Arizona- Part 3

The last part of our trip was spent in the water! Kevin's mom has a pool and lives off a "lake". We took a boat ride every night with Big Brother as the captain and swam all day! They had so much fun with all their cousins! It makes it hard to leave every time...

Big Brother learned to dive while he was here!

Good Bye Heat, Good Bye Summer! Until next year :)

Arizona: Part 2

After our 2 days in Flagstaff, we continued to visit family in Phoenix.

We met Grandma Sheryl at a new play place at Desert Ridge. The boys enjoyed the slides and both tried a rock climbing wall for the first time.

Then, Grandma Sheryl treated them to a bag of candy- anything they wanted. Little Brother was like a kid in a candy store.... (lame joke, I know!)

We got to see our nephew for a quick dinner before he left with his mom back to Minnesota. Here he is with one of the kids' favorite uncles!

We also got a fun night of bowling and dinner with Grandpa Toothpicks and Grandma Jackie. 

I'll probably get in trouble for showing the scoreboard and how my dad was beaten by his 3 year old grandson, but it is worth the risk!

And a little photo to remember why we call him Grandpa Toothpicks! 

Forgive the silence

I hope you can forgive the silence occurring on this blog recently. After 8 days in Arizona, starting full day first grade, pre-school soccer, flag football, hiking and swimming, painting a bathroom, and a husband who is traveling, all we I want to do is this..........

A quick update- Big Brother is adjusting well to full-day first grade. He's so excited to take or buy lunch each day and have 2 recesses. He's made a few friends and is happy. I miss him, but enjoy the break of only having one munchkin home with me all day. I even get about an hour most days of silence as Little Brother naps. It's been a while since I've had that! Every day Little Brother has been picking a different bed in the house to nap in. At first it was in his brother's room. I think he felt a little sneaky. Lately it's been in the "Grandma bed" in the basement. I don't care as long as he still takes one!

Enjoying the heat

I snuck to Arizona with the boys about a week ago. Kevin was backpacking in the Grand Tetons and then off on a business trip. So, I packed us up and we hit the road (well, the air- we flew). We spent 8 days visiting family. The first couple of days we ended up in Flagstaff to visit my sister and her family, and then, we spent the rest boiling in Phoenix. Here are some of the highlights from Flagstaff! More to come soon.

(Still getting that creepy digitized look on my photos when I upload them to my blog. Oh well!)

Big Man on Campus!

Well, the day I've been dreading for almost 7 years has come and almost gone! In about 30 minutes I'll run down to the school to pick up Big Brother from his very first day of FIRST GRADE! 

Today is the longest day of school he's ever had and I'll promise you it's been harder on me than him! The drop off went smoothly - no tears (and none from him either!) It's so hard for me to have him spend more time with his teacher and friends than me each week. I know it's just a small step towards his independence and my letting go, but it's a painful one (for me anyways).

He's been telling Little Brother for weeks that he won't be home for lunch anymore- just like Daddy. He is pretty psyched about taking his lunch and buying pizza on Thursdays!

So, we're off on a new adventure and I'm sure it's going to be a great one. 

Detour- Change in plans...

God's "No's" are not a rejection. They are a redirection... (unknown)

(love this photo I found when I uploaded pics tonight)

Today was a great day and an emotional day for me. I've been trying to process everything that came at me, but it's still kind of swarming around in my head. 

Back in April a child care worked at the gym asked me, "What kind of speech problem does 'little brother' have?" I replied rather shocked, "None- he's not even 3 1/2 yet."

 Pause for a side note- Little Brother isn't really that little.  He's in the 98th percentiles for his growth curve and as tall as some kindergarteners. Therefore, people are always expecting more out of him and are surprised when they find out his age.

The child care worker, albeit rude, explained that her son had a speech issue and the way my little guy spoke reminded her of his issues. She gave me the name of a place that would do free testing. I tucked the name into my memory and vowed not to return to that gym for a while. But, it got me thinking and analyzing my little guy and I couldn't get it out of my head. So, finally in June, I made the call and they set us an appointment for July 18. 

Fast forward to today.

I thoroughly expected them to come to the conclusion that he was on course with all development, except articulation- the way he forms his words. I figured they would give me some pointers on how to help him at home and we'd be on our way. 

I was right and I was wrong.

He tested at age level for everything except articulation. They asked us back for more intensive testing (in September) and have suggested he will probably qualify for an IEP and a specialized preschool. 

This is why it was great, yet emotional day for me. 

The great part is that he's going to get the help he needs and we're getting it early. The emotional part is more complicated. 

First, (the trivial thoughts) I'm a very organized, planned out person. I have had it set since January where he'd be in preschool, which days, and how our schedule will look this coming school year. Now, he's going to start in one preschool, do further testing and possibly switch within a couple of weeks. There is no guarantee that the new preschool location and times will work out with when Big Brother goes to school. That has me in a tizzy- though I'm trying to give it over to God and trust Him to work out the details.

Second, there's a part of me that's overwhelmed by this special need I am suddenly aware of. I joked about my list of "jobs" as a mom in an earlier post, but truly this adds a new dimension to my job as his mom. I know it's a small problem compared to what so many families deal with, but as any mother, you want your kids to have the best chances in life. Now, it's my job to help him overcome this, I have no background with speech development and I'm a bit overwhelmed with this new role.

One last quote that's been settling in my mind today...

Perhaps strength doesn't reside in having never been broken, but in the courage required to grow in the broken places. (-unknown)

Being a mom isn't easy. I don't always know what to do and how to fix things for my kids. But, I know that God loves my kids even more than I could imagine and for that I am grateful and full of hope that He'll mold me and teach me how to be exactly what my little guy needs to overcome this obstacle and the many others that come his way.

Update: After writing this last night, I headed up to bed and couldn't sleep. "Exodus 4:10" was swirling in my head. I had NO idea why and didn't know what that verse even said. I turned on the light, read the verse and was amazed. Some may call it a coincidence, but I know it was God.  I am amazed in the ways He works.

Exodus 4:10-11

¹⁰ Moses said to the LORD, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”
 ¹¹ The LORD said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD? ¹² Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

Our Summer Bucket List

At the beginning of the summer, the boys made a list of what they hoped to do this summer. I wrote them down (added my own trip to IKEA- counting the days 'til it opens!) and posted it next to the computer. Each week, I have tried to fit in as many as we can do. I've shared some of the bigger things, but below is kind of a collage of summer fun we've been having.

Dirt Pudding with chocolate pudding, oreos and gummy worms. Quite a hit!

Making homemade strawberry jam!

Swim lessons are over. Little Brother was a champ! He is finally going underwater - a huge accomplishment!

Dentistry Skills

Before I was a Mom, I had no idea the different jobs I'd have as a mom. During a typical day I find myself as

• a chef, 
• a waitress, 
• a laundromat specialist, 
• a taxi driver, 
• a nurse, 
• a comforter, 
• a judge, 
• a teacher,
• a disciplinarian, 
• a chair,
• a maid,

Well, the list goes on. However, this weekend I found myself in a new role.... A dentist! (and torturer)

Big Brother has had a loose tooth FOR.... EVER.....

So long in fact, that the tooth behind it was in and growing. This was tightening the loose tooth and the dentist said we needed to get it out. Days of wiggling it didn't work, so Saturday night we took action!

Since the tooth was in behind it, we couldn't grab it to pull it our or twist it. So, after a few failed attempts with tweezers and fingers, I pulled out the needle nose pliers. Daddy held his hand and after a little yank, it was out!

Daddy, being the kind and generous guy he is, offered to pay the difference for the Nintendo DS that Big Brother was saving up for. So, he surprised him and had it all set up for him the next morning. Here is his surprise...

I guess he figured the money we saved from a real dentist visit was really owed to the brave kid who trusted his crazy mom with pliers!

Some more reading

I waited a long time for my name to come up on the Hold List at our library for this book. It was well worth the wait. It took her 7 years to research and write this book. I honestly think if you are going to read one book this year, it should be this one. You won't regret it.

I'm too tired to do it any justice, so here's a synopsis I copied from the author's website...

On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood.  Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard.  So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini.  In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails.  As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile.  But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater.  Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.

Go get it now and read it!

Jackpot

We had only one car for a couple of weeks. (Long story- boring story- but a necessary detail to the following story!) Kevin would get up at 5 and go into work with our only car. The kids and I would lounge around and he'd bring us the car around 9am. We'd then take him back to work and keep the car until dinner. Not ideal, but it worked (and I finally got a new (used) Honda Pilot last week).

Okay- my point. On one of those such days, we were on our way home from taking Kevin back to work so we could have a car and I noticed a garage sale sign on a Thursday. I decided to drive by and go check it out. The boys objected- they were in their pj's and no shoes. I went and looked around and found a TON of Legos.....

The boys forgot about their pj's and no shoes and had to check them out. There were 10 gallon-sized baggies in all - filled with miscellaneous treasures from a little boys' collection. We bought them all.

 At first it seemed reasonable to me, until we got home and dumped them out and my obsessive organizing disorder started up again. It took days- almost a week until we had them organized by color and had all the little Lego Men sorted out and put back together. Since then, we've figured out that we inherited an airport, airplane, a pirate ship, race cars, and several Star Wars ships - most missing critical pieces. In addition, they pieced together more than 40 little Lego Men. Combined with the original ones we had, they now inhabit EVERY room in our house, including our bathroom where each night they row in their little Lego Boats through the crocodile infested waters that are in my bathtub.

10 bags of unorganized Lego Pieces ----- $25
Days of organizing and searching through Lego Pieces ------ 7
2 boys with unending Indoor Summer Fun---- Priceless!

I even inherited the first ever girl lego we've had in this house. I feel honored! (I think she's Princess Leia)

Got this printer's tray idea from the internet, checked our craigslist and found one cheap just up the road. A little white spray paint and now she's ready to hang on the wall in the toy room. Ahhhh! My obsessive  organizing disorder is subsiding just looking at this photo!

Happy 4th (on the 10th)

Sorry for the late update- having issues with my account and the quality of photos. No answers yet, but here goes anyways!

We had a great holiday weekend- Rockies game, parades, friends, and food!

Our neighbors gave us club level tickets to the Rockies game on Saturday night. It was a fun, high scoring, high action game and it ended with one of the BEST fireworks show I've every seen. Big Brother was way into it - now that he understands baseball. Little Brother was a little more fidgety! They were trying desperately to catch the t-shirts- but never got one!

Our town does a big parade that starts with the kids bike parade. They decorated up the bikes and we headed out. Luckily Little Brother's tires held out for the parade. Just a few days later they popped!

Some fun cupcakes we made for the 4th for our friends and neighbors. 

After dinner at our house with friends and a huge water balloon fight, we dried off the kids and camped out across the street from where they launch the fireworks each year. It's our tradition to have the best seats around!!! (The arrow below shows how close we were.)

The wait was long- here they were looking for shapes in the clouds- killing time before the show. 

All in all, another great 4th of July!

We're still here!

I logged in to update, but found I'm having some storage issues with Blogspot. Working on fixing them and we'll be back with updates and photos soon!