The thinking of little minds

Any parent of a preschooler will tell you how amazed they are by what their child comes up with or says.  It really is amazing to witness the development of a little soul--to see them formulate their own opinions and to test hypotheses, to see them question why the world works.  I am often in awe of how the Lord designed our children to receive such an imprint from parents on how they view the world.  What an awesome (and sometimes terrifying) responsibility.

I have had many such occasions to see Josiah's little mind work, listening to Josiah explain the world through his eyes.  Sometimes, the pictures he paints are imbalanced, but other times we are just captivated by the sweetness and tenderness of his heart.

As I always like to keep things real, I will start with the imbalanced side.  Josiah, as of late, acts as if he knows everything (my apologies in advance for any adult out there he may have corrected or will correct in the near future!!)  Even when we remind him that he doesn't know everything (hey, we need to instill humility in this kid!!), he says, with most earnestness.... "but mom, I do know some things.  Like cars, balls, chairs....." and it just goes on and on.  He is most assuredly confident.  Competition is also his driving force.  Out of nowhere, he makes comments like

                 "Mom, I'm faster than you and Abigail." 
                 "Mom, I have more shirts than person X." 
                 Or "Mom, I snap louder than ALL my friends." 

My favorite is when he makes comments to his Daddy in a similar fashion "Daddy, I'm more fast than you".  Bryan's response:  "No you aren't" (quite matter-of-factly, then Bryan walks away--and for those of you who know Bryan well, you'll definitely appreciate that!).  Did I mention that Bryan is also driven by competition?

He also has begun pointing out things in others.  Like the time we were walking in our neighborhood, and a local homeless guy walked by.  At the top of his lungs, Josiah stated "EEEWWWW!!!  WHAT'S THAT SMELL??????"  Or when we have guests over, Josiah is quick to notice when they aren't giving him their full attention.  "MOM, how come they aren't listening to me?" (Said in front of said guests). 

We've also been bumping up against Josiah's strong internal sense of JUSTICE.  And boy have we been having battles.  If Josiah hears frustration in our voice or if we raise our voice too much when admonishing him, the crusader in him ignites.  Its as if Josiah turns into a revolutionary, fighting for the rights of all the 3-year-olds in the world.  His response "NO MOMMY.  NO. NO. NO.  STOP!" (In a 'how dare you speak to me in that tone' voice).  Or when Abigail takes a toy from him--what is his initial response?  An eye for an eye, of course!!  That's JUSTICE after all isn't it? 

Even though we see the areas of struggle and refinement still needed, we also see how God has uniquely crafted this little guy.  It's clear that Josiah has a tender heart for those less fortunate.  He is constantly referencing how other boys and girls may not have as many toys as him, and how he is thankful for what he has.  He is also extremely empathetic, and will often be the first to offer comfort in our family when someone is sad.  We really believe that his strong sense of justice will come into play years down the road--as Josiah fights some horrendous societal ill.  And even his competitive spirit!  Having seen what an asset that is in Bryan and what an amazing strength, we are so thankful that the Lord has instilled in Josiah such an internal drive to push harder, push farther, and to never give up. 

Josiah's playdoh masterpiece.  Look carefully, and you'll notice how detail-oriented this kid is! Yes, the balls are in straight lines and color-coded.  Makes a Mama proud! =)



















This was my first real attempt to french braid Abby's hair.  And even though she is in a chair, she constantly moves her head back and forth!


And here are some quick favorites.  Abby being silly (which she is becoming more and more every day--we are LOVING this!), and the last one of Jo and Abby before Randy & Selene's wedding.