She Lost her First Tooth!

I can't believe it.  I had no idea this was coming.  The dentist said she wouldn't lose her tooth until she was 6.5 to 7 years old.  So of course we weren't expecting anything.  But today Grace kept playing with her mouth and I just had no idea why so I asked her to show me what was in her mouth, and she moved her tooth with her finger.  It was just hanging on by a thread but she wouldn't let me pull it out.  Of course I was so excited and this made her even more excited.  Sissy told her that if she let me pull it out, we'd give her a piece of candy, but right as she finished her sentence, Grace pulled her tooth out and handed it to me.  No fuss or blood or anything!  Of course she got her candy and then she ran to her mirror to stare at herself with her tooth missing.  The teeth on either side of the lost one are also loose, and her two top front teeth are loose as well.

Grace got to put her tooth in the tooth pillow I used as a little girl, and she gets to have her lost teeth documented in the replica book of what my mom used for me.  How sentimental, huh?

Amanda

Having Fun!

This morning there was a breakfast at the Legacy Flight Museum, so we took the kids to that for a special outing.  These kids need to get out of the house or they just get such bad cabin fever.

I put some beans in Grace's sensory table and she and Elaine had so much fun playing with them!

Also, I can't believe that Levi is 6 months and Elaine is 10 months and they are just about the same size!  Levi is going to be a big kid, that's for sure.

I love these kiddos!

Amanda

Sissy Came!

So, I was really lonely because Brad had been at the cabin since last Thursday, and I really missed Kailyn and Elaine, so I had bought them a ticket a few days ago.  And they flew in today!  I was so excited, and so was Grace.  She couldn't stay off of Kailyn, and kept hugging her and practically laying on top of her.  The was so nice to see them back together.  

Grace was supposed to go on a field trip but I thought she'd have so much fun greeting Sissy at the Americinn where the shuttle drops off from Salt Lake, so I canceled that trip.  And it was good we did because she was already tired from the day so she was really wired.  Elaine took a while to warm up to me but Levi was pretty quick about it and was talking so much!

On the way home Elaine and Grace had some fun making weird noises, and Grace helped Elaine have some milk.

And the two littles had fun sharing toys with one another...or at least they looked like they were having fun.

Amanda

Frozen Yogurt!

Grace and I love ice cream, that's just a known fact.  And we also love frozen yogurt.  So we went to the Maverick gas station down the street and had some frozen yogurt and boy, it was good.  This was after she went to the zoo with her aide, Kelly.  She had a great time and even though she was a bit rambunctious, Kelly said it was an all around good time. 

Love you my ice cream buddy!

Amanda

Taking Grace to School

Sometimes the mornings are SO cold when we take Grace, but by the time we're leaving the school after dropping her off, it's so much warmer.  So this is how Levi dressed to take Miss Grace to school today...

Isn't he cute?!

Amanda

Hanging out Outside

It was a beautiful day, so it was time to head outside and get some sunshine on our pale skin.  We went on a walk and threw rocks in the water, and then sat on a blanket and had a "mic mic."

 HIs first experience touching grass.  I think he liked it.  Thankfully.

 My two big kids hanging out together.  I am so glad he can sit so that they can communicate more together.

 Levi was so tired and kept laying his head down, so she thought it would be good to rub his back for him.

And there's my two awesome kids!

Amanda

Hanging out in bed and the Teton Dam Kids Fun Race!!

I love having my kids hang out in bed with me...

And then we had a great time at the Kids Race!  Grace did so well and ran half a mile in 7 minutes and 10 seconds.  She ran the whole time and thoroughly amazed me with her endurance to do so.  I should have had her run the whole mile but really didn't want her overheating.  Here's our awesome runner....

 Grace's race supporters!  Daddy was at the cabin so he couldn't be there, but wished he could have been.  But they were busy pouring cement for the new bunkhouse they are building, so it's a good excuse.

 At the starting line...there were tons of kids so we just waited in the rear and it was a good thing because about a half dozen kids crashed right at the beginning.

 And she got lots of free goodies after her run!

And she's so proud of her awesome medal and it's now hanging on her wall next to her gymnastics medal.

Amanda

Horseback Riding!

Grace got to start riding therapy this week and she was so excited about it!  She wasn't nervous at all to get on the horse, Elsa, so that makes it so nice.  And she gets so into riding that it's like Levi and I just disappear when she's out there working hard.  She goes to ride for speech therapy so it isn't quite as fun because they don't actually walk around as much, and she doesn't get to trot, but that's ok.  She doesn't know what's missing.

My happy girl!

Amanda

Splash park Time!

We figured it was warm enough to go to the splash park, and it was all around a fun experience.  There were some fits but it was overwhelming for Grace with all the loud noises, cold water and tons of kids running around.  Levi didn't like the water so much, but he was a good sport.

My kiddos before getting wet :)

 She really hated the water hitting her head, but she was able to get over that and have some fun!

 She absolutely LOVES this slide.  She likes to lay at the end of it so she can be covered with water, but it was so busy today that she didn't get a chance to.

 Uh, oh, Levi was NOT happy.

Finally he was able to bundle up, and within just a few minutes, he was fast asleep.

A fun day for sure!

Amanda

Haircut Time and the Zoo!

So, it's always been a battle to brush Grace's hair.  Always.  And on top of that, she rubs her head around so much that it's so knotted and twisted.  So.  Today was an especially difficult day and I was just done.  Haircut time!!  Grace did so great sitting for her haircut, and was able to get a sucker afterwards.  And then I saw how nice and light her hair looked, so I got mine cut as well :)

Definitely a new experience for me having short hair.  Don't we look cute?!

In the evening, we went to the zoo for Dream Night.  That's where all the families with special needs children get to go for free, and there snacks and soda, tattoos, and other fun things.

 Levi's first experience with an animal cracker, and he loved it!

We all had a great time and it's always nice to see the animals, especially when all the animals are awake like they were.

Amanda

Waiting for her Aide and Feeding Levi!

Grace's aide meets us out front which is sad for me because I like seeing her in her classroom, and seeing her start the routine of getting ready for class, but I guess it's good because it might be harder for her to leave me if we go all the way in.  It was a cold morning for this walk!!

She really enjoys school, and I get a written note of what her day was like each day, so it's nice to know how things are going and what is being done for her to calm her down.

During the rest of the day, Grace decided she was ready to feed Levi, and she did such a great job!

Amanda

Waiting for Grace

It's so fun to wait for Grace to get out of school.  I'm going to start waiting in the same spot every time so that she knows where to look for me.  And I want to try to get there before her each time so that she's not wondering where I am.  I worry she'd feel like she was forgotten if I wasn't there before she came out.  Here we are waiting!

He loves waiting for sister :)

After school Grace got to go to an art class and she painted a masterpiece!

Amanda

Summer School

Grace got to start summer school today!  She was so excited, and I'm liking it because we get to walk to take her and pick her up.  And it's always nice to save on gas :)  She was so excited for her first day, and I'm so glad that she's got an aide to work with.  I stayed with her the first day but really, that was more for me than anything.  She was perfectly fine in her class, and was able to work and play as if I wasn't there.  She is probably 1 of 3 white children, and the rest are mexican...I sure hope they know how to speak English or Grace is going to be lonely.  Here she is on our first day of school!

What a great day!

Amanda

A Fun Fair...and the Bouncy House

So, here's the deal.  All Grace's life, she's been deathly afraid of the bouncy house.  Anywhere she went, if there was a bouncy house, she wouldn't go near it.  At gymnastics she runs away, and the few times I've tried to take her in it with me, she screams and cries.  So that's the story of the bouncy house...until Aunt Lisa bought a bouncy house and brought it to the cabin!  She blew that thing up and Grace LOVED IT.  I mean, every time it was up, she wanted to be in it.  Bouncing, somersaulting, laying down on it.  She was so excited.  And from then on...my girl has loved bounce houses!

This was at a fair that went on this past weekend, and she was SO excited that she didn't even want to get out.  It was sweltering hot outside, I was carrying Levi on my chest with their full diaper bag on my back (which I later thought about and wondered why I even took the darn blazing thing), sweating so much, and there she was in the bounce house having the time of her life :)  I kept asking her to come out but I mean, come on, a kid that used to be afraid of it should have her fun, right?  I kept telling myself that as I wiped sweat from my brow and shaded Levi's eyes from the sun.  I think it was about 10 minutes that she was in this one.  There was a second bounce house that was more inclosed and had a HUGE football guy blown up in front of it (it was the door) and I really didn't think she'd go in, and it took her quite some time to actually go in, but once she did...there was another 10 minutes or so.  And this one had a climbing wall and slide :)  I didn't get any pictures because I was too busy getting video!  A great day for her...for us.  A great accomplishment.

And more pictures from the fair :)  It took us about 4 times passing the cat for her to want to stand with him and take a picture, but I'm SO glad that she did!  And the full body picture is what I took before we mixed with the crowd just in case I needed a recent picture...in case of wandering or worse.  And the princesses took a while to get warmed up to as well but I'm glad she did :)

After the fair we went home and later we went to the park.  It was a nice, cool day and it was a nice family trip.

Daddy and Grace swung on the swings for a while and then Grace played while we watched, and then we were heading home and saw some guys with MASSIVE bubble makers, so of course we had to go see.  Grace loved the bubbles, but what she loved more was the soap!  So after she had completely wet down her front, it was time to go home :)  Oh, and she walked all the way to the park and back without being held or getting a ride in the stroller.  She's getting some endurance, that's for sure.

Good days.  Today was a good one, too.  We ran a bunch of errands, and the kids were just fabulous.  We got our pamphlets from the library for the summer reading program and already read for 1/2 an hour tonight.  This will be a good program because it will get me used to reading to the kids.  Grace and I used to read all the time and she'd always have books around and would be looking at them...but not anymore.  So hopefully we'll get back into that.  Then we went to a friend's house and thankfully got home before the weather turned horribly nasty!  We've also been on a role of watching Disney movies...so she's seen Cinderella, Little Mermaid, Lilo and Stitch 1 and 2, Kronk's New Groove, Pocahontas 1 and 2,  Snow White, The Road to El Dorado, Home, etc.  Lots of movie watching!!

I LOVE MY FAMILY!!

Amanda