The Big Five: Jake

At five years old, our favorite little guy is not so little any more. It's hard to believe it's been half a decade since his birth. On one hand, it feels like he was just born. On the other, we can't imagine that our family ever felt complete without him.

As a little brother to two active 10 year olds, Jake has had experiences far beyond those of his peers. This past year was a particularly exciting one for Jake.

Last Fall, he traveled with us to London for 5 days of sightseeing, museum tours, fish n' chips and miles of exploring on foot. Then we went on to Florence, Italy to spend the week touring more sites and eating to our hearts content with grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles.

In London, Jake learned to navigate the tube and double decker buses like a pro, following behind us with his beloved little Ninja Turtle suitcase.

He rode the London Eye, listened with rapt attention to the stories of the Tower of London, visited Platform 9 3/4, and fell in love with souvenirs at every tourist attraction. His absolute favorite trinkets included a Captain America Pez dispenser from a street vendor in Covent Garden and a stuffed Paddington Bear.

Italy included a week of pasta and gelato for Jake, interspersed with lots of fun family time at the farmhouse we all enjoyed together (thank you Gigi and Papa!). Jake quickly learned how to recognize his favorite gelato flavors, and even started using some basic Italian words like "grazie".

He explored Florence and the Uffizi on foot, visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa and even climbed all the way to the top of the tower in the Piazza del Campo in Sienna (290 feet tall and 500+ stairs). We didn't see many (or any) other 4 year olds at the top!

Other adventures of this past year included learning to ski (he rocked it), first trip to Disneyland and California Adventure (Cars Land was a hit), lots of play dates and bike rides with his best buddy, Liam, and preparing for his first t-ball season. Go KC Royals!

In terms of current favorites, Jake loves watching "Paw Patrol" and "Odd Squad" episodes, wearing Under Armour clothes and Dodgers jerseys like Ryan, and snacking on blueberry waffles spread with cream cheese.

At his request, Jake spent his birthday afternoon with four of his favorite buddies - Lucie, Ryan, Abby and Oscar. There aren't many 5 year olds who request to celebrate their big day with a small pack of 4th and 5th graders. That's one of the things we love so much about Jakey - he appeals to all ages.

Jake and his buddies enjoyed double scoop ice cream cones at Baskin Robbins. Jake had his favorite flavor - the brightest pink and blue rainbow sherbet you'd ever seen. His favorite gifts included a new Batman lovie (thank you Lucie and Ryan) and hot wheels tracks.

We love you to the moon and back, Jakey! Or, as you say, we love you 100 times 100 times 1000.

We can't wait for the adventures of age five to come. Kindergarten! You're definitely ready.