tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54914861033267773592024-03-04T22:54:28.294-08:00The Boroughs' Family BlogAmyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.comBlogger339125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-79857644231205907632016-07-30T10:06:00.001-07:002016-07-30T10:09:41.942-07:00No Lazy Summer Days Here! Summer isn't really a vacation for most moms, but particularly special needs moms, and especially autism moms! One of the hardest things of parenting our kids on the autism spectrum is that you are always "on duty". There is truly no break during their waking hours, which makes summer that much more exhausting.
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<br>Autism presents differently in every person with the diagnosis (with obvious similarities that make a diagnosis possible). Our one child needs almost constant redirection. While her behavior is greatly improved, the ability to play and interact with others appropriately lasts for extremely short periods of time. There doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason why some days are inexplicably harder than another, but the hard days are .....well, hard. We are incredibly thankful for her ESY (extended school year) program at her autism school. The weeks preceding ESY and the weeks after it ends are truly survival mode.
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<br>Our other child with autism is at high risk for "elopement". Elopement is the term used to describe a child who wanders or runs off. Obviously this is highly dangerous for a child who doesn't understand safety and lacks verbal ability. It's not truly understood what motivates or drives this behavior, but it's terrifying for parents. Our child is extremely adept at recognizing opportunities (for example, every single time we have guests over we are on HIGH alert, because he waits for distracted adults and a door to sneak out). I feel panic if I can't lay eyes on him immediately. He wears a GPS tracking device, the local police have been made aware of this behavior, we have installed a variety of locks and alarms, but the vigilance must remain. We can never let our guard down.
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<br>So don't judge too harshly when I start my back-to-school countdown in a few days! I love my kiddos, but there really aren't any laid back days of summer when you parent two kids on the autism spectrum.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-35335942922812110492016-07-25T09:37:00.001-07:002016-07-25T09:39:23.590-07:00Happy 13th Birthday Yul! <p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-geRrdmf2FG4l90Cj-T1hjyd_5C1V8iBkIG1I_CPlrg3K3-wHWbLN5XClrBvpGqAEKPTaa9PRYUyru-5r4K9mCZcV-0qatnbJbLmplOMqO_PHSl4Bub0LF_ELJJtDntp4vyEZRAPsjA/s1600/FullSizeRender-741911.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-geRrdmf2FG4l90Cj-T1hjyd_5C1V8iBkIG1I_CPlrg3K3-wHWbLN5XClrBvpGqAEKPTaa9PRYUyru-5r4K9mCZcV-0qatnbJbLmplOMqO_PHSl4Bub0LF_ELJJtDntp4vyEZRAPsjA/s320/FullSizeRender-741911.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6311302588379765458" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH532YWfKYXz_oxz_wUk6xgPyEyaEIZu94BJxN_m8EWKoDQJfmktmDq6MD7VM0lDzcTEl2Y-NBOuKxHsztljhd7dU4kudbxi3QTsz__vrGzbszcpknd6PqDN95mAFz1oAlZmW7_yJz-cs/s1600/FullSizeRender-743780.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH532YWfKYXz_oxz_wUk6xgPyEyaEIZu94BJxN_m8EWKoDQJfmktmDq6MD7VM0lDzcTEl2Y-NBOuKxHsztljhd7dU4kudbxi3QTsz__vrGzbszcpknd6PqDN95mAFz1oAlZmW7_yJz-cs/s320/FullSizeRender-743780.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6311302592309969762" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJ9-TiBnvdzwIViJQxrRIxFSoiDtt686yHiZ42OeH0IKCnRelwdssGm1ZhvrHgNahIgCnfiBSTJH3b_nJ5pUAFrLnHTnEMQhulfedDYkYBwF4LAEDUNFqUXawKfEtrXDzBqffYW-PdrQ/s1600/IMG_2555-744846.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJ9-TiBnvdzwIViJQxrRIxFSoiDtt686yHiZ42OeH0IKCnRelwdssGm1ZhvrHgNahIgCnfiBSTJH3b_nJ5pUAFrLnHTnEMQhulfedDYkYBwF4LAEDUNFqUXawKfEtrXDzBqffYW-PdrQ/s320/IMG_2555-744846.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6311302594720361970" /></a></p>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-42472358862019567192016-07-20T19:06:00.000-07:002016-07-20T19:08:44.090-07:00Super Summer <p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3LfAkAu6d6j5Yu28nzw-Fw18iCioSYmmx1JV4l8K7zzSTFRT8HqFZgfBKsF1vj1m9-hKg0bTM0dqpBJ41FTQYB5r6sVev3jhyphenhyphen2COUDUAQh7aEuD13q-cAI_prgAO9D-jdyPN-wVFNqU/s1600/IMG_2450-722570.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3LfAkAu6d6j5Yu28nzw-Fw18iCioSYmmx1JV4l8K7zzSTFRT8HqFZgfBKsF1vj1m9-hKg0bTM0dqpBJ41FTQYB5r6sVev3jhyphenhyphen2COUDUAQh7aEuD13q-cAI_prgAO9D-jdyPN-wVFNqU/s320/IMG_2450-722570.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6309593962950397170" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtvN3_NjB_TA-lh91w-DjQ2tVZubdMi6YnH9-Y2UtMyJkZrUY29Ojr5Gjck4fCiVo9hd2B2nn9gd7WXkVKW3pH_BUTsGdR7hGiSjMLApfP2sF5IGcg4PCAkaRHaq-te1b8Pvd_vSeWYXg/s1600/IMG_2452-724095.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtvN3_NjB_TA-lh91w-DjQ2tVZubdMi6YnH9-Y2UtMyJkZrUY29Ojr5Gjck4fCiVo9hd2B2nn9gd7WXkVKW3pH_BUTsGdR7hGiSjMLApfP2sF5IGcg4PCAkaRHaq-te1b8Pvd_vSeWYXg/s320/IMG_2452-724095.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6309593968754000242" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid7MrkW2AGv04PBXYEvXimMzu60EMgX9c4kB7rN_nAHWTStQDIKUoEDYYH5nr1Ncx27D3hyElLa-KuTERoCL-8gwh_LM2oZWAO4VH-Hd-nyGkiutNLniIJvUwqy2n-eZxgJJSbED6UzTk/s1600/IMG_2460-725411.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid7MrkW2AGv04PBXYEvXimMzu60EMgX9c4kB7rN_nAHWTStQDIKUoEDYYH5nr1Ncx27D3hyElLa-KuTERoCL-8gwh_LM2oZWAO4VH-Hd-nyGkiutNLniIJvUwqy2n-eZxgJJSbED6UzTk/s320/IMG_2460-725411.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6309593976202288914" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFxGgqO9w4sfDmR_b1-83Dy3e0QE6Rh5B2kaQbRA-D2ojwRszyaIfmZr_VVL1E9eAjjevZ654aQUPVMaA8YkVjOAVD1v44GO8hA4mcSHVwctknKGSD-CgnEkUeQgkSjCIHonrvdIonqw/s1600/FullSizeRender-726726.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFxGgqO9w4sfDmR_b1-83Dy3e0QE6Rh5B2kaQbRA-D2ojwRszyaIfmZr_VVL1E9eAjjevZ654aQUPVMaA8YkVjOAVD1v44GO8hA4mcSHVwctknKGSD-CgnEkUeQgkSjCIHonrvdIonqw/s320/FullSizeRender-726726.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6309593978662234610" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpFJe1XhRcDdAeCTzy5IqqsatRjgTS5n1-6mMolXDHY7m8sNy0t__h9RSEXulwSc9hS04gdLKuUeh8ujFcbVkciNFtvbz3NBuNHb1N19dtSgQOHxUMfYigukrvG3JbavnuXtrDJP8AcY/s1600/FullSizeRender-728070.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpFJe1XhRcDdAeCTzy5IqqsatRjgTS5n1-6mMolXDHY7m8sNy0t__h9RSEXulwSc9hS04gdLKuUeh8ujFcbVkciNFtvbz3NBuNHb1N19dtSgQOHxUMfYigukrvG3JbavnuXtrDJP8AcY/s320/FullSizeRender-728070.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6309593982958024674" /></a></p>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-14046339531474784942016-06-20T13:02:00.001-07:002016-06-20T13:03:04.061-07:00In A Blink<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6aJu3RV-qghz-7KUUxDr-8VfNBiKdLJWOuzq4kK_0u2zrzDxaC66KB0XTUjMnhZdkXweP31k4yVnWv0UbLjbtyVY2GCe3C96Zd2aN-n_OyxT2muLPItiReyvHVKrlyqaJmVsXzfWbHFE/s1600/IMG_2333-738484.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6aJu3RV-qghz-7KUUxDr-8VfNBiKdLJWOuzq4kK_0u2zrzDxaC66KB0XTUjMnhZdkXweP31k4yVnWv0UbLjbtyVY2GCe3C96Zd2aN-n_OyxT2muLPItiReyvHVKrlyqaJmVsXzfWbHFE/s320/IMG_2333-738484.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6298367416916172450" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxl9O366KOxETlxwAkRa38F6YvVwCguAdtyga0Hvln6No-Ch0jc3yS57JrsC97ZrSh6bAbHOJgFp8OH8MUY-NZH6LLRNYZVFSvVXqJoYRMHRrd_5VuwoUuUhgARiD1x8Zdyc2e0wC-oj4/s1600/IMG_2338-740015.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxl9O366KOxETlxwAkRa38F6YvVwCguAdtyga0Hvln6No-Ch0jc3yS57JrsC97ZrSh6bAbHOJgFp8OH8MUY-NZH6LLRNYZVFSvVXqJoYRMHRrd_5VuwoUuUhgARiD1x8Zdyc2e0wC-oj4/s320/IMG_2338-740015.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6298367419660442578" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP2AEiwUSM7svcRXP3hHmmbIwQ2GZI-WiiTcfzbi3fvvQskpjsyMFc95NOoOvRZzKh-zknYtnXvNNOr-SMQERCOdr6E-iFnO-dg873nUl7Pthc4vihHRLxZh9B-SI5VaATRBb3hTmEJSg/s1600/FullSizeRender-741253.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP2AEiwUSM7svcRXP3hHmmbIwQ2GZI-WiiTcfzbi3fvvQskpjsyMFc95NOoOvRZzKh-zknYtnXvNNOr-SMQERCOdr6E-iFnO-dg873nUl7Pthc4vihHRLxZh9B-SI5VaATRBb3hTmEJSg/s320/FullSizeRender-741253.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6298367426181707106" /></a></p>Truly, it feels like we blinked and went from Caroline's preschool graduation to her high school graduation! We are so proud of all of her achievements and looking forward to seeing what the future holds. We know she is on her way to changing the world!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-73883269482246880732016-05-23T17:53:00.001-07:002016-05-23T17:55:07.171-07:00Fun at the Playground <p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipvwkPzPFCXZO4C4kK_3gB1aSr_K9QodiosE0MjCswxOA1hblNE-sAgdYPo6o-Lcuk8nYAC3NfuQwjtNxrCoJvwaBF7l5Q5u58YZvrYQls_RK5qIBUenq7U-R1hhRbrQ-hgZFeA4nI5o0/s1600/IMG_2159-734950.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipvwkPzPFCXZO4C4kK_3gB1aSr_K9QodiosE0MjCswxOA1hblNE-sAgdYPo6o-Lcuk8nYAC3NfuQwjtNxrCoJvwaBF7l5Q5u58YZvrYQls_RK5qIBUenq7U-R1hhRbrQ-hgZFeA4nI5o0/s320/IMG_2159-734950.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6288052178784835314" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc83tiLRzQ4bpa-1i0hhcezmuuFGPmmO8Jxfto2LieF6oBD6cquSvwkmueK0hNjUEf-21haSJKcQQY19R767_wjP_gYh7z302z7dAkrvXL5Zhlq6vdUpAtoqTphyphenhyphenxFu9xmxdg-ur0xIsQ/s1600/IMG_2161-737116.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc83tiLRzQ4bpa-1i0hhcezmuuFGPmmO8Jxfto2LieF6oBD6cquSvwkmueK0hNjUEf-21haSJKcQQY19R767_wjP_gYh7z302z7dAkrvXL5Zhlq6vdUpAtoqTphyphenhyphenxFu9xmxdg-ur0xIsQ/s320/IMG_2161-737116.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6288052191016694994" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaVldvhtwrvltVeV1rCAsX6Z_hfXu8pMJF2BvdCL2ZqfboJHDgGHL1O-DHjt9kYxFgFW-JOkr02F2W8F9WcGg6Yow5ZSVCiGVZwpP5zz7a0CnmoywjAwC-3NonCImsvdE40y-eT6ifW68/s1600/IMG_2163-738905.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaVldvhtwrvltVeV1rCAsX6Z_hfXu8pMJF2BvdCL2ZqfboJHDgGHL1O-DHjt9kYxFgFW-JOkr02F2W8F9WcGg6Yow5ZSVCiGVZwpP5zz7a0CnmoywjAwC-3NonCImsvdE40y-eT6ifW68/s320/IMG_2163-738905.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6288052199274475090" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVEeUvMzhyphenhyphen1NGvc_WBWY4Dtgqu9FM3Sulh6yxtVX-lbE5tE3R8JyGFuEBZ4S5DWJpL5au_ebtTcM4p6jF13fdGRp5iNK61Cvx-zfR-VtrZGCOgfguCMgbTKgMJTRcvTZ-jJhsOmPPcNcw/s1600/FullSizeRender-740591.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVEeUvMzhyphenhyphen1NGvc_WBWY4Dtgqu9FM3Sulh6yxtVX-lbE5tE3R8JyGFuEBZ4S5DWJpL5au_ebtTcM4p6jF13fdGRp5iNK61Cvx-zfR-VtrZGCOgfguCMgbTKgMJTRcvTZ-jJhsOmPPcNcw/s320/FullSizeRender-740591.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6288052200762978850" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ymb50zr6FeYUmO7bSL01IBfDn35xau7dzoqaRxK9I9EuRdo6wnToip4fMf-34uAS1AL1pARBVWrAHh0Ww_fVwIlAHNQxDf1Ryo8JtV5RAz0q1MCt3CXBPd_n0wunMpewoDtuj_zmgQY/s1600/FullSizeRender-742583.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ymb50zr6FeYUmO7bSL01IBfDn35xau7dzoqaRxK9I9EuRdo6wnToip4fMf-34uAS1AL1pARBVWrAHh0Ww_fVwIlAHNQxDf1Ryo8JtV5RAz0q1MCt3CXBPd_n0wunMpewoDtuj_zmgQY/s320/FullSizeRender-742583.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6288052208530557154" /></a></p>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-60577482074447554142016-04-23T12:06:00.001-07:002016-04-23T12:07:15.055-07:00Congratulations Caroline!<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Fkd6j4wEuIh73uetR_JSbvQZmsvfX0uIBCGd2-JiKQRCvhdS5mwtxjLZkHjRpfXLEgNRvsI7l3L0tWmdgtYbQXT78GLy4iZYrWIY2bVQoUevJgqVpIDccptrl5kFzG88QYoDv6834g0/s1600/FullSizeRender-771144.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Fkd6j4wEuIh73uetR_JSbvQZmsvfX0uIBCGd2-JiKQRCvhdS5mwtxjLZkHjRpfXLEgNRvsI7l3L0tWmdgtYbQXT78GLy4iZYrWIY2bVQoUevJgqVpIDccptrl5kFzG88QYoDv6834g0/s320/FullSizeRender-771144.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6276830012631862770" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK2vrTgoEF0qs5C5QPRbpHPa2Ifl6H_c_yyQQ08QozldD9NTTgxOQqiVrEc-9IqoW-pN5wyrw6W-wzKpDK8s-i5L2G7zT0I9egwh9XznHtpPI_S5CZ_oPjIum7mAnKtsPeEwGTiiRyP-4/s1600/FullSizeRender-773290.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK2vrTgoEF0qs5C5QPRbpHPa2Ifl6H_c_yyQQ08QozldD9NTTgxOQqiVrEc-9IqoW-pN5wyrw6W-wzKpDK8s-i5L2G7zT0I9egwh9XznHtpPI_S5CZ_oPjIum7mAnKtsPeEwGTiiRyP-4/s320/FullSizeRender-773290.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6276830022662696994" /></a></p>We have another senior in high school this year. After weighing her options, Caroline was very excited to commit to Carleton College. We are very proud of her, but we sure will miss her next year.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-62914532074632903952016-04-22T18:11:00.001-07:002016-04-22T18:12:22.968-07:00Happy Birthday Ivan & Luke! <p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhzmLdlELcM9iUbj8lLH_avFghst44tF7v76biOxl3nwp5JksnwKAbLJOXU1kUqeoZCv-5xvg0tM2RxA0863EOxvwZ0u7Km56r0VmFAYV9G-pXDKwDZ7g7HlL0kwbwfiaistra5zJr84I/s1600/IMG_1970-700853.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhzmLdlELcM9iUbj8lLH_avFghst44tF7v76biOxl3nwp5JksnwKAbLJOXU1kUqeoZCv-5xvg0tM2RxA0863EOxvwZ0u7Km56r0VmFAYV9G-pXDKwDZ7g7HlL0kwbwfiaistra5zJr84I/s320/IMG_1970-700853.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6276553118278690082" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLsQqDlSSake-eFPWU_Faeo3MecIveOOYV-kuTeCtxQ0GSVi5iE5aFCoVkBpfWnlVpyWwBwVhIfYK0j3goF-eheUGN9tvUmh0zRV5dfkeIfBogrfVgqUfhizkKXQ3wjLDFepjHepQ8A0/s1600/FullSizeRender-703074.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLsQqDlSSake-eFPWU_Faeo3MecIveOOYV-kuTeCtxQ0GSVi5iE5aFCoVkBpfWnlVpyWwBwVhIfYK0j3goF-eheUGN9tvUmh0zRV5dfkeIfBogrfVgqUfhizkKXQ3wjLDFepjHepQ8A0/s320/FullSizeRender-703074.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6276553127873878386" /></a></p>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-65188412205958300182016-04-02T12:37:00.001-07:002016-04-02T12:38:28.083-07:00Let's go Nova!<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUsWNkdbf9aQvK87NsFyIpn1pu-kdshitSFccnTF2Nz61qGziOB7m6_Kdp-Z2xXXWwKi3g9scIxwWxCZOg2HrYldLrQMfVAsHCXH57KJ_QBcPwdil1iwTXodBTLDna5tdFaltOHxnxVbk/s1600/FullSizeRender-758344.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUsWNkdbf9aQvK87NsFyIpn1pu-kdshitSFccnTF2Nz61qGziOB7m6_Kdp-Z2xXXWwKi3g9scIxwWxCZOg2HrYldLrQMfVAsHCXH57KJ_QBcPwdil1iwTXodBTLDna5tdFaltOHxnxVbk/s320/FullSizeRender-758344.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6269045336346404434" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7m8-Zits0m4WyT-r7IZbnzAVLRmlorFtLiRTWvCLteNmx7LgmQWZTgY4YqeqC33Fw1HxPZsNe3sbEDbVGUjoOxsg6pZJ5tSs-Ny7uKE8z_5U3ItGrwv65xq4sSAMRh7X6etKkSHKz5KY/s1600/FullSizeRender-762253.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7m8-Zits0m4WyT-r7IZbnzAVLRmlorFtLiRTWvCLteNmx7LgmQWZTgY4YqeqC33Fw1HxPZsNe3sbEDbVGUjoOxsg6pZJ5tSs-Ny7uKE8z_5U3ItGrwv65xq4sSAMRh7X6etKkSHKz5KY/s320/FullSizeRender-762253.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6269045349434230562" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixu2gITbyGX0mDUDvgxotkpBGSM5TXXVLzdd35kT0J6JkCaH8yyuYq8G-eMyxYs09OVtuisd9yKH74ZAUYAQNjcRYWkoQmz4Xzx9L2z9gajEzCvGAAtqBWJXmYN5Yk2eLry7tGPgfNsfk/s1600/FullSizeRender-766159.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixu2gITbyGX0mDUDvgxotkpBGSM5TXXVLzdd35kT0J6JkCaH8yyuYq8G-eMyxYs09OVtuisd9yKH74ZAUYAQNjcRYWkoQmz4Xzx9L2z9gajEzCvGAAtqBWJXmYN5Yk2eLry7tGPgfNsfk/s320/FullSizeRender-766159.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6269045363333654946" /></a></p>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-47928703691346714882016-03-27T16:57:00.001-07:002016-03-27T17:34:42.984-07:00Happy Easter 2016<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7rVtGX6VcdpwIxTLTZqgrchXK-R0qqW6fLUO-Sy6gQmX0vJnTV1qyCy8t_cSwVHf4oFu8NTIrmYnZcTi4CN8cOJKpbrV4UJiJJZ9LDW0SpDFJiyYEJf4ZJbCmqjryHCReabr2l9cGKg/s1600/FullSizeRender-778626.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7rVtGX6VcdpwIxTLTZqgrchXK-R0qqW6fLUO-Sy6gQmX0vJnTV1qyCy8t_cSwVHf4oFu8NTIrmYnZcTi4CN8cOJKpbrV4UJiJJZ9LDW0SpDFJiyYEJf4ZJbCmqjryHCReabr2l9cGKg/s320/FullSizeRender-778626.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6266885910389529458" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA2MeVG2RepP-E3I2qnK9Yh2nceAeadguS-UNxJ4fT9cvlW-sOZYoDsLbkE0RHjWwEVkSMG8xqBQfUTEVQLcgGR7JHZ0F1Lk9Glj46L_EHM-eXcxrv0uNii08cC5gYw6zpyIXISeAzYVQ/s1600/FullSizeRender-793952.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA2MeVG2RepP-E3I2qnK9Yh2nceAeadguS-UNxJ4fT9cvlW-sOZYoDsLbkE0RHjWwEVkSMG8xqBQfUTEVQLcgGR7JHZ0F1Lk9Glj46L_EHM-eXcxrv0uNii08cC5gYw6zpyIXISeAzYVQ/s320/FullSizeRender-793952.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6266885977950875218" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_u1YSjEve2hoHDtv1gCY8bKoHsAeg4XR992OR5I0d4FVtb2CcI9kFFqUQgmIzU42QVOqJuT2b5WKatlcJx-JoF78PORNjBNt1ajd_z3sRnT6OdyUszJwY8s35uIpIt0kwT3lMWPVBAgo/s1600/FullSizeRender-799202.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_u1YSjEve2hoHDtv1gCY8bKoHsAeg4XR992OR5I0d4FVtb2CcI9kFFqUQgmIzU42QVOqJuT2b5WKatlcJx-JoF78PORNjBNt1ajd_z3sRnT6OdyUszJwY8s35uIpIt0kwT3lMWPVBAgo/s320/FullSizeRender-799202.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6266885997974068194" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4xzuPeuuTeJSU9eyNDYqP-LyvpDhQMSLeW1p2N3WLEvB9mgk3WGbvYgRIugxA-oplt-9XTZnPD6vBdx8hT499aI5tPlMk2elxeF2etTlWkkg7TGUSPP5c4_iYHU1u4MbHEqc5dfS8R8/s1600/IMG_1846-702948.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4xzuPeuuTeJSU9eyNDYqP-LyvpDhQMSLeW1p2N3WLEvB9mgk3WGbvYgRIugxA-oplt-9XTZnPD6vBdx8hT499aI5tPlMk2elxeF2etTlWkkg7TGUSPP5c4_iYHU1u4MbHEqc5dfS8R8/s320/IMG_1846-702948.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6266886016710864178" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXs10wV2HX4NoYGyAYcyOa5lIQhRecey8EncWDZVevMRA1jJw4vedyHk9vPCOO22QvfSHIQtqEkBmlHd3zpoU98_zl73lLzc1mkCEQ9v3bkeMrKETvQfL00IUIAtaUzCgVlZJmX_Q3eZw/s1600/IMG_1847-705697.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXs10wV2HX4NoYGyAYcyOa5lIQhRecey8EncWDZVevMRA1jJw4vedyHk9vPCOO22QvfSHIQtqEkBmlHd3zpoU98_zl73lLzc1mkCEQ9v3bkeMrKETvQfL00IUIAtaUzCgVlZJmX_Q3eZw/s320/IMG_1847-705697.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6266886025549161506" /></a></p>We had a wonderful time celebrating Easter at my sister's home with her family. The kids did a great job with the long car ride and had lots of fun doing an egg hunt and spending time with their cousins. We only managed to get mostly pictures of the youngest 7 kids. Irina and Maddie's dresses were once worn by their older sisters (now 18 & 20). So glad I kept them.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-25155270548307616312016-03-19T10:11:00.001-07:002016-03-19T10:12:49.651-07:00Happy Birthday Maddie!<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPRVNDaEujLBZvyXRHUckMZY2eizSSEox-j8qPXeViXsVrkIbI-PAAI0vXs6nZjo5FeOR0n3K-JvqbZ9S61uDlKDqBKUrdyxCeWnAKUFNZXXEHyozEfVsNZYx51-fktLJrxSJ4MgVZDmY/s1600/FullSizeRender-714288.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPRVNDaEujLBZvyXRHUckMZY2eizSSEox-j8qPXeViXsVrkIbI-PAAI0vXs6nZjo5FeOR0n3K-JvqbZ9S61uDlKDqBKUrdyxCeWnAKUFNZXXEHyozEfVsNZYx51-fktLJrxSJ4MgVZDmY/s320/FullSizeRender-714288.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6263812583750578802" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMWvGy5jmLsK3-5yKF_G51N8i4OccFAMgXq9ukWbProzFivepbGbDW-XlQ_nI7a-B7YP4ddmHurSj6kHI9tWsG0TwHzg6FrGyptzOKmbJu7lsYPtoNjoB3LJFnuwJaO5jJn63wcWDTFk/s1600/FullSizeRender-717641.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMWvGy5jmLsK3-5yKF_G51N8i4OccFAMgXq9ukWbProzFivepbGbDW-XlQ_nI7a-B7YP4ddmHurSj6kHI9tWsG0TwHzg6FrGyptzOKmbJu7lsYPtoNjoB3LJFnuwJaO5jJn63wcWDTFk/s320/FullSizeRender-717641.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6263812598278952818" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyd8bLgOGAaktNzgZDFm_sGVaZ11U7fpRKMFkW5WqMdxzVSrsH51oTR-atxSgVkb7nlIUiAfMSOr-VdqOhRaLFGQJXm0gBLCbiKixumb6Ja1VRTuoDUEcHXOUgpN0c0PfWaUBg0Fp3s4c/s1600/FullSizeRender-719833.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyd8bLgOGAaktNzgZDFm_sGVaZ11U7fpRKMFkW5WqMdxzVSrsH51oTR-atxSgVkb7nlIUiAfMSOr-VdqOhRaLFGQJXm0gBLCbiKixumb6Ja1VRTuoDUEcHXOUgpN0c0PfWaUBg0Fp3s4c/s320/FullSizeRender-719833.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6263812603559204018" /></a></p>Maddie is 10! She was so excited for her birthday and loved her special day!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-82912605875033362372016-03-08T13:22:00.002-08:002016-03-08T13:22:38.248-08:00Afternoon Fun<div class="mobile-photo">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHBzcZCChqUiXfEM2CxaxenmFE42ilRUYQlUc5ddk37BQQY7J-AhCG8WaOkpE3cTZ54-RgLCgXnGd_EL_iY8J-AvsYaptA4fIHMeSt-e07spG0XXdEbMac3DcJ67m2efNsXYpjD3fn6c/s1600/FullSizeRender-707145.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6259794615841324962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHBzcZCChqUiXfEM2CxaxenmFE42ilRUYQlUc5ddk37BQQY7J-AhCG8WaOkpE3cTZ54-RgLCgXnGd_EL_iY8J-AvsYaptA4fIHMeSt-e07spG0XXdEbMac3DcJ67m2efNsXYpjD3fn6c/s320/FullSizeRender-707145.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFY0piTx1EMhWcH-qEV_gKNxSmwSmqhbrjpmVhFamQzxk7d7wBPoosvKi9XAFBFuaL9aqiGsbWXhb3UtybCAS8qS0FCMf7iXpej3WogLBXS3JsW7iPTgdCJpf22M2DGj7XWdoAOy-UPzI/s1600/FullSizeRender-713147.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6259794638123005586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFY0piTx1EMhWcH-qEV_gKNxSmwSmqhbrjpmVhFamQzxk7d7wBPoosvKi9XAFBFuaL9aqiGsbWXhb3UtybCAS8qS0FCMf7iXpej3WogLBXS3JsW7iPTgdCJpf22M2DGj7XWdoAOy-UPzI/s320/FullSizeRender-713147.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikd4e5lC6phYpKgTX1qbwDq18-eJwzBdW3cQGbrHlTAT6U0YB3-06I_drlGs42XGMc7huhXC33xJBOb491pLLn6CdWMaUmRcDlmW888b0306lAlXq5Kjj3-ttkhWyas8H7erED0ce6264/s1600/FullSizeRender-715754.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6259794647255163506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikd4e5lC6phYpKgTX1qbwDq18-eJwzBdW3cQGbrHlTAT6U0YB3-06I_drlGs42XGMc7huhXC33xJBOb491pLLn6CdWMaUmRcDlmW888b0306lAlXq5Kjj3-ttkhWyas8H7erED0ce6264/s320/FullSizeRender-715754.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px;">A brand new Hobby Lobby opened up locally. I had never been to one before, and didn't have much time, so barely got through half of the store. I did get some fun stuff for the kids, including beads and pipe cleaners, which turned out to be a fun afternoon activity making bracelets and necklaces (while working on fine motor skills and patterns, but don't tell the kids!).</span></div>
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-43143815464258708172016-03-04T14:59:00.002-08:002016-03-04T14:59:27.725-08:00Success<div class="mobile-photo">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8z2ygM61ym0jjMFEIiF2k_nRbZngA7Rvj3nwOdXcYhXvBetqFzgDVoDl-gT3BDr6N1LSVKaYllUEAi-PE0DubhXYVbd7W4-vJ0ma8NwokSSVpQMWf_Hgr7PkAHJgx5SiRjbp0Gb3GMu4/s1600/FullSizeRender-786684.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6258335090007512546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8z2ygM61ym0jjMFEIiF2k_nRbZngA7Rvj3nwOdXcYhXvBetqFzgDVoDl-gT3BDr6N1LSVKaYllUEAi-PE0DubhXYVbd7W4-vJ0ma8NwokSSVpQMWf_Hgr7PkAHJgx5SiRjbp0Gb3GMu4/s320/FullSizeRender-786684.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px;">Irina had a day off from school, and her older sister Zoe wanted to take her to see a movie. Of course I love that she wanted to spend time with her little sister, but I was honestly nervous. As I shared before, Irina has Autism and can be significantly challenging. On a recent outing to Target, we had to make a quick exit where an epic meltdown occurred on the drive home (Irina had the meltdown. I cried.)</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px;"><br />So I dropped them off at the theater, and went to a store in the same shopping center. Just in case. It went well! Irina was a little loud, and very excited, but she made it through the movie! Unfortunately, I didn't plan well. The movie ended at lunchtime, and despite eating plenty of popcorn, Irina wanted lunch. Now. She was not happy upon the refusal to go to McDonald's. She protested loudly the entire ride home. However, she did NOT have a meltdown! She had lunch at home, and was able to reset and have a good afternoon. This is really significant progress! It's truly the "normal" everyday things that Autism parents don't take for granted. </span>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-1949291168778260352016-02-28T18:34:00.001-08:002016-02-29T03:41:21.489-08:00A Perfect Fit <p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh77A0j0MfQv6IdWuRjzWyXVHYPM9SWtlO97Axt2pU8fwY-ulypr63mtDcGWFGGPEWu6LwC14wwPAknuFZFFQTFMrT4hN2xNAnBRAICZVPUIRoygU_hPLFTIjKKh7BpMqaSqFzolEzW-o/s1600/FullSizeRender-774836.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh77A0j0MfQv6IdWuRjzWyXVHYPM9SWtlO97Axt2pU8fwY-ulypr63mtDcGWFGGPEWu6LwC14wwPAknuFZFFQTFMrT4hN2xNAnBRAICZVPUIRoygU_hPLFTIjKKh7BpMqaSqFzolEzW-o/s320/FullSizeRender-774836.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6256535883574908178" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4m5QY6hKvMIRSM1PEBHcsFZ9v-DImU7v_m1ZRjAAKNuIDL_4MSjGyg-SL-l6B9iqhJV1v_ddbi6EPtyrl5hZsaNHWu4YqvbC2UHzsezU-dAaW8onqq_bLTn0IpsG9G7u0y_q7ldkVpJo/s1600/FullSizeRender-777938.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4m5QY6hKvMIRSM1PEBHcsFZ9v-DImU7v_m1ZRjAAKNuIDL_4MSjGyg-SL-l6B9iqhJV1v_ddbi6EPtyrl5hZsaNHWu4YqvbC2UHzsezU-dAaW8onqq_bLTn0IpsG9G7u0y_q7ldkVpJo/s320/FullSizeRender-777938.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6256535893642609314" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt1cy1QIy_25-LXCEDpwjfMFs2O0_NS5wyZEF2Lf8xRJ22bvrtf4BIagx9Cinxtmm7GN4YKIUyhQDVC4zCl01rZjcOgad-lXyuRG_AHwk-yQOaLcPnqI1cbC5nw6YEh7KHpjFyoZVHeO4/s1600/FullSizeRender-780240.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt1cy1QIy_25-LXCEDpwjfMFs2O0_NS5wyZEF2Lf8xRJ22bvrtf4BIagx9Cinxtmm7GN4YKIUyhQDVC4zCl01rZjcOgad-lXyuRG_AHwk-yQOaLcPnqI1cbC5nw6YEh7KHpjFyoZVHeO4/s320/FullSizeRender-780240.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6256535902535511906" /></a></p>Sometimes it seems illogical to add another special needs child to your family, especially if you are dealing with significant challenges with a child (or children) already home. God knows what He is doing. That new child might just be the most gentle soul who has the most special way of interacting with his siblings. Yul is so kind and patient (and yet firm!) with Irina. She really loves him and listens to him. He has a unique relationship with all his siblings. We can't imagine our family without him.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-54738106957998769902015-12-25T12:12:00.001-08:002015-12-25T12:15:00.946-08:00Merry Christmas 2015<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiM_7MlZLZBx4vQgKoV4SwWSsQuDhTdCyY-angh5JmRte_zgQh0o5nUGY2BUKPdOUDVg04Ku9IOSMvAmvU78jzrt9ongqDw6H95WGOwsmtbNFVRxlrqujG7Qu_3it_zhSGXo0gzR19-WQ/s1600/IMG_1382-733605.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiM_7MlZLZBx4vQgKoV4SwWSsQuDhTdCyY-angh5JmRte_zgQh0o5nUGY2BUKPdOUDVg04Ku9IOSMvAmvU78jzrt9ongqDw6H95WGOwsmtbNFVRxlrqujG7Qu_3it_zhSGXo0gzR19-WQ/s320/IMG_1382-733605.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6232316808982016034" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioTlxdWm5Sgm-n-lar7MLFObjM78h3_1IpMlUl7NjzbZP67fPvEgpG_99lhrgtsovQhbUhgZBpRB5fKFTxSRJOMpEkQ7jF6L0fc3iIIPh7TnSFL_3EDO0qlYs4q8WKB-q2eubtpoExito/s1600/IMG_1383-735556.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioTlxdWm5Sgm-n-lar7MLFObjM78h3_1IpMlUl7NjzbZP67fPvEgpG_99lhrgtsovQhbUhgZBpRB5fKFTxSRJOMpEkQ7jF6L0fc3iIIPh7TnSFL_3EDO0qlYs4q8WKB-q2eubtpoExito/s320/IMG_1383-735556.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6232316821234614930" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_xoj5NcUwrMZzjUQm7wKACJhwdwlI0Kn0m9GGag4tXChbm9setw3FI5e217ofuxPCIGPoSWjMo8WYpv9cM0d54vYNOClcP-PvBMEIVLessRVMz3Wr7CKzvs7imKQWABME97h6lkITCxM/s1600/FullSizeRender-737263.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_xoj5NcUwrMZzjUQm7wKACJhwdwlI0Kn0m9GGag4tXChbm9setw3FI5e217ofuxPCIGPoSWjMo8WYpv9cM0d54vYNOClcP-PvBMEIVLessRVMz3Wr7CKzvs7imKQWABME97h6lkITCxM/s320/FullSizeRender-737263.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6232316822510562738" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhI9m62CoGttIN1uvyNZXXk1HvPPSUYuckcyI6cKXQiYw6Lyjovgs5-XAyccr0nYeyVN4Ec9Zio8bzCuWQCILrQVprimqx2FBtioQtf7ptJWNTXtmL3QIlueXEvJ5_hzuAxYHf9qgbTRM/s1600/FullSizeRender-740402.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhI9m62CoGttIN1uvyNZXXk1HvPPSUYuckcyI6cKXQiYw6Lyjovgs5-XAyccr0nYeyVN4Ec9Zio8bzCuWQCILrQVprimqx2FBtioQtf7ptJWNTXtmL3QIlueXEvJ5_hzuAxYHf9qgbTRM/s320/FullSizeRender-740402.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6232316838175527298" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQqLN1WXNGYF4FLY24PQNRCtE4h1GA6pe4VEmgWtQQ2o2sAQt9bK3BIZNFO3T0NIzmWtmUhIE0MDgEE6hkcrNadvRxFq06BVj1rekY8SJmUTBSdEB2KDmBQ-4K8C34bScxQeYyzU9Lco/s1600/FullSizeRender-742589.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQqLN1WXNGYF4FLY24PQNRCtE4h1GA6pe4VEmgWtQQ2o2sAQt9bK3BIZNFO3T0NIzmWtmUhIE0MDgEE6hkcrNadvRxFq06BVj1rekY8SJmUTBSdEB2KDmBQ-4K8C34bScxQeYyzU9Lco/s320/FullSizeRender-742589.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6232316850097966658" /></a></p>Merry Christmas! This year I asked Adam to make a kitchen for the kids out of an old dresser. He did a fabulous job, adding much more detail and far exceeding my idea! The best part is the kids all really love it, and it will definitely provide many hours of creative play!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-2439836796342001292015-12-12T17:55:00.000-08:002015-12-13T10:07:18.422-08:00Irina's School Dance <p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3HSzRqF5v8aOq5MLeYGR6Q8eo_NkTc6i5YJyM-bdCG3iuwLphHnEBhvW4fJyJAkd52dWqW0Ok6RcW72WmKvRGpETOSuKSLefaY4Xf1gLocxGhVaQkeZFDLLxaKFDe-iykXAmN_O22EE/s1600/IMG_1130-704032.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3HSzRqF5v8aOq5MLeYGR6Q8eo_NkTc6i5YJyM-bdCG3iuwLphHnEBhvW4fJyJAkd52dWqW0Ok6RcW72WmKvRGpETOSuKSLefaY4Xf1gLocxGhVaQkeZFDLLxaKFDe-iykXAmN_O22EE/s320/IMG_1130-704032.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6227581479631996290" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2PzoL0X_62DzI_MED7oXMydVn11wYDvdQm8RaAEFpHdjY7jHyS5JjokFt9coYGvHkfFfqzJIOey1MxvLwdk6DJbv3RFh_YiWdTQrDoRmfW-NAw1Te1NYpmNS5u73tNSfHRVLeJLAsfzY/s1600/IMG_1142-707224.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2PzoL0X_62DzI_MED7oXMydVn11wYDvdQm8RaAEFpHdjY7jHyS5JjokFt9coYGvHkfFfqzJIOey1MxvLwdk6DJbv3RFh_YiWdTQrDoRmfW-NAw1Te1NYpmNS5u73tNSfHRVLeJLAsfzY/s320/IMG_1142-707224.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6227581495032176994" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSYNF4netxB5StOteaRjXBDyVJSl9cOjJjOylK3CYqx3K2RfQEyphCQJQBAzwApy0KmpEL2PRUnlUt6lc2QrzF7VQ4IeYfdAyK0OYIwhyphenhyphenQQmy9RKZT4rpatYSLOKmOuOUj76_bCjbCEs/s1600/IMG_1151-710762.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSYNF4netxB5StOteaRjXBDyVJSl9cOjJjOylK3CYqx3K2RfQEyphCQJQBAzwApy0KmpEL2PRUnlUt6lc2QrzF7VQ4IeYfdAyK0OYIwhyphenhyphenQQmy9RKZT4rpatYSLOKmOuOUj76_bCjbCEs/s320/IMG_1151-710762.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6227581511402462322" /></a></p>Irina attended her school holiday dance. She had a ball! She danced with her friends and ate lots of yummy treats. We are so proud of Irina. She has made so much progress and worked so hard.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-4910809793839930932015-12-12T08:00:00.000-08:002015-12-12T08:02:14.405-08:00Pancake Breakfast with Santa<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwfTi5oTStZf9BArzYs0lnBPpcloFbSMeF5TbC5E7c-xq07sIEVEfizpc4J3rF46b-bC7X10K8alBe5YvvFmIwg2SIEueDr6lmmZrJi9iOPxcm6QKlxXSPORB-VjAWDMc_7bErX1ra3c/s1600/FullSizeRender-773546.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwfTi5oTStZf9BArzYs0lnBPpcloFbSMeF5TbC5E7c-xq07sIEVEfizpc4J3rF46b-bC7X10K8alBe5YvvFmIwg2SIEueDr6lmmZrJi9iOPxcm6QKlxXSPORB-VjAWDMc_7bErX1ra3c/s320/FullSizeRender-773546.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6227428021133600802" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a 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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwDvIukcHSU-P-Ks4Qnlwtswd8AGT1kDTFtLMiOtAvIxhpn9zr3NSy-leiv4oHSG9vb9A6rOw67uD9DYpMZ31HaHapRpSyzVnuqylW9lb7N8P0YFLa13ZhpftHZeIWyIXTPx1LzZNpOM/s1600/FullSizeRender-784284.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwDvIukcHSU-P-Ks4Qnlwtswd8AGT1kDTFtLMiOtAvIxhpn9zr3NSy-leiv4oHSG9vb9A6rOw67uD9DYpMZ31HaHapRpSyzVnuqylW9lb7N8P0YFLa13ZhpftHZeIWyIXTPx1LzZNpOM/s320/FullSizeRender-784284.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6227428063370757346" /></a></p>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-5848062887964203382015-12-07T08:05:00.000-08:002015-12-07T11:17:35.821-08:00Gingerbread House Decorating <p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilA6KLBzaWnRWFDXtGSqJdns7JBwYjW1TM__bIj_DHOOgqCBVAmFyvEleo2ApIIb4IEzZjTqzxcF5DrnNsteOlJAbQAoBtyWtC4xwO1f1J9LSRbJE8t-sWZociQRlQ6jlDIHWKRmGqYtQ/s1600/FullSizeRender-786792.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilA6KLBzaWnRWFDXtGSqJdns7JBwYjW1TM__bIj_DHOOgqCBVAmFyvEleo2ApIIb4IEzZjTqzxcF5DrnNsteOlJAbQAoBtyWtC4xwO1f1J9LSRbJE8t-sWZociQRlQ6jlDIHWKRmGqYtQ/s320/FullSizeRender-786792.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6225574371172593074" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Uhx6-FcsuhJv1wRZCMAAh94VZP_4PmM84ervg3_xYUjJpwfgEOC99TvXjdZ1MwRkJboOONscMsSysjbGQQfvE9UNAFMNzVdOLdR1Efp42WuY-6gyBOmFT9XKMctvD6rPNy6dQ_4a8yU/s1600/FullSizeRender-789933.jpg"><img 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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfwOnJ32jVrVOl4k0ZNdoFSNY52s4NIs9SowV0E6i-X80BDke7XaCf2IcRzsUI6Qxg8yFme60tzk2kiyoWc3_tHy37sTzQ9Iudg2cXITWgllhUI2QLjzkmvMYgDBqSO2Hse6mt2uL7vrE/s1600/FullSizeRender-796985.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfwOnJ32jVrVOl4k0ZNdoFSNY52s4NIs9SowV0E6i-X80BDke7XaCf2IcRzsUI6Qxg8yFme60tzk2kiyoWc3_tHy37sTzQ9Iudg2cXITWgllhUI2QLjzkmvMYgDBqSO2Hse6mt2uL7vrE/s320/FullSizeRender-796985.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6225574410686585394" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4riEibJ26nTKG_3avx4KTue0Dyvf-r-SjkaK4vVCPPaWdfTIZhdjAVT2f_Y4Q6gA-xijSCnphYkK2ZnvcM8lNpFqzvfWF-5lq2FX7ty1CYEJHZhYLDyDzC6coNOiRpHnAK4nO1-evHR0/s1600/IMG_1046-700068.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4riEibJ26nTKG_3avx4KTue0Dyvf-r-SjkaK4vVCPPaWdfTIZhdjAVT2f_Y4Q6gA-xijSCnphYkK2ZnvcM8lNpFqzvfWF-5lq2FX7ty1CYEJHZhYLDyDzC6coNOiRpHnAK4nO1-evHR0/s320/IMG_1046-700068.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6225574424180245762" /></a></p>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-86504009002460094032015-11-28T17:04:00.001-08:002015-11-28T17:30:05.566-08:00Decorating the Christmas Tree<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexfJ3XzqhtjJJPv3GCkJRA3dSv6FCBwYHPQAaschAzWQo0laCtJ4T1fZ-lSn8Fv5VIG4385CI6XRSRjUle6m6bVdvojTFFJrkIXJbzz2EofjjQgnGdpTvpQAio1tmslPS4_FWlwoyfRY/s1600/FullSizeRender-761134.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexfJ3XzqhtjJJPv3GCkJRA3dSv6FCBwYHPQAaschAzWQo0laCtJ4T1fZ-lSn8Fv5VIG4385CI6XRSRjUle6m6bVdvojTFFJrkIXJbzz2EofjjQgnGdpTvpQAio1tmslPS4_FWlwoyfRY/s320/FullSizeRender-761134.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6222372790466440258" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWQ2DBxrO_CHzTA9aMduLUtwZ-0GcShbKVIs1JYXNOAcCL3gY97pWwSI-h7U0tLXGG84s-xhbRIDauuSAhkQVicokRXuCEh-gFscQZT8HCEjSIPsrArwjSxbC58-Tgq01TjX7WbHARTaQ/s1600/FullSizeRender-764114.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWQ2DBxrO_CHzTA9aMduLUtwZ-0GcShbKVIs1JYXNOAcCL3gY97pWwSI-h7U0tLXGG84s-xhbRIDauuSAhkQVicokRXuCEh-gFscQZT8HCEjSIPsrArwjSxbC58-Tgq01TjX7WbHARTaQ/s320/FullSizeRender-764114.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6222372802449516066" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4nTioIkhcNHTTZqEBDNr4x6Bw09kUo4i8j2TRtMcMVAmVvSuXD0z5QBJGGz5WhpJVDJMgyAcjK9_q1lXczLhfEnz0bS7A7mYZpEBcEg68OxPZWYd4vMQQzYBBUuW-OKlpx9Rxs-6I6jg/s1600/FullSizeRender-765844.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4nTioIkhcNHTTZqEBDNr4x6Bw09kUo4i8j2TRtMcMVAmVvSuXD0z5QBJGGz5WhpJVDJMgyAcjK9_q1lXczLhfEnz0bS7A7mYZpEBcEg68OxPZWYd4vMQQzYBBUuW-OKlpx9Rxs-6I6jg/s320/FullSizeRender-765844.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6222372810805358370" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaAj7GOHd70642G4-nKgbrPkziUAgaklrW9RVS_6Tddt4M8vF7ZGHjrdP4K2GJAzma0fwUdGZ3DtUQ7SQmg2sEsM_0QXqi82x3rq_O3M4uWNCli25cBvjku6E7d5QKJ2Z4HK9dQ_ygGro/s1600/FullSizeRender-768462.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaAj7GOHd70642G4-nKgbrPkziUAgaklrW9RVS_6Tddt4M8vF7ZGHjrdP4K2GJAzma0fwUdGZ3DtUQ7SQmg2sEsM_0QXqi82x3rq_O3M4uWNCli25cBvjku6E7d5QKJ2Z4HK9dQ_ygGro/s320/FullSizeRender-768462.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6222372825349135298" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirs1BSxhQ6UT9nAl0s_jhbj6eENtu8lSrTJbsZpSJgiI4lx9zjAqKLfhPeTMDyfQ-cx0755dHF-8EOay6mD3wPwVu0cfPfWdNdxJchNOluJFbjpEHDBQv_XKLhGZMLlgseBrhPmlThb3s/s1600/FullSizeRender-771404.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirs1BSxhQ6UT9nAl0s_jhbj6eENtu8lSrTJbsZpSJgiI4lx9zjAqKLfhPeTMDyfQ-cx0755dHF-8EOay6mD3wPwVu0cfPfWdNdxJchNOluJFbjpEHDBQv_XKLhGZMLlgseBrhPmlThb3s/s320/FullSizeRender-771404.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6222372837510092738" /></a></p>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-32062706559267575412015-11-04T10:24:00.001-08:002015-11-09T15:21:16.723-08:00Life Skills <p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6x1RsKB5jR5BcUW3GlCgBzsghc230a7UK1641CNiCsDnxvVFzFxmW1NuDiytFeKAh-UvfzFxRGXwyHrYStZ-9AQLPnA0rm5uOpw4-KNOyHrn9f_OF4hmqC_6P2VFnJk57RxEjsyE4SiU/s1600/IMG_0879-768069.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6x1RsKB5jR5BcUW3GlCgBzsghc230a7UK1641CNiCsDnxvVFzFxmW1NuDiytFeKAh-UvfzFxRGXwyHrYStZ-9AQLPnA0rm5uOpw4-KNOyHrn9f_OF4hmqC_6P2VFnJk57RxEjsyE4SiU/s320/IMG_0879-768069.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6213363697107303010" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgknLkrNRD5OZUDW4Q_5ydQsgnly7MEKsMqp8K33aEbgtqnZwZNqcNNi0Elh4NV6MG8YKitQJquG7PJJmHz6_pFqfMFn5Q-ugeJwM-r9NnFEPbhdu55_NRUib_cwljY6YXqkhb7z9MHpMk/s1600/IMG_0882-770451.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgknLkrNRD5OZUDW4Q_5ydQsgnly7MEKsMqp8K33aEbgtqnZwZNqcNNi0Elh4NV6MG8YKitQJquG7PJJmHz6_pFqfMFn5Q-ugeJwM-r9NnFEPbhdu55_NRUib_cwljY6YXqkhb7z9MHpMk/s320/IMG_0882-770451.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6213363707962572994" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_X0Pxum40TQmd_7ZbhInv-rbXlwZlfjef5g4pUpMamdodnjZGAsxZIGLizEIeJfM6ZKOQCUOrPMDfjSp4zMPaT2PSaOA2CSJy-RZZTBLlKUYYEI-x0OZzD0ULXQlGf8RppdMkOc_Hm8Q/s1600/IMG_0883-773039.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_X0Pxum40TQmd_7ZbhInv-rbXlwZlfjef5g4pUpMamdodnjZGAsxZIGLizEIeJfM6ZKOQCUOrPMDfjSp4zMPaT2PSaOA2CSJy-RZZTBLlKUYYEI-x0OZzD0ULXQlGf8RppdMkOc_Hm8Q/s320/IMG_0883-773039.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6213363716261493570" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1DNRc6uh-4xGv71cqPE0KwNRhjEFBj4j9fkII95re7h8iD98TZqycqFvB2GR4VxnaUevt5eHeL-8fCeYUn_uLaDyl6Sg5s6n-rkXdeVhNx6nbZJH0V2XdInHfhBWdMX0OEuykn2UEuE/s1600/IMG_0886-775625.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1DNRc6uh-4xGv71cqPE0KwNRhjEFBj4j9fkII95re7h8iD98TZqycqFvB2GR4VxnaUevt5eHeL-8fCeYUn_uLaDyl6Sg5s6n-rkXdeVhNx6nbZJH0V2XdInHfhBWdMX0OEuykn2UEuE/s320/IMG_0886-775625.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6213363731158509746" /></a></p>I am trying to give my younger kids more responsibilities at home. They love to help and are very capable. Not only do they enjoy it, but it builds confidence and a good work ethic.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-64502420844813685712015-10-31T17:26:00.001-07:002015-10-31T17:55:11.472-07:00Happy October!<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkluT8nUIDCwoUU2bK61eDTcIf1G1NhVcFwHS40DlRFkzzaNWGAQmAHtBbMJjG6M8_nBHy9ZtzU9nOfi1mHrHO7SnR6Hvs3DRGhJapYqOfgYMvOB4kANZ21ZwK0WQ5fwIY_c9UBKasF2M/s1600/FullSizeRender-781900.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkluT8nUIDCwoUU2bK61eDTcIf1G1NhVcFwHS40DlRFkzzaNWGAQmAHtBbMJjG6M8_nBHy9ZtzU9nOfi1mHrHO7SnR6Hvs3DRGhJapYqOfgYMvOB4kANZ21ZwK0WQ5fwIY_c9UBKasF2M/s320/FullSizeRender-781900.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6211972613752859858" /></a></p>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-88508004979386757692015-08-14T09:07:00.001-07:002015-08-14T09:59:07.524-07:00Busy Month <p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhabBdzZsBRBvw67eveZ-vgn_JJpCe6C9Ky1FYcjfo0v2PMvQU5yt9UYc0TISc7kgmtNg-HbZtzhZUNJCTNVFBOqxeFr97jDQ8qu7k5SRi-H7ZjOTDWvSnYWZDvnxbi2Bmvhw6lW-Sk4sU/s1600/IMG_0465-759032.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhabBdzZsBRBvw67eveZ-vgn_JJpCe6C9Ky1FYcjfo0v2PMvQU5yt9UYc0TISc7kgmtNg-HbZtzhZUNJCTNVFBOqxeFr97jDQ8qu7k5SRi-H7ZjOTDWvSnYWZDvnxbi2Bmvhw6lW-Sk4sU/s320/IMG_0465-759032.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6182899459291862706" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZk3JoRuM4zvGTDqOZNDHFGmAgCZMrxHjfWW-_QuJetZdy2GpdyLLYQ_fVXlS4bxunaSIGuYMJpwtdszo1xgWJ1Tekb-JWG_Lsali5yVbmZ8JzOc1IkfCmGcDXrEwRPVVugLSFKZOlATE/s1600/FullSizeRender-763277.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZk3JoRuM4zvGTDqOZNDHFGmAgCZMrxHjfWW-_QuJetZdy2GpdyLLYQ_fVXlS4bxunaSIGuYMJpwtdszo1xgWJ1Tekb-JWG_Lsali5yVbmZ8JzOc1IkfCmGcDXrEwRPVVugLSFKZOlATE/s320/FullSizeRender-763277.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6182899473158049826" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjjBZvWS8_AHWLRzeyhVcvbz9XRDSc6dgNJsMXLt_ITjzFSD4sYU3fvRaNhfG4mOSiTkqlWT1rNREfXMpO54CaLGuFTjbHciXQZRqati8Vlbn8Oq4uH7swd64Fia_V2l1cTrDuqTi3Cg/s1600/IMG_0474-766385.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjjBZvWS8_AHWLRzeyhVcvbz9XRDSc6dgNJsMXLt_ITjzFSD4sYU3fvRaNhfG4mOSiTkqlWT1rNREfXMpO54CaLGuFTjbHciXQZRqati8Vlbn8Oq4uH7swd64Fia_V2l1cTrDuqTi3Cg/s320/IMG_0474-766385.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6182899484791453538" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ykyEXEAJg7sHJVR08-VDjA-WZNQKbfKnrG1jD0xpKrSWpFLYZxLV63szrp4vefr_FlYasYmBBEhW20J5kXu3Umeyd2TwHY0kS2Vd70aAI6u7qF2P6RxrFt2mawVXQooUaezWS8V03m8/s1600/IMG_0477-769116.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ykyEXEAJg7sHJVR08-VDjA-WZNQKbfKnrG1jD0xpKrSWpFLYZxLV63szrp4vefr_FlYasYmBBEhW20J5kXu3Umeyd2TwHY0kS2Vd70aAI6u7qF2P6RxrFt2mawVXQooUaezWS8V03m8/s320/IMG_0477-769116.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6182899497719608466" /></a></p>So it's been busy, but productive so far!
<br>~Albie and Blair had their hearing aids tuned up (and thankfully they were in good working order).
<br>~Sam got a new set of wheels!
<br>~Fred is home from his summer job just in time to head off for college.
<br>~Caroline went on 3 college visits (which included an overnight away with mom)!
<br>~5 boys got haircuts.
<br>~We had the monthly meeting regarding Irina's in home services, and she is doing so well we are continuing to phase out services, with an end date of September.
<br>~Caroline and Ivan had orthodontist appointments.
<br>
<br>We soak up these lasts days of summer, because school is right around the corner!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-39828970727419573242015-07-24T04:16:00.001-07:002015-07-24T04:17:28.951-07:00Happy Birthday Yul!<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUmpXndLpT7uv3xXeoshafXQC1GBSlKkrL6m-N_xo70XEJw1FKC4-oDLaLnpiGd2Y0qPiZAoyeCBzZI3-aa1oj_62s822MrQG0LsDO-pp0_FHE-xTDrh17HsmCfVad7hasOvoZwjFE0fk/s1600/FullSizeRender-786162.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUmpXndLpT7uv3xXeoshafXQC1GBSlKkrL6m-N_xo70XEJw1FKC4-oDLaLnpiGd2Y0qPiZAoyeCBzZI3-aa1oj_62s822MrQG0LsDO-pp0_FHE-xTDrh17HsmCfVad7hasOvoZwjFE0fk/s320/FullSizeRender-786162.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6175031618971853874" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCg1pM2B_mmDRpr99aPi54_srORO5iIJGOETBcuy9it04QxV85IyUzX9vPJqlvZR-AdBy7q8rx8gWsEoa8FequdNP1GVCMlJ3Z7_48ylFJf0Vb11EvL2LiVELwoWh3yq1_zzqaLO7VJ84/s1600/FullSizeRender-789363.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCg1pM2B_mmDRpr99aPi54_srORO5iIJGOETBcuy9it04QxV85IyUzX9vPJqlvZR-AdBy7q8rx8gWsEoa8FequdNP1GVCMlJ3Z7_48ylFJf0Vb11EvL2LiVELwoWh3yq1_zzqaLO7VJ84/s320/FullSizeRender-789363.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6175031631956016034" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVS3LP1wHgB-17STpLJ3snoHVVupJBMEJeROSLT4HWpWg-FRXQ9lA2wHhOorwppagXm1t7zoywkq0MDBo_NocXdiS-eg0NL5LYMWa0d5jpclVicEuHNONRyF0aZ2wbhGbEnoy7EETymUs/s1600/FullSizeRender-792534.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVS3LP1wHgB-17STpLJ3snoHVVupJBMEJeROSLT4HWpWg-FRXQ9lA2wHhOorwppagXm1t7zoywkq0MDBo_NocXdiS-eg0NL5LYMWa0d5jpclVicEuHNONRyF0aZ2wbhGbEnoy7EETymUs/s320/FullSizeRender-792534.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6175031647894380370" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9A_vSOLs8zJxW-aMDT1sCop2SE5WZbt1yA53YqPBt6aUw9YUKu01mPmw0aJP32ETeYynnZACHjYiFTOig_O7SgAAbGpMkmJefKHWvoLfPMiLl6gTfs47wbREbMgJv2FpynpwbcRBSlQo/s1600/FullSizeRender-795336.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9A_vSOLs8zJxW-aMDT1sCop2SE5WZbt1yA53YqPBt6aUw9YUKu01mPmw0aJP32ETeYynnZACHjYiFTOig_O7SgAAbGpMkmJefKHWvoLfPMiLl6gTfs47wbREbMgJv2FpynpwbcRBSlQo/s320/FullSizeRender-795336.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6175031659234783842" /></a></p>This is an especially important birthday for Yul, as it's his first one as a member of our family! Two years ago we were privileged to celebrate Yul's birthday during his hosting visit. Last year we were able to send him a cake and gifts, but there was an ocean and 7,650 miles between us. This year he is HOME!
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<br>It is a blessing and honor to be Yul's mom. He is one of the kindest, gentlest, and most appreciative individuals I have known. We are so grateful that God placed him in our family!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-60043600569548999002015-07-17T08:50:00.001-07:002015-07-17T08:51:45.186-07:00Bubbles <p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_AEObKr-aFQmJCP5Y0NgNrHrJ7SnyGvgeU3Lscia9zcgKi6x6LN1LYNtOj4HAWkt0AQYg1f3Q6L9sbNb5iFsm6rvBhwY5FV_lcEEYuM2aSQ5Ug4aDVD62vo6TfM7U6H1YRq8aF7a6FU/s1600/FullSizeRender-725421.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_AEObKr-aFQmJCP5Y0NgNrHrJ7SnyGvgeU3Lscia9zcgKi6x6LN1LYNtOj4HAWkt0AQYg1f3Q6L9sbNb5iFsm6rvBhwY5FV_lcEEYuM2aSQ5Ug4aDVD62vo6TfM7U6H1YRq8aF7a6FU/s320/FullSizeRender-725421.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6172504632715533394" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3Wl-BFdVuzoPxaf7WmMtFrBpx5NVqDUDw6wOFHjhd6VvSlf1hKIlAHhX7dFx1fFjh3uNxxs1Emi5SRh4V6fIutg-fYaNH4tJXtzxW-IgfNlPhgs-7nYYQ_lB6SXaK7dKJR9tvCtt9qU/s1600/FullSizeRender-729734.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3Wl-BFdVuzoPxaf7WmMtFrBpx5NVqDUDw6wOFHjhd6VvSlf1hKIlAHhX7dFx1fFjh3uNxxs1Emi5SRh4V6fIutg-fYaNH4tJXtzxW-IgfNlPhgs-7nYYQ_lB6SXaK7dKJR9tvCtt9qU/s320/FullSizeRender-729734.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6172504647826212898" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Cu0VSO8jUrgJxgROO9KzwoZiwwfY0xqBefumT8bZjMajDo3RnUHg3TncitJL9Pcn1eVK5BH0A29y3CHnzwapJqpYfcA5kDjexyJkZg94lCkSjYKGocb6ePKlA8JxPLCBAKsyTxvlFJQ/s1600/FullSizeRender-733654.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Cu0VSO8jUrgJxgROO9KzwoZiwwfY0xqBefumT8bZjMajDo3RnUHg3TncitJL9Pcn1eVK5BH0A29y3CHnzwapJqpYfcA5kDjexyJkZg94lCkSjYKGocb6ePKlA8JxPLCBAKsyTxvlFJQ/s320/FullSizeRender-733654.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6172504666456748242" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qHAZc224pfmtttX_IQkZcX3nMnFMydAI2she-JRCs6HsrxbBg4gaNeGwFe7tSdSVGMnK1N0OTfZ7xv3s9Ivltc1GIDEYEzdsffCP_J4cmCIpJ8ubRz3Eu4F78F8N7mBiugZdw3NTRio/s1600/FullSizeRender-736758.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qHAZc224pfmtttX_IQkZcX3nMnFMydAI2she-JRCs6HsrxbBg4gaNeGwFe7tSdSVGMnK1N0OTfZ7xv3s9Ivltc1GIDEYEzdsffCP_J4cmCIpJ8ubRz3Eu4F78F8N7mBiugZdw3NTRio/s320/FullSizeRender-736758.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6172504680421759794" /></a></p>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-40169580932992586552015-06-24T08:19:00.001-07:002015-06-24T08:19:24.855-07:00Happy Birthday Blair <div class="mobile-photo">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbN1ih6VNNvKWhyphenhyphen9Y-qRFpNG_9YW3vVRhX09VnhJOSm8jykN-ObpVOMb3choYQCGZsRl7x_L5MWcOPyWX85WushwysyiyE4jVlN9iLeO4bFxCIIUm1EpWhIURInsT9xOr5kKAEXBAB9g/s1600/IMG_0042-711211.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6163560727099930610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbN1ih6VNNvKWhyphenhyphen9Y-qRFpNG_9YW3vVRhX09VnhJOSm8jykN-ObpVOMb3choYQCGZsRl7x_L5MWcOPyWX85WushwysyiyE4jVlN9iLeO4bFxCIIUm1EpWhIURInsT9xOr5kKAEXBAB9g/s320/IMG_0042-711211.JPG" /></a></div>
It's almost impossible for me to believe this little boy is 12! Whoa! Where did the time go? He is still a character. He brings so much laughter to our family. He has become such a big helper and good big brother. He still loves his mama, and I hope that never changes!
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He is currently obsessed with super heroes, the Incredible Hulk in particular. He requested an all-Hulk theme birthday with Chinese food for dinner.
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We are coming up on the 9 year anniversary of his home coming. So thankful God chose us to be his family! We love you so much Blair-Blair!!!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5491486103326777359.post-60961458641805238502015-06-22T10:13:00.000-07:002015-06-22T10:14:18.592-07:00Happy Birthday Irina <div class="mobile-photo">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpUAelzhVQIdmRvOUGlxzUIuIy57OA7NiIR0C5nypZY9c_e1efHU4uieyHnJUSf3uN-n1XFtXcfiuFw8SbsVxP7K3ArbA8OlCMnwaMvdw-ps9NP-rmKEfKuAv4uOpWZeYwU6eb2NIvpM0/s1600/IMG_0051-762019.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6159665843771579554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpUAelzhVQIdmRvOUGlxzUIuIy57OA7NiIR0C5nypZY9c_e1efHU4uieyHnJUSf3uN-n1XFtXcfiuFw8SbsVxP7K3ArbA8OlCMnwaMvdw-ps9NP-rmKEfKuAv4uOpWZeYwU6eb2NIvpM0/s320/IMG_0051-762019.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiWhZhtt78j5sDIcuv73az-uES7_0-OcwkDq8Mogi_SFQTm_0q0DO3PpTP_sgVs9ElKDcZuxqBQadpmbLAhghQouq_TMSGM3iTG2-nMvIMtn082KFwUeIbhW_7oAxlMp2TEFi-o4a4ws/s1600/IMG_0052-765918.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6159665864583443922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiWhZhtt78j5sDIcuv73az-uES7_0-OcwkDq8Mogi_SFQTm_0q0DO3PpTP_sgVs9ElKDcZuxqBQadpmbLAhghQouq_TMSGM3iTG2-nMvIMtn082KFwUeIbhW_7oAxlMp2TEFi-o4a4ws/s320/IMG_0052-765918.JPG" /></a></div>
Six years ago we met Irina in an Eastern European orphanage a few days before her 4th birthday. I will never forget her entrance into the room to meet us. I was smitten and terrified at the same time. My heart sank when I realized she had Autism. It was definitely on my list of "can nots". Then the orphanage doctor assured us we did not want her. Oh how wrong she was! We DID want her. As terrified as I was of autism, there was no doubt we were bringing this little girl home.
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No, it has not been easy. There are days that autism is a tough pill to swallow. There have been so many times I didn't have a clue what to do or how to address behaviors. We have been stretched and stressed. Somedays we are so focused on the minute to minute we can't see the big picture, and we forget the tremendous growth and changes that have taken place across the span of six years.
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Six years ago, this child had no language. I had never encountered a child that made no verbal sounds aside from grunts or growls. Irina now knows more signs than I can count! Her verbal speech has exploded in the last year, and she has begun using an augmentative speech app.
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This little girl who could barely tolerate physical contact is so affectionate. She makes eye contact. She loves to eat ALL textures, and feeds herself. This year she is so excited for her birthday, really for the first time! She keeps telling me it's her "Happy birthday ", that she wants presents and a new bathing suit (this girl swims like a fish!) and cake. She also picked pizza for her birthday dinner!
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It has been hard, but she is worth it! Happy Birthday sweet girl!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09059739357626539938noreply@blogger.com0