BUILDING BL(ayl)OCKS: 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.