Fun Visit with Old Friends

One of the great blessings that happened this year, was our friends Devon & Ed moved from Maine to Illinois. So.... not only are they much closer to visit, but we can also see Angel, Tom, Ava, and Quinny when they come to visit! About a week ago, Angel let me know they'd be driving to Illinois & Devon invited us to crash the family visit, too.

Joshua and I drove the three hours to Bloomington, IL yesterday and had a wonderful time. Joshua slept for most of the drive there, which was some kind of miracle. Angel, Devon, and their friend Hanna are so much fun to talk and laugh with. Tom and Ed are always a treat, acting as if they've been close brothers since childhood. Quinny looks much more like a toddler now and is as sweet as ever. Ava is nearly five and charmed Joshua thoroughly. He played with her almost constantly, laughing about her tickling him, chasing her (as she let him keep catching her), snuggling together to play the Dora game, learning how to write letters from her, using a Leap Pad game. Another huge treat was seeing baby Wesley. He's a very happy baby and clearly loved watching the three older kids play as he snuggled with every adult in the house, one at a time. I loved being able to spend time with everyone!

Joshua & I slept at a nearby hotel last night & he was a fun slumber party buddy! He woke up super early because he wanted to play with the kids again as soon as possible. (Notice the time on the clock.) We played in the room first with several cups and an ice bucket. Did you know how much toddlers like those? Then, we played on the hotel's carpeted stairs on the way to the lobby. Next, we went window shopping (I love 24 hours stores). Then, we went swimming at the hotel pool, Joshua took a long bubble bath and played with the cups again, I got ready, we ate breakfast, and headed over to Devon & Ed’s house again. All by 9:30am. I felt like a well-trained Marine.

Joshua & I came home today to be home in time to get Daisy from the boarder. Amazingly, Joshua managed to sleep most of the way again, so the first time wasn't a fluke. He must have the same car-sleeping gene as his Uncle Jeff, who somehow slept for every car trip I remember when we were children. I'm already counting the days until Angel & the kids stop here on Friday on their way back to Maine! I look forward to seeing Devon, Ed, & Wesley more, now that we know we live so close to each other.

More teeth, indoor camping, & a cleaning buddy

Our sweet little guy is cutting LOTS of teeth lately. Here is a cute picture of him showing us where a new one is poking through. Sometimes, Joshua tells Mike when part of his mouth is sore & needs Oragel. One morning last week, he said, "Oragel" to me. Can't get much more clear than that!

We bought Joshua a little play tent for Christmas. at the time, he was a little too young to be interested. Now, at the ripe at of nearly 18-months, Joshua loves the tent. He likes to read books or bring in little items to take in and out of a bucket or cup.

When we were little, my mom used to have us 'help' her with cleaning. Apparently, my brother Ken was particularly good at dusting bookshelves with a sock-covered hand. I'm not sure what my brother Jeff's favorite way to help was, but it seems like he washed dishes alot. Up until I left for college, mom would ask me to be her "Cleaning Buddy" & we would team up to finish chores in record time. It looks like I'll have a Cleaning Buddy, too! Joshua snagged the sweeper to sweep the dining room floor for me. He's so sweet.

Playing in the Park

Today was the second beautiful day in a row that we've been able to enjoy the wonderful spring weather!






Yesterday, we had the first long bike ride of the year- an hour out in the country with Joshua in a safety seat attached to Mike's bike. Then, we walked to the closest park to our house for some playtime.

Joshua loves being able to walk around and climb things. So far, he enjoys slides when he rides down with a parent, but hasn't tried a big slide on his own. (There is a tiny slide for toddlers at the Rec Center that he goes down by himself.) Joshua also loves to watch the other kids and contribute to playing in the sand by throwing handfuls onto their pile. I was amazed at the feat of toddler heroics he did yesterday: he climbed most of the way down a climbing thing!

Today, we brought Daisy on the walk to the park, too. Boy, does she love the outdoors. Her little tail wagged the whole time.

Thoughtful Boy

I wondered when Joshua would be old enough to show sensitivity and thoughtfulness. I figured that would come by the time he was school-age. By was I wrong!

Today, I'm not feeling very well and our sensitive little boy brought me his reindeer, the little toy he sleeps with during every nap and at nighttime. Talk about melting my heart!

Sixteen months

Wow! Thank goodness there isn't a penalty for blog truancy!

There are several new stories & updates to share about our very grown-up sixteen-month-old. Joshua has added a few words to his repertoire. At Tricia's house, he joins in with the other toddlers in saying No, Go, or Dora (as in Dora the Explorer). Here at home, he held up a sock while I was dressing him and told me it was a sock. He has attempted juice, thank you, yes, and please. A couple of nights ago, he said "Blastoff" while holding up his hands during the exact moment the kids on the show Little Einsteins were doing that. Oh, and he says dog quite a lot. Joshua is very excited about dogs.

Joshua's comprehension is amazing. During his recent cold, Mike & I talked to him about how much easier it would be for everyone if he held still when we wiped his nose. Since that conversation, we can take care of his nose with one quick, easy swipe. We love playing ball (Joshua has great skill at throwing balls) and reading books. Just ask him to go get a ball or book and he immediately gets the requested item.

Recently, Mike & I started doing more exercise DVDs at home. Joshua loves when we do yoga or ab exercises. Yoga poses create bridges for him to crawl under, while crunches are an invitation for him to lay on your abdomen and say, "Oh, Oh!" while he giggles. It's great fun. There have been several days that Joshua has let us know that he wants to go for a walk in the rec center by talking about and pointing to the backpack carrier. He has fun there after every walk on the track, playing with stray basketballs, watching people play racquetball, or going down the toddler slide. In fact, he likes racquetball so much he takes my small seive with a handle and bats at balls with it!

The last time I walked with Joshua outside on a sunny and unusually warm day, he walked on the sidewalk a bit instead of staying in the stroller. He was so cute about his excitement seeing his shadow for the first time! I wish I had a camera with me that day. I'll definitely take it with us on the next sunshine-y walk.

Joshua still has a super appetite for a little guy. Our "Little Tornado" eats most of a child-sized plate of burrito, rice, and beans at the mexican restaurant. He snags handy food off the kitchen table to feed himself with a spoon or fork (such as a recent cup of applesauce). Raisins, peaches, banana wedges, and oatmeal are favorite foods we could serve him every day. Each evening I teach, Mike & Joshua share chinese food. Joshua devours the rice (some by fork, some by fingers) as well as either chicken or broccoli from Mike. He communicated that he wanted something in the fridge twice today- once for pumpkin pie and once for grapes. It's common now that he appreciates getting food choices, not just choices about which outfit to wear each day.

Joshua is still very excited about music. He likes to sit at the piano with one of us to tickle the ivories, play with a toy piano, play with a toy guitar, shake a chicken shake to the beat of whatever music is playing, and dance to good rock music. He often turns on the living room radio.

Right now, Joshua is napping. Most days, he still has two naps, but he might talk to himself and play with his stuffed reindeer for a few minutes before falling asleep. Before naps, he likes to look through books by himself if Mike & I aren't already reading to him. Favorite books these days are The Little Blue Truck, God Knows All About Me, Fred & Ted, My Truck is Stuck, and We're Going on a Bear Hunt. However, there are at least ten other books in frequent rotation, too.

Rocking Chair

Joshua surprised me yesterday with a new skill. Not only can he walk beautifully now, he can also climb quite well. I had been cooking for a few minutes and went to his room to see how he was playing, only to find him seated comfortably in the rocking chair! Apparently, he uses the nursing stool for a little boost and the back rails as a handhold to climb in. If you hand him a book, he'll sit there for a few minutes- just like he does when Mike or I sit him on a lap to read a book!




His favorite game right now is putting things into containers. He loves stacking cups and filling envelopes. His Weebles now live in the mesh pocket that hangs from the side of his pack-n-play, the letters from his phonics game are often found in visitors purses or my work bag, and putting the rubber blocks into the toybox is now great fun. Also, the trash cans are off limits to prevent throwing away toys or, worse yet, taking trash out to play with it.



The surprise toy of the season is a Santa's Workshop lunchpail with little figurines of a tree, Santa, an elf, Rudolph, a gingerbread man fence, and a present. He plays with those a whole lot, either by himself or bringing them to Mike or me to play. he loves it when we sing a Christmas song about the figurine he brings. We hadn't expected him to be interested in characters yet, but he spotted the set at Kohls on Black Friday and was clear that he wanted it. He's played with the set every day since.





Joshua loves reading together as much as ever. The first thing he does in the morning is grab a book or two and hand them to me to read to him. When he plays by himself, he sits a flip through books when he isn't playing with nesting cups. He gets excited and points to his name on the wall whenever I change his diaper. Joshua also loves making music. He "sings" with some songs, like the Music Machine CD, and loves to tickle the ivories when Mike or I play piano. He also plays his toy piano, jiggles my chicken shake, or rattles some jingle bells throughout the day.

Teachable Moments

Sometimes Mike has such tremendous insights about catching teachable moments & I am grateful all over again to be blessed with such a wonderful man as my husband.

Last Monday, I called Mike just before teaching my evening class and he told me that Daisy had been very sick all over the kitchen. He cleaned the kitchen and placed her in her kennel in the garage. Let me tell you, as messy as she was when I came home, I can only imagine what my heroic husband had already cleaned up.

At breakfast time, Mike told Joshua that Daisy was sick and that we need to pray for her. He said that Joshua should pray in his heart, too, because God hears the prayers of children. I wondered when it would be time to talk to Joshua about prayer. Let me tell you, thirteen months old is not too young. Joshua seemed to understand the conversation. Plus, in the morning, Daisy began to eat and drink again.

I'm happy to report that Daisy made a full recovery. She and Joshua were adorable playing with Daisy's stuffed sheep, Henrietta a couple of days ago. Daisy has a whole lot of puppy still in her, yet she is tremendously gentle with our little man.

I'm also happy to say that I have a fresh perspective about praying with Joshua. Not just praying aloud before meals or starting a drive, but much more importantly, to include him in praying for those who are suffering and for His guidance.