Happy 7 years, Josiah!

Seven sounds big . . . seven is big! Josiah is growing up so wonderfully. We have seen such growth over the last year academically, as well as a consistency of character in his curiosity and care for his sisters.

Weight: 62 lb 9 oz (taken 9/6)
Height: 4' 5.25"
Clothing: 8T, shoe size 2/3

Likes: knowing how things work, painting, bike riding, reading, board/card games, being outside

Dislikes: unclear instructions, things not going how he planned, injustice

A day in the life:

7:00-7:15am: Josiah comes out of his room, often with Anna in tow. He sleeps in a little now and then, which is a new thing!

Breakfast: Milk, half a banana, and cheerios (lucky charms on the weekend), but this boy loves eggs and any other form of big breakfast when available.

9:00am: Be started on school work. He can do math and handwriting by himself if I'm not ready to go yet.

Lunch: Our go to choices are sandwiches and salads and he eats both very happily. He enjoys peanut butter/nutella and turkey/cheese sandwiches. Salads are best with lots of toppings. Josiah loves to fix his own lunch and he is pretty good at cleaning up, too!

1:00pm: Rest time! Josiah reads for an hour and then can play alone for an hour. We also use this time to finish up any school we have left or do special projects.

3:00pm: Play time . . . finally! This kids are ready to play together and love to go outside when the weather is nice. Joisah also enjoys legos and pretend play.

Dinner: He is a good eater, and would always choose mac and cheese if it was up to him. He loves fruit salad, asparagus, cheese sticks, meats, sauces, and pastas. This kid can eat.

7:00pm: Bed time. He can do all his bedtime routine on his own and is a good help with Anna and keeping his room picked up. His favorite song at bedtime is Jesus Paid It All.

Fun facts:
* He still loves to help in the kitchen, and sometimes he is really helpful!
* During the fall he took lesson at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and had a great time. He is now taking piano lessons with the organist from church and she says she thinks he has his dad's knack for music. We'll see!
* I loved seeing him grow in confidence as he gave presentations at school throughout the year. Week 1 to Week 24 saw a big change!
* He is reading super well! I love watching him engage with books off the shelf at the library and figure out phonograms he hasn't yet learned.
* Themes of the year: reading, crafting, fishing, being kind to his sisters, teaching the little kids

A chronological look at the past year . . .

He received a rock painting kit for his birthday last year and loved it!

End of Kindergarten, on to 1st grade.

Our little road warrior.

Family time at the Seminary.

These two!!!

We studied Ancient History over the last year,
and thus dressed up appropriately for the first day of school.

Sermon notes.
I'm not sure what this sermon was about, but someone is DED.

He did soooo well with reading.

It is helpful to have another reader in this house!

Letting Anna fix his hair :)

The two finger throw back is going strong.

Lots of fishing this year.

He spent days cutting out all these arrows to make a trail for Lydia.

October in the mountains.

A brave thing!
He was quite scared, but took a lap on the pony.

Keeping those big brother skills in check.

Trick or treating with our buddies.

Dissecting an owl pellet.
He kept the bones in his backpack for waaaaay too long.

Learning the parts of a flower.

Thanksgiving!

The Louisville Science Center had a fort building station.
This boy was in pure bliss!

Always teaching.

His first Bible!
He loves to read Exodus 20, because it was their first Sunday school lesson at our new church.

Our maker.
He made something out of odds and ends for everyone at our family Christmas.
I was the proud recipient of a phone holder to go next to my bed :)

And Dave can always use another guitar :)

The worst hotel, but the best brother.

Josiah received a tackle box for Christmas and he spent months tying knots and teaching the other kids to tie knots.

PATRIOTS

Doing math with Lydia.

He had a friend over for the night.
As you can tell, they are fast asleep :)

Bridges!

What you get with an all boy class :)

A rare nap during nap time.
I am thankful for slow afternoons!

His buddy (and twin!) came to visit.

Lots of tooth fairy action this year.

Josiah enjoying picking aspects of his cake from Pinterest.

Last night as a six-year-old!!!

Lydia drew him a picture of his cake.

We love you, Bud, and can't wait to see what this next year brings!