Happy Birthday Joshua!

5 years ago today, Joshua Jared Wintle was born. It was Friday the thirteenth, but we couldn't have been luckier. He was born at 2:10pm and weighed 7lbs, 11 oz. All of my pregnancies have been relatively easy and predictable up until the point of delivery and Joshua was no exception (Sage - late and induced, Cassidy - c-section). I went into Labor with Joshua late the night before so Jared's parents came for Sage and we headed to the hospital. We probably could have stayed at home for a little longer before going in but just one year earlier our sweet Cassidy came and left so we didn't want to take any chances. I had never gone into labor on my own and he was about 1 1/2 weeks early, so I preferred to wait it out at the hospital. The result was me walking the halls of the hospital, all night long, to progress the labor.

Jared had twisted his ankle that day so he really couldn't walk the halls with me and he made himself comfortable, sitting in a wheelchair. Sometimes I would push him, while I walked, just to break up the monotony of the walking. I am sure we were quite the sight, the invalid, and the full term prego lady pushing the invalid.

Joshua was born at 2:10pm and everyone was ready. After he was born, he made the nurses a little nervous so they brought the NICU nurses in and they had a second look before declaring him nice and healthy. It was one of the few times you are so grateful to hear your child cry. During our stay, at the hospital, the nursery told us that he was really good but he would let you know if he didn't like something. I was watching his video and Sage was 5 when he was born and she was really upset when they first took him to the nursery. She had the meanest scowl while she was looking through the nursery window, watching them take care of Joshua.

Joshua has been a really easy going, happy, lovey little boy. He is so easy going and did I mention extremely generous with his love. He is constantly giving kisses. He will kiss your hand if he is holding it, kiss your arm if he is sitting next to you, or giving hugs without a second thought. He has the best laugh and sometimes we just watch to see his reaction to something on a show or life in general.

When Joshua was younger he loved any type of working vehicle (dump truck, backhoe, digger, etc). His current passion is star wars and video games, specifically Lego Star Wars. He loves to be his Dad's right hand man, on any project, or his partner in crime at Cabela's. Don't let his quiet nature fool you. Once when he was younger, he was in the kitchen and I was in the room right next to him. When I walked into the kitchen he had gotten a permanent marker and written all over the floors. We didn't have a lock on our fridge until he came along and had gotten out a few too many eggs and scrambled them on the floor. Our cupboards were lock free and our bathroom door was always open until he was old enough to get around and then everything went into lock down. He can definitely get into trouble he just always does it quietly. Another thing he would do when he was little is walk on his knees. He did this for quite a few months, instead of walking, he would kneel on his knees and walk around that way. His knees were always rough and calloused from doing this.

Today we went to Bingham Copper Mine and his little friend, from our old neighborhood, slept over. When asked what he wanted for dinner he requested Ramen Noodles (easy for me) and instead of cake he wanted chocolate tarts, because in his words, "I love those, they are so good!". We also had Bubble Gum ice cream.

We love you Joshua and are so happy to have you in our family. Your calm and easy going nature helps to balance out your two sisters. It is fun to see the way Sage has taken care of and protected her much younger brother, while you and Bailee have more of a "friend" relationship because of your closeness in age. Happy Birthday!