Yikes! Has it really been 6 months??

I almost forgot about this place! :)

Ok, down to business....
Drew is doing exceptionally well at school. He seems ready for kindergarten (and has no choice, really!) for this coming fall. His current teacher has him pegged at science and art as his fortes and I really knew that. He will do ANY art "creation" every day and comes up with the greatest pictures! As for science, he is really into gardening and has a sunflower, tomato plant, and herbs he's tending. GO GREEN THUMB!

His favorite outdoor activity is bike riding and he can go for up to 3 miles now! We're going to put him in either soccer or baseball at a summer camp this year.

Also, 3 weeks ago he was running into the kitchen with socks on and slipped, causing him to fall on his face and KNOCKED HIS FRONT TOOTH OUT!!! I FREAKED internally and couldn't believe I'd turn into the tooth fairy that soon! ;) The dentist said he was fine and it might take a bit longer for the permanent tooth to come in since it didn't come out the au natural way. Poor baby! He does love his new look and especially "the way the air comes out and the new way I talk." So cute! Can't believe our "baby" is turning 6 in a few months!

He is a great big brother - all in all, they play pretty well together and a day wouldn't be complete without a few sibling tiffs, but that's what I'm for...the ref! He's very helpful around the house and LOVES to go to any store with me. He recently was involved in a grand prix race for his church youth group and Grandpa so kindly shaped his block of wood into a race car and painted it oh-so-Grandpa-ly with TLC and hand delivered it for him just in time. At the race, he came in 3rd place out of 4 but won an award for "best paint job"!!!!!!!

Princess Olivia ~ She is such a feminine girlie girl it's the greatest! Growing taller yet still petite, she is doing very well. Still working on potty training though she volunteers to go at least twice a day. It's a work in progress and we figure she'll "get it" eventually. It's a hard concept with her developmental delays. She loves school and her main issue is auditory processing....you ask a question and she parrots you because it's not processed so she spits it right back out. Sometimes frustrating since things are VERY concrete and present - if she can't see it, it's not applicable. Her speech pathologist at school recommends reading simple books to her and asking hypothetical questions -- where is the elephant hiding? do you see where she went? Anything "outside the box" is where we're headed now. She is SUPER outgoing and will greet anyone with a head with a "Hi guys! How are you?" :) Her new thing is bowing while saying, "My pleasure!" haha Her manners are terrific and she's learning to take turns and share with Alex. Yesterday, she initiated a "picnic" in her room with Alex sipping tea! She is the sweetest!

Alex - AKA I'm not turning 2, I'm turning 5. He is truly not the typical almost 2 yr old. He is doing whatever Livvy and Drew are doing. Period. If they are running a race, so is he. If they are singing and marching so is he. He is generally a happy camper, good eater/sleeper, and loooooooves his Mommy. His vocabulary is through the roof (in my mind at least..we'll see at his 2 yr appt) and his comprehension is astounding. He is into animals and doing puzzles. He does have a lisp which is so cute in my opinion so we're subtly working on curbing that to our best ability with techniques from our dear friend and Livvy's speech pathologist, Lisa. He is a big boy and such a joy to have in our family.

As for our music business, things are steady with students with nothing new yet. Hopefully in the summer, we'll be able to pick up some more. We currently have ~60 between Kenny and I Monday through Saturday. It's a load of fun, a lot of prep work, and rewarding to see them progress all at the same time. Wouldn't change it for the world! Our website will be going live really soon which we're excited about! We'd put some thought into accepting special-needs children seeing as Livvy is one of "those" that isn't mainstream, but not extreme either. That grey area is hard to come by when you want extracurricular activities for children. So far we have 3 of these special children! They are so different, challenging, and enjoyable. I did some heavy research online, read several books, and met with a few therapists for ideas in implementing structure like this. Their parents really seem thankful and can already see progress with their kids...even the smallest challenge of attention is a HUGE leap for these students. They are all so unique and we are proud to be able to help them in understanding and appreciating music in their world.

Well, I think that's about it for now - I've bookmarked this blog so I don't lose focus on my journaling. I'll be posting pictures soon!

Dad in Scotland

He'll be back Thursday just in time for Friday's rehearsal and dinner! I already miss our twice-daily phone calls, but he keeps us updated through email.

SHELLEY & GARY'S WEDDING!

Let the countdown begin! Yes, a week from today, they'll be official newlyweds!!! Yes, it's been a tough road at times working on all of the planning but it's all for a great cause. :) Shelley is super excited and anxious so see all of her hard work in action.

I will be driving with Livvy and Alex on Thursday and Drew will be surprised with his first airplane ride with Grammy & Pop!!! Kenny will drive solo on Friday. We'll all head home on Tuesday.

wow, July?!?

you've got to be kidding! My kind cousin, Sabra, brought up the fact that she checks in here sometimes and hasn't seen any new posts..no joking! I didn't realize I'd been away that long. Off to catch up now!

Lauren and Shelley are entering

a Breast Cancer run in So. Cal in September! Those girlies...I'm very proud of them for working hard on their goal and they look fantastic as well (ugh....maybe I can jump rope in the competition?!) and we're looking forward to continued support from everyone. Love those girls!

On the business front....

Kenny and I are doing really well with our lessons business lately! We're up to 26 students and it's a lot of fun (and work) and we're really excited. We're working on completing our new website which will help things.

Drew's swimming lessons

have ended. He was enrolled for a week only so he could get basic water safety under his belt for when we use the pool at Grammy's house. He LOVED his teacher. Once Bob and Cherie have their pool ready to go (2 wks) we'll all be able to swim and practice more. WOOHOO!

Gymnastics

Drew and Livvy are each taking a gym class and we decided to enroll them another round for August.

Drew's class has 2 or 3 kids besides him and he's really learning how to follow multiple-step instruction and patience while waiting his turn. Teacher Melissa says he's quite flexible and definately strong and has mastered a sommersault and backbend. He enjoys it!

Livvy started out in a class with 2 other kids but quickly got frustrated waiting her turn and required a LOT of demonstrations which took time away from the other kids. The teacher decided to switch her day/time and it ended up being a new class with the Director as a private lesson. She did pretty well the first time and FANTASTIC last week! She does several long obstacle courses, has great balance and can run like a greyhound..phew! She sure does give her teacher a run for her money! The goal is to slowly add a child into the class once she's mastered simple skills so she doesn't feel so overwhelmed/anxious.

Okay..the little engine that could

CAN! That's right..our little boy, Alex, is officially a "walker"!!!!!!! Sure, he still uses his most reliable "wheels" - AKA crawling - when he gets frustrated, but he sure works hard at it! We need to get him some shoes so he doesn't step on anything so we'll see how he takes to the new kicks. He sleeps SO WELL - down by 7:30pm and up by 7am (thanks to big bro, Drew) and eats like a big boy with such variety. He's so calm and loving. He's starting to babble more now and says:

light
book
duck
fish
and "uh gum" which we think is you're welcome!

He wants to run with the big dogs (Drew and Liv) so badly and will one day. For now, he's still our "baby" and he can't grow up - we forbid it!

Shelley & Gary getting hitched!!!!!!!!!!

It's official...they are getting married November 17, 2007 and we're so happy and excited for them!! They are planning away and doing it well, despite our mom not being here to help out. Save-the-Date cards coming soon!

More pictures

Livvy says...

"look at me!" allll the time! I don't know where she got that phrase from, but it's cute nonetheless. She also says, "Come on, guys" and "What's going on?" :)

Interview with Drew

Favorite color: purple

Favorite animal: zebra

Favorite food: apples

Favorite sound: street sweeper

Favorite song: nursery rhyme songs on CD

Favorite thing to do outside: play with the sprinklers

Favorite park: Jack Fischer park

Favorite movie: Conjunction Junction - Grammar Rock

Favorite treat: chocolate cake

Summer activities

Drew: starts swimming lessons at the community center in 2 weeks and is in tumbling once a week for the month of July...also on a waiting list for a day camp. Gotta keep this guy busy - anyone have a car engine to donate that he can take apart?!

Livvy: tumbling once a week for July and will find swimming lessons for her.

Alex: 3rd wheel, baby! he goes where we go...he'll go to a mommy and me class once the kids are in school this fall!

Randomness

Our 13 month old Alex

Still isn't walking yet..he wants to SO badly and loooooves it when we hold his hands and walk with him and gets mad when our backs are breaking! He is such a lovebug and loves to lay his head on you several times a day for some lovins. He is doing well and sleeps better in Drew's room in the crib. He also enjoys his eats and is a good eater. He has around 16 oz of milk a day and is very easy-going. Love this boy!

Summer school ~ Livvy

So Miss Liv started her special summer school on June 27th...she goes Tuesday-Friday from 9-11am. The first day, even when we talked it up that she's going, she didn't make the connection and was fine until I said goodbye and left. They make you bring them to the teacher out front and they bring them to the classroom to avoid the tug-of-war episodes that can linger on and on. She still cries every morning and the teacher, Nancy, says she cries on and off throughout the class. She has a hard time transitioning from activity to activity yet has bonded enough with Nancy to use her as "home base" for comfort during stressful situations. She has improved already with parallel play ( a 2yr old or under skill ) which is great! At least she's tolerant of other kids at times now. ;) She goes for 1 month then starts her fall school session in September with the same teacher, thank goodness. This is good practice and exposure for her and even though it's tough to watch her cry every morning, we know she's in the best place.

Random pictures

Alex's big boy appointment

Don't let his size fool you!
Height: 29.5" (45%)
Weight: 21.13 lbs (25%)

Doctor said he looks great...has a big noggin (brains...it's all brains! - 70%) and had 4 shots. Poor baby! He should be walking within a month I'm guessing...he looooves for you to hold his hands and help him walk while he giggles. He is THE BIGGEST LOVE BUG! He'll crawl around then come up to one of us and lay his head down on us. awwwww! He enjoys being held and gives kisses, claps, and a few times said "dog" and "Mommy"!! He loves his food and we just finished the formula so now it's big boy milk. He so badly wants to keep up with Drew and Livvy.

Tonight, we moved the crib to Drew's room and Alex did very well- no crying, etc. and Drew felt so proud to have his little brother in his room to take care of.

He and Livvy will have a combo party on Saturday, June 16th and I'll update with pics then.