Nolen News

What's Your Power?

2012-02-08T18:54:00.002-06:00

(Note: The names have been abbreviated in this story to protect the innocent.)

On the way home from school last week Joshua reported the following about his day:

J: Mom, I am Superman, O is the Green Lantern, R is Batman and K is Supergirl. We have powers.
A: Really? Wow! What kind of powers?
J: Powers to change things.
A: Oh, well Superman, what powers do you have?
J: I flash bugs away with my flash saber like Luke Skywalker.
A: Amazing! What about O?
J: You mean Green Lantern? Well O's power is to take big spiders away with his new wing. But R has bad powers.
A: Bad powers? Goodness gracious. What kind of bad powers does he have?
J: R has bad powers. He takes lots of houses away. Like little houses. And I do SHA POW (spoken in a very loud voice) to big houses.
A: (trying not to wreck the car while writing this down and stifling laughter) My goodness Joshua! What about K?
J: K has tools on her belt to fix stuff...hammer, saw, wrench, screwdriver and a hammer. And G tries to take away rain clouds by yelling at them.
A: G? Well if you are Superman, O is Green Lantern, R is Batman and K is Supergirl, who is G?
J: She is Supergirl too.
A: Did you play super heroes with your friends today?
J: No.
A: Did you tell your friends which super hero they are and what power they have?
J: No. I just tell you what I think. I'm finished talking about it now.
A: Ok. Well what else did you do at school today?
J: Nothing.

Sound Bites and Snap Shots

2012-02-01T08:15:00.000-06:00

Translation:

J: Knock Knock

A: Who's there?

J: Amos

A: Amos who?

J: a mosquito just bit me!

Saturday after Joshua woke from his nap he joined me in watching some college hoops.

The conversation:

J: Why are those basketball mans sitting down on those stools?

A: Because it is a timeout.

J: They are in timeout? The basketball mans have timeout? What they do?

A: They have timeout so their coach can tell them what he wants them to do.

J: Why they in timeout? The basketball mans disobey?

A: No, timeout in basketball is different than at school. It is so they can talk to their coach and get something to drink.

J: Timeout is nose in the corner. Basketball mans are in trouble?

A: They aren't in trouble they are just taking a short rest from playing the game.

J: Why are they in trouble?

A: I don't know. I guess they disobeyed.

J: Oh, ok.

racing a truck down the slide

Translation:

J: Knock Knock

A: Who's there?

J: Norma Lee

A: Norma Lee who?

J: Normally I don't knock on people's doors but would you like to buy a pizza?

Pardon the Interruption

2012-01-27T08:48:00.001-06:00

Busy week = a break in my every Wednesday blog post. I promise a double post next week!

3.0 years of age!

2012-01-18T19:35:00.003-06:00

"I'm done with the 2s and now I am 3. Am I growing up?" -Joshua as his birthday party ended.

Joshua has been anticipating turn 3 since we celebrated cousin Abigail's birthday on Thanksgiving. We celebrated with family and friends while playing sports, of course.

3-year old Joshua loves: singing, counting, reading, playing ball (of all kinds), playing guitar, asking questions, trucks, pirates, dinosaurs, Cars and watching Dora and Diego.

Joshua was recently heard telling Nana, "My favorite food is cole slaw and cookies." Joshua loves to eat salad, bread and fruit. I never seen him turn down an Oreo either. A frequent question at the dinner table is about what animals eat..."Dad, what animal eats hot dogs?"

Joshua loves going to daycare or as he calls it "school work." This was his report on his day yesterday, "We talked about dinosaurs today. They can talk like us. Big dinosaurs and little dinosaurs talk and so do birds. The man could not walk but 4 people took his mat and he picked up the mat and walked straight to Jesus. I didn't hit or push or scratch or tee tee in my underpants." As you can imagine some days are better than others in various aspects of the report after school but it never fails that he had fun.

Frequently heard Joshua quotes:

"I can do it myself."

"I don't need help."

"Help me please!"

"How was your hospital work Mama?"

"Dad, how was your library work?"

"Watch out for that car, Mama."

"Did you sleep good dad?"

"Let's play_________!" (fill in the blank with basketball, baseball, football, bowling, soccer, bouncing ball)

Dave is teaching Joshua about Star Wars and Super Heroes. The other day at a local restaurant Joshua swung a breadstick, as though it were a light saber, at the college student sitting at the table next to us. Good times!

Dave and I are grateful to say "goodbye" to the terrible twos and look forward to saying "hello and please, stay a while" to the terrific threes!

1...2...3...SURPRISE!

2012-01-11T19:33:00.003-06:00

Nana turned 60 last week and we surprised her in Birmingham to celebrate.

To make the surprise even more exciting, it involved Aunt Glo, Abigail, Luke and Aunt B too.

Continuing with a long standing tradition of exchanging mean spirited birthday cards with our dear friends "Miss Brenda," "Miss Marilyn" and "Mr Jim"we all gathered around for the reading of the cards.

It was a sweet time of reunion with faithful friends and celebration of our lovely Nana.

As an added bonus, Joshua got to ride a carousel at the mall.

The carousel was fun. But the free to ride escelators were the best!

New Year-New Playground!

2012-01-04T19:30:00.003-06:00

We celebrated the New Year in Jackson. Cousins Abigail and Luke were nice enough to share a new playground they found with us. We enjoyed one beautiful day playing and one very cold hour another day playing. As you will see from the pictures, our panel of experts loved this park!

We enjoyed much more than just the playground while in Jackson. It never fails that we are pampered and spoiled while we are there.

Christmas

2011-12-28T19:31:00.003-06:00

The Sunday before Christmas, Joshua joined the other children in our church in singing a couple carols for the worship service. He knew all the words to both songs (see previous post) but stood silently on the steps of the sanctuary sucking his thumb. He was given a jingle bell to ring during Joy to the World and as he accurately described, "I even put the jingle bell in my mouth for a little bit." Dave and I count the event a success as Joshua did not cry nor did he behave in a way that would warrant a possible entry in America's Funniest Home Videos. We are grateful! And if nothing else he looked cute in his toy soldier shirt.

The weekend of Christmas we visited Jackson for a few days. We were blessed to be able to eat with many members of our Mississippi family at lunch on Christmas Eve. It was delicious!

Joshua certainly is not lacking for attention in Jackson. Monica Lee and Tanner tried to teach him proper technique and form with his new bowling set but he still has a long way to go. Joshua was also pleased to receive a new scooter and a LeapPad while in Jackson!

We returned home Saturday afternoon so that we could attend the Christmas Eve service at our church and have Christmas at home. Knowing we had to be at church early on Christmas Day we decided to wait to open gifts until after church. Joshua got to enjoy what Santa brought before church.

Joshua showed equal excitement for the beloved Handy Manny doll as he did for the new toothbrush in his stocking. "Oh look, a new toothbrush! Let's see what's next, it is...SOAP!"

After having lunch with precious friends from church we returned home to take a nap. Joshua was extra patient and never complained that it was nearly 4pm before we opened the 1st gift. (Please forgive the pictures but he refused to wear pants while opening presents.)

A favorite gift was a guitar from Gran and Buddy.
Joshua had a blast opening presents. He opened all but 2 or 3 presents under the tree...mine and Dave's included. He would say, "Let's see what is in this box for you mama." It was sweet to see him grateful for every present from socks and clothes to dinosaurs and guitars. And let's not forget the new Yoda backpack!

Coach Camp 2011: Christmas Edition

2011-12-21T20:35:00.003-06:00

Joshua is participating in Coach Camp this week. It began yesterday when Nana picked him up in Starkville and hit the road back to Jackson before the sun came up. Pre-camp festivities included a trip to see Santa, lunch at McDonalds and play time with Abigail and Luke.

Camp started with a crowd pleasing supper of hotdogs and smores. Crafts were next on the schedule where Joshua made candy cane and Christmas tree ornaments

A Christmas movie with delicious popcorn was next on the agenda.

At camp you always have to make sure your bunk is ready before lights out.

One last snuggle with the camp director before bed.
Thanks Coach and Nana for hosting Coach Camp and allowing Joshua and Abigail to make some great memories and their parents to have a few quiet nights.

(Photos provided by Coach Camp, Inc.)

Here We Come A Caroling...

2011-12-14T19:25:00.002-06:00

Joshua: "Mama, what do you want for Christmas?"

Amelia: "I don't know. What do you think I should want?"

Joshua: " Maybe a lion."

Amelia: "Oh, that's a good idea! What do you think Dad wants for Christmas?"

Joshua: "A fish."

Sights and Sounds of Christmas

2011-12-07T19:28:00.003-06:00

We found a beautiful tree for our house last Saturday evening. We were all excited about getting it set up and decorated. 24 hours after the tree arrived home, Joshua began to have a barking cough. He is obviously allergic to real Christmas trees. The beautiful tree is now displayed outside on our front porch after spending a couple days in our garage. Joshua's cough has started to lessen.

But the excitement does not end there. Joshua has a Christmas tree in his room. He could not be more excited about this tree. It is decorated and "so so pretty and beautiful" as Joshua likes to describe it.

You can see how excited he is...

This is the first Christmas Joshua has been able to semi-comprehend what all it going on. And this new awareness has brought some funny quotes with it.

After we got our his toy nativity set Joshua told me, "Mama, this baby Jesus is broken. It's eyes don't close and he won't go to sleep. He 'posed to be asleep on the hay not awake."

While looking at Christmas lights, "Mama look a baseball sock on that tree!" referring to a large wooden stocking.

Today he came home from school talking about "Ruddog the Red Nosed Reindeer."

And then Dave's favorite quote of the week, which is not the least bit Christmas related but good none the less. While getting a bath, Joshua asked Dave, "Dad, what does Luke Skywalker do?" Dave responded, "How did you hear about Luke Skywalker?" In a very matter of fact tone and with all confidence Joshua replied, "At my work, I saw him. He was my friend."

ps...don't worry...we are already looking for an artificial tree

Come Ye Thankful People Come

2011-11-30T08:50:00.000-06:00

What a blessing to be allowed to use a friend's lake house for our Thanksgiving celebration. We had such a good time hanging out with our family and enjoying the perfect weather God provided in Louisiana.

As if being around family and celebrating Abigail's birthday wasn't enough fun, there was a zip line! Please enjoy the following 2 sequences of pictures.

And now Abigail's turn

By the end of the weekend, the kids had gotten brave enough to ride the zip line with very little assistance.

And a rope swing...are you kidding?

beautiful cypress trees in the lake

pre-Thanksgiving sunset

We are thankful for Hope, our resident photographer and her willingness to take a bunch of pictures for us.

We are thankful for climbing trees.

We are thankful for laughing with Coach.

We are thankful for reading books with Abigail.

We are thankful for Abigail being 3 years old!

We are thankful for Tanner and his willingness to play with us.

We are thankful for God's creation.

A Fall Day!

2011-11-22T20:22:00.002-06:00

At our house, you are never too young to rake the leaves

and never too old to jump in the leaves.

Happy Thanksgiving!

to change a problem...

2011-11-16T19:43:00.002-06:00

Quotable Quotes

2011-11-09T19:31:00.003-06:00

Joshua: I like your shirt DadDad."

Dave: "Thank you."

Joshua: "Yesterday when I was a little boy, I looked for a shirt like that at Alabama-sippi State and I couldn't find one."

Joshua: "Mama, I want a finger cutter for bussert pwease."
Translation: "Mama, I want a Butterfinger for dessert please."

Super Boy sporting his fresh new hair-do!

Twick or Tweat!

2011-11-02T18:54:00.003-05:00

Joshua loved being a St. Bernard a few weeks ago at our downtown Pumpkin-paloosa. He especially enjoyed the "football" under his chin. And let's face it, he is over the top cute!

Then last week he came home from school asking to be a "carrot"for Halloween. He maintained that no one suggested he be a carrot only that he needed a carrot costume. Those of you who know me know that I am not a mom who makes things. But in the spirit of creativity, I "made" a carrot costume out of fleece, Wednesday night. Thursday, Dave and I looked forward to taking Joshua trick or treating on campus as a carrot. But alas the carrot costume was rejected-sight unseen-and Joshua the Dog went to campus.

Joshua played the "I'm scared" card numerous times on campus and surveyed each sorority house from a nearby lamp post before mustering the courage to allow Dave to hold him and walk him to the door for candy. Maybe St. Bernards aren't known for their bravery.

Monday morning came around and Joshua got to wear a costume to school. With high hopes that my carrot creation would be chosen as the costume to show off to his friends, he again chose the dog. No hard feeling.

Monday night and trick or treat time rolls around. Joshua finally puts the carrot costume on. He and I both quickly realize just how bad the costume is and he looks up at me and says, "Mama, I want to be a dog." To which I replied, "I would too, Joshua."

Joshua loves Diego so the pumpkin was certainly a hit.

Joshua ran around our yard most of the evening welcoming trick or treaters and wishing them "Happy Halloween." We enjoyed the beautiful night and had fun greeting our trick or treaters.

I feel like I'm falling for fall

2011-10-26T19:04:00.003-05:00

How do we know fall has arrived?

The temperature is 60 one day and 88 the next, the leaves are beginning to change, Halloween decorations are being put up at the daycare and the Country Pumpkins Pumpkin Patch is open.

(If you look hard you will see Dave coming out of the straw maze behind Joshua. From all reports, "It was really dark in there.")

Coming soon...

Halloween costume pictures...will Joshua be a St. Bernard or will he be a carrot?

Only time will tell.

2.75 years of age

2011-10-19T14:27:00.000-05:00

I recently looked back at the 1.75 years of age post from last year. That post talked about Joshua's increasing vocabulary, his love of helping others, "giant strides in the sleep department," and him leaving baby-hood and becoming a little boy. Now here we are at 2.75 years of age talking about the same things.
Everyday I am amazed at the words Joshua knows. Just this morning he, very quietly and to himself, counted to ten in Spanish. He obviously comes from a long line of talkers but has already challenged me to learn the words for things to teach him.
Joshua continues to enjoy helping others. He voluntarily picks up after himself and often after Dave and me too. It is wonderful to see him help clean up the classroom at school before he leaves each day.
Unfortunately, after wondrous months of fantastic sleep, Joshua has taken a couple steps backwards. Some nights are glorious with no wake-ups while other nights are filled with tears and frustration. To make matters worse, Joshua is testing the waters of manipulation and claiming to be scared of everything from the dark, his door and even his own nose. We are hopeful for a speedy return to sleep-filled nights.
A couple weekends ago we ate lunch in Tuscaloosa with some dear friends at a favorite Chinese restaurant. Joshua's fortune was perfect. It read something like, "You will make a lot of money playing sports." Dave and I resolved to keep that fortune until Joshua signs a multi-billion dollar contract to play professional sports but alas, the fortune was lost in the washing machine. Joshua's throwing and kicking skills have reached the point that he is now banned from playing ball inside the house.
Joshua loves going to school and Sunday School. He takes in all that is said. Days later he will share his knowledge but only when he is ready.
Last week, the firetruck came to school and Joshua met firefighters and climbed in the truck. It was a truly monumental day!
Three years old...here we come...ready or not.

there are no words...

2011-10-12T18:57:00.003-05:00

There are no words to describe this scene.

Just thinking about it cracks Joshua up.

The things he says...

2011-10-05T19:21:00.003-05:00

walking into the bathroom, "It is spooky dark in there. It might be a ghost."

at the supper table in response to Amelia burning her fingers while making supper, "When I was a little boy, I burned my fingers on my blue oven."

having never eaten at McDonalds there was some confusion when Nana pulled into the parking lot and Joshua asked, "is this the farm?" thinking of Old McDonald's Farm".

while pointing at Dave's spine, "Yesterday when I was a little boy, I had bones in my back too, Dad."

to Dave, "When I was a little boy I put my red hair in that water in the toilet."

Counting his Thomas the Train UNO cards...

still counting those cards...

taking a break from counting to identify a beloved football hero

(Joshua also positively identified Lou Hotlz, do you think we watch too much football at our house?

"look, I'm a builder"

2011-09-28T19:25:00.002-05:00

Joshua is a busy bee. Always exploring and imagining. He loves to pretend which makes it difficult to decipher truth from fiction. He told the nursery workers at church, "I saw a huge black and white frog in my backyard with my dad." This is not all together true. Joshua and Dave saw a frog in the backyard months ago but a recent episode of Dinosaur Train featured a big black and white frog. And just for reference Dinosaur Train is not filmed in our backyard.

Too Much Mulch!

2011-09-21T18:29:00.002-05:00

When this much mulch and debris comes off Joshua during our initial clean up after school...

then it is straight to the tub...

for a clean, happy boy!

Joshua had so much mulch in his hair that it looked dark brown instead of bright red. He confessed "I threw mulch at Ginger on the big playground and she threw mulch at me." After 3 rounds of shampoo-rinse-repeat, I think most of the mulch is out of his hair.

whatever it takes

2011-09-14T18:20:00.001-05:00

I don't suffer from insanity...I enjoy it!

A Labor (Day) of Love

2011-09-07T19:49:00.004-05:00

We visited Jackson for the Labor Day weekend. The rain from Tropical Storm Lee fell from the time we arrived to the time we left, leaving us with little option but to watch football all weekend. This sounds ideal for us but Joshua was not in the best of moods most of the weekend. As always the Glads loved on us and got us through the weekend.

Uncle Chad was gracious enough to open the gym at his church for us to play in Monday morning. Joshua and Abigail burned off a lot of steam and sharpened their skills in multiple sports. We love to visit Jackson and appreciate the hospitality and fun.

Joshua loves to hold "baby Luke". Luke is getting old enough and big enough now that he isn't so sure he wants Joshua to hold him for very long. He was a trooper all weekend and watched Joshua and Abigail very closely. I think he is already trying to devise a plan for how to handle the two of them once he is mobile.

Joshua attempted to touch all the cars at once so that he could say "I was playing with that" when Abigail came over to play with one.

With a follow through like this, the golf world is about to be taken by storm.

Contestant #1 in the slam dunk contest adds a little twinkle toe action to finish off her shot.

Contestant #2 in the slam dunk contest hangs on the rim as his shot falls.

Coach acts as the holder as Joshua carefully approaches his kick.

The kick is good ladies and gentlemen!

"I tackle you Coach!"

Abigail trying out her kicking foot

Uncle Chad's awesome ball handling skills proved too much for Joshua.

It's All About Me

2011-08-31T08:00:00.003-05:00

Sunday at lunch we asked Joshua what he learned about at church that morning. The conversation went like this...

Amelia: "Joshua what story from the Bible did Ms. Edna Joy read you this morning?
Joshua: "About me."
Dave: "About you? What story was that?"
Joshua: "I gather my people together and lead them around the city not one but three times. And the last day I tell them to make the big tall wall fall down to the ground."
Dave: "What was the name of the city you marched around?"
Joshua: "Battle of Jericho."
Amelia: "Did you tell the people to make lots of noise?"
Joshua: "No, I tell them to play trumpets."
Dave: "Were those horns loud?"
Joshua: "Not horns dad, trumpets. They were very, very loud and they hurt my ears. And the big tall wall fall down to the ground."

~there is another new post below too~

A fan of many teams

2011-08-31T07:49:00.002-05:00

Much to Joshua's delight he got mail last week. Gulley and Great Gay sent him a package. As if a package in the mail wasn't exciting enough, the box contained Arkansas Razorback clothes. AND to sweeten the deal even more there was a basketball jersey! My Oh My, did we have an excited "razor pig" at our house. We had a very in depth discussion about whether Joshua was going to wear his jersey to bed that night or to school the next day. He waivered back and forth. He wanted so badly to put the jersey on right then but he also wanted to "wear it with my tennis shoes to school" too. He finally decided to delay gratification and wear it to school.

He was so proud walking into school with his "razor pig basketball man jersey" on he could hardly stand it. As we were walking into the building another mom said, "Woo pig? Wow, he sure wears lots of schools." I laughed when I considered that Joshua had already worn a University of Florida shirt on Monday, an Alabama shirt Tuesday and a Mississippi State shirt Wednesday and here we are on Thursday sporting the razor pigs!

And to really seal off the week, he wore his "Razorback Fanatic" shirt to school on Friday. Thanks Gulley and Great Gay for making our fan week complete.

The number 6

2011-08-24T19:28:00.000-05:00

6-the number of different pairs of "big boy underpants" Joshua wore on Saturday alone

6 x 5 = 30 minutes-the number of minutes between required "go to the potty" sessions (and yet he still wore 6 pairs of underpants!)

6-the number of minutes we were home Monday before Joshua wet his underpants-the same exact pair he had kept dry ALL DAY at school.

6-the number of chores I could think of for Joshua to do...including sweeping the kitchen floor-especially while wearing his "I'm A Helpful Kid" hat he made at school

0.6-the number of seconds it takes Joshua to turn any common household tool into a sword

16-the number Joshua leaves out along with 12, 13, and 18 when counting to 20. It goes something like this...1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 17, 14, 17, 19, 20.

Wednesday Update

2011-08-17T18:25:00.000-05:00

It is time for an update on happenings around the Nolen house (with a couple videos for fun).

We have been busy with the semester starting back and stuff going on. We are looking forward to this coming weekend when we don't have anything planned...yet.

Joshua continues to be all boy! He loves to jump as you can see from this video.

We successfully completed "Operation No Paci" with very few lasting scars. There were some tense days in the process but we are free and clear of all pacis. In other news, Joshua is now a thumb sucker!

Joshua started a new class at school a couple weeks ago. To say he loves his class and his new teacher would be a huge understatement. He is having such a good time despite being stung by wasps (or dragonflies according to him) yesterday.

He still talks about our vacation to the beach. Whenever one of his classmates is absent from school he comes home and tell us they are "on vacation at the beach." He consistently answers Dora (through the television) when she asks, "What was your favorite part of the trip?" referring to plot of the show he just watched and Joshua always answers, "going to the beach." So in honor of his love of vacation enjoy a video from the pool.

Great strides have been made in potty training. Although we have miles to go before I can declare victory over diapers, Joshua's new teacher is all business about the toilet. He has been dry all day 7 of the last 10 days. This weekend the "big boy underpants" are going to be tried and Ms. Courtney, his teacher, wants him to wear them to school Monday. There is a high probability he will drop his pants multiple times a day to show people his Mickey Mouse underwear but I guess that goes with the territory.

The greatest victory of all right now for us is that Joshua has made it almost 4 days without having to have a spanking. If he makes it 1.5 more hours 4 days will be in the bag. His temper gets the best of him and leads to "consequences" that most often include spanking(s). Thankfully he has been mellow and under control the last few days. He is very proud of himself and each night we high five for another spank-free day. Continued prayers are appreciated!

Beach Bacation

2011-08-03T12:43:00.009-05:00

We just returned from a most wonderful vacation. We spent a week at Seabrook Island with Aunt B and Nana. (We missed Coach alot but also know that "it is good to be needed.")

As soon as we hit the beach, Joshua took off for the water with Nana chasing him.

Beach Buddies

Joshua kept the sand bucket close, just in case we caught one of the hundreds of blue crabs in the shallows on Sunday. (Sadly, his bucket never had a crab in it)
Nana even found fish shaped bread for a beachy lunch.

Many long minutes were put into trying to pour the ocean into the sand. Joshua employed a couple different methods. This is the standard scoop and pour method.

And this is the scoop and toss method, which I find much more entertaining.

A quick attempt at burying Joshua.

Besides outdoor fun, the beach is always good for a few laughs inside too. Joshua was quite pleased with his new pirate wallet.

Aunt B was a trooper this week. She played with Joshua at his demand and was gracious even when woken up early by his screams.

Aunt B and Joshua kicked up their heels on the boardwalk out to the beach.

We saw animals everywhere on the island. Deer on the beach, rabbits on the boardwalk, blue crabs in the water, dolphins playing in the ocean, horses, lizards, pelicans. What a treat!

We also got the chance to visit PopPop and Grandma Giet. Joshua is pictured here gladly accepting another dollar for his wallet from PopPop.

Grandma's assisted living facility has ponds of fish and ducks. Joshua spent one of his nickels to buy food and feed them.

Grandma drove Joshua around on her wheelchair at speeds I did not know existed for such equipment. That was a highlight for him and her.

We were blessed with gorgeous weather!

Aunt B finally gets a moment of peace while Joshua is in the water.

An excellent sequence of pictures.

Another sequence I couldn't resist. Please note Beth's facial expressions. Who is having more fun Beth or Joshua?

Then we surfed our way inland to see Dave's family.

Gran Robbye turned 94 years old last week, so we surprised her with a visit.

Joshua and Dave waited with her for BINGO to start.

A rare moment when everyone is together. So glad we were able to get this picture.

Thanks Jonathan and Michele for coming to see us!

Joshua just can't resist riding in wheelchairs with his great grandmothers.

We were able to visit Gran Robbye several times over the weekend and spend some good time with her. What a blessing that Joshua has 4 great grandparents living and that he has met them all!

We went to Kingstree on Sunday to spend the day with Dave's parents. Joshua enjoyed playing with Dave's rocking horse.

We had a wonderful vacation. The ride home went so well we made it the whole way in one day instead of our intended two days. So we have loved having a couple days at home to recover and prepare for returning to work and school. Yesterday we all went to see Winnie the Pooh at the movie theatre. Joshua did great for his first real trip to the movies. Joshua starts a new class tomorrow so I am sure there will be stories to come.

"Bacation"

2011-07-27T19:12:00.004-05:00

Reporting on location from Seabrook Island, South Carolina where the beach is beautiful and vacation is in full swing:
day 1: a very long car ride

day 2: fabulous fun on the beach

day 3: see day 2

day 4: rainy in the morning = bigger waves in the afternoon

day 5: today...rainy but a great visit with the great grandparents

More of this story in addition to videos and pictures will be posted soon.

signing off...agn

2.5 years of age

2011-07-20T18:19:00.007-05:00

At 2 1/2 years old, Joshua loves:

-building forts

-eating Popsicles

-playing ball

-Handy Manny

-trucks, police cars, fire engines

-using his Elmo umbrella

-asking what letter a word or name starts with

-playing pirates and cowboys

At 2 1/2 years old, Joshua challenges us

-to discipline consistently

-love unconditionally

-teach the gospel daily

-forgive quickly

-laugh a lot

At 2 1/2 years old Joshua may be heard saying

-"I missed you."

-"You look nice!"

-"Disobeying hurts!"

-"Baby Jesus was born to rescue me from disobeying."

At 2 1/2 years old Joshua is quite a little man!

It's hard to say goodbye

2011-07-13T20:58:00.002-05:00

The standard Baptist Hospital-issued pacifier has been a main stay in our home for the last 2.5 years. For the first 18 months of Joshua's life we never left home without multiple back-up pacis for those "just in case" moments.

The pacis have been relegated to bedtime only for the last year. Until yesterday. For the last couple weeks we have been talking to Joshua about using his pacis to purchase a new toy, specifically a bubble-blowing lawn mower. He was very excited about the idea of a new lawn mower but not as enthusiastic about using his pacis to purchase it. This week he has spoken with much more commitment and purpose about making that bubble-blowing lawn mower part of his collection. After several trips to the store over the last 2 weeks to look at the mower, last night Joshua handed over a ziploc bag of 6 pacifiers to the cashier to pay for his lawn mower.

He could not have been more excited. He has "mowed" every room in our house multiple times and practically slept with the toy in his bed with him last night. Please note I used the word "slept" too. He had no trouble sleeping without the paci. Tonight there have been a fair number of tears of regret by both Joshua and me but he is already asleep and will hopefully stay that way. We are excited about this additional step into "big boyhood" and are grateful that the transition so far has left no casualties.

Thank You Note

2011-07-06T16:43:00.003-05:00

Dear Gran and Buddy,

Thanks for coming to my house to see me. I had such a good time visiting you. Thanks for the Thomas the Train book you gave me. I know we read it 1,000 times and that I pushed the noise buttons on it 1,000,000 times but I still love it.
Thanks for going to the playground with me and watching me climb the rock wall. I know it was really hot that day but I had so much fun.

Thanks for sitting by my swimming pool while I splashed around. It was funny when Buddy almost got sprayed by the water.
I had fun kicking the balloon around the house with you both. And Gran is pretty good at playing ball in the hallway. Thanks for playing boo with me. I love to be scared and y'all are good at "getting me."

I'm glad we got to spend time together. See you in a few weeks.
love you,
Joshua

Football Season...

2011-06-29T16:53:00.002-05:00

starts in 66 days

Roll Tide!

Playtime

2011-06-22T16:42:00.002-05:00

A few videos captured while Joshua played the other night...

This one is a little long but the NFD (Nolen Fire Department) prevails in the end and saves the polar bear and the goat from the roof.

"have fun at the fire station!"

"I'm going to Texas."

Lupus Walk or Bust!

2011-06-15T19:19:00.005-05:00

Aunt Beth invited us to be apart of the Lupus Foundation of America Mid-South Walk for Lupus in Birmingham last weekend. She has been living with lupus for many years now and we were excited to participate in an event that encourages research for lupus. The entire Gladney clan was there.

Not only was family there to support Beth in the walk but lots of friends came out too. Thanks to all our friends who joined us for the walk Saturday and for making donations!

even baby Luke braved the 1,000 degree heat

a bounce house is always a hit

be sure to hydrate!

Abigail danced to the music while eating her post-walk banana.

Abigail and Chad entered the dance contest in hopes of winning a pair of sunglasses.

Here she is with her prize sunglasses.

A bounce house basketball game is quite possibly the greatest thing ever!

To learn more about lupus please click here.

Family Ties

2011-06-08T16:06:00.006-05:00

After last week's blog posts about activities from our recent trip to Jackson, this week we will focus on the fun we had with people.

Baby Luke! Joshua loves to hold Baby Luke.

The three kiddos sharing a rare quiet and still moment.

The big man hanging out watching Joshua and Abigail run around the yard.

Playing sweetly together

After some sprinkler time at Aunt Glo and Uncle Chad's house

Tanner and Tee played with Abigail and Joshua too. Tee was a good dog and allowed the kids to pet him, throw tennis balls at him and take toys from him.

Driving Ms. Abigail in her hot ride and cool shades.

As you will see from this video, Uncle Chad gets the MVP award as he had to chase the car around trying to keep it on the road. Steering apparently does not come naturally. But both Abigail and Joshua had a blast driving up and down the street...almost as much fun as we had watching them.

Stop by next week for tales of our walk to cure lupus.

From Ronald McDonald to Big Boy

2011-06-01T18:00:00.000-05:00

Joshua and I visited Jackson for an extended-long weekend while Dave was out of town for a conference. We had a great time in Jackson and there are many many pictures to share. I will make 3 posts today and save a couple more for next time.

Joshua's hair has been growing and getting a lot curlier lately. A couple weeks ago Dave and I realized that we were going to have to get his hair cut because there were days when Joshua's hair rivaled Ronald McDonald. Uncle Chad and Coach graciously contacted their trusted barber to arrange for a trim.

Before

I was concerned about how Joshua would handle a hair cut. He has a complete mental breakdown when I cut his fingernails so I had no idea what a trip to the barber shop would hold. Thankfully we were able to watch a couple other people get their hair cut before it was Joshua's turn. He watched intently and cheered, "Yeah, you're finished! Good hair cut!" for each patron as their were getting up from their cut.

Mr. Casey was super nice and did a great job cutting Joshua's hair and Joshua was fantastic throughout the whole process.

Coach came along for moral support and even better was good for a SnoBiz afterward.

After

The curls are still there and he looks much more like a big boy now.

Mississippi Children's Museum

2011-06-01T17:58:00.002-05:00

Jackson recently opened a Children's' Museum.

It is a very fun place and a bit overwhelming for a small guy who loves to explore.

checking out animal noises

"driving" a tractor

sitting on the library desk from "Between the Lions"

playing on a computer is fun no matter what situation

sitting inside the capitol building

driving a shrimping boat

"Come on Nana, let's go."

crawling in a tunnel in "Underground Mississippi"

The Music Room was a favorite.

"Look mama, a buitar."

Even though this was a build your own sculpture station, Joshua was still feeling the beat from the music room and played drums and danced for a while.

expressing his artistic side

beep beep, here comes the produce truck

Joshua the Builder

just one more nail

a lesson in animal care

(this cow produces what I hope is only water)

getting ready for a dance lesson

The Next Food Network Star

We highly recommend this museum. There is something for everyone.

Splash Park

2011-06-01T17:56:00.001-05:00

Not a lot has to be said to accompany these pictures.

Joshua and Abigail had a blast at the Splash Park!

What a treat on a hot day!

" 'cadas mama"

2011-05-25T10:57:00.006-05:00

The cicadas have been gracing us with their song and their skeletons for several weeks now. Dave has used their presence as an opportunity to teach Joshua not to be afraid of bugs. They spend a lot of time in the backyard talking about and touching the cicadas.

(Please note I said "they" and not "we".)

"Oh look! I'll get it."

"See dad, a 'cada."

"I can wear them too"

"No, I don't want to go inside and wash my hands!"

What did he just say?

2011-05-18T20:25:00.002-05:00

As Joshua adds word to his vocabulary, his ability to tell us funny thoughts increases. For example, he loves to talk about his favorite TV shows and characters. He identifies with them so much that every night he has to pray for Pablo, Uniqua and Tyrone from the Backyardigans. Sometimes words get mixed up and make for entertaining conversation, like when he talks about another of his favorite characters, "Monster Cookie." And every morning he wants to "push the big butt" on the garage door opener. And sometimes he purposely tries to use his words to cause confusion, like when he bumped his arm on a toy at school and said, "Ryder hit me," even though he was the only child in the room. In addition to his verbal skills, he is learning trades. As you can see from the pictures, he practiced his carpentry skills the other night repairing the fence in our backyard. And he even practiced balancing his plate on one hand in the air like the servers at "Applebeans" the other night.

You only turn 2 once

2011-05-11T20:45:00.000-05:00

Joshua's classmate, Ginger, had a birthday party last Saturday night. The party was in her grandparents' backyard with a giant slide and a castle bounce house. Joshua refused to play on either of the main attractions, while other kids were enjoying them, opting for a 30 year old plastic slide in the corner of the yard. When dinner was served and everyone else was eating, Joshua slid and jumped with reckless abandon.

Joshua and Ginger the birthday girl

As if giant inflatables weren't enough, there was ice cream and cake too. Joshua didn't touch the cake but slurped every last drop of ice cream off the plate. (Please note the other party guests jumping in the bounce house while Joshua is eating. He certainly wouldn't have won Mr. Social at this party).
Ginger gave Joshua a kiss after she opened her present. He responded by taking back what he had given her and claiming "mine".

Heads Up

2011-05-04T20:01:00.002-05:00

Joshua loves to play. He plays hard and rough. He falls a lot due to his style of play. Joshua's head seems to take the brunt of all his horsing around. Never have we had to doctor a hurt knee, but always a gashed or bruised forehead. His latest forehead wound came from a dash across the playground that ended in a head first dive into the dirt. So here we are again receiving suspicious stares in the grocery as Joshua has a black and blue bruise with a gash in the middle of it.

When has a head wound ever slowed us down from doing a little hammering?

Enjoy our video of a little backyard adventure with a frog.

Easter Festivities (and a little extra)

2011-04-28T20:21:00.007-05:00

Thanks for your patience with this blog post. Due to severe weather in our area we were unable to post yesterday. We are thankful to have been spared any damage and are praying for our friends in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham.

MSU Easter Egg Hunt

Joshua attended the MSU Easter Egg Hunt at President Keenum's home. The egg hunt starts when the cow bell is rung from the front porch and within mere seconds the hunt is over.

An added bonus to the egg hunt was that our sweet friend Shelby was there too. Joshua loves Shelby although based on this picture neither of them seem to be enjoying themselves.

Joshua could be described as a picky egg hunter. He opened each egg to inspect its contents before deciding its worthiness. Most of the eggs he tossed back on the ground open and moved on to the next one.

School Easter Party

This cupcake sure tastes good and I don't even have to use my hands to eat it!

Saturday before Easter
Dave's high school friend Nat stayed with us Friday night. Nat was on his way from Alabama to California on his motorcycle. He was gracious enough to allow Joshua to "ride" on it.

Joshua loves to "help" around the house and yard.

We are blessed to have fantastic neighbors who love Joshua. Mr. Jerry is one of Joshua's biggest fans. This afternoon they were discussing Joshua's golf clubs and swing.

Easter Day
checking out the Easter basket loot

A word of warning: the following pictures are not for the faint of heart.

While most parents have posted beautiful pictures of their angelic children on Easter Day, our dear child had a tough day and did not want his picture taken.

Unfortunately Joshua's mood did not improve much during the day so these are the only pictures we have of him.

Happy Easter from our joyful family to yours!

2.25 years old

2011-04-20T20:19:00.003-05:00

Joshua is growing taller, getting more and more hair, talking a lot and curious about everything.

Joshua loves the playground, eating apples, his firetruck bed and counting.

Joshua wants to play with a football or basketball, his tricycle, or his Dinosaur Train coloring book.

Joshua loves to read the Jesus Storybook Bible, If You Give a Moose a Muffin and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (every night).

Joshua loves to sing Oh, How I Love Jesus, I've Got the Joy Joy Joy, Rain Rain Go Away, and ABC.

Joshua is working on learning his colors, obeying the first time and potty training...sort of.

And a funny story...On our way home from church Sunday, we asked Joshua want Bible story they talked about in the nursery. He said, "Jesus night night in the boat. Friends said, 'wake up!'" I asked, "Why did Jesus' friends want him to wake up, were they scared because of a storm?" Joshua's response, "No mama. The giant said 'fee fie foe fum.'" We are grateful for his listening to at least part of the story.

Super Bulldogs

2011-04-13T19:28:00.003-05:00

Super Bulldog Weekend 2011 took place on campus last weekend. Lots of people, lots of games, lots of sun, lots of fun.

Our contribution was cheering on the team at the spring football game.

Bully was much more important to Joshua than anything else. He convinced Dave to climb over our row of people and take him down to the field to see the bulldog.

Joshua waves and states, "Hi bulldog"...

then promptly bursts into tears and starts wailing. All Bully could do was cover his eyes.

Thankfully Joshua recovered quickly from his Bully encounter. Several times while watching the game Joshua pointed to the players and called them "Bama." And in since the only hat that fits his head right now is a Bama hat, we had to bring it to the game.

We left the stadium at halftime and had a picnic on the drill field.

Joshua barely stopped running long enough to eat. He talked about the "big bulldog" all the way home. To top off a fun afternoon, we got to see Aunt Cindy, TomTom and Monica Lee at the game too...what a treat!

"Ride a airplane"

2011-04-06T20:25:00.004-05:00

Last weekend 2 friends of our got married in Gainesville, Florida. In celebration of the happy occasion, all 3 Nolens boarded a plane bound for the Sunshine State. Joshua could not have been more excited about "ride a airplane" and he did excellently on the place (in the airport is another story though).

We experienced ferocious turbulence on the way into Jacksonville. The other passengers were sitting, white knuckled trying not to scream while Joshua was laughing, clapping and asking for the pilot to do it "again!" We are grateful he doesn't know to be scared and his giggles certainly lightened the mood.

I made it through all the wedding festivities without taking the first picture. I am hoping a couple will be sent my way by other wedding guests so I can post them for you. Joshua sat through a brief portion of the wedding. He cheered loudly for Dave during the processional when Dave walked a bride's maid down the aisle. Then at the beginning of the homily, the minister asked something like, "So why have we come here today?" and out loud, from the back row, Joshua replied, "I not know, why?" It was at that point that I knew we needed to make our exit so he wouldn't later try to participate in the vows. And to top off his first wedding experience, Joshua caught the garter!

Good friends of ours from Tuscaloosa were in town for the wedding and helped us keep Joshua entertained. We cannot thank Tim, Melissa and Austin enough for loving on Joshua throughout the weekend.

After the wedding we took Tim and Melissa to campus to visit a couple popular spots. We first stopped at Lake Alice. Lake Alice is home of numerous alligators. We came uncomfortably close to 2 6-foot alligators on the shore of the lake.

Joshua wanted to ride the alligators, splash in the lake and hold a snapping turtle. Needless to say, we didn't dare put him down for fear he would try to swim with the gators. If you ever visit Gainesville you should go to the football stadium.

Not only is the stadium open to the public but so is the football field. Joshua loved playing "football man" on the field.

Sunday we attended church with several of our friends and the Carey family was nice enough to host us for the afternoon so that Joshua had a place to take a nap. Becca, who by the way was Joshua's age when we first met her in 2003, was so sweet to play with Joshua.

We caught our flight home Monday morning after a very fun weekend. Joshua again enjoyed the turbulence coming into Birmingham. As soon as we got in the car he started crying and asked to "ride a airplane again?"

yard work and fire trucks

2011-03-30T19:12:00.003-05:00

Spring has sprung and that means our yard needs some attention. Cowboy Joshua decided to help out a little bit Saturday morning.

We have had several variations of a "big boy" bed over the last couple months. We stared off with a toddler bed to which Joshua preferred sleeping on the floor. We then moved to a mattress on the floor, then a trundle bed and now...the fire truck bed!

Dear family friends from Birmingham have been gracious enough to allow Joshua to use the fire truck bed. To say that he loves it is a gross understatement. Here he is in a practice run of napping just after it was set up.

Joshua loves to just sit on the bed and say, "new fire truck bed...mine!" He no longer wants to play anywhere but in his room. Thankfully he has slept beautifully on the new bed too.

A BIG thanks to Mr. Don, Miss Betty, Mr. Mitch, Miss Cheryl and Tyler for sharing such a wonderful gift with us. We love you all!

Something for Everyone

2011-03-23T20:25:00.002-05:00

Joshua only increases his cool factor by wearing his helmet and sunglasses at the same time.

brrring..brrrring, out of my way!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

meeting "baby Luke"

If there was audio to this picture you would hear several voices saying, "gentle, gentle, be gentle with baby Luke."

After the meet and greet with Luke, Joshua joined Abigail in the sandbox.

The sand mixed with the sunscreen and turned to a cement-like layer all over both kids. We tried to let them rinse off in a big bucket but that quickly turned into a bigger, wetter mess.

Aunt B transported both kids directly to the bathtub.

Two very tired-but almost clean-little ones.

Joshua had a great time visiting Jackson. We got to see most all of the Jackson-based family members. In addition to being with family, we watched as much of the basketball tournament as possible. At this point...after 3 rounds, Joshua is in the lead in the family bracket. We'll see how well he does in these later rounds. He picked Pitt to win so he has already left the door open for someone else to step into the winner's spot.

Hooray for CousinS

2011-03-16T20:21:00.004-05:00

Joshua's new cousin, Luke, joined us on Thursday the 10th. He weighed 6 pounds and has a head full of soft fuzzy hair. Abigail and I got to spend the day together while everyone else hung out at the hospital. It was the first time the two of us got to play by ourselves. We went shopping, had lunch and enjoyed a nice afternoon nap before going to the hospital to meet Luke. It was an exciting day for everyone. Gloria and Luke are doing well and the Nolens are looking forward to seeing them this weekend.
(enjoy a sampling of the many many pictures taken)

...and many more!

2011-03-09T15:25:00.005-06:00

Joshua's school friend, Maximillian had a birthday party last weekend. We decided to wait to tell Joshua we were going until after he took his nap since the party didn't start until 4. The party was at the Sportsplex in a room that is set off from the building. It was a perfect place for the partiers to run and play since it was a rainy, dreary day. Joshua had a great time. There were balloons and basketballs to play with and cake to eat. So as far as Joshua Nolen is concerned, Maximillian had the greatest birthday party ever!

The other kids were sitting down to eat cake and Joshua was not willing to give up the basketball.

Finally, once Maximillian sat down to eat Joshua joined him and they both enjoyed their cake.

A pinata that does not require the swinging of a bat. While we missed the potential America's Funniest Video moments with the bat, pulling the strings to open the pinata was a hit with the little kids.

Joshua loves Maximillian's presents....maybe even more than Maximillian did.

The party ended with the 3 boys sitting around blowing bubbles. I love the facial expressions in this picture. Joshua obviously thinks something is hilarious while the other little boy did not get the punch line.

The Best Medicine

2011-03-02T19:27:00.002-06:00

I considered making this a "Wordless Wednesday" post and let the video stand alone but I had to add this disclaimer: While I would never claim to keep the cleanest house, please know that our bathroom walls do not have mold on them...they have been decorated with bathtub crayons. And while we do live in a rural southern town, our water is not green. Joshua added Elmo endorsed bathtub color tablets to make his bath even more laughable. Although lately he has been so dirty from playing outside that he does turn the water all shades of gross colors. Enjoy!

Warming Up for March Madness

2011-02-23T19:00:00.003-06:00

I just realized this video was made about 3 weeks ago. Joshua seems to have grown an inch since then as he can reach the rim now. His shooting skills have improved greatly. But what do you expect with all the talk of bubble teams, who's in and who's out, and impact players. It's never too soon to develop the perfect shot.

Snow Day, Baby Shower and Playing

2011-02-16T12:13:00.006-06:00

Snow Day number 4 for 2011 occurred last Thursday. This time we got a lot more snow than before. The 4 inches of very powdery snow fell Wednesday afternoon-night and was really pretty to watch.

Just in case several years pass before we get another snow day in Mississippi, we bundled Joshua up to go outside and play.

This finished product. Please note that we were better prepared this go-round and had actual gloves for Joshua to wear. He wore them about 20 seconds before taking this off and saying, "I don't want it."

The snow was so soft it was hard to make a snow ball that didn't fall apart in mid-flight.

Walking around the neighborhood. In true Southern Snowstorm fashion, we had a lovely layer of ice on the roads for a while.

The snow was mostly gone by Friday so we took off to Jackson to celebrate baby Luke who will be joining the Hunsberger family in a few short weeks. Aunt Glo had a baby shower at their church.

A cute cake that tastes good too!

The weather was so nice in Jackson that we couldn't bear to keep Joshua inside. Nana and I took him to the playground where he played off some energy he stored up this winter.

Sliding is great but jumping off the slide at the end is even more fun!

Together with the snow/ice and sickness we have had, I have worked only 1 full week in 2011. I could certainly get used to 3 and 4 day work weeks!

I Scream, You Scream...

2011-02-09T20:00:00.001-06:00

Joshua loves ice cream!

ps...It has been snowing here for the last 7 hours. Dave is questioning whether we still live in Mississippi or have some how been transported to a small university town north of the Mason-Dixon.

We must celebrate

2011-02-02T12:19:00.006-06:00

The flu may have kept us from celebrating Joshua's birth on his birthday weekend, but we still must celebrate. So last weekend Nana, Coach, Great Gay, Aunt Joy and GG came to Starkville to celebrate Joshua's 2nd birthday with us.

Of course, sports was the theme of the party because it is the theme of our lives right now.

"Forget the cake, give me ice cream!!!"

"Since the ice cream is gone, I guess I'll try this cake. Look mom, no hands!"

"Are you serious? There is something on my face?"

Not only did we have a sports themed party but the gifts followed suit. Aunt Joy and the Woodsmen gave Joshua some pjs and a soccer ball, GG gave Joshua a bathtub basketball goal and Coach and Nana gave Joshua a real basketball goal.

some assembly required

"Dad and Coach are taking too long to put this thing together. I'll just have to do it myself."

A test shot on the new goal.

Sunday we met Aunt B in Tuscaloosa for lunch. In usual Aunt B fashion, she came prepared for fun. Aunt B brought a small birthday cake in hopes of having another birthday celebration with us. Joshua could not have been more excited!

"Hey B, this cake is pretty good!"

"Look, I made that whole piece fit in my mouth in one bite. Impressed?"

Joshua got a lantern/flashlight from Aunt B. He loves it.

A big 2 years old. We hope to celebrate all year long.

Max-osaurus

2011-01-26T20:19:00.003-06:00

Joshua's classmate, Maximillian, gave him a dinosaur for his birthday. The dinosaur has been named Max-osaurus in honor of the gift-giver. It is Joshua's new favorite thing.

(side note: Maximillian is from Germany and makes up the international contingent in Joshua's class. Instead of pronouncing his name like everyone else, Dave likes to call him "Max-one million.")

2.0 years of age

2011-01-19T20:22:00.006-06:00

To celebrate Joshua's 2nd birthday we invited our out-of-town family to come for a sports party. The cake was ordered, the presents wrapped, the sports-themed plates, napkins and party hats were ready to be used and then the flu hit the Nolen home. Dave got sick first and then like dominoes in a line, Joshua and I fell ill. So the party was cancelled and the Nolen grandparents (who had already traveled half-way here) turned around and went home. We were so sad to miss celebrating with our families but are grateful that we did not get anyone else sick.

I couldn't let his 2nd birthday go by without a picture of the birthday boy. Thankfully he perked up some later in the day and was able to open a few gifts.

Great Gay and Gully's present was the first to be opened.

Joshua was quite pleased with his new corduroy pants and sweater vest. He will be the most handsome boy in the nursery wearing this outfit!

Mom and Dad got Joshua a new book, a new pair of tennis shoes and a Blue's Clues DVD. None of our gifts to him were met with as much excitement as the new clothes.

Without our permission, Joshua has decided to leave babyhood behind and become a big boy. With this new big boy phase has come many new skills as well as challenges.

Dave and I have learned a lot about Joshua over the past few months:

Joshua loves, loves, loves sports. He loves to tackle, kick, bat, throw, shoot, dribble, swing, run, and jump as long as he has a ball of some sort involved in the action. He asks many questions about sporting events on tv. Over the weekend he learned about rebounds and free throws and at one point I overheard Dave explaining the need for a good goalie in a hockey game to him.
Joshua loves to talk (we'll let you decide who he gets that from). While he is busy playing he is often heard singing, counting, or just talking. Most everything he says is decipherable or immediately understood now, which has decreased his and our frustration. In the past few days, we have noticed Joshua repeating a lot of what we say. So watch your mouth! Along this line, Joshua asks a lot of questions. "What's that noise?" "What's that name?" "Where did it go?" Lots and lots of questions!
As he has become increasingly independent Joshua has also become increasingly defiant. He tries for decisions to be his way or the highway and does not like to meet resistance from his parents. We have learned a lot about effective discipline with Joshua through trial and error. Joshua does not handle choices well and seems to have fewer and shorter melt downs when he is faced with only one option. Dave and I have learned that eventually he will wear himself out and calm down. We just hope we don't wear out before he does.
Joshua enjoys sitting in your lap and reading a book or just snuggling. He likes to pull all his bed gear (blankets, pillow, lovie and book) out of bed with him each morning and snuggle it all up into the chair with us. Dave refers to Joshua as King Baby in the mornings when he is lying in my lap under two blankets, with his head on his pillow, his lovie and book in one hand and a cup of milk in the other.
Joshua is a fun boy. He loves to play and play hard. He loves to laugh and squeal. He loves to dance and make noise.

Snow-mageddon 2011

2011-01-12T14:52:00.008-06:00

Freshly fallen snow is always so pretty.

Of course school was cancelled for not one but two days due to the 2.5 inches of snow we received. Joshua spent most of his time outside Monday sampling the snow flavors of the backyard.

The first attempt at a snowman.

Tasting the snowman proved too tempting and the head and torso were removed for consumption.

We never dreamed of Joshua needing gloves in Mississippi. So as we were layering him up we just put socks on his hands. He thought it was fun to wear socks as gloves for about 1 minute and then realized it was much easier to pick up the snow without them on.

Snowman attempt number 2 was more successful. Joshua squatted down to talk to the snowman several times.

Snowmen were built all over the neighborhood...even in the middle of the street.

For our 2nd outing into the snow on Monday, Joshua claimed Dave's gloves and hat.

"Mom, Dad and Joshua snowman"

We couldn't possibly spend time outside without playing some t-ball. Joshua used Dad-made snowballs for batting practice.

And is baseball practice ever over before a little throwing drill is complete?

It is really hard to come inside after enjoying the snow.

Video Memories of Christmas

2011-01-05T20:35:00.005-06:00

Please enjoy a hodge-podge of videos taken over the Christmas holiday.

In our first video, please notice who is the most excited about the snow...it's Amelia. Joshua could not have cared less.

Next up is the excitement of Christmas Day with the extended family. Again, please consider who is more excited...the adults or the children?

It is always fun to try out your new toys. Joshua's golf swing has improved since this was shot but you have to love his determination.

The new bike is fun, but it's hard to pass up a chance to play football.

20,ooo feet does not stop Abigail and Joshua from showing some airline passengers a little love.

Christmas Festivities

2010-12-29T20:45:00.011-06:00

Joshua has enjoyed the Christmas season. However, he isn't quite old enough to be excited about Christmas morning. It seems his favorite part of Christmas has been looking at lights and decorations. Hopefully he won't be too disappointed when the yard decorations are taken down.

Present opening began on Christmas Eve at our house. Joshua was excited to receive a Grinch and a book as one of his favorite yard inflatables is a "Grinch and dog" on our street.

Taking his time and relishing every minute of tearing the paper.

"Hey look, glow in the dark football, basketball and soccer ball!"

What could is be?

A Firetruck!

Christmas morning in Starkville started with snow!

Santa brought Joshua a broom, a Thomas the Tank Engine toothbrush, and a new blanket for a big boy bed. Joshua was excited about the broom and tooth brush but never gave the bedding a second look.

After lunch we travelled to Jackson to celebrate with many extended family members.

Joshua got to meet the newest family member...Tee, Gumby's new puppy.

Golf clubs from Great Gay and Gulley! After only one swing of a club in Nana's house, rule #1 of playing golf was firmly established: "Joshua can only play with the golf clubs outside."

It is fun to have an audience when you open presents.

"Oooo, what's in here?"

"Thanks for the help Tom Tom."

Nana and Coach's tricycle gift may have garnered the most squeals and smiles.

The next afternoon, braving the cold, Joshua had to try out his new wheels outdoors.

After a short ride on the trike it was time to practice his golf swing.

Abigail is going to miss Joshua's birthday party in a few weeks so we had a cousin party Tuesday afternoon. Joshua and Abigail decorated cookies,

played on the swing set,

rode their new trikes,

enjoyed juice from "fun bottles" and

ended the party with a big hug!

Christmas Past and Christmas Present

2010-12-22T21:00:00.000-06:00

The Joshua of Christmas Past

The Joshua of Christmas Present

Merry Christmas!

Guy Time

2010-12-22T20:25:00.003-06:00

Guy time began Monday morning when Mom had to go to work while Dad and Joshua had the week off. Forts have been built and destroyed, football, basketball, soccer, and baseball have been played, neighbors have been visited, garbage men greeted, discipline handed out, and various other activities that Mom will probably never know about. Most of all, they have had fun!
One of this week's outings was to find Joshua a new pair of sunglasses. He picked out Thomas the Tank Engine glasses and naturally Blue's Clues was much more captivating with the new shades on (no, they are not 3-D glasses).

Today Dad and Joshua visited one of Dad's friends from work, "Mr. Bob." Mr. Bob is a music professor who specializes in percussion. To Joshua's delight, Mr. Bob had a special gift waiting for him. Joshua couldn't wait to show off his new skills to Mom when he and Dad got home:

Could this be a turning point in young Joshua's life? Or just the tipping point for Dad and Mom to go truly crazy? Stay tuned...

December fun

2010-12-15T20:04:00.003-06:00

When it is a cold Sunday afternoon and Joshua has just gotten up from his nap, a little game of toss with dad is always fun.

Hooray for ordering Christmas presents online...the boxes make great forts.

Joshua does not like to be in the fort by himself. He cordially invites Dave to share the experience. Sometimes they just lay there and talk.

Other times Joshua wrestles and kick boxes, at which point all Dave can do is try to defend himself.

I'm sure it is a sight when all 3 of us get in the fort. Thankfully there isn't anyone to capture that scene on camera!

Joshua and Dave went to a Mississippi State basketball game Monday night. Some friends of ours weren't using their tickets and kindly let us have them. Despite the freezing cold and the huge possibility that Joshua would throw a temper tantrum, Dave took him to the game. According to Dave's account, Joshua had a great time and watched intently for several minutes. They sat on the very top row and from that vantage point the mascot Bully looked like a small, cuddly pup. But when Joshua got within about 5 yards of Bully he quickly stopped asking to "hug" and "hold" Bully and didn't want to get any closer. This is a video of us trying to get Joshua to talk about the game.

backyard kids

2010-12-08T14:07:00.003-06:00

The leaves have finally fallen off the trees in the backyard which means it's time to play.

In the spirit of decorating for Christmas, Dave hung the Cozy Coupe in the tree out back.

Our neighbor, Mr. Jerry is a big Joshua fan and Joshua love to yell, "Jerry" over the fence at him. Dave and Joshua visit with Mr. Jerry through the fence regularly.

After a long day of playing in the leaves and visiting with neighbors it was time for a long winter's nap.

Birthday Party and Thanksgiving

2010-12-01T18:40:00.005-06:00

The Saturday before Thanksgiving we attended Abigail's second birthday party. It was a tutu party at her house. There was pizza, cake, ice cream and all the swing set playtime a kid could handle. We were excited to get to be a part of the fun day.

Aunt Glo and Abigail smiling next to her birthday cake.

Uncle Dave got to hold the birthday girl just long enough for a photo op.

Hooray for a fun swing set.

A picture of the Hunsberger family...all 4 of them. Baby Luke is starting to make Aunt Glo's tummy pooch out a little bit. We can't wait for him to arrive in late March!

Joshua took the ball to the hoop on Aunt B. Maybe her tutu slowed her down...who knows?

Is there anything on my face?

What a pretty birthday girl!

When the ice cream was served, Joshua pushed his piece of cake aside and focused all of this attention on the real reason he came to the birthday party.

Joshua stayed in Jackson while Dave and I returned home to work several days before the holiday.

Joshua loves to hang out with our cousin Tanner. They laugh at each other more than any 16 year old and near 2 year old I have ever met.

Nana pulled out a hamburger costume from the dress-up closet when it was too cold to go outside to play.

Joshua and Aunt B both wore their Bama shirts with pride Saturday for the big game.

Joshua decided that he was thankful for his strong will and displayed his gratitude by marching his way into the terrible twos at Coach and Nana's house. There were a few hours when I was sure that Jackson, Mississippi would never allow us to darken it's city limit again. But we survived and Coach, Nana and Aunt B were life savers for all three of us.
We had fun celebrating with our family and thanking God for his many provisions to us.

running and chores

2010-11-24T05:44:00.004-06:00

Joshua loves to watch football. He especially likes it when a team kicks the ball and when Dave gets excited about a big play and yells "run dude run." This video is Joshua's reaction to Dave's excitement Thursday night during the Alabama game.

Joshua loves to put "trash" in the garbage can. Anything from legitimate trash to his dirty socks and who knows what else is put in the trash daily. He also likes trash day in our neighborhood because he gets to "help" Dave.

We attended Abigail's 2nd birthday party Saturday...pictures to come.

Grandparents' Weekend

2010-11-17T15:31:00.002-06:00

Gran and Buddy came to visit us, from South Carolina, this weekend. We enjoyed being outside much of Friday afternoon and part of Saturday.

When it started raining Saturday, the fun moved inside. Joshua loves to color and when he got tired of watching football asked Dave to "draw" with him.

But after supper and a bath, it was back to watching football with Buddy.

Joshua got to stay home from school Monday to play with Gran and Buddy. It rained all day but they had fun wrestling, reading, and running around the house. It was a special time for Joshua to spend loving on his grandparents...and they enjoyed it too.

The previous play is under review

2010-11-10T12:57:00.003-06:00

After review, the ruling on the field stands...it was a clean hit by the ball carrier on the defender.

Halloween Weekend

2010-11-03T20:39:00.006-05:00

Joshua's Halloween weekend began after nap at school on Friday. His class had a party of oreos and cheezits with an apple juice box. Joshua wore his Woody the Sheriff costume to school but had an accident and had to wear an old t-shirt the school had on hand most of the day. As you can tell from this picture, Joshua is fresh off his nap cot but enjoying an oreo.

Mastering the art of drinking from a juice box is no easy job. But once Joshua realized the juice in that box was not diluted with water he drained it dry without wasting a drop!

We spent Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa. We played on the quad at UA and Joshua enjoyed a cereal bar for a snack.

What better place to play t-ball than in the shadow of Denny Chimes?

Joshua: "Look"
Amelia: "Do not put that acorn in your mouth."
This is the only picture in which you can see Joshua's cute pumpkin shirt . Under the sporty pumpkins it says, "Sports fans in the pumpkin patch." Joshua loves this shirt.

While in Tuscaloosa we got to visit with our dear friends the Hardys. Emily, who is 7, surprised Joshua with a Little People Train as an early Christmas present. He immediately loved the train, but while at their house Joshua loved playing with Emily more. She was so sweet to him and allowed him to play with all of her prized toys. Once we got home Joshua posed with his new train. Thanks Emily for such a fun toy!
Sunday night Joshua and I checked out the 2 big Fall Festivals in town while Dave had to work. The first one we went to was way too crowded for our liking so after about 3 minutes we left and went down the street to the church hosting the second festival. Much to Joshua's delight he was able to jump in a bounce house at the less crowded party. The big kids were very generous and allowed Joshua and a few other small kids to jump by themselves for a long time.
To make the bounce house even better there were basketball goals in each corner. Needless to say that the man who was "supervising" the station had to climb into the bounce house to remove Joshua after nearly 10 minutes of us trying to verbally coax him out. The whole way back to the car Joshua said, "I jump" over and over.

I was not able to get a decent picture of Joshua's costume this year. He is not willing to sit still for a silly picture. But he wore his Woody pajamas and had a cowboy hat that ended up on the floor of the car and was never worn. We had a good time, and I think Joshua ate one mini Twix bar we got at a friend's house, which was sufficient for this Halloween.

Weekend Fun

2010-10-27T20:12:00.006-05:00

Joshua loves Aunt B and "talks" to her on his pretend cell phone all the time. He was very excited when she came to visit this weekend.

Always looking for a reason to eat cupcakes, we celebrated Aunt B's birthday a little early.

The weather was nice and we spent a lot of time playing in the backyard. Joshua enjoys riding at break-neck speeds in his car.

Just doing a little light reading.

Fire Safety Week hat + sunglasses + pajamas = a good time.

I have learned I can get a lot done if I give Joshua a balloon and the broom.

1.75 years old

2010-10-19T20:03:00.005-05:00

Joshua is rounding the corner heading toward 2 years old. His vocabulary has exploded and although we can't always decipher his words, he knows exactly what he is saying. There are specific words that Joshua enunciates particularly well; "milk" and "steps" being 2 of them. These are two words that are used frequently each day at school, so Joshua makes sure to pronounce each letter.

Joshua is also a good helper. He likes to assist in carrying things like pillows and blankets from room to room. At school his job is to give each child their cup at snack and meal time. He consistently picks up after himself and is proud to be a "big" helper.

He has made giant strides in the sleep department. After many tears and innumerable waking hours, Joshua is finally sleeping through the night consistently. With more consecutive hours of sleep, we are all feeling better.

Joshua is certainly growing out of being a baby and into being a little boy. He still loves playing ball. He loves any kind of ball game. He swings anything he can pick up as though it were a bat. And last week he asked to watch football on tv. I know that most parents think their child is better at most things then they really are and Dave and I are no exception. Joshua can throw a baseball, kick a football and bat a t-ball off a tee really really well.

Joshua continues to love dogs. There is a particular house on our route home from day care that has 2 dogs in the backyard. Everyday as we approach that house he starts squealing and barking and we pull off the road to see the dogs. Some days we even roll the window down so that he can bark at them. About a month ago, we discovered Blue's Clues on tv one evening and within moments Joshua was hooked. Anytime he sees a paw print (which is literally around every corner in Starkville because all dumpsters in town have paw prints on them) he yells, "Blue's clues." We went to a birthday party for our friend, Shelby, and Joshua got a paw print tattoo on his hand. He wore it for days telling everyone he was a Blue's clue.

And what red-blooded American little boy doesn't like trucks? Joshua loves trucks and school buses so much that with the promise of going to see a truck or bus, Dave and I can get him to do most anything we need him to do. "Joshua, if you hurry up, eat your breakfast and get dressed, we'll go see some buses on the way to school."

He is learning so much so fast. Our good friend, Dr. Hatfield, used to encourage us to be a sponge and soak up all that we were experiencing. Well, Joshua is a huge sponge right now. And after Sunday, he may be tying his own ties pretty soon.

Hello, Country Pumpkins

2010-10-13T20:35:00.004-05:00

Last weekend, we visited a popular pumpkin patch in Caledonia, Mississippi, about 40 minutes from our house. The "Country Pumpkins" farm/pumpkin patch lived up to the hype. We were even able to get Joshua to smile for a picture!

The family that owns the farm left a few rows of cotton unharvested for visitors to pick. Joshua seemed to enjoy trying to break the stalks more than pick the cotton.

After only a few minutes of observing the other pumpkin seekers, Joshua knew it was ok to pick up any pumpkin he had the strength to hold.

He put several pumpkins in our wagon. And by "put" I mean "dropped" several pumpkins in our wagon. We only bought one of his favorite size which means there were several bruised medium sized pumpkins returned to the patch...oops.

Dave and I had to laugh at Joshua wanting to pull the wagon all over the farm. There was a lot set up for guests to do and Joshua wanted to do the one thing we could do at home...pull a wagon.

The little pedal-tractors were fun to ride but

the big antique tractors were really fun to climb on.

Country Pumpkins had pumpkin patch versions of sand boxes...corn pits. There were huge pits filled with corn for kids to play in.

Joshua enjoyed the corn pits so much that when he was ready to get out his pockets and diaper where full of corn. We left as many corn kernals as possible on the farm but as late as bedtime Saturday night, corn was still falling out of his clothes.

A busy morning on the farm leaves a little boy very sleepy on the way home.

ps...be sure to check out the Special Edition posts from earlier this week.

Fun in the Sun

2010-10-12T19:42:00.007-05:00

Joshua loved his first trip to the beach.

Joshua had no fear from the beginning: he ran straight into the water. Coach and Dave did their best to keep him from diving in head first.

The sand was fun to play in, throw and eat.

Nana, Joshua and I went looking for a playground one morning. We pulled into a fire station to ask directions but initially no one was around. So Joshua got to climb on the fire engine and even push a few buttons. (We did end up finding a fire fighter to talk to but only after we walked almost into their bunk room.)

A mouth full of salt water can really ruin a good wave.

Joshua's thought bubble reads, "That was AWESOME!"

Bubble fun on the tennis courts.

We never saw any tar on the beach or in the water.

You know you are on the beach in Alabama when you have to yield for a John Deere tractor.

Beach Rule #1-Never feed the seagulls.

We broke Beach Rule #1

What is better than going to the beach?

Having Coach and Nana there with you!

"This is the life."

The Little Zoo That Could

2010-10-10T13:36:00.007-05:00

While we were on vacation, the morning temperatures were a little too chilly to play on the beach, so one morning we visited the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo aka The Little Zoo That Could. Joshua had never been to the zoo before and I think we all were a little sceptical of how good a zoo at the beach could be. But much to our surprise, this zoo had a lot of cool stuff.

big tigers...and lots of them

a baby tiger

brown bears

an up-close look at a donkey

toucans

kangaroos that boxed each other

huge tortoises

deer

lions

more tigers (look to our left)

and a duck that walked step for step with the pacing bear.

It was a beautiful morning and we all had a great time.

Beach Trip Sneak Peak

2010-10-06T21:13:00.002-05:00

This afternoon we returned to "real life" after spending several days at the beach.

Here is a sneak peak of the fun we had.

(more pictures to come... )

Now I Know

2010-09-29T19:36:00.000-05:00

For a while I wondered where Joshua was learning to be as daring as he is. And then I happened upon this the other day...

Now I know...thanks dad!

Weekend Events

2010-09-22T19:08:00.009-05:00

Last weekend we watched the dogs in the neighbor's yard,

football with dad,

and the Mormon missionaries walking up the street.

We learned to "respect the bell" and "ring responsibly" while watching the MSU Bulldogs play.

And finally, we took some time to slide down the bottom of the chair...which is not out of the ordinary for any day at our house.

And then today, I think we quickly got our $2 out of the football balloon from Kroger.

2 cars-1 new and 1 used

2010-09-15T06:10:00.002-05:00

While in Jackson for Labor Day weekend, we traded in my trusty Honda Civic for an Accord. I miss the Civic but it was time to move to a bigger car with fewer miles on it.

More importantly, Joshua got a new car over Labor Day weekend as well. We noticed that our neighbors were trading in their daughters "Cozy Coupe" for a more trendy, bigger toy and we asked if we could take the old clunker off their hands.

Joshua couldn't be more excited about his first car...

Now that we are a 3 car family with only a 2 car garage. Joshua drew the short straw and has to park his car in the spot outside the garage.

Be careful out there.

Labor Day in Jackson

2010-09-08T19:44:00.008-05:00

We were able to spend our long Labor Day weekend in Jackson. It was a weekend full of playing outside, watching football and hanging out with family.

Nana had towel elephants waiting on everyone's bed.

Abigail tasting Coach's recently cleaned windows.

Dave and Chad discussing football while throwing the football the night before a full day of watching football.

"Ok, you get the moms and I'll get the dads."

Playing in the empty pool is gut bustingly funny.

"Night Night, Josh."

Bubbles were a big part of the weekend. Aunt B and Abigail enjoyed watching the bubble machine cover the backyard with tiny bubbles.

Aunt B helping Joshua catch some stray bubbles.

Aunt Joy got in on the bubble action and even brought her own bubble wand to share.

Joshua watched closely to make sure she was doing it right.

Way to go Aunt Joy! You make great big bubbles!

Coach and the kids.

When ride-a-horsey gets a little out of hand.

Nana found some foam viking weapons that were an instant hit with Joshua and Dave. Here Joshua is posing with the axe.

The battle axe also came in handy when chasing away intruders from the fence.

And what could be better than popping bubbles with a mace.

Lots of family came over to eat Sunday night and as you can see, all eyes were on the babies.

A meeting of the minds at the back fence.

Joshua had a blast playing with cousins Travis, Trevor and Tanner.

A special thanks to the cousins for running Joshua all over the yard Sunday night. He slept 11.5 hours that night. We would love for y'all to come over any night.

Again, a little meeting at the back fence.

No, they aren't super tall kids: they heard a dog in the neighbor's yard and with the help of various family members were held up for a long time staring at the neighbor and his dog.

Ladies and Gentlemen...

2010-09-01T19:04:00.004-05:00

Joshua has been practicing his circus acts a lot lately.

The "Man with Many Muscles" in the sideshow

the acrobat

the tight rope walker...with a net of course.

Dave and I laughed the other night because when Joshua gets mad and starts crying his nose turns red and he sort of looks like a clown. So I guess instead of having a one-man band, we have a one-man circus.