riding the birthday train . . .

yesterday we had a busy day writing thank you notes for the presents we received at the party on Saturday.
we also made chocolate chip cookies for Joseph to take to school today for his friends. According to Joseph, "all kids LOVE a chocolate chip cookie."
Joseph has been so excited about his birthday, so I wanted to make sure it lived up to his expectations.The birthday balloon fairy visited during the night and Joseph woke up to a room full of balloons!
Then daddy delivered his warm birthday cinnamon roll.
It was time for school and he left with cookies and thank-you cards in-hand.
After school, Daddy & Joseph met Mama & Jacob at a restaurant for dinner. Much to Joseph's glee, we were given the #5 for our table.
We went to All Aboard for dinner. A very fun restaurant that delivers the food to your table via train!
After dinner we returned home to open presents.
And Joseph got to stay up late and play.
We can't believe that Joseph is already five years old. He is a great helper and is usually eager to do his chores.

Joseph loves going to his pre-school three days a week and we can tell a huge difference with him socially. His pre-school class last year used a kindergarten readiness program and about half the class went on to kindergarten. He is in a more advanced class this year so we have no doubt about his readiness for kindergarten next year. They have been studying shapes (pentagon, hexagon, cube, cylinder, etc.) and Johnny Appleseed. Last week they did an apple taste test between red, green and yellow apples and this week they made applesauce. They're also gearing up for fall. His current homework is to take a nature walk with his family and then bring to school a sampling of what he found.

Joseph loves to learn on his own and works hard on math, writing and reading. He can read surprisingly well for his age and I only have to help him occasionally when he texts his Papa or instant messages Daddy during the day. He also loves to type up signs on the computer and print them out. We currently have several signs hanging up around the house - along with his shape flashcards. (Our house really looks more like a pre-school with all the books, signs, post-its and toys. . . . . 'tis the season.)

Joseph likes to be in charge of everyone and everything and gets quite frustrated when he gets corrected for correcting his brother. He would like to make the rules. Since Daddy and Mama were both oldest children, we understand the feelings, but still can't allow the behavior.

Joseph is very sweet and still loves to snuggle and hug and leaves love notes all over the house. He is passionate and focused when "working" on the computer, building something fantastic or "drawing," which really consists more of him writing fancy math problems all over a paper. He is obsessed with calendars and clocks and "always knows what day it is." He has a wooden calendar in his room that he updates every morning before he comes downstairs.

He loves to go to Bible Study on Tuesday mornings with me and tells me all about his lesson on the way home. We've been able to have some great discussions recently about God and I love watching him process the stories he hears at church.

He has been a joy to watch as he grows and develops and learns. We love our precious boy more than we can say and are so proud of him.