Happy 6 months Rylee girl!

My sweet little girl turned 6 months on the 29th! Rylee and I marked the special day by going to a mother-daughter spa party! Rylee didn't participate much, but she had a great time playing in the grass. I'm sure she'll get into the "girly" stuff more as she get's older. =) It's been so fun having this little lady in our lives, she's such a blessing. Brandon loves her too, he's even willing to share his toys with her most of the time. Happy 6 months "Littles"!!!

Goodbye Heidi!

A year and a half ago I developed severe asthma and we recently found out that one of the major contributing causes was our beloved dog Heidi. It was recommended by my Dr. that we get rid of her, so we ended up finding her a very nice home last Thursday. We miss her dearly though! She's been with us for over 7 years (I spent 2 years doing Search and Rescue with her, 2 years in obediance training, and another year doing agility with her!). Brandon misses her a lot too- he keeps saying "Heidi, where are you?" all day long. Her new family called us Friday evening though, to say that they love her so much and that she's adjusting really well to her new home. Hopefully this is all for the better, because our home just isn't the same without Heidi laying at our feet.

A budding gymnast

Brandon and I had our first Mom and Tot gymnastics lesson today! It was so fun, but also a lot of work. Brandon learned how to do a headstand, a front roll, balance on the small balance beam, and also on the large one, hang on the bar, do a kart wheel, and stretch! Whoo! What a day! He was so good at it, but he also wanted to just run all over the place too, silly boy! We go back next week, and I'm hoping it will go a little smoother next time. =) I think he loved it though, and it was a great outlet for all of his energy.

Another month goes by

Rylee (aka The Littles) turned 5 months yesterday! She's learning so many new things, I love it! Lately she's been trying to sit on her own (once I put her in the sitting position), and she's trying very hard to get up into the crawl position! And the girl loves her solid food! She's doing so well with Stage 1 foods! She loves her big brother so much- he's the only one that can make her laugh hard. I hope those 2 will continue to be good buddies. =)

We went swimming at a hot springs this past weekend and had a blast! Brandon was a little bit scared of the water, so we pretty much kept him in the shallow part of the water where he could stand up. Rylee played in her little floaty and liked splashing the water with her feet. This was the first time we have ever taken the kids swimming, and the first time Richard and I had been in 3 years. It was a fun day and we are hoping to go back soon!

Girl's night out!

I spent the evening with some friends at a card camp, where you get to learn new card making techniques. It was a ball! Girl's nights out have been few and far between lately due to busy schedules, so this one was much needed! And I got to do one of my favorite hobbies as an added bonus. It's nice to get away from the kids once in awhile.

On a side note, I just wanted to send hugs to Charlotte. She's had a very difficult week, and I just wanted her to know that she's in my prayers.

We finally have answers...

Brandon's developmental therapist came by today to work with him and ask some questions about his behaviors. I think she knew right away what was wrong, but it wasn't until the end of our session that she said that she is pretty sure that he has a sensory disorder. We can't "officially" dignose him until he undergoes more tests, but she's pretty certain that that's what he has to some degree. Now it completely makes sense why our ped. thought he had autism. I have a list of symptoms that he has, and even though I'm sure it's probably boring stuff to other people, it feels good to just get things typed out so that I can make sense of it all. Anywho, here they are: high pain tolerance, cleansing of hands and/or other body parts often, dislike of grooming (brushing teeth and/or hair, etc.), placing hands or fingers in mouth often, continuously in motion, walks heavily or on toes, avoids particular textures in food, Over or under reacts to loud noises, tantrums easily, repeated humming or singing to self, tearing and/or crumpling paper or other such items, and keen to sounds others disregard, positions objects in rows, repetitive opening and shutting of doors and/or drawers, continuously turning lights on and off, enthralled by shiny and/or reflective items (mirrors, glass, etc.), prefers to eat only a few select foods (finicky eater), trouble brushing teeth: gags, chokes, etc., repeatedly jumps and/or spins (may appear calmer after such activities),prefers rough play, often breaking toys and other items, positions body in strange stances, gets pleasure from falling down, dangling by arms, and/or jumping, has trouble using silverware correctly: prefers hands, and has a tendency to support self by clinging to other people, furniture, and other secure items.

Sorry that's so long. =)

A good helper!

Brandon's been so good lately about helping out around the house- he loves to help unload the dishwasher, he puts his pants and jammies away once I'm done folding them, and he even picks up any kind of trash or wrappers laying around and throws them away. He even loves to help out in the yard! Last night he helped his dad mow almost the entire front yard. I was such a proud mama when I saw that- if my camera battery wasn't dead I would have taken a million pictures of it. 2 has been such a hard age for us, but then there are parts of it that I just love. And I guess I better take whatever help I can get from him now, because I'm pretty sure that in a few years it won't be like this.