It's only fitting to start with this -- Jake absolutely adores trash trucks. Anyone who has spent time around the little guy may even say that they rule his world. His favorite day of the week is trash day at home, followed closely by trash day at the park, and trash day in the neighborhood across from our playgroup.
He loves to watch the garbage trucks lumber down the street picking up cans with a mighty "BUHM!" ("boom" in Jake speak) and loading trash into their "hoppa". We're actually considering taking Jake on a trip to the dump for his birthday, as we can't imagine a better appreciated gift.
Due to his love of trash trucks, one of the first phrases spoken regularly by Jake was "tra-truck" followed by "buhm!" Of course, he'll always say this when he sees a truck, but sometimes he'll just use it in general conversation. Dinner may go like this:Daddy: "How was your day, Jake?"
Jake: "Tra-truck, buhm!!"
Daddy: "Oh, so you saw a trash truck?"
Jake: "Ya! Tra-truck, buhm!"
He's a riot.
Beyond trash trucks, Jake is a big fan of Sesame Street, and more specifically Elmo. He loves reading his Elmo books, spotting Elmo on packaging at the grocery store, and snuggling with his stuffed Elmo. He enjoys most everything about Sesame Street, with a second favorite friend being "Yo-ver" (Grover). Like any modern toddler, he has also discovered that Elmo's World can be found through YouTube, and likes to cry out, "Elmo! Elmo!" anytime he spots the iPad.
Jake is happiest when he is surrounded by his family, especially "Dit-da" ("sister" for Lucie) and "Ra-ra" (Ryan). He's always just a little bit sad on Monday mornings when they have to return to school after a weekend together, and sadly cries out their names throughout the morning. Curiously, he calls us "Dadden" and "Mahm".Unlike most of his contemporaries, Jake's best buddies are elementary school aged. He loves spending time with Ryan and Lucie's friends, and has developed a special affinity for their buddy Oscar, or "Ah-ta". He gets so excited when the older crew of kids show an interest in him at the park, and will gladly follow them around like a puppy dog if they'll go up and down the slide or play football or baseball with him.
Of the many wonderful traits we see developing in Jake, one of our favorites is his happy, easy-going attitude. As a third child, it only seems fitting, though Jake goes above and beyond to be cheerful and flexible. He's just a great little kid to be around.
We all feel so fortunate to have Jake in our lives -- it's hard to imagine our family ever existing without him! Happy birthday to our Jake. Hope you enjoy your "tra-truck" birthday cake, little guy.
