10 Reasons Not to Use Self-Tanners

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

HELP!!! I'm a zebra!

First Haircuts!

(LK at 2 years)

(Shep at 7 months)

(Fisch at 10 months)

Shepherd - 6 Month ECI Review

Today, Shepherd had a 6 month review with his ECI services. The purpose is to look at the goals we set at his initial evaluation and determine where he is at at reaching those goals and if needed set new goals for the next 6 months. 

I am so happy to report that Shepherd has met all of his goals that we originally set, which is a HUGE deal! 

What this looks like for us on a practical, daily level:

-- Shepherd has increased his vocabulary over 50 words!

-- He follows simple one step directions 

-- He engages in adult-led activities, most of the time without frustration

-- He has decreased his balloon fixation

-- His overall frustration levels have decreased as he has learned to communicated his wants and needs using words

-- He has increased his independent play

So today, we set new goals to work towards reaching. His next evaluation will be in December where he will be reevaluated to see if he even still qualifies for ECI services. 

We are so proud of our sweet boy, and thankful to the Lord for tangible and visible growth in Shepherd's development. Thank you for joining us in praying for Shepherd.

AMEN!!

Summer Fun

Our strategy to pass the time while daddy is gone: have as much fun as physically possible!

McKinney Splash Pads

(Aviator Park)

Whoever invented the splash pad....genius!

I knew there were some in McKinney but didn't know exactly where. So I did a little research and found the McKinney parks page where they link to each park individually and tell you the amenities at each park and a map to get there. But there is no convenient list of only the parks with a splash pad. So you have to click through each park page until you find one close to you. Lucky for you, I'm willing to share my findings so you don't have to.... you're welcome.

Al Ruschhapt Soccer Complex

• Phase 1 - 1986 Park View Avenue
• Phase 2 - 2701 Northbrook Drive 

Ash Woods
10301 John F. Kennedy Blvd. (Independence & Westridge)

Aviator
1201 Monticello Drive (N. Custer & Virginia)

Finch Park
301w. Standifer Street (S. McDonald & Lousiana)

Horizon Park
401 Flatrock Drive (Virginia & Lake Forest)

Inspiration Park
4212 Shawnee Drive (75 & Weston)

John M. Whisenant
3701 Hudson Crossing (Eldorado & Ridge)

Keep calm and splash on!

Roly Poly Hunting

(written by the SBOAM)

As the sun broke over the rooftop of our house, the three hunters were already bearing down on their unsuspecting prey. An overnight storm had given the land much-needed moisture, and the targets had come out to feast. What these animals didn't know was that there were three pairs of watchful eyes waiting to pluck them from their abodes, putting them in jars to behold for hours to come. So was the first of many mornings the Wiley Scouts have already had, hunting roly-polys in the backyard.

A few weeks ago, I ("the Daddy" / SBOAM / Kyle) was having one of "those" mornings with the oldest two of our brood and was trying to think of something for them to do. I'm opposed to plopping them down in front of the television, so I was looking for something that might possibly get them outside (but, in all honesty, one that wouldn't require me to do much along the lines of pushing them on the swings or anything like that, as I still had some work stuff to wrap up). As I let them roam around the backyard, we began to see just how many of the polypedal animals were rummaging around our patio. Every sighting prompted an excited shriek from Shepherd, followed by an "Awwwww…they're so cute!" from the Princess.

Having no place to put these critters, I quickly rounded up some small glass Mason jars where they would be right at home. Grasping their "traps" with both hands, the glorious hunters were soon stooped over with eyes on the ground like some wilderness trackers, looking for the slow movements of these little dark-grey friends. After a while of hunting on the patio, though, we struck a treasure-trove of the roly-poly populace, a relative pillbug Mecca.

We have a corner bed full of mint and decaying fallen leaves from our Bradford pear. It's also a great place for shade and moisture…two things that roly-polys love most. When we happened upon a few hundred of the bugs crawling in, on and around the retaining stones, we knew we'd struck gold.

Not only gold, though…who would have known how many different-colored pillbugs we would find on this excursion? Ranging from dark-grey to almost white, mottled, polka-dotted, and one half-and-half (seriously…like one of those little pills from the game, Dr. Mario), the diversity of our roly-polys will one day be legendary. As will the abilities of the two Wiley Scouts who earned their merit badges these past few days in Roly-Poly Life Cycles.

Biology, botany, relationship building and hunting…all in a day's work for the Wiley Scouts.

Dear Laura Kate (5 Years, Pre-K Graduation, and Dance Recital)

Dear Laura Kate,

I remember when I was pregnant with you and having to learn the hard truth that you are not mine, but you belong to the Lord. And all five years of your life I have struggled to try and take you as mine instead of trusting you with Him. He is faithful to gracefully remind me that you belong to Him and that He is creating a beautiful work in you. So as the calendar pages turned and you turned five and I started thinking about you starting kindergarten and you growing up to be the queen of the world and my heart started beating fast and flashes of your sweet newborn cheeks flashed across my mind and memories of your first steps and sounds of your giggles and squeals of delight ran through my ears and the clock kept speeding by and tears rolled down my cheeks....and again the Lord's sweet voice pierced my heart and reminded me yet again: she's. mine. Oh yeah. You are His. And He made you. And He loves you far more than I could ever fathom. Oh. Yeah.

There are many things you are afraid of right now: hair dryers, fire alarms, hair brushing, new foods, automatic toilet flushers, spiders, the occasional house fly...pretty much anything new. My biggest prayers for you as you grow are that the Lord would grow you into a woman much like the Proverbs 31 woman. The Bible says that she was not afraid and that she laughed at the days to come. So my little  princess ballerina, I am praying that the Lord would miraculously transform your heart to fear nothing but Him. 

- We will know how much you weigh and how tall you are in a couple weeks when we go for your 5 yr. well check

- You wear size 5T in clothes and size 9.5 in shoes. 

- You still amazingly take a nap 50% of the time.
- You sleep 10-11 hours most nights
- You love to read and have started reading your first chapter books (yes, really)
- You love to play doctor and hospital
- You love to dance and sing
- One of your favorite things is to play outside
- You help mommy by feeding Fischer his breakfast in the morning
- Most of the time you like to play with Shepherd

You will always be my first baby and I am so thankful that the Lord saw fit to trust you to me and your daddy. You are so loved, little one. And I can't wait to laugh at the days to come with you!

Love,
Mommy

Fifth Birthday Party
For your fifth birthday, we had a rainbow art party. We invited a few friends over and Grammy and G-G came into town for the weekend. We made rainbow cakes in jars, rainbow fruit-kabobs, and rainbow flavored water. We painted on canvases and opened presents. It was so fun and you loved it!

Pre-K Graduation

Dance Recital