I don't want to forget....

AC's been wanting to watch "The Sound of Music" quite a bit lately. She'll come and ask "Can I watch your movie mama?" She really likes the "Doe, a deer.." song, probably b/c the kids sing with Maria. Anyway, enjoy! :) It's pretty cute!

2 Corinthians 1: 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. (ESV) As I was sitting in EK's room tonight waiting for her to fall asleep, the above verse came to my mind. Paul reminded the believers in Corinth that he and his companions were going through a lot of hardship, primarily so they would rely on God, not themselves. Right before this verse, Paul says that God has delivered them and will continue to deliver them, but that his brothers and sisters in Christ must pray for them. I know this is a little out of context, but I am so thankful for the prayers lifted this week on our behalf. It's humbling! I know it's not an accident that EK has had a fantastic week. You have had a part in this journey as you've prayed for us. Now, you can give thanks to God, the creator and sustainer of life, for his blessings.

3 days down, 2 days to go. Yesterday was another great day! EK had ABA therapy in the morning and yesterday was the first time she did the whole 2 hours out in the big room. **A little background...when we started the director could tell she was a very anxious child, so she had EK work with her therapist in a side room. The director wasn't worried about EK being a distraction to the other kids, she just wanted EK to be comfortable. The big room is divided by half walls and all the kids are in there. The younger kids are on one side and the bigger kids on another. It's noisy, but the point of having them work there is so they learn how to work through distractions. I'm not sure how much work EK got done yesterday. I was just excited that she tried her best in a new situation and wasn't upset. :) Preschool was fantastic as well! To recap just a few things that happened: *she sat at a table with her friends and worked on a puzzle with minimal prompts *she's doing rea...

Because our schedule is busy with EK's school and therapy, AC's naps have taken a backseat. Sometimes she'll sleep in the car on the way to/way home from therapy. Most of the time, she tells me she doesn't need a nap b/c she's not tired. There's pros and cons. A pro to "no nap" is that she's in bed by 8pm each night. I like that! A con to "no nap" is that she's a bear to be around 4pm on until bedtime. A con to "taking a nap" is that she's not ready for bed until 9:30 and even then, she's not wanting to go to bed yet. Apparently, the other day, she really didn't want to go to bed, but she couldn't stay awake any longer. I love that she's still holding the marker! Love this girl! :)

Wow! What a long day! I am one tired mama. Apparently EK was tired too because she was out in about 15 minutes tonight. Today was the first day of our new schedule. EK is now going to ABA therapy 3 mornings a week from 9-11am. Since I had no idea what traffic would be like at that time of day, we left at 8am. We got there at 8:40 (WAY too early) so we drove around for a bit. It's nice to know that I don't have to leave right at 8am or that we can run an errand or two on the way. EK had one of her favorite therapists this morning. Erin said that she worked well. She also noted that EK was making quite a few different sounds. We've noticed that too. No real words yet, but lots of babbling. I'm scared to get too excited about it, but it's more than we've heard in several months. Her sounds aren't necessarily meaningful, for instance, she's saying "ma-ma-ma" but it's not to get my attention. She DOES think it's funny when you imitate her th...

EK is going to a brand new school this year. Our district built a school that is only for 3-5 year olds. Programs like PPCD, STAAC (the PPCD for autism), and Pre-K will attend here. It's a really neat building. Everything is made so it's accessible to kids who are preschool age...things like bathrooms, water fountains, white boards, etc. So, tonight was "Meet the Teacher" but since we already know Ms. Sharla and Ms. Cecelia, it was more of "Meet your new school". It was good for EK to go up there, so it's not completely new on Monday. I talked about how we were going to see Ms. Sharla. I had EK walk in as we pushed AC in the stroller (mainly so I had a place to shove the supplies). I had no idea how she'd do, but thought it was worth a try. She did FANTASTIC! We saw her friend A in the hallway and stopped to say hi. (I'm so thankful that A is in her class. EK really likes him.) EK lost it when we walked in the classroom. I'm sure she wasn...

This morning I received a phone call from Ms. Sharla telling me that EK is in her class!! I'm am so relieved and thankful! God is so good! :) I knew His plan would be perfect, but it was hard not knowing. Now, we can get excited about starting school a week from Monday! She's also with 2 of her friends from last year. :) EK will go in the afternoons, which is what I had requested. Thanks for all the prayers! I am one happy mama! :)

Keith and I had been anticipating our trip to San Diego for several weeks. Our church wanted to do something special for us since Keith celebrated his 5th year as senior pastor in May. We were a little apprehensive about leaving the girls. The last time Keith and I left EK was when AC was born, almost 3 years ago. It's just so much harder to do something like this with a special needs child. My parents were VERY gracious to stay with them! I know they are resting up from this busy week! ;) Anyway, we left on Monday morning. We arrived in San Diego mid-afternoon and had some time to relax in our hotel before we met my extended family for dinner. Here's our room...the bed faced the ocean! :) Here's a view from our balcony. I don't think I could ever tire of looking at that! Here we are at Miguel's with my aunt, uncle, 2 cousins and my sweet 2nd cousin Tuesday morning we decided to do some exploring In case you missed the above photo...this is Old Point Loma lighthous...