Joseph turned 4

Joseph awoke unhappy this morning because his presents were not wrapped and waiting for him at the table. However, it wasn't long before he was all smiles. He is the proud owner of a Playmobil Western Town and fire helicopter. It took a little deliberation, but he decided that his new cow's name is "Milkshake".

Joseph is still a decided thumb sucker/bellybutton fiddler.

When he wants to convince you to do something, instead of asking he will put up his finger and say, "Aha!!!" which will be followed by something like, "You forgot to take me to the ice cream parlor today!"

For the past year, he has worn a hand-me-down "Awaska" shirt to death; probably 5 of 7 days he had ttat shirt on. This week, the moose and the bear bush pilots were retired to my "to-be-a-quilt" pile with holes in it. And amazingly, I have no pictures of him in it.




Joseph's favorite activity is coloring. He will lie on the living room floor and carefully fill in any coloring book picture with side by side lines. As his favorite color to use is black, this sometimes makes it hard to know what the picture started as.

Joseph taught himself to write his name, notable since he learned this earliest of all the kids.

Joseph's sense of comedic timing is the best of all the kids, and we often laugh at the funny things he says. Case in point: Yesterday I said something to Bill about "moves" and Joseph piped in with, "I got moves like Jagger?" He knows Justin Bieber but I don't think he knows Mick Jagger.

Odds and ends

Spring, birthday season, Easter. They are coming; they are here. Here are some glimpses into our recent past:

Maria in front of the USS Yorktown

Cecilia was especially excited by the "vendor" machines

Dominic and I got to see the berthing quarters

Look at the relaxed and happy faces of the unplugged, living it up outside, pre-teens!

Charles' valet service

Dominic's first time driving the cart

ready to hit the strawberry patch

Clone Army: who's who?

One of them rolled over today!

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

Fish and Poi, Poi and Fish...

Don't you miss record jackets?

Hoping for a miraculous intervention

After one rosary failed to open the bathroom door,
Joseph opts for a second rosary and a skewer.

Joseph is 3

Joseph's birthday is in April so this is only 2 months late.  :)

Joseph is an avid cyclist...as long as Mom provides the leg power.

He loves to wear goggles, often to bed.

He's determined to do what he sees the big kids doing.
Also, I think he may be a southpaw.

This is his exasperated face.  He is probably exasperated that he
only got a one layer  birthday cake.  But he doesn't need 2 layers, does he?
He also has a "funny face" that he likes to shoot at the priest during Mass.

He loves being the center of attention.  

Joseph is planning to add varsity tennis to his schedule soon.

On his 3rd birthday a light seemed to turn on inside Joseph.  He suddenly became eloquent, independent and ready to potty train.  He has always been very close to James, his best friend, but he is starting to assert his independence with a loud, "STOP IT JAMES!" multiple times a day.  He is very excited about the baby and argued with the midwife about whether it was a boy or a girl.  He does not mind peeling away my many modesty layers over my baby belly so he can kiss her.  I do.  And, he has introduced a new word to the English vocabulary, "puggins".

Now you too know what the orange balls on power lines are called.

Who we are this week--the 10 family member version

Bill's quiet and thorough personality have made our new house hunting adventure much less stressful than it otherwise would be.  In a few weeks we hope to be homeowners.  To increase his personal fitness, his new workout plan involves lots of push ups.  He has all the kids participating too, so anytime one of them crosses from the carpet to the hardwood in the kitchen, he/she falls to the floor to do a few.  It's been pretty funny watching Joseph rock on his stomach trying to get it off the floor.

Rachel usual scattered approach to doing all things necessary is getting an overhaul by the Mother's Rule of Life.  She's hoping that in a short time she will have learned to keep the house clean, the kids schooled, the aprons sewed, and the Christmas cards done in a timely and orderly manner.

We have Thomas (11) who is fairly outgoing and friendly and in that preteen stage where he takes things seriously.  He loves legos and reading and taking pictures.  He is a little shorter than Anthony which helps telling them apart if they are together.  

Anthony (11) is the compliment to Thomas so he is a little more serious and introverted and contrariwise.  He is also the one who talks about his faith more and tries to tell a lot of jokes.  He often has two problems with whatever you say and loves to tell you what they are.  He's also very gentle with small kids and seeks out the child that everyone else ignores.  

Maria (10) LOVES babies and will ask about a billion times to hold any baby she meets.  She's artsy and enjoys sewing and singing.  She and Cecilia are involved in an American Heritage Girls group at our parish which is her one activity.  She and Thomas and Anthony look and act like triplets a lot of the time.  They are the "big kids".  

Charles (8) is quiet and social, however those two things work together.  Everyone plays legos  here, and he's probably there in the Lego zone if he isn't wrestling someone on the living room floor and driving his mother crazy.  Charles, Anthony and Thomas are all Scouts.  

Cecilia (6) is sunshine.  Or she is a golden retriever bounding up to you with her tongue hanging out.  When she is tired or asked to do what she thinks is an insurmountable task, say, sweeping the kitchen, she is a very rainy rain cloud.  She's also quite "sporty" and used to take me running when I was 9 months pregnant with Joseph.

James (4) looks either like he thinks the world is going to end or like he just won the lottery.  This week we've had a lot more of the lottery winning face which has been nice.

Joseph (2) compares well with a  butterball turkey.  He and James both wear 4T clothes and play together a lot, often with Joseph as lead trouble maker.  He's also my very cuddly guy, and I love to sit with him on my lap and just hold him.  He has just started to talk more, so if you speak monkey, you will understand everything he says.

and the new baby:
 

Homeschool recess

Joseph calls this "my puddle"

Feast of SAINT Damien of Moloka'i

Yes, we are celebrating!

I wish I had the camera to show you the lovely display.  Think luau....palm fronds and plumeria....a lei for each of us....a tablecloth with brightly colored hibiscus blooms on the picnic table in the back...Braddah Iz on the stereo...fresh pineapple and coconut...an imu with a delicious smelling pig cooking right now in the back yard (Bill dug the pit before he left).

Well, that's what I'm going to visualize as we eat our crockpot b-b-q beef burgers and coconut-pineapple cake after soccer tonight.

Happy Feast Day, Saint Damien!

PS Due to the fact that my husband is gone and I'm pregnant, I've just realized that yesterday was his feast. 

Image of a modern childhood

Joseph recognized the earbud hanging out of my coat pocket while I stood at the kitchen counter eating a pre-run snack and reading the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum calendar absorbedly.  He immediately put it in his ear and tapped on my leg until I looked down to see him indicate that he wanted me to turn it on.  When next I looked, he and Thomas were eye to eye, enjoying the music together. 

Joseph

With Pop



















Auditioning for Wall-E

First Birthday

Oh, Happy Day!

Joseph's Journal-March

Charles and Joseph, Best Buddies

*******************************************************************************

Yesterday, I dragged the nursing stool over near the loveseat. I settled myself comfortably with my back against the cushions and my arm supported. You snuggled down and happily started to nurse. Then I saw your eye look up to my face, and you raised your hand and waved goodbye.

And that was last time I breastfed you.

Today's Menu

Breastmilk

Oatmeal!

Joseph's Journal--October

Last night I overheard Anthony talking to Joseph:


"Portugal."

"Spain."

"England."

"Crossbow."


"Broadsword."

"Flint."

"Knife."

"Rock."

"Bellybutton."

"Tickle."

When he saw me looking at him, Anthony said, "I'm just teaching him the words he needs to know to survive in life."

*****************************************************
October has been a big month for Joseph. He is trying to crawl and starting to wave and cutting teeth. He can sit a little and scoot all over on his tummy and play with any type of chewable object. He loves to jump in the jumper, and it looks like he's going to start table food soon. He ate a goldfish cracker at lunch today!



************************************************************

Last week Maria spent the night in Thomas and Anthony's room. To most people this is no big deal, but to the parents of quite-a-lot this was a Golden Opportunity!

"James," I asked,"Do you want to sleep in Maria's bed and let Baby Joseph sleep in the crib?"



After 2 successful nights with Joseph in the crib, I dragged an old mattress out and put it on the floor of James' and Maria's (and Joseph's) bedroom.

"Is that James' new bed?" Cecilia asked wide-eyed. And before I was back with sheets, she and James had spread the blankets and positioned the pillow just so. And then as we read bedtime stories, each child walked in and exclaimed, "Is this James' new bed?!", "Can I sit on it?!" or "Great bed, where did you get it?!" All this over a matress on the floor....

Joseph's Journal--September

He's getting good with his hands. He started the month reaching for toys. A week ago he didn't want to go to bed so he cried and reached for me. Today, Bill tells me that he dragged himself across the floor so he could reach the Candyland board.

Joseph's Journal--August

Joseph has become an avid thumb sucker. He sucks his thumb when he's tired, he sucks his thumb while I'm tickling him, he sucks his thumb while he's breastfeeding, he sucks his other thumb while he's sucking the first thumb.

You get the picture. Or you will when I finally get a picture of the double thumb action.

Thought for the Day

This is what Anthony asked to do today: cuddle on the couch and read Joseph a book. He chose Joseph's Hands. And Joseph paid close attention.

Joseph's Journal--July

Here you are with your cousin Monica when everyone came to visit for Maria's First Holy Communion.

You can roll in both directions, but you prefer to stop on your side. You want to sit up and be a part of the action, so the bumbo Mrs. Reitemeyer gave you has been perfect. Now you can sit on the counter and talk to me while I'm cooking. You love the attention, and we all love giving it to you!

Joseph's Journal--June

In June, Joseph is joyful!