First Full Week of School

Last week we began really trying to establish some new routines for school. Jay has to be at school no later than 8:15, so we are leaving our house a little after 8. It's quite a bit earlier than we were operating over the summer, and it's a learning curve. Jay is still waking up about 6 (at the latest), and we've been going for walks together. He rides his bike, and I walk. He's gotten so much better at stopping at corners, watching for cars, etc. We usually go about two miles. He often carries a snack in one hand, or in his pocket while he rides. Some days it is harder to motivate him to keep going, but most of the time he does awesome. We both greatly benefit from the early morning movement! Hugh usually stays asleep at home with Matthew. Jay actually had a few really great days at school with minimal physical contact, or none at all! That's huge. He has also been attending to stations for about 5 minutes and participates with friends in small group play activities. He comes home most days exhausted and ready for some alone time. He usually swings in the basement or goes outside while I make him second lunch. He's very ready for a nap, and sometimes has put himself to bed. 

Jay coloring, you can see Shelby in the background and a couple friends enarby

Playdough at school

I'm sure Shelby gave a lot of help with this, but cool to see it actually made

Jay has a chewy at school, and again Shelby there to help

He did all the placement of strips! I was told he got to show the class and was all smiles up front!

Jay wanted to ride, Hugh wanted to walk. Go figure :)

On Tuesday, my friend Rachel Jones came by for a visit. She always brings toys her niece no longer plays with and this was no exception. She arrived shortly after I dropped off Jay and stayed a little into naptime. We had a great visit and enjoyed the time we had together! She brought me a pretty bouquet of little roses and helped entertain the boys. They both loved the bubbles and the fishing set. Jay and Hugh both still sleep with the stuffies Rachel got them when they were babies. Rachel got laid off about a year and a half ago and has been looking for work since. She's finally starting to accept that she may enjoy not working. She also told me they were starting to look for a church! I bravely asked her if she wanted to know where our church down there was and if she wanted to meet with the missionaries. I sent a referral into the missionaries and they are already in contact with her. I don't know if they will accept the Gospel, but I love being able to share even just a little bit of it with her. She and Chris have come to listen to me and Matthew speak a couple times, and I personally think they'd be AMAZING members of the Church. She needs fellowship and good people, just like we all do!

Bubble fun! Hugh did very well blowing bubbles

Post nap bubble time with Jay and Hugh

Jay loves this truck, and probably most often sits like this in it.

Thursday morning, I think Jay realized school is something here to stay. He cried almost half way to school while scootering. He did pull it together and went in with Shelby. It broke my heart and made me almost keep him home. I thought, he'd have so much more fun with us today, but I didn't cave, and I sent him. Katey and Hope came to play with us, which made our morning much more fun! Hugh and Hope had an awesome time at the little splashpad at Footprint park. I think they were probably both grateful their mom's weren't taking them on errands! They splashed and played, and allowed Katey and I to visit. Jay was so excited when Katey and Hope were with us for pick up! Jay wanted both of them to come downstairs and play with him. Aunt Katey makes everything more fun, including time playing downstairs! The time went to quickly and Katey and Hope had to go home before the boys were up from naps. Jay did well in his physical therapy session and speech session that afternoon. Sometimes people ask what therapy looks like for a five year old, so here's a little synopsis. For PT, they usually do an obstacle course working on balancing on a little beam of plastic caterpillars, going down the stairs with alternating feet, and jumping. He will usually work on balancing on one foot to pick up puzzle pieces, and also do puzzles laying on his tummy. We're working on core strength, balance, and the ability to use one side of the body purposefully. Speech is the most fun because she brings awesome toys. Last week she brought a little train with barns and animals that attach. They work on putting multiple words together, colors, numbers, etc. She also has Jay working on certain sounds to see if we can find a pattern of what's actually missing based on a recent diagnosis of apraxia of speech. Occupational Therapy, that happens on Wednesdays, is usually more focused on fine motor and following directions with increased focus. Jay loves working with Miss Ari, even though she pushes him more than any other therapist. He usually responds super well. 

Friday we had tree trimmers come to trim the tree that was encroaching on our neighbors yard and house. We would sit on our porch and the wind would blow, and we could hear the branches creaking their rain gutter. Hugh and Jay LOVED watching the men work and it was really interesting to watch. They trimmed up everything, and removed the little bean tree in the center of our yard. We've never liked that tree, so we decided if we were having tree people come, we may as well have them do everything at once. They were done with everything by noon, which was very impressive! Matthew did get most of Friday evening off, and we enjoyed watching a movie and relaxing. We are both usually exhausted by the time Friday rolls around and last week was no exception. The boys wanted to get water cups from somewhere, but they were satisfied with our frozen pizza dinner and playing in the backyard. 

Before - can you see how it's up against our neighbor's house?

Before of the full yard

After! No longer touching the neighbors even in the wind.

After of the yard, no more tree plus the trimmed views

Hugh got to finish his breakfast while watching the guys work

Saturday was such a fun day! We started the day going to the Touch a Truck event in Brighton. Katie Dahl was willing to come with me and the boys, which made the whole outing possible. She is soooo good with them and I would never have been able to do both boys on my own. They loved the fire truck the most, but they also really liked the skid steer and the helicopter. The helicopter landed in the field right next to the park we were playing at, which was so cool! Hugh did a little bike safety course and rode a big kid bike. We got free snacks, stickers, water bottles, and other do-dads which the boys love. The long lines were really hard for Jay, but we skipped around the longest lines and saw what we could. We were all tired by the end and headed home! After only being home for a few minutes, I got a call that the boys had won bikes in the raffle. We went back over with Matthew, but the only two bikes left were Elsa bikes. We were there long enough for Hugh to fall asleep and Jay to have an accident, and left without any bikes. Kind of humorous. In the evening, we went over to the Dahl's house and helped them shovel rock. Jay was sooooo excited to help and stayed shoveling the entire time. He alternated between shoveling rock and just shoveling their dirt. Hugh was thrilled too, and alternated between shoveling the dirt and "Going to check on Ben." Ben and Katie fed us dinner and popsicles at the end. Ben and Matthew moved a ton of rock and were exhausted by the end. They do so much for us, we were grateful to be able to help them in a small way! 

Hugh and Katie in the SWAT truck

Jay driving the Fire Truck

Hugh's turn!

Jay and Hugh checking out the back

Jay thought this ambulance was pretty cool

Jay inside the United Power truck

Can you see little Hugh in that window?

Jay, Katie, and Hugh checking out the boat

Jay and Hugh walking through the bus

Hugh actually let the lady help him, he made great progress throughout the day!

Jay waved at every window looking for me, and I finally saw him when he got here. He was so happy!

Jay hopping down

This kind man helped Hugh through the bike obstacle course

The helicopter!

Jay checking out the truck

Jay wanted to close every vehicle all day long, and finally the last stop at the skid steer, he got to and he was so excited!

Jay and Hugh with the door closed

They both had a controller, so they loved being in there together, even though it doesn't look like it.

Jay on top of the rock pile!

Jay shoveling the dirt

Hugh working with his shovel in the dirt.

General updates on the boys include building block towers and playing together more. I think the break from school is helpful for their relationship in some ways. Jay's attention and impulsivity seem to be decreasing, allowing him to actually build and create, which is AMAZING to watch. He is deliberate, and can execute more effectively. He has been copying Hugh a little bit more, which is a HUGE developmental milestone. Hugh loves to tell Jay, "it's okay, Jay!" whenever Jay is upset. He often will ask me, "Are you happy?" He usually asks this when he knows I am not and it helps me rethink my attitude. They both LOVE when Dad comes home and get all riled up until they are sent to bed. We also got a new to us freezer, which I am so excited about! 

Hugh enjoying a "new" big bike

Hugh built this, called it a giraffe, the legs are down closest to him and the head up above. Very creative!

He also built this out of duplos!

Jay copied Hugh's tower, so cool!

He helped me build this tower

And, he built this one all on his own.

We recently decided it might be time for Matthew to look, so he started to just browse casually for opportunities to see what he would like to do next. This position came up, and we know one of the partners at the firm from our ward in Littleton (and Matthew from growing up). Matthew talked with Brother Dunning about the opportunity before applying and we were excited! This company does similar work to what Matthew has done and the work he enjoys. They also pride themselves on not overworking their people, so it seems we may actually achieve some balance in life that we haven't had for years. Over the past month, Matthew has been interviewing for the role. He's averaged about one interview a week with at least one or two people within the firm. We went on morning walks before each interview, to get his body and mind focused and to practice answering questions and thinking through answers. Everything was going so well until we received the first offer. It was a different role, a senior role, a level lower than Matthew is currently, as well as a salary decrease. Emotions and logic took the front seat and we declined the role within 24 hours. Both Matthew and I didn't feel settled after declining and both had experiences that made us consider reconsidering. Through some very sincere prayer, thought, and conversation, we determined reaching back out about the opportunity felt like the best thing to do. The pay cut, the down-level, the timing of a new baby, all weighed on us and honestly continues to at some extent. However, we felt Heavenly Father soften our hearts to accept this path and the feeling of peace was undeniable. We hope this path that will allow Matthew to step back and pause, to learn new skills, to work on the work he loves, and to have more time with our family and for himself. Time with our family is the biggest motivator and is what pushed us to look for another opportunity in the first place. We hope this company will provide us with more time with Dad (aka Matthew). We need him, he needs us, and that's worth more than any monetary amount can fix. We are moving forward, trusting that Heavenly Father will take care of the details as Matthew works hard to build a new path and reputation with this new company. The whole process has drawn us closer together and closer to Heavenly Father, which is maybe one of the reasons it worked out the way it did. I am so grateful for prayer and for a Heavenly Father who cares enough about us to guide us in career decisions and life decisions. We need Him!

One last note...I think I've also done my last procrastinating getting ready for baby project, which was hanging up some decor in Hugh's room. I finished this morning and it's fun to see. It makes it feel a little more homey around here, which is what I love about doing it. This was simple, and now he has a picture of Jesus in his room that he really likes. When I re-did our monthly meal calendar and planning, I realized baby is coming SOON and I should really start some prep. So, that's my goal now, get ready for baby boy's arrival!

Last Bit of Summer

The end of summer came too quickly! Jay started school on August 12th and we did our best to make the most of the last two weeks of freedom. I have had a vision for a long time of how to decorate Hugh's room. I finally found some wallpaper and colors that I liked, then recruited Jack and Lindsay to help me make the dream a reality. I designed it, then took my designs to Jack's house where we cut the wood according to the design. I was able to utilize some leftover wood from our basement, so only had to purchase a little bit. I painted the wall during naptimes, Matthew helped me paint the boards Friday evening for our exciting date night. Then, Jack and Lindsay came over to help me actually get the boards put up. Jack and I put the boards in place, then Lindsay was the final touch person with the taping and the paint, with my help. Lindsay also came over the following Monday to put up the wallpaper. The wallpaper was simpler in ways that we thought, and also more difficult. We learned it stretches, comes off multiple times when it gets put on incorrectly, and looks better when all the pieces are facing the same direction. The first strip was definitely the hardest, but we got the hang of it and had some good laughs. I loved working with Jack and Lindsay and their kids were super champs at helping take care of the boys while we worked. I would have NEVER been able to accomplish a project like this without their help and support. I love the wall, it makes me happy every time I put Hugh to bed! He even told several people that "Mom and Lindsay painted my wall for me," which makes it feel extra special. 

Jack helping me cut our boards to the right size

Before

First coat of paint

Second coat of paint

Paneling and painting completed

Finished product with wallpaper!

Matthew's cousin, Jason Jones, tragically lost his wife Cassie this past month. They were on a family vacation in India, and she experienced a pulmonary embolism and died within minutes. Attending the funeral of someone the age of my sister, not much older than myself, was unique. Hearing her children speak about their mother was humbling and heartbreaking. I held it together until her little 11 year old boy spoke. His honesty of acknowledging he expected to have his mother for so much longer, pulled at my heart. This young boy will have some memories of his mother, but far too few. It made me think of my own boys and how I am seeking to create a life they can cherish, love, and enjoy. I was reminded how precious this gift of mortality is, and how we must make the most of our time here! We should always be living worthy to meet Jesus and Heavenly Father. At some point, we will, and we would do good to heed the Prophet's counsel to prepare now. What a gift temple covenants are, that seal us together with our families! Power comes from those covenants, and what a blessing. We got to visit with Aunt Barbara, Uncle Larry, Jason, and several other of Matthew's cousins before leaving. It was wonderful to see so many of them, and we were grateful we could attend. Katey graciously took care of our boys so we could attend without having to balance kids at the same time. 

We had a fun date night with Anna and Ethan Jackson. They came over and we enjoyed snacks and playing Wingspan. It's always fun to mix in some new people to our games and learn how to play with four people and see new strategies. We enjoyed visiting with them and are grateful they are always willing to come here so we can put the boys to bed and then play. 

I had my 32 week ultrasound and OB appointment this month. Baby boy is measuring big, just as Hugh and Jay did. They estimate he already weighs about 5lbs 13oz. If that's true, he'll be a few ounces bigger than Hugh when he's born. Let's pray he comes a little earlier and doesn't beat Hugh! It was so fun to see the little guy on the ultrasound and we even got a really cute 3D of him. Seeing him on the ultrasound moving, and even drinking, made it all feel so much more real!

Little guy at 32 weeks

We had a last summer hoorah with the Merrill's at the Fort Lupton Splashpad. Jay has mastered the playground and loves to stay there most of the time. He will venture into the water occasionally. Hugh mostly stayed near the water or me, and they both had a great time. Once we were done playing, everyone came back home to play and eat lunch. Jay and Hugh took decent naps and I enjoyed the extra time chatting with Katey. I pulled out our indoor s'mores maker during naptime and everyone thought it was super fun! I loved being able to share the goodness. The day went way too fast and it was hard to see them go!

Peaches are in full season and I was blessed to be able to buy 40lbs while they were on sale for 99c a pound. Matthew has a peach almost every morning for breakfast and we've been eating them every evening at dinner. I blanched and froze about 3 gallon bags full of peaches, and am so excited to have a supply on hand! We still have quite a few in the fridge and are enjoying them while we can. Hopefully these Colorado peaches will go on sale again and we can buy more. Matthew did a Bishop's Storehouse pickup for a couple people in the ward, and took Jay along for the ride. This gave me the free time to be able to do the peach work, which was a huge blessing! The missionaries at the storehouse were excited to see Jay and one volunteered to take Jay around with her. Within a few minutes, Jay was back with Matthew. I don't think the missionary realized how helpful Jay likes to be, so he got to help Dad instead. 

Tanner is heading out to the Richmond, VA mission soon. We had a great time hearing him share his testimony of the Savior. When Tanner comes home from his mission, our baby will be almost two, Hugh will be four and a half, and Jay will be turning 8 and a few months from baptism. CRAZY! Jay and Hugh loved having Grandma and Grandpa at church, and we were definitely no longer the cool people they wanted to sit by. Plus, Jenna had several toys which were, of course, more fun than ours. The boys were so excited to go play at Mike and Jenna's house following the meeting. They did so well! The played with cousins, Emory and Cambrie mostly took care of Hugh. Jay floated around playing with everyone here and there. Jenna was so kind and got me a couple little GF bundt cakes so I could enjoy the brunch treats along with everyone else. It was so fun to catch up with everyone, and it made it hard to say goodbye. Within 5 minutes of being home, everyone was taking a much needed nap. We spent our evening in Longmont at Jack's house with the Merrill's. We wanted to have one last hoorah dinner before school started up. Dinner was delicious and we all pitched in to feed the crew. For having an off day, the boys did great there too. From Parker to Longmont in one day, it was busy, but so fun and we loved spending the day with family! 

Matthew, Jay, Tanner, Hugh, and Me

On Monday, August 11th, we went to Jay's school to meet Mr. Anderson and get a tour of his classroom. Mr. Anderson was kind enough to let us come in on our own time to let Jay acclimate to the new surroundings. We took Jay's entourage, Shelby (RBT), Katie (BCBA Therapist), Dad, Hugh, and me. Mr. Anderson was very welcoming and so kind to all of us. I think he'll be a wonderful fit for Jay and I am excited to see how he can help Jay learn this year. His classroom has many different seating options, from low to the ground soft seats, to regular chairs, wobble chairs, and higher stools. He even has a trampoline that's used for positive reinforcement. Jay loved exploring and so did Hugh. We also got to meet the Special Education teacher and Katie and Shelby got a tour of the different sensory rooms available for Jay. We finished our morning playing at the park and trying to soak up the last day of freedom!

Tuesday, Jay started Kindergarten. I can't believe it! He was so excited, from the moment he woke up, he was ready to go to school. He got dressed in his new outfit, threw on his new shoes, knew he needed his backpack and water, and ate breakfast quickly. Matthew was able to walk with us to school and Jay thought that was super neat. Shelby met us at the front doors and we encouraged Jay to go into the school. He kind of froze and seemed pretty nervous. Hugh was ready to jump out and go in, but Principal Forbes said no. He gave her the biggest puppy dog sad face ever as he turned back to the stroller. Jay eventually decided to get out of the stroller and walk in holding Shelby's hand. I don't know if it was all the other kids thronging the school, if it was the reality of leaving us, or just simply first day jitters. When Jay shows nerves like that, it makes my mama heart sad. He was strong though, and has been better since then with being willing to walk into the school on his own. He's had his moments of physical behavior, especially when he's required to wait in line for lunch or in the hallway when the class stops walking. Shelby said most of the kids know his name, and several have been very kind to him which is awesome. Shelby will be going to school with him everyday and is there for the duration of his half day. Katie will attend one day a week to see how things are going and to be sure Shelby has the support she needs to support Jay. We feel very blessed to have both of them on Jay's support team! 

Jay - First Day of Kindergarten

Jay and Hugh

One more of Jay, he was looking so sharp!

Matthew, Hugh, Jay and I during drop off

Jay on Day 2

Jay shared his stickers with Hugh, and they eventually got shared with Baby Brother

Hugh loved that Jay had a crab inside his shirt pocket! Plus, check out Jay's cool hat.

Wednesday Jay didn't have school so we hit the splashpad for one last summer day. We chose a very busy day so we weren't able to stay as long as we wanted because some of the kids weren't being very kind. Hugh is learning how to be my errand buddy during school and is a good sport about it! It's been fun to have a little more time with him and give him a little more attention. I think he misses Jay, and is always excited to go pick him up from school. We loved having Katie Dahl come hang out with us on Thursday, just for fun, not as therapist Katie. She was there during speech therapy and our usual play on the porch and eat popsicle time. We also continue to do morning walks and evening walks whenever we can. The boys love to help with harvesting from the garden. Hugh has been loving legos recently and it's been fun to see what he comes up with.

Both boys requesting a "break" on our short family walk, and being so pleased about laying on this person's grass.

Mommy splashpad fun with Shelby

Post nap snuggles don't happen super often anymore, but I love when they do

They've been loving taking baths in "mom's bath" and it's been a good motivator for clean up

Family walk to the park one evening

Hugh's "tall tall tower!"

Lettuce and squash, yum!

Hugh found out jumping in the splashpad was so much fun!

Over the past several weeks, Matthew has been interviewing for a new job. He found an opening for a manager role that seemed like an awesome fit! Each interview he felt like went really well and on Friday he received an offer. The offer wasn't what we were expecting, lower salary and a lower level than Matthew currently is. We were so disappointed! Matthew has worked really hard to get where he is, and we were hoping maybe this job would be an opportunity for more life balance while still being able to do the work he enjoys. He turned the offer down, and we are trusting that Heavenly Father has something better in store for us that more aligns with what our family needs right now. The time at the Big Four has been draining on all of us and we're ready for a change, and will patiently wait to find the right move. 

To finish off the first week of school, Katey and Jason took our boys from Friday afternoon through Saturday. It was a special treat to be able to go to dinner, then attend the Fort Collins temple on Friday evening without having to worry about a sitter. We got to sleep in on Saturday morning (Matthew's Birthday), and eat crepes for breakfast, do a little yardwork, play Harry Potter, and enjoy a relaxed lunch at home. Matthew returned to work, and I got to make his cake without any little helping hands. It was a wonderful 24 hour break, and we are so grateful for Katey and Jason's willingness to take the boys! Hugh actually started crying when I pulled into the house. He said, "I don't want my mom and dad!" He was NOT ready to come home. Jay was more ready, maybe just to pack up his stuff in the car, but they had the best time. They rode bikes, played at a neighbors house, played at the park, ate great food, had good cousin time, and managed to mostly sleep when they were supposed to. 

Jay loving the water play and slide at Katey's neighbor's house.

We celebrated Matthew's birthday on Sunday with chocolate fallen cake, sweet pork tacos and fresh salsa, and presents. The boys loved coloring on Matthew's presents and weren't too interested in the sign. Coloring on a box is way cooler! They were excited to help blow out the candles and couldn't wait to try the cake. They wanted to help with every present and said happy birthday to Dad many times. Happy 31st to Matthew! We love him and it was fun to have his birthday on a weekend when we could celebrate a little extra. 

Jay and Hugh loving the present coloring session.

Jay did amazing! He focused so hard and colored for a long time.

Look at all those lines!

Dad finally opening presents

Hugh, Dad, and Jay - Happy Birthday to Dad! 31!

You know you're a man when you're so excited about a razor!

The best cake for the best dad and husband out there!

Hugh, Jay, Dad, Me

Candles are the best!

One more sweet pic of Jay and Matthew with the birthday sign