Storytime with Josh {Video Post}

Josh will be starting Pre-K in the fall at the school I teach at, Legacy Prep. Christian Academy. He has been with me there since I started teaching there, 4 years ago, which means he's technically been a Legacy Lion since about 11 months. He will be five in September....and CAN'T wait to start school. Recently he has wanted to learn how to read...

I mean R-E-A-D....not just baby stuff...He wants to learn the words to his story books. He wants to read everything he is around that has letters on it.

Since I teach 5th through 8th graders math, do you think I know how to teach someone how to read??? I honestly thought that I'd be lucky and just let his wonderful Pre-K teacher do it next year.... HA! I was wrong! He has my zest for learning and also picks up things very easily.

I picked up a book while at Kroger for Kinder readers. It's a "Step 1" book and has many sight words in it for beginner readers. I thought this would be a good idea to learn the sight words first and at least expose him before starting school. Plus it makes for a good inscentive for good behavior. Tonight was night #3 with the book. I was planning on teaching him one new word each night...First we learned "go", then "he" and tonight "is". After reading with him tonight, I had to get the camera and record it again...I was amazed....

The video doesn't do justice - he was trying to read "through" the camera at times and also started to not pay attention. So after you watch the video (grandma, tell grandpa to click on the link in the email to the blog so you can watch it on the computer, and make sure your speakers are on), keep in mind that this wasn't as good as the time right before.. Leave a comment, I'd love to read them!

Makin' It Monday - Vacuuming

 Yes, that is my FOUR-YEAR-OLD vacuuming.... If you meet him, you'll quickly learn that his love language is acts of service. He is a helper. He feels loved when you allow him to help you around the house. The reason I know this is because he is constantly asking to help. He gets hurt when he's not allowed to help. Ever since he was a little more than 12 months old, he has had a plastic vacuum that he would follow me around the house with when I vacuumed. Last week he asked if he could try the "big vacuum".

I said yes.

And he smiled the biggest smile on his face.

And he vacuumed the entire downstairs all by himself with the proudest little "swagger" in his step as he did.

I'm so thankful for my helper - he is such a blessing around our house. He'll make some lucky girl really happy one day. :) Until then, I'll be encouraging his sweet, gentle spirit.

Storytime with Josh

Josh LOVES his baby brother... He has prayed for him and cherishes every moment with him. I am so thankful for his relationship and love for Jayden. I HAD to capture this on my iPod and publish it because I can already see their special bond . (Yes, grandma, it's a video - you'll have to watch it on the computer)

Thankful Thursday

Joshie

Today is "Thankful Thursday" and today I am thankful for my eldest, Joshua Eric. He is 4 1/2 and has been the biggest blessing to Jason and I. He was our first child to be born, and being newly married (a little over a year when he was born), he taught us that we are not the center of it all. Not only does a baby change everything, a baby also makes you think about your priorities and goals. A baby makes you think about life... To see the heartbeat at 6 weeks gestation is amazing! "For you created my inmost being, knit me together in my mother's womb" ~Psalms 139:13

A monumental even occured earlier this week with Joshua....We registered him for Pre-K at Legacy! I know it seems not that big of a deal, but he's been in the teacher's nursery for the past four years and has grown up in Legacy with me. He's been waiting for this day all year and is so excited to be starting school in the fall. :D

I'm thankful for him because although he's only four and a half, he's my "helper". He's the leader of the pack with the kids and is a good model to them. He's sincere and sensitive towards other people's feelings and he is genuine. He's got a passion for life and is our "warrior". He's growing up, but still likes to cuddle and he's got a lot God has planned for him.

Je T'aims mon petite soleil

Animals and Clocks

Julianna has been practicing her animal sounds. I think she needs some work on a few of them... Here's a video of her practicing....

Joshua has been learning time (he knows daddy gets off at "five, zero, zero"), so I decided to teach him some basic times so he could see them on our analog clock. He knows 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, and 9 o'clock so far. It's cool too because he knows that we usually eat at 6 o'clock and nap time for him and Jenna is at noon, so he feels like a big boy looking at the clock and telling the time. :) Here's a video of what he knows:

No more diapers!

I have always heard that when your child is ready to transition from diaper to underwear that he/she will just "do it". I tried to get Joshie trained early so that I could avoid having 3 kids in diapers, but that never happened. He's always been interested in "the potty" but was even more distracted and interested in playing. Too busy to stop and worry about going potty...yet he hates being wet.

So, I did what every other normal parent would do - I waited (and pretty much gave up the whole potty training thing).

Well, recently we have been having the problem him keeping his diaper on...in fact we had to steam clean this past weekend because he decided to take his diaper off when he was supposed to be napping and did a "poop dance" with his bottom and the carpet. I give him credit for not wanting to be dirty, but for goodness sake - let mommy know if you need to be changed, or something!!

Then there's the "I-can't-leave-you-alone-in-the-bathroom" thing because he likes to play in the toilet water....then it hit me (via my step-mom): put the potty in the kitchen or somewhere that is easily accessible and I can still care for Jenna and Julianna and keep an eye on him....

IT WORKED!! Today he went all day without a diaper (except for naptime)! Now we have to see if we can take this learning to school where all the friends are and continue it there....The only hang-up we had today (which we don't know whether to be angry, or proud)...was at nap time he took his diaper off again (which is an automatic spanking since we've told him so many times), and started the bathtub. My step-mom, Sherrie was watching the kids today and was downstairs with Julianna (Jenna was napping) and ran upstairs. There was Joshie in the bathtub all by himself washing his bum because he managed to take the child-proof (but obviously not "Joshie-proof") door knob off the inside of his door and take his diaper off because he had to go potty. There apparently was no toilet paper, so he had to wash himself so that he would be clean. I am so proud of him for doing that and not wiping it all over the floor!!

Hard to believe that our little boy will be wearing "big boy" underwears and not a diaper anymore....One kid down....two more to go!!

All grown up...

My "little baby boy" is now 2 and a half years old....I can't believe it. Seems like yesterday that he was born and so small. Now he is growing tall, has a mouth full of teeth and such an extensive vocabulary! He is very smart too...takes after daddy with the mechanics and mommy with liking to write and draw. He goes to school with me and Jenna where he has learned all his colors, numbers, shapes and tons of animals (not to mention their sounds too).

What does a 2 and a half year old like to do? Well, he likes two movies: Nemo and Cars....LOVES to play outside and run....likes to play with Jenna and always is taking care of her....he likes to draw and color....and of course, my favorite thing - he likes to help mommy with the dishes and the laundry. :)

Of course there are those "testing" times when he is learning to exert his independence, but for the most part is is an excellent little boy. You definately cannot leave him alone though! For nap time we have to take everything out of his room except for his bed and dresser because he pushes his bed over to climb on top and get the radio to see how it works....and then there's the incident of last Friday where taking out the trash to the back yard cans resulted in mommy being locked outside!

Needless to say, he keeps us on our toes and continues to amaze us with his learning. He is a wonderful big brother and loves to talk to baby Julianna...you're growing up so fast little man!

Here's a video of he and Jenna playing one evening....

Thoughts on Turning Two

Joshie here. This past weekened I had a birthday party for my 2nd birthday. It was a lot of fun! We had to reschedule it because of the hurricane, but I dind't mind - my friends and family still got to come and play with me. We had a race car theme because I love cars! Vroom!! I really liked it when they sang Happy Birthday to me. It made me smile and laugh. The cake was good, but I wanted to play more than eat cake, so mommy saved my piece of cake for later. I played so hard that I fell asleep early and slept until 7 the next morning. I was wiped out!! Here are some pictures of my party:

The sign mommy made for the mailbox

My cool car cake!

Grandma Sherrie got my a tent and filled it with balls!
That was a lot of fun to play in

Grandma Debbe and Grandpa Joe gave me a tricycle...
I'm not quite tall enough, but its fun riding with Jenna

Jenna is turning into a little acrobat

Here's all my cousins!

From L to R: Caitlyn (3 mo.), Jacob (3 yr), Jenna (10 mo.), Megan (5 mo.), Joshie (2 yr) and Elisha (1 yr). Elisha's birthday is only 2 days after mine - he's my birthday buddy too, not just a cool cousin!

Thank you for looking at my special birthday pictures! I've grown a lot since last year. I love to talk in sentences and am learning so much more each day! I know how to crack jokes too. When we take daddy to work in the morning, I tell mommy and daddy "joshie sleeping....shhhh"...I'm really not sleeping, just pretending. Its funny though and it makes mommy and daddy laugh when I pretend to snore like daddy. :)

First Day of School

Yesterday was the first day back to school. I love this time as I get to meet new students and get to know my past students a little better. I am blessed because I got to follow the 6th grade class from last year up to 7th and 8th. All in all the day went really smooth and its nice to be back in a routine again.

Yesterday was Joshie's first day back too. Granted he's not quite oold enough for Pre-K, he goes to school with me and is learning lots of stuff. I think he's learned more things than kids at other places, but I am just amazed at what Gina and Kim do with these little ones.

For example - by the end of this year he will know al his numbers to 10, the colors (red, blue, pink, brown, black, white, grey, yellow, orange, green, white, and purple), shapes (circle, square, oval, triangle, star, etc) and lots of songs too. Here's the first thing he made in school. I have to say that as a mom I am so proud of him! He knew to use blue for the water, and that the fish go inside the fish bowl (I think #5 is jumping out though). He's growing up so fast!!! Before you know it he'll be reciting the quadratic equation! (just kidding!)

FAKER!

I know its hard to believe that this "little angel" could ever do something like what I am going to tell you about. I do have to give him credit for being incredibly creative for a one and a half year old! I don't know many kids his age who have attempted the following stunts......

DISCLAIMER: All these were catured right before he got in trouble and in the past two days...

First up: Yesterday it got very quite in the afternoon and I took a break from unloading the dishwasher to see what he was up to. This is what I found hime doing: unlocking and relocking the front door.....

Of course he was immediately punished as he can easliy fall of his little chair and hurt himself on the hard-wood flood. It was snack time, so we preceeded into the kitchen and put him into his chair to eat. We were having yogurt (nomulk as he says) today. I guess he didn't like the fact that I wouldn't let him watch Cars because he didn't take a nap today and he had already watched Word World (his new favorite show) and Super Why in the morning. This is what he had to say about it: Oh and he made these faces JUST FOR THE CAMERA!!!

Just remember your mommy when you become a famous thespian!

So that concluded yesterday. Enough events for me anyways. Well, today we are struggling with nap time again. He doesn't want to take a nap anymore he wants to play. So bad in fact that he stands at the gate blocking his room saying in the most pathetic little tones "play" and "water". I used to think he was thirsty. Nope - he wants in the pool! I guess he's a fish just like I was. :) Well, today he managed to move his bed across the room, throuw his laundry on the floor, spread the blankets around and I found him lying in the bed with his feet on the closet! Here's what the room looked like:

I put him back in his bed and was moving the bed back where it goes when he jumped and was trying to "play". He hit his fact on the little plastic side of the bed. Of course "playtime" was then over. I felt bad for him but also told him that's why we don't play during naptime. Sleepy baby boys need to sleep or they get hurt when trying to play. Needless to say he has his first "accident" from playing....I know there's many more to come. You can see it a little by his eye

Well, its been 2 hours now....and still no sleeping baby! I guess I'd better go make sure he's at least "resting" in his bed....maybe he'll close his eyes for an instant and then he'll fall asleep. Too bad he knows that's what will happen - that's why he doesn't stay in his bed for too long - he might actually fall asleep!

Bath Time fun

Bath time is a time of splashing and having fun in our house. Joshua gets so excited to take a bath. He kicks his legs and says "bath" a million times over. I have to admit, bathing two kiddos this young had its challenges, but I've got a routine down. Joshie "helps" give Jenna a bath in her baby tub, and then Jenna sits in her Bumbo seat while Joshie takes his bath. She loves to intereact with her brother. I think they will be very close friends. Don't ya love Jenna's hair in the above picture. I didn't do anything to it - it just dried that way! Punk rocker baby! Here's a little video of Joshie and his bath time fun:

Potty's and Spoons

So I was going to start introducing Joshie to the concept of the "potty" this summer as he will be almost 2 then. I should have known that like everything else, he is early. He started walking at 7-8 months, and has hit every milestone way early. It was about a month ago that he started to tell us that he went "poo poo" or "pee pee" in his diaper. Well, that progressed quickly into telling us before we would go in the diaper. So - we bought him a potty chair so he could be a "big boy" now! The only problem - they don't make PullUps that small!! He's 21 pounds, so about the size of a one year old!!! LOL....Fun times ahead. Here's a few pictures of him helping daddy with his new seat:

Another thing that our "little guy" is working on is eating with a spoon. Pretty funny to watch sometimes - but he is learning! I find that oatmeal is the best food as far as getting most of it in his mouth. Plus he really likes oatmeal. ;)

A year and a half

Its hard to believe that time doesn't really go all that much faster when you are older. I am 25 (almost 26!) and I remember when the days used to drag along. Now they seem to blur right on by. Our little guy - Joshua - is turning a year and a half on Saturday. I know to some it might seem like not a huge milestone, but it is! I can't believe that he has grown so much and turning into a little boy - not a baby anymore. He talks all the time and loves going to "school" with me on Monday's. He even has his own little backpack - of which he walks around the house wearing! Its hard to believe that Jenna is 3 1/2 months old too. Wow - time is flying by. sadness. Here's some "quick facts" about our little monkey:

• 8 teeth
• 21 pounds
• about 30 inches tall
• favorite toys: keys, balls and trucks
• favorite movie: VeggieTales
• favorite words: dada, ball, duck, cracker, doggie

Although he's growing so much - he's still our little peanut. He still fits in 9 month baby clothes! 18 month clothes fall off of him - especially pants. Its funny to see him next to other babies becuase he's so tiny still. But don't let his size fool you - he's very smart, and can get into anything! Last month he locked himself in the bathroom with the "doggie" and I had to take the doorknob off to get him out. He also is currently trying his hardest to escape his crib. He gets one foot up and over, but then gets stuck. I think he will go into some sort of engineering field as he can also take off the child-proof doorknob thingys. I guess they aren't "joshua-proof". I wonder what fun stuff he will be into next!!