Joel is FOUR!

Joel turned 4 on Sunday! It is increasingly apparent as my years in parenting add up, that kids grow up so quickly. Wow, these past 4 years with Joel sure did fly by! He is no longer my little toddler, but is a big kid! Joel is such a wonderful part of our family, and we really love so much about him! Joel is smart, observant, funny and adorable. He keeps us laughing with his thoughts on the world and things in his life and warms our hearts with the best hugs and sweetest comments at just the right moment. Joel has a beautiful, tender heart and I pray that I can nurture all the good in him as he grows. Right now he is working a lot on listening and obeying as well as having appropriate responses when things don't go exactly as he planned. Otherwise, he is a great, easy kid!

We had his 4 year check up on Monday and as always he passed all the "tests" and impressed Dr. D with his verbal skills. Getting those 4 year old shots was no fun, but he took them like the tough guy that he is and hardly even cried. He remains our little middle and has stayed on his growth curve (on the short side of things).

New Stats:
heights 38.5 inches (15%)
weight 36 lbs (50%)

Favorite Things:
staying in his pajamas all day
tiny toys he can create or build with (legos, mini super guys, tinker toys etc)
veggie tales, curious george and wild kratts
coloring and painting
"reading"/being read to
playing with play dough, moon sand or goo
riding his scooter (and showing off tricks)
dressing up in his super suits

New Skills:
wiping himself on the potty, yay!
writing his name
draws people with many parts
can almost swing by himself
cut things with a knife and fork
count to 20 (sometimes skips 12 and 16)
knows most of his letters and numbers

An Interview with Joel:
best friend: Brady and Caleb
favorite food: celery, quiche, cucumber
favorite dessert: chocolate cake
favorite color: yellow
favorite thing to do with Daddy: watch "The Dark Crystal"
favorite thing to do with Levi: play tag
favorite thing to do with Nathan: play peek a boo with him
favorite thing to do with Momma: go to the park
favorite toy: super heros and legos
favorite place to go: Children's Musuem and church
favorite book: Curious George
favorite TV show: Wild Kratts

How did this tiny baby get to be 4 years old so quick?!

We sure do love our Joely Poley and are so glad that God chose us as his family! He has grown up so much this year, and I cannot wait to see how much he learns and changes over the next year as he goes through pre-K and gets ready for Kindergarten.