Long Weekends Are My Favorite

I was one of those moms absolutely not ready to send the boys back to school when the end of Christmas break happened. I loved our break. I love having them all home all day. I love the relaxed days, no real set schedule and just being able to hug on them anytime I want.

Which is why I made sure I was well aware of all the long weekends that were coming up that we could all look forward to until Summer break. We were all pretty happy to see that school would only be in session for one full week before having our first three day weekend of 2017.

Friday after Hudson got home from school we loaded up for haircuts. Andrew had been meaning to take the big boys for awhile and something always came up. I was going to just take them but he insisted. Well, by Friday, it HAD to happen. And after a busy week we all loaded up for the outing. While Beau was getting his haircut, Andrew and Hudson decided that leftover chicken taco soup wasn't going to cut it for dinner and suggested picking up a movie and eating out. I was going to protest but since their plan still left me out of cooking up something on Friday night, I gladly went along.

We took the boys to barbeque and picked up Storks to watch together. While the kiddos took a bath before movies, I whipped up some Rice Krispie Treats and Oreo balls per the kiddos request earlier this week. (We were SUPPOSED to get a terrible ice storm all weekend and so I had asked for some snacks/treats they'd like to have if we were going to be stuck all weekend. The storm never happened here, thankfully!)

There is nothing better than being all snuggled up watching a movie together with your freshly bathed littles. And the movie was pretty cute too!

Saturday morning the boys requested pancakes before running errands. Andrew had some returns to make from our entryway project and I needed to exchange a Christmas gift for Gabe.

After our errands we headed to Grandma Jo's.

Andrew and I are both pretty blessed to have our grandparents still healthy and close by. On mornings when I need to volunteer at the boys' schools or have something come up, they are my go-to sitters and my boys LOVE it! Andrew and I both have some amazing memories with our great grandparents and love that our boys are creating memories with theirs.

Grandma Jo is Andrew's grandma and she is simply a gem. She and Andrew's grandpa are just the sweetest and going over there is always so nice. She is a hostess through and through and she loves through acts of service--mainly cooking and sewing. She has sewed up lovies for my boys and nieces more times than I can count. Her desserts are divine. And I feel like she has a wealth of knowledge that I just try to chip away at because, I am not even close to her domestication level!!

Andrew had some fish he wanted fried up and Grandma Jo is always happy to do that for us. Andrew's parents joined in and we spent a big chunk of our day around Don and Jo's kitchen table, our boys being doted on and spoiled and our bellies being filled! Definitely a reminder to slow down and enjoy the simple times.

We went to church Saturday evening since we could and after putting the boys to bed Andrew and I had our first date night of 2017. One of our goals this year was to be more intentional with our time together. When we first started talking about adopting, one of the reservations Andrew had was that having four littles would make making time for our marriage more difficult. One thing I believe strongly in is that my marriage comes first, before our children. That can never suffer just because we are in the throes of child-rearing. That being said, getting OUT of the house often can be hard to juggle and can get expensive. (We love our sitters and want them to keep coming back so we pay them WELL! At least, I hope they think we do! Ha!!)

We decided to have two official date nights a month. One date IN and one date OUT of the house. We took time to plan them, what we do, and even set the dates on the calendar for the first three months. (I'll be sharing more of our date ideas soon!)

Saturday our planned date was homemade margaritas and doing a puzzle. It may seem lame but it was seriously one of the best nights we've had in awhile. Our margs were SUPERB and the quiet activity of the puzzle let us relax and talk and just "be" together.

I seriously recommend this date night AND this recipe for margaritas. (The original version can be found on the Pioneer Woman blog. I tweaked this version for our needs...halved and a little less tequila)

Homemade Margaritas
6-7 fresh limes squeezed (should make about 7 ounces of juice)
1/2 cup of water
1 cup of silver 100% Agave tequila
6 ounces of Cointreau
Simple Syrup
Lime Wedges
Rim Salt
Ice

Juice your limes. Mix your juice, water, tequila and cointreau into a pitcher.
Using a lime wedge, "wet" the rim of your glass and dip it into the rim salt. This step makes it. Pour your mixture into your glass over ice. Add a little simple syrup to sweeten it up a bit (not much is needed) and give it a stir. And for an extra little kick, go ahead and squeeze a lime wedge into the glass.

On Sunday we got to have an awesome lazy day since we did Saturday night church. We slept in, had a yummy breakfast, Andrew and I both got a run in and some errands done plus our food prep for the week! And the boys got to stay in the jammies and play all day. It was glorious!!

After the boys woke up from nap, we changed them into real clothes and loaded them up for some family fun. Just a short drive away is a pizza place and bowling alley that our kids love. It was so much fun watching them play the game and just having a ball.

On Monday we didn't get to sleep in too much. Gabe has speech therapy on Monday's in the morning. His SLP is wonderful and we just love her to bits! After his session we loaded up and headed to my parent's house to meet my nephews. On Andrew's side, we have two nieces and a nephew. On my side, we have 4 nephews (and another niece or nephew on the way). Needless to say, there is always a lot of activity when we get together. The boys (all under the age of 5) definitely wore each other out playing! We headed home for late naps before I had a meeting with a client.

Today was back to business as usual. Until the next long weekend!

To a New Year...

Two weeks into 2017 and I am already excited about all the possibility that this year holds. 2016 was a great year for our family, filled with wonderful memories and special times together. But as much as I love looking back, I love looking forward even more.

Gabe ended 2016 with a 6 month progress check with both therapists.  Our main purpose of therapy was to get Gabe talking. When we began the process in July, he was quiet all the time: during play, during play with others and only had a few words. There were some serious concerns the first few months of therapy as to why Gabe was lacking in just this area. We had him assessed for a tongue tie in October to discover that he had not only a tongue tie, but a lip tie as well. We've really seen progress and his latest report showed quite a large jump in growth. Although his articulation is still not strong, he is gaining new words, phrasing and becoming more confident in trying to speak! This was such a HUGE blessing. We still are nowhere near where we want him to be, but we are hopeful that progress will continue. We are so proud of him!

Another exciting adventure for our family is the beginning of the process to adopt. As a family, we came to the decision that we felt called to add to our brood through the process of foster to adopt. Through prayer, conversations with Andrew, talking to some couples who gave us so much insight into their own personal experiences, we feel ready to take those first steps. We are meeting with a person who specializes in licensing and will begin soon our classes. It is a step of faith and one into the unknown but one we are beyond excited to take! 

And if three boys and the potential of another weren't enough, I am pretty ecstatic to be teaming up with a friend on a new business venture. Making a house a home is something I love. I appreciate that your home should be a place you love no matter the size, budget, or style. To get to make that a reality in the lives of others on any level is extremely exciting. We have already begun working through our first trial clients and it has already been so much more than I imagined! 

Here is looking to all that 2017 has to bring! 

Our Weekend Through Monday

Well-- yesterday was a bit of a doozey as far as Monday's go and I just did NOT get around to catching up about our weekend {which was pretty fabulous as far as weekends go}. So here is a little rewind of our weekend plus a day!

{F R I D A Y}
Friday when Hudson got off the bus it just felt like the weekend was finally here! It has been so awesome to watch Hudson adapt to kindergarten, hear about his day and just watch him grow even more into who he is.

The weather was beautiful so we tossed his school things inside and played in the backyard for a bit. I also took some time in between playing to work on the boys' activity binders for the plane. I made one for Hudson and one for Beau. In them I put some busy bag activities, some color sheets, blank construction paper, stickers, mini post its and some worksheets from workbooks (my boys LOVE workbook pages...no idea why but I won't fight it!)

I thought we could do patterns with the stickers on the mini construction paper. They could draw with their crayons, write words, etc on the other blank paper. The mini post its are different colors to play a game of tic-tac-toe on the drop down trays. Just simple things to keep them busy. Gabe can also draw and use the stickers. He has packed some books, miniature animals and Disney characters to play with too!

My in-laws also gifted each boy with an mini activity book that works with a water pen. Hopefully they will have enough to keep them busy! If not, there is always the last resort of the iPad but I'm hoping that we don't have to use that until maybe the plane ride home! ;)

We grabbed some dinner after playing outside at a Mexican restaurant (our boys LOVE Mexican). We had some family snuggle time before bed and wrapped up our night. 

{S A T U R D A Y}

Saturday was Hudson's last soccer game of the outdoor season. Neither Andrew or I played soccer before so we really had no idea what we were getting into but we have grown to LOVE watching our boys play soccer. This has been Hudson's third season. He has played with the same friends each season and it is the most fun! They have gotten better each year and are learning so many skills, the importance of sportsmanship and teamwork. 

He ended the season on a high note scoring two goals! So proud of his hustle!!

We came home after the game and started working together to get a few things done around the house. Then I began the task of packing five people for Disney! Honestly, packing hasn't ever been too overwhelming for me. I can pull everything out but my problem is trying not to overpack. If it's just me, not a problem. But it's so long and I don't want anyone to need anything! 

We are checking one bag and have two carry on suitcases. The boys have a backpack with their snacks and activities and we have a diaper bag/backpack that we'll use in the parks as well. 

The boys took a nap while I finished laundry up and then the we loaded up to head to my grandma's for a cookout. 

We played soccer with the boys and my nephews, cooked hot dogs and s'mores. It was such a beautiful, cool evening. I love being close to family. 

{S U N D A Y}

I woke up early on Sunday to have some time to myself. I made monkey bread for the family and my own sweet breakfast for me. 

Our sermon was a new series on peace and oh man was it so good!! I am really excited to hear more. The biggest takeaway: "Peace redefined is not a temporary mental state, but a permanent state of reality." 

I stayed during our second service in one of our kids' rooms. I just love seeing them engage in the lessons, worship time and hearing about their weeks. 

After church I met Andrew and the boys who were at my in-laws. We stayed for lunch and played. My boys are seriously blessed with all the people who love them being so close. I went to the store to get a few things for the trip and Andrew took the boys home. When I got home, Hudson and Beau were playing and Gabe was asleep. Andrew said he walked into the house, grabbed his fox (his lovie) and went to his room and got in bed! Ha! 

Little man was TIRED!!

Sunday night is always our night to get ready for the week. So we played with the boys some and had dinner, read and put them to bed. They were pretty worn out from the weekend and we definitely need them rested before our big trip. 

Andrew and I caught up on some work, did a little more prep for the trip and went to bed. 

{M O N D A Y}

Monday was like most Mondays. Our mornings are pretty full. I made the boys breakfast, got them ready and Hudson on the bus. As he gets on the bus, Gabe's SP arrives. We love her dearly and she works with Gabe for about an hour. As she leaves, I get Beau and Gabe loaded up so we can take Beau to preschool. 

This week is Beau's week at preschool to share All About Me. I was carrying Gabe (who was being crabby) and Beau's poster into school and Beau was happy go-lucky as typical just chatting away. We both tried to walk through the door at the same time and I bumped him with my wide arm load. His head hit the door frame. Bless his heart! 

Whenever my kiddos hit their heads I hold them close and just rub the spot that got hit, except this time, I pulled my hand away to look at him and see you're ok and there was blood. Like a LOT. 

Fortunately, lots of other mamas were dropping off and helped me get me what I needed to clean Beau up (who was so calm and sweet) and see what the situation was. Thankfully it was just a small little nick. No need for stitches or anything other than a little TLC. He didn't want to stay the day. He had a good sized bump and seemed a little shaken up (we've never had blood like that before in our house) so he went home to rest up. 

See--crazy Monday!! 

Thankfully today was a calmer and we are all set for our trip!! 

Gabe Update

At the beginning of this year I started to have some concerns surrounding Gabe and his speech, or his lack of speech to be more exact. I remembered both Hudson and Beau beginning to talk, the time frame, the progression. I wasn't seeing the same pattern in Gabe. I knew from all my child development classes that children reach certain milestones at different times. I knew that is where there is a range versus an exact date for children to do things. And I knew that, with Gabe, he was one to do things in his own time.

This summer though, without seeing progress, with still have this sweet boy quiet more often than not, my mom intuition was desperate to seek out some answers. I didn't want to wait for his two year well visit. I didn't want to prolong getting him help if he was showing a delay. I wanted to make sure I was his advocate.

Fortunately there are services that help determine if there is an actual delay or if your child is just progressing on his own timeline. With Gabe not being able to talk for himself, there were certain aspects of the testing that I had to answer for him. What I had observed. I knew even before we got the results, just from answering the questions, that Gabe was going to show a pretty severe deficit in his area of communication.

Where all other areas were normal or above average, Gabe's expressive language was showing a 40% deficit. He was understanding and comprehending language, he just wasn't talking.

We began services at the beginning of August. Speech therapy once a week with support from a developmental therapist once a week as well to encourage what was happening in speech therapy.

If I'm honest, I wanted to see progress right away. I wanted to see that gap close. I wanted to hear my child talk and express himself. Gabe's sweet personality, silliness, and joyful disposition (most of the time....he is still a typical two year old), I wanted expressed in words!

Two months in, some progress has been made. His attention has gotten better as he focuses on the tasks in front of him. He is using his known, strong words more frequently with more clarity. He is imitating vowels better and making syllables with "repeating" back a word.

But there are still missing pieces. Although he is making a great effort, he still is missing a lot of the sounds.

This week we are diving into two possible scenarios that could be slowing Gabe's progress: a tongue tie or a possible apraxia diagnosis.

We've read up some on both, on how they can effect speech. Our prayer is for God to give us answers. For God to show us how to best help Gabe. For God to give us patience as we wait to see what he needs or if it is just waiting on Gabe.

I'm thankful for early intervention, for knowledge of speech-pathologists and the patience of ours in particular who is so caring and loving with Gabe, even when he is in a salty mood.

I'm also thankful that God already knows what awaits us and is more than capable of taking us on this journey.