Updates!

It's been so long since I've posted anything on my blog that I forgot my password to sign in. Luck was on my side though and I finally figured out what it was (note to self: next time pick and easier password). We've had a busy, fun summer that hasn't left me much time to get online. Things are slowing down a little bit though and I decided to take some time to do an update.

Miss Rylee got a toddler bed yesterday and slept in it for the first time last night. She cried for about 2 minutes after we left her in her room, and then crawled in bed and slept perfectly for most of the night. I think she fell out of bed twice last night, but she didn't even really fuss, she just crawled back in bed and went to sleep again. I'm a proud mama, can you tell?? And what's really great about this is that right now she's taking a nap in her bed! She just got in it and went to sleep. I love this! Rylee is such a big girl now- she's started new words every day and she even shakes her head yes and no when you ask her questions (which is the cutest dang thing I've ever seen). She turns 18 months next week and I just can't believe it. She'll be 2 before I know it.

Brandon's getting ready for school to start- he reminds me every day that he wants to ride the bus. His preschool starts up again 1 month from today (not that I've been counting down the days or anything) and he'll be going to a new school this year. He'll still have a long commute- about an hour- but we've heard many great things about this school. His speech has come a long way since even a year ago. It's amazing to hear him talk now! He's still behind, but he'll have speech therapy at school again this year, and I think it will do wonders for him. Brandon has an appt. with his developmental specialist next week and we should be learning more about what other programs are out there for him. We're also going to work on potty training this week, although it hasn't gotten off to a good start. I'm hoping that things will get better, but I guess we'll find out in the next few days.

Richard officially celebrated 4 years at Internet Truckstop in June. For his hard work, he received a well earned raise and a little bit more vacation time. We're proud of him for all that he does. I know things have been a little stressful for him at work lately, but he still works as hard as he can to provide for us. Richard's also taken on bike riding this year to get back into shape. He wakes up way too early nearly every morning ride before he heads off to work. I don't know how he does it, but I'm glad he's found something to make him feel good.

I've recently started selling tutus and princess wands at the Wild Ivy in Kuna. It's kept me busy doing something I love to do, and I'm extremely excited about this new prospect. I also recently went on a quick whirlwind trip to Salt Lake to visit friends (more on that later) and have a couple baby showers I'm helping with this summer. Things have been busy!

The one thing I haven't posted on is the loss of Richard's brother. Ben was one of the most supportive people in our lives and we miss him greatly. For those that don't know, he passed away after a tragic accident on May 16th. We still feel the sadness of his loss, as I'm sure we will for a long time to come. Things won't be the same without him, but I hope that we can help his legacy live on through memories that we shared with him.

Fun at the zoo!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iPLB7EsCBE

I hope Charlotte doesn't mind me posting this, but she made this video about our trip to the zoo last week. She took such cute pics of the kids that I wanted to share with everyone. We had a really fun time on our zoo trip, and near perfect weather (we were actually complaining that it was a little too hot!). And best of all our kids made some great memories together! We look forward to more fun times with Alison, Jamin, Travis, Charlotte, and Brock.

Bye bye Petalprincess!

I won't be selling for thepetalprincess.com anymore because the owner wants to focus more on selling her products in a couple stores instead of online. You can still find cute flower clips on her website, but her stock seems to be pretty limited at the moment. I have quite a few clips and headbands in stock that I would like to sell, so if there is anything you can't find online, chances are that I probably have it. I also have a few discontinued items as well. Right now I'm selling all of the headbands I have for $1 each with the purchase of a clip at regular price (no shipping charges or tax).

Brandon goes to school...

Brandon started preschool at the end of March and he LOVES it! His face lights anytime we even mention the word "school"! When the bus comes to pick him up, he jumps up and down and screams "there it is, there it is" over and over! And when he get's home in the afternoon, his face is beaming with happiness! This is such a good experience for him, and I'm so glad that he likes it so much.

The only bad thing about it is that I always get a little emotional when I see the bus pull away. It's a little bittersweet to let him go. It's for the best though, and it is nice to get a little bit of a break twice a week. =)

Miss Rylee turns 1!

Actually she turned 1 back on January 29th, I'm just really slow at posting lately. It was a special day though, so I wanted to share the fun with everyone. The day of her birthday fell on a Thursday, but we decided to celebrate with our family on the following Saturday. Rylee's grandma and grandpa (my parents) were there, along with her great-grandpa, her great aunt Debbie, her aunt Jeni and uncle Ben, and their kids.

Rylee wasn't too sure about opening presents, but she loved to pull the bows off!

And she liked playing with the wrapping paper once I pulled it off the presents!

She also loved hamming it up for everyone. Unlike her usual somewhat reserved self, she danced, sang, and went around showing everyone what she got for her birthday! It was super cute!

She also enjoyed her cake, although she wasn't quite sure how to dig in at first. She got the hang of it eventually though.




Here's her cute birthday cake, and...

her own little smash cake!



I can't believe my baby is a toddler now! I say it all the time, but really, where does the time go? Rylee has grown into such a sweet, loving, good natured little girl in such a short time. We love her and we love watching her grow every day. Happy Birthday "Littles"!!!

Catching up with long time friends...

Ok, so I'm more then a little behind on my blog- I still have Rylee's birthday to blog about and that was back in January. I'd like to blame it on being busy (that's part of it at least), but I think it's more because I can't seem to find my creative juices lately. I have fun things to write about, but when I start to type it all out, it just comes out looking lame. Not that I have that many blog followers, but it bugs me to read my lameness. Anywho, I'm giving the ol' blog thing another try today.

A dear friend of mine, Jessica, from years and years ago came into town on vacation and I, along with another very close friend of ours, Katee and her friend Kim, were able to get together for a visit. It was so fun to catch up with these girls! I'm lucky enough to be able to talk to them on a weekly basis, but it's been way too long since I've seen either of them.

Saying goodbye...

Brandon turns 3 this Friday, which marks the end of our time with The Infant Toddler Program, and everyone involved with it. It will be a big change for us, as our 3 therapists have been coming into our home for a year now. We will miss them greatly and it will be hard to fathom what we will do with our time in place of therapy, since it's been a routine for so long. These people hold special places in my heart now, I'm beyond grateful for everything they've done.
Our speech therapist, Kristi, has been one of our biggest advocates and we are truly sad to see her leave. Brandon has loved her from the start (literally, she was the first person he ever said "I love you" to), and it's because of her that his language has blossomed so much in such a short time. Kristi has always gone above and beyond her job to help us in any way possible- there aren't enough words in the English dictionary to express how thankful I am for that!
Christine, Brandon's Occupational Therapist, is another person that I am unequivocally thankful for. I'm sure I would have pulled my hair out long ago if it weren't for her! Chris comes into our house on a weekly basis to help Brandon with anything from simple tasks, like brushing his teeth, to next to impossible tasks (for Brandon, at least) like transitioning with ease and playing nicely with Rylee. She's done everything from stay late to help me with paperwork, to listen to me vent on a regular basis. She's an absolute super-hero in my book, and I don't know what I would have done without her.
It will be hard to say goodbye, especially for Brandon- he talks about Chris and Kristi all the time. I hope that his new preschool will have people just as devoted in helping Brandon as these ladies have been.