Happy 2nd Birthday Joshua!

Our cute little Joshua turned Two on conference Saturday.  What a great tradition for him to have in his life. I remember as we sat in the Hospital room trying to come up with a name for our sweet little baby in the NICU feeling scared to death about him being there and had a really hard time naming him and I wasn't sure why. I don't really understand the connection between the two but I know as we tried to come up with the name and as we prayed about it (Do you all pray about names?)  I felt like naming him would help him get better and even though I was scared that somehow naming him would play apart in him getting better.  In that moment I had all these emotions come out of me and I realized how scared I was that he might not make it. I remember letting Tyler know how worried I was and how much I wanted to name him Joshua instead of the name Nathan we were sort of settled on even though I didn't know why. This scripture kept popping into my head when I thought of my little guy...even before he was born. "Choose ye this day whom ye will serve but as for me and my house I will serve the Lord."  My brother Dana even called me to tell me he felt like we should name our baby Joshua. That scripture brought me so much comfort in that moment because Obedience is power and with faith come miracles.  I needed power in that moment and I certainly felt like I/we/Josh needed a miracle.  It was as if his name was a plea with Heavenly Father to bless our Joshua and also be a way for us to sort of make a promise to him. This all might sound sort of weird. But it was a really special moment for me. One day I will write about our NICU experience. I think it is still too traumatic of a memory for me to do that now.  But I wanted to at least capture the memory I have of naming him.

Josh loves sports of every kind. During basketball season it was basketballs. Now during football season it's all about the foot ball. The other day Tyler was busy watching something and Josh wanted to throw his ball around with him and Tyler kept saying no...so finally Josh came back and said Dad, this is BYU football. :) He knows how to get his Daddy's attention. 

It was so fun to not only pick out gifts for Joshua that we thought he would enjoy but to wait in anticipation of his big day and seeing his excitement when he opened them.

We knew Jacob would be coming from Tuscon and were excited about that because we know how much Josh loves having his family come visit.

We also love to have Jacob come into town too. He did a mega shop for me on the day before Josh's birthday and we are still trying to figure out a way to repay him.:)

Joshua requested Hamburgers and a BYU football cake for his birthday!  I like requests. 

Joshua has learned a lot of things this year.  He has learned how to be a big brother to Kate and how to share with his friends. 

Two is a hard age and Josh is handling all of the emotional ups and downs like a champion.

We are so proud of you Joshua and love the way you bring us all together and entertain us all the time. 

Your cute smile and infectious laugh always brighten our day.

You are learning to be patient and wait for things you want until you have permission.

You are learning about Jesus and frequently remind us about how much He loves you and how "Dad hurt Jesus." Tyler threw a blanket up in the air and it hit our picture of the Savior.

You are your Daddy's best friend and biggest copycat.

We hope this is a happy and growth filled year for you sweet Joshua. Thank you for blessing our home with your exciting, determined and adventurous little self.

WE LOVE YOU!