3 Years Old!

3 years old!

2 1/2 years old

2 years old

18 months old

1 year old

11 months old

10 months old

9 months old

 8 months old

7 months old

6 months old

5 months old

4 months old

3 months old

2 months old

1 month old

2 weeks old

Dear Josiah,

How can you be 3 years old? You are growing and learning, and you delight us day by day.

Here are a few funny, characteristic, or sweet things you've said or done lately:

- "I would like to do the instruction site" (construction site)

-  "I am a baby Oxen." (This is a frequent phrase. I think it comes from Daddy reading to you boys out of the Old Testament descriptions of sacrifice, but for some time all cows have become "oxen." Love it.)

- "Yeah, sure!" (Said in your sweet, lilting up voice, to express agreement, affirmation, and enjoyment of something. Love it even more.)

- "Should we have a cookie after breakfast?" (Said very eagerly and inquisitively, as though this was a very normal and reasonable pattern in our household.)

- "These are my eyeball glasses." (mask)

- Me, very tired, on the Sunday morning of Daylight Savings: "Are you very very tired this morning?"
Josiah, very perky: "Yes, I was so tired of being in my crib and I wanted to get out!"

- Describing Daddy's trip to Africa: "Dad is going to fly on 2 planes. Then he's going to be in Iowa." 

- You are a bouncer, dancing and singing your own little tunes. I wish I could capture all the lyrics that you create and sing. Some are profound, some are very curious and imaginative. I love them. You also have recently learned how to authentically skip, which I think shows a remarkable degree of coordination!

- "May I sit on your lap?" Reading books snuggled onto my lap or Daddy's lap has become a favorite thing of yours, and I just love it.

- You give the greatest hugs, and you are generous with them. You are inclined toward kind men, like Grandad and Pop-Pop and Daddy, and you give great squeezes when it is time to say good-bye to them.

- You have taken the big step of potty training! We are still working on consistency with #2, but you are doing a great job, and I'm proud of you.

- You still deeply love your blankie and bear. They are constant companions. You make bear "talk" with the greatest high-pitched squeaky voice ever! I need to get some videos of that...

Oh, Mr. Joe, there is so much classic Josiah in this...



This morning on the way home from Bible study, I told you why we named you Josiah. It was because of King Josiah in the Bible, and how he loved the Lord more than any kings before him or after. What a joy it would be for us to see that same single-hearted passion for Jesus in your own heart, my son.

Here is my prayer and special verse for you:

For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth, that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. (2 Chronicles 16:9b).

That is our deepest desire and prayer for you, and how we love to see sparks of grace fly up in your life. May they continue, deepen, and grow.

We love you, sweet Joey.

Momma

Interview with Josiah (3.30.17) 3 years old

1.      What is your favorite color? orange

2.      What is your favorite toy? bubbles

3.      What is your favorite fruit? orange

4.      What is your favorite video to watch? Mighty Machines

5.      What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Peanut butter and jelly and orange

6.      What is your favorite thing to wear? This (monster truck shirt)

7.      What is your favorite game? Dates. You pick up a card and throw it on the floor.

8.      What is your favorite snack? Cheerios

9.      What is your favorite animal? Giraffe

10.   What is your favorite song? Jesus Loves Me

11.   What is your favorite verse? Jesus

12.   What is your favorite book? I don’t know

13.   Who is your best friend? Victor

14.   What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play with balls

15.   What is your favorite drink? Apple juice

16.   What do you like to sleep with at night? Bear and blanket

17.   What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? That is a hard question

18.   What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Cake

19.   What do you want to be when you grow up? Captain America

20.   What was one of your favorite things that you did this year? I like to play with my bear.

21.   What is your favorite place to go? Pizza Ranch

 

While Daddy's Gone

We are at Day 13 of 15 for Daddy's trip to Kenya and Ethiopia.

How have we been?

Well, it's been a somewhat eventful time.

There have been some difficult parts.

My first 911 call, during which I almost passed out (non-life-threatening, not for me or any of the kids). Two police cars, one fire truck, one ambulance, one trip to the ER, and a whole slew of medicine. Skin rash for Elliot. Josiah got a cold. My parents both got colds. Two 5-hour drives. Josiah got a fever and threw up. Elliot and Josiah got another cold, and Josiah got a horrible cough. Middle-of-the-night neb treatment. Bad dreams and nighttime fears. Fractured sleep. Temper tantrums and grumblings.

There have also been some very wonderful parts.

Elliot began sleeping through the night. An afternoon away at a coffee shop. Grammy and Grandad's patient, constant help. Cheerful playtimes in the backyard. Time playing with the Iowa cousins. An early birthday celebration for Josiah. Gifts purchased and mostly wrapped for the 5 upcoming family birthdays. Some sweet pictures and stories from Ben's time in Africa, and an occasional Facetime. A deeper, more continual awareness of my need for God's help and mercies, and life-giving times (albeit interrupted) in the Word.

Several times I have felt pressed to the breaking point, and each time I have seen God's kind hand strengthen, sustain, refresh, and help.

How are we doing?

We're doing quite well. We're really, really, really looking forward to having Daddy home again.

And so deeply thankful for the Father who never leaves, never changes, and has given His Son to make us His own, here at home and to the farthest ends of the earth.

11 Months Old!

11 months old!

10 months old

9 months old

8 months old

7 months old

6 months old

5 months

 4 months

3 months

2 months

 1 month

 2 weeks old

Dear Elliot,

This has been a month of huge growing and changing for you!

Among many changes:

- As of the past couple days, you (kinda) crawl! It's actually more like push up on all fours ... lunge to your belly ... push onto all fours ... lunge again. But combined with your previous skills in rolling, it allows you to access a much broader area, and this mobility will doubtless revolutionize my entire life. Congratulations, big man.

- You imitate most everything. Waving and clapping, making noises like your brothers, thumping your chest, blowing kisses, and so forth. (Blowing kisses is sweet ... you clap yourself on the forehead along with your lip smackings.)

- You now know how to talk on the phone. This is obviously a significant milestone.



- You love trying out little bits of "big people food," although you still gag yourself semi-regularly. You still have just 2 teeth.

This is what happens when Momma gets distracted, and you feel that you are not being fed quickly enough, and you are just within arm's reach of your bowl of food... You were so proud of yourself.


- You're sleeping through the night! It took the convergence of Daylight Savings with Daddy's trip to Africa for me to stiffen my resolve, and you "clicked" into the new rhythm beautifully. I still love snuggling you for a few feedings during the day, but I must say, my son, a (fairly) uninterrupted night's sleep is a tremendous gift.

- You put every tiny thing in your mouth that you find on the floor. I hope that now you have increased mobility you'll be more interested in moving from point to point rather than consuming all the small, toxic chokables you encounter. May it be, Lord.


As you grow, Elliot, I continue to pray for you that God will make your name a true description of your heart: "The LORD is my God." When times of uncertainty or pain come, when you feel joy or satisfaction, when you are wondering what is coming next in your journey, may you find the Lord, your God to be your Keeper and King. I've been reflecting on Psalm 37 lately, working on memorizing it, and I love the way it always turns me away from self-effort, self-absorption, and self-reliance to the quiet, hopeful trusting in God.

Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday.--Psalm 37:5-6

I love you, sweet son.

Momma