On June 29, our Josiah Bear turned 4 years old! What a year of growth this has been for him - not just physically, but in emotional maturity as well! Sometime several months ago, it was like a switch was flipped in this little guy and he blossomed into a sunshiny child eager to obey, delightful as can be, and much more stable in his moods. His once tempestuous personality has settled down tremendously and he is a more calm, grown-up boy with a developing sense of humor, a silly streak, and a depth to his sweetness. It has been an amazing transformation to watch.
We truly do reap in a different season than we sow. It has been nice to begin reaping the fruit of all that child training in the first 3 1/2 years of his life! (Gives me hope for Child #3 who is proving to be quite challenging in the obedience department right now!) Josiah still has his occasional angry outbursts or moments of frustration that we continue to talk through, but he has come such a long way in both his ability to communicate as well as express self-control.
Preschool was great fun for JoJo this past year, and he made good strides academically! He learned how to write numbers and some letters, how to read simple 3-letter words, and how to comprehend chapter books being read aloud. Having books read to him is definitely one of his all-time favorite activities! Josiah finished his preschool math book, and started in on his kindergarten one with happy smiles. He also still loves to help me with cooking or baking projects in the kitchen. He is learning responsibility with chores and takes his job as official egg-collector seriously.
Josiah has toughened up a lot and is the biggest fan of wrestling with Daddy and the brothers that we have in the household! He has also discovered a greater love for being outdoors this year. He is outgrowing his naps, and bounces out of bed every 5 minutes some days asking if he can go outside! He and Isaac come up with all sorts of imaginary adventures outdoors and are nearly inseparable. They both also like building with Legos on the (currently) empty top bunk. Josiah really looks up to Isaac and always wants to do everything just like his big brother.
Despite growing up in so many ways between ages 3 and 4, Josiah still loves his snuggles with Mommy and Daddy. He thrives on lots of physical affection and is the child who will come up and give me random kisses throughout the day just because. He makes us laugh all the time at his silly antics (especially the wild dress up fashions he comes up with)! His smile melts my heart and his love for Bible time brings me great joy! He loves to announce regularly that he "loves God the best."
Considering how much JoJo has grown this past year, I am excited to see what the next year holds for him!
Always read for an adventure!
The Pensive Look
Notice which child is IN the barrel. That would be because he is the daring one!
Always a lover of babies!
One of my favorite pictures!
Notice the admiring looks for Big Bro.
Hey - I've seen him before!
JoJo learned how to sweep this year!
This boy brings us so much joy!
We love our Josiah Daniel!
