Christmas 2017

Several years ago we decided that Christmas would always be spent at home with our family of four. It's our children's home and its important to us that they get to be there for important holidays. This year, Pepere was given a terminal diagnosis. We decided that we would go to Atlanta and have one last holiday with him. To accommodate this we had to have our big Christmas morning at home a few days early. Two days before Christmas the girls went to be like they would on Christmas Eve. We did the usual leaving our cookies and milk for Santa. The next morning we had our Christmas morning. The nice thing about it being early is that we didn't have the usual phone calls from the well meaning Grandparents. The girls spent several hours opening new toys, clothes, stockings and the playing for the rest of the afternoon. That evening we went to church for the Christmas Eve-Eve service. Once we got home we had to get to bed early since our flight was early the next morning.

On Christmas eve we flew to Atlanta. The girls were very excited to see their Grandparents, Aunt and Uncles and cousins. Over the next few days we hung out at Nana's making memories. Addison and Pepere were even able to spend time cuddling with their bear-bears. One day we went to the Cabbage Patch Hospital. The girls were able to watch the babies bloom and visit the different hospital rooms. Another night the girls stayed with Nana and Pepere while Justin and I went to top golf with some of Justin's brothers. It was a fun week in Atlanta.

The Fall

The school year is flying by. Alexa had a rough patch at the beginning of first grade. Since then, she has flourished. She is making friends and doing great academically. Alexa has been enjoying soccer, gymnastics, AWANA and piano lessons. In soccer she has been improving in playing defense. She is evening trying out for a competitive team later in the fall. Gymnastics is just a recreational class that is just for fun. She is enjoying being with Addy & Maanya. Piano lessons have been continuing as usual. She had her second recital and is starting to learn how to use her foot pedal. Her teacher is heading on a tour in Europe. Alexa will have a fill in teacher for the next several months.

Addison has been enjoying school since day 1. She seems to be making friends among the other students. Her teachers as well as the other staff always rave about her. She enjoys Spanish class, music and now ballet. She also enjoys going to AWANA, soccer & gymnastics. She is looking forward to going full day and signing up for more enrichment classes.

Alexa June is 7!

My first born is 7 years old. In the last year, Alexa has really matured. She no longer does the preschool type behaviors. She is socially aware of her actions and is more emotionally in touch with her own feelings. She is a bubbly, talkative and sweet girl. At school she has taken on a leader role (probably because she is one of the older ones). She is smart, focused and motivated. Sometimes she does talk during class, but she is working on that. At recess she enjoys monkey bars, hiding in seek and other group activities. She seems to play mostly with girls but a big variety of them. Lunch is still a challenge for Alexa. She eats through her lunch time and usually with the next lunch as well (when 1st graders are playing). It is more important to me that she is eating her lunch, then getting a third recess each day. 

Alexa is involved in lots of activities. She enjoys soccer. Her best position is defense, followed by goalie. She does gymnastics with her sister during the week as well. It's a good physical, indoor activity for her. She likes it because it doesn't involve running. Alexa has piano lessons one day a week, and she practices on her own every other day. She is getting ready to have her second recital in just a few weeks. Both girls are also still in AWANA. This is the first year Justin and I are volunteering. It's a lot of fun to spend the evening with the girls in this environment. Alexa is learning lots of verses and how to use the virtues she is being taught. Lastly, Alexa is joining a Lego FIRST team. It's STEAM+ based and ran by an engineer. We are excited to see how she enjoys this one.

Alexa is 45 inches tall and 40lbs! She is taking after her Momma in size, but still growing as she should. She is still on the charts and expected to be over 5 feet tall. We will see if that happens before too long. 

Alexa is a sweet sister and daughter. We are so proud of the girl she is becoming. She goes out of her way to show kindness and be helpful. Lastly, Alexa LOVES to read. I cannot keep a book out of her hand. I know it sounds silly but sometimes I want her to get out a play. She prefers reading and rereading her books. Currently she is working her way through the Puppy Palace series. 

Alexa's birthday was celebrated at school with a class donation of a game and then prizes for her friends. She gave eraser puzzles. They were a hit. Her actually birthday fell on a soccer day. We brought cupcakes for her team. The following weekend we had her party at Pump-It-Up-Poway! Alexa had a fantastic time with all her friends. 

First day of School

Addison started back at school first. She is starting a new school for the third year in a row. Unfortunately the school we had her in last year was not the best fit for her. I felt she needed more structure and more academic focus to get her ready for kindergarten (or Transitional Kindergarten if he decide to hold her). Addison is now going to school at our church. The school has preschool through 12th grade. It's a fantastic school and we are even considering moving Alexa there at some point. For now, Addison is in the pre-k program with the intent of sending her to Alexa's public school next year.

Addison's school has cute uniforms. Addison wasn't excited about them at first, but now knows they means it's a school day and she doesn't complain. They also make our mornings a bit easier. Addison's class has 16 kids in it with two teachers. She LOVES her teachers as well as her best friend named Danica. It was a huge relief that she took to school so easily. We have only received positive feedback from her teachers. Addison is also eating lunch at school everyday. The last two years she has had a few lunches at school but not consistently. This year she packs a snack and a lunch. I like the independence it is teaching her. It should also make the transition into kindergarten a little easier. She has learned the pledge of allegiance and several other fun facts (like how many bones cats have).

The only complaint from Addison is that she is one of the first to leave each day. The school options are until 12:30 or 2:30. I opted for the 12:30 pick up since she is now going 5 days (compared to 3 days last year). However, I made a deal with her that if she stops having accidents then she can stay all day. Win-win?

Alexa started this week. She found out her teacher name and the kids in her class a few days prior. I could tell she had some mixed feelings. This is her first year at the same school back to back years. She ended up with one close friend in the class, 1 child who challenges her academically (she likes this) and 2 others she wasn't friends with from her kindergarten class. She had 6-8 good friends from kindergarten and has hoping more of them would have been in her first grade class. She was very excited to be back on the first day. She has been playing with her friends from last year, but also starting to make new friends. Her class has two new students. One of them lives in our neighborhood. We have already had one play date and have a second one planned. Not a bad first week.

I cannot believe my girls are at school everyday. I am a bit lost but finding my new identity. Overall I am just happy that the girls are happy, healthy and thriving.

Addison Alena age 4

My baby is 4!!!! What a year its been for our Addy-Lu. The early part of the year Addison went through behavioral testing. She was diagnosed with anxiety as well as a sensory processing disorder. One day at a time we learned what this meant and how to best help our peanut. Addison went through OT (currently still does it twice a month), speech therapy and a behaviorist. Since she had so much happening all at once its hard to say what had the biggest impact. What I do know is that my stressed, frustrated and unhappy little girl learned how to enjoy life. She blossomed into a sweet and kind child that is able to have FUN For the first time in her short life. The pain of watching your child struggle (even in small ways) is more then I could have ever imagined. Hearing Addison say, I don't know how to have fun, made my heart skip a beat. The challenges of last year are something I never expected but being on the outside of it, I look back in awe. Addison today is a completely different child then she was a year or two years ago.

We have always loved her with all our hearts. But to see her HILARIOUS personality come out, is a dream come true. My little girl is full of love and a caring heart. She has more friends then I could have ever prayed for. Addison loves to play sports, sing and dance. She is quickly learning how great school is. She is learning basic math and beginning to read. Her future looks bright and I am blessed to have a front row seat of everything she will accomplish in her life.

I certainly don't want to sugar coat where we are at today. Addison still has her struggles. Some things are just harder for her. We are working the best we can to help where needed. Right now we are focused on confidence building and problem solving as well as handling her anxiety. Her very strong willed personality can be an accent in the future... for now its a bit of a challenge, but one I will gladly face over and over again.

My hope for Addison is that she knows how much her Momma loves her and will always do whatever it takes for her to learn her possibilities are endless. Bring on age 4!

VBS

Our church has VBS for kindergarten through 6th grade. They also have a preschool program for volunteers kids. Since we want to get more involved I decided I would volunteer so Addy could also attend.

The girls were very excited on the first, early morning. Alexa was a little shy but quickly found some friends. Addy jumped right into her class and had a fantastic time. I was assigned to snack, but also helped with registration. It was a good fit for all three of us.

During the day I didn't see Addy at all. She does report every detail of her day. She especially likes games, music and the yummy snacks. I do get to see Alexa during open program, when her group comes for snack and then closing program.

On Wednesday the girls had water day. Alexa was able to enjoy the 75 foot water slide, water balloons and a slip and slide. Addy's group was suppose to use the tiny pools to refill their sprayers. Addy decided she was going to jump in and swim. She was soaking wet in her VBS clothes. I brought her a swimsuit, but they didn't think she was going to need it. (They clearly don't know Addy very well). Overall, water day was a huge success for both girls.

Addy's favorite parts of VBS were the chickens (Dolly & Holly) and the bounce house. She also really enjoyed the youth leaders. Alexa enjoyed games and the youth leaders. Whenever I would see her group, I could spot Alexa by looking between her two favorite girls. She was always holding their hands or cuddling. When the week came to a close, we were all a little sad. It was a great week and we look forward to participating in it again next year.

Family Vacation

After two and a half years living in California we decided it was time to visit more of the state we call home. We started our trip up the coast with a stop in Disney Land. We knew the girls would enjoy it and it would get some of their energy out. We quickly found out that Addison reached 40 inches on some rides with the right gym shoes and poofy hair. The park was not that busy and we were able to sneak in several rides before the heat picked up. Addison's first big ride was Space Mountain. She was pretty scared and didn't enjoy it very much. However once she told the girls at Star Tours that she did Space Mountain and they were impressed, her memory of the ride changed. She then went on to tell anyone who would listen that she rode the Mountain ride. A highlight of the first day was Splash Mountain. This is a ride I rode as a young child and have fond memories on.

The second day we went to California Adventures. Addison rode Soarin two times and loved it. We also did Cars twice and enjoyed riding as a family. The frozen show was a nice break from the 95* heat. Alexa and I snuck away to ride the water ride while Justin and Addy went on the Little Mermaid. At the end of the night we walked back over to Disney Land to watch the parade and firework show. The parade was great but the fireworks were cancelled.

The third day we went back to the parks until after lunch. Then we started our drive up to Monterrey. The next few days we explored Carmel and Monterrey. We drove the 17 mile scenic drive. We played on the rocks and near the water in Carmel. Back in Monterrey we rode a surrey, walked through Cannery Row and ate dinner on the water. It was a cute town and I am glad we stopped through.

On day six we finished our drive north to San Francisco. We were all very impressed by the buildings, public transportation and beautiful bridges. We visited the Golden Gate Bridge by way of ferry. We saw whales under the bridge. We also went to the museum Exploritorium, Children's Museum, China Town and Fisherman's Warf. Alexa was called on stage to help a magician and the girls enjoyed a two story carousel. Justin's highlight was probably our visit to the original Ghiradelli ice cream shop.

After three days in San Francisco we drove down to our last stop, Santa Barbara to visit Jeff & Marie. We spent the weekend at the Children's Museum, on the pier and play games. Marie started to teach Addy Set. The grown ups played a fun game on the xbox (maybe it's playstation) as well as BanaGrams. The weather was great and the food was delicious. We plan to go back again soon.

Summer Break

We blinked and the school year came to a close. The last few weeks were tough on both girls. Addy was unsure of what the change of her schedule was going to mean. Alexa was sad about not seeing her friends everyday.

Alexa's class had several events planned. It started with her Kindergarten program. All four classes put on a show for the parents. They wore they custom made shirts and looked adorable. Then they had their end of the year party at the park. The kids presented Ms. Ho with her gift. They also played with bubbles and ate a ton of popsicles. The last day of school the entire school had a family picnic. Addy and I arrived with food and a blanket. We had a fun time playing and socializing for the last time. 30 seconds before the official replace the principal counted down. All the school cheered when they were released for the summer. Alexa hugged her friends and had a tough time.

Addy's last day was a little different. She didn't have a big party or fancy count down. They did however have fun themes and dress up days. Addy enjoyed Hawaiian day. On the last day, Addy said good bye but didn't really grasp what that meant.

Once school was out we quickly established our new summer norm. The girls spend a little time in the morning doing their summer school work. Then we usually have some sort of play date in the afternoon. Every other week we have either a camp or a vacation planned. It will make the 10 weeks fly by.

Summer is such a special time for me as a Mom. I know our summers together are coming to an end. So I am making the most of the last ones we have.

Flower Girls

Alexa and Addison were asked to be flower girls in Justin's cousins wedding over Memorial Day weekend. We were very excited and eagerly said yes. In February we went dress shopping. Caitlin gave her opinion on dresses and we all agreed on which one looked the best on the girls. The girls waited patiently for over a month for the dresses to arrive. Next we picked out mini high heals, hair pieces and rehearsal dresses.

The weekend for the wedding arrived quickly. We packed up and traveled on a red eye. Luckily both girls got a lot of sleep between napping after school, sleeping on the plane and then in the car on the way to the hotel. Alexa fell asleep before we even boarded the plane. Addison fell asleep after take off and slept on the floor on Alexa's nap mat.

Once we arrived we hurried to the rehearsal. The girls looked adorable in their dresses and fancy hair. They did everything they were asked and had a good time. Afterwards we went to the rehearsal dinner. The girls enjoyed playing with their cousins and coloring pictures with the junior bridesmaid.

The next morning we were all up early for wedding events. The girls delivered flowers to the bride and then off we went to get ready. We had lots of time so run around and use up some energy before they got their hair and make up done. The girls looked and felt like princesses in their dresses. They took lots of pictures before the ceremony. The both walked down the aisle perfectly. Neither wanted to stand up front. The both sat with us and then went back up when it ended. They walked into the reception as they were asked. Then danced for hours!!! Addy cried when it was over because she wanted to go to a second party.

All in all it was a great weekend.

Speech Graduation

Addison started speech therapy in October of 2015. She tested about 4-5 months behind in her speech at the age two. We were told she could benefit from 12 sessions with the therapist.  She went weekly for 7 months to Katie. She worked on action words and generally sounds. Then she progressed to group sessions with a boy named Andre for a few months. Andre and Addy learned to engage with each other and use their words to communicate. In September of 2016, Addy went back to individual sessions with Katie. She focused on a few specific sounds. Around the same time, Addy was evaluated through our school district for therapy. She qualified for speech and started immediately. The school set up is very different from Katie's office. At school she goes twice a week with a group of 10 kids and 3-4 teachers.

Around March of 2017, Justin and I noticed that Addy was accomplishing all her goals. We knew our sessions were scheduled to end with Katie in May. Katie gave us the option of continuing through the summer or finishing. After a few weeks of testing, it was confirmed that Addy was speaking above her age level. We felt it was time to "graduate." Addy's last day of speech was last week. It was a bitter sweet moment. Katie did so much to change Addy's path and we are forever grateful.

The school district is also graduating Addy. We decided for her personally it was best for her to finish the school year. So she is still going twice a week for a few more weeks, even though they aren't working on age appropriate sounds. We are all so proud and excited for Addy.

Behaviorist Graduation

Addison has been seeing a behaviorist since October. Our weekly visits to Susan have been amazing. We have learned to identify Addison's behavior that are caused by sensory imbalances and which ones are just normal 3 year old behavior. This has allowed us to learn how to respond to her. Not only has it made parenting easier, it has also helped Addy learn boundaries. Since she doesn't get away with some behaviors she used to, she is a much happier kid. 

Susan taught Addy and I proper disciplinary actions as well as strategies to coop with the sensory side. Her guidance and wisdom will never be forgotten. 

Susan and Addy created a very special bond over the last six months. Addy looked forward to seeing her and telling her about her week and any "big feelings" that arose since our last visit. They spend an hour a week playing games, exploring the doll house and checking on her animals at the vet. I believe Addy looked at this time like an other play date.

On Addy's last day, Susan brought cupcakes, connect 4 and a stuffed kitty cat. The gifts were exactly what Addy would have picked out if she did it herself. It just solidified how well Susan knows Addy.

We will miss our Tuesdays but know Susan is off helping the next child.

Spring Break

Spring break started with a short visit from Nana. The girls enjoyed swimming, going to build a bear and seeing the movie Boss Baby. Pepere was even able to join us for one night. Addy was extra excited to see him. Once they left, Justin also left for a drill weekend.

The girls and I started our few days alone. We went to Legoland for the first time in 16 months. We enjoyed riding some of the larger rides that Addy was unable to do the last time we were there. Later in the week we went again with Fiona, Kate & Gregory. Alexa and Gregory were able to ride a few rides without having an adult with them. They really enjoyed that. Addy and Kate enjoyed driving school together. At the end of the week we went to Legoland for a third time with Justin. We enjoyed some fun family time.

Easter weekend came at the end of our week. On Good Friday we went to church. On Saturday Papa & Ms. Barb joined us at the neighborhood egg hunt. Both girls came home with tons of eggs and balloon animals. Alexa also had her face painted into a butterfly. Later that day we went to Pacific Beach and got Italian ice. Easter morning the girls did their annual egg hunt through the house before we all went to church. After church we had brunch at a yummy restaurant before our visitors left.

As always I was sad to send the girls back to school. Only 2 more months until summer break.

Big Bear

Most Southern California residents have been to Big Bear at least once in the winter. We have been wanting to see what all the talk was about for a few years. This year we finally made a time work. We were able to get a military cabin for 2 nights. Since we were the first to check in we were able to pick our cabin. We chose the one closest to the big sledding hills and the one most secluded. The cabin had a cute living room with fireplace, a kitchen and a sitting area. Upstairs was a loft that had two beds for the girls. The master room was downstairs. Both nights we heard a lot of outdoor sounds that kept us awake. Since we have never lived in a single home, it was a near experience for us all.

We arrived at Big Bear at 8 am on Monday morning. We had breakfast at a popular restaurant. The girls shared a single pancake that was over 18 inches in diameter. It was quite the experience. Next we went tubing. I bundled the girls in multiple layers of pants, shirts, then all the snow gear including hats, gloves and scarves. It only took about 10 minutes to realize we over dressed. It was a warm day (about 50*) and sunny. Every time we went up the hill (on the moving sidewalk) we took another layer off. By lunchtime, Alexa was tubing in just a shirt, snow pants. boots and finger gloves. The girls enjoyed laying on their bellies to go down the hills. We called it superman pose. It was such a wonderful morning. For dinner we found a local restaurant. The food was amazing. We don't get home cooking like that often.  That evening we went back to the cabin, started a fire and played games as a family.

On Tuesday morning we had breakfast at a restaurant in the village. We then walked around and saw the small shops. After visiting the village we went sledding in our new backyard. Addy struggled to get up the hills over and over again. Alexa was very determined to make it up and sled down on her own. She was very brave. Addy preferred the long and slower routes. After sledding we went on alpine sleds. The was a first Justin and the girls. I was very excited to introduce them to something that I experienced as a child. We took up the ski lift and then road down on the sled. We let the girls tell us how fast they wanted to go. Both girls kept telling us to go faster. It was a lot of fun. Tuesday evening we had dinner with our neighbors. Alexa and Addy were both very excited to see Rose and Charlie. After dinner they came back to our cabin to play games, make brownies and run off some energy.

Wednesday was our last day at Big Bear. Justin made us breakfast at the cabin before we went sledding. Since it was so warm for the few days prior, the hills became very icy. Alexa took a hard fall down a hill she did the day prior with no trouble. So we moved to even small hills and still went very fast. The last thing we had planed for the trip was to go tubing again. We had another good time on the hills. After lunch we decided to head home. We will definitely be back if we get the chance.

Ears and Earings

Addison has been going to the ENT every 4/6 months since she had her tubes placed at almost 9 months old. In December, after dealing with a rejected ear tubes, the ENT decided it was time to take the remaining tube out. Addison went in for surgery at 5am on December 27th. Addison was given a pre-medicine to help with her anxiety. Getting her to take the medicine was our biggest challenge. There was a lot of tears, screams and resistance. In the end, she was very relaxed and had a great morning. Addison's surgery was a success and we were on our way home before 8am. She was restricted from getting her ear wet (to keep the patch dry) for a month. This is very hard to do with a child who loves the bath and to swim.

Addison's follow up appointment was one month after surgery. Her ear healed perfectly and her water restrictions were lifted.

Addison has been asking to get her ears pierced for about a year. Since she was cleared as an ENT patient, we decided it was time. Luckily, my Mom was in town and able to go with us to the shop. Addison seemed very prepared for what would happen when she got her earrings put in. Before the lady started, Addison was smiling from ear to ear. I have never seen her so excited. Once the earrings were put in she cried and then put ice packs on them. Justin took her next door to get a special treat. She was completely fine after just a few minutes. The next few days she walked around holding her hair up so people could see her earrings. They seemed to grow her confidence and she looks so mature.