Getting Back Into the Groove

The holidays are over, winter break is over and the kids are heading back to school and their regular activities. The blog will back tomorrow (Wednesday).

Bowling with the Trio

Today we tackled one of the things on my New Years list! Plan more things with the kiddos no matter how daunting or tiring the outing may seem. I hope this doesn't sound like we hate to go out or that we hate to take our kids anywhere. That is the furthest thing from the truth. There are many things that keep us from doing some of the things we want to and changing that is a work in progress. It's one thing to no longer have a man on man defense when it comes to the parent to child ratio, but it's a whole other ballgame when you have a child with disabilities. While Little J is doing great walking, he still can't manage long distances and he can't walk in random environments unattended. Peanut J is a firecracker and there is a reason we call him honey badger as well. Honey badger don't care. Honey badger wants to do what honey badger wants to do when he wants to do it, so managing him is another matter. Thankfully, Princess J is great out in public and does a great job listening and staying close at hand. She is however 5, so keeping an eye on her for her own safety is just as important as managing the boys.

Today, we decided to take the trio bowling! It was lots of fun. I thought we were in trouble when after Peanut J's first turn, he didn't want to stop and screamed at the top of his lungs when we pulled him off the alley for Princess J's turn. Once he figured out that every time mommy bowled that his turn was up next, he did great! So proud of him! He even cheered for everyone during their turns as well! It was Peanut J's first bowling trip and as time went on he even bowled a spare in one frame! Of the trio, he got the highest score....bowling shark?

Little J had a great time! He loved pushing the ball down the assistance ramp and watching and waiting for it to knock over the pins! He was giddy everytime it was his turn!

Princess J, had a great time! She's still striving for her first strike, and I think we sang the Yo Gabba Gabba! song...Keep Trying a few dozen times. It didn't happen this time, but she'll keep trying!

After a bowling game, we headed over to McDonalds for some well deserved Happy Meals!

Peanut J Bowls for the first time!

Peanut J bowling with daddy

Little J (who's not so little anymore) loves bowling!

Princess J waiting for the the ball to get to the pins

Catch Up on Reading!

So, one of my New Year's Resolutions is to read more! So, every month on the 4th, I'll be checking in on my reading list and hoping that some of you might leave book suggestions too!

This last year was not my best year for reading. I found it hard to carve out time to read. Usually the times I could carve out were short and were hit or miss. When it's time to pick up Little J from school, I usually get there early so I don't have to fight with the pick up line or feel rushed getting in to the parking lot for disabled student pickup. Most of the time in the past Princess J and Peanut J would fall asleep and I could use that 30 minutes being parked to read up....the naps are becoming hit or miss...so the reading has become the same. Sooooo....I've been trying to make a better effort to find other moments in the day to read...once we're back to the usual schedule, we'll see how this works out. For now though...here's what's on my list of reads....

Here are my next 5 books on my reading list:

1. Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich

2. Following After Trek by Jarret W. Ingram
-This is the link to the paperback on Amazon, I do have it on my Nook, but for some reason it's no longer showing up as available...If you'd like to follow this family's story you can follow Chelsea Ingram's blog Our Sonny Life. This family is AMAZING! I couldn't wait to read about their adventures and Chelsea's words will touch your heart as she shares her family's story and that of her youngest son Trek Atlas.

3. I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

4. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larson

5. Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

6. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

7. Last Night at Chateau Marmont by Laren Weisberger

So, there are my first 7! I have quite a few more on my list, but as I cross some of these off, then I'll add more and just keep the list short. It might get a little longer in blog posts on occassion. So, what's on your reading list? Please share!

A Quick Catchup with the Trio!

This last year has been a crazy and wild ride! I don't even know where to begin really.

In the last year, we've had a 2nd grader turn into a 3rd grader, a preschooler turn into a kindergartner and a toddler turn into a preschooler! Lots of milestones there!

Little J is still at the same elementary school doing very well in the same class. He has been assigned a 1:1 aide which has helped him immensely! He loves his aide so much! What a great guy! His aide has worked so hard with him on so many things over the last year and a half! Little J did very well after surgery (which was my last post, last year). He is pretty much back to pre-surgery walking....except that now he is walking FLAT FOOTED and not on his tip toes! Yay! While it was a great commitment on our part to have the surgery done and deal with the casts and getting him back to walking, his aide has been essential in this as well. His aide did his excersises at school with him everyday and kept him motivated to keep going! THANK YOU MATT! Matt is the perfect match for Little J, he gives him just enough fun, just enough friendship, and the perfect amount of keeping him on task! Little J has been thriving at school and is beginning to see more time for mainstreaming! He's got friends at school and even went on a field trip with his peers.....and did awesome!

Princess J graduated from preschool in June and started kindergarten in September! She is at the same school with Little J and loves it! Since the school that Little J goes to is not our home school in the district, Princess J only knew a few of the kids going with her. As luck would have it, none of them were assigned to the same kinder class as she was. She was a bit disappointed at first, but found her new group of friends in class and maintained some of her friendships on the recess yard. We had her parent-teacher conference and Princess J was described as a hard worker, who is kind and caring to her classmates and friends. She's also an excellent reader! She loves to go to school, she loves to do her homework and she loves her teacher!  She also joined an AWANA club at a local church, that she sees many of her friends from preschool at she is really enjoying her time there and learning lots about the bible, Jesus and God.

Last, but definately not least....Peanut J, also affectionately called honey badger! He is one wild boy! OH MY! I love this little boy, but I think that if he'd been #2 in the lineup, there would not be a #3! He keeps us on our toes and he has one speed......FAST! I was a bit worried when we signed him up for preschool (and I think the teachers were too).....he never stops going! In September, Peanut J started preschool at the same place that Princess J went. The teachers there are AMAZING! Peanut J has done so well! He loves to go there! He is great at following directions, knows the class routine, lines up when he's supposed to and sits (for as long as he can possibly stand it) when he's supposed to. He loves his teachers too! He loves to pretend to call them on the phone and say "Teacher (insert 1 of 3 names here), I love you! I'm coming back!" He's too cute! He was in the angel choir for the school Christmas pageant, and stayed put on the risers the entire time....I was sure he was gonna bolt and run for us! LOL! He's working on potty training....but it's a slow go for him. He loves to sit on the potty, but still no success....it'll happen and you'll hear about it here though!  He graduated to his toddler bed. Right now, daddy has to go in and lay with him until he falls asleep....otherwise he'd be up all night climbing in and out of it!

Bringing the Blog Back....Take 2

So, it's been almost a year since I checked in on this thing after claiming I was bringing the blog back...sigh...epic fail!

Here we go with TAKE 2! Since it is January 1, 2013, what better way than to start the new year off right and get those New Years resolutions down on the blog and begin catching you up to where we are and where we've been.

We'll start here with my personal New Years resolutions. I definately have a lot going on and a lot on my daily plate. Some of it I do really well, some of it I don't do well, and some stuff has been on an unplanned hiatus. Thankfully, everyday is a new day, a new beginning and a new day to start over trying to get it right! So, here we go with the New Years resolutions!

1. Bring the blog back!

2. Read more!

3. Get Crafty more often! I sure miss scrapbooking and other crafts, so I'm going to make an effort to make time for this!
4. Project Life! This ties in to #3, but it's a commitment, and I'm jumping on board.....1 week at a time!
5. Be more patient
6. Plan more experiences with the kiddos.....no matter how daunting the prospect of getting out there to do it seems.
7. GIVE UP SODA....AGAIN!
8. Get rid of CRAP!
9. Drop some FAT!
10. Run a 5K in the next 6 months!

So, that's where it starts. Those are things that I want to do for me! There are other things I want to work on, but those will stay in my pocket for right now....


What's a post without photos of my sweet littles? There will be a catch up post coming up tomorrow, but for now, here is Little J who just turned 8, Princess J who is 5, and Peanut J (Also now affectionately called Honey Badger) who is 3!



Little J



Peanut J and Princess J

Finally! Bringing back the Blog!

Honestly.....I've missed you! I can't believe it's been over 6 months since I've posted on this blog! I am sure that no one is coming by anymore...and maybe no one even misses it? Things got crazy busy for us the end of last year. Our biggest undertaking was Little J's heel cord and hamstring lengthening surgery. Most of you know that Little J took quite awhile to begin walking. Once he began walking he became a toe walker. This kid could navigate the most trecherous terrain on his toes! The only problem with that is that as he got older, his feet would likely become deformed and eventually it would be so painful that he would not be able to walk at all.

This photo was taken in September after his second set of casts were placed.

This surgery was our only option to give him the best opportunity for successful walking for a long time to come. It was a huge undertaking and still 6 months later it's still a work in progress. I knew it was going to be a lot of work going in, but it was far more than I imagined.

Little J went into the hospital in mid-August for his outpatient surgery. They did a small nick in his achilles tendon and hamstring and casted him up. Poor little J woke up from sleep with these two huge casts that went from his toes to his knees. Initially coming out of anesthesia he was doing well. The more he woke, the more distressed he became. This poor little boy was wailing like I've never heard before. At first, we thought it was the strange environment and the other kids crying in the recovery room, so we opted to take him home. Our poor sweet boy wailed from the time we left the hospital at 10:30 in the morning until 5pm! We were entertaining the thought of taking him back to the hospital, but after discussing it with the nurse and the thought of having to wait in admissions for a bed with this wailing child, we decided to try a few more things at home and if necessary we would have taken him to the emergency room. We just didn't know if he was in pain, if it was a side effect of the anesthesia, or just the confinement in the casts. Typically, this surgery is not known to be painful, but when you're talking about a child with Angelman Syndrome, you just never know. Thankfully, he was finally able to get some much needed rest and he adjusted to the casts.

The things you don't think of as being work are probably the most difficult. Carrying around your 7 year old is no easy task....it wasn't my biggest concern in the surgery until I had to do it. Just the day to day care was physically daunting for us. Little J went to physical therapy twice a week and worked really hard at walking in the casts with assistance, and building the muscles that he had never used before.

After 3 weeks, they took Little J back in to remove his casts, make some adjustments, cast him for his post surgical braces and replace the casts. Thankfully, this time he came home in a much better mood.

After another 3 weeks, Little J finally got his casts off for good! Now the really hard work began! Since he was walking on his toes, there are a lot of muscles including the ones in his ankles that had never built up, since they were not being utilized. His braces were fitted and after numerous adjustments including one to stop it from causing a large painful gash on his leg. He was going to physical therapy twice a week and working really hard at relearning to walk and just building his muscle strength. His school staff met with his physical therapist and worked really hard with him on exercises through out his school day to help him even more.

Four weeks after his casts came off, we saw his orthopedic surgeon who was quite impressed with his progress. He is walking independently and mostly flat footed.

Fast forward to 6 months post surgical. Little J is doing really well. He still a bit weak in some of his muscles. He can walk independently while wearing his braces. When not wearing his braces he requires almost 100% support. We recently saw his rehabillitation doctor, and we're switching his braces now. Hopefully, the new ones will be more comfortable for him and help him with his progress. He's still doing physical therapy once a week plus all of his excercises and strengthening at school. This kid is working so hard! There is a possibility that we may do some botox treatment on one of his hamstrings as it's still a bit tight. We'll be meeting with his orthopedic surgeon and rehabilitation doctor in May to see which direction they want to go. Overall, Little J is doing amazing! He has been such a trooper going through all of this. He gets up everyday with a smile on his face and works like a rockstar at school and at his therapy sessions

This really was the bulk of our end of the year craziness. If you read this far, thanks for being interested in what we've been up to. I have so much more to update you on. There is our diva Princess J, our goofball Peanut J and their adventures along with a lot more on Little J as well as new and exciting news in research for Angelman Syndrome. I have a few rants and shares coming up too if you're interested!

Surf's Up Dude!

On Sunday June 19th, Little J got to participate in Max's Day with Ride A Wave in Santa Cruz.

I cannot express in words just how amazing this day was for Little J. This is his second year participating, and this year was just as fabulous as last year. Little J got to kayak and boogie board, he also got to surf.....STANDING UP! Last year they put him on a special surf board equiped with a seat, but this year they got him up on that board standing tall! Anytime he was in the water, his face was just a big bright smile and lots of giggling! The added bonus to this day was that several of Little J's classmates and fellow angels participated as well!

The people who put this event together and all of the wonderful volunteers really are beyond amazing! Little J was assigned 2 beach buddies, these two young men chatted with him, got him from one activity to the next and took him back to his favorite boogie boarding at least 15 times! It is just so amazing to see your child do things that you never in your wildest dreams imagined they could do much less would get the opportunity to do.....this organization and all of the volunteers out there made it happen! My heart is full......

Did you see the Vivnet Give Back Project link on my sidebar? Please take a moment to click on the link and vote for Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Theraputics to win! Angelman Syndrome has been cured in a mouse.... a few clicks of your mouse could bring us one step closer to the cure for Angelman Syndrome in people!

Princess J Update!

This last year has been amazing for Princess J! She has been enrolled in a speech immersion program since her 3rd birthday. She started out barely talking and has just come so far! We can't stop her from talking now! The school has been a wonderful experience for her and she just loves it, her teacher and her friends.

Just before her 4th birthday they tested her to see how she was progressing. Apparently they kept her in while the other kids went out to play. She did so well concentrating and thinking about her answers and trying to make sure she got everything right. Her teacher told me that in all the time she has been teaching, Princess J is the first student she has ever given the entire test to. She passed with flying colors! As soon as she was done, the teacher told her she could go outside to play....just as the teacher said that, the bell for the end of playtime rang. Our sweet Princess J balled up her fists and put them on the table and said....awwwww! I missed playtime! Her teacher said it was so cute and she felt so bad making her miss play time!

Anyway, with the results of the test, it means that Princess J no longer qualifies for the speech immersion class at the school....so today, will be her last day in the classroom. She will still continue to receive weekly speech sessions just to keep her progressing for kindergarten. We are now on the hunt for her next school. We have her on a waiting list (she's #1) at a school that was recomended by friends and that after visiting, Princess J really liked. We won't know if she makes it in until August.

Princess J's current favorites:
Food: Mickey Chicken and French Fries, Cheetos and Pretzels (She's still a super pickey eater!)
Movies: Cars and Toy Story
Toys: Ham and Buzz Lightyear (from Toy Story) and Lightning McQueen
Colors: Green and Pink
Wearing Ballerina dresses and sparkley shoes
Cartoons: Pocoyo
Songs: The Duck Song 1, 2 and 3!
Favorite Friends: Nathan, Samantha, Elizabeth, Luis, and Brian

Current Phrases:
Not too much
Just a little bit
That's sooooo silly!
Jordan can I borrow it?

Wearing size 2T and sometimes 3T
Shoe size 6 or 7 toddler

Loves being read to and is beginning to read on her own!
Before we leave the house, she has to tell her toys staying home not to talk to eachother!
Unfortunately not potty trained yet!

And, because you know I have to mention it.....have you voted in the Vivnet Gives Back Project for Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Theraputics (FAST)? Please take a moment and click on the link on my sidebar and click to vote and help find a cure for Angelman Syndrome!

Angelman Syndrome-Finding a Cure

As many of you know, our son Little J has Angelman Syndrome. Life with an angel can be very challenging, but along with the challenges come the amazing blessings that Little J brings to our family. As of today Little J is a first grader...soon to be second grader! He is doing so well in his class at school. He loves it so much! It's so nice to see that amazing smile on his face everyday when we take him to school. It's a testament to how wonderful the teachers and aides at his school are!

Little J is becoming quite the ladies man! He is in love with the girls! He is smitten with one particular classmate. Another angel who recently moved to our area with her angel brother and family....and who would have thought that they'd end up living 8 doors away! While his heart belongs to one.....he is not opposed to having an audience of ladies...I picked him up from school for a neurology appointment one day and he happend to be on the playground holding court with 4 adorable young ladies who were chatting with he and his aide. He was very happy to have their attention and was not too please when mom dragged him off the playground.

Little J just finished up his little league season with many of his friends from school. It was wonderful to have family come out to see him play and his teacher was at quite a few of their games this year too! It was a fabulous season with G and I volunteering as team organizer and coach....all while keeping Little J out there and managing Princess J and Peanut J! Thank goodness for our friends (and you know who you are!) for helping us out with the two smaller J's at games!

Later this summer Little J will be having a heel cord lengthening surgery. Currently he is a toe walker. He's very accomplished at it, but unfortunatly over time it will be become painful for him to walk and eventually he won't be able to. We are not looking forward to this, but it has to be done. He will be in a double cast for 6 to 8 weeks! Yikes! What is my active little angel going to do! I see a bit of grumpy angel time ahead! We welcome any prayers and good thoughts as this gets closer, that mommy and daddy can handle the anxiety and the recovery and that the surgery will go smoothly and recovery will be uncomplicated and quick! We also pray that the outcome will be Little J walking flat feet on the ground and for a succesful end result! We'll keep you posted on when the surgery will take place and how it goes...but start those prayers now if you don't mind!

I hope you will take a few minutes to watch the video above that I've shared. Foundation for Angelman Theraputics (FAST) has been working hard towards finding a cure. The science is there, the research is there, but the only thing missing is money! Vivnet has been running their Vivnet gives back promotion on Facebook and currently FAST is in the finals to win a $250,000 grant! This would mean so much to the work that FAST is doing! Here is a description of FAST (taken directly from the Vivnet Gives Back Project website):

The Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics (or FAST) is an organization of families and professionals dedicated to finding a cure for Angelman Syndrome and related disorders through the funding of an aggressive research agenda, education, and advocacy. The Foundation is committed to assisting individuals living with Angelman Syndrome to realize their full potential and quality of life. We are confident that our goals are now within reach and together, with your help, we will change lives. You are our driving force; please donate generously and bring us one step closer to realizing our mission. FAST is run by an all volunteer staff and board who dedicate their time and expertise towards finding a cure for Angelman Syndrome. Our operating expenses are generated through our annual Gala and through donations specifically for that purpose. FAST does not have any paid staff. Donations otherwise generated throughout the year go directly to supporting research aimed at finding a cure. Our goal is to bring practical treatment into current medical practice as quickly as possible. It is our hope that grants we fund will lead to additional research support from government agencies and other funding sources.

You can visit FAST by clicking on the link I've shared above! You will find all kinds of information on Angelman Syndrome and their quest to find a cure!

Ok, so now that you've caught up on Little J, read a little bit about FAST and Angelman Syndrome, I need a huge favor! See the Vivnet Gives Back Project banner on the side of this revived blog? Please take a moment and click on it and vote for FAST! This program will be running for the next 10 weeks and you get one vote per day. Please bookmark it and go back and vote every single day! The little clicks of your mouse everyday for FAST could mean a cure for Angelman Syndrome and provide a roadmap for cures for may other disorders/diseases. They really believe that finding a cure for Angelman Syndrome could lead to some answers for other disorders and diseases including Alzheimers and Autism! Please help us! I know that one day I could potentially hear the sweet sound of my Little J's voice!

Reviving the Old Blogity!

Ater a very long hiatus....I'm bringing the blog back! There really needs to be at least 36 hours in the day, but I miss this blog and hope that a few of you do too! The blog will be back tomorrow with a very important post about how you can help find a cure for Angelman Syndrome.....all it takes is a click or two of your mouse! If you'd like to get a head start on helping us out you can support Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Theraputics (FAST) in the Vivnet gives back project by clicking on the link on the side of my blog! Check back tomorrow for an amazing video about FAST and Angelman Syndrome...and an update about our sweet angel Little J and how this could greatly impact him!

The Trio visits Santa! (and what I've learned this year)

Every year I learn something new when taking the kids Santa photos. This years list:

1. I think I look forward to the Santa visits more than the kids do.

2. Peanut J is definitely following in Princess J's footsteps and will be giving me more screaming Santa photos to add to my collection.

3. Little J gets to take his photo at a special holiday party put on by the United Cerebral Palsy of the Golden Gate. It's a fabulous party for children with special needs. Every year they have Santa along with "Santa's Elves" who happen to be beautiful ladies in cheerleader uniforms....last years "elves" were the Raiderettes....this years "elves" were the Warrior cheerleaders. Every year it becomes more apparent that Little J is more interested in the ladies than he is in Santa.....notice his eye gaze is not at the camera this year.

What a Princess wants for Christmas when she's 3.....

Princess J is all about Christmas this year. She completely understands the concept now and is really enjoying all of the decorations and fun things going on this month. Everyday she has to look at the Christmas tree at least 100 times. This girl does not miss anything either...she notices any new present that makes an appearance.

She wrote a sweet letter to Santa this year.....

On her wish list:
Playskool Alphie

Dora House

Pillow Pet Zippity Zebra

Pillow Pet Dinosaur

Her letter was so cute and we had our postman come to the door to pick up her letter, she was so excited to send it off to Santa! Sadly, I didn't take photos of her handing her letter to the postman, since he was running behind and it was so nice of him to come to the door for her letter.

She was not so thrilled to actually go see Santa this year. The minute we got to Santa's visiting area at the mall, she started crying. Thankfully, we were third in line when they opened. She stopped crying long enough to snap a photo with Santa....even if she had a look on her face like "please mama get me outta here!" Santa was so good to her as well. He did very well keeping her calm during the photo and then really engaged her after the photo. She took the time to ask him if he got her letter and he told her he did and that she was definitely on the good list! She was so happy to hear that!

Princess J had a school holiday party and I have photos from that coming soon!

Santa photos coming soon!

Happy Halloweenie!

Whew! What a busy week Halloween was! Yep, I said it....Halloween has now officially become a week long holiday event! Between making treats for the kiddos to take to their classes and making sure we had candy for trick or treating and costumes that fit it was a whirlwind!

First up, Princess J had two costumes! Her preschool had a little trick or treat event at the school district offices. They didn't want any costumes that were too elaborate or had any pieces to carry and keep track of. Soooo, I was very lucky to have a Tinkerbell costume in our arsenal! Grandma had purchased it for her last year to play dress up with and it hadn't fit quite yet....it came in quite handy this year! Thanks Grandma! Then, when Halloween costumes first came out, she saw this Strawberry butterfly princess and decided that was what she wanted to be. She had so much fun! She loved wearing both of her costumes and loved telling people what she was....and if they guessed wrong she loved making sure to correct them! We didn't trick or treat too far, she was done after about 10 houses. She had just as much fun handing out candy to the gazzillion kids that came to our door. It was as if someone brought a bus to our neighborhood....

Little J finally got to participate in his school Halloween parade! Yay! Last year he was so sick! He wore his Superman costume and he wore it well! Super kid, super strength and super smile! Loved his parade! Those teachers and aides work hard for those kids! Eight kids in the class and dressing all of them and keeping them all occupied while they wait their turn for the parade. They did lots of art projects leading up to Halloween too! We have lots of Little J created Halloween decorations now too!

The photos were soo hard to capture this year. Peanut J jsut wanted to make sure he had his car in his hand and was so busy watching all the other kids in the neighborhood, I had a hard time getting him to look at me! Princess J was everywhere, I couldn't keep her still for an instant! Always on the move!

Peanut J! What a fun one he was! His costume last year was so big, we thought that he might be able to wear it again this year....but it was not to be. So....while Princess J and Little J were at school we headed out to find this years costume. He tried on 4 costumes with an audience. They probably thought I was silly asking this little guy what he wanted to be....we tried on a spider, a lion, a puppy and this little monster. The spider, he wouldn't keep the hat on, the lion he hated the hood and kept pushing it around. It was one of those that was seperate from the body of the costume and it came around the whole head, so when he'd turn it around he could no longer see and would scream! Nice! The puppy he wouldn't even let me put his arms in the body...but when we put the monster on he just started smiling...along with his audience who proclaimed him the cutest monster! Without any bias, I have to agree! LOL!

All in all, Halloween was a great time! Princess J didn't want it to end. The dismantle of all the decorations inside and out brought tears and a "I want Halloween to be today again!"

I have a crafty post coming up soon too! I got crafty for Halloween for the kiddos and feel like I'm finally getting a little mojo back. More on that in another post!

{Still Here}

We are still here and all is well. This cute little smiley boy you see here is none other than Peanut J! He is finally demanding his time and place in this family. He is no longer my patient little man who just goes with the flow. It used to be that he would only scream when he was hungry....now he is using those powerful vocal cords to demand many things.....including food, changing, naps, and moving his turn in the chain up a few notches. He let us have it easy for awhile.....but he is definately taking Princess J's lead and quickly attempting to move himself to the top of the chain. The squeeky wheel gets the grease.....and welll....he's being pretty darn squeeky!

We welcome this emergence of his personality....I don't know how long Princess J is going to stand for it though!

Peanut J is doing so well. He's quickly becoming a steady walker....and we believe he is destined to be a line backer or a comedian. While Princess J steers clear of Little J and stays out of his way, Peanut J just jumps right in....if Little J is in his way he just pushes him out of the way. Little J was in prime wrestling position the other day and Peanut J jumped right on top of him. We are so proud of Little J doing his best to be gentle....sometimes his excitement gets the best of him though.....but Peanut J has no fear!

Peanut J is a great eater! Right now, his favorite thing to do is to start laughing and then stick his hand in his full mouth and come after you with his handful of food. He thinks it's quite hilarious! He also thinks it's hilarious to throw his cheerios, goldfish, or whatever item is on his tray on the floor and watch you fetch it. He literally belly laughs! Peek-a-boo is still his favorite game....he still thinks it's hilarious. He loves to watch cartoons with the kids....however his personal favorite right now is Dora the Explorer.

I'm really trying to get back in the groove here and have some fun stuff to post coming up soon!

{Fairyland}

This post is LONG overdue!

I remember my dad and my grandma taking me to Children's Fairyland when I was a little girl. I've been dying to take the kids myself! I have so many good memories of coming here. Lots of puppet shows, exploring my favorite fairytales and the prized magic key!

It was quite funny to enter through the old shoe that was once the ticket booth when I was little and enter the newly renovated ticket booth. Upon entering, I was struck by how little everything is, when my memories picture everything so much bigger! I know, I know, it's because I was so little then that it seemed so big!

What was so wonderful, is that overall, everything is exactly the same. The magic key, the little blue boxes and my little Princess was just mesmerized. She was running everywhere....and she held on to that magic key with every bit of strength she had! She didn't care to stick the key in the blue boxes, but she loved the key! LOL!

While Princess J was running everywhere and hard to keep up with, Peanut J was just taking it all in. Just looking at everyone and everything! He was even distracted enough to drink his milk instead of formula...after he'd been fussing for days over the change. Little J, loved looking at stuff, but after awhile his friend Stephanie (our respite care helper) took him over to the open grass area and let him loose to wrestle and kick his legs up. It was perfect!

I can't wait to take Princess J back and now that Peanut J is a bit more moble, letting him explore some too....outside of the stroller.

Melting HOT!

We've been complaining for days....okay months about where our summer has gone....it's here now! HOLY MOLY it's been HOT! While summer overheats the outside, we're staying nice and cool inside with the AC! Tomorrow the heat is supposed to break and we'll get some cool Bay Area weather back. I like hot, but not melting hot! Since this is the last week of summer vacation (well vacation for Little J) we're planning to do something fun tomorrow. On tap is either a trip to Fairyland or Fisherman's Warf. So look for some touristy photos tomorrow!

Love these little close up shots I got of Princess J the other day. Her favorite thing right now is to wear a "ballerina dress" and you can't forget the princess lip gloss! Too cute!

The Whole Enchilada!

This post should be titled "The Works Burger" or something else more fitting. These 3 beautiful faces have been keeping us super busy! I used to LOVE summer break when I was in school, but now I'm not so sure why they call it summer break.....we're not getting any break....as a matter of fact we're counting down the days until school starts back up again and we can get back into a routine groove! It's not just G and I counting down the days, but I think Little J is too! Princess J is looking forward to going back to preschool as well. She misses her friend Brian! LOL! Already chasing after the boys!

Soooo....here are the updates:

Little J- OMG! He is going to be a FIRST GRADER this year! Wow! He is doing really well right now. He is full of energy and always on the move. He loves his brother and sister....and most of the time you can see it in his behavior. Often times if we are trying to do something with Little J that he needs to be still for we have to ask Princess to leave the room, because he is so excited to see her! They do have their sibling moments where they torture each other but most of the time they are happy to see each other. Little J is very in tune to Princess J's emotions. On many occasions if Princess J gets in trouble.....Little J ends up crying....he hates it when we get mad at her!

Some favorites:

Foods:

COOKIES (any kind)!

Fruit (apples, grapes, and melons)

Carrots

Movies:

Monsters Inc.

Planet 51

TV shows

The Upside Down Show: Every night for an hour we hear complete and full belly laughs over this show! We need to find the DVD's for this show!

Princess J: We are in the midst of the "horrifying 3's" She is on her own program and thinks that this is the Princess J show. Every other word out of her mouth is NO! Some of the things she says are hilarious and you almost wonder where she gets this stuff from. The other day she told me "Let's go clean my room!" Um...yeah...okay...I said "Let's go!" We get to her room and she says okay mommy...you clean, I'll play! HILARIOUS!

She tells me when I'm not doing something the right.....No mommy...that's not right! LOL! Like when I tried singing "The Wheels on the Bus" for her....sigh.....LOL!

She's always looking out for her brothers! She's very intuitive to what they want...especially Little J. He drops toys and she goes to get them for him. She loves to help put Peanut J to bed at night and she tells them she loves them.

She's still the pickiest eater on the planet....to the point of frustration. Thankfully, she drinks her instant breakfast drink without tantrum and she loves to eat fruit....although don't you dare leave skin on the apple! OY!

Everyday she asks for McDonalds!

Princess J favorites:

McDonalds

Playing dress up

Vanilla wafers

Her Hello Kitty wellies

Shoes

Purses

anything sparkly!

Caillou

Sprout

Chica (on Sprout)

Team Umizoomi

Dislikes:

Sesame Street....I really don't get this one...but everyday she tells me "I don't like it!" and brings me the remote to change the channel. She does like Elmo and the rest of the characters...but only in books and magazines...hmmmmmm....

Peanut J: OMG! This little man is 1! I cannot even believe it! What a sweet little wiggle worm he is! He is always on the move! He is getting ready to walk...he's working on it...he gets a few steps and then falls at this point. He seems to love almost any food we put in front of him.....but he's not really liking the transition from formula to regular milk....He puts up with 6 oz formula/2 oz milk mix....but he puts his foot down at 4oz formula/4oz milk......we'll keep working on it though.

Peanut J is really loving Sesame Street! Sigh......can't get Princess J to watch it....so sometimes it's a battle.

With school starting for both Little J full time from 8am to 2:30 in the afternoon and Princess J going to preschool 3 days a week....I am finally going to have some one on one time with Peanut J! I'm looking for a baby gym program for him to start! Princess J also wants to be a ballerina right now, so I think we're going to look for a little dance class for her and see how it goes. She is really blossoming right now. Her speech is coming along well and she's VERY GOOD at expressing herself. She has an amazing imagination and plays so well by herself as well as finding it easy to make new friends. She tries to make friends everywhere......doctors offices, restaurants...anywhere! She'll talk to any kid...thank goodness she won't just talk to any adult! LOL!

To clarify my last post....there is no fetus J in the oven at this time, nor do I anticipate one. Our plan is that Peanut is our last one....this makes me a little sad as I miss that itty bitty baby stage and I am a little sad that I won't be preggo again....but when I feel a little misty over it...reality smacks me on the forehead! My last post was about how last year we had two independent little ones on the outside and 1 little bun in the oven...it was much easier to take of 2 kids and 1 in utero rather than 3 independent beings! LOL!

All 3 of my J's are amazing little kids in their own ways. G and I are very blessed to have each and every one of them. We are so proud of each of them.

Coming Back Soon!

The best laid plans don't always come out the way you thought. Summer break got here faster than I anticipated and with 3 kids this year instead of 2 and 1 baking in the oven it's been crazy! I'll be back this weekend with an update on all the J's and a special Happy Birthday to our 1 year old Peanut J!

Happy 4th!

Yes, I know there is one kid missing. Just couldn't get a share worthy photo....

Don't worry Little J fans...a Little J post is on it's way and I promise sweet photos!

This was Peanut J's first 4th of July! I can't believe a year ago I was still ubber preggo with him and telling him every day to stay put until his planned arrival date...sniff...sniff....I really can't believe that he's almost a year old already! Yikes! Where has the year gone?

We've been super busy lately! Little J is enjoying his extended summer school and Princess J is missing her school. Hopefully we'll have a play date soon with her BFF Brian from school! She seriously did not like boys when she started school....but Brian's sweet nature and a little persistence has paid off. He is adorable and sweet! Peanut J is getting into his groove. He is obsessed with the remote control....nothing can stop that boy from trying to obtain and control! He is all over the place these days....that kid can crawl fast! He's cruising around and testing the water balancing on both feet. He's braving the step taking, but ends up on his booty 90% of the time.

With Little J's new respite caregiver, we've been able to take a few adventures! Last week, we hit the zoo and the fair after Little J got out of school. The kids had a blast! Pictures of those outings coming soon too.

Coming soon:

Zoo Outing!

Fair Outing!

Little J graduates from Kindergarten!

Peanut J is 11 months!

Princess J is divalicious and knows what she wants!

....and probably a few other things I'm forgetting!

We Walked (and rode) for Angels!

May panned out to be a very busy month for us. Little J's social calender is in full swing and is keeping the rest of us on the move! So, I can't believe that I've waited until now to blog about The Angelman Syndrome Foundation walk-a-thon!

One of the most important events for us every year now is the ASF walk in Sacramento. Not only is it a chance for us to raise some money and awareness, but it is also an opportunity to gather together with other families to share accomplishments, tips and tricks, offer support to one another, meet new families and just have an all out good time. How could you not have a great time at an event with the happiest kids on earth!

This year 2 of the 3 little ones walked the event (or at least part of it). Last year all of them were pulled and pushed or just carried along for the ride in utero. Princess J had a great time giving Auntie Kristin a run for her money as she collected every stick and rock she could find....until she discovered the lake and tried making a run for it! Auntie Kristin knows every trick in the book though and was quickly between her and the lake!

Little J did amazing using his walker to complete a portion of the course and peanut J just went with the flow and made the day easy on us! He even squeezed in his nap while a live band belted out some fun tunes to dance to!

Every year our team of walkers grows! This year, we were lucky to have Auntie Kristin and Grandma and Grandpa Wells join us for the fun!

Maybe YOU can join us next year!