Where has the summer gone?

Good question. We had originally planned to do all sorts of fun stuff once Tom got back. However, life doesn't always go as planned. Tom got stuck on medical hold for most of the month he was supposed to have off. They did some post-deployment physical and decided he needed to see a cardiologist because his resting heart rate is so low, 44 beats per minute. He's fine, and yes, still alive despite such a low heart rate. I think it's a combination of his running for so many years(at least 15!) and genetics(his dad, though not a runner or athlete by any stretch of the imagination, also has a low heart rate).

So, we've done a lot(8 weeks) of swimming lessons for Ivy. Andrew got 5(out of 6) Saturdays of Mommy & Me type swim class. He now LOVES being in pools--except when there are stairs, at which point, that would be the only place he'd want to be. Collin got 2(out of 3) Saturdays of the same swim class. During those classes, Tom was with Andrew, and we were lucky to get Ivy watched.

Ivy & Collin have also learned how to bike without training wheels. We only taught Ivy. Collin hasn't figured out brakes yet, so for now, he drags his feet going down the driveway or puts his feet down when he wants to stop. Anyway, that's been most of our summer.

Another talent

Ivy was frustrated at me moving slowly the other day. I twisted my knee hopping into the car after grocery shopping by myself Thursday night. Anyway, she was thirsty and ended up getting her own cup. "This must be my talent Mommy: pouring apple juice in a cup without spilling."

Happy 5th Birthday Collin!

This is a video I took of Collin opening presents. Thought it'd be faster/more convenient than multiple pictures.



Collin, what can I say? It's been an amazing day today! We're so proud of you for choosing all by yourself to go to primary instead of nursery at church today. And to top it off, you stayed in there most of the whole time. That hasn't happened for nearly 2 years! Mommy & Daddy were getting quite concerned but had no idea what to do. We're so thankful you're choosing to show your independence too.

Little by little thru the Spirit and trial & error thru different experiences, I am finally understanding your world. What I thought was a sensory issue turned out to be merely your frustration at wanting to do something yourself instead of Mommy "helping" you.

My birthday wish for you is to never stop being the sweet, sensitive little guy you are. More progress in certain things would be nice, but I'll wait for you to do things in your own time.

A Newly Discovered Talent

Talents come in all shapes and forms. Thank goodness for kids who can think of creative ones that I never would've thought up on my own.

Ivy, "See? This is my talent. I can hold grapes in between my fingers"

I'm so glad when Daddy comes home!

Tom flew in late tonight from Kuwait--he's still collecting his things before coming home. We are so grateful to have him back & many thanks to all who've helped us in any way, big or small. It means a lot, even if it wasn't a big deal to you. We're looking forward to having family time this week/weekend & celebrating our anniversary next week.

I love this song. So appropriate for the final days of the deployment.

Update on Collin

Collin is starting to show genuine interest in engaging in more social interaction with me, siblings, and now the neighbor boy--whom I will address in a later post(can of worms). Anyway, I'm really excited to see this. I have spent many hours at the temple, and home (or wherever I am) wondering what's in store for Collin's future. It sounds bad, but for the most part, I did exactly what was described in a book "Special Children, Challenged Parents" about how the author basically let go of any dreams/expectations for his son's future so he could enjoy his son more instead of just focusing on things like "he'll never blah, blah, blah", etc. It does make things more bareable, in my opinion. And then when milestones are met there's more excitement for them. Even if they are years off compared to neuro-typical children.