night!").  I then began rethinking the age appropriateness of the topic and this budding 6 year old of mine.  

We watched the film and I felt that perhaps we was understanding the topic a little better.  Then he went upstairs to get dressed for bed.  Sadie kept running into his room while he was putting on his pajamas and he kept screaming at her "Get out of my room!!  I don't want you to see my pornography!!"  

Yep!  He's too young for this topic!

(Are you loving these school picture backgrounds yet?  I'm sure getting a kick out of them!)

He may not want anyone to see his "pornography" but Jack has no issues talking about 'private parts'.  In fact, he thinks it's the funniest thing ever.  You mention the word "toilet", "underwear" or "poop" and he's giggling like a hyena.  

He's aware of bad language and had this conversation with me the other day:

"Mom, there are certain naughty words you're not supposed to say.  The 'D' word, the 'S' word and the shish words.  You're supposed to call your bum 'gluteus maximus' and your penis a 'pee pee' and only boys can say 'penis' and the 'nis' part is what makes it stand up straight and pee."  

What?  This kid is full of one liners,

When he and Chase were playing tennis he said:

"Dad, when the ball hits the ground, the felt comes off.  The felt is what keeps the tennis ball warm in this life."

He calls me "mom oak", Chase "Dad Oak" and Eliza "Chickee Liza".

He loves ketchup on everything and could drink BBQ sauce.  When we are at the Salt Lick he will ask you to pass the "Salt Lake Sauce."

He says 'legularly' instead of "regularly".  He calls Sadie a "hippocritter" when she's being a hypocrite. Sadie always tries to correct him and I kind of wish she wouldn't.  I love it how he mispronounces words! 

I basically just love every little thing about Jack.  I love his sweet smile across the table.  I love that he won't let me mess up his hair.  I love that he is such a great big brother to George and Eliza.  I love how much he loves to read and often find him with his bedroom light on far too late into the evening.  I love his incredible laugh when he's being tickled or chased around the house by Dad.  I love his big hugs when he gets home from school.  I love how easily he makes friends.  I love that he loves to do homework because that means he gets to spend time with me.  I love how much he loves me!!  Happy birthday to my wonderful little boy.  He's changed my life for the better and I will love him incredibly and faithfully forever and ever.