4/8 - March Madness no doubt

I can see this blogging thing isn't going to get much better until the summer hopefully. I'll continue to plug away because for me, this my scrapbook. I will find a balance and it will happen in about 1.5 more months.
Eli has continued with therapy and is doing so great and really making some progress. Here are a few samplings of what Eli has done over the past few weeks. He has worked on buttoning a little and finally has started to figure it out. He put the vest on an buttoned it up almost by himself. He loves to play "rocket" with Ms. Lisa. He lays down a scooter board and the scooter and his feet go up against a door to a closet. On the count of three, he has to push as hard as he can and then I catch him. All of his muscles are getting so much stronger. He then made a little obstacle course which he loves to do. It wouldn't be a therapy session without a swing and he was able to use the barrel swing. He's finally got it figured out how to push and pull on the straps and how to move his body to make the swing go. This is huge progress for us. He finished this particular therapy session with writing some letters (which he won't really do for me at home) and holding the marker in an appropriate way.

Here is a therapy session from last week. Eli is constantly seeking out to feel and experience sensations so that is one reason why swinging is so good for him. He was trying to swing in a normal swing except this swing swivels around and that makes it really hard. He does like to go on his belly and then run and push off with his legs to go really high so Ms. Lisa mixes "her way" (normal swinging which he can't do yet) and "his way" to keep him compliant and happy. He then had to cut some paper and put together a little puzzle and he chose to sit in the ball pit to do that (more sensory input). He then had to find little bean bag animals we placed at the bottom of the ball pit and then throw them out. To help with his fine motor skills, he had to then pick up the bean bag animals with a gripper toy/device. It's great to help build-up his hand strength and he thinks it's pretty fun. His activity of choice at the end was to play with these little magnetic monkeys that he has to push a lever and make them flip onto a magnetic board (good for fine motor skills too). He is still switching hands all the time but it looks like his right hand is more accurate but for whatever reason, he likes to still use his left.

 Something pretty exciting happened for me a few weeks ago. I unhooked the washer and dryer I bought in college and that we have used for the past 13 years (it was GE and I didn't have a single problem the entire time I/we used them)!!! We then went shopping and I found a new washer dryer. I was excited about the new washer and dryer but the boys were ecstatic about their new boxes that they turned into forts! They have colored and written all over them. We have draped the boxes with sheets and outfitted them inside as well. I just put them away for a bit because they are huge and take up our front entry way but the boys just love them.

There was a birthday party for the daycare that Eli goes and parents were invited (it was the birthday of the school, not a child). Brad has not been able to do anything for either child in regards to their school and attending things so he decided to go. He was going to fly at night so he slept in like normal and then woke up a little early to go to Eli's school. Brad was one of just a few parents there but Eli had so much fun with him.

Aiden was finally able to have a play date with a friend at school the Friday before Spring Break for him. He had so much fun. I'm hoping we can find some friends to play with around here this summer. There are no kids his age within a few houses of us and then there are a bunch of empty lots so it's not looking so promising for friends right next to us but hopefully at least a few in our housing development which is huge.


A few sunday's ago, Eli comes out his room saying he needs help with his shirt. I notice one button is already done and ask how did he get his shirt on with that button already done. He said that he did it himself. I was so happy for him. I told him we don't do the very top button but that was awesome he was able to do the tiny button on his shirt!!!

Brad's schedule has continued to be just insane. We took at 5 day break and went to Orlando for part of Aiden's spring break and met up with Mrs. Rusty (his former therapist and a great friend to me). On the way down to Orlando, we stopped at the outlet mall so I could see if I could find any clothes for the boys next winter. Brad and the boys had lunch while I shopped and here is a picture that Brad sent me saying they were coming to find me but got a little side tracked (see picture of Aiden with the muppets). We stayed at a timeshare we have stayed in before and loved but this time we were in a different building. We then find out they just put a new children's water park somewhere (there is a HUGE one already). We got to our room and went to our balcony and this is what we found. The new water park and it just opened. Amazing!

We had a good time just getting away and having family time.
We went to the little water park in our backyard once Rusty and her family came over the next day. It's been much colder in Florida for this time of year than it normally is and man, was it cold. I was in a sweatshirt and pants at the pool but the kids were determined to go in the water. They ran in a got pretty wet going down the slide and running through spraying water. They then crawled up the chairs and strikes a pose for me (pictures to the right). Aiden was pretty cold so he just rolled up into a ball. After Eli's lips started turning purple and blue, we decided to move the other pool which was just a few steps away. That water was much warmer but it was also pretty deep so the kids wanted a grown up in the pool. My awesome husband volunteered went in because our kids are too cute and love their daddy so much. It was a little chilly for him (freezing for me) and he went in a played with all the kids (Rusty has 3 kids).

We had fun with the Becker Family!!! Since this blog is in-place of a scrapbook, I'm going to post a few pictures from there:

We went and ate at Cracker Barrel and that was fun. I went to a consignment sale the night before we left and bought a $6 barrel of tinker toys. I came home and cleaned every single piece with clorox wipes and decided to pack them and take them with us because the forecast called for some rain while in Orlando. I'm so glad I did. These toys kept these kids busy for a few hours which enabled the grown-ups to talk. It was great. It also worked out that Rusty's kids showed mine how to use them and put them together since Aiden had never seen them before.

We went to a few different playgrounds in the resort (timeshare) and went to the big water park too. This is going to be the summer when the boys learn how to swim. I just now it. Eli loved putting his goggles on and even put his face in the water a few times. Aiden loves the big fast slide and Eli loves going in the zero-entry entrance with a tube and playing bumper boats (he bumps in to you). This game is also a favorite of Aiden. I was fine in the water but it was too windy to be getting in and out.

Here is our family having fun. Eli was looking so cute with his goggles on. The boys were so excited to see Brad so much and just play with him. I was glad to see Brad too and watch him play with the boys. It's always fun to hang out with the boys because they are so different yet get along so well. Eli's imagination just cracks me up and Aiden continue to surprise me with wanting to wrestle and do things that involve touching (which he would never do before). 

I was getting annoyed with the boys asking to play on their kindle's so much so I put some small activity pads in the van and they are really liking them. Eli, who normally won't color if it's voluntary, asked to color a picture in one and then proceeded to pick up the chunky colored pencil (in his left hand) and hold it somewhat correctly. That was amazing and awesome to me.

I was able to go on a field trip with Aiden's class to Diamond Ranch last week. It was originally scheduled for a Tuesday which was the spring break at Jacksonville University (where I work) but it was rained out. It was rescheduled on a Wednesday which was good because I was still able to go (I work on Tues/Thur). Aiden had a great time. He wanted to hold my hand as we walked everywhere but it was great to see him with all his friends/classmates. He rode a pony, fed cows which were totally nasty, and let goats lick oats from his hand. Did someone take my Aiden. The feeding of the animals was amazing and so beautiful for me to see. Before he would have screamed when a tongue touched his hand and he would have been done. Nope. Not anymore. He went back for another handful of oats and continued to feed the cows. In the bottom picture on the left, he's standing in the back on the right. His favorite thing of all at the farm, this barrel roll. If I had to bet, I would say he would never go on it and if he did, he would want to do a half roll (versus going all the way around). The kid was first in line and said he wanted to go all the way around. I asked him if he was sure and he said yes and ran to his seat. I wasn't sure if I was going to be taking pictures of him puking or smiling but I was ready. He seemed to enjoy it (or the kid sitting across from him that was about to puke just hated it that much that it was all relative). Aiden is the one sitting closet to us holding on to the pole.

Just when I thought Brad's schedule couldn't get much worse, we return to find out he's on the night flight for 3 days in a row AND he always has the latest flight (which means he then stays even later for water washes to clean the helicopter). Talk about a punch in the face from his squadron. He has meetings all day on Monday and doesn't have time to get any work done so then stays late to do work but tries to come by 6:30ish. We generally eat dinner around 5:30-6:00ish these days. From Tuesday to Thursday, he slept until about 1-2pm and then would wake up and get ready for work and then get Aiden from the bus with me at 3:00pm and then head in to work. He would work and then fly and by the time he's done with water washes and debriefing from the flight, he drives the 35/40 min home and would shower and crawl in to bed sometime around 4-4:30am. On Friday, he slept until just 10am because he had a noon meeting that he needed some time ro prepare for. Needless to say, Eli didn't see him for a few days and Aiden was lucky enough to get a huge from off the bus and then he was gone. On Friday had a full day and then we needed some groceries from the commissary so he didn't get home until about 6:45ish. This kind of schedule can kill a guy and a family. We rarely saw Brad last week. He hasn't been home from work on a weekday to have dinner with us in about 2-3 weeks. The good news is he came home tonight for dinner with the family!!! It was great and I'm so thankful God (and the squadron) have given him a night or two off of night flying (even if it was because I made him complain).

On Saturday we were able to celebrate Grace's 5th birthday at her party. It was at O2B Kids, which is an amazing place we will be visiting much more this summer. The kids had a lot of fun. They had giant-sized Connect Four and a foosball table (Aiden and Eli versus Brad). They also had a huge kitchen area which Eli especially liked. One of the things Grace chose for her party was gymnastics so they were able to go on a small tumbletrak and bounce around and use the cheese mats for forward rolls. She also was able to use the playgrounds outside and both boys loved that. Aiden loved climbing up this huge open structure while Eli preferred the more traditional playground around the corner. They had a ton of fun and it looked like the birthday girl did too.

I have massive amounts of grading to do starting tomorrow night so it will probably be another month before I post again. Playing single mommy during the week with my teaching schedule and also trying to keep up with Eli's therapy at home, housework, meal planning, meal cooking, etc is so challenging. I am so looking forward to this summer so I can take a break from so much work (teaching/grading) but am also a little nervous for having the boys all summer (they are usually in daycare). It will be good though because I treasure the fun times I can have with them and that's so limited right now with all the other responsibilities I have. 

3/8 - Can't keep up with life ...

As you can see from the frequency of blog posts, life is just moving faster than I have time for and it really bothers me. We will have some big changes coming in a few months. I was excited that Brad came back at the beginning of February and was so looking forward to family time. The joke was on me and after a week of being really frustrated and upset, I realized that if I just changed my expectations, things would start to get better. Brad was not home much ... at least not at the same time that the kids and I were. Because of the level and needs of the younger pilots in the squadron and the ratio of pilots who are qualified to check-off certain things, Brad ends up flying 2 times a night and usually has the latest flight which then means even more time to clean everything up. This past week he finally made it home for dinner on Monday which was awesome. He's been working until late on Mondays because he has meetings all day and can't get anything done so he gets home around 6:45/7:00pm. On Tuesdays he goes in late because he has to fly on Tuesday nights. This stinks because everyone else is up and going and we need to try and be quite so he can sleep and we don't get to see him. He usually does wake up for a few minutes to say bye to the kids and I but then we don't see him again until Wednesday morning when I or the kids wake him up right before they leave for school to say bye. This interferes with his sleep though because he's tired because he didn't get home until 1 or 2 am. This cycle continues of seeing him for just a few minutes in the morning all during the week. Needless to say, no one planned for this regular of a night flying schedule and not ever being able to see the kids or me. I have to go to work on Tuesday and Thursday morning and then on Wednesday I've been going to bible study. We thankfully have Saturdays to spend together and some of Sunday. Because of church in the morning and awana in the evening, we actually don't have much family time on sunday. Whatever time we do get we are cherishing it right now because it's better than daddy being gone completely (that's what I have to keep reminding myself).

I have way too much work to do and have had some problems with a medication interaction with my narcolepsy medicine which was a problem for a bit. We are working the kinks out of that right now hopefully. Eli goes to occupational therapy on Monday afternoons. I had no idea how much help Eli needed. I knew he had a lot of sensory processing stuff going on and now it's trying to figure out what it all means and how to set him up to succeed as best as we can. We are trying to get his trunk stronger and also increase his bilateral coordination. Ms. Lisa had him take his right hand and bend up his left knee to touch and it was so challenging for him. She then had him alternate to make the left hand touch the right knee and he was all kinds of backwards. We are trying to do all the therapy she gives us as homework but Eli is not near as compliant as Aiden and sometimes that is a challenge. Thankfully Eli really likes Ms. Lisa and I can convince him to do it for her because she asked. Here are some pictures from therapy over the last few weeks. Ms. Lisa let Aiden come a few weeks back and that was fun for both of them. Ms. Lisa was Aiden's original therapist and he misses doing therapy so he had been asking if he can go with Eli sometime.

Eli's trunk is getting stronger and he doesn't get as tired so soon when he's doing activities that use his core and trunk. The fine motor skills are starting to develop and he can actually do a few buttons now. He is still switching hands when doing various tasks but is starting to be a bit more right-hand dominant. Most of the time though, he just switches hands when the hand he is using gets tired or when he's forced to cross midline. He really doesn't like to hold a marker or crayon correctly so I've tried to stick with tiny pieces of chalk so he's forced to use his fingers. He's starting to get the hang of some bilateral coordination exercises but is still really struggling with doing the bicycle (see the bottom right picture in the collage above) and hopping when he touches his right hand to left knee.

We built a new car track on our rolled paper and it's been good for Eli because we can force him to cross midline as he is playing because we make him stay in one spot rather than moving all around the paper which is what he used to do. We have to get sneaky with therapy with Eli but at least we still try and make it fun.


The boys have been doing a lot more chores around the house to earn money for awana. Right now, the club is collecting money to adopt a club somewhere and the boys have really gotten excited about it. They are unloading dishes, separating perler beads for me, vacuuming, and I have bribed Eli once to do his therapy for money (it is a good cause). Aiden has actually finished his Sparks book already is going back through to review it. He is very good at memorizing and he gets that from Brad since my short-term working memory is completely broken. Eli is doing well in Cubbies too. If I can put his verse to a tune he's familiar with it and sing it, he's good to go. He loves music and I'll use that to his advantage to help him memorize his verses.

We decided it would be a great idea to take the boys to Monster Jam to see the monster trucks. They did enjoy seeing the trucks in the pre-party and even got a few autographs. They probably had the most fun after eating dinner in the back of the van and then playing in the grass with a few others kids while we waited until it was about time for the show to start. The boys thought he first 10 minutes were really cool. Aiden was asking Brad all kinds of questions and he was so excited. Eli was excited that we bought a container of french fries because it was so cold and he kept trying to sneak a bite (bottom row, center picture). About 40 minutes in to the show both boys were asking if it was time to go home. The fun stuff was coming up but they didn't understand or care at that point. We ended up leaving at around 8pm which made me sad because they would have LOVED all the stuff after the racing but they also had a long day and it was past their normal bedtime and Eli didn't get a nap so I was slightly scared of a complete meltdown. Next time Brad and I will go and leave the boys at home so we can stay for the entire thing and we can take the boys in a few years when their bedtime is a little later and they have more interest.

Teeball has been going pretty good. Aiden is letting practicing with me some which is great so he's getting better. Eli doesn't want to practice so he's not getting any better but that's okay with him because he doesn't care. Aiden won his i9 medal in the 4th week and Eli won his in the 6th week. We will definitely not ever play i9 tee ball if I have any say about it but it's been a mostly enjoyable experience and it's been great to get the boys exposed to sports.

Eli continues to love his new daycare and says, "this is my favorite daycare and I don't ever want to move to another one" which makes my heart happy. In the picture below, he's riding around with Tortuga, the class pet. He was able to take him home for the weekend and we had to document all the things they did together and then add our page in "Tortuga's Adventure Book" which was neat.


Aiden has continued to do really well in school and is reading like a champ. The past 2 weeks have been Dr. Seuss theme and he came home off the bus like this the other day. They read Horton Hears a Who and had a blast. His teacher is just fabulous and even made green eggs and ham for them one morning when they read that book. I was shocked when Aiden told me that the liked it because I would have put money that he wouldn't even have tried a bite of it. He's world is expanding everyday and he's doing so much better with food and trying things.

We took he boys to Dairy Queen last Saturday night and we had a blast. Eli has been begging us for ice cream and we got some coupons at the Monster Jam so we decided to use them. We had a nice time sitting outside and just chatting away during dinner. It was dessert time and it also started to get cold outside so we went inside and had dessert. Eli ordered a cone and Aiden ordered a Dilly Bar. The awesome thing was that Aiden didn't get sick from it. I was nervous to let him have it but he didn't start itching or anything which is promising. We may try pudding soon for him as a dessert if he wants. 

I volunteered Aiden's school for Jump Rope for Heart and he said, "can you come early and have lunch with me?" How could I turn that down? I went early and had lunch with him and then was even paired with his class (and another) as the volunteer so I went around from station to station with his class. It was fun and I wish I could have stayed for a few other classes to help out but that was not an option. Nana was nice enough to volunteer for a time slot too. Speaking of Nana. She's had to go a few months without any medication for her MS and it's wearing her down. She's a huge help for the boys and I because she pretty much packs both their lunches the night before. Here she is below playing with new flashcards that I got for Aiden. They are playing a game and adding up their cards and the person with the highest total gets the cards. It's like math war and it's great that Aiden thinks it's a fun game. 

Brad and I were lucky enough (thanks to Nana) to escape for a night and go to Gainesville to watch the Lady Gators do some awesome gymnastics.

It's been very hectic and I think I am done teaching my on-line classes. I'm not being able to be the kind of teacher I want and I am also failing at being the kind of mom I want to be so something has to go. I love teaching in the classroom so I will stay with Jacksonville University and I even get to teach 2 classes next fall. I have no idea what I'm going to do this summer because I'm not sure if I can handle both boys home for the entire summer. That would be a first for me. If my narcolepsy is under control and we can find some other kids to play with, it could be a lot of fun. I think we have also finally found a church. We've tried a couple of churches but I think we've finally found one we can call home and stay at. It's called Journey and it's much different from what we are used to but ... hopefully it will work. Brad signed me up to join the softball team and we both were able to play last week which was a ton of fun. I was so incredibly sore after not playing for so many years but it was fun. We were supposed to play again on Friday night but the games were called off because of all the rain. It's the first time in a long time that I've actually looked forward to doing something because it's something fun rather than a chore or something on my "to-do" list. Hopefully I can get myself in a different gear and be able to post more. I say this is going to be the boys' scrapbook but it's not a great scrapbook if I can't write and post pictures more. Here's praying I can be better at time management or being okay at something being "average" rather than great and allowing myself more time for other things.

1/31 - Tee ball and Eli in therapy now

I'm not really sure where the month just went but I but hurry and post this. The first 1.5 weeks of the year were great because we were a family still. But then Brad had to leave again to go out on the ship for almost a month. We enjoyed being a family and finally got a tiny glimpse of what that may look like here in Florida. It's been a tough 6.5 months with Brad being gone for 6 months of that time almost. That is the life of a military family who gets really bad luck with orders and deployments :(

Once Brad was home and saw Eli's daycare situation, we decided we really did need to change. The new place that we chose is so very expensive (and it's the only place where we have to pack his lunch - even crazier why it's so expensive) BUT it's totally worth it. He LOVES it!!! I think morning time is horrible right but that should change in a few more months. Right now, since it's been so cold, they won't let the kids go outside and play like is on the schedule. Instead (this is the part that kills me) they have them sit on a carpet and read to them for 30 minutes!!! What? Sure, let's trade exercise for something completely sedentary and boring for that long for 3 and 4 yr olds. Besides that, he loves his 2 teachers and says "I never want to change daycares again. I love this place." Music to my hears. :)

So Nana's birthday was on January 4th and we had a little party for her here. The boys (headed by Brad) made Nana a cake and frosted it. We took it easy during the day and then Aiden invited Nana into his tent set-up in his room in the evening. After dinner we we had some cake and Nana got to open her presents and she got some new jewelry so she can get all fancy.

The first part of January had pretty nice weather. Here are the boys on a dirt mound. I had to post the close up rather than the other picture I had because I needed to be able to see Eli's crazy one-eye closed pose and Aiden's typical I'm-trying-to-smile but won't look at the camera face. These boys crack me up.

We had some fun while Aiden still was out of school. He had break for 21 days which is a lot. While I was trying to do laundry the boys got their sheets out of the closet and it was quite funny how long they entertained themselves with crib-size fitted sheets.

Aiden "Smarty Pants"

Eli "Speedy Pants"

We signed the boys up for i9 t-ball and it started the second saturday in January. The first day was crazy with the coaches kids' not wanting to be separated at all from them and then no one really having any idea what was going on. Aiden and Eli hit like champs off the tee which was cool. Eli would hit the ball and then run to get it. He cracks me up. We finally got him to run the bases and on his second (and last) at-bat he still picks up the ball that was thrown/rolled to almost home base and yells "touchdown" as he crosses the plate and then hands the ball to the head lady. Oh my. Needless to say, he had quite a few parents laughing. Aiden did well but I needed to explain the game to them a bit more before we went. Aiden retrieved the ball a few times in the field and then just would chase around the other kid running. Eli did the same thing and finally got the kid out right before they touched home plate. It was very comical. Eli thinks it's funny when people swing and miss the ball on the tee and then he laughs. I told him that wasn't nice the first week and we talked about it. The second week he did the same thing and that weeks lesson was on respect so needless to say, a coach went over and talked to Eli for a minute.



In an effort to make them better a t-ball, I got out our tee which our movers damaged and taped it back up. I also found a bat and wanted to at least teach the boys how to hold the bat. Eli looks so very uncomfortable and has a really had time remembering how to even try and hold it. After this week in therapy, I understand why more since he doesn't have the trunk rotation that most kids have. Aiden did better but doesn't want to turn his face forwards which is weird to me. For right now, we are teaching Eli as a righty but when Brad gets back I might have him try as a lefty. Aiden is definitely a lefty.


On the same day the boys had t-ball for the first day, we also had tickets to the circus, which the boys have never been to before. They enjoyed it for a bit and the motorcycles in the ball were their favorite part. Eli was done with it about half-way through because he was so tired (he still normally naps) and then Aiden started asking how much longer it was. We stayed for the whole thing but as soon as we got in to the van and started driving this is what we found. I cannot even remember the last time Aiden took a rest; especially in the van (he can't sleep in the van usually). I also realized how cheap I am because the prices at the circus were just insane. It was about $11 for a snow cone or bag of popcorn. Just insane.





The boys have been asking me for a sleepover and then I realized that they haven't slept in the same room since we moved here. In AL they shared a room and then we had a toy room but we separated them since Aiden wasn't napping and Eli was and it was making thing challenging. I let them stay up and be pretty quite for a while but at about 8:45/9:00 I told them they had to go to sleep. Aiden usually falls asleep within minutes of tucking him in so he was beyond exhausted the next day since he didn't get near as much sleep as he is used to.



Last week after t-ball the boys decided to go next door and make paths in the empty lot next to us. They would take the shovel and walk around the lot with the tip of the shovel in the dirt and then come they would both line up and follow the path all around and then they would switch and the other would draw the path. It's so funny how they can actually entertain themselves if we let them. If this world of electronic driven junkie kids (mine included often), it's nice just to give them some toys/tools and be outside and see what they will do.


This picture of Aiden and Eli is too precious. It was right after rest time and Aiden needed to read me his book and Eli came in right as Aiden started to read so Aiden just read the book to Eli as I watched. Too precious. Let's talk about reading. Aiden is doing awesome. He knew a handful of sight words before he started Kindergarten but has just done awesome learning how to read. He just got moved up to D level books (it only goes to E in the system his teacher uses) and that is beyond a K level anyway. His teacher told us he has all his K sight words down and there are 3-4 in the first grade list that he didn't know but to move on to the 2nd grade list. Just amazing. He will only check out non-fiction books at the library which cracks me up but he's doing a great job of reading.

Eli started occupation therapy a few weeks ago. He is going to the same place that Aiden went when he did therapy in Jacksonville and we were fortunate enough to have Mrs. Lisa (who was Aiden's therapist) to work with him. She tested him and has been seeing him for the past couple weeks. I never realized how much he does actually struggle with some stuff and how much work he needs to do. He has mid-line stuff going on as well as bilateral problems and trunk stability and rotation issues. He's not really enjoying t-ball right now and I think a lot of it is that he can't physically move how he needs to be able to do stuff. At least now that he's working with Mrs. Lisa he will slightly entertain doing therapy stuff at home  which he wouldn't do before. Even stuff I would have him do for fun (which was never fun because it's so hard because of his issues) he would just quit on. Mrs. Rusty was the queen of obstacle courses so Aiden helps me make them and then Aiden and Eli do them. Aiden would do them all day and Eli asks if he has to do it "just once?" They are so different. I'm not sure how we ended up with 2 kids with sensory processing stuff but they are opposite. Eli likes loud, physical stuff and Aiden ... does not.

This was one our our at-home courses: I pick out 3-4 colored mini cotton balls and showed Eli. He had to remember the colors and then had to jump 10 times on the tramp, jump with 2 feet over the tubes, crawl with the tunnel stuffed with pillows and blanket so that he can barely fit, then pick out the color cotton balls, go back through the tunnel, over the tubes and back to the drop-off area where he had put his cotton balls down and use the thongs to pick them up and put them in the cup. We then compared his cup with my cup (where the original cotton balls were at) to see if he was right.

Here is another picture of the boys doing a "challenge" that I gave them one night (Eli doesn't like doing therapy so I have to try and make it fun or a game). They had to pull the tube all the way out and then push it back in. Eli (in the red jammies) was seriously concentrating to push it all back together. I have to let him wear it like a belt after he pulls it out because that's the only joy he gets from this. Aiden will do it all day because it's fun and that's just Aiden. :)

The boys really are too cute. I've been having some listening issues with them lately so I've gone back to my Celebrate Calm CD's and have established a few rules and incentives to get us back on track. These boys really do love each other.














Wednesday this past week marked the 100th day for the kids in Clay County Schools. It's big deal although I don't remember ever celebrating 100 days. This was Aiden's crown that the made and he's wearing 100 fruit loops as a necklace. His teacher did some pretty fun stuff for his class that day.



Here are some random pictures of the boys and I playing around. In this first one Eli is trying to stand on my leg and is being completely silly and then started to fall down. Aiden gets the photo credit for that picture. In the picture below, Aiden is now balancing and also laughing a lot so it looks like there is something in his mouth. I've had to play with them every now and then for them to get a similar experience to when daddy is here (although daddy is so much better).








I then got a really good workout by dragging the kids around the track (a pathway in our house where we play tag and chase - in the living room, through the kitchen and back to the living room) in their sleeping bags. Aiden is actually strong enough to pull Eli but it's a relatively slow pace and Eli only functions at a really high pace or completely sedentary. It's also good therapy for Aiden so it actually really worked out for all of us.





I have some more therapy pictures to post in the next few days but those will have to wait. I'm teaching at JU in the classroom again this semester but only have to go in 2 days a week (versus 3 last semester) and am teaching 2 on-line courses for the College of Southern Maryland. I was a bit too ambitious this semester and realize that next spring semester will have to be very different with Brad deploying for 9 months. I'm a little too busy at the moment but my commitments have been made and I can't change anything now. I'm trying to make enough time for Bible Study Fellowship (BSF). It's such a great way to get in the Word and truly learn it but it's also a huge commitment to truly do the work. Brad comes home in just a few days and we are beyond excited.