And the birthdays begin....

July is our month of birthdays and Joshua's always kicks the celebrations off in great form! 

We had a low-key party this year since his dad's not here and several of his good friends are out of town. He still declared it his best birthday EVER, though. 

He is such a joy to all our hearts. The five of us think of him as "our kid." It blesses me to see how close the big kids are with him and I am so thankful for God's sovereignty in giving the gift of that sweet little German baby boy to us unexpectedly. 

He's 11 now. His voice can't hit the high notes anymore and he doesn't play with his "Baby Star Wars" guys, opting instead for a video game with his brothers or shooting his bow and arrow in the back yard. He is compassionate and caring-always watching out for the younger kids at church and always checking on me to make sure I'm all right. He's competitive-a trait he inherited in abundance from his dad and oldest brother, and he LOVES his dog. He has an adventurous spirit and I can't wait to take him around Europe! 

Happy birthday, my baby boy. I love you to the moon and back.

We kicked off the festivities with a cook out the night before his birthday....

Ready for a serious game of badminton...

I think everyone knows what a book lover he is. He was trying to finish that book in one day so the party had frequent breaks for reading....

Time for cake and ice cream!

His cake was a (representation of) the Hylian shield from the Legend of Zelda...

Happy 11 candles!

Best buds

From Jarrett and Rach. The Lego movie and a box of goodies for a sleepover night!

From Al and Nick. One of the most awesome Hobbit Lego sets!

Sleeping outside on the trampoline...

Early morning brothers....

After-breakfast Settlers game..

Chick-fil-a birthday lunch...

And "Happy Birthday To You" sung by our wonderful church family...