Has it really been four months since my last blog??? Well, Josiah will be entering college next week...not really, but it seems like it!!! He is the most active little boy that I have ever seen! You have to keep in mind that I am with him all the time; so to me, he is definitely the most active boy I HAVE SEEN! ;) Anyway, he is building his vocabulary immensely! He uses phrases like, "I don't know," "Up mama," "Call Nana"...Yes, I am serious, he will hand me the phone and say, "Call Nana." He likes to hear the voices on the other end of the phone. He laughs and giggles quietly and never says anything back to the person talking to him! It can be frustrating because they want to hear his cute little voice so badly. Other words we are learning include the following: train, cow, sheep, moon (pronounced moan), kitty (unfortunately pronounced titty), and many more that I can't even remember. He calls my dad and mom "nana" and "pawpaw." He calls Seth's dad "Pa" instead of "Pap" and he calls Seth's mom "Momo" instead of Mimi. Last night, Momo and Pa ( :) )came for a visit and as they were pulling out of the driveway, he was waving violently and screaming "bye momo, bye pa." It is super cute. Another thing that he started doing recently is to carry a picture around of my dad holding him as a teeny tiny baby...he gets angry when you take it away!!! He found it in his mama's scrapbooking pile! The child LOVES pictures! We received the Quin family Christmas card today and he is having a hayday with it! He points out Momo and Pa, and he says "maw" for Aunt Molly, and he can point out cousin "lijah" too.. He can point the rest of the family out when I show him everyone.

J is like a little sponge, taking in everything around him. That is good for the most part, until he hangs around our friend Greg, known as "Uncle Hat." Greg teaches him words like "ocean" and such...if only it came out sounding like ocean. Seth and I will look at each other when he uses that word and in panic say, "what did he just say?"

Another thing that J and I work on together when we are at home are his colors. Some days he nails them and other days, he does not! I try to lay out all of his toy balls that are different colors. I then proceed to ask him for the different colors of balls and he brings that particuliar color to me. He likes that game! He is also still a fan of reading. The books of choice right now are "Trains," (thanks Aunt Julie), "The Cow Says Moo," (thanks Momo) and "Goodnight Moon" (thanks me). Oh, and I am going to buy him "Little Einstein" videos now. We watch it on Disney in the mornings and I think he is ready to upgrade from "Baby Einstein" to this one...so are mommy and daddy...VERY READY!!!!!!

We had a good Thanksgiving with both families! I always tell Seth how blessed we are to have TWO families that we get along with so well!!!! My in-laws treat me like a daughter/sister and my parents treat Seth as a son!!! I will say that this Thanksgiving has been a time for me to reflect on so much! I have been following the story of baby Dax. He is from Washington, IL and has leukemia. He is fighting for his life the very moment that I write this. I follow his mom's blogs daily. I get terribly emotional when I read this blog. I sometimes will sit by myself and cry for awhile. You see, he is close to J's age and I put myself in that mommy's shoes. She is such a great mom and she has made me realize what I take for granted in my life. Sometimes, we get caught up in the silly drama of our lives...may it be with family or friends or whatever else. I ,myself, struggle with problems with my sister and have prayed for reconciliation for years. This Dax story has made me realize that there are far worse things in this life. He is a baby fighting for his life and enduring pain that no child should have to bear. I have realized that I shouldn't whine over things that I have no control over. Instead, I should be thankful for what God has given me this year. I pray for Dax Locke and his family several times a day. My heart is full every time I read the latest about him. I am crying right now as I revisit the thought of his mommy saying that she doesn't have much time left with her baby, but she memorizes every inch of him and kisses him over and over again. I pray that God will help me to get rid of my anger and bitterness toward others and focus on the blessings that He has bestowed on our family! You never know what lies ahead...so for now I am doing what Julie Locke writes at the end of her blogs...CHERISHING EVERY MOMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. A special thank-you to one of my besties, Hilary Melick, for taking this beautiful shot of my son! I love you Hil!