Halloween

Our Halloween didn't go as we had planned, so we didn't actually end up trick or treating. The boys didn't know any different, so it didn't bother them at all. But, since I had made Halloween costumes for them, we put them on & let them play in them anyway.

Joshua seriously does not like having his picture taken. I think it runs in the family though! I appliqued these shirts for them & bought the hats from a shop on Etsy.

Timothy, on the other hand, loves being the center of attention. If he sees a camera, he says "Smile. Take pictures."

Finally - an almost smile!

Joshua's 6th Birthday

That is so weird to say! 6?? It has gone by so fast! Joshua has adjusted to school & therapy so well, even though it takes up so much of his week. He loves both school & therapy, and he is learning so much. He comes home singing songs from school & we are constantly amazed at how many words he can read & spell. We still haven't improved in the picture department though, but here are a few:

Always entertaining, regardless of who's day it is!

Enjoying the birthday song.

Not as big a fan of the cookie cake as we thought he would be.

Third year for a cookie cake. He likes trains this year. However, he didn't like the cake. He sat there for the song & then asked for animal crackers. So the adults enjoyed the birthday cookie cake while he enjoyed animal crackers. Go figure :)

Sight Words books & flash cards...quite the hit with our little reader.

And a rare picture of Belle, as she doesn't seem to make the blog often! She enjoyed having all of the grandparents around to snuggle next to.

Pumpkin Patch

If anyone even still checks my poor blog, we are still here! I can't believe its been 2 months since I posted anything...so sorry! I think we have finally adjusted to our new school schedule but we stay super busy. With both boys having activities/school during the week plus therapy most afternoons & Bible study during the week, we are busy. Add to that starting a business & having it really pick up as the holidays approaching....well, we've just been busy! So thankful for all of it though as it has been good.

Anyway, I thought I better get our fall posts done before Christmas decorations go up :)

I did go on a field trip with Joshua's class to the pumpkin patch but didn't take a single picture. We went to a different pumpkin patch with both boys & attempted some pictures. As you can see below we weren't very successful, but at least this can document that we did in fact visit a pumpkin patch this fall (I think it is a requirement if you have young kids!).

Not a great picture but I think it is the only one I got that actually shows Joshua's face!

Sweet brothers

Timothy is thrilled with pumpkins.

Joshua trying to climb in the window. I was attempting to get them close together to get a picture. No such luck!

Seriously loves pumpkins. He wanted all of them.

First Days of School

Can you believe Joshua has started kindergarten? It might be more unbelievable that I am finally posting about it (or anything for that matter)! I was so nervous about him starting school & being at a new place with new people & not knowing anyone. However, he has done fantastic. He seems to love his teacher & everyone who works with him, as well as his new friends in his class. He tells me most days that he did good at kindergarten & that he wants to go back. John & I really like his teacher. She seems to be exactly what he needs. She & the aide that works with her are super organized. I have no idea how they do it! They really must love their jobs. I can't imagine how much time it takes to prepare for all of the different needs in their class & how much patience it takes to do what they do each & every day...without any kind of a break! Seriously, I think they are amazing! So, the first day was rough. We found out the Wednesday before school started that Joshua would have to go to a different school than we are zoned for to get all of the services he needed. Yes, you read that right. We had 5 days notice that he would be starting school at a different school than we had registered him at & taken him to visit. It worked out for the best, but still...it was short notice. We didn't get the registration paperwork in advance, so on the first day, I had to do all of that. I also didn't anticipate the chaos of "first day of school" traffic & parking! So, we were technically a couple of minutes late. I had to park at the bottom of a hill (blocking the lower parking lot, no less, as that was the only place left to park) & walk Joshua up the hill, carrying Timothy. After getting Joshua to his teacher, I had to wait with the tons of other parents to get the registration paperwork. Timothy was unhappy that I wouldn't let him run wild in the cafeteria while I filled out all of the papers (which I had filled out at a different school in April - but that is beside the point :)). Then it was back to line to wait more. Luckily, I had gone down & moved my car into the parking lot when it cleared out a bit so that other people could get in. I also carried 2 bags of school supplies & Timothy up that hill again! By the time we finished everything, I had missed breakfast with some girls I had done a study with this summer on the book, "Going Public". Needless to say, we didn't get the cute first day of school picture in front of the school. But, I did finally remember to take a picture of him with his backpack as we were heading out on the 14th day of school (or something like that).

 This really was the best picture I could get. The one where he was smiling, he was just a blur because he was walking towards me. Oh well! I promise he loves school!

Last week, Timothy started 2 year old Mother's Day Out. He wasn't so sure about it, but he didn't cry. He seemed to have a good time. I think it will be fun for him again this year. There is no chaotic story about his first day. And, I managed to get a picture of him at home as we were leaving...wearing his backpack. How is he big enough for a backpack??

How precious is that smile! If you have seen my FB page, you know he got a big boy haircut since this picture was taken. He looks so much older now! Also on FB, you will find a video of him "reading" part of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" - I know I'm completely biased, but it is precious!

I make no promises about when I will find time to post again! My little Etsy business is keeping me busy most days. If you haven't already, check out my shop @ www.peachfuzzgifts.etsy.com & like it on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/peachfuzzgifts.

Timothy's 2nd Birthday!!

Didn't we just bring him home from the hospital?? These two years have gone by so fast! Timothy has been such a blessing to our family! He is such a happy, funny, smart little boy. He is a great little brother to Joshua - who he happens to adore, most of the time :) We had a fun time celebrating his birthday. My brother & sister-in-law were in town for my parents' 35th anniversary, so we were excited they could celebrate with us this year! It was a super busy weekend but here are a few pictures from his little party:

Wearing an outfit made by mommy! I love this face!

He loved his birthday cake! Joshua loved running around & seeing everyone!

Aunt Haley designed these nesting owls at her job. Such a fun gift!

He went back & forth on whether or not he liked the hat.

It was time for a Tonka truck! He loves filling it up & dumping it out.

I asked him what kind of cake he wanted & he said Mickey Mouse. Since we had such a busy weekend I didn't think I could make one. Due to licensing issues, I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. It was either surfer Mickey, motorcycle Mickey or cowboy Mickey. I tried to get him to choose Thomas instead but he chose motorcycle Mickey. Our little guy knows what he wants!

Super Why Live!

Where did the summer go?? I can't believe Joshua will start kindergarten tomorrow! And, we are celebrating Timothy's second birthday this weekend. So, I figured I better get started with my posts! We really had a fairly boring summer - boring isn't always bad :) Our summer just ended up being fairly full with Joshua's therapy schedule, Timothy & I doing a music class, and me doing a study at church. 

One of the most fun things we did this summer was go to Super Why Live back in July. Our boys both LOVE Super Why. I don't think a day goes by that we don't watch it. Some days we watch a LOT of it! We have many, many, many episodes on DVR & Joshua knows them all by title! Anyway, the boys were pretty excited about seeing Super Why. Seeing him & the other characters as "real" people & not just animated characters was a bit of a shock for them, but after Joshua got used to that, he absolutely loved the show. Timothy was a bit more hesitant but would get into it during some parts. They both said they wanted to go back. We weren't supposed to take pictures during the show, but here are two of them at home as we were leaving. Timothy's face in this first one is hilarious! Its probably the look I see from him the most often :) Joshua didn't want to sit still because we had already said we were going to see Super Why.

July 4th

 We spent a few days around the Fourth of July with John's parents in Mentone. We decided to go to the Tennessee Aquarium since it was so close.

 It was a hit with both of them. Joshua cared more about the water than the fish but Timothy was completely in to seeing the fish, turtles, etc.

 There were people in the large tanks cleaning. Our kids were not the only ones excited to see people in with the fish!

Timothy watching the cleaning.

 Sporting a lobster shirt made by mommy! He looks grown up here. Joshua also had a shirt made by mommy but I never got a good picture of him that showed the shark.

 Daddy & Joshua at the touch tank. I don't think Joshua was able to reach anything but he liked putting his hands in the water.

 Timothy had been calling any fish that was slightly large a shark all day. When he finally saw this shark up close, he said "all done shark" & backed away from the glass!

 Both boys were up really early that morning so they were exhausted when we left. Joshua almost never sleeps in the car. It only lasted a few minutes....maybe because he had to be very uncomfortable in this position!

Sound asleep for most of the way back.

We did go to the fireworks in Fort Payne on the 3rd. We had never been to theirs. It was a really good show. Not as big as Birmingham, but still really good. Timothy wasn't sure at first, but he decided to like it. Joshua loved the beginning & end but had a bit of a fit during the middle because we wouldn't let him run wild. In the car on the way back, Joshua said, "I want go back fireworks."

Summer Update #2

This little guy isn't quite a fan of water yet, but we keep trying!

I really can't believe Timothy will be 2 next month! It has gone by way too fast! He also has changed tons over the past several months. We are continually amazed at how much he knows. He has been able to recognize & say his letters for a few months now but he has started saying the alphabet (leaving out N most of the time) & even singing the alphabet song. I have heard him singing the clean up song in the car. He sings other things but I usually can't quite figure them out :) He can count to 10. He finishes everything by clapping his hands & saying "yaaaayyyy". He knows his shapes & some colors most of the time. He sits down & "reads" books to himself. He has started some pretend play (something we never experienced with Joshua). Timothy has a pretty amazing vocabulary for his age. My favorite things that he says right now are dirty pronounced "door-yay" & wrinkles pronounced "minkles". He recently discovered wrinkles on his fingers after he was in the bath & cried because he couldn't wipe them off! He loves seeing animals at the zoo, or the cat at the end of our street. He is still a momma's boy but he has learned to show some love to other people. He still isn't thrilled about being left in the nursery at church but he hasn't cried for a few weeks. He still gives me a pained look when I hand him over though. I'm guessing he will be running in to play soon & I will miss the days when he didn't want to leave me! He seems to be enjoying having Joshua at home this summer. Joshua being in school every day this fall will probably be a bit tough on him, but I think he will enjoy having mommy all to himself some again.

Summer Update #1

Playing in the sprinkler at Grammy & Poppa's house. This kid really loves the water!

We haven't put alot on here regarding Joshua's progress in the past several months. He really has come quite a long way. Eight months ago he could only say a few words. Now, he talks in phrases most of the time....I would say sentences but he leaves out some of the smaller words still. We have even heard him singing (!) along with some songs recently (seriously, we NEVER thought that would happen)! His articulation isn't clear most of the time but John & I can usually figure out what he is saying. He really likes being understood :) He also really likes getting his way, which doesn't happen all of the time! Having a little brother has been quite the learning experience for him....he isn't used to having someone else have an opinion on which cartoon to watch or what we do. Joshua finished preschool in May & will be starting kindergarten this fall. I really can't believe it! Joshua has become slightly better at dealing with changes in his routine. We are working with him on self help skills. Doing things on his own is really hard for him, but once he has practiced a few times he seems to get things. He has difficulty in trying new things, like physical movements, but once he is shown how to move (for example, how to squat, tip toe, twist, kick a ball, etc) he can generally do it own his own & often really enjoys it. That is something he worked on this past year during school & we are now applying that to things like getting dressed, washing hands, etc. Joshua often amazes us with how smart he is. Of course, he has known his letters & numbers for quite a while now. We are pretty sure he can read at least some words, & that he knows how to spell some words. He seems to have an excellent memory. He remembers all the words to his signing time DVDs & all of his favorite books. He knows the Super Why episodes we have on DVR by episode title. Life isn't perfect by any means....he still has meltdowns on occassion, he yells & cries, he still has seizures every couple of months; but, overall things are so much better than they have been in the past. Summer has been quite an adventure since his routine is totally different! He is doing three different therapies this summer - all of which he seems to enjoy. And, he still loves going to church. He went to VBS for the first time this summer. This fall should be interesting for us....maybe I'll do a better job of posting about his kindergarten experience on here!

Horse Show

As you may remember from my last post, we drove from Disney World to Montgomery in one day in order to drive in for Joshua's horse show the next day. He does horseback riding therapy & has loved it again this year, as you can see from the smiles in the following pictures.

I think he rides the biggest horse they have. All of the horses are beautiful.

Check out those pink cheeks....it was quite warm! He was hanging out with Grammy while he watched big brother.

All of the riders got awards at the end of the show. We are looking forward to the next year of classes!

Disney Day 7 - Chef Mickey's

Our last day at Disney we went to breakfast at Chef Mickey's & then packed up to begin the drive home.

Timothy saw the Mickey Mouse balloons as soon as he woke up & was so excited! He ran around the room with both of them for a while. After we got them up & ready, we headed to Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary.

Waiting for the characters to come visit.

Pluto spent the most time at our table. He seemed quite fond of Joshua.

I wanted a picture of the boys in the shirts I made for them. They wanted to look at the water.

One last family picture in the lobby before starting the long drive home. We had hotel reservations in Montgomery so we knew we had to make it that far! We wouldn't have driven so long in one day except that Joshua had a horse show the next morning with his horseback riding therapy & we wanted to be back in time for that. We ended up not getting to Montgomery until around 8:00 that night. John & I had not had dinner, though we had stopped at a rest area & given the boys some food that I had in the car for them. We stayed at the Renaissance & our room overlooked the river & the fountain, so the boys were thrilled & hard to get settled down for bed!

I think we really did have a great trip. We had not known what to expect from Joshua but he did really well. He even ate some foods that he would never eat before....a hot dog, french fries, chicken nuggets, pizza...not the healthiest but these were major things for Joshua. He basically lives on crackers, PB&J, and some fruits. For him to eat meat of any sort was amazing!

So, here is my two cents on the logistics of the trip: the Polynesian was worth every penny. If you are traveling with little kids (or kids of any age with special needs) I would highly recommend staying at either the Polynesian or Contemporary. Travel to the Magic Kingdom & Epcot are super easy & quick with the monorail right there. The Grand Floridian is also on the monorail but it looks fancier & I think I recall it being more expensive. John says he doesn't think we would do the deluxe dining plan again because there was so much food at every meal. However, if you want to do Chef Mickey's or California Grill (& maybe a few other places that we didn't go) it might be worth it because those places are pricey & no longer included on the basic dining plan. If you do the deluxe plan, make sure to use up all of your snacks! You eat so much during the day that you forget about snacks. We mostly used ours to get bottled water in the parks. John laughed at me but I would go by the gift shop every time & get a bottle of water. We took what we didn't drink there & drank it on the way home rather than stopping to buy some along the way. Also, make sure the cashiers apply it to your snack plan....otherwise you end up paying $2.50 for water (that happened to us twice). We did four character breakfasts (most table service meals at breakfast include characters). If we go again I think we will only do one but I think it was good that we did so many this time. Timothy cried at the first one when Mickey came up to him but by the last one he had gotten used to it & was excited to see the characters. If I had to choose one it would probably be Chef Mickey's because those were the classic characters, but if you want one that is included in the basic dining plan, Mickey was also at the Tusker House at Animal Kingdom & at O'Hana at the Polynesian. Also, we wish I had planned for breakfasts to be later. I forgot that I was scheduling on Eastern time & not Central. That meant we were having to drag the boys out of bed & were rushing to get to breakfast on time. Next time I will remember!

Disney Day 6 - Magic Kingdom

This was our last day in the parks, so we headed back to the Magic Kingdom. We had breakfast with Pooh & Friends at the Crystal Palace. It was also a buffet with your basic breakfast foods.

Saying hi to Winnie the Pooh.

Hugs from Eeyore.

Timothy had started standing up in his high chair & trying to climb out. So I got to be in the picture with Piglet.

Joshua even bounced with Tigger!

After breakfast we went back to some of our favorite rides: Winnie the Pooh, Its a Small World, Tomorrowland Speedway, Buzz Lightyear, & the carousel...a couple of times :)

Timothy really took it all in on It's a Small World. He would point to things & say what they were.

Our last time on the carousel.

So happy!

I think he was ready for it to start.

Cece bought the boys their own sunglasses & Timothy really liked his!

We ate lunch at the Lunching Pad (hot dogs) & then went back to the room to rest. After Timothy took a long nap, we headed to the pool for the first time. Joshua loved it & Timothy hated it. He started crying as soon as he hit the water. Even with just his toes in, he was mad. He kept telling me he was all done. I ended up taking him to look for the ducks in the stream. John & I went to dinner that night at California Grill in the Contemporary Resort while John's mom stayed with the boys. It was so good! We both had steak & chocolate cake for dessert. If you want to splurge on a great meal, this is the place. We had read that it has the best food on the property & I think that might be right. It is no longer covered on the basic dining plan but is on the deluxe dining plan (though it takes 2 meal credits....totally worth it). After dinner John & I went back to the Magic Kingdom to do a little shopping. Timothy had been wanting a Mickey Mouse balloon all week so we had to get one for each of the boys.