Joshua's Biggest Fans

Dear Joshua and Luke,

T-Ball is over for the summer. I know it was not your favorite sport to play, but I am proud of you for getting out there each time it was your team's turn. And I think you were a great team player. Coach Ryan could always count on you to get out there and play. You weren't a bad batter or outfielder either. If you want to play again next year, you can - or maybe you will save your Saturday's for soccer.

Luke has been your biggest fan. He smiled and watched you play every game. And Grammy surprised us on the last game by coming to watch you play. She has made it a point to come to at least one game each season you have played. That has meant so much to all of us. It is not easy to get there so early on a Saturday morning from 30 minutes away. Thank you, Grammy.

Coach Ryan was so patient with all of the team, too. It sounds like he is going to be your

soccer coach this fall, too.

I want you to always be a team player, no matter what. And if you start something, you need to finish it.

Luke - Joshua will be cheering you on and being your biggest fan next spring for T-Ball. You can count on that. I bet Grammy will too.

Love,

Mama

Be Passionate About Your Job

Dear Joshua and Luke,

This week Joshua attended Orchestra camp with Miss Sarah. We have known Miss Sarah from Shake, Rattle, 'N Roll since Joshua was one years old. I do not think we have missed a music session since then- even when Luke was born.

Each day at Orchestra camp had a different theme. There was conductor day, percussion day, woodwinds day, strings day, and brass day. Each day Joshua came home with a new homemade instrument (and a conductor stick) and many ideas and stories. He especially liked playing the instrument game on the Wi. It was an especially fun week for him. Luke enjoyed the one-on-one time with many of his caregivers. We had shopping and a lunch date one day. Dad brought Luke to meet me for lunch another day while I was working, Papa Mort and Daddy hung out with Luke during one of the days, and much more.

What I really want you to know is that someday you will choose a profession or job. I do not care so much about your choice of jobs, but please make sure about a couple of things....1. Whatever you decide to do ~ be passionate about it. 2. Choose your job based on the gift that God has given you. 3. Do your best at it or giver it your all. 4. If at all possible, make sure that your job helps someone else.

I chose the topic this week for two reasons. One is that I went back to work this week. This has always been a sad time for me because it is so difficult to leave you both at home. Joshua has been such a big boy. He has told me that he is sad that I go back to work, but this time he helped to comfort Luke. On the second morning that I had left to go to work, Luke woke up saying, "Mom, Mama, Mom" with each word getting a little more frustration behind it. Joshua got up and put his arm around Luke and said, "Luke, it'll be OK. Mom had to go to work. She is going to make more money so that we can go to Branson, the Dixie Stampede, and to see our cousins again." Joshua - Thank you so much for helping Dad comfort Luke. You are getting to be so big.

The second reason for the topic this week has to do with Miss Sarah. She is obviously passionate about what she does ~ music and children. I look at her and so much admire the passion she has for her job. I think she is a great example of "being passionate about your job." Once you spend a short time with Miss Sarah, you easily see how much she likes music and kids. She is so knowledgeable about music, and she knows how to talk and relate to children at all different ages. Her enthusiasm for music is infectious. She is a natural teacher. I am pretty sure that she could choose to do many things with her talent, training, and background. However, I am so happy that she has chosen to teach Shake, Rattle, 'N Roll to children for now. I believe that she is a big part as to why you both love music so much. (Thank you, Miss Sarah, for sharing your talent with the boys. )

I love you to the moon and back and back again.

Love,

Mama

Top Ten Questions on the Ride Home

Dear Joshua and Luke,

I have told Joshua many times that I love the questions you ask, and I never want you to stop asking things (I mean that sincerely from the bottom of my heart.) ....so for one hour while Dad was driving I wrote down the questions you asked us. Here it goes:

1. Who was the President after Abraham Lincoln was shot?

2. Why did more people vote for Obama?

3. If there are no bones in your ears, what is this called?....What is cartilage? ( I referred this question to the Internet or a book about ears.)

4. Why didn't they make the Titanic in Branson with a hole in it?

5. As we pulled into a gas station, Joshua asked where we were. I told him "Washington, Mo." His question was, "Does Obama live here?"

6. Does Obama go into the stock market?

7. Why didn't I get to see Dolly Parton at the Dixie Stampede?

8. Where is the North Pole?

9. Is South Dakota closer or farther away than Alaska from the North Pole? (I think he wants to know how close cousins Isaac and Levi are to Santa Claus.)

10. Can Sarah Palin be President when Obama is done?

What more can I say? Dad and I do not talk to you directly about the President, Saran Palin, or anything with politics nor do we watch the news much with either of you around, but you always listen and learn about everything. I do not think we even talk about it much around you because there just isn't time. Luke ~ I will tell you that your words are coming like crazy. My favorite quotes of the week from you are, "Night, Night me mom," when you want me to put you to bed, and "No thanks, Mom." Thanks for doing this."

Once again, you are both amazing.

Love,

Mama

Branson Vacation - Summer 2009

Dear Joshua and Luke,




Vacation was a blast this year ~ again. How could it not be, right? Joshua begged us to stay one more day, and then he said he would be ready to go home. I think Luke was ready to leave. He called the condo "Luke's house" which made him very happy. It will be "Joshua's house" when we go back at Christmas. It was a spectacular week, full of lots of wonderful family memories that we will remember forever. Here are the highlights:

* swimming - swimming every day except the one day it rained, swimming after dark, playing in the whirlpool, lunch (Dad's deer sausage- sorry Uncle Jose) at the pool, Joshua swimming with the noodle in three foot water (That was as far as I would let him go. He would have gone across the entire pool.), Luke jumping in the water over and over and over again just holding on to Mom's fingers. And did I mention the three different water guns? Swimming was a big part of our fun.

* Silver Dollar City -Joshua walking down 600 steps into Marvel Cave at the end of the long day at Silver Dollar City. Joshua walked every single step, and never asked for any help. All of the tourists were commenting on how brave and strong he was. Even the tour guide was shocked that he did it on his own. Luke was napping while I caught a show and shopped a little. We caught a Veggie Tales Show, rode several rides..... We are still singing, "Do Lord, Do Lord, Oh do you remember me?"..... from Veggie Tales. It was an awesome day!


*Go carts - Need I say more? Joshua was a little sad that his legs still hadn't grown long enough for him to ride alone, but he had so much fun racing with Dad. Luke was a little apprehensive at first, but once he got in, he was squealing with delight. We bought an afternoon pass for the boys. I entertained whichever racer was not racing with Dad. I am still not sure who had the most fun - Dad or one of the boys.


*Food - Dad grilled for us all but one night. He grilled New York strip steaks, halibut, hamburger, and hotdogs. We ate so much fresh fruit and veggies on vacation. I am not sure how these boys can be related to mom when they never want to go out to eat. When given a choice, they always want to eat at home. That is so not me. But dad's grilling is hard to beat, and you both wanted steak, steak, and more steak. Where do you get this expensive taste from? I know you both enjoyed the milkshakes that Dad made for dessert, and eating the rest of the ice cream in the container for breakfast as we left Branson Saturday morning.

*Dixie Stampede - This was a huge highlight of the trip and the best part of the vacation, according to both boys. Luke loved seeing the horses or "neigh neighs." He especially liked the miniature horses. He shouted, waved his flag, and sang so much. Luke protested when we left - "More show, more show, more show." Joshua's only regret was not getting to see Dolly Parton in person. He wanted to tell her that he liked the long horns, but wanted her to bring back the buffalo with the longhorns for next year. He has brought up talking to her about three times since we left, so I told him that we could try and email her.

*Miscellaneous - Other fun things included seeing, talking, and learning about the Titanic. Ethan, their cousin, talked so much about it while we were in Minnesota. Joshua told us several times that they should have built this Titanic with the hole so it would look more real. He thinks that when he gets older, he is going to make a better Titanic for people to see when they come to Branson. Neither one of you enjoyed shopping at the outlets, but I did! Lots of bargains for me, but the boys left with three new pairs of shoes each, too. The long afternoon naps were nice. You were so worn out, and it gave mom and dad a chance to catch up on laundry, dishes, etc. We also enjoyed the annual trip to the fish hatchery. A trip to Branson would not be complete without a stop at Bass Pro in Springfield. There is so much more I could mention, but these were the highlights.

Luke ~ I am not sure if you will remember much from this trip. but I hope the pictures help you see what a great time we had. Joshua - I am sure that you will be talking about this trip for a long time. We had so much fun with you guys. Be sure to check out the slide show on the top right of this page. You can double click on it to make it larger.

Love,

Mama

There Must Be An Ice Cream Factory in Heaven

Dearest Joshua and Luke,



This was Joshua's revelation about heaven this week. You have had so many questions, concerns, anxieties about heaven in the recent months. You seem to be most worried about going there when you do not want to go. Or that someone you love is going to go there too soon. I am not sure if there have been an unusual number of people close to us that have gone to heaven or if you are just curious as any other four year old.

Nonetheless, while I totally understand your concerns, there is truly nothing to worry about my dear. I have tried to explain to you in the simplest way that heaven is a wonderful place that Jesus has prepared for us. I know that it is very sad to think of someone you love going to heaven until you think about heaven being a very happy place where everyone is singing, laughing, playing, feeling good, and life is perfect because you are with Jesus and all the family who has gone to heaven ahead of you. It will be a long time before we all meet there, but I have tried to explain to you so many times that heaven is not something to worry about now.





When the time comes in one hundred years or so, you will be so happy about going to heaven. So please do not worry so much now. I think you are finally beginning to understand since your comment today was, "Mom, there must be an ice cream factory in heaven." Your comment came out of the blue, but I am sure it has been on your mind for a while. As you are growing older and more wiser, please help Luke understand more about Jesus and heaven.


Yes, ice cream factories, candy factories, cartoons and TV 24/7, playdates with all your friends and much more....... And one hundred years from now, who knows what you will want in heaven? But I will promise you that it will be a special place, like no other, and it will be perfect. I love you both to the moon and back and back again.

Love,
Mama

Yes - New Format - July 16, 2009

I am changing things a bit as I have explained in my blog title and profile. I had an idea of writing a book called "Letters to Joshua" a few years ago (Luke was not here, yet!) , but never seriously pursued it. So here is an attempt to write some letters to my two amazing boys. As strange as it sounds, I envisioned having a way to tell them important life things in the slightest instance that I was not here to do that. Sorry if that sounds weird, but it is something I think about every day. I want to be here, happy and healthy, until I am really old so that I can see my kids and their kids grow up, but I have also learned that it does not always happen that way.

Dearest Joshua and Luke,

Let me begin with a movie clip of Joshua. Joshua was in the bathroom checking out his hair, and getting ready for the day when I heard this beautiful song that I had never heard before coming from Joshua. I asked him to come out and sing it again which he did beautifully. Come to find out this song was one of the 20 sings on Luke's IPOD. (No, it is not a real IPOD, but I think he likes it because it is a lot like mine.) Joshua - I do really hope that you keep this innocence and sweetness about you. You often belt out a song and sing your heart out - often times with songs you have made up yourself or songs with rhyming, nonsense words. Luke is often concerned that he is not getting something that Joshua is getting so let me include Luke's rendition of the "Sing, Sing" song. It is darling, too (of course), and includes Luke's newest dance moves which he loves to include in his vocal performances. (The words to the song are as follows: "Sing, Sing, The gang's all here. Never mind the weather. Here we are together. " ~Then repeat many times.) These performances are dedicated to Nana - especially because Joshua was acting shy and would not sing it to Nana on the telephone. Love, Mama

Happy Birthday, Joshua x 3

Yes, we had three more birthday celebrations for Joshua. Why not celebrate four times for a four year old? When we came back from Minnesota, we took Joshua to the Zoo and Spaghetti Factory for our annual tradition. Joshua had lots of fun seeing the tigers, zebras, bears,and hyenas. He even accidentally pet the stingray. I should have known right away that seeing the stingray exhibit was a daddy thing, but when the zookeeper announced that it was feeding time as we approached Carribean Cove, I knew I was in trouble. I picked up one half of a dead fish with one eye and one piece of a shrimp. I tried hard to appear brave and not totally grossed out by the stingray food, and I think I was fairly successful. The biggest stingray came right up and sucked that shrimp right out of my hand. I only jumped about three inches! Joshua was barely putting his hand in the water, and suddenly one of the stingrays touched him. He splashed the water so hard. It kinda scared him. Luke watched carefully, but did not put his hands anywhere near the water. Luke especially enjoyed the choo choo train ride around the zoo.

The next day we celebrated Joshua's birthday with his preschool friends from Mother's Day Out. Eric bought a 10 child birthday party at McDonald's from a silent auction at my school. I did not like the idea of it in the beginning because most four year olds are not inviting friends to their parties yet, but Eric was convincing as usual. We agreed that we would make it clear that no presents would be brought to the party. And it did not sound like a bad idea since Joshua missed his "school" friends. It was a big success. We even invited our new neighbors whom we just love - Miss Emily, Aidan, Gavin, and Devin. Everyone had tons of fun playing together, and you can see how successful the party was when you see Joshua's tired little face as he fell asleep in his car seat on the way home.

Finally, we had the family party on Tuesday where Grammy, Papa Mort, and Grandma Nichols came to celebrate. This was tons of fun, but more low key than the others. We began the day at the St. Louis Bread Company for coffee and bagels (no coffee for the boys!). This is the usual Tuesday ritual with Eric's parents. We played at the park for a while. Then, the boys played with Daddy and Papa at home before taking a pretty decent nap. I picked up Grandma Nichols before the party began. Daddy grilled a feast for us. We had cupcakes (again), and sherbet in sugar bowls for dessert. Notice the "king" crowns on the boys. They had fun making these a day ago just for today's celebration. It was a lot of fun once again. I do not think we will go for five celebrations for a five year old next year, but it was definitely a success this year.

Blessed With Family

WARNING: long blog entry today......text may not keep to the appropriate tense either. This is not well thought out....just straight from my heart. Depending on the time of day you are reading this, get your cup of coffee, Big Gulp, Hugo, whatever you drink, sit back and relax. I won't apologize for the length or lack of consistent tense as I have written this. This is about something very near and dear to my heart ~ my family.

First of all, we feel very blessed with all of our family. I wanted to name names, but I better not in the interest that I may accidentally forget to name a very important person or family member, and I do not want to upset anyone. So we will talk about the special family members as things come up. But let me take a minute to tell you about how blessed we are with our Minnesota family or Uncle Luke and Aunt Lisa.

We have been making trips to Minnesota for a while now, but especially since our darling niece, Elsa, was born in 1999. Things really changed in our life then. We knew from the very first moment that we met her that she was very special. She grabbed our heart, and has had a very special place in it ever since. And not just because we are our godparents. :) She was the first niece or nephew on Eric's side of the family and the first small child in either of our families since we were married. The first time I met Elsa, I could not get enough of her. I wanted to hold her in my arms as long as I could. Elsa and I would play dress up, Barbies, share lip gloss, or play with cute little purses. She was so much fun to do girlie things with. I could tell you a million Elsa stories from the sweet homemade valentines that she would make for us (and I took to work to show my friends) to the many walks to the parks or playground to play. I have had less time to play with her each time we have gotten together since our boys have come around, but our love for her continues to grow. She still has the kindest heart, she is smart, and she is confident, and I am also so proud of how much she loves Jesus, and how much she knows about Jesus. She is getting to be such a big girl. I can not say, "young lady" yet, because I want her to stay little for a while longer. :)

Then, there is our sweet, nephew, Ethan a.k.a. the Train Expert in our family. I think his love of trains began with Thomas, but it has grown into a love of all trains. He can spot a sleeping train or hear a train sound from miles away! Ethan was lovable from the beginning, too. He is a little quieter than Elsa most of the time, but he is smart, respectful, and confident. He learns things so quickly, and likes to have fun. When he was younger, we really enjoyed reading books to him, and playing trains, of course. His love for Jesus is obvious, too. You just have to ask him more questions to get it out of him. :) I think that may just be a difference between boys and girls, though. I am not sure.

Then, there is Aunt Lisa and Uncle Luke. They are Joshua's godparents, and Uncle Luke is one of Luke's godparents. They were chosen for their deep faith and belief in God. They are kind to us, and make us feel very welcome and at home at their house. Uncle Luke and Aunt Lisa work very hard for their family. They have high expectations for Elsa and Ethan, and they instill good values in them by teaching them and modeling how to do the right thing. Aunt Lisa is a phenomenal mom to Elsa and Ethan. She is truly a super mom. I admire how she efficiently manages the house (and their big garden), teaches Elsa and Ethan, finds time to play with them....the list could go on and on. Uncle Luke is the most patient man, too. We are so glad that Uncle Luke and Aunt Lisa bring their family here to visit so often (We wish it was even more often, though.) And we are proud to be in their family. Or are they in ours?

Before Joshua came along, we made lots of trips to Minnesota to visit with their family, and unfortunately have made less trips since our darling two children have been around. I still wish we were able to see them more often, to be there for Elsa and Ethan's birthdays, first communions, piano recitals, or just stop in to see them. I know if we lived closer, we would do that. Who knows? Maybe someday we will....we still dream of that sometimes.

I know that Joshua and Luke are just as fond of this family as we are as evidenced by all of the fun from our latest trip to Minnesota. The cousins all played together pretty much non stop from early in the morning until a late bedtime. They jumped on the trampoline, played Batman and Transformers, dressed up in clothes, sang songs, played with trains, Barbies, doll houses, read books....the list could go on and on. Joshua and Luke could not ask for better cousins than the two in Minnesota (and the two in South Dakota). Elsa and Ethan were so good and playful with both of our boys. We could not have asked for a better visit. Joshua had so much fun. The night before we left, Joshua said, "Mom, if you let me stay just one more day, I promise I will not want to stay forever. " Bless his heart. He just wanted to stay one more day with the cousins. Luke had a lot of fun, too, but let me say that after about two days, he would say, "Home, Mama, Home Mama." Luke is a little guy that loves his home. He often says that to us if we are going out somewhere for the evening...no matter how much fun he is having. I know Luke had a good time chasing Rose and Pearl, the two dogs, and Joshua, Elsa, and Ethan.

And they all have to be pretty good people in that they put up with us. They must have a lot of tolerance or perseverance, right?

....

(By the way, you can double click on any pictures to make them larger, or double click on the slideshow on the top right, and it will make the pictures larger and easier to see. Enjoy! Thanks to cousin Karen and Aunt Lisa for a few of the pictures!)

:)

Happy Fourth of July!

This was our first time spending July 4th in Minnesota. The boys had lots of fun with their cousins as usual. The boys played most of the day and we went to church. Uncle Luke made some yummy fajitas (Wow...is he a great cook !~ and Aunt Lisa, too. They fed us so well!) As it got dark outside, the kids roasted marshmallows and made smores. We watched fireworks from the cozy three season porch. The cousins played, played, and played some more. It was sweet to watch Ethan and Joshua parade around the yard chanting "For our country, for our country, for our country" in their Uncle Sam hats and carrying their flags. Joshua also played on his new Spiderman scooter.

Happy Birthday, America! And thank you once again to those men and women who make our freedoms possible every day. We do not take what you do for granted.

Happy 4th Birthday, Joshua!

Happy birthday 4 year old Joshua! It is so hard to imagine that Joshua is four years old today. As cliche as it sounds, it truly seems like Joshua was born just a short time ago. I reminisced with Eric about the day Joshua was born. I can barely remember the details of the 24 hours of labor before the doctor and I deciding that a c-section was in everyone's best interests. What I most remember is seeing Joshua for the very first time, and being amazed at how beautiful he was. His thick, black hair, bright eyes, and every feature of his little body was amazing to me. I remember holding him in my arms for the first time, and being surprised at how comfortable he felt in my arms It still brings tears to my eyes to think about that moment in time....a moment that changed my life forever. And not a moment has gone by that I have not thought of him at every waking moment. I thank God for making me a mom every day for it is definitely the best thing I have ever done in my life.

Joshua - My advice to you today on your fourth birthday is to most importantly keep you love and zest for life. You are the smartest child I have ever known (and I am not prejudiced, and please know that some of these comments apply to your brother, Luke, too). You have a kind heart and a sweet demeanor. You really want to be everyone's friend, and I love that about you, too. Please keep talking, asking questions and try figuring out why and how everything happens. You will be something great some day, but most importantly, you will always be my baby...just kidding sort of...you will always be my favorite oldest son. I love you to the moon and back and back again, Joshua!

By the way, Joshua spent his fourth birthday with his two favorite cousins in Minnesota. He spent the day on Uncle Luke's boat, playing in the water. We ate pizza and decorated the cupcakes that you see in the picture. It was a fun day. Aunt Lisa began the special day with balloons hanging in the kitchen when Joshua woke up in the morning. According to Joshua, "It was the best birthday I ever had." Yes, in your whole long four years of life, dear son. It was an extra special birthday.