My Witty Valentine . . . Jacob

Here is Jake the Snake! At least, that's what he calls himself. This little turkey is full of it and knows it too. He is my witty, always-quick-with-a-comeback kid. Usually he introduces himself as Jake the Snake and punches you in the gut or leg as his welcome. The funny thing is that he is also a Mama's boy. He loves to snuggle with me and sit on my lap. Sometimes he even wants to stay home from preschool just so he can be with me. Every morning after we take Clark and Kate to school, we come home and snuggle on the couch with a blanket and watch the end of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and SuperWhy before starting our day. I love those few minutes of extra Zzzz's while cuddling with my boy.


Jake is smart as a whip and will push every button, but he's always the first to say he's sorry and give loves for doing something wrong. He is very energetic and playful but when he gets hurt he gives a scream and wail like the world is ending. He is also a thumb-sucker. We have tried every incentive to get him to stop but he LOVES his thumb. He could care less that only babies suck their thumbs, that kids will tease him when he goes to Kindergarten, that it has bugs and dirt on it and that if he doesn't stop it will fall off or Daddy will have to cut it off because it is getting too red and wrinkly. (This is the same attitude he had with potty-training until we had to force him to do it so that he could go to preschool).

Here are some of my favorite stories about Jake:


**When Jake was a Sunbeam, he had a hard time sitting on his chair quietly during Sharing Time. He loved to look around, say hi to Katelyn and his friends, stand up in front of his chair, or just visit with his neighbors. One of our good friends was Primary President and when Jake was turned around kneeling on his chair talking to someone behind him, she asked him to turn around and sit down. Well, he turned around all right and with a glare said to her, "You aren't my mom, Kristen is."

**At Christmas time we took the kids to see Alvin and the Chipmunks and of course, Jake has been quoting lines and singing songs ever since. Again, during Primary, when somebody was giving a talk or scripture, Jake ran up to the front, put his hands behind his head, did some little hip shaking moves and sang a song from the movie. (If you've seen the movie, you know exactly which song he sang)

**One night about 11:00 just after Joe and I went to bed, Jake woke up and stumbled into our room. He came over to my side of the bed and was feeling the mattress for me saying, "Mom, is that you?" I said, "No. I'm a monster" in a scary voice. Instead of freaking out and crying like Clark and Katelyn would have done, he said, "I'm a monster too!" Needless to say, I couldn't go to sleep right away because I kept laughing too hard and hearing his cute little scary voice over and over in my head.

Jake would rather play with toys and watch movies than do anything else. I try to help him with coloring, writing, and doing worksheets but he has no interest. He just loves to play. He is the only child that will play in the playroom by himself without me nearby. He loves action figures, especially Transformers, and cars. His favorite thing to do is make jumps and ramps and race his HotWheels cars on them. He really got into Transformers over Christmas and loves to fight with them. Jacob enjoys music too. He is always singing some type of song but he especially likes the Jonas Brothers and "Funky Town" by Alvin and the Chipmunks, of course.

Jake, you keep us on our toes with your energy and fun personality. You always make us smile and laugh with your funny comments. We love you so much. Thanks for being you!