Back in Aids

Coleman still isn't talking much, so his audiologist thought it would be best for him to wear his aids again. His hearing loss looks like it is a mild sensorineural loss. I am having a terrible time fighting him to keep them in. Every time I get them out, he starts signing/saying "All done! All done!" He is getting better though, slowly but surely. His speech is also progressing, so that makes it worth the fight.

The Boys' New Best Friend

We got a dog. Yes, I know, me, a dog owner. Kids sure do change things. We brought Tank home on Labor Day. We thought it would be good for Cade, especially during his transition to his new school. Tank is really turning into quite the side kick for Cade-O which makes me so happy. Cade says "We have a BIG family now!" Coleman just runs around all day saying "Puppy! Puppy!", and tries to give Tank his toys. It's fun watching them love him so much already.

Cade's First Day of School

Cade started a specialized preschool in Salt Lake today. I had to wake him up at 6 am so we could be out the door at 6:30. I told him to get up so we could go to school and he said "but mom, the sun isn't out yet!" I said that it was still time to get up, and he said, "mom! How many times do I have to tell you?! It's not daytime yet!"

We got to his classroom and he was extremely quiet. I think he was nervous, although he was VERY excited to get to use his new Angry Birds backpack and lunch bag!

The house is way too quiet without my buddy here all day. I miss him a lot and hate that he has to grow up so fast, but I am excited that he has this opportunity to be part of such an incredible program.

"We just have Coleman"

Cade was waiting for his swimming lesson this morning when his teacher let her little dog into the back yard with them. Cade and Coleman ran around laughing and playing with the dog. When I took Cade into the bathroom to get him ready for his lesson, he said,

"Mom, Betsy (the swimming teacher) has a puppy?"

"Yes, Cade, Betsy has a puppy."

"And her puppy lives in this house?"

"Yes, her puppy lives here with her."

"Oh {sigh}. We don't have a puppy."

"That's right Cade, we don't."

"Cuz we just have Coleman."

Happy 2nd Birthday Coleman

We woke Coleman up by singing "Happy Birthday" and gave him a Handy Manny balloon bouquet. Cade went up to Coleman and gave him a big hug and said "I love you diiiiiiis much!"

We had the traditional birthday doughnuts for breakfast. Coleman was terrified. He kept saying "hot! hot!"

Russ took 1/2 of the day off so that we could go to the zoo together as a family. Cade was really excited about the seals. Here he is trying his best to call them (just like they did on the Handy Manny episode). He came up with that on his own. He tried and tried for about 5 minutes to get the seals' attention. It was hilarious.

Coleman had the time of his life running laps around the exhibits. He occasionally stopped to glance at the animals.

Coleman loves his new swing, and Cade loves pushing him.

Coleman was still terrified of the candles. Cade had to help blow them out.

Russell's clutch gift to Coleman: a viewfinder!

Coleman's favorite thing in the world is a good set of keys. He got keys/keychains from us, Court, and Michelle.

2 year old facts:

Loves: blankie, binkie, nursery, cuddling, reading, all things Handy Manny, keys, cars, anything with buttons, anything that is not a toy

Hates: basically every food, getting his diaper changed, when people leave

Coleman is making lots of progress with his speech. He is saying about 30-40 words (mostly common nouns, some proper nouns, and a few verbs), and is starting to repeat words that he hears others speak. His hearing seems to be at a mild loss, and he is doing well without his hearing aids. He is a very social little guy and loves attention.

We love you little buddy! You are as sweet as can be, and you brighten our lives every day. We are so blessed to have you in our family.

Family Pictures 2012

For the first time in my life, family pictures was actually a really great experience! I didn't have high hopes starting out... my curling iron literally started on fire about 1 hour before our appointment, the kids were in especially mischevious moods, and well, we just have a really bad track record in front of the camera. Our friend and neighbor, Matt McFarland , took the pictures for us, and I am so pleased with how they turned out. I'm almost excited to do pictures again next year... almost :)

More Adventures of Cade and Coleman

Cade started swimming lessons, and they have been great so far. Coleman ate an apple, which is definitely blog-worthy considering he hasn't strayed from his 5-food diet in about a year. The boys helped me study for finals, and they are both loving their new playground (even though it's still not finished). They are also "helping" finish the basement! This summer has been crazy busy!

Under Construction

This past week, we have been working on getting the yard ready for a new playground. The boys have been having the time of their lives watching the skid steer and helping dad build stuff. The last few days Cade has even fallen asleep at the window watching his dad work, and every morning he asks if it's done yet. We are all pretty excited for this thing to be finished!

4 Year Old Pillow Talk

Tonight, I was reading Cade one of his favorite bedtime stories, "Oh, David!" by David Shannon. The book is about a little boy who does all sorts of naughty things, and his mom follows him around all day saying "No, David, no!" (shocking that Cade would relate to such a thing!). Anyway, we got to this page where David was picking his nose. The conversation went like this...

Cade: Mom, you know when I do that?
Me: What?!
Cade: I like to roll the boogers into a ball. I do-ed that a million times.
Me: Um, no Cade, a better thing to do would be to get a tissue.
Cade: No mom. Big boys don't like to do that. Big boys like to roll boogers into a ball. I do it a million times.

Sigh.

Happy Independence Day

Fireworks in the sky and flames on the mountain, loads of homework and screaming children, all made for an interesting day. We are happy to be free anyway, even if the celebration didn't quite turn out as planned. God bless America!