Thankful

Now these are little boy legs! See all those bumps, bruises and scrapes? It's funny how just the sight of these cute (very obviously boy) legs can make me so thankful. People often ask me if we want a girl. I have to be honest, I am content. Before having Josiah, I was terrified of having boys and really wanted all girls. But God knew what I needed, and I am so thankful that He gave me what I needed and not what I wanted. :) I'm not saying there is anything wrong with girls, I'm sure I would love them too...but there is something special about little boys in my heart. I love that my days are filled with legos, superheros, dirt, bugs, gross bodily functions (ok, maybe not really thankful about that part), wrestling,  transformers and nerf gun wars. I'm thankful that I hear on a daily basis "Mommy, you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. I want to marry you!". I'm thankful for the mystery that little boys are to me. Sometimes I am watching them play with their superheros and suddenly am amazed at the way God made them so very different from girls. It's often obvious that they are made to be leaders and protectors.
I am grateful for the gifts God has given us...but the greatest gift is that I get to be their Mommy.

Happy Birthday Josiah!!!

How could it possibly be that 6 years ago today this happened? Josiah came into this world and turned it completely upside down for us. He has been a challenge from the beginning but he has added so much to our lives. He keeps me looking to God for answers, he has a super sensitive heart to all spiritual things, his prayers convict and encourage me, his questions push me, his passion for life is insatiable, his love for his family is fierce! He is God's gift to me!

Okay, so all the mushy part over..let's talk about the celebration we had today! First thing this morning Josiah opened his presents and he and Casey began playing. I was originally planning to have school this morning but they were having so much fun that I decided that we'll have school on Saturday instead (the plus side of homeschooling!).

Why do they always take the best pictures when they are in their underwear?

Excited about the K'nex he got from Nani and Pawpaw.

When we originally asked Josiah where he wanted to eat (much earlier in the week) for his birthday, he said he wanted Indian food, then changed it to Chili's (yes, we have that here) and in the end, we ended up with McDonalds. Aaron and I were less than thrilled. :) But Josiah and Casey enjoyed it very much!

Josiah's meal of choice...McDonalds.

Casey and Papa

After lunch we went to see "Planes". It just came out today so it was great timing for some birthday fun.
Josiah decided he wanted lemon pound cake for his dessert. I made this one, substituted yogurt for sour cream and added a lemon glaze. It was delicious!

Josiah's lemon poundcake

Happy boy!

Birthdays are always emotional for me. I automatically think about how the number of years they will be with us has just decreased. When we were in the US I heard someone say: "The days are long but the years are short.". Isn't that incredibly true? I want to make the most of the few short years I'm given with these two awesome little boys.

Catching up on 7 weeks

We're finally home from Mussoorie! After seven long and wonderfully cool weeks, here we are back in the hot desert. We're so glad to be home, but we'll be leaving again in a week and a half - just long enough to get the laundry caught up and repack.
Anyway, Josiah just turned 10 months old on Sunday. Unbelievable!! All of these pictures and videos are from the last 7 weeks, including right before we left for Mussoorie. I hope you enjoy them!

Everytime we went to this one place to eat, the shop keeper gave Josiah a candy bar. Indians love to give children candy - their age doesn't matter. I got really tired of trying to explain that we aren't letting him have sweets, and so I just let him play with it. Later, when the shop keeper wasn't looking, we would stick the candy in our bag and we'd eat it later! ha! We're still finding candy bars in our bags as we unpack!


Josiah's "enjoying" his candy bar.


Josiah, Mom and Aunt Heather


Josiah driving Uncle Johnny's car.


I don't know which face is funnier - Josiah's or Uncle Johnny's!


Josiah would almost eat this whole apple pancake every Saturday morning. I didn't put syrup on it, but he didn't seem to mind.


Here he is just being silly.


Josiah and Mommy on the "Ferris Wheel." We'll save that for another post.


Josiah and his buddy, Samuel. Samuel is 11 months old.


They had so much fun that they passed out in the car on the way home.



And here are two videos. The first one is our fun with Josiah and a laser pointer and the second one is a gift from Josiah's Aunt Sandy. Josiah loves the Hip Hop Man!

I Love My Moms!!!

I did a lot of babysitting growing up, worked in a preschool and I was a nanny for a while. I thought I had a good understanding of what it means to be a mom. But then, I had Josiah and I realized that I had only scratched the surface. I have never respected Mama Lyons and Mom Goccia like I do now. I understand how you can love a child so fiercely that it hurts. I truly know what sacrificial love is. I know what it means to work hard all day long and still feel like you’ve done nothing. I understand how much patience is needed in raising little ones. I know that time is no longer your own. I see how difficult disciplining a child can be. I understand how a Mom’s heart can ache when her little one is hurt or sick. I experience what it feels like to be exhausted all the time. I understand the anxieties Mom’s face when they think about their child’s future.

So Mama Lyons and Mom Goccia – you two are my heroes! You are the most selfless people I’ve ever known. I pray that I can be the Mom to Josiah that you have been to us. You are an amazing example to me of what a Mom needs to be. We love you so much!

Okay, and for your Mother’s Day present….pictures of Josiah!

Grammy and Nani - I wanted Mom to send me to you in this box, but she wouldn't.

Josiah with his first pair of "big boy" shoes.



Isn't this sweater awesome? Josiah's Great Aunt Janet made it. Thanks so much Aunt Janet! I love it!

I love this picture of Josiah and Papa!


Josiah LOVES the refrigerator...maybe it's because he knows there's food inside!

Catching up

Some of our Indian friends gave us this swing for Josiah. We didn't dare tell them that he's too big for it! I think it's really neat though...I think they bought it at an antique store.



Sometimes Josiah likes to get in it and swing but we have to stay right with him so he doesn't fall out.


This picture makes me laugh. Josiah crawled inside the bag to check out what was inside. I guess he was trying to help me pack!


We have some friends in Jaisalmer who run an orphanage. They called us a few weeks ago and told us that they were going out to a village to pick up a baby that had been abandoned. The baby was the result of an unwanted pregnancy and was left to die in a trash heap. Someone in the village called our friend and he was able to pick the baby up within 30 minutes of him being born. While we were in Jaisalmer last week, we were able to see them and meet baby Moses. At the time of this picture he was only 22 days old. We're happy to say that this family has decided to keep Moses and raise him as their own. The Mom has even been nursing him and her milk is coming in.

Here is sweet little Moses.


Josiah was really intrigued by Moses. He kept trying to touch his head and face.

Random

We are going to be out of town for about 10 days, so there won't be any new posts during that time. I figured I better post some pictures of Josiah before the grandparents get upset because I didn't do it before we left! There are eight pictures and one video, so you can look at one picture a day and before you know it, we'll be back home.

He's Italiano! Josiah had spaghetti (don't worry, it was only the noodles - no sauce) for the first time this week. As you can tell, he really liked it!




Look at those black eyes.

Playing at the neighbor's house.


I love this picture of Josiah and his Masi.


And this one! Look at his face!


It's watermelon season! This is Josiah's first time eating it.






And for the grandparents, a video of Josiah eating watermelon.

Okay, I have done my daughterly duty and can leave home with a clear conscience! See you in 10 days!

Jungle Josiah

Josiah's big cousin, Amelia, picked this outfit for him. When he started playing on his gym yesterday, I just had to take some pictures since the clothes go with the theme.

This one cracks me up! Look at that slobber! I think it's funny that it's landing on the "pool of water".



I thought this picture was really neat with Josiah's reflection on the floor.


There is just something so precious about baby feet.

This child never sits still. Even when he was in the womb he was always moving! You can watch this video to see how active he is.



And I also got "tagged" by E-rob, so here it goes:

4 Jobs I have had in my life:

1. Preschool Teacher
   
2. Nanny
   
3. Assistant at Tennesse Dept of Children's Services
   
4. Human Resources at IBM
   

4 Movies I have watched more than once:

1. The Sixth Sense
   
2. Lagaan
   
3. Ever After
   
4. The Ring
   

4 Places I have lived:

1. Georgia
   
2. Tennessee
3. North Carolina
   
4. India
   

4 TV shows I watch/watched

1. LOST!!!
2. Smallville
3. House
4. Monk
   

4 Places I have been

1. India
2. South Africa
   
3. Mexico
   
4. Thailand
   

4 people who email me regularly

1. Mom
2. Cortney
3. Nikki
4. Kim
   

4 of my favorite foods

1. Chocolate
   
2. Anything Mexican
   
3. Fillet Mignon
   
4. Aloo subze
   

4 places I would like to visit

1. Egypt
2. Australia
3. Greece
4. California
   

4 things I am looking forward to this year

1. Seeing my family
   
2. Josiah's first b-day
   
3. USA!!!!
   
4. Shopping at WalMart
   

Ok, I'm tagging: KC, Andrea, Jen C and Krista.

How much is that doggy in the window?

Nani sent Josiah this really cute puppy outfit. Although it's too warm to use it here, we're heading to the mountains for a few weeks and it will be perfect for the weather there. I couldn't resist trying it on him and getting a few pictures though!

New Josiah Pictures

I try to take Josiah over to see our neighbors about every two or three days. He loves to play with them and they are always glad to see him. It's so great to have people here who love Josiah so much - especially since we are so far away from family.


Josiah and his Didi.


Ahbi, Anjali and Josiah


This morning we went to the park for some play time and I got some really good pictures.



What a sweet boy!