Joseph David Gardner: 11 Years Old!

Today is our oldest grandson's 11th birthday. Happy Birthday, Joseph! As you can see, Joseph is a fantastic soccer player (his dad is his coach!), but Joseph also has many other skills and interests. I'm amazed at his creative abilities. Joseph is one AWESOME dude!

It's hard to believe that it has been eleven years since Joseph was born. Joseph's birthday falls on his parents' wedding anniversary--Happy Anniversary, Dave and Lori :) Joseph is interested in all things having to do with athletics.

You can see how proud David is of his son. These two are great friends. Joseph is also a wonderful son to Lori, and a very supportive older brother to his four siblings: Sarah, Jacob, Bekah, and Emily. Joseph is taking on the responsibility of baby sitting on rare occasions for short periods, and he does a terrific job. Joseph shows remarkable maturity in helping his siblings to learn how to do things, as well as a lot of patience in interacting with them and helping them to interact with each other.

Joseph has recently demonstrated pretty terrific skills as a ballroom dancer. We got to see him perform over Thanksgiving break and he was outstanding! He takes after his parents and aunts and uncles. I would love to see him develop that skill. He also is learning how to play the piano. I have heard him doing very well with a few good musical pieces.
Joseph loves living near so many cousins. He and his cousin Max have a special bond. Their birthdays are very close. Even though Max is quite a bit taller, the two of them have a lot of fun playing together.

This morning, Joseph was telling me about the cool things he got for Christmas. One of them is a
HUGE truck with all kinds of amazing features. I'd love to show you a picture of it, but unfortunately I don't have one. Joseph also received a super Lego kit. He's amazing with Legos, and has loved them since he was teeny (a trait that is common among all Gardner guys).








Some of the things I love about Joseph are his enthusiasm, his sense of humor, his creativity, his love for family and friends, his spiritual sensitivity, and his good looks. He's a great young man, growing up to be a remarkable and wonderful person. We all love Joseph. Happy Birthday!