Joel at 4

This is the first of 3 blogs - each dedicated to one of my boys so I can remember some of their milestones.

Joel has almost finished his first year of preschool. He loves his teacher, Ms. Ashley, and has made lots of friends. He mostly plays with the other boys, but once in a while he says he plays with a girl. :) He never remembers the girls' names though.

He knows how to spell his name, his colors, and counting. When I pick him up, he uses his

"big man" voice to tell me about his day.

Joel started playing soccer this spring! It has been very fun for all of us to watch his games....even though I don't know if you can really call them that. :) He loves to just run

alongside whoever has the ball. Tim tried to tell him that the other team was pretend bad guys and that he could steal the ball from them. He improved a lot and almost got a goal!

This may seem small, but Joel has finally overcome some of his fear of water on his face and has started showering by himself. This saves Tim and I lots of time, and Joel thinks he is really grown up.

His newest milestone is learning how to ride his bike without training wheels! He is still learning how to get on/off the bike without assistance, but once we get him going...he is off!

I am so proud of the little man Joel is becoming. He is sensitive and sweet yet a strong leader. He loves his brothers and takes care of them. He asks many, many questions and likes to figure out how things work. I love you Joel!