Monday, May 22, 2017

NKOTB {and a weekend getaway!}

For the first time in a LONG time Jarrod and I enjoyed a weekend getaway.  We ventured to Austin.  It was so nice to sleep in, enjoy uninterrupted conversation and eat delicious food :)


As soon as NKOTB, Boyz II Men and Paula Abdul announced their 'Total Package' tour I knew we had to be there.  NKOTB was the first concert I had ever attended in the 80's.  Jarrod was such a trooper!


What a show!  Each performing group did an excellent job.  It was fun to revert back to the songs and sounds of my childhood, if only for a few hours. 



"All it takes is 1 song to bring back 1,000 memories."

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

PHinisheD {and a trip to CS!}

Last weekend Lita graduated from Texas A&M with her PhD in Latin Studies!!  Woohoo!! 


Congrats Dr Lita!  An honor well deserved :)


Since the graduation ended so late we spent the night and explored College Station the following day.  We visited the George Bush Presidential museum on campus.  What a neat place!




Owen for President in 2045!!

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Hudson 26 months

Hudson is now 2 years + 2 months old!  He weighs 26 pounds and wears all size 2T outfits.  He is such a happy guy and fills our days with joy!


He has spent many recent evenings at ball games and is the big kids' biggest fan :)  This Ciao baby chair has really come in handy.  It offers great support and even has a tray for snacks and toys.


Bath time is still a favorite and he always associates the restroom with "bath, bath"!


The weather has been just perfect for a few recent zoo trips!!


His newest favorite snacks include baby Goldfish and Gogo Squeeze applesauce.  He also recently tried juice boxes for the first time but gets a little too squeeze happy :)


His occupational therapist encouraged messy play with shaving cream and other such textures.  He isn't so sure what to think!  We have also explored other toys and gadgets that the OT suggested including bubbles, a shape sorter, chunky crayons, puzzles and a pop tube.  In PT he is working on rolling a ball back and forth and pulling up on a mat.  He is great about catching himself if he falls to the side.  He was recently measured for his first wheelchair which we expect to see this summer!


He often enjoys sharing beautiful music :)  He can sit up unassisted very well on the piano bench.


He had a second set of ear tubes placed and his adenoids removed on Good Friday.  He handled the procedure and recovery like a champ!  Within a few short hours there was a very noticeable difference in his hearing and speaking abilities.  He now repeats much more than he did before.  His therapists also noticed a difference as he was much more responsive and interactive.


His favorite places to roll are to Emma's room, bathrooms & to the book shelves to pull down books.  We often have to close doors in order to limit his boundaries.  He sometimes opens drawers and tries to "put on" articles of clothing.  Last week I found him trying to put daddy's hat on!


Some things he is doing right now:

He knows to dig in Big Daddy's left shirt pocket at for exciting treasures (cell phone & checkbook)

He has a little doll that he calls "baby"

He consistently reaches to flip each light switch in the hall after a nap.  When doing so he says "on"! 

He must have both a sippy cup of milk & his paci for "night night" time

He scoots and pivots sleep positions during the night.  His head often ends up where his feet started!

He makes a "kissy" face and sound when prompted.

He can identify (and say) ear and eye

For the first time on 4/21 he did the sign language motion for "more" in the appropriate situation.

His newest words include bye-bye, woah!, guk (milk), yay, oh no, "nkay" (okay), dat (hat), "Ita" (Lita), boy, guk (book) and oww (ouch).  His ending sounds are great (especially T and K)!

He can make the animal sounds for cow & duck

He says "cheeeese" whenever he sees me trying to take a photo.  I think he is still very confused about there being two meanings for cheese.  Cheese cubes are a favorite snack :)

  He occasionally puts the phone up next to his ear and says "hello?"

Sunday, May 7, 2017

"Not Your Average Joe" musical

Emma and Owen have really enjoyed their first year being a part of the Highland Baptist Children's choir!  This group has been working diligently memorizing lines, songs and choreography for the "Not Your Average Joe" musical since the new year began!   


Emma was thrilled to be one of the lead roles, DJ Turner!  She co-narrated the musical with sweet DJ Spinner :)  The girls played their characters well and were as cute as could be!



Owen was proud to do his part by singing a solo.  He did a great job and is such a natural entertainer!



So proud of you both! 


"We know that God works all things together for good to them who are call according to His purpose." -Romans 8:28