5 years old

There seems to be something about 5. To Josh, he now uses all his fingers on his hand to tell how old he is. To me, I'm not sure why it's different. He's entering the world of big kids, I guess. Even though he has another year before kindergarten, 5 seems like the gateway to school and beyond.

I'm so proud to be his mom. I've seen so much maturity over the summer even, and I look forward to seeing his successes in 4K this year. He's loving, creative, imaginative, stubborn, affectionate, wild, and even has rhythm. There is nothing I would change about his unique little self. He is his own person, and I'm proud of him for that. I know that God has tremendous things in store for him, and, while I'm not anxious for him to grow up, I am excited to see what he will accomplish in his life, and how he will continue to grow in wisdom & stature, and in favor with God and people.

We had a birthday party today. First few hours were pretty typical for us...but then came the children. We invited a bunch of Josh's friends over for water party and cupcakes. They had the sprinkler, squirt guns, water balloons, and the kiddie pool, along with the sandbox, playset, and tree swing. We had a pinata and cupcakes and opened presents. Josh was feeling pretty overwhelmed by the end of it - so much sugar and stimulation with little rest and downtime. He inquired of everyone who came if they had a present for him, but did very well saying thank you and giving hugs.

I have never seen this level of anticipation in him before. He went to bed last night excited about his party, and woke up this morning talking about it. Here are some pictures of his day...

Summer

Trying to stay busy this summer without spending a ton of money...challenging! I've been working quite a bit, between coordinating summer school and some conferences/classes.

We've been to Tommy Bartlett, both the show and the exploratory. Josh also got to go to a Day Out with Thomas a fe weekends ago. We hit up the Sauk County breakfast on the farm, and today he and dad went to Monona Dream Park. We've been to the splash pad a few times, the zoo, and he does swimming lessons and library story time once a week.

We're still hoping to get to Cave of the Mounds this summer, as well as spend a few days up at the cottage. We haven't been there in a while because of Chris's crazy work schedule. He used his vacation time last year for the cruise, so this year, we'll be relaxing at the cottage instead.

Josh will do a little summer school later in July to get him ready for 4K again in the fall. We decided to have him repeat 4k since he won't be 5 until August, and since last year, with the early childhood support, he didn't get the full 4k experience. We've also been working on "Bible school" at home which connects learning the letters of the alphabet with Bible stories. I may try Vacation Bible school with him also this summer.

We've had lots of time relaxing with friends too. For an unstructured summer, it sure has been busy!

Testify

A few weeks ago, Josh was riding in the backseat of my mom's car. He had a bottle of juice and was struggling to open it, as mom watched through her rear view mirror. She watched him struggle a bit, and then he stopped and said "God, give me strength." He tried again, and it opened! She says his eyes were as big as saucers at the thought that God heard and answered his prayer.

This past week, he happened to be at church with my mom and the kids joined the adults for a missionary service. The pastor asked what God had been doing for people and if anyone wanted to share. Josh raised his hand, and when the pastor called on him (brave pastor for calling on a 4 year old...you never know what they will say!) he told the whole congregation that God gave him strength.

I'm proud of him, for his boldness and childlike faith. It's been good to watch him growing in his understanding of Easter and what it means too!

Happy Christmas!

I'm bad, I know - not having posted since September...however, I'm not sure who actually reads this blog, so perhaps you haven't missed me. If you do read, feel free to drop a comment so I know who's out there "listening".

I can hardly believe it's Christmas again, and we just celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. 10 years that sometimes feels like a lifetime, and other times, feels like it's not possible it's been that long. After 10 years, we've settled in quite a bit with each other; navigating the maze of parenting a preschooler, trying to not have the same old arguments again and again, anticipating each other's thoughts and reactions, and living our lives the best way we know how. We try to live and love and give 100%...TRY being the operative word!

Josh continues to bring us great joy. I can't imagine what the next 10 years will bring - he will be 14 then, and I may be ready to tear my hair out! He is a sweetheart with a good heart, an imagination to beat the band, and a stubborn, tenacious, personality that will serve him well in the future. He gets Early Childhood support for focus and attention issues, as well as some receptive language and OT services. He loves playing with his friends, especially our neighbors' son Evan. He brings joy and spreads cheer wherever he goes.

We are blessed to have our families with us for another year, and blessed beyond words to be involved in a wonderful church that serves us and allows us to serve. They love us, and love Josh, and we are excited to see what the future holds. Our families are healthy and active, and we are so glad we live close enough to see them regularly, even though Chris talks about moving somewhere warm when we get old.

As for me, I'm tired. You can probably tell by the tone of this post. Not physically tired, right now, but weary of this world. I'm not trying to be morose; I just find myself looking forward to the day when the cares of this life are over and I see my Savior face to face. I am nowhere near where I want to be when He calls us home, but I hope that I am drawing nearer to Him each day. I want my life to be purposeful and uncluttered, but that is harder than it seems.

I know it's not New Years, but here are a few "resolutions":

1. Drink more water and less soda.
2. Pay off one large debt and don't accrue any others.
3. Consistently spend time with Jesus in the mornings. (I did better with this over the past year than ever before!)
4. Simplify my life where possible.
5. Spend more time building relationships with people.

Happy Christmas. The ordinary baby in the manger made an extraordinary difference in my life. He is the reason for the season, but we are the reason He came.

School

It doesn't seem possible that my little boy has started school, but started school he has! He attends 4 year old kindergarten at the daycare center he's been going to for the past two years. He has 4k 3 hours every morning except Fridays, and he gets to stay and play with his friends until we can pick him up. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, he goes to "big school" (as he calls it) about halfway through the 4k day. Big school is the early childhood classroom where he gets some extra help with focus, attention, social skills, and other things that will help him in the large group school setting.

So far, I think he's enjoying it. He's off on a field trip to the apple orchard today...riding a school bus and everything. We have our first parent/teacher conference on Monday evening. Josh is exhausted when he gets home! No homework yet, but he has been asking to sort things at home. He likes play time the most...not a fan of coloring, but he'll do it if playtime is around the corner!

Family vacation

We had the wonderful privilege of going on a family cruise this August. Chris's parents and his brother's family went as well. We had 6 adults, my 4 year old, and my 19 month old nephew.

Our cruise happened when hurricane Ernesto was moving through the caribbean, so our itinerary changed a bit. We spent our first two days at sea. It was nice exploring the ship and relaxing a bit. Josh was able to participate in Camp Carnival, which provided kids activities for most of the day. Our favorite part of every day was dinner, since the kids really seemed to connect with our waitstaff. The 3 guys who served our table enjoyed the kids too.

Our first port was Montego Bay, Jamaica. I was able to go zip lining with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law while everyone else spent some time at the beach. Zip lining was amazing! I was comfortable and safe the whole time. There were 6 or 7 lines through the rain forest. So cool!

Our second port was Grand Cayman Island. We spent a few hours at the beach. The boys played in the sand a lot.

Our final port was Cozumel, Mexico, where we had an adventure meeting sting rays, some as big as my dining room table. Josh was a little nervous at first, but he did get back in and pet them, although he wasn't interested in feeding them, like dad did, or kissing one, like mom did. After that, we had the chance to snorkel a bit while the boys swam around. They also got to hold a parrot and iguana, and participate in a hermit crab race. Josh's crab won, and he got a special prize from the snack bar.

Our last day was a day at sea. It was a fun vacation for everyone, but we were all glad to be back at home!

Happy Birthday to Joshua!

Little man is 4. I can't believe it. He is amazing. I spent the morning with him at Knuckleheads and family joined us for his party in the evening. He's getting tall and so kid-like, instead of toddler like. He's starting 4K this year, and I'm so pleased with his manners and his enthusiasm and zest for life. He is all boy - rough and tumble, energy to spare, impatient, loud, loving, caring, exuberant, and messy. We love him!
4 years old

3 years old

2 years old

1 year old

Birth