For at least five months I had been anxiously awaiting my birthday. All my friends had been having birthdays and I was most definitely ready to turn 4 with the rest of them. My Mom asked me what kind of party I wanted and I told her a "T-Rex Party". The pressure was on! She spent a few weeks trying to come up with ideas for a party that would fit the bill ... the Museum of Nature and Science! We invited lots of friends and spent the afternoon with dinosaurs, fossils and all types of bugs and insects. We even got to hold a few. My Mom made a birthday cake shaped like a green and purple dinosaur, and punch that looked just as prehistoric. I got more presents than any 4-year old needs (my Mom made me say that!) and had a great time. Here is a list of party attendees and gifts:
Sarah: Cars Rolling Backpack, T-Shirt, & Jungle Books with Audio CD
Jeff, Misty & MaKenna: Superman Suit
Gary, Melinda, Gavin & Gareth: Kumon Workbooks
Xander & Felicia: Remote Control Truck
Russell, Anne & Parker: Dinosaur Puzzle
Ryan & Mike: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Riding a T-Rex Jesse & Christina: $15 Gift Card
Bobby, Rebecca, Jake & Madeleine: Batman Suit & Accessories
Ross & Haley: Batman Punching Bag, Imaginext Dinosaur Set
Dylan, Mom & Dad: Dinosaur Kit & Buzz Lightyear Car
From my Mom and Dad I got a Fisher-Price "I Can Play Piano". I also got a Wack-A-Mole from Grandpa Mike and Grandma Jeannie; "I Can Play Piano" Software from Grandpa Ken and Grandma Dixie; and a Swingshot Superman, Pirate Coloring Book, Markers and Red Dragon from Aunt Patti, Uncle Bob and Bobbi Jo.
I had a really fun time at my party and topped it off by having dinner with Mom, Dad and Aunt Sarah at Babe's Chicken. The waitresses at the restaurant sang "Happy Birthday" to me while I wore a strange hat and flapped my arms like a chicken. We were all exhausted by the time we pulled into the driveway at home, and my Mom and Dad were secretly hoping they could get away with keeping the gifts in the car until morning. You guessed it -- I had a burst of energy the moment the garage door opened! Thanks, everyone, for making my big day a great one.
We decorated our Christmas tree in early December and one of the first gifts placed under the tree was wrapped in dinosaur paper. My Mom told me that the gift was for my birthday and I've been confused about that ever since. I thought you were supposed to put Christmas gifts under the tree! (Would someone PLEASE explain a few things to my Mom???) I spent the next few weeks getting excited for Christmas, but I was mostly anxious for my birthday so I could open that darn gift wrapped in dinosaur paper!
Santa stopped by my house a week or so before Christmas to see if I was being naughty or nice. I know that because he left a gingerbread man in my stocking! That made me all paranoid and my Mom and Dad took full advantage of it for the remaining days leading up to Christmas. I actually got tired of their manipulation at one point and told them I didn't care if Santa was watching me throw a fit. They took all the presents out from under the tree -- even the dinosaur wrapped one -- put them in the back of my Mom's car, and drove them to the nearest dumpster. They kept telling me that I couldn't open them anyway so why did I care if they were under the tree? As Christmas drew near, I decided that it would be in my best interest to shape up, and on Christmas morning, all the gifts magically appeared. So for all of you that don't believe in Santa, there's your proof! He also left a Cranium Mega Fort, a neat wooden toy made by the elves in his workshop, and a High Definition LCD Television. Yes, I know ... some of you may think that's a little extreme for a youngster like myself, but my Mom and Dad specifically asked Santa for it. They thought it would FINALLY be the thing to get me out of their bed and back in my own. Set the sleep timer on the TV, throw in a Scooby Doo DVD, tuck the kid in bed, and voila! NOT!! When will they ever learn? The TV is pretty cool though -- hanging "sports bar" style in the middle of my room. I can view it from any angle!
I got a lot of other neat gifts too. A Cranium Hullabaloo Game, Motion Activated T-Rex Suit, Doodle Pro, a computer game, and a dinosaur book from my Mom and Dad. A baseball and glove from Grandpa Mike and Grandma Jeannie; Aqua Doodle from Grandpa Ken and Grandma Dixie; a Christmas book from Aunt Patti, Uncle Bob and Cousin Bobbi Jo; an Imaginext Dinosaur Set from Cousin Hunter; a blanket from my teacher, Ms. Jackie; a basketball set that includes a computer game, book, basketball and jersey from Aunt Misty; and a Remote Control Tow Mater from Aunt Sarah.
As I was tearing the paper off the last gift, I said, "I could do this all day!" My Mom and Dad sure thought that was funny. Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas.
Ahoy, matey! Hoist yer sails an' trawl round my site fer a bit!
We were so excited for Halloween to arrive this year. My Mom had been piecing together my costume for a couple of months, and finally ... the debut of Captain Jack, or Captain Jake as my Mom insisted on calling me. The Saturday prior to Halloween was the annual "Halloween in the Park" in Farmers Branch. Before I could get costumed up though, my Mom had to spend some time helping my Dad get into costume so he could work at a Halloween festival. While I waited patiently, my Mom worked her magic. In his costume, out comes my Dad ... my Dad? My first reaction was, "Who are you and what have you done with my Dad?!?!". Standing in my kitchen was the strangest looking lady that just happened to talk like a man.
"Du'du, du'du, dude looks like a lady ... du'du, du'du, dude looks like a lady ..."
I have to admit though that he had beautiful hair! You can find some pics in the photo album (at least until he realizes they're there and makes my Mom remove them).
Then it was time for my transformation ... I had on everything from the eyepatch and earring to the booty pouch filled with gold (that would be Chuck E. Cheese tokens in my case). I even had a parrot on my shoulder that I named "Lucille".
We had a fun time at the Halloween festival. Great entertainment and games, and they even had a bounce house. I ran into my friends Haley and Parker. Parker's Mom introduced me to a must-have at any festival -- Cotton Candy!
On Tuesday we had a Halloween party at my school. I wore a shirt with Frankenstein and "Monster in Training" on the front. Later, I got into my costume and stopped by my Mom's office so she could show me off ... and left with a bag full of loot.
I went trick or treating in the neighborhood later that evening and enjoyed every minute of it. I told my Mom and Dad that I wanted to do it again "tomorrow" but they said I have to wait for a year. Why a year? I think it should be a monthly event!
It's time fer me to weigh anchor, me hearties. Yo-ho-ho ...
I spent the last six days celebrating Independence Day ... well, sort of.
I came home from school on Wednesday with a red and irritated eye. There was an eyelash caught in my left eye and I rubbed it raw. I woke up the next morning and my eye was swollen so I went to see my pediatrician. Turns out that I had rubbed my eye so much that it became infected and we had to put some gooey eye-drops in to make it better.
Both my Mom and Dad had scheduled a vacation day on Friday so they took me to Chuck E. Cheese's to make me feel better. We spent the afternoon playing in the pool. I had to keep my face out of the water though so my eye could heal.
Since my eye looked much better by Saturday, we decided to go out in our boat on Lake Lewisville to watch the fireworks display called "Liberty by the Lake". My Mom and Dad debated about going but let me make the decision. I voted GO! We were on the lake by 7:30 pm and had plenty of time to pick out a great spot to view the fireworks.
While waiting for the show to begin, I spent my time playing with my new Sally car (you know, McQueen's girlfriend). My Mom kept warning me that if I wasn't careful, Sally would end up as fish bait. Well, as usual, she was right. Sally drove off the back of the boat and went splash ... right into the big drink! My Mom tried to be a hero but couldn't catch the car before she sank. I was terribly upset until my Mom told me not to be sad because Sally was in a better place -- saddled up to the bar at the Krusty Krab, enjoying a Krabby Patty with SpongeBob SquarePants. And that's all it took to make me smile again!
Around 8:45 pm the sky began to get dark ... the rain was pouring down ... a 50-mph wind gust came blowing through. Needless to say, the show was cancelled and there was a mass exodus. My Dad had trouble getting the anchor to release and was getting drenched by all the water splashing up on him. My Mom was getting scared and kept asking me if I was okay but I thought it was kind of interesting. We made it back to the dock safe but soaking wet. As we were driving home, I said to my Mom and Dad, "Let's do it again tomorrow!"
Sunday morning we woke up and the first thing out of my mouth was, "Let's go to Chuck E. Cheese's!" If you can't tell, that is quickly becoming one of my most favorite things ever. Afterward we went to White Rock Lake and played in the park for awhile.
The fireworks show on Lake Lewisville was rescheduled for that evening and we decided to test our luck and went out again. We had a fun evening but the wind decided to rear it's ugly head during the show and a fire erupted around the pyrotechnics platform before the grand finale. At least we didn't have any rain to dodge this time!
Daddy had to go to work on Monday so Mom and I spent the day playing with all my Cars -- Lightning McQueen, Mater, Ramone, Flo and Fillmore. She even took me to McDonald's to get another Sally. I had a fun day playing with my Mom. I kept telling her that she was my best friend and she sure seemed to get a kick out of that.
That evening my Dad barbequed and we all played in the pool and watched the Addison Kaboom Town Airshow -- right from our backyard!
We spent the 4th of July at home and had a great day of R & R. We played in the pool, watched television, and played video games. We also played with a new toy my Mom bought for me called "Later Mater". It's a Mater tow truck that has parts that fall off -- tires, engine, lights, mirrors and bumpers -- just like in the movie. You have to rush against the clock to put Mater back together. When the time runs out, Mater blows all the parts off again, and that makes me laugh every time!
My Mom and Grandma Dixie took me to the Easter Festival at Farmers Branch Park on Saturday. In addition to the Easter Egg Hunt, there was a petting zoo and pony rides. I also spent some time playing with Hailey Pittman.
Aunt Patti sent me the neatest thing -- an Easter book (see a picture in the photo album). It's a "lift-the-flap" book and I found a nickel, dime or quarter under every flap! She wrote a poem that goes like this:
Here's Tiger Jake an Easter book With lots of places for him to look. Turn the pages and lift the flaps It's kind of like a treasure map. So look and see what you will find A postal "egg hunt" of a kind.
I started my birthday really early this year. First of all, my Mom and Dad bought me an aquarium right after Thanksgiving so they would have time to condition the water and get the aquarium ready for fish before my birthday. I couldn't wait to sleep next to them every night. And that's exactly why they bought the aquarium -- a great way to get me out of their bed and back into my own.
Then, on December 23rd, I went to my Mom's office so Aunt Sarah could give me an early birthday present -- a new bike!!! She wanted me to have it early so I could learn how to ride it during our long holiday break. I call it my "motorcycle" and didn't let it too far out of my sight once we got it home. Now if I could just learn how to ride it without the training wheels!
When I woke up on the morning of my birthday, my Dad said, "Happy Birthday, Tiger!" I took that as my que to gather up all my gifts and start tearing open the wrapping paper. What a week -- first Christmas, then my birthday! I got a Big Bean Bag Bear Chair from my Grandma and Grandpa Allred and a Madagascar DVD from my Grandma and Grandpa Anderson. It didn't take me long before I was running around the house singing "I Like to Move It, Move It" like the Lemur King. My Aunti Patti, Uncle Bob and Cousin Bobbi Jo gave me a Big Truck Book, The Legend of Hiawatha DVD, and a Tiger Towel that has ears, paws and a tail. And from my Aunt Misty I got a gift that any little boy would love -- a Chompin' Chums Bug Builder Set. Now I can build all sorts of crazy looking bugs and chase my Mom around the house. I think my Dad likes building bugs as much as I do.
After having lunch with my Mom and Dad, we went to the pet store to buy fish for my aquarium. We left the store with four fish and brought them home so we could set them free in their new habitat. When my Mom took me to my room for bedtime, we noticed that my four fish had mysteriously turned into eight. That's right -- EIGHT FISH! Turns out that one of the Marigold Swordtail fish had babies. Four little fish born on my birthday. How cool is that? I'm going to name the babies Nemo, Dory, Gill and Marlin. What a way to end a great day!
DECEMBER 31st UPDATE: Make that six little fish babies! I'm in the process of coming up with two more names. I'm thinking about naming the other two Crush and Squirt after my two favorite sea turtles!
Santa must have thought I was a really good boy this year because I got the neatest toy ever created -- a computer! I also got Tonka Construction software and my friend Parker gave me Finding Nemo software. I got a dragon castle and pajamas to wear on Christmas Eve from my Grandma and Grandpa Anderson, and a stick horse that whinny's and plays the Lone Ranger song from my Grandma and Grandpa Allred. They also gave me a big bath towel that my Grandma made and a car play mat with lots of matchbox cars. There was a wind-up train in my stocking, along with some frog bath tub appliques, a Nemo bath toy, Dora, Diego and Baby Jaguar figurines, and a reindeer that poops rootbeer-flavored jelly beans. That really made me giggle! My Aunt Sarah gave me a set of Disney books and my Aunt Misty gave me a costume craft kit and a camouflage jacket and hat. And from my cousin Leona, I got a Knockdown Blocktown Domino Building Set.
Thank you everyone for all the great gifts! I hope Santa stopped by your house too. Merry Christmas!
I dressed as an American Indian riding a horse for Halloween 2005. My Aunt Teri and her Mom made the cool costume.
My Mom and Dad took me to the Halloween celebration at Farmers Branch Park. I got lots of attention and several people stopped us to ask if they could take my picture. When people asked what my horse's name was, I told them it was "Zebra". For some reason, my Mom and Dad thought that was real funny. My costume was definitely a hit.
As you can tell in the photos, I was a little grumpy because I hadn't taken my nap earlier in the day but I was just too dang excited to waste the day away by sleeping.
We decided it was time to leave the festivities when all the big kids came out with their scary masks on -- I came in contact with The Big Bad Wolf and that was it for me! No doubt I'll be having a nightmare or two.
You'll also find a picture of me dressed as a clown for the Halloween party at my school on Monday, October 31st.
We went out on our boat Saturday night to watch the fireworks. There must have been 500 boats filled with people with the same idea as us. We met our friends, the McCord's and Thompson's, and hooked up to their boats in the Stewart Creek cove. The fireworks were choreographed to patriotic music that was being broadcast from the park. A nearby ski boat was playing the music from their tower speakers. Watching the show this way was amazing! We are definitely going to make this a tradition.
Since there were so many boats on the water, we decided to go fishing in the dark afterwards so we wouldn't be in a mad rush to the boat ramp with all the other boaters. We finally decided to leave the lake way after midnight ... and WAY past my bedtime!
My Mom took me to the Easter Egg Hunt at Farmers Branch Park. I had the most fun at the petting zoo playing with all the animals. I also had fun playing with my friend, Parker.
My Second Christmas ... We didn't even have to decorate the Christmas tree too much this year because my Mom and Dad left it up ALL YEAR LONG!! I guess they decided to make up for all the years they didn't even have one. But I was a good boy and stayed out of it most of the time. I already know that Santa Claus only visits the good girls and boys.
I definitely made Santa's good list because I got lots of gifts, including a jumpolene and an art desk ... oh, and I can't forget my new puppy!!!
For Halloween 2004 I dressed up as a Jester. My Mom found my costume on the internet and everyone thought it was the cutest thing they'd ever seen. Dad had to work so he couldn't watch me have fun playing in the bounce house. My Mom had to drag me out of there kicking and screaming. I had a great time watching the entertainers and even danced with them.
I went to the Easter Egg Hunt at Farmers Branch Park with my Momma and Grandma Dixie. I had a good time hunting easter eggs and candy. I found the grand prize egg and won an Easter basket filled with all sorts of goodies including a basketball, a Fun Fest package worth $55, a $20 gift certificate to Cinemark, and a $10 gift certificate to Chuck E. Cheese.
My first birthday was so exciting. I got lots of neat gifts. My Dad gave me my very first fishing pole. It was a Tigger pole and I thought it was the greatest thing I'd ever seen (it didn't take me long though to decide that I needed a big-boy pole). My favorite part of turning a year old was when I was given my very own cake. My Mom stripped me down to my diaper and sat me on a big towel in the middle of the floor. It didn't take me long to destroy that cake. I had chocolate crumbs and frosting all over my body. I don't think much of it actually ended up in my mouth -- not that I didn't try hard though. My Dad took me straight to the bathtub to clean up and I left a trail of crumbs all the way down the hall. I was still licking frosting off my fists while he was pouring water over my head!!
My First Christmas ... We went to see the Christmas lights at Farmers Branch Park in mid-December and I thought that was really neat. I even got a candy cane ... and that became my first true love. In fact, my Mom used a candy cane as a way to get me to pose for the camera so she could make Christmas cards. As you can see in the photos, I thought that was the greatest!
A few days before Christmas we went to the Dallas Arboretum to see Santa Claus and his reindeer. I had my pictures taken and wasn't afraid of Santa at all (which surprised my Mom).
And finally ... for the first time in about ten years, my Mom and Dad decided to put up a Christmas Tree. It was a good thing too because they needed a place to put all those gifts!! I got lots of fun things, including a Leapstart Learning Table that I eventually learned how to stand on top of and scare my Momma to death!
My Mom & Dad took me to "Halloween in the Park" in Farmers Branch for my First Halloween. Of course they had to dress me up as a "Tiger". About five minutes before we arrived at the park, I fell asleep. I wasn't too happy with them for waking me up.
I had worn my costume to school earlier that day for the Halloween party and won Second Place in the costume contest!! My Mom made ghosts out of Gerber Juices so I could give them to all my friends.
I made my first trek to Utah to visit my family when I was eight-months old. I had already met all my Grandparents and Uncle Joe but not the rest of our big family. My Mom and Dad were so excited to show me off. I was a little shy at first around all those people.
The Anderson family had a big barbecue the second day we were there. I met all my aunts, uncles and cousins. It was fun to play with my cousin Canyon who was born just a few months after me. I even met some of my Mom and Dad's friends.
The next day I went to my Grandma and Grandpa Allred's house and met that side of the family while my Dad went to Fish Lake to spend some time fishing and hunting with his Dad and brothers.
My Dad really missed me so after a few days he begged my Momma to bring me to spend the day with him. I had a good time. We went hiking and saw some deer.
I finally seen my Uncle Joe on the last day we were there. He had been attending Guide School in Colorado but drove all night long just to get back in time to see me before we left for home.
We had a great visit and were already planning the next one before we even got on the airplane for DFW.