Welcome to OUR World!: November 2010

Monday, November 29, 2010

Christmas So Far.....

Time to get festive....
(November 26th)

Building the tree....

Time to Decorate.....

Anyone want a Kiss??? (Mistletoe in the doorway)

Decorating the outside of the house.....

Playing in the snow while visiting Daddy (James) in Flagstaff...
(November 27th)

Stay tuned for more this season....

Friday, November 19, 2010

BFFL day at the Zoo (November 14th)....

Lexis BFFL (Best Friend For Life, Times a Million) J and her family moved this month and we tried to get the girls together for one last hoorah before they left. They had a blast just wandering around the zoo, talking and being silly. It was a GREAT day, and a GREAT send off. We are gonna miss them.

Waiting for our friends....

We let the girls decide what route we would take and what we were doing,
They decided to take a hike first off, it was a route I had never taken but was kind of cool....

Dancing:
The girls found and empty theatre and couldnt help but show off....
I love them... they crack me up!

The first true POSE of the day.....

Stopping for a Churro snack.....

Watching the monkeys....

Posing in the cement kangaroo statue and pouch....

We stopped to take a break and see the kangaroos, and of course it only got close so it could go pee.... LOL.... We had to pose just right so you wouldnt see it in the shot : )

The girls found the animal statues and decided it was time for a photo session : )
They are too cute....

The Pretty Little Princesses or should I say Pearls:

The turtles decided it was time to mate while we were there.... typical : )
We thought it was hilarious. We decided to leave as soon as we heard the kids say "Whats that noise?" That was after them asking "Why is that BIG turtle climbing on that BIG rock?" LOL Too Cute. We decided it wasnt the place or time for a birds and the bees talk with the 5 year old.... LOL

Lunch Time:
Enjoying a late lunch with the crew....
Caesar Salad for my little punkin and nachos for the rest. Except me, I had a BLT.... They gave me a pound of bacon on that thing, it was NUTS!!!

Saying their Good-byes!!!
After shopping for goodies at the gift shop, we stopped to look at the fishies and say our good-byes.....
These little cuties are certainly going to miss each other....

Fall Festival (November 6th).....

Fall Fest this year was FUN!! IT was the first year in awhile that I actually got to wander and join in on the FUN!
I did get to help with the cheer booth for the first hour or SO (I was glad other parents showed up to help because it was HOT and I was getting nice and crispy, But I was glad I was able to be there to help none the less)
For those of you who didnt know or hadnt seen pics. Lexi fell and hurt her elbow on Seans birthday (The day before fall fest) and they thought she might have fractured her growth plate, so she was in a splint for Fall Fest. Sadly it was also performance day for Cheer.... But she was able to still do it one handed. It was cuter than cute. And her friends all were very sympathetic of her injury. She was sad because she couldnt play much at Fall Fest (No Bounce House for her) but she survived.
The kids (all but Pieceful Solutions... LONG STORY!!) performed a couple patriotic songs as well. They were also VERY cute. Enjoy the pics.

(Just getting there, finding friends and ready for FUN)

(Pieceful Solutions Fishing Game, Sean was excited to show daddy, the let the kids help paint it in class, he showed daddy the blue water he helped paint : )

(The boy in the bounce house.... he did bounce alot, but it wasnt the same without his sissy.... and he was waiting for his friends to show up too)

(Yes you do see teary eyes on the boy, even with a snowcone, he had dropped his first one and was VERY sad because he had just gotten it and hadnt even had a chance to eat it yet.... The lady at the snow cone stand took pity on the poor teary face and gave him the second one free even though we were willing to pay for it. It took a little bit but he did finally cheer up)

(Grades K-8 Performing Grand Old Flag and God Bless the USA)

(My little one armed cheer leader : 0 )

(The face paint, Lexi wanted a Skull and Sean is ALL BOY he needed a Car)

(Lex and her friends, almost time to take off it was wrapping up, FUN day)

Sorry there wasnt more pics, I was just enjoying the laid back moments of the day. Kids just wandered and had FUN just enjoying the time with friends. Good times, Great memories.

More About Us.....

Sean is doing AMAZINGLY well (considering), If you missed the last couple updates Sean has been diagnosed with Aspergers (High Functioning Autism). It was a tough road to get to that end result, but we are picking ourselves up and dusting ourselves off and moving on in the direction that is best for the little man. Always making sure that the end result will be in his best interest.

Sean was able to be a part of a program this last couple years that has helped immensely with his sensory needs, coping mechanisms, language helps and keeping him on track educationally without the chaos of a "normal" classroom getting in the way. He made so many friends, friends that understand him and his quirks and LOVE him despite them. He was finally able to see that there are people out there like him and he is not alone in the world. We were SO blessed to have that oppurtunity. After a couple months of waiting for the new school year and homeschooling he is back in the program at a new campus and loving it (Pieceful Solutions) they are a God send for us. This next school year they are going private BUT due to a scholarship program offered by the state we are able to continue him in this amazing program AND their new campus is right around the corner from us. Couldnt be happier for them or for our little man. New adventures on the horizon. SO exciting! Check back to see how our Aspie survives the new school year at his new campus!!!

Lexi has had a rough school year last year BUT she is LOVING her new school and her new teacher, her and her BFF (in Florida) are enjoying being pen pals still. Miles cannot come between them, they are still forever friends and always have each others backs. Its nice for her to have a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen from someone who is her "two peas in a pod" bud and will always get what she is going through. She loves her and misses her terribly, but they are making it through. They are both SO excited (AND so are us moms) that we will be taking a vacation to Florida in July to see them. Its been over a year and we miss them SO much. Cant wait. It will be a great adventure; first trip to Disney World, first flight and reuniting with great friends.

After a couple months of being homeschooled last year (which really turned out to be a great experience for both of us despite the added stress at times) Lexi is very excited about being back in a brick and mortar school. She is enjoying the cheer and dance club as well and chapel time on Fridays. Its been great for her to make new friends. This year has been tough again, ups and downs with friends. BUT she is learning to make it through and cope with the fact that not everyone is nice and kind all the time. She has had a boyfriend this year and they are adorably cute together. This year has not been without its drama, but we are expecting that to be the new norm as the kids get older. If we can just make it day by day, step by step we will make it through. Keep checking back for updates on her going ons at school and with her friends.

For both kids this new school year is a BIG change and an oppurtunity for them to grown in their own ways, It has been good for them to have much different experiences and growths. As much as they grow apart in some ways they are growing closer in others. Its been a struggle, but a good life lesson for Sean to be attending Lexis class for some parts of the day. Its good to watch her friends reach out to him, and to hear her want to stand up for him with the couple kids that dont understand him. Hopefully this trend will continue and they will remain close. As much as they get on each others nerves, they both know they have each others backs. We have made it through most of the year and in one peice, thats progress in and of itself =) Hoping this will continue next year as Lexi moves onto her Middle School Campus and Sean moves onto his new campus. This will be the biggest change ever for them, Two totally different schools, new adventures around the corner.

Brandon has been working hard and traveling ALOT (still, some things never change). We have been VERY blessed that he has been able to keep steady work this last couple years or so with the economy the way that it is. And we are hoping that it just stays that way. He is looking forward to our vacation this summer and a break from work. He is getting close to burn out but hanging in there. He is AMAZING and we appreciate the hard work that he does for our family. We love him dearly and miss him like crazy!

As for me: I have been enjoying just being a mom and having the oppurtunity to help my kids learn and grow this last year or so. I was blessed with the oppurtunity to give them all of me and everything they needed this last year. And they blessed me right back with a few lessons I needed to get out of life on perserverance and endurance. I love those guys to peices; and none of it would have been possible without the hard work of my loving husband. He is amazing, and although things arent always perfect between us he never gives up and always fights hard to provide us with everything we need. I love him more than words can describe.

I am looking forward to this school year and being able to take a more stand off approach. Still being involved but seeing how much they can flourish on their own. Still being there to help them with homework and attend their fieldtrips and events. Still helping occasionally in the class, but allowing them space to thrive. The stand off approach has been good for all of us, they are settling into that well. They know I am around when they need me but they are becoming much more independent. Love those little monkies!