Jake turns 14!!

Jake's birthday happened to fall on a Sunday this year. Unfortunately he started with a fever on Friday. Instead of going to church, having lots of people and friends wish him happy birthday, and enjoy the treats his Sunday school teacher was planning to bring for him, he had to stay home. He was pretty bummed though he didn't complain. When we all got home from church things started to improve thanks to our sweet neighbors the Christianson's who brought him a sweet card and plate of cookies. He also talked on the phone with both Grandparents and Aunt Aimee. 

Since it was such a beautiful day we all went to a park we use to frequent when we lived in Clarksburg. I took a couple photos in the same poses that Jake was in when he was 5 verses now...funny

Jacob's woke Monday morning with hives all over his body. He was miserable. We got benedryl in him and I made an appointment with the doctor to see if he was allergic to the Motrin I'd given him all weekend. While at the doctors we realized he still had a fever. Then things got kinda scarey. Jake's fever went really high and wouldn't come down with Motrin. (104.6) I spoke with a frustrating nurse who told me a "high" fever is considered 105 and that his body was responding to the Motrin as well and to start rotating with Tylenol. Jacob ended up missing 5 days of school. We took multiple trips to the doctor and I spoke with nurses multiple times a day. Dan took him to the doctor again on Wednesday and they did blood work and a chest x-ray. Poor kid was so miserable. He didn't eat. He didn't want to do anything. He laid on the couch. Watched a little TV. Luckily on Friday he awoke with no fever and it stayed away. So he went about 7 days with this crazy virus. His hives stuck around for another week but started to diminish. The day he started to feel better he spend a lot of time playing with Aubree who absolutely loved it! 

Jacob is such a great big brother. He can be so fun and creative with them. Since he doesn't have any brother to wrestle with he does his "gentle" best with his sisters who adore his attention! They've spent some time recently creating the silliest movie on iMovies. 

ke went to his first dance and had a great time! The Bastian's called us the night before this dance really wanting Jake to come along. He was all for it if he had a friend to go with. Luckily Chandler McKinstry agreed to go. The person that cracked me up was Dan. He was so concerned about making sure Jake felt good about what he was wearing and how he looked and that it was a really good experience for him. He got a hair cut from Dan. I searched for an ugly Christmas sweater but non of the ones I found fit right so he wen tin a snow-flake patterned sweater that looked great. I told him that I expected him to dance with some girls. WEll, the first thing he said to me when he walked through the front door at 1230a.m. was "Mom, you'd be proud...I danced with a bunch of girls!" He had a great time and is excited to go again on New Years Eve.

It has been fun for Dan and I to watch how Jake is growing up and maturing. He's always been a responsible and mature kid but we are so proud of the choices he is making. He is so smart and does well in school. 

He is very talented and musically inclined. He is one handsome, low voiced, taller than his mama teen! Keep it up Jake. We love you.