XV. Joseph

My Joseph.

I guess a huge reason why I want to write these posts about my children is because I'm extremely curious to know if they'll grow up to be bigger versions of their young selves.

Joseph is a third child, poor thing.  I try not to change my parenting, but the inevitability is that he has always vied and will always be vying for my attention among several other children.  Which brings me to point number one: Joseph is super-competitive.  He always wants to be first.  Everything is a contest.  And he gets so frustrated, to the point of melt-down, if he can't win.  And the reality is that he is still smaller than the older two, and often he just can't win.  And he fights back.  I told Caleb recently, "You better be nice to him now, because someday he'll be bigger than you."  Even if Joseph doesn't grow taller than his older brother, he is certainly built stockier.

In that way, he is much like his father.  Stocky, competitive, and athletic.  We certainly have noticed his natural athletic abilities.  He also stays interested in sports longer than anyone else.  I imagine he will be driven to excel at something, like his dad.

Joseph doesn't take a back seat to anyone academically, either.  He is on his way to reading, being able to spell and sound out many words.  He can also calculate simple math problems in his head.  We are going to do a different preschool co-op with him this year (wish me luck!).  I think he will exceed expectations, but I'm sure he will love the repetition and just being with friends.

He is starting to become more aware of his surroundings and renew his sense of humor.  We used to call him "Joyseph" when he was a baby.  And then that sweet disposition disappeared completely.  All my kids went through a phase, starting at about three years old, when things had to be done in a certain way or the world fell apart.  Joseph was a bit extreme in this phase, and nothing ever went his way.  But now I am seeing that he is growing out of it.  Something in his eyes tells me he is starting to "get it."

Joseph loves to help.  He will be the first person to help me cook food.  And he will be the first person to weed the garden.  He loves dirt.  You will often find this boy covered in dust.

He loves Lightning McQueen and Mario and the color red.  For a while his favorite color changed to blue, because "blue are the good guys and red are the bad guys."  But now it's back to red.  He often dresses himself, and you will likely find him in a new red outfit as long as the clothes are clean.  He is very independent.  He likes to check in with me frequently, but he certainly wants to do things his own way.

Something else about Joseph is that he is very cautious.  He is not too willing to try new things.  And he is not likely to bow to pressure either.  If he says no, he means it.

A warning: this boy can be a chatter-box.  If you choose to engage him, he will talk your ear off.  And he will be super-animated, with great expressions, vocal inflections, and hand gestures.

I also think Joseph is going to grow up to be amazingly handsome.  :)

My Joseph keeps me on my toes, but I completely adore him.  I don't know what I'd do without my Joseph.

XIV. Savanna

Wow, it's been a while.  Again, I've been putting this off, trying to find a time when I could really sit down and think about this darling little girl and what I might say about her.  But I need to get cracking because I'd like to finish the posts about my kids before the next baby arrives.

Savanna has always been such an easy-going little girl.  For the most part, she is a peacemaker.  She loves to help me, and she enjoys playing with the other kids.  This year she has branched out a bit more, and she plays with friends more.  Everyone is her best friend.  She makes friends so easily, I'm baffled!  Wherever she goes, she will have a new friend.  She is also everyone's cheerleader.  If there is something to cheer about, or just some needed uplifting, you can count on Savanna.

Savanna is sooo affectionate.  She loves to give hugs and kisses, and her smiles are so sweet and sincere.  She is a nice girl.  She is also very sensitive.  Sensitive to others' needs, and sensitive in the emotional sense.  Sometimes she just needs a good cry and a solution, and then she's reset.  She's a pretty typical girl.

My sister-in-law and I were recently discussing the importance of building a healthy self-image in our children.  I'm going to have to disagree that my daughter should be deprived of compliments to her beauty in favor of compliments to her cleverness.  (Don't get me wrong, I actually think that children should be complimented for their intellect, kindness, and right choices, as well as looks.  They need all of it, even boys.)  This little girl is beautiful.  She has such a natural beauty; I hope she will be confident in the looks department all her life, because she is not deficient by any means.  And maybe a huge part of that is her radiant countenance.  She is a good girl, and she is so sweet.  What could be more attractive than that?

Savanna is also very smart.  She was so beyond Kindergarten when she started Kindergarten.  She started out counting past 100 and reading books (forget the ABCs).  The highlight of her day was always what she ate for snack time.  At the end of the year, the teacher was scrambling to keep her busy with math problems and book reports on chapter books.  Even still, she loved school.  She loved her friends, she loved her teacher, she loved playing, and she loved riding the bus.  She is very excited for first grade.  I just hope we will get a teacher as willing to work with her, as advanced classes don't start until third grade.

Savanna has an ear for music.  She can sing in tune better than most adults!  And she doesn't even know it.  She particularly loves to mimic me and pretend to use vibrato whenever she can.  Sometimes it makes me giggle, sometimes (like in Sacrament Meeting) I have to ask her to tone it down.  She is also learning to read music as I teach her piano lessons.

She is such a little mother.  She likes to pretend to play house whenever she can: cooking, cleaning, and playing with her dolls.  She is very excited for the real baby to come and has asked that she be the first to hold it.  She is convinced it will be a girl because she wants a sister so badly.  She always hugs my tummy, and she giggles every time she can feel the baby move.

Perhaps it is not fair to write this post about her now (as well as the younger siblings) because we haven't quite figured out what other talents she has.  She is interested in playing soccer, so we'll probably try that in the fall.  She loves to play outside with Daddy; it doesn't even matter what it is.  She loves swimming, pink, and pretty things.  She does her own hair as often as she can.  And she started learning how to crochet last week.  She loves to read and sets goals for herself to finish chapter books quickly.  She is a great helper and can do most chores I ask her to do.

I don't know what I'd do without her.  I love my Savanna!