I Spy...Jake's Stash

Have you seen the "I Spy" books and games for young children? The author uses photos of a jumble of objects and the goal is to find (to spy!) a particular object in the jumble--a marble, a small toy jet, a race car, a horse, a penny, a button, etc.

I have a photo below for you to carefully examine in "I Spy" tradition. The photo contains items all of which are special to Jake. Every object in his collection was carefully selected and placed in his treasure bag which he hauls everywhere. Every morning his stash goes downstairs at breakfast time and comes back up at nap time. Then after nap it's back downstairs and back up at bedtime. Even then it doesn't take a rest--his stash bag is hauled wherever he goes during the night. Jake has no limits other than size--the objects must fit into his stash bag.

Jake's stash:


Can you spy the pony bead bracelet? He made it a couple of weeks ago when Patrick and Cassidy were visiting.

Can you spy the Valentine's Day Cards? He got one in the mail from Great-Grandma & Grandpa Altman and another one is from Grandma Vicki.

Can you spy the band-aids? These were a gift from Grandma Karen. She always buys the coolest band-aids and the trio all beg a few extra from her whenever they visit. (They wear them like tattoos!)

Can you spy the post card? I'm not sure why this particular post card ended up in the bag. It's just one of dozens in their post card collection.

Can you spy the book? Again, why this book? I've no idea. It's been in the bag for quite some time. I've tried removing it, but Jake retrieves it again.

Can you spy the container of Valentine candy? It was a gift from Grandma Vicki. Bentley and Viva ate their candy, but Jake stashed his. It's smart to have some food in your stash, right?

Can you spy the baby bottle? Yup, Dolly's bottle is stashed. She no longer gets fed. Dolly herself was in the stash for a while, but as more items were added, there was not enough room for her. :-(

Can you spy the McDonald's Happy Meal toy (a penguin)? Another prize from time with Grandma Karen.

Can you spy a black comb? (You might need to double click on the photo to make it larger to identify the comb which is half buried under other items.) The comb was added today after a visit to the hair salon.

Can you spy the Duplo blocks? These were most likely part of a constructed gun.

Can you spy a motorcycle? A police car? A bulldozer? A train? A big rig? The majority of Jake's stash is small vehicles. When you have 24 (!!), they start to add up weight-wise. The bag has needed many repairs to reinforce it and to fix rips and tears. It'd be easier to get out a new gift bag, but I am hoping that instead I can convince Jake to empty his stash into a shoebox and then store it under his bed. This ploy worked with Bentley a few months back, but so far Jake refuses to cooperate.