August Already!

So much has happened since I last updated this blog so this will be super long!   We moved into a new little condo by the beach, we catered a wedding in NC, Josiah turned 2, I found out my job is falling victim to budget cuts and will be no more after Aug 15th, a lady backed into us in a parking lot and totaled our van, Mike had ear surgery, I spent another Saturday with good friends doing Once A Month Cooking, and in my "free" time, I have been shopping for a new van and a new job.  Thankfully we found and bought a van today, but I have NO IDEA what I'm going to do for work.  No wonder my brain is dead and I have a hard time writing a blog post anymore. 

So besides all of that craziness, Josiah continues to keep us smiling.  He is such a fun kid, but he sure knows how to push the limits.  Boy is he ever my kid.  Independent, stubborn, creative-thinker (ie: when Mommy says no, he immediately turns and says "Dad, can I do that?").  I see my little sister in him when he puts on the charm when he's asking to do something I'll probably say no to (Raises his eyebrows, cocks his head to the side, smiles and says "I want to watch the Trucks movie again. Umm.. Okay!").  And he's still talking our ears off like his Uncle Brett.  He's got his Daddy's cautious approach to new situations, and his friendliness - Josiah loves just about everyone he's ever met and will gladly talk to them, share with them, and wants them to join in whatever he's doing.  (whenever there's a new kid at the park, he gets right up to their face, and asks them to come play with him "hey girl, you wanna come up here with me?  come on.  let's go!") 

He's carrying on complete conversations these days, and it's so cute to hear him think about something and say "ummm" when we give him a choice.  (Josiah, do you want to go to the store with me?  "Ummm... sure!"  or lately when the answer is yes, it's "Oh yeah!")  And he's quite the encourager... to others and to himself.  When he's trying something hard, I will hear him giving himself a little pep talk under his breath "one more.  You're doing a great job." 

And then there's the complete randomness.  Like when he was jumping from his little soft chair onto a pile of pillows, and he just blurted out: "I want to say 'TRAVEL!" and then he said "TRAVEL" and jumped.  Then got up again and said:  "I want to say 'BLADES'! (helicopter blades) and did it again.  Mike and I just look at each other like "Where does he come up with this stuff?!" 

He's learning how to spell a few words, which is just crazy.  Tonight in the bathtub, he recognized "Josiah, Mommy, Car, Go & Hot"  He can tell you how to spell "Josiah," "Hot," and "Mommy".   He LOVES to read the Bible each night before bed, and every single night asks to read about the burning bush, Adam & Eve and Noah's Ark.   If I stop and ask him, he can fill in the blanks with the burning bush story, Noah's Ark and the Battle of Jericho.   It's amazing to me how much he's actually comprehending.  He is an extremely passionate pray-er.  I have got to capture it on video.  It's priceless.  He gets so into it at the dinner table, that he's actually bonked his head on the table before because he closes his eyes and shakes his head as he prays.  No clue where that came from other than his own passion.

I could go on and on, but suddenly I'm realizing that it's getting super late and I can hardly hold my eyes open.  I have a ton of pictures I should share, although most of them are on Facebook, so maybe next time.  ;)  Thanks for reading!   If you made it this far, you're the best!