Joshua is READING!!!

As of yesterday Joshua can read, I came across a web page called ABC Reading Eggs. It says your child can read in 6 weeks. I signed up for the free trial and have been letting Joshua play it almost as much as he would like since I don't know when the trial will end. They have mini games in each lesson learning how to say the sound the letter makes and every other lesson they start to learn words like am, Sam, I, at, cat... etc. Joshua can read the words I, am, Joshua, Sam, Cat, fat, sat, bat. I can write out on paper sentences like; I am Sam, I am Joshua, Sam I am, I am a fat cat, I saw a bat. He can read it all. If he doesn't know the word he can sound out the first letter like the b in bat, then he says at because he knows that word, he gets excited once he has it figured out. I need to go the library now to get some easy readers for him so he doesn't loose what he has learned. We might be reading even more than we are already... I think that could be a good thing.

Once this trial runs out we might have to buy the program. It is $54.00 I think but we aren't paying for Preschool so I think it would be worth it. This program creates a lot less stress on me because I'm not having to sit down with him and force him to listen to me. He gets to play his computer game while he learns how to read. I think that is a pretty good deal for me and him.

I am so proud of him and cannot believe he can read some words now and write his name correct. I cannot believe he will be 5 in February and is learning so much already... My little guy is growing up.

Funny kid

Joshua received a sticky cinnamon bear in Church Wednesday night and hasn't eaten it yet. While we were sitting at the table coloring he said

"I forgot to eat my bear... that tastes like Christmas and smells like Christmas"

Joshua can count

Joshua is doing great with counting. He can count from 1-15 then he needs my help for 16-20, then he can count from 21-19, 31-39, 41-49, 51-59, 61-69, 71-79, 81-89, 91-99. Then I say, very loud, 100. He is very proud and his favorite numbers are 31-39, I'm not sure why. I was going to video tape this but my camera ran out of batteries and I have no more. Maybe next time...

Look Mom!

Tonight while Joshua, Will and I were walking our neighborhood. Joshua came across a seeded dandelion. He picked it up, started blowing on it then plucking out the seed and said 'Mom, I've seen these in Mario a Galaxy!'. You can tell what he likes to do. :)




(The little dandelion seed looking things sticking up out of the ground is that he was talking about)

Pumpkin Patches

Last month we went to a couple different farms in Colorado. I love living so close to the pumpkin patches they are great for Joshua to run around and play in. The first pumpkin patch/pick your own farm was great, it was only a 15 minute drive from our house. My friends from Laramie drove down to visit it and invited us along. It was great to see them again. Joshua loved the animals, the hay ride and best of all picking your own produce. We got carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes, and pumpkins. The prices were GREAT, we will definitely be going back for more.








Will doesn't like the feel of the grass on his feet



The second farm we went to was fun as well. They had a corn maze, hay maze, pumpkins, petting zoo, trike ride, playground, cornbox to play in and much more. Joshua LOVED playing here and Will enjoyed sleeping in the stroller with the breeze on this face. I am so glad my friend from Laramie invited us to meet them there.

Random pictures of my cuties!!

The other day there was a hot air balloon in the air. This is the third balloon I've seen since we have moved here. I really want to know who it belongs to and pay to go up in it. I love the balloons against the mountains, they look beautiful!

Joshua is 4 1/2 years old

On August 19th we celebrated Joshua's half birthday. We haven't ever celebrated a half birthday before but I thought it would be fun. Joshua is always asking for things and there is never a holiday close by so I thought we should start celebrating more often. I crochet some more play food for his kitchen, some eggs in a half carton, a market bag, lolly pop, some carrots, and a cookie.

That morning I went to Albertsons to pick up a cake (I had them pipe on a turnip for me), then we went to the park. After the park Will took a nap at home, we ate lunch then went to a splash pad park quite a ways from our house. After the second park of the day Joshua was very hungry so I took the boys and Jennifer to Chickfila. Joshua loved playing there and he ate his food all gone. Joshua was happy that his Dad was able to meet us at the restaurant on his break.

Once Michael got home from work we had Joshua's cake. Joshua loved the cake and thought it was silly that we put a turnip on the cake. Joshua really likes the book A Birthday for Cow and Duck is always trying to put a turnip in or on the cake. This has been Joshua's favorite book for a couple years now. Now if you ask Joshua how old he is he will tell you "I'm four and a half!".

Will's first ice cream cone

On July 26th we took the boys to a really neat park called Fossil Park. They have really big slides for Joshua to go on and a bunch of toys that go round and round. Will loved playing on the smaller slides. While we were there Joshua found this bowl that goes round and round really fast. He went on this for quite awhile, Michael kept stopping him to make sure he was feeling fine. Joshua's answer was always yes and they kept spinning around. After that he went on a merry go round type of thing and loved that.

While I was getting Will in the car to go home I saw Joshua laying his head down on Michael's lap, he didn't look good. He kept complaining that his head hurt, so we gave him a plastic bag to hold in the car just in case he needed to use it. About a block away from the park he started throwing up in the bag. We felt so sorry for him, he was very upset. We stopped the car got him cleaned up, fortunately he used the bag, and gave him a new bag just in case. Michael asked him if ice cream would make him feel better, of course Joshua said yes.

So we went to Dairy Queen. I have been craving a chocolate dipped cone from there for quite awhile now so that is why Michael thought of Dairy Queen. I got a cone for Joshua, Michael and I, and was wanting to get a cookie for Will but they didn't have any. Will was not happy that he didn't get one too so he was throwing a fit. He was very upset and angry the first part of the way home then about a mile away he was so sad, he was sobbing. I had eaten a good portion of my ice cream cone so I gave him the rest of mine. His tears instantly dried up and he was so happy. He would eat the ice cream cone by putting it in his mouth until his lips touched it then he would take the cone out and lick his lips. He was very cute about it all. When we got home we let him enjoy the rest of his cone on the ground outside so he wouldn't make a mess in the house.

Father's Day

For Father's Day this year I took the boys to the dollar store and had Joshua pick out something he thought his dad would like. The first thing he said he wanted to get Michael was a book. Of course all they had were kids books or books for women so I tried to get him interested in something else. We were in the same isle as the office supplies so he picked up some pencils and said Daddy needed those, they had High School Musical on them :) As he was walking around the store he saw a box mix of cookies then a box mix of a cake and said Daddy NEEDED a cake for Father's Day. We walked around some more and he found a huge party hat and later some M & M's. I think he did pretty good!

Dot Art

While in Texas in January 2009 my cousin had Joshua and her daughter make some art using bingo doters. Joshua thought this was the best idea ever and had a blast. Since then the idea pops in my head that I should get some too but I never did. Well a couple of days ago, while at the dollar store, I found some bingo doters. I was so happy I bought all the colors they had (only 4), that night Joshua had a blast making pictures with these easy to use/mess free paints. Here are pictures of his creations!


My favorite one!








His first one.