October

September and October went by so fast and I am behind on my blogging duties. That's what happens when you have 3 kids! October started with Dylan's 9th Birthday, we had a small party with friends and family and Dylan wanted and Angry Birds theme. Angry Birds is an app/game on the ipod/ipad that he absolutely loves! So I had to get creative with cupcakes, birds and pigs. At least he could tell what they were, that was what mattered most. Last month I also took the kids up to Columbia to EdVenture an awesome children's museum that we have never been to. The kids had a blast, there was so much to do and see, we will definitely be going back. Brendan had a den camp out with scouts a few weeks ago where he caught his first ever fish (he actually caught 2), he was SO excited about it. Our month ended with Dylan going back to public school. We loved our home school program and I would definitely recommend it to anyone but sadly our 3 years of PDD waiver funding for Dylan's home program came to an end and there was no way we could continue. He also needed to get back into a classroom with other kids for socialization. But so far things have gone really well. He has a great teacher, a great classroom, and great resource teachers, all at a great school. We're keeping our fingers crossed that all goes well this time around. And finally Halloween, this year we had a little black cat (Maddie), a tiger/cat (Dylan) and Brendan chose to not really go trick or treating but just dress incognito so nobody could tell it was him. As always they all had a fun time and got lots and lots of candy. Stay tuned for November and December.

Off to School!

The past 2 weeks have been very busy with everyone starting school.........yes everyone! Brendan started 5th grade on the 18th, so far so good, he really likes his 2 teachers. Dylan also started on the 18th. He is now in 2nd grade and this year we are doing a virtual school called Connections Academy, it is homeschooling with a teacher on the computer giving live lessons, assignments, tests, etc. and on our end there are learning coaches, myself and 3 of Dylan's current teachers/therapists. So far it is going really well. Dylan has to get used to more school work this year, but when he does he'll be fine. Last but not least, little Miss Maddie started school on the 23rd. She is a "peer buddy" in the preschool program at Laurel Hill Primary and goes for 3 hours each morning 5 days a week. She did really well her first week, she only cried the first day, since then, she's been fine. I really thought the separation would be much worse, but I am happily surprised. She is doing great and meeting lots of new friends. Her teacher is the same teacher that Dylan had when he went through the preschool program for 2 years. I am enjoying my 3 hours each morning being "Maddie free" and getting odd jobs done. The separation is good (healthy) for both of us:)

Other than school, cub scouts is now in full swing again and this year Andy & I are more involved. Right now we are doing the annual popcorn sale, so if anyone wants popcorn................

Next Thursday will be our 2 year "Gotcha Day" anniversary. It's hard to believe that it's been 2 years, how time flies. We are looking forward to celebrating another year with our baby girl!

Happy Birthday Maddie!

Maddie turned 3 yesterday, how time flies! She had a fun Birthday. She and the boys played in the little pool in the backyard, she opened her presents, we grilled some chicken, and then had a GIANT cupcake cake! She got a bike, a play kitchen and a playmobil dollhouse from us and I think her favorite so far is the kitchen, she's been playing with her dishes, cooking food & talking on the phone:) Today she went for her well visit and the Dr. says she's doing great! She's right where she should be developmentally. She did pretty well with her shots although there was plenty of drama! She starts school next month! She is going to Laurel Hill Primary and will be in the early preschool program. Coincidentally she is going to have the same teacher that Dylan had when he went through the preschool program at Laurel Hill. We are very excited for her, she is going to have SO much fun (once we get past the separation part).

Summer 2010

We've had a busy summer so far. The day Brendan finished school we headed up to Michigan for 10 days. Andy had a Bosch training class in Farmington Hills where most of our family is so we got to do a lot of visiting while we were there. It was the first time all of my sisters and I have been together in about 5 years. The kids also got to see all of their aunts, uncles, cousins and second cousins, many of them hadn't met Maddie yet, it was a lot of fun! On the way up to Michigan we stopped for 2 nights in Charlotte, NC. The boys are big NASCAR fans and the Charlotte area is home to many racing shops so we spent a day touring some shops and museums and the boys were SO excited! We spent 2 nights in a brand new hotel in a great location and it had a fun pool! When we returned home after our trip Brendan & Dylan had a week of Scout camp where they had lots of fun! This week is vacation Bible school and then we get to rest and enjoy the summer a bit. Next weekend Andy's brother and family are coming for 4th of July weekend, all of the kids will have a great time playing together. We're really looking forward to their visit. Maddie starts swimming lessons on August 2. She will be in the 3's class. She loves the pool but I'm not sure how she'll do with a (stranger) swimming instructor carrying her around the pool. Andy went back to work in May and was in his walking cast until a couple weeks ago. Now he's walking without crutches or casts, he's very happy to be free of them all. His ankle is still a bit sore and gets swollen if he's on his feet a lot, but he's continuing to get better. Here are some pictures of our summer so far.

March & April

We have had a great spring so far. The weather has finally started warming up and we've been enjoying a lot of outside time. Andy has been off work since the middle of March due to his foot surgery and will probably be returning back to work sometime in May. He's recovering well, but is getting frustrated with having to use crutches all of the time. We've enjoyed having him home with us. Maddie is especially enjoying seeing Daddy more. Brendan is doing great in school and brought home all A's and B's again. He is also still enjoying scouts. Dylan is also doing great in school and loves learning. He is also enjoying scouts as well as his horseback riding therapy each week. Maddie continues to entertain us each day. She is talking so much! We finally took the front off of her crib and converted it to a toddler bed. She is doing really well not trying to escape. We are slowly working on potty training and she is slowly getting it. We're looking forward to our pool opening up so we can do a lot of swimming this summer. The boys start swimming lessons this weekend.

2010 So Far

I haven't posted since the Christmas post, so I will update you on our year so far. In January we celebrated both Andy's birthday & Brendan's 10th birthday. For Brendan's birthday weekend we had a fun weekend getaway to Myrtle Beach. We stayed in a hotel and the kids had a blast! We also visited with Papa & Donna and Papa helped the boys start their pinewood derby cars for cub scouts. Brendan really enjoyed his special birthday weekend. February has been pretty exciting so far. We had SNOW, yes snow here in South Carolina. The last time it snowed here was 10 years ago, the night Brendan was born. We got about 2 inches here in Mt. Pleasant and further inland and up in Myrtle Beach, some areas got up to 6". We were all out the night it snowed at 8:00 p.m. having a snowball fight and playing in the snow. The kids had so much fun. The next morning we were out again building a snowman. It melted very quickly but it was very pretty and very fun while it lasted. The best kind of snow, the kind that goes away quickly:) This weekend we had the big Pinewood Derby race for the boys Cub Scout Pack. It was a lot of fun and the boys had a great time making and racing their cars.

Chuc Mung Nam Moi! & Happy Valentines Day!

Christmas 2009

Happy New Year to everyone! We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Santa was very good to the kids. The boy's got a very special present this year, guinea pigs. One for each of them. They were VERY surprised. Dylan has been asking for a guinea pig for a couple of years now, so you can only imagine how thrilled he was! The day after Christmas Andy's brother and family came for a few days and the kids all had a great time playing together. We wrapped up the holidays by celebrating Andy's birthday on the 2nd.