J: There is a girl in my class who is always crying.
Me: What’s her name?
J: I don’t know, but she cries.
Me: Maybe she needs a friend.
J: Nah, I think she misses her mom.
Me: Well, you could still be nice to her and be her friend.
J: I don’t have any girl friends. I don’t have the courage. Boys like Nick and Jordan they’re pretty funny. And, they have courage.
Me: How about Joseph S.?
J: Oh yeah Joseph S. Hey! That’s me. No, I definitely don’t have courage for a girl friend. Joseph H., now, he does.

Watched Night at the Museum with Joseph. After it was over he had some questions and comments…

So, those people were real…not drawn…right? (Right. Well, I mean, there were some computer effects but it wasn’t a cartoon.)

So…did that happen? (No. It’s a story and the actors memorize what to say, then people video tape them saying it.)

Tell me more about how that works. (Well, like you have that poem memorized, they have the story memorized. Then someone records them all acting out the story and saying their lines…like that play we went to–but much better…and like I record you on my phone. But they have better cameras.)

Oh! Ok. (Make sense?) Yeah. Boy, those guys must be tired! (Tired?) From all that acting work. (You know the didn’t just act it out right now… right?) Oh. Ok. Well that’s good. (It’s recorded and we’re watching it later.) Oh yeah.

J: Mom, what does this say?
Me: The Har
J: How do you spell hair?
Me: It needs an i.
J: Ok.


I couldn’t figure out what he was planning. See if you get it…


(“Author, made by Joseph”)



(My bad, buddy…you needed an e!)

J: Mom look at this! It’s a water-air glider. It’s got theses undercabbages here–see the undercabbages? They release rain on people. And here, these doors are contraptive–and they have motion sensors.

When you have messy hands, you know you’re having fun!