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.

Disney Day 5 - Epcot

 Our fifth day started with a luau themed breakfast at O'Hana in the Polynesian. There was a monkey bread type pastry, fruit, eggs, bacon, potatoes, biscuits, & Mickey shaped waffles. It was a buffet but they brought everything to your table on platters.

The boys with Lilo.

Stitch & the boys. I don't think they knew what to think of that!

Hugs from Mickey.

Loving Pluto!

Pluto being funny. John's mom said this should be our Christmas card this year...I will have to keep it in mind when the time comes :)

As we rode the monorail in, Timothy said "Ball!!!"

CeCe & the boys.

Our first stop in Epcot was Soarin'. We weren't sure if Joshua would like it or not but decided to try. We used the Fast Pass line & only had to wait maybe 10 minutes. Joshua fussed the whole time & started crying when we got in our seats. As soon as the ride started he got quiet & seemed to really take it all in. I had read that Soarin' was probably the best ride in the park for all ages & I think we would agree! It is definitely a must see! We saw signs that Test Track had run out of Fast Passes within an hour, I think. We weren't going to take Joshua on that one but I think John would have liked it. From there we went to The Seas with Nemo & Friends. I think the boys enjoyed it. They really liked all of the aquariums in the rest of the building.

 Joshua & Timothy looking in one of the aquariums. Please note that Joshua again is wearing his lei but this time he has it sash-style. I think he was trying to start a trend. Every time we fixed it, he moved it back like this!

We were visiting during the Flower & Garden Festival so everything was especially pretty! From Nemo, we went to Spaceship Earth. We had a special waiting area for people with Guest Assistance Cards. The ride wasn't super exciting but it was nice to sit for a bit.

From there we went to the World Showcase. We ate lunch at La Cantina in Mexico. John & I had tacos, chips & popsicles. We ate overlooking the water. We then went to Gran Fiesta Tour. It is an indoor boat ride so Joshua was content. I think it made Timothy sleepy. Then we went to Norway & rode Maelstrom, another indoor boat ride. It scared Timothy a little since it was dark. There was a waterfall that you went down backwards but that was no big deal. Then there was a forward drop that was much bigger & I don't think either boy was prepared for that. It still wasn't scary though...just the dark & loud noises made it slightly scary for Timothy. After that we decided to head back to the hotel.

Timothy decided on the monorail to start wearing my sunglasses. Ever since I can't wear them without him asking for them :)

That evening, John & I went back to Epcot while his mom watched the boys. We were able to see some of the Chinese acrobats' performance before our dinner reservations. We ate dinner at Tutto Italia & it was wonderful. I had fettuccine that was amazing! The servings were massive. After dinner we stopped back by the China pavilion to watch the "Reflections of China" movie. It was a great movie & captured the beauty of China. It was fun seeing that & the replica of the Temple of Heaven (which I visited while I was in China).