Happy 66-month birthday, Joshua!

On Sunday, March 18, Joshua turned 66-months old. The day before we all headed to JCPenney's to get our family pictures taken and get professional shots of his 5.5 year milestone. He did a great job for the camera, as usual. Even though our photographer was less than desirable, Joshua always gives a nice smile and tries to obey what they tell him. I really appreciate how he willingly listens to those in authority.

My oldest son really does have the sweetest personality. He is observant of people's feelings, just like his Daddy. He cares about others and tries to make people happy. He loves to sit and play with Ryan to hear his giggle, and his tender heart is one of the most precious things about my sweet boy. He would never intentionally hurt anyone, and if he does accidentally hurt someone like the other day when he knocked into Daddy's chin, it breaks his heart.

But, my buddy is also boisterous. His outspoken and loud demeanor (which he gets from me) make it difficult for others to realize that he really does have a soft sweetness to his personality. He tends to attract other rowdy children to himself because he is generally talkative. He says hello and goodbye to everyone we meet in the hallways. He likes to use other children's names when he sees them, and this usually makes them beam. But, he's a little more shy with adults.

Joshua has a vivid imagination these days, and I love to hear him play make believe. The other day he was playing like we had a grocery store and he was buying things. But, I've also scolded the boys, thinking they are hurting each other, when it's Joshua using different voices and his toy figures. Shawn has done the same thing. When you're not paying attention, you don't realize that he's making up the story. :) :) :)

Joshua is enjoying his legos from Mamaw, and he is learning how to play new things all the time. His artwork from preschool is also getting really good. I used to wonder if art just wasn't his thing, but the older he gets, the easier it comes to him. :) I love to see how his brain is developing and how he's getting new skills all the time. It's fascinating to see him grow! I love how he remembers Bible stories and really thinks about the 'why' and 'how' of things.

One amusing story from our walk yesterday: we have a book about spring that Caleb & I had been reading one evening. In it, there's a mama bird feeding her babies. When he saw a bird on our walk, he said "Hey, that birdy is looking for his mama." Joshua piped in "Do you remember the 'UP' moving?" When I replied yes, he kept going "That bird had babies." One of our favorite lines from that movie is "Kevin is a girl?" The little boy had named his pet bird Kevin and then they realized that Kevin was a mama bird looking for her young. So, I jokingly said "Kevin is a girl?!?!" to Joshua and he said "Yes, because she was a mama and had babies." I asked him if Daddies have babies. His response was PRICELESS. He said "Well, Daddies can't have babies. Instead, they find a girl they love and marry her so that she can be the wife. Then she has the babies for the Daddy." Isn't that the sweetest answer? He put that all together himself from answers we've given him about different questions. I think he knows enough about the birds and the bees for now for his age. :) :) :)

Joshua's favorite past-time is playing Wii. He has defeated all eight levels of Mario that he got for Christmas (and they are difficult!) and now is going back through to get all the coins from each. He LOVES playing it, and he doesn't even care if he's won an area - he'll go back and do it all over again just for fun. I think that's one difference between kids and adults. I tend to want to do things with a purpose, whereas he just does things to enjoy them. I think I can learn from him! We typically only let him play Wii on weekends now. I think he gets too aggressive if he plays it all the time, and he says things like "stupid" that we ask him not to. Some balance is good, I think. :)

Joshua is SO funny! He seriously says things all the time that crack us up. The other day after someone had done their business, he came and gave me a mischievous grin and said "Just between you and me, something smells!" and waved his hand in front of his nose. I laughed and laughed. His little sayings are comical.

So far Joshua has done great with his big boy bunk bed. Praise the Lord! He doesn't nap very often anymore, but he still has quiet time up there on occasion and sleeps well at night.

Joshua has gone through a major growth spurt lately. I put a 5T t-shirt on him that was a little big last year and it was way too short. What?!?! His pants are becoming a little short and I see that he's shot up. But, I don't have very much in a size 6 yet at all. I'm hoping to see if there's anything from Cousin Jordon stored up in our attic from last year and then we may have to buy some things for him. He is getting so big!

We register our Bean for kindergarten next week. He is so ready! And so very excited! I'm sure I'm more nervous about sending him to school than he is. Thankfully it's just right behind our house.

Another way I see Joshua growing lately is how he's trying new foods. Shawn & I have agreed that we aren't going to force the kids to clean their plate. It's a good way to make them fat. Instead, we insist that they at least try one bite of everything. We don't make a big deal out of what they finish, but they need to give everything a fair shake. At times, Joshua likes the vegetables more than anything else. He also is starting to really like meat - something he hated before. I'm glad that he's willing to try new things. So long as they try everything, we praise them for a job well done at the dinner table. He's still very thin, but the doctors so far have said that's normal for him. I hope that he will have good eating habits throughout his life.

There's more I could write about - his cutting well with scissors, his singing songs and making up words for fun, his cuddling and reading time... but I must go. Happy 5.5 year birthday, my sweet little man! I love you and am so very proud of you!