Tate has impacted many lives in his 18 months with our family. We want to cherish him forever and would love to hear your memories.
Please leave as many comments as you would like with your memories of sweet Tate. You can also write a blog post that will appear here: https://tatejacobson.com/tate/.
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43 responses to “Memories”
My little echo…
Once Tate started talking, he would always echo me when I would tell people “Thank you”. We would be at the market and I would tell the checker “Thank you” and then Tate’s little echo would say “Thank you” with the exact same tone that I said it. My favorite would be when he would say it after I would say it to the Drive-Thru people. Since he would be sitting behind me and I couldn’t see him it would always catch me off guard and make me laugh. Every once in awhile I find myself waiting for his little echo, oh how I miss him.It has been three months this last week since we lost our little Tater Tot! It seems like it has been an eternity already, miss him. The other day I was remembering his 1st birthday party and the blanket Grandma J made him and how much cuddling he gave it. It was so precious! He is constantly on my mind and we speak about him often. Life goes on but he has forever made a huge impact on us and we will miss him always!
Trying to remember EVERYTHING about our precious little man. Tate showed so much love and was such a joy to be around. The screensaver on my phone is a picture of Tate I snapped one day when I KNEW HE WAS SMILING. He was so very happy and having such a great time. It makes me smile every time I see it. I’ve often heard that if you smile at someone they will smile back. Tate generated so many smiles with his loving spirit. His beautiful sparkling blue eyes and excitement to see us was the most amazing smile I’ve ever seen. I’m missing our precious boy every day … and aching for Travis and Brandi and Lexi and Hunter. Many prayers are still coming your way, wishing you peace and comfort. It may seem like life has gone on for the rest of the world, but please know that you aren’t alone in working through this unreal fog. I imagine Tate cheering us all on to do and be our best and to move forward as he is doing. Sometimes all we can do is take one step at a time. Keep putting one foot in front of another and loving and serving one another. We have more to learn. Love you tons!!!
I always love when I would hold Tate and how he would always hold my finger with his little hand so tight. He would nuzzle his little head in my arm and his body in my lap. And would sit with me forever and I loved every minute. Oh how I miss that sweet baby and all of his kisses. Love our little Tate forever!
This is Ty. When Tate was only a couple months old, I went to the mall with Traci, Lex, Hunter, Brand, and Tate. As we were leaving, I crawled in the back seat and watched Brandi put Tate in his car seat. Once she finished bucking him in, she went to close the door and he started to cry. Instead of closing the door, she leaned over him and rested her cheek against his. He stopped crying. I was really touched. What an honor to be a fly on the wall witnessing the Christlike love that belongs to mothers who love their babies. This is always the first memory that comes to mind when I think of Tate.
This is actually T.J. and here is one of the many memories I have of Tater Tot. I loved it when Tate would dance. No matter what song was playing he would do the little Tate “swivel” while raising his arms. It would make me laugh every time. My favorite song he would dance to was the “bouncing Tigger” song. I sure love Tate and he stamped many memories on my heart that I will never forget.
I had to work a little harder than some to get to the point where Tate would let me hold him without him fussing. I made a game out of him hiding behind his hand and arm. The minute he would see me , up would go his arms to hide his eyes and I would do the same thing. I would then peek around my hands and tell him that I could see him. After a while it became a game for him too, and I could tell I was accepted by his kicking legs. I would pretend my hand was like a spider and tickle him, he loved to try and hit or grab my hand, but if I stopped he would pull my hand towards him. I remember playing that with him on the way home from Provo one evening. I guess I knew I was truly in his inner circle when Brandi had to go somewhere and Bonnie was working, so Brandi came by handed Tate to me and then she left. I was waiting for Tate to start complaining, but it never happened. I took him downstairs to the play room where Lexi and Hunter had gone and he enjoyed being there with the three of us,after a while he raised his arms to me and I knew he wanted me to pick him up, we went upstairs and enjoyed the rest of the evening. It was that evening that I told him whenever a pretty girl walks by say hubba, hubba, hubba. He waited for a few minutes and then said it while rocking back and forth, it was very funny. I loved how he would call out “grandpa” when I would leave the room, and make us pick up things he would throw from his tray.
Ok I have many great memories of Tate, I loved seeing him at Christmas and his excitement, not sure if it was for the atmosphere or that he was around so many people and had so much attention!
Ok I have many great memories of Tate, I loved seeing him at Christmas and his excitement, not sure if it was for the atmosphere or that he was around so many people and had so much attention! -Aunt Heather
I LOVED how Tate said Hunter, it was the cutest thing. The weekend prior Tate was in his highchair and we were playing a game, I don’t remember if it was peak a boo, or tickle or the spider song, but I walked away and one of his parents made a comment to him of, “Tell Heather your not done”. Tate immediately goes, “Heather, Heather” That was the sweetest thing ever. -Aunt Heather
I loved watching Tate spin in circles and clapping, it just made you smile. I loved one time when he was clapping, I starting singing a song with clapping, he stops clapping and gives me this look like, “Why are you messing with my clapping?” It cracked me up and from then on when it was clapping time, it was just clapping time.
One memory of Tate that I loved is I was dropping off my kids or something at Travis n Brandi’s house, Travis was outside doing something and as I brought Brody in the house, I saw Tate in the corner laying in his bed. I went up to him to say Hi and he reached his arms up and said UP, how could you say no to that?? I picked him up and even though I was rushing somewhere I took a couple extra minutes walking around the house with him and talking to him. I just gave me the best cuddles and hugs, it broke my heart I had to set him back down. We Love Him.
I know Porter cannot speak, but I know he loved to play with Tate and everytime he would come in the room and if Tate was sitting on the floor we would walk up to him and pat him on the head or back as if saying, “Yep we will be the best of buds” – Porter
My Favorite memory of Tate and one of my moms is he would come up to me and my sister and go tickle, tickle, tickle and tickle us. – Tanner
Another favorite of Tate was at the Cabin, when he pulled Taylor’s bow off, I went back on and put it on her head. I started to walk away and Tate reached over, but as soon as I turned around he stopped and looked at me. When I turned my back again he reached real quick and pulled it off. He was such a tease and he knew I wanted the bow on. Aunt Heather
My favorite memory of Tate is he would take those uncomfortable bows off my head – Taylor
My favorite memory of Tate is that if I went in the room and said “Ta da” and lift our arms, he would do the same and lift his arm, I loved to play with Tate and miss him so much. -Brody
My favorite memory of Tate is playing peek a boo with him, he was always willing to play and laughed so hard. – Colby
One of my favorite memories of Tate is how so early one he would tease by lifting his arm up to cover his eyes and then wait for me to make an effort to see him. He knew whenever he saw his Aunt Heather that, “She is one I need to tease” almost like he knew he would make his Dad proud:)
My memories of Tate will never be forgotten, he was such a special little boy with such a sweet spirit, he loved to hide behind his arm and make you think he did not want you to see him, later we all knew he was teasing us, I feel like I had just been allowed in his inner circle, it took me a long time, but he was just giving me loves, he would lean his head over to touch your cheek and I knew he was loving me, and when he would reach both hand up in the air to be picked up was rewarding to know he trusted you to pick him up. He loved to clap and was so excited when he would giggle, he would love to play with the kids and especially loved the new babies, loved to take the bows out of Taylors hair and loved to pat them, he was so good at scooting around on his but and moved very quickly, he was strong when you handed him something, he could really hold this with his one hand. Travis and Brandi were the perfect couple to receive Tate, they should feel very privilaged to have been selected to bring Tate in to the world and teach him, Tate learned to love so deeply from them, they loved him and Brandi was a perfect Mother for Tate, she cared for him 24/7 and loved her job as Mother. We will never forget Tate, he will always be our special Great Grandson and we will love him forever and we know his Great Great Grandmothers (GGGrandma Grace and GGGrandma Melva) are enjoying him and love him as we have love him.
Will Always love you Tate,
Great Grandpa and Great Grandma SchoppeI remember countless times when we would all be hanging out at Grandma Trace’s house all playing in the front room. The kids would be playing with toys and chasing each other and easily getting distracted. Occasionally it would slowly happen that one by one we would leave the room and end up in the kitchen, probably to grab a diet coke and See’s chocolate. Without fail, once Tate was the only one in that front room we would start to here him yelling. I know he was saying, ‘Hey guys, I’m still here and you’re supposed to be playing with me. You can’t just leave me and I won’t let you forget I’m still here.’ Even if he acted like he didn’t want you playing with him, he always really did! Love that little tease! And don’t worry Tate, we never did and we never will forget you. That would be impossible!
One night for some reason TJ and I were watching Lexi, Hunter and Tate. Trying to be the fun aunt and uncle we decided to take them to Chick-fil-a for dinner and to play. At one point TJ had Kaden and was watching Lexi and Hunter in the playplace. That left just me and Tate sitting at the table. I took him out of his carseat and just held him. I remember at that moment being so proud to be his aunt! I hate lots of attention, but inside I was hoping everyone was looking at the two of us and thinking how lucky that girl must be to be playing with that sweet baby. I remember holding and kissing him and his sweet sweet giggles. It was just me and him for a moment in that busy Chick-fil-a. Oh how I loved the moments like that. Travis and Brandi, thanks for sharing sweet Tate with all of us.
We are so lucky to have videos of some of Tate’s happiest moments. Belly-laughing at soph-soph-dog-dog, and dancing and singing Hot-diggity-dog. Precious memories.
I remember taking Tate on the Heber Creeper Memorial weekend in 2012. Although he was still pretty young, he loved looking at the trains and had such an excitement for life and loved watching all of the excitement all around him. They had an area for blowing bubbles and he loved to watch all of the bubbles.
I remember when Tate started getting so tricky!! He learned to blow kisses and I was so glad when Brandi got him to blow me a kiss!! He also said “choo choo” when all the kids would call Carson that. I think the first time might have been at Lexi’s birthday party but I’m not sure. He also would say “Hunter” and “ex” all the time, so cute to see his love for his siblings!
Every time I think of Tate, I remember his sweet little bashful hiding behind his hand. He was famous for it! He would be staring at me and when I’d notice he would all a sudden put his hand up even though he had wanted me to look at him. He was such a tease! He rarely let me hold him but he would always tease me. At first it seemed his hiding behind his hand was more shyness because he wouldn’t do it as much after I was near him for a while. Then it was just a game, he’d do it and laugh.
The first thing I thought of when I heard the news was the last time I was with Tate. We had an Easter party at Grandma and Grandpa J’s and Tate seemed to be the star of the show! He was getting so tricky with his scooting and was getting everywhere all a sudden! We put Taylor and Eliza on the floor to take some pictures in their Easter dresses and Tate couldn’t get enough of them. He was so sweet with them! He couldn’t keep his cute little hand off them and kept playing with Taylor’s dress and bow. It was so cute how long he sat there looking at the babies. He scooted around all over the place and I just remember watching him for a long time, I don’t remember much else about that party already.
My favorite memory with Tate was at Planet Play. We had gone for Sadie’s birthday party and since I was about to deliver Eliza, I wasn’t participating in any of the games. I told Brandi and Heather to go play laser tag and I’d watch the twins and Tate. Brandi was holding Tate at the time so I took him and sat on the bench. He let me sit there and hold him (he didn’t often)! I got the sweetest little cuddles from him and just kept kissing his sweet little head. I sat him on the little turtle ride and held him so he could ride it for a bit (he was so heavy!). Then I just sat with him and got more cuddles, it was so special! Even then I knew I was so lucky! Brandi even noticed he was giving me such sweet cuddles. I am so glad I got those and will forever cherish that memory!
“My heart is gone, I miss Tate so much. That’s why I was crying downstairs.” “I miss everything about Tate. I miss about playing with him when I was a big boy.” -Cousin Carson
I remember holding Tate as a newborn and feeling his sweet special spirit, he had an extra calming influence.
I remember how proud we were the first time Tate used his nub to grab his binky. He was very little and he would get his nub right into the end of the binky and wave it all over the place looking at it.
I remember Travis and Brandi coming over to our house soon after Tate was born to watch a BYU football game…or maybe it was a Broncos v. Raiders NFL game? Geez, I can’t remember. But the point is we were watching a sports game upstairs and Tate was hanging out in his baby carrier. There was one play where Travis jumped off the couch in excitement and yelled, which made Tate start crying. Travis felt so bad and we all were a little more careful with our cheers after that.
I can’t remember the exact date or occasion, but the family was hanging out at our house. All the kids were playing downstairs and the parents were talking upstairs. Brandi was holding Tate and after a bit, she set him on the floor and looked around for some toys – all we had was a “Little People” plastic nativity set, so she grabbed that and helped Tate start playing with it. It didn’t take very long before he figured out how to fit the hollow gift box over his nub and bang it against another character in his right hand to make noise. How very MacGyver of you, Tate.
When Tate was at St. Marks right after he was born he was spoiled by all of the nurses there. Whenever we would go to visit him and hold him the nurses eyes would light up when we told them we were there to see Tate. They would all make comments about what a great baby he was and how easy it was to calm him down when he would get upset. When we couldn’t be at the hospital it was comforting to know how much the nurses loved him and we knew they took great care of him.
There was one particular nurse that instantly fell in love with Tate. She would wear crazy socks everyday and was the nurse that helped Tate the night he was born. She helped me bathe Tate for the first time and was the nurse that cracked open the textbook and read to us about Moebius Syndrome while Brandi cuddled him in her arms. Every time we would go to the hospital and she was working we knew Tate had been cuddled a little extra that shift.
Tate was a complete joy to be around. He had so much personality and he really was very funny. His eyes were so expressive and he was always wanting to be a part of whatever Hunter and Lexi had going on. Few people in my life have completely won me over as quickly as Tate did.
I loved seeing my kids play with Tate. Trey always gave Tate that extra attention and love as Tate would soak it up and return it fully. Tate’s Hide N’ Seek was classic and everyone will always remember that with his laughs. I can’t imagine where he got the teasing spirit from but he loved to tease. 🙂 I loved teasing with Tate when Travis was holding him. Tate would lay his head on Travis’ chest and I would sneak around to that side to look at him and he would quickly turn his head to the other side. Such a beautiful boy and a wonderful blessing in all our lives. I don’t think he needed that 18 months with us as much as we needed it with him. When I reflect on memories of Tate, my mind always sees an image of Brandi holding him. He loved being in her arms and snuggled right into her as he laid his head on her shoulder. That boy LOVES his mom and dad.
I remember watching Tate open gifts at his first birthday party. He was sitting on the floor and was pretty happy about the gifts he was getting…and then he opened the super soft and fuzzy BYU blanket from Grandma Bonnie! He felt the softness with his little hand and his whole body started spazzing out – legs kicking, head turning back and forth, arms up and down. He was so excited! He grabbed the blanket with his hand and cocked his head to the side and brought the blanket up to feel it with his cheek. It was such a darling, genuinely joyful reaction.
When we were at Primarys after Tate was born the Dr’s were checking Tate out. One of the Dr’s was a resident and was very nervous talking to us about their diagnosis for Tate. In his diagnosis he told us that Tate would probably be right handed. Brandi and I just busted up laughing, great analysis Doc.
I loved how quickly Tate would respond to any type of game…and the next time he saw you, he would remember the game and start playing it again. Of course, he would always act shy at first and cover his face with his arms, or bury his face into Brandi or Travis’ shoulder. Once he warmed up, we would play a game and even if he wasn’t audibly laughing, you could tell he was happy because he’d kick his legs and bounce up and down in his parent’s arms – it was a full body laugh. We would play peek-a-boo or raise both arms in the air while saying “ahhhhhhhh” and then suddenly drop the arms in our laps and say “boo!” I also liked to let him watch my hands slowly “crawl” toward him and then quickly tickle him from his legs all the way up to his neck. I loved how that would make him laugh! I had the chance to play that game with him during the BYU spring preview football game on March 30. He was sitting on Brandi’s lap and Caitlin was sitting to Brandi’s right. I was sitting to Caitlin’s right so Tate and I were reaching across to each other playing this game. Tate was reaching so much that Brandi and I thought maybe he wanted to come sit on my lap (which never happened) so she passed him over but as soon as I put him on my lap, he lunged back toward Brandi. 🙂
I remember going to the hospital after Tate was born, sitting in the waiting room with family members. Everyone was so happy that Tate had safely arrived. There was an overwhelming feeling of love, relief and excitement. And even though there were looming questions about this new little baby boy, it was evident he was a fighter. I remember being deeply touched by Travis and Brandi’s attitude of complete encompassing love and acceptance of this special boy. Lexi and Hunter displayed unconditional love toward their new brother – their excitement at Tate’s arrival was nearly tangible! Seeing Tate for the first time was a sweet moment. Although his tiny body was hooked to multiple machines, he radiated a strength and calmness comparable to that of someone ten times his age and size. This might sound odd, but it reminded me of the look and conviction of the Stripling Warriors in the painting by Arnold Friberg.
When Tate learned to scoot he explored the entire house. I was getting ready for a meeting one night and he scooted into our bathroom, shut the door and just sat there playing with some of the toys he had brought with him. We could not get him to move so we could open the door and he just sat and laughed as we tried. Needless to say, I was late to my meeting. It was very worth it watching him enjoy his new-found independence.
When Tate had his casts I would hold him in my lap and all of the sudden he would slam down his cast into my lap. He thought it was so funny and would laugh as I groaned. I was very close to going and buying a cup to protect myself.
Some of the memories I have of Tate would be his sweet giggle. I remember when we were hanging out at your house and Jordan was doing his robot dance for Tate and Tate was laughing so hard I was worried he was going to blow a lung out. I remember his love of hide and seek. I love how quickly he learned to use his stub to cover his eyes or to pick things up. I remember football games and parties. He truly was a special spirit of our Heavenly Father and is missed every day. But I know he is on to greater work now and his infectious laugh is making an impact in the Heaven’s. Love you Tate. Love you Travis and Brandi you are great examples to us all.
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