8/31 - Randomness (art, food, bikes)

I want to update about food stuff first. Aiden must be going through a growing spurt because the kid is eating food is mass quantities and of things that are not even close to his favorites. He is still enjoying making his menus every week and making the lunches too. I need to get a little better with the timing of making his lunches because sometimes we don't have quite enough time at night and he has a breakdown over it. 

When we moved in to this house we decided we were going to make things more accessible for the kids so that they would have the opportunity to be more independent. We did just that and it's working out quite awesome. First of all, we gave the kids their own space in a cabinet. I bought a bin from walmart and it's full of cereal bowls, snack cups, and regular drinking cups (see upper right picture). In the pantry, we also gave the boys their own shelf. It has all their snack foods on it (see far left upper picture). I've taken everything out of the bags/boxes they come in and have put them in containers which the boys can easily open and close. I didn't do this at first but found the food getting stale rather fast from little hands not fully closing bags. What you cannot see is that also in pantry to the right of the boys shelve, there is also a 1/4 cup measuring cup. This helps them know how much to take and also makes sure they are not just sticking their hands in the container and touching all the food. I must say it is so awesome for me and for them that when it's snack time or they are hungry, they can get it themselves. They've also had to put their dishes away but we have also changed a policy since moving. We get one cup a day. They know to put their cups on the counter and the rest of their dishes go in the sink and the one cup a day rule is helping a ton on not having 6 glasses to wash by the end of the day. In the middle picture on the left, we also have a snack bin. This is a special bin and is typically used for on-the-go snacks. If we are running out the door and will need a snack (and I haven't already gotten something together), they can reach in and choose something. Some of it is pre-packaged store bought stuff but some of it is snack items I've just placed in small baggies (dried fruit and nuts, homemade fruit leathers, etc). Aiden picking the items in his lunch is going great and he's coming home almost everyday with everything eaten - even the veggies that he normally won't touch at home. And yes he actually eats them and doesn't throw them away :) Allowing them to be more food independent has been a great decision for our family.

Here is little Eli walking to the van one day after I picked him up from daycare. He just got off the playground which is why he is all sweaty. His daycare is going well and he really likes his teacher, Mrs. Chari. He has even found a friend in class that he pals around with now.

I don't know why I like this picture of Eli sleeping so much. There is just something so cute about sleeping his and it looks like he just feel asleep while pondering something with his hand under his chin like that. He has been napping great at daycare (2 hrs everyday) and the little stinker hasn't taken a nap for me in weeks ... until today. God knew I so needed to rest myself I think.










I love how much fun the boys can have with a random wardrobe box. Aiden has become so creative with things like this from all his therapy and crazy stuff he did with Mrs. Rusty.





Lowe's has been making characters from the movie Planes this month and we have made both of them. They have been the hardest things we've built from any of the workshops.











Eli really likes electronics. Too much for my liking. That said, I have been beyond exhausted lately (more on that in the next post) and some times I just have to let things go. At least he is forced to play educational games for the most part. Here he is with a Leapfrog handheld game a former neighbor gave us.




The boys have really enjoyed having Bronco around. Aiden enjoys playing with him and helping walk him. Aiden just threw the toy down to the master bedroom area and he's watching Bronco bring it back. Eli loves to love on Bronco like Bronco is a stuffed animal and Bronco hasn't exactly taken to that just yet. Sometimes the boys gang up on Bronco because they are trying to do something crazy to/with him. They are slowly learning that Bronco doesn't play chase or tag or like to wear blankets.

Eli went to the ENT last week to get his left ear checked out. His 2nd set of tubes fell out of his right ear months ago but is left ear has really been bothering him lately. The dr looked at it and then he had a hearing test last week. He did much better on the hearing test than before (yeah) and they gave him these ear plugs to see if that helps with the pain he experiences with water. He wore it in the bathtub so now I just need to find the time to take him to the pool. [Man I love that little dimple]

About 1.5 weeks ago I bought a trampoline off Craigs List. It's slightly larger than the mini-tramp I was thinking it was but it's great. The boys love it. Especially Eli!!! They both enjoy jumping on it but Eli goes on that thing multiple times a day without me suggesting it. 

This collage below is from a few weeks ago. We decided to do some painting. You can see Eli and Nana in the upper left. Eli was using water colors but he's not so great at cleaning off the brush before he goes to the next color and that drives me a little crazy. Aiden decided to use the bingo markers (so he won't get dirty) and he actually did really good trying to draw things. He normally just makes shapes and then is done but he made a truck (middle left) and in the upper right he was working on an ice cream cone. I just love how he sticks his little tongue out when he is really focusing. Eli then switched to a different kind of paint and decided to paint with brushes that had texture/design (bottom right picture). Eli just loves painting and would probably do it everyday if I let him. 

This week was a big week for me. I started teaching in the classroom again. I'm teaching at Jacksonville University 3 days a week. It takes me about an hr to get there but that is because of the way I go. JU is NE compared to where I live so the shortest way it to take I-10 across the water but as you can see in the map below, there are 3 red dots already on that path. That route would take me about 1.5 hrs to get through all the traffic (without traffic it takes 45 min) so I just bypass it all by adding some mileage and going up and around on I-295 (the big yellow circle). It adds mileage but there is no traffic and accidents so at least it's moving and also consistent which is important for me to make my 9am class to teach. I am teaching Sport Specific Conditioning and am loving it. The ride home is much quicker than to work as well. My mom is helping out a ton with the boys this semester so that I can teach which is great. On the three days I go in, I get all the boys stuff ready and breakfast on the table and then head out and she get them to the bus stop and daycare. I'm so thankful she is willing to help out this much so that I can get back in the classroom.

I've had lots of medical stuff going on lately but try and make it home in time for Aiden to get off the bus. After I got Eli home the other day I made a bike obstacle course. I made one a few days earlier and  the boys really enjoyed it. It rained that same day and erased all the chalk marks so we made a new track the other day. It had rained a little earlier but most of the sidewalk and driveway was dry enough to use chalk. They love following the arrow around and it makes it more purposeful for them than just riding around in the circles. I've just ordered some more cones because they really like weaving in and out of them.

I had to include this last collage for Rusty. I went grocery shopping this morning and this is what I found when I got back. Aiden had created a target on the wipe board easel and gave everything a point value (the small purple circles around the outside are worth zero pts) and then he was using his arm thing that shoots out discs that he got for his birthday to try and hit the target. He would watch where they would hit at and then put a check-mark by the corresponding number. After he used up all the discs (4 or 5 I think), he would then go to the other side of the easel which is a chalkboard and then write down all his point values (see middle right picture). After he wrote down all those, he got the calculator and added up all his points (I taught him how to use the calculator a few weeks ago). Welcome to Aiden's world of math. This is what he enjoys doing. :)

We ended off the evening tonight playing Tell Tale and Aiden was actually having fun doing it. Eli loves to make up stories but Aiden is usually too scared/nervous and won't speak up. Tonight he was speaking loudly and not even concerned about if his stories made sense which I LOVED!! He is making such huge strides in some areas right now.

6/24 - Gone swimming and flying

It's been a busy past 1.5 weeks as we wrap up our time here in Prattville. Eli found one of the baby books we used to read all the time and has been holding it hostage for a few days now.
Below is Aiden using Perler Beads and making something for Mrs. Rusty. He did a great job and didn't get too frustrated using them. After he is done, we put wax paper over it and iron it for just a few seconds until the beads fuse together. It's great therapy and he has something to play with when he is done.


We finally made it out to the pool the other afternoon. It was Thursday because I found it so sad that Aiden's class at daycare had water play day in the morning and he sat on the steps in his swim trunks and shirt for 1.5 hrs and didn't go near the water. He then had lunch and then stayed really still on his cot for 2 hrs. Pure torcher for the boy. We asked the boys if they wanted to go on Thursday late afternoon and they said yes. Eli doesn't actually like to swim or go in the deep water. His ears are still REALLY sensitive to water. I'm not sure that will ever change and I'm even more unsure what to do about it. He holds his ears and screams in more pain than we he used to have ear infections.

Aiden played for a while in the waist deep water but he also wanted to go off in the deep water and swim with Brad. He is doing a great job of at least getting in the water and trying. It's tricky with Aiden though. Part of me wants to take his arm/chest floaty thing away but at least he's getting comfortable in the water. Baths are still a struggle. We told him that since he turned 5, he has to soap himself. Brad has taken over baths for the last few weeks because I've just run out of patience to be honest. Brad still has try and make it fun and a light atmosphere for Aiden to accomplish getting himself even partially clean. He doesn't like the poof because soap gets on his hand. He doesn't like the sponge because it "hurts his skin too much" and he doesn't like the washcloth because it's wet. I wonder if I can make him a scrub-free bath wash like the car wash places I see. There are times where Aiden doesn't want to make any decisions regarding his baths in hopes that we will just give up and make him not take one. It's a very slow and frustrating road that most people cannot relate to.

In preparing for our upcoming move, I've been selling some stuff on this cool FB page for the area we live in. It's like Craig's list on instant message and it makes things so much easier. I had a day last week where people were coming to pick-up stuff and I had it all ready by the door. Eli decided to sit in his old car seat and Aiden decided to sit on the potty.













They were taking turns seating on each. I was laughing because they were just entertaining themselves pretending they were choo-choo trains. 

During their playing, someone actually came to get the car seat. Aiden was sad his "train seat" was gone so he sat on the slide that I was selling as well.

We've tried to let the boys have a bit more free time at home lately since they won't get that this week. They've enjoyed playing light sabers and setting up obstacles courses around the living room and kitchen.

On Saturday, we went to Lowe's in the morning for some wood to make Aiden's ladder for the loft bed. Their saw was broken so we started to leave to go to Home Depot. First the boys got distracted by the floor cleaning machine so they followed that around for a bit. As we were leaving, we noticed they apparently had a kids workshop that morning and wanted to see if they had any left over kits because normally you have to register for their workshops. We got two kits and then ran outside to make them.

They are little treasure boxes for the new movie, Monsters University. Let me just say how much Eli hates putting stickers on his creations. He won't do it. We had fun and then quickly headed over to Home Depot so we could get lumber and get it cut.

The afternoon was filled with laziness at home. The picture to the right was taken just after rest time (which is why Eli is half naked) and they were playing Tell Tale. It was so cute to listen to them make up stories. Eli is much more creative and Aiden is so matter-of-fact with his stories. The differences are too precious.

Here are the boys playing cash register. This is what the do in the mornings if they wake up early and their bunny is not awake yet (which means they are not allowed out of the room).


On Saturday night we went to a Sunday School social/good-bye party for us. It was fun to just hang out. I think part of the problem with the age-group of our sunday school class is that everyone is so involved that they are working in other areas during sunday school and thus there is no one to really be there for sunday school because they are all working. It was a fun time and we enjoyed getting to socialize with everyone.

On Monday afternoon, Brad took me flying for the first time ever. I was a little scared. I have never flown with him and never been in an aircraft that small. And let me tell you, it was teeny. I find out when we get there that the planes nickname is peanut. :) Brad showed me all around it as he did his pre-flight inspection and letting me know all the things he was looking for. The upper left picture is him testing the fuel to make sure there are no particles or anything and that it's clear. I had a good chuckle that the plane came equipped with a sun visor in the windshield. First of all, it's stored inside. Second, the windows were tiny. It was too funny for me. Brad gave me a lesson on what everything was in the cockpit. In the bottom right, he was writing down frequencies and stuff that the control tower were telling him. After lots of talk on the radio from the control tower, we took off and headed for Prattville (we left from the Montgomery airport) so we could fly over the daycare while the kids were still out. It was pretty cool. The bottom right picture is the daycare playground. Yes I am aware that it's a little blurry but that's because it's been cropped and magnified quit a bit. We did two circles over daycare and then headed off to see some more of Montgomery. I must say, I was impressed with Brad's flying and his ability to handle the radio and having to switch over to other frequencies and contact towers and stuff. It seemed pretty chaotic to me. I got a little nauseous from looking out over the side and finding daycare and then taking pictures of it. It was a little too much for my belly so we didn't get to fly around as long as I would like. It was neat though and so amazing to see everything from an ariel view.

Brad is supposed to take the boys flying today but I'm not sure if the weather is going to hold up for us. Today is also Aiden's last day of therapy so I'll be posting a final therapy blog in the next few days.

2/27 - Lowe's, the park, & Aiden with technology

On Friday, Ms. Jackie (the 2-yr old teach at Aiden and Eli's daycare) took them home from daycare and kept them over night. UF was competing against GA in a gymnastics meet and I wanted to make sure while we were living in Florida, that I actually got to go to a meet again. I got to see a few old teammates which was fun. I called Jackie at 6:45pm to see how things were going. She told me the boys had a great time at the park, then they ate McDonald's for dinner, and then they just wandered around on her farm a while and got really dirty. She even gave them a bath.  I told her I was shocked that Aiden let her give him a bath and that he even got dirty enough to need one. He got all kinds of dirty exploring around her house and really enjoyed feeding her horse. Brad and I had a great date and got to see some great gymnastics. 

On Saturday morning, we picked up the boys at 9:15am. We didn't get back home until about midnight so it was very good that we didn't have to pick up the boys until around 9:00am. When we got to Ms. Jackie's, she had all their stuff ready. The boys were busy playing in the living room. They were glad to see us and said they had a great time. They want to go back to Ms. Jackie's but have us go with them and feed the horses. We went to Lowe's Build and Grow Workshop when we left Jackie's house. It was the first time we have gone to Lowe's (we love Home Depot on the first saturday of the month). The boys liked getting different aprons and they were excited to build a car.

Here is Eli helping daddy pound the nails in the bottom of the car.

I was working with Aiden and made him try to hit the nail as well. He did it two or three times and then said he "wasn't strong enough; mommy finish."

They were really happy to hear (literally) that the car made noises when you pushed a button on top. Although it looks like Eli is using his car as a phone, he's actually listening to the speaker on the underside of the car.

Brad tried to take a picture of all of us but Aiden was too busy listening to his car to stop and smile for the camera.

The boys took awesome naps. Ms. Jackie said the little stinkers (she didn't call them stinkers) even woke up a little before 7am so we knew they would be exhausted. The fell right asleep and slept for 2.5 hrs. After they woke up, we went to a local park about 20 min away from us. I didn't realize Brad had never been to this park before and he enjoyed it. Brad and Aiden played chase and hide-and-go-seek for a long time. Eli, as you can see below, was serving me up so food. The wood chips were carrot sticks and apple slices.

I have a video of this that I took on my camera (and need to figure out how to put it on the blog) but Eli was driving on the cars and Brad acted like Eli had just hit him. Eli would crack up laughing and I must admit I was laughing because Eli was laughing so hard.

Here is Brad and Aiden working on the digger. The handles are so heavy that Aiden can't lift them up by himself. He decided he would make Brad do all the work and he would just tell Brad what to do. Pretty smart boy!

We stayed at the playground so long that I wasn't going to have time to make dinner so we went to IHOP (where kids eat free from 4-7pm everyday). It was taking a very long time to get our food so I asked Brad to get his phone out and let Aiden play with the flashcards that he installed on there a long time ago. Brad has an Android-based phone and it has a touch screen. It was Aiden's first time playing with it. He had so much fun tapping the screen to make the next card appear. We even got Eli to take turn with Aiden. If Eli would say, or at least try to, the name of the object, he got to tap the screen. Brad just got a new iTouch earlier in the week so he gave mine (I got it free a few yrs ago when I bought my mac) back to me. I loaded it up with kid apps and decided I would carry it for when we had long waits again.

We went to church on Sunday morning as usual. Here is Brad playing with the boys in the afternoon. They were playing Candyland but Aiden didn't want to play by the rules so Brad wouldn't play with him. He got really upset that Brad wanted to play by the rules. Aiden decided to wear his new Lowe's apron to AWANA on Sunday night. We found at the end of AWANA that next week is Camo week. Aiden is already so excited and he has his entire outfit picked out (including socks) but told me yesterday "I wish I could have camo underwear." The kid cracks me up.

This morning I let Aiden play on my computer some. He really enjoys to be mentally challenged/stimulated so I wanted to see how he would react to the computer. I also thought that using a mouse would be good for his motor skills. He was getting the hang of it and really enjoyed it. After taking Eli to daycare at 11am, Aiden and I had a date at chick-fil-a by his therapy (it has a bigger play area than the one closer to us). We ate, he tried to play but said it was "too loud" in the play room and wanted to "wait until the noisy kids leave." He absolutely cracks me up at times. I told him I had my iTouch and put some games on it for him. I showed him how to play a memory game and then he also played a matching number game, and tracing some of the alphabet. He acted like he had been using the thing for months. It was ironic because we went to therapy and he used in the iPad in therapy for the first time. He dragged these shapes into the correct spaces like he had been playing that game for months. It was amazing. Ms. Lisa also had some cool writing apps. Needless to say, I see an iPad in our very near future. He was able to use a special pen and could practice his writing on the iPad and actually enjoyed doing it. At home, when I try to work with him on writing (most other things he will do willingly), he says no and won't do anything. I even try and bribe him with special play time, a piece of candy, etc and he still won't trace/write letters for me.

Eli didn't get much of a nap at daycare and Aiden got no nap so they were a handful this afternoon. After a certain amount of fighting on the train table, I kicked them off. Aiden asked to build a new track and I said yes but if I heard any arguing, I was putting it back in the box. The little engineer built a pretty cool track in about 5 minutes. He has a 3-way switch on the far side an a 2-way switch on the side in front of Aiden. There were lots of places for the boys to play on the track so they stopped arguing thankfully. We also made muffins this afternoon. Aiden stirred the batter for about 10 seconds and then told me "my hand is tired." When daddy came home at 5pm, Aiden runs to him and tells him we made muffins today.

 I let the boys have special snack time in the living room in chairs so they could skype with Nana.

The other fun thing is that I got my new blog book in the mail today. It's the thickest one yet!! I love that I have these books to document our family growing and to see all the pictures.

Finally, Brad got his written orders today for Air Force War College in Alabama. We are relieved about this. Brad's orders even state that he is due to check-out at the end of June which would be totally awesome. However, I'm gonna still expect Brad back in July and will miss our birthdays as usual. I think he's only been around 2 times out of the 5 yrs and this would be 6 yrs. Whatever happens is God's plan!