St. George Get Away!!!!

We went to St. George last week with our neighbors/friends The Denning's. We had so much fun!!! We hung out in 100 degree temperature, swam at the pool, played at the splash park, the guys went golfing, the girls went to Mary Poppins at an outdoor live theatre Tuacahn, we ate tons of food, played cards, went shopping, and just hung out!!! It was perfect weather and we had a great time.

The kids were so good in the car. Laynie was sick pretty much the whole time we were gone. She was put on an antibiotic the day we left because we were afraid she was developing pneumonia and the antibiotic gave her the worlds worst diaper rash:( So that made it hard, but we still enjoyed ourselves!!! 

 

8 years...

Happy 8 years to the man that makes my heart happy! I love you more than ever Trevor!!!!

Playing outside, potty, and other stuff

We have pretty much been playing outside every day lately!!! It is the best:)

Laynie and our neighbor Brynlee are good friends. It is so cute:) They are always wanting to go over to each others house when they are outside. It is pretty sweet!!!

We brought the potty upstairs from the basement and put it in the bathroom. I know she is a long ways from potty training, but I thought it was time to introduce it!!! She has surprised me so many times and maybe she will do the same with the potty:) She was pretty excited about her first sit down on the potty!!!

Laynie went into Drake's room and took off her pants and put on his swim trunks all by herself. She is such a funny little girl.

Drake wanted to try out his umbrella in the rain and he ended up having a blast running around splashing in puddles. Laynie wasn't okay with watching Drake have all the fun so Trevor got an umbrella and took her out too!

 

 

Laynie LOVES to watch Blue's Clues!!!! I have looked everywhere and they don't sell any Blue's Clues stuff anymore and her nurse Holly had this at home so she gave it to Laynie. She has always had a big fear of stuffed animals and has been really nervous around Blue for a few weeks and just 2 days ago she decided to hold him. I was so shocked. She carried him around most of the day and even went to sleep with him. It was so cute:) So if anyone has any old Blue's Clues toys that they aren't using I know someone who would love them!!!

 

Preschool

 

It was Drake's last day of preschool today. It is so sad it is over. He loved school and loved his teacher. He learned his letters and how to write his name and lots of other stuff!!! It is so cute watching him grow up into a big boy. He is going to the same preschool next year!

A few weeks ago he got to bring a sack lunch to school because they were having a little picnic. He thought that was so cool and was so proud to bring his own lunchbox:)

We also brought Elmer in for show and tell last week. Drake was excited to show off his snuggle buddy to his class and Elmer loved all the attention!!!

They went on a field trip to Reed's Diary last week and Laynie and I tagged along to help. It was so much fun!!! The kids loved the animals and getting ice cream was pretty cool too!!!

These 3 amigos are so cute. They are BEST buddies and are so funny together!!!!

We will miss you school. See you next year!!!!!!!

Cochlear Implant Update

We had another cochlear implant appointment this week. A lot of people have asked me if she is getting used to her implant, because I guess the last time I posted on here about her implant she was crying every time we would turn it on. She only cried like that for the first 2 days and only right when we would put it on her. Besides that she has loved wearing it, but we haven't seen a lot of responses from her. Every once in awhile I notice she can hear something, but other than that she ignores everything. It is a long process that involves a lot of therapy because we have to teach her that sound is meaningful and not to ignore it!!!

At her appointment this week her audiologist was wanting to see a little better response from Laynie by now. She said there is so much they can do to change things and it all just takes time and it is trial and error. She mapped her on a completely different program and she thinks it is louder than the other one, so we are going to try it out for a month and then work on it again. It doesn't mean that we can't get Laynie to hear well, it just means it is going to take a lot of work, because I guess Laynie is being difficult:)

After they mapped her cochlear implant I would clap my hands and her eyes would blink every time. So that was a great response to know that she heard it. She is still only about a 1 month old in her hearing age so it will take some time.

My wonderful mom came with me this time and I am sooooo thankful for her!!! We were in the same room from 1-4:30. It was such a long day!!! She also met with a speech therapist who gave us some ideas to work on at home. Laynie was a trooper like always!!!

 

Here is a picture of Laynie on the drive with a chocolate covered pretzel. She thought it was pretty yummy!!!!

 

To go along with stuff smeared all over my kid's faces..... We were at Walmart and when I wasn't looking, Drake smeared lipstick all over his lips:)

Mother's Day

I feel so lucky to be the mother to these two kids. They truly make me so incredibly happy!!!

I woke up to this.... I have such a nice husband that made me feel very special on Mother's Day!

I also got a coupon book filled with my favorite things..... shopping, laffy taffy's, and back rubs:)

I also got a whole day off from feedings for Laynie. It is one thing that I do all day long and it was so nice to not have to worry about it for a day!!! 

Drake will always own my heart because he made me a mom. He is my best buddy and I love him to pieces! He wanted to go out with daddy to go buy me a present and he wanted to buy me something from Toys R Us. Trevor let him go where he wanted and choose me something and he was very proud to bring me home a Superhero "Guess Who" game. He was bugging me all morning to get up so we could play together. It was pretty sweet!!! He tells me he loves me every day and I always love hearing it. He is a true sweetheart and he has a way of making my heart melt just about every day!!!

Where do I begin with this little munchkin???? This girl has truly shown me what motherhood, sacrifice, love, service, and unconditional love truly is. She has stretched and strengthened me in ways I didn't know was possible. I could never have guessed a few years ago that I would be a mother to such a special child. I feel beyond honored to have been chosen as her mom. Sometimes I feel inadequate for such a huge job, but I am extremely grateful she is my little bug!!!

Today Trevor said..... "I see the transformation happening..... Our little princess is turning into a little beast." haha I laughed so hard because it is so true. She has some major attitude lately, but she will always be our little princess.

We had a BBQ at my mom's house.... me, my sister Breanne, and my mom

 My mom is my best friend. She is the best mom I could ever dream of. I would be so lost without her in my life!!!! I am so thankful for her!!!! We also visited Trevor's mom and I feel so bad because I totally forgot to take pictures. I am also so grateful for her. She is so wonderful!! I got so lucky to marry into such an incredible family. I also have an awesome step-mom who has been in my life since before I can remember!!! Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there no matter if you are a mom or not!!!

I made my mom this for Mother's Day and framed it. I think it turned out so cute:)

 And she loved it!!!!

 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!

Zoo

We went to the zoo with Whitney, Kristie, and all our kids. Drake was in heaven with his two buddies. They were quite energetic together and at one point all three of us moms were searching in different directions trying to find them. Just what we need to lose rowdy boys that like to climb at a zoo!!!

Our zoo isn't very big, but it is still lots of fun to go. Laynie loved the animals and signed a lot of animals. It was a beautiful day and it was a lot of fun!!!

 

 

All the kids, minus baby Max

Good weather and fun times

We FINALLY had some nice weather last week and took full advantage by playing outside and going to the park.

Drake is starting to get good at recognizing his letters and putting them in order. We have gotten letters for the bathtub, the fridge, some DVD's, and books to help him get his alphabet down perfect!!! He is almost there!!!

I couldn't resist buying this shirt for Laynie when I saw it. It fits her personality perfectly:) She is our happy little girlie!!!

We met some friends at the park. It was our first time this year!!!

Me and Whitney

The boys played soccer with another kid at the park and Drake really loved it!!! He didn't love t-ball last year, so I think this will be a sport that he likes better.

She loves bubbles.... I love how she is blowing the bubbles, with the whole wand in her mouth.

Trevor, Drake, and I went to the drive-in to see Iron Man 3 and Oz. Drake thought he was so cool to go on a date with mom and dad and he was excited to see Iron Man, but fell asleep about 5 minutes into the movie. I knew he would and I was glad he did because it may have been too scary for him.

Our little guy ended the night like this, but he had a great time:)

We also did a little home improvement. The shutters look really good. It is amazing how something so small can make such a difference!!!