[170/365] Big Boy

It's been wonderful to watch Joshua grow from a baby to a toddler to a little boy. He just started his second year of preschool, but he seems years older (and several inches taller) than last year. He's so much more self-sufficient (and helpful!), and the conversations with him have gotten more in depth and so very interesting. In a lot of ways he's still little, as a four-year-old should be. He still cuddles with me when we read at night, and still needs his stuffed animals and night light to sleep. We even still rock before he goes to bed every night, except that he sits next to me in the chair instead of cuddled in my arms (although, this is a different story when he's sick). I love this age, with its good balance of independence and help (and comfort) from Mama and other caring adults in his life.

I haven't done a "Joshisms" post in a while (2 years!), so here is my Little Boy edition. I wish I would remember to write down half the things he says, because he really cracks me up. I think he's going to be a nerd like his mother, but at least he's cute and funny and social, so hopefully he won't get tortured like I did.

• The other day, I was putting a bandage on a cut. Joshua usually likes to help me, so I asked him to open the bandage for me. He excused himself and came back with his stuffed animal cat. "The bandage is hard to open, so I needed Mittens to open it with her laser beam power." That's one cool stuffed animal!
• He told me the other night that he wants to be a lot of things when he grows up, but mainly a Superhero. Preferably, one with a cape. I told him that was a great aspiration. Nana made him a cape and he's been wearing it all the time.
• He decided at one point this summer that he was going to base his love for someone on how many "loves" they earned. If you did something nice for him, you'd get a love. If you did something he didn't like, you'd lose a love. "Oh, you had 11 loves, now you only have 10." He kept a running tally. All I kept picturing were the life hearts in Legend of Zelda. Apparently, I had the cheat code because I never seemed to run out of love.
• At Walmart: "Oh, there's the sports stuff. I see the Superhero capes!"
• He asks questions about God and Heaven all the time, and proposes his own answers. His prayers consist of "Hello, God? Hellooooo?! Mom, why doesn't He answer?" I'm glad he's starting Sunday School this year.
• While other kids were body surfing with their boogie boards on the beach the summer, Josh was pretending to fix its motor to get it to run. Likewise, he needs to "push a button" on his cleats to "activate" them so he can run in soccer.
• Like mother, like son: he always finds something to take a photo of.