Favorite Recent Pics

The little boys first day of school

Maddie and Auri on a winter walk

Maddie on the lake

Best Buddies, and Double Trouble. Max and Austin

Max is the coolest. Warning: they made him cute for a reason.

This one makes my sister cry.  Myles is super sweet and sensitive.

Myles and Max at the Lop Hop.

Mason with his friend the butterfly.

Well, after over a year hiatus, I've decided to start blogging again.  I really miss having the record of our family happenings.  I find myself posting things to facebook that I would have posted here, and had a more cohesive story.  I'm also hoping that blogger is a bit more user friendly now, and that I can get my pics to be where I want them to be :)  Just posted two retroactive, 1/2 done, but will probably never finish them posts from over the past year. 

Our life has settled considerably.  We are clearly still busy with the four kids and their activities, but we've got a rhythm going.  We have found trusted and supportive providers for Mason.  We are still exploring treatment options and constantly weighing what is best for him, and what is pushing too much.  ALL of my kids will be in school full days in the fall!  And I've finally settled into my new job (it only took 1.5 years), which I love.  We are looking forward to a fun-filled summer, and an exciting trip during the Christmas season - truly once in a lifetime. There ya go - that's the update.

Mason's 2nd Gotcha Day

I still get that weird time warp feeling when thinking about how long my boys have been home. Mason has been home 2 years today. On the one hand, it feels like he has been with us forever. I can't imagine our family without him. On the other hand, I remember that day so vividly, I still feel the stress of that day, the confusion and frustration, and then, finally, the relief of having him in my arms. It feels like it was yesterday.

What has been clear from that very first moment is that this child was absolutely meant to be here, with us, in this family. He brightens my days. I cannot look at that big grin without smiling myself. He is happy each and every time he sees me. He adores all of "his people," from his physical therapist, to our lovely neighbor with the Kubota :)

I would be remiss if I did not also mention Mason's stubborn streak. If he doesn't want to do something, it doesn't matter what consequences or rewards you put forth. The boy is not going to do it. Frustrating at home, but more concerning at school. His parent/teacher conference this morning was rough. Everyone agrees he is charming, and smart. The problem is that he is acutely aware that people want to help him. At school he has become lazy, and learned ways to get others to do things that he should and absolutely CAN be doing for himself. It's a fine balance. It's hard for me to hear anything negative about him, because I just think he is perfect. I look at how far he has come and I'm amazed. But I also want to make sure we are pushing him hard enough to develop to his full potential. After 2 years of being home, I'm hoping that he has learned to trust that we meet his needs consistently, because it's time to start pushing him to do it himself!

Mason, you've changed our lives for the better. You've completed our family. I love you.

A Day Playing in the Brook

My plan for Sunday was to climb Monument Hill. We used to do it twice a year, but our last trip was a bit traumatic (see the pics of Mason's eyes swelled shut). So the kids vetoed me, and decided we needed to spend the day in our backyard - specifically in the brook. There's plenty to do - catching fish, frogs, spotting the snapping turtle, paddling behind the beaver pond. . .

We had a blast - once again proving that nothing fancy is needed to have the perfect day.

April vacation!

With my relatively new job comes the bonus of having a lot of the same vacations as my husband and kids. We made good use of it this April by going on our first really big, really far vacation as a family of six. And in typical (for my family) fashion, we went along with: My mom, dad, sisters, brothers in law, nieces, and nephews! The itinerary included Busch Gardens in Williamsburg for two days, a day at the lodge, a car safari, and then time at my sister's house in Charlottesville. What a BLAST! Of course, it wouldn't be a real vacation without some mishaps. Ours included My folks forgetting their pre-purchased Busch Gardens tickets in Maine, and my poor hubby being so sick the first day at Busch Gardens that he laid in the car from about noon to eight pm. We told him to go back to the hotel, but I think he was hoping he'd feel better.

Myles feeding a Llama

Maddie and her Larakeet

Dad is feeling better - time for a swim!

Papa Jim and Rup

When you take your 8 grandchildren on vacation, you earn a margarita or two!

The kids all loved the little water park in the middle of Busch Gardens

The whole family - and Auri, our honorary member

Mason - completely overstimulated, but soooo very happy

Grooving down to some Irish Tunes

Me and the kids waiting to enter Busch Gardens

It was really amazing to get away with the whole gang. Something I am looking forward to doing more often. The kids were amazing even with the 21 hour drive down, and 15 hour ride back. No issues at all with anyone.

Happy Holi!

We celebrated the Indian Holiday of Holi and even had the gulaal powder. It absolutely is as messy as it looks, but it was SO worth it. The kids had a blast, and could not believe that this was mom-approved fun. By the end of it, Max had completely stripped down and was pink from head to toe. There is a picture of him streaking down the hallway, but I'll save that for blackmail when he's older :) My friend Amy took the pics, mainly to stay out of the mess - she thinks I'm absolutely insane for allowing this. Visit http://www.holifestival.org for more information on this fabulously fun holiday.

Rockets and Dances

Madeline and Daddy at the Father - Daughter dance. This year she stuck to him like glue and they danced together all night.

Before the dance

Daddy and Mason on the pond. Waiting for the rocket launch. Dan with his winter beard :)

Playing on the ice - Miranda, Myles, Max, Maddie

Myles has been so excited about these rockets. It's something my dad used to do with me, and I impulsively bought one for him. We've had so much fun putting it together, painting it, getting ready for the launches. A few days after this, Dan decided to use big engines and launch it from our front yard. Shockingly, the rocket flew WAY up, and got carried who knows where. Good thing we have another one to build. Lesson learned by Daddy - you need MORE not Less room with a bigger engine.