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.