Happy 7-11! A Great Day for a Slushy!

Monday night we treated mom out to dinner since she had had a long day waiting for news on Jamie. We decided to go to Hoss' Steakhouse since that establishment seems pretty kid-friendly. Joshua was loud (I wonder where he gets that from) but not bad. He just liked to talk to everyone, and yelped once when he was out of food, which was our fault since we were talking and not paying attention.

Tuesday, I took Joshua with me to the worship practice/Harp & Bowl "Dwelling Places" intercession night (I'm not quite sure what they're calling it now). As a team member, I'm supposed be there every Tuesday night and early Sunday mornings to participate; and after getting Shawn's permission, I've decided to take da' Bean along on nights that I'm not playing the piano so that Shawn can have time to himself to relax, list stuff on Ebay or get things done around the house. It went okay, I'd say. Joshua loves music, and he absolutely loved watching one of the singers dance with flags up front, not to mention the ceiling fans catching his attention. I spread a blanket out on the floor and put toys down so he could play. The only "issue" we had was that Joshua LOVES to talk and babble. The music got quiet for time of intercession and Joshua yelled "Dadadadada!" Since the music was loud, he was determined that he needed to be heard over it. One of the prayer warriors Elaine came up and noted that he was making a joyful noise to the Lord. I don't THINK anyone was bothered by it. I had cleared him coming with the worship leader in advance, so since she didn't mind, I assumed it wasn't a big deal. I struggle with knowing when to stay and when to take him out. He wasn't crying, screaming, being bad, or upset. He was quite happy and just talkative, no matter what the "mood" was during worship at that moment. So, I left him in and tried to keep him occupied as much as possible. Maybe someday he'll have an interest in playing music or singing, or maybe he'll express his worship and adoration of the Lord in a different way, which is okay too.

Today I met Mom for lunch in at the hospital. Joshua did pretty well there, too. He's getting better at being out and about in public places. She said Jamie might be moved today back to the 8th floor out of the neurotrauma unit. He's very aggitated that he's in the hospital and keeps asking her to take him home. He also has less use of his leg and couldn't stand today. We're continuing to pray for them. And, I'm praising God for our health. May we never take an easy step, a quick breath, a day of feeling great, etc. for granted!

These pictures are of Joshua standing. When we try to sit him down to play, he prefers to stand; however, he wants us to do the balancing for him. I've also seen him do the army crawl in very short doses. Right now, he's taking a long nap. I hope he sleeps tonight! I cleaned all three bathrooms, put away laundry, emptied the dishwasher, etc. and he's still not awake. Shawn is at Wal-Mart buying the items we need for this weekend. Pray that tenting with Joshua goes well! The last picture on this post absolutely cracked me up when I saw it. Shawn had taken it, and I thought "What are you staring at on the carpet?" Doesn't he look like a cat ready to pounce?