some details

Joshua and Anna Ruth are growing up so fast!

I wanted to record some details of what is going on with them as the Fall of 2014 begins.

Joshua loves kindergarten.  He is excited to jump out of the car every morning and can't wait to report the "high/low" points of the day when I pick him up.  Usually the "low" is "we didn't get to go to the play ground today."  Joshua's anxiety level as drastically decreased since school started.  He is sleeping better and eating better.  He was invited to a classmate's birthday party at the bowling alley.  So he was excited to spend time with a couple "school friends" and bowl for the first time.

Joshua's soccer season started last weekend too.  He ran onto the field with confidence and excitement.  He loved not being the youngest and smallest.

Joshua has 2 loose teeth (bottom middle).  He regularly prays that God will help him to be brave when his teeth fall out.

Dave and I have been grateful for Joshua's increased confidence in himself.  He has come home from school excited to share what he learned.  Previously he wouldn't try to read to us because he was afraid he would "mess up" but now he loves to sound out words and practice his "sight words."

Anna Ruth is one fast walking baby.  She has abandoned crawling all together.

Lately she has been using sign language and gestures to communicate with us.  She will sign "more" and "please" and points to things or brings them to us if she wants something.

She says "baby", "mama", "da", and "no".  She will bark like a dog, trumpet like an elephant and wiggle her nose like a rabbit.  Last night while Dave was drying her off after her bath and playing peek-a-boo Anna Ruth said, "there she is" or at least something that mimicked Dave saying it.

Anna Ruth will eat most anything.  She loves black eyed peas, tomatoes, and grapes.

Anna Ruth has 13.5 teeth.  She has 2.5 ready to come in very soon.

Anna Ruth cannot stand to be told "no."  She pokes out her bottom lip and conjures crocodile tears.  At times she even wails and throws herself down.  We are starting to work on her response to correction.

Anna Ruth is a good sleeper.  She is no longer needing to be rocked to sleep.  However, we often hear her singing or talking in her bed.  The video below is an example of what happens when we go in to tell her to go to sleep.

buffalo park!

Joshua had a major detour this summer with his sleep.  Fear, anxiety and stubbornness ruled the nights making sleep difficult to come by for a long time.

With much prayer, many nights with dad sleeping in his room with him, the start of school, an awesome sticker chart and fun rewards for each phase of improvement, Joshua has returned to being a good sleeper.

The last of his rewards (so far) was "a fun trip."  So a couple weekends ago we visited the Buffalo Park in Tupelo, MS.  As Joshua believes himself to be "an animal expert" Dave and I thought he would enjoy a trip to the zoo.

We had never been to the Buffalo Park before and didn't quite know what to expect.  It is a zoo but not like a zoo like you are picturing in your head, think more like a bunch of exotic animals in someone's backyard.  While we saw lots of animals in cages we also took a trolley into an open field (read no barrier between us and the animals).

What is a Buffalo Park without some Buffalo?
This was take from our trolley.

Water buffalo

Joshua loved seeing the zebra.
At one point we were so close to some zebra it would have been possible to touch them.

mom and baby zebra

baby buffalo standing in the water

Did I mention we picked one of the hottest days in the history of the world to visit the zoo?
Anna Ruth was a trooper!

Outside of the trolley ride, feeding the animals was a highlight.

In this picture Joshua and Dave are throwing food through the gate to "Elvis" the biggest buffalo at the park.  We pulled through a cattle gap and behind these feeding gates "so we won't be charged" by the buffalo.

These two didn't really want to come out of their house into the heat to see us...

until "Tall Boy" learned that there was food.

Joshua fed this 19 foot giraffe a bunch of lettuce.
I think I may have been more nervous than Joshua.

In this cage, hiding in the shade was a female lion.
She was beautiful and then became quite terrifying when she starting growling and roaring!

The two Nolen monkey boys with Opie the monkey!

Mom and Anna Ruth stood in the shade by a big fan while Dad and Joshua went into the reptile house.  Joshua lasted about 2.5 seconds in the reptile exhibit before racing out crying.  He said, "that is too scary in there."  Later, Dave agreed that the snakes were just a little too big and close for comfort.
Joshua loved, loved the Buffalo Park.  He added a few new facts to his expert knowledge and could not wait to tell everyone that he fed a giraffe and a buffalo. 

Do a little dance...

Joshua loves to listen to music.  

Many nights while dinner is being cleaned up Joshua asked to watch music videos on youtube.  He loves the Beetles, Johnny Cash, REM, etc.

Anna Ruth has started asking (by tapping on the computer and dancing) to listen to music too.  

Here is a snippet from her most recent recital:

mom, can we go to the playground?

On what felt like one of the hottest days in Mississippi history we ventured to the playground after school.  Joshua was excited that we were the only ones there saying, "We rule the playground."  What he didn't realize was that everyone else in town was smarter than us and stayed inside in their air conditioned houses.  But, the heat didn't keep us from having a good time and getting some cute pictures.