Soon to be 15 months old.....

Our dear little Joseph,

I have been composing this letter to you in my head for the past 3 months...with the intention of posting it for your FIRST birthday. But my oh my, little one, every time I decide to sit down to record all that is new with you, so many things prove to be new...EVERYDAY there is something new going on in your life! Today is one of those days (well, most days are like today!) when your Daddy and I look over at you walking from place to place, climbing up onto the couch, playing with your toys after breakfast and are simply AMAZED at the little person you are.... a mind and personality all your own, happy as a clam.

If I think back from Springtime until now, the amount of changes we have witnessed in you is simply incredible. From rolling, scooting, to crawling, now CLIMBING, walking....from simply banging objects randomly together to now actually playing with objects as they are intended to be used - using a hairbrush to brush your (absent) hair, a toothbrush to brush ALL those teethers, putting animals in the barn in your play farmyard, rolling your cars and dumptruck across the floor...trying to put shoes on your feet, putting lids on containers and stacking blocks one on top of the other....dumping sand in buckets and using a shovel to scoop it in and out.... so many things we haven't ever taught you....you have just figured it out all on your own! In August we discovered that you could crawl up the stairs all on your own...a couple months later, you figured out how best to go down the stairs...and how best to get off our bed and couches safely, too....swinging your little legs towards the floor and sliding off.....figuring it all out on your very own. At a park this Fall, you approached crawling down a little hill the same way...backwards, legs leading the way, because you felt it was a bit too steep.

There are so many things we love about you, from the moment you wake up until the moment you fall fast asleep. First thing in the morning, we hear your little chit chatty self....probably talking to your stuffed animal friends. Chit chatting away....until your chit chats get a little louder and more pronounced. We know, then, that you are trying to get our attention...as if you are saying, "Hello? People! I am here!" Yes, your chit chatty ways often happens way way earlier than we would like and we try very hard to hold off getting you until 6 am....but what an absolute joy it is to open up the door to your room and see your sweet self standing in your crib, smiling, most times with your beloved pup pup in your hands. You smile, we smile and then your arms raise up to be picked up. And then, if Daddy is not already out of bed, I whisper in your ear, "Let's go say hi to DA!" And a wide smile comes across your face. DA! Your favorite person, DA! What fun we have as a family trying to cuddle you in our bed....although cuddling rarely happens, lots of tickling and tackling instead!

We love how when we ask if you are hungry, you race over to your chair to eat and we love how you try to feed us your food during mealtimes. We love how you stand at the edge of the bathtub with great anticipation of a bath...so excited! Tossing your toys over the edge of the tub to see the "splash!" We love how you now go over to your bookshelf at naptime and bedtime and pick out the books you want to read, handing them over to us or crawling towards your chair with one in your hand. We love how you "high five" and wave bye bye and will shake your little body, from your head to your toe, when we say "Dance!" We love that you can point to your belly and your nose, your head, and your feet. We love how you love to be chased around....and then to chase us, in return...and then when one of us "hides" in a closet or behind a door, you sneak around the corner, discovering us, and laughing such deep belly laughs. We have yet to find anything sweeter in this life than the sound of your laugh! And we love how you are now "talking" with us...telling us everything you want us to know, pointing to objects and people and telling us all about them. Though we cannot understand everything you are saying, it is so wonderfully cute to hear your little words, inflections, and tone...especially when you get really excited about something! Needless to say, we so look forward to being able to understand all that you have to say in the coming months and years.

We love that we have been able to bring you alongside this life we live...especially the many travels we have planned along the way. In your first 15 months of life, we have traveled long distances by car and by plane and you always handle it AMAZINGLY well. Seriously, Amazingly well! You seem to love seeing new sights and meeting new people as much as we do! We first drove you to Chicago last December, flew to Montana in February, flew to South Carolina in May, flew again to Washington D.C. in late May, drove to Montana in July and again in August, flew to Chicago in October, flew to MAUI in early December and here we are again, back in Montana at the close of this year. Though you will never remember these many trips, they have produced so many wonderful memories for us as a family - being able to show you glimpses of this beautiful world God created and being able to see you visit with family who love you so very much has been one of the greatest joys we have ever experienced. We look forward to many more hikes through the Montana wilderness, spotting wildlife in Yellowstone, many more trips to the sun and surf of the Pacific, trips to new cities and new states, and someday, we will see you don your first pair of skis as we venture down powdery slopes!

We know, without a doubt, you are a gift from above. You are the best gift we have ever been given and one we cherish so deeply. Your sweetness fills our hearts with joy and your sense of wonderment for the world is simply contagious . We love you so very very much and we are SO VERY BLESSED to be your mommy and daddy.

WE LOVE YOU!