Words! Actual, real words!

So, work has been crazy lately and I need a break...so I've decided to take the time to jot down the words that Joshua is saying now. As most of you know, he's got a bit of a speech delay. Most kids his age (27 months) at least use 2 or 3-word sentences, but he's still getting into the habit of actually labeling something instead of grunting. So, without further ado, here is his list!

hi
bye
this (dis--sometimes DI-ih-IS!)
yes ("dess")
no
please (beez)
ma (what he calls me)
home
house (always said in a whisper)
eye (also said in a whisper)
God (gahs)
ten
nine
eight (ace)
bed
mine (min)
milk (mils)
up (uh)
down (dow)
in
out
off
yay
hand (han)
day
duck (guck)
hen (we've been reading The Little Red Hen a lot lately)

That's all I can think of right now...but hey, that's like 27 words! We're out of the >10 range! We're still working on getting him to say them all spontaneously instead of having to be prompted like he does with most of this list, but I know that will come in time. I'm so proud of my little guy. It's been a long time coming. Now to get all of these words on video...

Dressing himself

This is what happens when you let your 2 year old pick his own clothes :o

Cody texted me this picture and caption this morning. We Allemans definitely have some fashion sense. Oh, yeah.

BYU most popular?

I just came across this article from U.S. News and World Report. I'm actually surprised that BYU ranked 1st in popularity in the entire country! Who knew?

I'm proud to say that I graduated from BYU and that I have worked there full-time for almost four years. BYU has blessed my family immensely, both the one I grew up with and the one I have now. I know there are things about BYU that could and probably should be changed, but it still is a great institution. It'll be weird to someday not have such ties to BYU--I mean, I'm sure that we'll eventually move away from Utah County (even if it's just to SLC), I'll no longer work at BYU, and BYU football won't be so prevalent anywhere else. But anyway, just wanted to say that I'm grateful for BYU and it makes me happy to see it getting national recognition =)

My not-so-little-anymore boy

Just a few random pictures of Joshua...watching TV:

And all dressed up for church yesterday--we finally found a white collared shirt that fits him! =)

Moose!

I promised pictures of Joshua yesterday, so here's one. Just trying to whet your appetite =P

My sister and brother-in-law went to Yellowstone over Valentine's Day weekend, and they brought back a moose puppet for Joshua. As you can see, he loves it. Thanks, Aunt Kirsti and Uncle Rich!

We're alive...

Just wanted to reassure everyone that we are still alive (though I hope most of you already know that). Things have just been really busy lately, what with school, jobs with opposite schedules, Cody's internship, classes at KOTM, us being sick...maybe someday we'll find time to catch up. I'll try to post some pictures of Joshua one of these days--that should make up for it, right? :o

Dexter Law

Cody decided late Saturday night to send his resume to a random law firm (he really needs an internship to complete his degree). The firm he chose was Dexter and Dexter, which is right here in Orem. Well, one of the Dexters (I believe they're brothers) called Cody Monday morning, they met on Tuesday, and he offered Cody an internship right there. Yay! It's unpaid, but will be great for his resume. The hard part is Cody has to put in 150 hours before the end of this semester, which means he needs to work about 15 hours a week.

So...we've been scrambling like mad, trying to figure out what kind of childcare situation we want--and can afford--for Joshua. We toured a daycare place but decided the pre-school setup was a little too advanced for Joshua, and his speech delay wouldn't get the attention that it needs in that setting. My sister Kirsti has been so sweet to offer a few hours on Fridays, and our neighbor Sarah may be able to do Mondays. I met with a few women this morning, and I think we've found someone to watch Joshua on the other days. So hooray, problem solved (almost--just need to work out a few details)!

Cody starts tomorrow. He's nervous, I can tell, but also excited to get a chance to work for such a versatile firm. Hopefully it'll give him great experience that will then land him a great job offer this summer!