Just Josie #6 (by satellite)

Since I'm not around the famous Josie to write posts about her cuteness, Heidi volunteered to "satellite" blog or "guest post". I know everyone will appreciate it :)

"So Nate Josie and I just got done watching a movie at the theatre. We were walking to the car and Josie was looking up at the stars and says. 'Ohh i miss jason. He's the best brother ever. He is amazing and fights all the bad guys and kills them.'"

Just Josie #6

Josie has been soo full of cute and memorable moments lately...plus I'm totally soaking them all up because starting Sunday the "moments" together will be much fewer!

If you read the last "Just Josie" you would have started to get a picture of how excited Josie is when I stay at my parents house. It really makes her day. Every time I'm there she asks how long I'm gonna stay, and if I'm gonna stay forever. I melts my heart, and it hurts it too, because I know I won't be right there in that house with her forever. Last night I spent the night there in her and Heidi's room. She was so.excited. that the "three sisters" were having a sleepover! It was precious. Before we fell asleep she said it was time to pray. So I asked her to pray that my car would be fixed. She said, "Oh Lauren, you can take Heidi's car." Then turned to Heidi and said, "Heidi, can Lauren take your car?" It was cute how she tried to problem solve right away!

Also my parents have been wrestling with how to discipline her. Spankings don't really bring a change of heart to her plus she absolutely hates them, to the point of screaming and struggling to get out of my dad's arms. Of course he doesn't want to spank her if it's going to do this to her and not even change her heart. So they tried a new approach yesterday. They made a list of things she has to do before she can have a snack (pickle & chips). This list is:
1. Eat breakfast
2. Get ready (brush hair, get dressed, etc)
3. Eat lunch
4. Be obedient

So yesterday my dad was home at lunch time with her. She asked him for a pickle and chips. He got out the list to see if she had followed it. Since she hadn't had lunch yet, he got something together for her and she scarfed it down as fast as she could. Then she again asked for a pickle and chips. He told her, "Josie, I heard from Heidi that you didn't obey on the first time when you went out with her, so that means you can choose a spanking and then a pickle and chips, or just no pickle and chips." She chose a spanking. Her only request was that he didn't spank hard! Then she laid cooperatively in his lap. Afterwards she was soft hearted and even apologized. Then she got her pickle and chips! Obviously she will do anything for those!

I definitely will miss that girl. And I love her with all my heart. I had a lot of good sister time yesterday! Including a wonderful lunch date with Heidi. I love both my sisters sooo much. (And of course my brother too.)

Just Josie #5

Josie has always been interested in figuring out all those "family" terms like "brother," "daughter," etc. Once she has it figured out she will talk about it too, such as, "Dad! I found your daughter Lauren!" Or, "Mom has 6 brothers." Just when she thought she knew how to properly use all those terms we threw a new one at her - I got married and added the "in-law(s)."

Now it's also been hard for her to figure out that I'm "home" but not living in her home/my old home. When I come over she always asks, "Are you gonna stay forever?" So this afternoon when I stopped by the house quick, I ran in to say hi and to tell her that I would be back in the evening to stay the night. She got real excited and said, "Lauren how long are you gonna stay?" I told her it was just the night. Then she goes, "Oh, and then you go back to your new parents?" That girl cracks me up! She is trying so hard to understand all this. So I told her that I don't have new parents, I just have two families. All she wants is for me to "stay forever."

Just Josie #4

The other night my brother was making loud slurping noises while he drank his water. 

Josie piped up and said, 

"Nathan, God did not make you to be a dog!"

Just Josie #3

On Sunday August 5 Jason got to preach at both services for Florence Carlton Community Church where he is the summer intern. After the first service he and I stood by the door to greet people on the way out, and Josie wanted to stand with us. A lot of the people wore name tags, so even though she'd never met any of these people, she would read their name tag ahead of time and then when they got to her she'd say,

"Hey (name)! Nice to see ya!" 

With MUCH enthusiasm AND the official "pastor's handshake" (two-handed).

She'd make a great pastor's wife ;) or just a great official greeter!

Check For Murderer

 

For those of you who fall into the above category (not gonna lie, that's me sometimes), you would appreciate  the downstairs bathroom of my parent's house:

Yes, that's right. There is a bb gun behind the towel in that bathroom, just in case you need to protect yourself from the murderer behind the curtain.

JUST KIDDING! Well sorta. There IS a bb gun there, but that's not the reason why. The reason why is Josie. Josie is obsessed with shooting the bb gun because she is TWELVE.

You see, for Josie age is defined by what you get to do, and a lot of it is based off what her siblings did at certain ages. For example, she believes that when you turn 20 you get married, because that's what I did. While she was still 11 she was praying with my dad one night. She prayed something along the lines of, "God, thank you that when I turn 12 I get to shoot a gun and kill people and kill animals." My dad immediately stopped her and said, "Josie, you never shoot people, only animals." And since then she has learned what to shoot and what not to shoot. (You can blame the "shoot people" desire on watching Westerns). Now that she is 12, she really enjoys marching into the yard with the bb(less) gun to "shoot" at birds. She just so happened to leave the gun on the bathroom floor, and now it is hanging out on the towel rack.

Just Josie #2

{This would be better video taped! Or audio recorded even.}

Our neighbors are really good to Josie and she often goes over to borrow movies and to play their xbox.

Tonight our neighbors had a lot of cars in their driveway, and she asked why. I told her they were having a party! Bad idea. She loves parties! And yes, she has crashed their parties a few times before. She spent the rest of dinner trying to convince us that she was supposed to go to the neighbor's party. We kept telling her that she didn't get an invitation, so she couldn't go if she wasn't invited.

Then her face lights up with an idea! She insisted on returning the movie she borrowed. Oh Josie, we are on to you. We know how convenient it'd be to return a movie over there tonight.

When that didn't work, she says, "Guys, I have a plan!" Then she details on an imaginary map, "Ok here is our house, and we are gonna walk walk walk over here, to the [neighbor's] house." Nice try Josie.

She even tries to convince us by saying, "I'm serious! I'm telling the truth!"

But finally she knows what to say. "God has a plan for me." We all busted out laughing because we knew exactly what she was going to say was God's plan.

Nice try Josie. You're so creative though!

Just Josie #1

Josie, my now 12 year old sister, is so precious to me. I want to record memories of her in this electronic memory bank as well.

My dad and brother came to visit us for Nate's spring break this year. They were heading down to our place from Cheyenne and I was heading home from work. Jason was at our house waiting. I called my mom cause it was her birthday. After talking to her, Josie got on the phone cause she wanted to talk to me. Her very first words were, "Can I talk to dad?"

"No Josie, dad's in a different car, he's not here."

"Oh. Can I talk to Jason?"

"No Josie, Jason is at home, not in the car with me."

"Oh. (Pause). Well I guess I'll talk to you."

Everyone Who Calls on the Name of the Lord

(This is a long time overdue)

[Intro Story: Almost every Sunday after church, Josie goes down to Pastor Jeff and gives him a hug and maybe a note she wrote him during the sermon]

At church on Sunday, March 13, Pastor Jeff gave altar call after his message. Mom was explaining to Josie about salvation and what Jesus did for us. After church, Josie went down to Pastor Jeff as usual, and she told him that she raised her hand (during the altar call) because she "loves the Lord so much and she loves God and that God made everyone so beautiful and Jesus died on the cross for her sins."

God is doing some great things in her heart!

"I Go to College with Lauren"

At the beginning of March I got an email from my mom with this picture:

Josie had packed up her toys and clothes in these bags and went at sat in the suburban, because she was going to college with Lauren! My mom wrote in the email, "She's waiting out in the car now. I'm not sure what to do with her! But it's cute!" Fortunately, I got to go home a few weeks later for spring break!

And just this weekend, Josie, Heidi, and my dad made a visit out to see me (and for Heidi to look at Corban). So Josie did get to go to college with Lauren. But she was disappointed she didn't get to take me home! It was so good to see them! 3 1/2 more weeks!

Oh Josie...

In case you couldn't tell, Josie is wearing underwear over her pants!!

Josie loves the movie Elf. The other night my dad and I came home and she was very excited to show us my room because she'd decorated. Remember in Elf when Buddy finally finds his dad and decorates the house with snowflakes and a "welcome home dad" sign? Ya. Josie did that to my room!

Her way of decorating: shoes and boxed lined up on the ladder; bag hung on the corner.

Shoes on the edge of the bed. Pants hanging from the edge.

This one is hard to see, but the white mini-dresser is pilled with things, there is a pink bag hanging from the bed, the bed is covered in snowflakes aka washcloths, there a pictures hanging from the back bed rail and a Griz cone on the other corner.

These are the decorations on my dresser - hangars and a shoe!

The floor was also covered in more snowflakes aka washcloths!

It was precious! I definitely couldn't be upset about cleaning that one up! Josie is growing up so much and was a joy and delight to be around for the break! Josie holds a special place in my heart because she is my baby sister and we've shared a room for basically her whole life! I miss her and the rest of my family! 

Snapshots of Christmas

Almost everything Josie got for Christmas was something that had to do with Toy Story. She'd been begging my mom for a Buzz and a Rex. When she opened Buzz she exclaimed, "Buzz is the best present ever!" Notice the pajamas and Evil Mr. Pork-Chop as well.

Christmas Eve with the Kellers

Umm... Jason wearing my mom's coat... Ya. Just for laughs!

What Josie Says.

Here is my conversation with Josie last night:


Josie: "Lauren, do you love Jason?"
Lauren: "Yes Josie I love him very much."
Josie: "Are you gonna marry him? He be the husband you be the wife?"
Lauren: "Yes Josie I'm gonna marry him."
Josie (with much concern and thought in her voice): "Lauren, who am I gonna marry when I grow up?"
Lauren: "Well Josie I don't know, but you have a lot of time to think about it."
(Pause)
Josie (very excited): "Oh Lauren I know I know! I marry Nathan! He be the husband!"


And here is what Josie said tonight, "Lauren, Jason's your best." She's got things figured out!

My dad just texted me that he and Josie were talking about their trip to see me, and she said, "can we go again tomorrow?!"

My Mom and Heidi and Josie and Nate got here last night!

Josie kept hugging me and asking me to hold her! She would say, "Whoen [Lauren], I wost [lost] you, but now i found you." It was so precious! And she slept in my bed with me and kept waking me up cause she'd be rubbing my face or arms.