Funny things Josiah says Part !

If you follow my facebook, you've probably read a few of the things my newly 3-year old says.  I took a little time to write a few of them down but wanted to make sure I keep better track of it.  The innocence of a child is so precious.  The constant need for a child to know the answers to "Why?", "How come?" and need to ask numerous questions is all a part of learning and a part of their development.  David and I make it a point to always answer those questions honestly.  This has been a challenge at times but as David says, it will be worth it in the end when he realizes that we always told him the truth, never lied to him --even when it hurt.  (hoping we don't have to answer some tough questions in the near future) 


With that, here are a few of his most recent sayings:
July 2011/26 months - me: Josiah, where did you get your intelligence from? mami or 
                                   papi?"
                                   Josiah: "God"\


January 2012/31 mos - So David and I were trying to figure out the cause of Daniels whining when
                                                Josiah holds his arms out and says "I think he wants me!!!" :) #precious


June 2012/37 months - while walking through a park we see a lady wearing a hijab "head
                                    scarf typical in Muslim culture" and Josiah points to her and states 
                                    "Mami, it's Mary!!"


                                   - David and I listening through the sound monitor to my 3-year old saying "Jesus,
                                               will you help me not be scared?" (as he lays in his bed) #melts #my #heart #prayer


                                                 - Mami, are you my best friend?   (me: of course I am), Josiah "no, but i'm your
                                                 little boy" 


July 2012//38 months - Josiah " Papi, did you kill Goliath?"
                                    David "".....this is the perfect opportunity to take credit like many
                                    fathers do (looking at me)......(turns to Josiah), no, Josiah, I did not kill 
                                    Goliath, that was another David"
                                    ...then David proceeded to remind Josiah about the story of David's love
                                    for God :) #saturdays #familydinner #conversation

It is early July and as tthe boys lay aslseep in their beds I reminisce on how fast this year has flown by.
Daniel will be turning 1 year old in just a few days, I remember walking at this time,,walking everywhere hoping to induce labor...tomorrow marks what would have been my due date, July 7th, or shall I say a year since.....how I remember those days walking in the heat along the rail trail just a mile from my house.

Also, 6 years ago this week, I met my husband......there was a Firework show tonite in Nutter Fort, WV where we were at for a worship-prayer night.  As David was leading in worship, I stood upstairs with the boys who were getting very tired...we had the perfect view from teh church 2nd floor window of a huge firework show that the city of Nutter Fort was putting on...eating grapes and goldfish crackers, I reminisced on how 6 years ago, under a firework lit sky I was secretly crushing on David :)

,

Santa Clause - what we tell our boys

..so far though, Josiah doesn't know much about Santa Clause and from what we know, does not believe in Santa Clause (actually, he was never really around Santa Clause because David insisted that he never wanted to celebrate Mr. Clause) though I did share about St. Nicholas as a man who was very generous and whom is celebrated during Christmas time for being a nice man who helped give food and gifts to the poor as God has commanded which is a symbol of the greatest Christmas gift of all- Jesus' birth.

Milestones

Daniel Micah's Development

(mostly for my personal record since I'm always forgetting these beautiful milestones)

Birth weight: 9lb. 7oz

Birth height: 20 inches

Birth head cm: 14.5cm

4-day weight: 8lb 12 oz 21 inches

2-week weight: 10lb 2oz 22 inches (15cm head)

1-month weight: skipped appointment

2-month weight: 13lb 25 inches (18cm head)

- Started laughing

- very strong lil guy

3-month weight: 13lb 14oz

- Began reaching /grasping for his toys and people

- pulled his teachers scarf off her

- began talking..talking and more gibber gabber

4-month weight: 15lb 2oz 25 inches

-

5-month weight:

- first plane ride to California

- met grandpa, aunties and lots of family

6-month weight:

- getting around everywhere on the floor

7-months:

- said "mama"

8-months: 18lb 2oz 30 inches
 -
9-months:
- Standing up
10-months:
- first tooth: one single tooth on the bottom :)
- on all 4's crawling
11-months:
- all over the place, walking around while holding on
- 2nd tooth (a chipped one next tot he other on the bottom)

mommy of 2

It's almost midnight and another long week just passed. David and I are finishing up our last semesters at WVU, looking for jobs, I'm working and we're caring for our two little boys. Everyday I am in awe of how much responsibility God has granted us. Daniel just turned 3months old and Josiah is 29 months and now fully POTTY Trained! I can't believe how fast time if flying and how big both my boys are getting. Some of the experiences we recently had as a family include:

- Visiting and riding Thomas the Train at A Day Out With Thomas event at the Strasburg Railroad near Lancaster, PA.

- Going to the Preston County Buchwheat Festival 3 weeks ago in which Josiah got to go into one of those clown, fun houses for the first time. My sister Paula. brother Gabriel and nephew Jacob and niece Jaylene were with us (visiting from California for their dad, my brother's birthday in his remembrance) and they all wanted to go into the fun house. Josiah having been hanging out with them the whole night also wanted to go but we weren't sure if he would meet the height requirement of 36''. Excitingly, at his 24-2 year old well check up he measured 36 inches so I proudly announced that he was tall enough. It was so exciting as my sister stood him up against the height red line and we all clapped with praise watching him stand at least 2 inches above the red line. He didn't really know what was going on but got excited. They all went through the fun house and had a fun time trying to get through the window maze. On their way out, the slide from the 2nd floor was wet so they reversed to come back out through the window maze. Josiah was laughing, smiling and having a ball when my sister allowed him to try to get out of the maze first.....in front of the whole family (as we watched from the outside) we witnessed Josiah excitingly hurry through the maze until....BAMMMM! He ran right into one of the windows..nose first!! My poor baby...we comforted him and he ended up saying the house was FUNNN! :)

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Potty Training

I havn't been a mother for very long (2 years, 4 months and 9 days to be exact), but in my time of motherhood, I think that my least favorite part is......................potty training. Now, Josiah is actually doing very well and David and I are so grateful that we were able to start training him early (around 18 months) and he was in pull-ups by 22 months. However ------------- it is so frustrating to know that our son can definitely go to the potty by himself, and ask to go to the Potty if he needs help but after doing so well for days...just decides to go in his Pull-UP. I hate the clean-up, I hate having to wash clothes that have been pee'd on and worse, having to take him constant showers (actually, David does most of that and absolutely hates it). So, I guess I"m just venting here but truly, we are so proud of our boy and glad he is doing so well. he is actually a role model for going potty by himself in his class at school and the teachers are always telling us how good he is about going, and well, how sweet he is and what a good listener he is..and all that which makes us feel tremendousely blessed...that all our training sessions at home, and discipline, prayer and attempt at consistency is actually working to some degree...but regardless, maybe we have high expectations of our son but everytime he does have a potty accident, we are disappointed. We are frustrated. We are even, angry. Why angry? Because he knows better. He has been trained, he has been encouraged, he has proven himself and to us that he is ABLE..and yet, he messes up and not only does he have accidents (because truly, they are not always "accidents"), he has "on purposes" and he has "I just didn't feel like stopping what I was doing's". As I write this, I recall how I can be like Josiah with God, my heavenly Father. I know I am able, I have proven to myself and others that I am capable, i know better and yet, I purposely go against my training and what I know to be progress in my life and have "I just didn't feel like stopping what I was doing's". So, as much as I get frustrated with Josiah's potty training, and as much as I hate cleaning up nasty, smelly pee'd on sheets, clothes and undergarments, I will continue to love, support, encourage and cheer for my little man, because he is my son and because I am proud of him just for being who he is, and because I LOVE HIM.

4 years later

I posted this on my facebook wall earlier today

‎4 years ago today, I was somewhere in Missouri en route to West Virginia for what

was supposed to be a 1-year ministry commitment -- turns out, that ministry

was marriage and a family :) Truly, we can make our plans but it is the

Lord who determines our steps. Proverbs 16:9

I am in awe that it will be four years tomorrow already that I can call myself a Mountaineer. I recall purposing to move out to assist my parents who were church planting pastors of Praise Chapel in Terra Alta, WV. They had a vision of a establishing a community center and with a background in human services, grant-writing and non-profit work, I agreed that I would take a year off from Grad School and help them. Little did I know that only 3 days after arriving, a young man by the name of David whom I had been in a long-distance courting relationship with would propose and I would end up applying for graduate school at West Virginia University (about an hour away from my parents and the church).

I did write that grant for funding and had begun lots of preparation work however, none of the 20 grants we applied for gave us funding and not many doors had opened. My mother however did establish a learning center called In His Steps which because a type of community center as it served the community in so many ways. God's light was able to shine out of that place through the love my mom and the teachers showed the children, were able to pray for parents day -in and out as hardships often arose, parents of the children were drawn to God by the love shared in the center and some even came to know God, I helped plan several events at the center including annual Harvest Fairs on Halloween night and provided case management services to clients in the building.

Anyways, my parents moved away and the church and center closed..but seeds were planted, LOTS of seeds had been planted.

Four years later, I am married, graduated with an MSW (Masters in Social Work), bore two beautiful sons, Josiah (2 years), Daniel (2 months) and anticipated a second graduation in December with a MPA (Masters in Public Administration). I can proudly say that David's life has also changed and he is also getting ready to graduate in December with a Bachelors in Criminology and Investigations.