Our 5 year old

The Information Collector

John and I are so excited to finally have come up with a phrase that describes Joshua so fully. Joshua is never satisfied with simple answers. He doesn't want to know which soap to wash his hands with, but must talk about all the types of soap that exist for 10 minutes after I ask him to wash his hands. He wants to know everything about everything - all the sharp things in the world, and how the rank from sharpest to dullest - all the fruits and veggies in season at one given time - all the counties and cities and states. He would never ask who's the current president, he'd make me list all the presidents that our country has ever had. "Tell me all the princesses that have ever existed in the real world." "Tell me all the ingredients in ....." "Tell me all the kinds of things a coyote eats." "Tell me all the types of birds that exist." He would love it if I would finally give into his request to count as high as I can. Driving home from church today I told Joshua "I don't know, I'm not an encyclopedia." Then John told me - "You know that's what Steele (John's Uncle) got out to read to Joshua." Only Joshua would want someone to read him the encyclopedia. So best put, he is our information collector.

I can control Joshua without yelling or loosing my temper. He will stop any bad behavior, or do anything I need him to if I start calmly counting backward from 5 (knowing that if I get to '0' he gets naughty sauce). He isn't as well behaved for others because they don't use the backward counting and he is a master negotiator. He'll just keep pleading his case until someone just gives in to make him stop talking!

Joshua is the slowest eater, dresser, cleaner upper. Again, he is so slow because he gets side tracked and does not close his mouth. Joshua drives me nuts when he talks on the phone because he can't concentrate on the conversation - he tries to multitask walking in circles, dazing, and flipping the phone while talking. However, I just recently learned that he will concentrate on a conversation if I don't let him put the phone on speaker and make him sit in a chair.

Joshua is finally doing well on the piano - and I'm able to be consistent with him because his brain is absorbing it. He's also very interested in reading and spelling. In general he likes learning (I guess that goes along with the whole information collecting thing.)

Joshua loves adults and adult attention. We recently went to Alisal with my dad's extended family and Joshua couldn't get enough of my cousins, my aunts and my uncles. He has also enjoyed his friends more this year and has requested having them over.

For some reason I feel more protective of Joshua than Luke - meaning I feel like I need to protect Joshua from getting his feelings hurt or from someone being unkind to him. I don't know why, but I've felt that way ever since he was 18 months old. With Luke I'm totally confident that he can fend for himself.

Joshua's imagination has grown a lot this year and he finally does a good job of playing with toys by himself. He's predictable easy (as long as non stop conversation doesn't wear on your nerves), and generally happy. He's an old 5 year old and ready for Kindergarten. But he's been old since he was 20 months. I'm sad he's growing so quickly and before we know it he's not going to need/want us like he does now. We love our Joshua!!