When Joshua grows up he might want to be a veterinarian or maybe a dog trainer.
When Joshua grows up he might want to be an exterminator.
When Joshua grows up he might want to be a telemarketer. (Sorry for the shot from behind, but if Joshua sees the camera he comes straight for it.)
We went to eat at Ruby Tuesday last Friday night. Joshua's high chair was pulled up next to Dave and their backs were to a family with a boy and a girl around 6 and 8 years old. Joshua ate well and was enjoying pointing out people's shoes and hats as they walked by. When the little girl at the next table, playing in and around her chair accidentally tripped our waiter. (The waiter did not fall completely to the floor but came close.) Her dad started getting on to her, quietly but loud enough for us to hear, about not sitting in her chair and said, "if you do that again I am going to have to spank your bottom." At which point Joshua turned around in his high chair, pointed at the tearful little girl and loudly exclaimed "uh oh!" about 12 times. Dave and I started laughing and I even had to excuse myself from the table a minute.
Joshua certainly knows the meaning of "spank" and was obviously relieved it was not directed at him for once, but still had sympathy for his fellow rule breaker.
Here is a little glimpse of what he sounded like at dinner that night...
It is so hot that Dave has started teaching Joshua how to drive in the dining room.
It is so hot we spend our Sunday afternoons watching a squirrel rob the bird feeder.
It is so hot we can't go outside to swim so we turned our pool into an indoor pillow pit.
On an unrelated note, Joshua started back to school today and Ms. Rosemary's class could not have been more fun. The first day of napping on a cot seems to have gone ok. His care card said he slept an hour and twenty minutes. I didn't get to talk to Ms. Rosemary this afternoon to know how the cot worked out but I am anxious to get the scoop in the morning.
Initially the babies had a great time. But after about 5 minutes of sharing the park with a bunch of big kids, Joshua and Abigail did a lot more watching than playing.
We are all back home together. Dave's presentation went well and he really enjoyed his conference. Joshua went back to school today for the last 3 days in Ms. Susan's class before he moves into Ms. Rosemary's class next week. We are praying for a smooth transition as he will have to nap on a cot instead of in a baby bed. Ms. Rosemary may need some prayers too.
Can't get enough of the slide.
He loves coming down,
to our second favorite...the swing.Today we mark Joshua's 1.5 year birthday. As is our custom here at Nolen News, we recount the things that Dave and I have learned as parents,as well as the funnier and more interesting things Joshua has done over the last three months. Several important milestones have been reached between 1.25 and 1.5 years of age. With those milestones have come many bumps, bruises and laughs.
Joshua is adding lots of words to his vocabulary each week. Some we recognize, some we can interpret and others we have no clue on. He continues to sign certain words but sometimes doubles up with the spoken version as well. Here he is again demonstrating his grasp of animal noises:
Joshua prefers to communicate his displeasure in shocking and appalling ways. Like most everything else he has hit the terrible twos a little early. His tantrum of choice involves banging his head against a wall, the floor, someone else's body or his bed until he gets a bruise on his forehead. While he was teething a few weeks ago one of us had to sleep on the floor of his room so that he would remain calm and not bash his head.
Speaking of sleep, thankfully Joshua has returned to sleeping through the night the last several nights. He is sleeping longer than he ever has and we are too!
Joshua is very teachable (at times) these days. He copies actions that he finds entertaining. I have taught him that whenever we see a bug in the house he is supposed to smash it. Since he enjoys clobbering things, he has taken to this quickly. The scene usually goes something like this: Joshua sees a bug or something he thinks is a bug, he shushes everyone, points to the suspect and then smacks his hand on the floor-not necessarily on target.
With all the added knowledge, Joshua has also gained a feeling of independence. He wants to do most things for himself and in his own time. This has been fun to watch develop, but it also makes it difficult to reign in the king. Here he is striking out on his own and letting us know when he is done. It also proves a fitting closing to this post...
There is a fountain in a courtyard on MSU's campus that was calling Joshua's name on a warm afternoon this weekend. It is as close as we get to a "splash park" here. We took him to play in it Sunday afternoon. I was unprepared that day. I didn't have my camera and more importantly I had nothing dry to put on Joshua for the ride home. He had a blast though. So Monday morning we took him back, but this time he wore his swim trunks and his hat and I was able to catch a few golden moments on film. When school is in session and the wind isn't blowing too hard, the fountain is turned up a little higher. I am going to try to get Joshua back over there to play in the taller water one day.
After watching a little World Cup Soccer, Joshua wants to kick everything.
(be sure to check out the next post-it's new too!)
The gathering of Joshua's school mates and parade helpers waiting for the police escort to arrive. The were two other day cares involved in the parade that lined up on the opposite corners of the intersection-there were small children everywhere!
Joshua's class waited patiently in their "Bye Bye Buggie" which served as the float they rode on during the parade.
So handsome in his red, white and blue!
Main Street, Starkville, MS
Joshua took his role in the parade very seriously. He maintained the same straight face-he never smiled or waved.
At the end of the parade Dave got him to laugh and goof off a little bit.
We had a good time watching Joshua's parade and walking the 2 blocks alongside his "float."
Joshua and Abigail looking at the bear right behind them...
Joshua and Abigail looking a little bit nervous about the attack position the bear right behind them is in.
Abigail steered while Joshua worked the throttle.
"I think if we just push this button we can get this thing started."
Joshua's turn "driving".
Abigail being pulled back (literally) from the brink of falling off the boat.
Mary Poppins claimed to be "practically perfect in every way" and Joshua thinks he is giving her a run for her money.
Joshua's vocabulary is growing quickly. To celebrate learning the word "shoes" Joshua walked around in Dave's shoes for a while (with his own shoes on underneath).When Joshua stayed in Jackson a couple weeks ago, he watched the SEC Baseball Tournament with Nana and Coach. When we got home he started swinging his arms as though he were batting. Then Saturday morning during "guys' time" while watching SportsCenter with Dave, Joshua went crazy for the baseball highlights. He started swinging, laughed when two players fell over each other going for a pop fly and said "uh oh" when the outfielder dropped the ball.
So this...
naturally led to this...
A baseball card pose
Fielding practice
Calling his hit like the Babe
And a little batting practice
Right off, Joshua had the right idea
and with just a little practice, he did pretty good for his first day on the field!
Watch out Little League World Series, we're coming for you!
