Joyful Josie and Her Two Year Old Brother

(Note: I wrote this a week ago, but had a little trouble with Blogger. So, here is my post-a week late!) :)

Whew! We have had a busy last couple of days! Thursday we went to the zoo with my brother, his wife, and their son, Landon. Mary Alice and Major love their little cousin so much and had fun playing with/annoying sweet little Landon. It was a perfect day at the zoo because there was a threat of rain (although it didn't actually rain) so the crowds of out of control daycare kids and school children were absent. We had a great time. The weather was great! Our picnic lunch was great! The kids were great. Everything was great great great.




At the zoo, they have this area where there are a bunch of caged parakeets and other small birds. For a dollar, you can buy birdseed on a stick and feed them. The birds land on the end of the stick and eat the seed. It is a pretty fun thing. You get to watch the birds up close. Anyway- Mary Alice, Major, and Landon all had sticks and let the birds land on their sticks. Mary Alice really liked the idea of feeding the birds. (She related it to Mary Poppins.) Uncle Adam bought her a stick and she held it out to feed the birds. She was fine until several birds landed on her stick at the same time. Then she freaked out. The same thing happened with Landon. Major sortof leaned away from the stick as the birds ate his seed. He decided that he didn't like feeding the birds and, when the birds flew away for a moment, he quickly threw his stick on the ground. The whole bird feeding experience was really funny!

Friday, Josh and I drove up to McKinney to see some old friends. We had so much fun just visiting and being with people we love. Major and I spent the night in Frisco with Josh's parents. On Saturday, I went to my friend Stephanie's baby shower. It was good to see some of our old friends from our small group in Mesquite. While I was busy hanging out with friends, Josh and Mary Alice were at home planning Major's birthday party. Mary Alice had a soccer game on Saturday morning. Guess what??? She played!! She had a huge smile on her face and was definitely a "joyful Josie" for the whole game. We were so proud of her! She called me on my way home from the shower to tell me that she had been a "joyful Josie" at the game and then she said, "And you know what else, mom? I even got some pretzels and juice!" That's what soccer is all about for most four year olds---after game snacks. Josh fixed Mary Alice's hair. It looked pretty good. I know now that he has a hidden hair fixing talent.

Mary Alice and Josh organized a birthday party for Major. Mary Alice picked out special Spiderman plates and napkins and a Spiderman cake for Major. Major doesn't know the first thing about Spiderman, but I thought it was pretty cute that Mary Alice picked that out for him. She was trying so hard to pick something that he would like.

Saturday night, lots of family came down to celebrate Major's second birthday. It is so hard to believe that my little guy is already two! He is getting to be such a big boy. I feel like we have a mini sports arena here at our house now. Between all of his family members, he got lots and lots of sportsy things. He got a basketball goal which he LOVES. He likes to do something he calls a "super dooper dunk" in which he spins around several times before slamming the ball into the basket. Hilarious! He is much more aggressive than Mary Alice ever was. He is truly all boy! At his birthday party, he opened one present that was in a blue bag and then put the bag on top of his head. He kept in there for a while, calling it a hat.

I feel very blessed by my two sweet kiddoes. Early Childhood Intervention came out to see how Major was doing with his speech. I haven't had him in his hearing aids pretty much since we've moved here. He got a cold and then I just kept them out. I was tired of messing with them. It is so strange to us. Major has taken at least 7 tests that show that he has a hearing loss. Some of the tests have said that his hearing loss is mild, some said moderate, one said severe. It has been rather frustrating, because we don't know who to believe. Some people have told us that he should wear his aids all of the time, some tell us not to have them in all the time because he will grow to be dependent on them. Anyway- back to my story- ECI came out to evaluate his speech. They said that his speech is seven months AHEAD of a normal hearing child. Remember, he has not worn aids for about seven months. So, here's what Josh and I say, "God answers prayer!" We have prayed and prayed to be at peace about Major's hearing, not to be worried, and for God to be with his ears and to heal him. Different people are now telling us that Major may not even have a problem and that they are in disbelief about how well he is doing, especially since he hasn't worn his hearing aids. We don't feel like we want to pay for him to have another round of testing right now. (Those hearing tests can be VERY expensive!) We're trusting God and will have him tested when we feel like it is financially responsible for us to do so. But for now, if he doesn't learn even one new word in the next seven months, he will still be on track. We're elated! We had been told by people at church that Major said alot of words or talked more than the other kids in his age group, but were glad to have it confirmed by professionals.

So that's what's going on right now. We've had a few busy days. Major is two now! Mary Alice is a happy little soccer player! We are blessed beyond what we deserve.