It's Official. He can ride!

As David and I were inside the house getting last minute items gathered for our family outing to a farm area today, Josiah learned to ride a "two-wheeler." Mackenzie came running in screaming and we could hear Josiah outside screaming. We went running out thinking someone was hurt. Great news! No one was hurt at all. They were screaming with excitement. Josiah had done it. He taught himself how to ride a bike without training wheels. Our kids call bikes without training wheels, "two-wheelers." Josiah says he learned on our "practice bike," because it is the same one Mackenzie learned on...Elmo. Neither of them like Elmo, so he made sure to explain that it is just the practice bike. Today, David is taking the training wheels off his Cars Bike. It is official. He can ride.
I even got him to pose for a picture! :)

There he goes!

Way to go, Josiah! :)

Our Week

Our week was a very busy week! We realized our "get a friend in free" coupons for Dollywood were expiring, so we called our neighbors, Trifon and Geri, who are originally from Bulgaria to spend the day at Dollywood with us! The really fun part is that Metodi, their Bulgarian friend, was with them and able to come, too. At the end of the day, he told us that we had given him much to write about in his journal! Seeing Dollywood through someone else's eyes was a neat experience. Thank you, Zearl and Betty, for our season passes that came with those coupons! Trifon, Geri, Josiah, me, Mackenzie, and Metodi.
Mackenzie and Josiah, who spotted a bench at Dollywood and wanted their picture made on it! Funny kids. I was happy to oblige. ;)

My two baby birds...just hatching...in the newest area of the park. ;)

Ever since Mackenzie learned to ride without training wheels, Josiah has been asking for us to take his off, too. He insists that he can ride "a two wheeler," too. We told him that we were not planning to take his training wheels off just yet. He could practice on Mackenzie's bike, and when he's really ready, we'll take his training wheels off his bike. (This is because David has already taken Josiah's off only to put them back on multiple times already.) SO...our very mechanically inclined little boy TOOK HIS OWN TRAINING WHEELS OFF BY HIMSELF! Yep, you read that right. David was working on putting the basketball goal together that Josiah got for his Birthday (thanks, Dad and Lisa!) and Josiah helped himself to the right tool and actually took the training wheel off his bike. After handing his daddy the wheel, he began putting the nut back in place. David helped him with the other one.

And a very determined little boy is learning to ride a two wheeled bike. Not totally there yet, but learning, never-the-less!

On Friday, Mzee arrived for a visit! We missed my mom, who is knee deep (or more) into her doctoral studies, but we enjoyed our time with Mark. I love the above picture that I snapped after church on Sunday.

Here's Mzee and the kids playing a game of catch in the back of his truck.

Today, while I was checking the garden, a bird flew out of the little "Christmas" tree behind the garden. Scared me to death as I was very close to the tree! I decided to nose around, and see what I found! I didn't touch the tree as I don't want the mother bird to abandon the nest, but I did run in and get the kids so they could peek at the three tiny eggs!

Here's a random picture that I took of Josiah this morning. He insisted that he had found the perfect picture spot. So, once again, I obliged. I love it when they want me to take their pictures!

Josiah's 4th Birthday Party

Though his actual birth date is not today, we celebrated Josiah's 4th Birthday today. He invited all six of his friends from school over to play with sidewalk chalk and riding toys. Four of his friends were able to come, and those kids had a blast playing together! Kameron and Josiah riding in the red car. Those boys are best buddies.
Our driveway full of fun.

Another view of the driveway with the party underway!

Josiah and Kameron decided they were tired. They climbed into the tree house and sprawled out to rest! Too funny.

Josiah requested an orange cake. (Actually, orange and black, but orange and blue was easier for me to do...he seemed 100% pleased with it!) He wanted dinosaurs on it, but the dinos we found were too big to fit on the cake, so we stood them all around the cake! He loved it. He chose a chocolate cake and I made homemade buttercream icing to go on it. (Disclaimer: I am NOT a cake decorator, nor do I claim to be! I simply had fun making a cake for my little man that met his specifications.) :)

I also made some chocolate iced cupcakes to be sure there was enough for everyone. Here's the whole gang, minus some moms who were standing near me. We had Lexi, Kameron, Mackenzie, Josiah, Brady, and Ava. Fun crew!

The wind blew Josiah's candles out. He was satisfied with that as he seemed to have no desire to do it himself. He was very pleased with his cake, surrounded by dinosaurs. :)

As Josiah opened his gifts, he paused between each one to admire each new toy. It was priceless. He'd toss the unopened card to the side, open the package, and spend several moments admiring the toy. All the moms loved it, and I was pleased because each gift was truly appreciated.

Josiah opening the gift from Kameron.

Then Josiah disappeared. We found him in the living room, sprawled out, surrounded by new toys. He was totally enjoying them! The other moms got a kick out of this, too. Good thing we opened presents last, or he would have spent his entire time in the living room instead of outside with his friends. ;)

It's so hard to believe that he is almost 4 years old. I am so proud of him. He has a loving heart and is sensitive to others. He is good with his hands and likes to build things and put things together, like legos and star wars toys. He loves to gives hugs and I love to be the recipient of those cuddles he hands out through the day! He is a smiley, happy kid who rolls readily with the punches. He can write his own name really well and without prompting. He can count to ten in Spanish and twenty in English. He has known his entire alphabet for quite some time, but he now knows all the phonics that go with each letter, too. He is an eager learner and a good listener in a group setting. He entertains himself well with his toys, and likes to help out around the house. He is a sweetie, and we are so thankful for him. He has a well child check up later this week. I measured him here at home, and I think he's about 37 1/2 lbs (67%) and 41.4 in tall (79%). He's a handsome little fellow! Happy Birthday, Josiah.

And, last Thursday night Mackenzie learned to ride a two-wheeled bike! She was extremely frustrated to discover that she could not learn it on the first attempt. She came inside and cried. I sat with her and we talked. It was a wonderful conversation! We talked about her personality and how she likes to get things right the first time around. I talked to her at length about how it's okay to fail, as long as you get back up and try again. Lots of things in life take practice, and that's okay. I also told her stories about when I learned to ride a bike, so many years ago. The conversation was much more in depth than that, but suffice to say that by the time we were finished talking, she was ready to go back out and get back on the bike. I was so proud of her! She kept right on practicing until she did it. I am thankful she did not give up after that first attempt. She talked about how she knows kids younger than her who can ride a two-wheeler, and since she's a first grader now, she wants to do first grade things, like be able to ride a two wheeler! Precious conversation. We even talked about how each person has different strengths. Some kids learn to ride quickly, and some kids have to try harder. That's okay. We're all good at something, but not necessarily the same things. That's how God designed it. Use the strengths He gave you, and don't give up.

She got back out there...and she did it!