3/15 - Trip to Atlanta, GA

Brad and I are realizing our time here in Alabama is winding down and we will be moving soon. We had a few things we wanted to do while we were here and one of them was to visit Atlanta, GA. That said, we decided to take a weekend trip. We are saving his spring break time to go to Chattanooga, TN because it seems like there is a bit more for us to do there. We got a room at the Drury Inn. We love this chain. They are all suites so we always have 2 rooms so the boys can go to bed at their normal bed time and we can still stay up for a bit. The afternoon popcorn, free dinner from 5:30-7pm every night, a nice hot continental breakfast in the morning, and an indoor/outdoor pool and jacuzzi are all bonus. All that for just a little more than we would pay for a normal room at a regular hotel. OK. Anyway, I took the air mattress at the last minute and I'm so glad I did. They boys have never slept in the same bed and there was just 1 King bed in the bedroom and they didn't want to sleep together. However, rather than arguing about who got to sleep in the bed, they are argued about who got to sleep on the air mattress. I had to document this so I can show the boys later. We flipped a coin to see who got to sleep on it the first night (Eli won). We drove down on Friday afternoon and it took about 2.5 hrs. We checked in, got dinner, and then went to the pool.

On Saturday morning, we went to the outlets. This is the time of year when I can do the boys shopping for winter next year and usually can save an insane amount of money. Brad took the boys and they played for a little over an hour while I power shopped without the boys. They boys had a blast pushing each other in the stroller and playing hide-and-go-seek in the stores with daddy.

We have tasked Aiden with the big brother job of showing/helping Eli learn to put his socks on. It is so cute to watch them.

After a short nap on Saturday, we headed off to the Fernbank Natural History Museum. We got in free because we are members of the McWane Science Center so that was cool. We heard they had some cool dinosaur stuff so we headed down to it right away. The picture below is too cute. I just LOVE it. Here are my boys acting like dinosaurs. There is another one in the collage I made but it's slightly different. 

Eli just cracks me up and I had to put this picture in the blog (and future scrapbook) because it's just so Eli. His goofiness can usually always make me smile. He melts my heart by saying, "I really love you mommy." Such a sweet boy with a good heart.

The boys are not yet in the stage to walk around and learn stuff about the displays yet. Aiden was just so excited to get to the dinosaurs he didn't want to stop and learn anything. I think he was also a little scared of the fossils and replicas as well. We tried to take a picture by one of the displays and Aiden wanted nothing to do with it (see upper right pic in the collage). They had this cool contraption there where you put balls in a bucket and use a pulley to bring it to the top of a structure. They had three pipes that you could then put the balls down and they would fall down to the first level. They cool thing was they had all these pieces of pvc pipe that had magnets on the back so you can direct how the balls will fall when they come out of the pipes. You can see Eli taking the balls up with the rope on the far right. Below that, you can see a series of pictures of Aiden building a path for the balls to fall. He did a great job but was a little obsessed with this exhibit. They had tons of stuff to do in this kids area and we spent about 1.5 hr there. 

At the end of the day, we let the boys make their special pennies (see collage - bottom left). Brad and I even got a minute to snap a picture of us while the boys were playing.

I had to include the picture below I thought it was so cool that they had these pull-out walls with fossils in them. What a neat idea. They had tons of kid-friendly stuff at this place.

As we were leaving, we stopped out front to take a picture by the big dinosaurs.

Aiden starting coughing quite a bit on Saturday and of course, I didn't bring his inhaler. He got much worse on Saturday night and pretty much coughed the entire night. It was horrible. He was keeping everyone awake and it was double torture because we already lost an hour that night with daylight savings time. At about 4:30am he was coughing so bad that I'm sure the people next door were not able to sleep either. I turned on the shower and made it really hot and then took a pillow in there with Aiden and let him curl up in my arms for about 15 min to let the steam try and open him up. Needless to say, we were all exhausted on Sunday morning. We got up, packed up, and then headed off to the Aquarium. Olympic Centennial Park is across the street so we walked through it on the way to the aquarium. It was fun and pretty. Eli was tired and did not feel like walking so he rode in the stroller with his blanket on his head.

We were a little concerned about the quality of the aquarium based on the reviews I read. It was great that we were a little skeptical because it blew our socks off (it should have for how expensive it was)! It was pretty huge and very organized. These tanks very MASSIVE. There was a conveyer belt that slowly took us through the huge tank. I love this picture below!

They had lots of huge mantas. These things were bigger than I am although it's hard to see that from the picture. They were beautiful.

We also got to see some Beluga whales. They were very large and so playful. I could have sat there all day watching them play. The picture below shows all 3 of the whales.

I wanted to include the picture below so you can see how big these whales are. First of all, they would come right up to the glass and then swim along it. It was so neat. You can see some people standing there and get an idea of how big they were. 

I love this picture in the upper left of the collage. I have another one with no hands in the way but I think the hands actually make the picture more awesome because you can see how big this fish was. By the way, that is Brad and Aidens hand. In the upper right you can see Brad being our tour guide and showing us all the fish to look for. The picture towards the bottom right cracks me up. They boys were sitting in this circle thing watching the fish and then Eli realized that he could actually go in the circle a bit. Both boys started trying to climb in. You can get a much better than actually being a fish inside the water.

The pictures at the very bottom were from the penguin exhibit which was way cool. It was very kid friendly and had a tunnel that went underneath the exhibit so the kids (and adults who wanted to crawl) could literally walk right by swimming penguins. Below you can see Brad and the boys in the tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, they have these tubes that stick up and actually let you really get a great view of the penguins. It was a genius building idea. The bottom two pictures in the collage are Brad and I holding up the boys to get a good look at the penguins.

The boys were getting very hungry and tired and we had pushed our limits with them so we decided to pack up and head home. It was about 1:30 when we got on the road and we were all exhausted from no sleep, loosing an hr for daylight savings, and walking around all morning. Aiden was so tired but said he wanted to lay down to sleep so he never fell asleep in the van. Eli was wide awake in the van and then fell asleep about 15 min away from home. It was so late by then that we didn't want him to sleep much longer because then he wouldn't go to sleep.

We were grateful for a smooth ride home and a fun family trip. We were so exhausted that we skipped out on a church function we bought tickets for. Fun memories. We have to make as many memories as we can because you never know how long you have to make more memories.

3/14 - Big Green Bus and going to stores

The boys love going to exercise with us which is so great. I wish I was exercising more right now but until my medical stuff gets straightened out, I'll take what my body will allow. We went to base to exercise and then afterwards, we always let the boys play. Here is Aiden doing a pretty good job of kicking the ball. Eli is still entertained by us just chasing him so I don't have a video of that. Also, if the video will not play (I don't think it does if you are viewing it from Facebook) then you can go straight to the blog to watch it (http://hoytfamilyhappenings.blogspot.com).

The boys really wanted me to come see them on the Big Green Bus a few weeks ago so I did. They were having a great time and there are so many kids doing it now that Aiden and Eli are in separate groups. They had the rings set up this week and they have been practicing hand stands. They both did really good and were definitely having fun. It cracks me up that Aiden is swinging with the rings around his armpits (and barely, if at all, swinging) and Eli was just running and swinging as high as he could. This has been a great experience for them.

Brad has had mid-terms the past week so he has needed some extra time to read, study, and write papers. One night I took the boys to Chick-fil-a for dinner and we were super excited to see that Spot It! is the new prize in the kid meals. The boys LOVE this game and now we have a mini travel version.

After dinner, I took the boys to Bass Pro Shop and let them play and run around. They really could stay here all day if I let them. We planned on doing something special at BPS too - getting a new penny. We have started collecting/making the souvenier flat pennies to the places we visit and Aiden really wanted one more from BPS. Aunt Pat sent him and Eli $1 each for Valentine's day so they both decided to use part of their money to make a penny (it costs 51 cents).

Aiden was pretty excited about his new penny. He's been trying to find a safe place to put them but keeps changing his mind as to where he wants to keep his special pennies.

I've been shopping for a mini wardrobe/pantry to help me organize. My house looks so cluttered and even though I know where most everything is, it still looks so sloppy. I've been trying to find ways to organize and one thing that I am going to do is put all the boys coloring, educational books, etc. all together and I want to put it all in a pantry type thing. I took the boys to the store with me (so Brad could study/write papers) and they were great helpers. I am a sucker and always carry their jackets for them but I am getting tired of that so Brad and I just showed them how to tie their jackets around their waste. They thought it was pretty cool.

Here they are testing out the shelf limit weight!!  Shortly after this the store had an announcement on the loud speaker about keeping your kids right by your side at all times. I had to laugh at that.

I tell you what - Eli is going to be a great helper in the yard. He loves to mow with me and he even mows the neighbors yards too. This bubble mower that Aiden got for his 2nd birthday is officially Eli's now. Eli was so upset when he broke the $1 plastic rake the other day because he couldn't help me rake. I'm on the lookout for a new one that is more sturdy since he really does like to use it.

Bath time with this kid is so much fun. He makes me smile and realize that bath time does not have to be a completely horrible stress-filled time.

So here is the "before" picture of our iPad. We need to fix the screen but I need Brad's help and he's been really busy so our screen is actually still broken but now it has tape on it. Hopefully I can post 'after' pictures soon. Getting the old screen off is a lot harder than the YouTube videos make it look!

I love that Aiden says he wants to "play in the rain." After we got home from daycare one day last week, the boys put on their rain boots and I let them play outside for a good 30 min or so. Here is Aiden gently, slowly walking through the puddle.

This picture of Eli makes me smile because I can only imagine what is going through his head. I can see on his check his dimple which means he is smiling because he is about to do something crazy. I love this kid!!!  He immediately jumped (with both feet) in the puddle and got his pants all wet. I told him it was fine and to keep playing and we could change his pants inside after he was all done.

They were taking turns going through the puddle (Aiden would walk, Eli would run) and Aiden wanted no part in having too much fun and getting wet or dirty. Look at the expression on his face as he watches Eli run through the puddle.  He is grimacing like it is the grossest thing in the world that Eli ran through the puddle and may get water on himself.

Eli is Mr. Helper in the kitchen. He loves to help us cook. Aiden is also becoming quite helpful and get everything he needs for his lunch.

We went to Home Depot to build a race car the first Saturday in March. The boys had a blast. Aiden did a pretty good job of trying to build it himself and putting all the nails in. Eli will give a good effort (a few hits with the hammer) and then he really just wants someone to build it for him while he bangs the hammer on the table and makes all the screws bounce off onto the floor. That is not frustrating at all! :) They built their cars and then we roamed around Home Depot for a bit so I could search for organization ideas and price some things out. The boys eventually found the floor cleaning machine and they stalked this poor guy for a long, long time. The followed his path all around that store!! We even stopped and talked to the guy for a while. They were fascinated. After about an hour, I told Aiden we needed to stop following him because it was probably a little freaky to the guy so we went and said bye to the man and then played on the tractors for a bit before leaving.

I have one more update to do. We took a quick trip to Atlanta last weekend and it was great. Pictures will follow soon. Brad is doing great in school although he is so ready for it to be all over. I have had some problems with low potassium and was even had to go to the ER at 4:30am a few weeks ago. Apparently the medication I take for adrenal insufficiency can lower my potassium level and a low potassium level can be a very dangerous thing. I saw my primary care dr on Monday and she is referring me to a neurologist so that I can get a sleep study done. The thinking is that I am so blasted tired all the time because maybe my body truly isn't getting any rest at night. We shall see.

3/13 - Therapy x3

So I'm behind on posting to the blog. I have no excuse except for that I've been exhausted and then we took a somewhat impromptu family trip and were gone for a bit. Here are the last 3 weeks of Aiden's therapy at Excel Rehab and working with Mrs. Rusty. As always, Mrs. Rusty keeps Aiden on his feet and guessing about what he is going to do during his time with her. The blew bubbles a few weeks ago which is often hard for Aiden because he doesn't always pucker his lips and he often blows way too hard. He did a crab walk for the first time and also learned a new way to do a frog jump. He also got to play on the zip line by walking (and trying to balance) around on a huge tube and then falling in the fall pit. There was some mini-trampoline jumping involved too which is he starting to like. He had to keep track of how many more circuits he had to do and when he got to #3, Mrs. Rusty was helping him with using his fingers to hold up three. He likes to use his thumb to pull down his pointer finger but that is the easy way to hold up the #3. Mrs. Rusty was trying to show him how to use his thumb to hold down his pinky finger to show the #3 but he has a very hard time doing that.

Last week Aiden comments on the way to therapy, "I wonder what Mrs. Rusty is going to have me do this week." I have to say, I don't think we have ever done the same thing twice there. It's quite amazing she can still come up with new stuff. There is usually an obstacle course involved but she often lets Aiden design (and build) it and it is always different. Last week she had him get enough sticks/shapes to make an 'X' and an 'O' (for tic-tac-toe) and then climb under the tent that was only about 1 foot off the ground. They then each put down their letter and he had to crawl back and get more letters/shapes. Aiden is definitely getting physically stronger using his hands and fingers and is actually starting to finally get some basic body coordination (he didn't really start jumping with two feet off the floor until after he turned 4). Mrs. Rusty has shifted a lot of his therapy towards sensory stuff and the more surfaces he comes in contact with, the better. Because of this, he does lots of crawling, tunnels, swings, etc. He is getting much better about movement (and not minding it). Bath time has been ... challenging with Aiden the past few weeks. We did a few weeks of being really patient, nurturing, and encouraging during bath time and trying to have him take control and actually clean himself. We made a certain level of progress with that but it's just so tiring. He can make bath time/shower time last 5 minutes or 45 min depending on the mood he is in. Last week, after talking with Mrs. Rusty, I decided to try a new strategy. It's much much MUCH less stressful on me but I was not sure if it was appropriate for Aiden. I felt like over the past month or so that much of our bath time is spent on negotiating and that just wears me out. Here is a typical bath time:

Me: Ok Aiden. You've got to play for 10 min but now it is time to soap up and get clean. Do you want to do soap on your body or clean your hair?

Aiden: I don't want to take a bath.

Me: I know but you've had fun playing for a bit but now we need to get clean and then you can play again.

Aiden: I want to get out now. I don't want any soap. [He often starts crying here]

Me: Ok Aiden. Do you want to do your hair or body? 

Aiden: [Cries and whines a few more protests]

Me: We will start with your body. Would you like to use the poof or washcloth?

Aiden: I just want to use no soap.

Me: You have to use soap Aiden. That is how we get clean. You can choose the yellow soap or the blue soap. Which one?

Aiden: [cries and tries to play with a toy]

This scenario continues and Aiden continues to try and evade giving an appropriate response/option which further extends bath time (and my patience). So now, before bath time, we remind him he is in control of his bath and he can make the decisions. He gets to play for 10 min and then it's time to soap up or wash his hair. I ask him what he wants to do and then I count from 5 to 0. By the time I reach 0, he knows (we remind him at the beginning of bath time and before we soap) that I get to make the decision and that no matter how much he cries or protests, it will not matter. Before we would try and accommodate him so that he would be an active participant but ... things need to change. The first night or two we did bath this way, he screamed bloody murder through the whole thing. He did not like any decision that I made (soap type, washcloth/sponge/poof, order of things, etc) but he did learn that I was still going to do it my way if he decided to not participate. Although he screamed through the whole bath/shower, it was less stressful for me because the constant negotiation was done. By the end of the second bath/shower, he made his first decision (to use a washcloth). He is not yet cleaning himself but I think we are getting closer. The last bath night we had went pretty well and he only cried through part of it. He is learning that when he makes the decisions, he has more control over his bath and he can do/not do what feels okay and not okay. 

OK. Back to therapy. Mrs. Rusty just got some lycra fabric that she has hung up to be a swing. Aiden has mixed feelings about it. He likes to swing but he doesn't like the feeling of being supported but still being able to move. He would rather just be restricted I think. We've made good progress in the world of slides. He's gone down the slide head first with Mrs. Rusty a few times and last week he even went head first down through a fabric tunnel.

This past week at therapy, Aiden got to build a house. He was so excited and he looked super cute because he just found this pair of overalls in his drawer and he has never worn a pair before (that he can remember). He had to use his fingers and hands a lot to make sure it was all connected the right way. After he was done building a house, it was time to play in the swing. The fabric was still up from last week so he had to find a way to climb in and go for a ride. Mrs. Rusty even twisted him up a few times and let him go to untwist. He had to/got to "fall" out of the swing a couple of times. He is getting SO much better at allowing this to happen. Aiden doesn't like the feeling of falling and wouldn't even fall into the ball pit a few months ago. He has never been willing to jump off anything either. He will hop off a curb but not even with two feet at a time ... until about 3 weeks ago. He has played games at home very now and then that include jumping over something and onto the bean bag but he'll only do it if Eli is doing it and he will only take 1 or 2 turns. He has recently started trying to jump off of things (nothing crazy) but he's actually trying to jump where as before, he would avoid having to jump. Even when I had him in Gymboree and he was supposed to jump off of something onto a mat ... he would never do it. PROGRESS. He is making steps forward and I am so happy for him.

We will have to start working on eating therapy again soon but I am thankful for the steps in the right direction for Aiden. He is being able to live life a little more freely and experience more. His world is so black and white and I can appreciate that because that is often how my world is. It's so different though seeing it from my point of view and also being able to see how limiting it can be. When you live in black and white and don't allow room for gray, you don't realize how limiting it truly can be. I am so grateful to God that he has placed people in our path that can help Aiden (and me) to broaden our world some.