Happy Birthday Jared!

Ain't he cute? How easy it is for me to look back (almost 24 year later) to what a fun, funny kid Jared was. The nice thing about it is that most of you are old enough to have to some memories of your own of Jared's babyhood. I loved how he would sit on the kitchen floor in our West Mountain home and, by kicking his feet, slowly rotate himself in a circle. I pulled him off of the dishwasher door more times than I can count, and at 3:15 on any given afternoon he would go to the living room window to watch for his brothers and sisters to get off of the bus- he was never late, but often early, just waiting for his buddies. My heart stopped the night he fell down the stairs, end to end mind you, not just gently rolling. He was about a year old - I've probably never moved faster than that. And then there is the memory of him perched on Adam's shoulders while Adam ran him through the house and out the door into the yard and out into the apple orchard. Jared would laugh and laugh, drooling onto the top of Adam's head... but Adam never seemed to mind.
Happy Birthday, Jared! You have experienced some things that the rest of us have never even come close to (well, except maybe for dad) and you have just hung in there until you have been able to figure it out. Like the Kool Whip on my pumpkin pie you finish our family... we weren't all here until you came. I love you! Mom
I know, I know! Isn't this picture just choice? It was taken on the day Jared was blessed, and I could look at it a long time. Notice the WHITE SOCKS (how can you not?), the "My Little Pony", Ben and Becca holding hands, and the bow ties. ( Do you think Adam had put his foot down by that time?) Becca finally had some hair, Levi will always have his smile, and Ben will always have his cow-lick. Thank goodness Jared did NOT keep the cone-head. And there in the middle is Jen (Jenny, back then...). The ultimate big sister, responsible oldest child... she was so unhappy with me when she realized she did not get to have Jared's crib in her room. What in the heck was I thinking? Oh, maybe it was the fact the Darth Vader hid in that hallway. (hee hee hee). What a family! Love you!