Jake's 1st Birthday Party (August 1999)

Jake turned 1 year old on Saturday, August 14th 1999. We had a party for him at Irvine Park here in California. It was a wonderfully sunny day, perfect for the shady spot we had chosen under the trees near the lake. We decorated the picnic area in Whinnie the Pooh theme. It looked adorable. Jake loves Pooh. The party was loads of fun with lots of friends and family in attendance. Jake was overwhelmed by all of his guests, the presents they brought and the whole idea that they were all there to see HIM. He didn't want anything to do with his very own birthday cake at first. He just didn't think he should be forced to sit down at the table when he had so many friends there to play with. (Who can blame him?) He eventually settled down and dug into his chocolate cake after blowing out the candle on the Pooh cake that was for the party guests. He loved the mess and the cake for about 10 minutes, then decided he had enough and it was time to play again.

Irvine park is a great family park with a petting zoo, lake with boats and ducks, pony rides and kiddie train ride. The tracks for the train ride were along side our party site so the train passed us by often during the day. Every time Jake heard the train whistle, he stopped whatever he was doing and waved at the kids passing by on the train. Later in the day after most of his guests had gone home, Jim and I took Jake on the train. As we rode past the party, Jake waved at his few guests still there. On the way back, the guests all waited to wave at Jake, but he was fast alseep. What a long but wonderful day we all had.

He can WALK! Just 3 days before Jake's birthday, he received the cutest Noah's Ark chair as a birthday gift from his aunt Jill, uncle Ron and cousins Melissa and Mike. He was sitting in it when suddenly, he got up and started walking away from the chair. We were in shock! His first steps just days before his 1st birthday. Unfortunately he refused to show-off his newest accomplishment at his party

"Cake Time..."
"Here is my Winnie the Pooh cake I had to share with all of my guests."

"THIS is my very own cake I got to eat ALL by myself-YUMMY!"

"My daddy is showing me how to blow out the candle."

"Yeah! This is fun! I can make a big mess and no one cares!!!"

"Messy! Why is everyone watching me eat my cake? Why don't they just go eat their own and let me chow down in private!"

Time to open presents...
"Wow, look at all of these boxes - just for me!"

"See my cool new bike from uncle David (Smith)!"

The Train Ride...
"Here I am with my daddy and mommy on the train waving to my party guests!"

Jake was so tired he fell asleep on the way back.

August 15th...
Playing with his new toys

Jake got many nice gifts from friends and family. Here are a few of the gifts he enjoyed playing with the following day.

"Here is my new car. My aunt Joan, uncle Tony and cousins Christopher and Anthony bought it for me. My license plate says "Jake-1". It's the best little red car around!"

"This is my Sesame Street Kitchen I got from Terry, Jim, Jessica and Shawn."

"My daddy is going to teach me how to cook."

"My aunt Mary, uncle Ron and cousins Anna and Meyghan got me this neat fire truck. It even has a car phone!"

"Here's my chair, It's just my size! I love sitting in my chair reading the books I got from my aunt Jenny, uncle Don and cousins Sarah and Matt."

"Aunt Julie and my cousin Brandon got me lots of stuff including these great golf clubs. Daddy says I need to start early if I'm going to support him some day."

Julie and Brandon also got me this cool train. My mommy wasn't too happy about all of the "Stone Cold" wrestling stuff they gave me, including wrestling guys, blow up wrestling chair and "Stone Cold" punching bag. Daddy likes it all though!"

Hosted by iVillage.com