15-Months and 3-and-a-Half!

Dear Josiah,

You are 15-months old! What a silly goose you are, and as sweet as can be. You tickle us to pieces.

- You truly love to wield a spoon or fork at mealtimes, and are relatively adept at actually skewering food and getting it near your mouth. In absence of utensils, your next favorite mode of eating is to poke a little pudgy finger into the morsel of food and pop it in your mouth.

- You talk all. the. time. And can say pretty much anything.

Including, but not limited to:

• Coo-ka! (cookie)
• Tracta (tracter)
• Cracka (cracker)
• Pretza (pretzel)
• Victa (Victor)
• Iya (Josiah)
• Wata (water)
• Yah (yes, accompanied with emphatic nod of head)
• Bibah (Bible)
• Ca (car)
• Truck (truck)
• Pay (airplane)
• Duh (duck)
• Doodoo (cockadoodledoo)
• Gaga (gobble gobble)
• Kee-kee (kitty)
• Puhpee! (puppy)

- As perhaps noted in the above list, the things that make you most excited involve cookies and puppies.

- All animals are puppies unless noted otherwise.

J: Puhpee!
Me: That's a kitty cat.
J: Puhpee!
Me: It's a kitty cat.
J: Puhpee!
Me: Kitty!
J: Kee-kee

- You LOVE animals! Nothing tickles you like seeing a dog when we're out on a walk, especially if you get to pet it. You just loved visiting the farm at Uncle Arlan and Aunt Sue's and seeing the turkeys and chickens and kitties and cows. When we need to do a neb treatment the only video that keeps you sitting still the whole time is Baby Einstein "World Animals."

- You, me, Victor, and Daddy can now quote, sing, and hear in our dreams Baby Einstein "World Animals."

- You are a very happy-go-lucky kinda fellow, exploring the world full steam ahead at all times, even though you still tip over on a regular basis.

- You will sometimes come over to Victor just to give him a snuggle. He loves it and gives you a gentle snuggle in return.

- When frustrated, you may bite. Working on this.

- You are a good eater ... kinda. Food that does not meet your preferences is happily taken, and promptly (and repeatedly) spit out. But I think you're making headway on this front as well.

- You're sleeping great. Nap for 45-60 min in the morning and about 2 hours in the afternoon. Bedtime around 7pm, wake-up around 6am.

- You love digging in dirt, sand, rocks, and sticks.

- You love snuggling your blanket(s) and bear.

- You love playing with balls, crayons, trucks, and snuggly stuffed animals.

- You have a great grin and share it generously. Unless hungry or tired, you are typically very buoyant and cheerful.

I pray that your joyful spirit will be fueled by the Holy Spirit and sustained because of the great gift of redemption through Jesus!

We love you so much!

Dear Victor,

You are 3 and a half years old!

You are a thoughtful includer of others. You are a sharp cookie, always absorbing the world around you and putting pieces together. You have so many questions and so many good ideas.

- You still love construction vehicles of all kinds. You have, and play daily with, many toy trucks: excavator, dump truck, front-end loader, steam roller, bulldozer, backhoe, grader, concrete mixer. And you demonstrate great orderliness in your play. First the trucks are lined up. Then the small toys that they are "working on" are assembled. Then the excavator scoops them all into the dump truck. The dump truck delivers them to the front-end loader. The front-end loader takes them to the concrete mixer, the concrete mixer delivers them to the bulldozer, and the bulldozer scoops them into a pile again. And repeat. You are a good project manager!

- You are a good helper with all kinds of things. Making sure Joey is safe, helping bake cookies, sweeping the floor, putting the silverware away, and so forth. It is wonderful having you!

- You are a very adept "Strider" rider! Most days we make one or two trips "around the loop," you riding your bike and me pushing Josiah in the stroller. You are very conscientious to have your helmet on.

- You are sensitive to your little brother's needs. When we're in the car, you will help me know what he is saying or asking for when I can't see him. You let me know when he wakes up from his nap, and you normally rush in to tell him, "Mommy's coming! Mommy's coming!" You love to tell him good night and give him kisses and hold his hand for prayers. You are learning to be kind and share, even when it's hard because Josiah doesn't know how to play the way you like to.

- When we're at the playground, you spend lots of time digging in the sand, as well as doing slides and balancing on things.

- You're getting to be a good runner, with more endurance than I thought! On the 4th of July you and cousin Hudson ran in the Fun Run and did a great job, and you loved it!

- You love getting together with your cousins (on both sides of the family) for meals or playtime or parties. You enjoy your "class" on Sundays and really love when we go to Bible study and you and Josiah get to be in the same nursery class.

- You enjoy reading books--Bible stories, picture books, comic books, Richard Scarry books, even some chapter books. Many times a day we read together. I pray that the truths of those many, many Bible stories will fill your mind and heart and shape the way you see our world.

May Jesus be your great helper, keeper, and King, dear Victor!

We love you!