License Plate Fun

License Plate Fun

He would drop a plate, break it, and if you saw him, he would say “Wa hapn” with a look of innocence

that he really didn’t know and he wanted you to tell him.

My youngest brother, "The Uncle Mark" started the legacy of personalized license plates with his first license plate.  Joshua could not talk very well, but we all loved hearing his special phrases.  One of the most popular was "Wa hapn".  The translation of this was "What happened."  As my brother Mark said in his funeral talk "He would drop a plate, break it, and if you saw him, he would say “Wa hapn” with a look of innocence that he really didn’t know and he wanted you to tell him. 


Of course my very favorite phrase was "Where Selma."  To hear this phrase countless times a day brought joy and fun into my life!  Joshua used it appropriately while he was at school, while I was at work, etc.  But he also would ask family and friends "Where Selma" the second I walked out the door.  He would ask strangers in the store when I was standing right beside him.  He just needed to know where I was.  And I loved this so much!  See an earlier post at: http://joshuasheartfullofhugs.blogspot.com/2014/03/wheres-selma-my-favorite-phrase.html


 After Joshua died, I gave my brother, Glenn, and his wife, Debbie, their own plates because they loved Joshua so much, were his caregivers the last year, and they also really loved the way Joshua pronounced their names.  To make it even funner, when Joshua attended Pleasant Grove High School, Glenn was a teacher there.  And Joshua's daily routine walk to the bus after school was to walk by Glenn's truck.  He had to see that truck every day!  So when Glenn bought a new truck, he immediately drove it to our house so that Joshua could see his new truck.  Of course Joshua just wanted a ride, looked at Glenn, and said "ride please" in his sweet Joshua way.

And Joshua loved Debeeeeee, and that is how he called her name.  He also had no concept that Debbie was about one foot shorter than him.  He knew Debbie loved him, and he would give Debbie his big Joshua hugs and even climb on her back!!  Thank you Debeeee!!!







And then my sister Vickie, surprised me by giving me her "Wa Hapn" California license plate for my Joshua keepsakes.  I love all of these plates.  There are more from Vickie, and a wall collage from Mark.  I will find those and post them too!  It was such a wonderful blessing to have a family that loved Joshua, and knew how to bring happiness, laughter and joy into his life.