Happy 15th Josh

Baby Josh.

Baby “Dosh”, I should say, since Zach couldn’t say the “j” sound (he was only 18 months).

Can hardly believe that my Baby Josh is 15. We called him that for years. Then in JK he was a barbaloot in a Lorax school play. So he became my baby barbaloot.

He’s going to kill me for exposing all his secret names:)

But that kind of thing usually doesn’t bother him. It’s one of the things I love about him, and here are 15 more:

1. He has passion. He plays, works and fights passionately. (Of course, he has to learn to not get soooo passionate sometimes! )

2. He’s a funny guy. We have so many funny stories with him. He definitely can make us laugh. Great sense of humor.

3. He’s a hard worker. He is a teenager and can be a little slack on work, but he can get right down and get it done putting all his effort in. And he frequently does that in all areas of his life.

4. He is resilient. He had a couple of situations the past little while which I thought he handled so well. Very impressed with his ability to take it in stride and bounce back.

5. His sensitivity. Don’t let that tough exterior fool you….

6. His love for sports. It can be a bit annoying as a mom trying to find time with him when he has so much going on with soccer, and then every other school sport he’s involved in, but got to admire it!!

7. His commitment. He’s committed to anything he is involved in. He is all in.

8. His loyalty. He is loyal to friends and loyal to family. He will back you up.

9. His brotherhood to his brothers. And sister. He’s a good big brother and a good little brother. And good to Reggie. Loves his doggie!

10. He walks his own path with confidence. But he carefully chooses his path.

11. Although he can be very stubborn, he also can take accountability and try to fix things, and that is always appreciated.

12. He’s kind. Just watch him with some little kids at church. Over the Christmas holidays we were at a friend’s and I found him playing a board game with a little girl he had never met because she wanted someone to play with!

13. He’s a doer. He wants to do stuff. He wants to be active, wants to play games with family or friends, wants to jump in and experience things. He’s super fun to travel with too as he’s game to do it all (minus heights!) .

14. He’s driven. If he wants to improve his shot, he will be out practicing in the dark. He often will be out on his own shooting hoops, or kicking a ball – just to get better.

15. His spirit. Very special. Very sweet. And it’s growing.

Love love love this special birthday boy!!!

Even when he does go get a buzz cut and his siblings pretend he is a zoo animal:

For his birthday, our family is a bit scattered and he’s with his dad tonight, so the family celebration will take place this weekend. Zach and I went out for dinner with him last night (and I forgot a picture- darn!! ).