Tracen turns 7!!!!

Well...he's getting older and there is nothing we can do to stop him.

It always amazes me how quickly time goes by. On April 14th, 7 years ago, this little guy with a really big head, finally joined our family. Little did any of us realize what a great example he would be for all of his brothers (and parents).
It is kind of a harsh reality to see that your "baby" is half as tall as you, is learning stuff (good stuff) that you didn't teach him, is smarter than you in some areas, likes his independence, must go out into the world for learning and growth WITHOUT you, and is growing in maturity every day.

Harsh BUT wonderful.

We are so proud of the person Tracen is becoming.

He is such a good boy with such a pure heart. He is a fabulous big brother. So protective and of course, quite the tease. He is smart and loves learning. He is remarkably smart with math. He understands concepts in 1st grade that I swear I did not really grasp until Junior High.

He loves soccer!! He is playing quite well. It is so fun to see him figure out the game. He loves teaching Tyler about all his "secret moves".

He loves to read. He is becoming more interested in the stories in the scriptures and always wants to know WHY something happened and how it applies to him. He has recently finished reading the second Harry Potter book and is excited to move on to the next. He is enjoying learning a few of his favorite melodies on the piano. Namely the Harry Potter and Darth Vader (Star Wars) theme songs. He has quite the ear. He learns like his father. If he hears it, he will figure out how to play it. The trick will be making sure he is paying attention and learning how to read the actual notes which mom, for some reason, thinks is very important.

He has decided he is a Jedi and wizard in training.

This is the inspiration for the Star Wars themed B-day party he had to have.

So... I did my best to oblige.

Tracen had some pretty strong requests for his B-day cake.

He really wanted a Strawberry-Apple cake with cream cheese frosting.

I confess, I was a bit stumped on how to pull that off, but it did turn out quite tasty. Then he told me exactly how the decor on top had to be. The frosting had to be blue (imagine that paired with pink cake), it had to have the STAR WARS logo on it, lots of stars all around it, and with a red and a green light saber crossing on one side and a blue and a red light saber crossing on the other side. Now I am absolutely NOT a cake decorator. Nor do I have much talent in art.

So... this is how the final project turned out.

I tried.

He also wanted to have Beer Rocks and green salad with Italian dressing for dinner.

All of these requests were written on his Birthday Wish List which also included...
wait for it...
Ooops! So that is the only picture I actually got of it.

He got a purple 'Mace Windu' light saber complete with lights and sound effects from Tyler. The boy is in heaven or at least constantly living life as the newest Jedi knight.

What is a gift without the matching "sing the Star Wars theme song" card telling him, "May the force be with you."

Also on the B-day wish list.... a Magic 8 Ball... Thank You Sammy, Riley, and Zeke!

Complete with specially made card from Sammy.

Tate gave Tracen the much wanted Star Wars shirt.

Mom and Dad went more for the Safety 1st route and got him a bike helmet that actually fits him.

Grandma and Grandpa Jacobs also took the safe and smart route giving him some CASH that Tracen already has BIG plans for. Thank You.

Some of his birthday guests included:

Zeke, whose favorite part was the food.

Tate, the little brother that couldn't get over that it was NOT his birthday.

Riley waiting ever so patiently for some cake and ice cream.

Tyler who was just as excited as Tracen about the light saber, beer rocks and yummy cake!

Sammy, whom Tracen is trying hard to turn into a Jedi, but will not succeed because Sammy is really a muggle-born wizard. We all know his parents have no magical talent what so ever. :)

And of course the BIRTHDAY BOY himself.

We then, of course, had another birthday party on Sunday with my side of the family. Sorry no pictures. We got to celebrate all the April birthdays!

Aunt Kenzie's was on the 1st and Aunt Melanie's is on the 14th with Tracen.

We had a lovely BBQ with the tastiest burgers off the grill, salad and the best flavor of jello of all time.... Black Cherry with Cool Whip on top.

The kids love Grandma and Grandpa Stratford's back yard!

They had loads of fun playing soccer, playing in the "stream" (that has no water in it yet), and throwing rocks in the pond.

We then did presents.

The ladies both got some really yummy smelling items and Tracen was spoiled yet again.

Complete with:

"The Lorax" By Dr. Suess (such a favorite) from Aunt Kenzie and Uncle Shane

An electric YO-YO (which has proven to be quite dangerous-that's another story) from Aunt Melanie and Uncle Ty

Some "classic" chapter books from mom and dad

Math (add, subtract, and multiplication) flash cards from Tate and Tyler

Giant beach towel, some money and telling time flash cards, the game "Guess Who", a very cute book called, "I Can Read", and...

Roller Blades!

from Grandma and Grandpa Stratford.

Thank You!!!

(psst... I only write down the list of gifts because this blog is a record for our family and I think Tracen will enjoy reading back and remembering what he got for his birthday and who they were from)

Anyway, we always watch the birthday persons "movie" at the end of the party. Therefore there were 3!!!

I love seeing Tracen's first year of life. Dan and I realized, however, that our plan for the next "Tracen movie" was when he turned 8. That's next year! We better get gathering. That's a lot of life to record.

Well, Tracen, we hope you had an OUT OF THIS GALAXY BIRTHDAY!

We Love You.

May THE FORCE always be with you.

Big Thanks to everyone who loves him.