I wrote most of this last night at the end of the day. I'm going to leave it post-dated for Joshua's birthday.
My sweet Joshua turned 8 years old today (Sept 17). How can he be 8 years old already? It seems like only yesterday that we welcomed him into our family. What a wait to have him join us too! I had wanted another baby for quite a long time. Roger wasn't sure. I felt convicted to be silent on this issue and let God handle it. It was hard! I prayed often for God to give us the same desire - that we wouldn't be on either side of the issue each wanting something different.
After more than a year of waiting and hoping, one Saturday night Roger told me that he just didn't want any more children. My heart was broken. The next morning in church, children were being dedicated. Since Roger was teaching a Sunday School class we attended separate services. I thought it was a good thing as seeing all of those babies just made my heart ache with the thought of never having another one myself. When Roger arrived home from church, he told me that God had changed his heart! Oh there were more tears - of joy this time. Shortly after this we found that we were expecting another baby. As happy as I was to have another baby coming, it was sweet to know that God worked out all of the details. He didn't need me to meddle or whine or work to get my way. He did it in his way which was definitely the best way!!!
This child is the one that think looks most like Roger. He was also born on Roger's mom's birthday. :-)
I'm so thankful for Joshua. What joy, laughter and delight he has brought to our family. There are so many things that I love about our sweet son. Here are some of them.
- He is tender and loving and always ready to give out a hug or a kiss.
- He has a great sense of humor and loves to laugh and have fun.
- He is willing to try new things.
- He has a sensitive heart. (Not always as he is dealing with his siblings - LOL - but on the whole I see this in him.)
- He is creative and loves to make things. He draws ALL the time and has a vivid imagination. You should see his math book. One side is a blank page - but not in his book. It's covered with lots of art, letters and whatever creative thing he wanted to doodle at the moment.
- He is bright and inquisitive. He asks a LOT of questions about a wide variety of things. He also loves to read and learns much from the variety of topics on which he reads.
- He has a good attitude - most of the time - about whatever he is asked to do.
There are many more things, but I wanted to give you a peek at our boy. He isn't perfect by any means, but is truly a special child.
One of the times when I experienced his sensitive heart was a day several years ago, when we were riding somewhere. I'm not sure where we were going or why I only remember him being in the car with me. He was 4 years old. I had lost a baby the summer prior and this day was the "due date". I was the only one that knew or remembered this date and I hadn't spoken about it to anyone. As we were riding in the car, I was thinking/pondering, Joshua began talking about our baby in heaven. We had talked about this baby many times before, especially after the loss, and I had assured him that our baby is in heaven. That day he reassured me that our baby was with God - safe and loved. It was a small but significant conversation to me. I was encouraged that God used this little boy to bring comfort to my hearting heart. I was amazed at his sensitivity.
Today we spent the day as we like to in our family - doing whatever the birthday person wants to do. It's a fun tradition and Roger typically takes the day off from work to join us. The birthday child also gets to pick out the foods for the day though thankfully we don't all have to join in. Joshua wanted tator tots and ketchup for lunch - and nothing else. So that's what he ate. The rest of us had sandwiches. We ate out at Golden Corral for dinner - a place with something for everyone.
Most of the day was spent playing games - both inside and out. Things like chess, apples to apples, capture the flag and more. It was simple fun. I'm so glad that this is something that is enjoyable to him. Rebecca made a scavenger hunt for him to lead to his present. She loves doing this and it's fun for the recipient too.
We haven't decided on the date/theme for the birthday party. I know, we are running out of time. Isaiah's birthday is in 6 days. We have typically had a joint party for both boys and will plan to do that again this year. They both want different themes which is hard. I did that one year and it was crazy! I don't really want to do it again. So, until we figure out what we are doing - nothing has gotten planned.
I have much to catch up on from last week! I want to share pictures and some details on our trip. I'll try to do that this week. For now, it's about time for bed. Good- night my sweet Joshua. I have loved having you in our family. We have been abundantly blessed by you! I thank God for you every day.
With love,
Leslie
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