It's a wonderful facebooky world!

I love Facebook. I love keeping up with friends and family that live far away, and also the ones that are right here in my town. It's fun to read what funny thing a friends' daughter said, or what crazy antics their boy has been up to, and without Facebook, I'd probably never know. It connects me to people I wouldn't normally know...when I want it to. :) It also serves as a personal journal of my daily life. Most of the time I keep my updates light, and try to put a funny spin on them. I started thinking the other day that I should record these updates here, on the ole blog, for my future memories. What better way to look back in 10 years and see what life was handing me in April 2010! So here are some of my favorite Facebook updates from this last month. They all start with Shelley...then the update. So here we go!

(Shelley)...thinks it's a Starbucks kind of day.

...is totally exhausted, but apparently my kids aren't! I am praying they are finally all asleep. After hearing...MOM!...about 243 times in the last hour, my nerves are frayed! Did someone slip them Starbucks when I wasn't looking?

...Kids play tent, rocking horse, soccer goal, jump rope, doll high chair, and 2 bikes. Category? Things I had to move to get to the treadmill this morning. I think it's been too long!

...Finally got to mend all the clothes that needed mending. Think Austin's Christmas sweater will still fit next Christmas?! I was a little behind. :)

...It's a perfect day for playing in the rain!

...Another day, another trip to urgent care. I wonder when they'll give us our own parking spot?

...Potty training Austin...take 2. Any suggestions are welcome!!!

...Stinkin' tooth fairy.

...is at Annie's first kindergarten event. Mercy time flies!

...Our plans for a relaxing day at Razor Ridge got canceled when Jason threw out his back first thing this morning. :( Thanks to Nana for coming over to help me this afternoon, and Uncle Chris for unloading the trailer! I am thankful for our family!

...just caught Austin trying to eat sugar out of the sugar bowl with a 1/2 cup scoop. That would not have been good.

...is getting my car detailed right now. A normally 45 minute service has taken 1 1/2 hours...so far. I'm thinking they've figured out I have kids. :)

...is thankful for my handy husband, who fixed our mailbox tonight! No more leaning over a cliff, or using the kids "robot claw" toy to get to the mail. I'm sure our mail lady thanks him too! :)

...got up this morning, fixed my coffee, and slipped my "indoor" shoes on so my legs won't hurt while I run around the house. I am officially my mother.

...just managed to transfer a sleeping Austin to the car, and keep him asleep! I call that a miracle!

...is trying the "naked in the backyard" method of potty training today. Lord help me!

...is off to color eggs at Grammies house! My green hands will look lovely at church tomorrow. :)

...had a WONDERFUL girl babysit my kiddos today while I ran errands BY MYSELF! Thank you sweet Chelsea! Now Jason's tucking Annie into bed, and I'm listening to Ellie help Austin play computer games for a few minutes before their bedtime. Ahhh.....:)

That was fun!

Annie Grace

My beautiful girl.

He may need therapy for this someday...

This is what happens when you are the only boy, after two girls.


No, not the bandaid...although that is courtesy of his big sister Annie. No, we're talking about the pink rain coat.

It was Ellie's first, the Annie's. I had no intentions of Austin wearing it, I really am not that cruel! But today when we had a perfect rain to play in, and Austin had no rain coat, well...


Poor sad boy. He's going to hate me for this someday!

Spring at Razor Ridge

Sunday afternoon we headed out to our little piece of land to enjoy some time together, outside, in the incredible sunshiny weather. We had a blast four-wheeling around, splashing in the creeks, and picnicking under the newly green trees.

Our day was going very nice, and then we heard a little "beep beep", and we were happily surprised to see our favorite Aunt, Uncle, and Cousins, pulling down the drive! And then our day was perfect! The kids had an absolute blast together! I couldn't have imagined a more perfect day for us to be out there.

Jason had fun taking the kids through the pond on his 4-wheeler. I for one, was a bit nervous the first time, it looked awfully deep! But they did great!

The kids hiked along the creek, one after the other...so cute!

Before long we made our way down to the creeks again, and the kids discovered the utter joy of playing in the mud. I loved seeing these sweet princesses get all muddy!

Austin enjoyed some mud too...:)

Our cousins brought their fishing poles, and shared with us. Austin apparently REALLY likes fishing!

This land is so beautiful. The colors right now are incredible. The bright fresh green leaves on the oaks, the deep green cedars, the bluer than blue sky, and the fuchsia blooms of the redbuds. Incredible. God is quite the artist!

Before we headed home for the night, we decided to give our little piece of land a name, and take a picture to commemorate the occasion.

Welcome to Razor Ridge!

Our Easter

Our Easter, in pictures...

Dying eggs at Grammie's house. The girls were very careful, and created beautiful eggs and Austin only squished two of his. :)


Peeking out the front door to see if that elusive bunny came...


He did!


Having the grandparents over for some good family time!



Hunting for Eggs...




And wearing ourselves out...


What a fun, beautiful and blessed day.

Princesses...

Love these girls!

 

Ellie: One Year Later

I wrote this post one year ago today. That was a tough thing to write. When I wrote that, we were still in a very hard place with Ellie. We had some hope, but I was skeptical. Daily life was still very unpredictable with our girl. I prayed, and I waited to BE AMAZED.

We started weekly OT (Occupational Therapy) right about the time I wrote that post. We continued it through the summer. Every week I learned something new. I learned how much her Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) affected every aspect of her life. I learned what a midline was, and why the fact that she couldn't cross hers, was very significant. I learned why she struggled with stairs, handwriting, crowds of people, clothes, noises, riding in the car, and much, much more.

She worked hard through the summer, and we started seeing the benefits of therapy after a couple of months. We learned a lot about our girl, and how her brain works. I wasn't AMAZED yet, but I was more and more hopeful. Ellie started second grade, and I was humbled and blessed that she was able to start OT at school, as well as continue with her private therapy. That's when the changes really started making themselves visible to me.

In one year she really has become a new child. She's been an Honor Role student, and, as her teacher said, an "Asset to her class"! We've recently gone to having our private OT every other week, and that's working out well. The plan is to continue that for a few more months, and she'll continue to receive OT at school for awhile.

On our Mini-Vacation, Ellie did awesome! I was so proud of her, she handled crowds, noises, car rides, like a pro! She was helpful, sweet, and happy most of the time. We had a couple of moments when she got a little overwhelmed, but she was able to get through it, which is amazing. A year ago I was dragging a kicking and screaming girl out of a restaurant, now she is able to talk to me, tell me what she needs, and as a result, calm herself down. WOW!

They were right, I have been AMAZED. Thank you God! My prayers have been answered, my fears have been dismissed. We've been blessed with an incredible teacher this year, and a school that acted quickly to help our girl. We were blessed with an extension from our insurance that allowed Ellie to continue her private therapy, which has been Wonderful. As I look back, I can see God's hand guiding us along, and clearing the path for us. I am so proud of Ellie's hard work. She's learning a lot about herself, and I know God will use these experiences of hers for something really AMAZING someday!

I can't wait to see how she grows in this next year! I am so excited to see what's next for our AMAZING girl!