Happy 74-month birthday, Joshua!

Joshua turned 74-months on November 18, 2012. We had his parent-teacher conference just two days before, so I thought it fitting to share his teacher's comments here.

She noted that Joshua is a joy to see walk in the door every morning. He is typically the first one in the morning, and he is SO excited for school that it makes her smile and starts the day off well. He is extremely respectful of her, and he is very kind to the other children. He is "careful" with his work, which she thinks is a very positive attribute. After assessing Joshua, he has been placed in her "WIN" group (What I Need) for reading levels because he is extremely advanced. Since he is already reading well, she will take the children in his group to a deeper level in story development and discussing what they are processing through their reading, particularly about the characters in each story.

Mrs. Vogt showed us Joshua's writing journal, and she said his artwork is very "typical" for this age group and nothing to be concerned about. That said, his writing is advanced for his age. I could read most of the things he had written, except for the word "quickly." She said some of it they had to write about what they were reading while other times it was "free style" and they could draw about and write about whatever they wanted. My favorite one was about a character they read, and he drew a picture of a baby and wrote about the baby.

Shawn asked about the assessment we had brought home. He said, "Everything on this sheet is checked. What does that mean? Are there things he's not doing that we should know about?" The answer was that Joshua was one of the few to have everything checked. He knows everything that they were assessing, and she included on the back that he knows my cell phone number. She said he is doing GREAT in school.

I asked about why he doesn't always get to go to the station he likes to play at, and she explained that he does well with cleaning up and is careful with his work. But, his group is also very chatty and that will sometimes cause them to take extra time to finish what they are doing. Since I've helped in the room, I know he's at a table with two very good friends, so I could see them being talkers. She said eventually she'll switch them around. But, at this point, it's nothing to worry about. Any time she asks him to get to work or to not be as rowdy (which she said is "all boy") he cooperates immediately, which she said is wonderful. She even compared him to her own son, saying he is the same way.

She had no concerns with his progress whatsoever, and said that we could begin challenging him more at home - going beyond the typical math they are working on when he goes into "First in Math' and talk more about the characters as he reads things at home. He's doing fantastic in school both socially and academically. Praise the Lord!

I'm glad Joshua is doing well in school. I worry about him (not his intelligence because I see that for myself) but just in general since I can't be there to protect him. But, I pray for him, and I ask God to be there for him and his heart even when I can't be. I believe God answers our prayers and loves Joshua as much as his Dad & I do.

Joshua tells us he has a girlfriend these days. Her name is Brook, and she's in the other kindergarten class. They see each other at school and at Universal. She had asked her mom if she could give him a best friend bracelet, which I thought was sweet. She's also beautiful - blond hair and big blue eyes with long eyelashes. Her mom & I sometimes work out together, and I recognized her from Bible study. So cute! I think crushes are adorable. Brook's younger sister is in Caleb's class in preschool (small world). But, Caleb still says his girlfriend is Isabella and Mama. :) :) :)

Joshua is wonderful with the baby! He is a great big brother to both boys, but bossy just like the oldest in the family typically is. He tries to keep them safe.

Joshua still loves to play Mario, and he has a vivid imagination. He & Caleb will play their own version. He also loves to "wrestle" with Daddy (much more gentle than you would imagine that word to be) and to play football, which he will tell anyone that they can only do in the house when Mommy is at her school. Haaa!!! He understand when Daddy goes against typical house rules. ;-)

Joshua loves music, and his singing is so sweet. I also love to listen to him reading. He is doing great!

There's so much more I could post, but next time! Happy 74-month birthday, Joshua Bean! We LOVE you!