Our Life Back in Texas!: 4/20/14

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Joseph is 3!

I can't believe it - my little Joseph is now a big 3 year old! He turned 3 last Wednesday on the 16th and was lucky to have 3 different little birthday parties!

With the way his birthday fell this year, we decided to just do little parties with each of our families on the weekends before and after his birthday instead of doing a party here this year. So, the weekend before we headed to Temple and had a joint party for Joseph and our nephew Noah (his birthday was March 31). He loved his cookie cake and sports theme and had fun playing with his boy cousins! Grandma and Grandpa Z. got him a little picnic table and he just LOVES it!

Unfortunately the week of his birthday, Michael was out of town for work but came home super late that night. So that day I took him to Chickfila for lunch and let him and Andrew play on the playground after lunch which they had a blast with. We had some little mini cupcakes after dinner that night too. Then the next morning when Michael was back, we did his presents and had more cupcakes. :)

Then for his 3rd party, we had a Bob the Builder themed party at my parents house on Easter weekend. He had all his cousins there so it was fun having a party with lots of kids! He got some great toys and clothes and had so much fun! And he was excited for big cupcakes at this party!

Joseph had his annual dr appt last week too. He weighed 35.4 lbs (84%) and was 38.25" tall (71%). He even got his blood pressure taken for the first time and did a little vision test!

I can't tell you how much I adore my sweet Joseph. His little smile and silly personality just melts my heart. He is so sweet and loving and is really learning good manners and learning how to be a thoughtful and kind little guy. He certainly can test my patience at time but the sweet and fun moments far outweigh those. ;)

Joseph is very big into imaginative play right now. He loves to play store, scan barcodes on his foods, and pretend to cook things in a pretend kitchen up against the wall in the living room (not in his actual little play kitchen!). He likes to build train tracks and enjoys playdoh and other crafty activities. He also loves anything that has to do with outside, or with his Daddy!

His talking has improved like crazy lately! While I still feel like he is behind some of his little friends, I think he just had a late start and is on the talking path now. Every day he says something new and just makes me laugh. With his little sentences and all his "why??" questions, he certainly keeps me on my toes! His most common phrases right now are "Mama, happy? (then I say yes) "Mama, love me?". So cute. He also says his little prayer before we eat "Thank you Jesus for our food!". He has also started getting more adventurous with climbing, exploring and jumping. He can draw a circle really well and can recognize and say most of his letters (or the sound of some of the hard ones). He is great at his colors and he knows how to say the numbers but we are still working on counting in the right order. He also is still very particular with how some things are to be done...I'm afraid some of my personality may have rubbed off!

Joseph is getting to the age to where he doesn't really nap much anymore (although he is at the moment, yay!). I still try to make him have a little rest time in his room to give us both a little break and quiet time. Now that he is 3, I hope to find some little activities for him to get involved in. And this fall he will start preschool two days a week at the Catholic Church near our house. I think especially by this fall, he will definitely be ready for a little school program....but it will sure be a big adjustment for both of us!

God blessed us immensely by giving us our precious little Joseph. It is amazing to watch him grow and learn and see his little personality develop and shine!