Before Joshua was even born, and only a baby inside my belly, I have been telling him that I love him and of how much love that I have for him. I have been dreaming of the day that Joshua would say it back, and just last week I finally heard those two sweet little words come from his lips. "Love you", which comes out as "Lub you", and it is the sweetest thing I ever heard. I was so happy and I am so glad to hear it every single day since then! One of the best days ever since I became a mommy!

Since then, he spilled out his first sentence, to an unexpecting girl at the grocery store, last Friday, "Hey! How are you?", unfortunately I did not witness this statement because I was shopping for groceries, and Jodie and Joshua were roaming around the store. Jodie thought it was the cutest and funniest thing ever. I did not get to hear Joshua's statement, until a few days ago. It was the first thing he said when I went to wake him up Monday morning. Awww!!!

Also, last Wednesday night, we were sitting in my mom's room settling down for bed. Joshua had his teddy bear that says each letter of the alphabet, and after each letter Joshua would say a word that began with each letter WITHOUT looking at anything. He has trouble with Xylophone, but we know that is what he is trying to say. He has learned ALOT of new words from his new V-Tech laptop that he got for his birthday, and he can even SPELL them!!! Amazing!

Some of you who don't know what's been going on with Joshua would not see these things as important as we do. The fact Joshua is even talking as much as he is lately is by no less a miracle in my eyes. Some children with Autism go YEARS without speaking, and I am so blessed that Joshua is not one of those children, he's high=functioning autistic. He has his days where he will not speak a word still, but not as bad as it has been in the past.

We went to Panacea a couple of weekends ago to celebrate my grandmother's belated 68th birthday. We've been going there for years for great seafood at The Coastal Restraunt. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but the food is excellent. Joshua put away more food than anyone at the table. I swear he turns into a blackhole sometimes the way he eats. I really do not know where he puts it all. He's such a picky eater (one of the issues he has because of his autism), but when he gets something he absolutely LOVES there usually isn't much of a worry of whether he will eat or not. My family used to go there years before I was born, my great-grandmother even had some property in Panacea years ago, and I have been going down there since I was a little girl, and Joshua had his first trip down there and camping trip when he was 3 1/2 months old.

*Joshua At One Of The Beaches In Panacea*

*My Grandparents At The Coastal*

*Waiting On Some Great Seafood*

Joshua doesn't know it yet, but we're planning on a trip to North Carolina at the end of July as we have been doing for the last 3 years, and a certain somebody, named Thomas, is coming to Bryson City, NC while we're up there on the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad. So we are crossing our fingers that nothing will interfere with our plans, so Joshua will finally be able to see Thomas the Tank Engine in person. He won't be coming to the Sam Shortline Railroad in Albany, GA 'til late October, so we have been looking for a sooner date. Six Flags actually has a Thomas theme park with their own Thomas train, but that is about all Joshua could enjoy there because of height limitations on the other rides, so Six Flags is out. So Bryson City it is unless, like I said, something comes up that will prevent us from going. : ) I can't wait to see the look on Joshua's face!! YAY!