Happy 38-month birthday, Joshua!

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of Joshua on his actual 38-month birthday. I thought of it, and then promptly had to charge my camera batteries. Until they were done, he was already in his jammies for the night. But, I have pictures of him near his birthday, which will have to be good enough for '38'.

I can't believe how quickly Joshua is growing. My mom commented on how articulate he is, and Shawn even said how much his vocabulary has expanded lately. We're surprised when he knows the names of some things, etc. He definitely listens and repeats what we say, even when we're not thinking about it.

One of my favorite moments that shows me how much Joshua is growing happened just before his birthday. I was getting dressed in my bedroom and Joshua was sitting on the potty. Then I heard "Caleb, eat it!" Oh, Lord, that's not something you ever want to hear. I went rushing into the bathroom only to find Caleb AND Joshua playing in the clean toilet water in the big potty. I was furious! Both boys should know better. Sternly and firmly, I said "Out of the toilet NOW!" Caleb ran the other way, but Joshua looked right up and me and with his sweet, innocent face on he said, "Mommy, I'm so sorry we were playing in the toilet water. We shouldn't have done that." His tender expression and sincere apology took the anger straight from my heart. I told him that I forgave him and asked him not to do it again. He agreed and away we went.

Joshua LOVES to play games, and his new favorite is the Candy Land game. Our friends Julie, Jude & Kate were here on Tuesday, November 24 and we dug out the game then. The Bean has begged to play almost every day since! Caleb is also getting the hang of it, which makes it fun to play as a family. Joshua still loves books and also likes doing arts and crafts in small doses. He told my Dad that he wanted books, trains and paint for Christmas. :)

I love to watch Joshua grow. He's still cuddly like he was when he was a baby, but he's also got his own unique personality that shines through everyday. We are thrilled to have him for a son. Happy 38-month birthday, Joshua! We hope November 18, 2009, was a special day for you!