8

Jake is 8.  I.can't.believe.it.  I blinked, just for a second, and time flew by.

A few things about Jake:
He's a voracious reader and really good at math.  He loves to play baseball and golf.  He's creative and artistic.  His sister really annoys him, but he's also very protective of her.  He's witty and has a wicked sarcastic streak.  Up until lately he's preferred to be home or to have friends over to his house; now he's on the go, much to my dismay.  He's fast.  He can procrastinate with the best of 'em.  He's stubborn and persistent.  He still has his dimples.  He has an unbelievable memory.  He's amazing.

Jake's 8 Favorites:

Favorite sport to play - baseball

Favorite sport to watch - football

Favorite color - silver

Favorite food - pizza

Favorite subject in school - PE

Favorite song - Party Rock

Favorite book - Diary of a Wimpy Kid 

Favorite activity (other than sports) - playing the Wii

Changes

I mentioned in my last post how much change we'd noticed lately in Payton.  Although more subtle over the course of the school year, Jake has made some pretty profound changes of his own.  He's definitely had a growth spurt this year.  But the changes in him are not so much physical.  He's gained a quiet confidence this year.  His teacher told us at the final parent-teacher conference that he is a quiet leader.  Other kids look to him to see what decisions and choices he makes and they follow his lead.  He is willing to do his own thing, even if it is not necessarily what others choose, and his classmates respect him for it.  We'd noticed these changes in him at home, but weren't sure how they were translating into situations with his peers.  Academically, school has always been easy for Jake, but we are more impressed with the leadership skills he shows and the sound choices he makes.  He's a genuinely nice, accepting and kind kid and for that we're most proud.

Baby Pudge

We were noticing yesterday how much Payton has grown and changed over the past few months. She's gotten so tall, her hair is longer and her movements are smooth and graceful.  Up until just recently she still had her round belly and chubby thighs.  Now, her baby pudge is gone.  She's still our snuggly, feisty, opinionated, charming, engaging little girl, but just in a slightly more grown up way.

Road Trip!

We decided the kids were old enough this year to attempt a road trip.  And since we were going for it, we decided we'd really go for it....like as in 2400 miles of road trip.  It could have gone really well or really not so well.  In the end it was a fantastic decision.  The kids were great in the car, we were able to cover lots of ground, see lots of cool places and visit lots of family.  Some highlights were the waterslide at Fairmont Hot Springs, camping in Yellowstone National Park where we swam in the Nez Perce Creek, saw a mama black bear with two cubs, an elk, buffalo and Old Faithful, camping in Red Lodge with Grandpa John and Grandma Meri, Uncle Pat, Aunt Sarah and cousins Kendi and Hallie where we went to the rodeo and celebrated the 4th of July (sans fireworks or a campfire due to the extreme fire conditions) by watching the parade and geocaching, a quick trip to Billings to see family, an equally quick trip to Helena to fish with Grandpa Joe and Grandma Vicki, and then back home.  It was a monster undertaking, but an even bigger success.  Having all four of us together for 12 days was the biggest highlight of all.

Montana Road Trip
06.27.12 - 07.08.12