Out of the Mouths of Babes...

This morning when Kennedy got dressed she wanted to know what her shirt said. 'Follow Your Dreams' After telling her, she repeated it back to me with her own little twist. "Follow your dreams and help people!" Seems like a pretty amazing motto for life! We know as she continues to grow and learn she will experience a combination of joys, sorrows, triumphs, and defeats that will mold her into who we pray is an amazing young lady. May her 4 year old motto continue into adulthood and inspire others along the way. 

To be honest, I'm a little overwhelmed with making decisions in regards to Drake's healthcare. The MDCP (Medically Dependent Children's Program) is going away as of this coming November 1st. We are given choices of other Health Care options which are determined based on the county in which you live. The only problem...most of Drake's doctors (all of his specialists) live in a different county. Right now none of them have been able to tell me who they will be in network with after November 1st. Of course, our fear is losing all of his specialist who know him and have been providing his care for the past few years. We are praying for clarity as we make some pretty big decisions in regards to Drake's medical care coverage. 

We have some other big changes on the horizon for Drake as well. His new day nurse will be joining us this Friday. Adjusting to a new nurse takes time for Drake, the nurse, and for the rest of our family, too. She seems eager to learn Drake's routine and be a big help in continuing with his progress. Hopefully in a few months, she will be a Drake expert like the rest of us! :)

Our sweet Hayes is growing up way too fast! He is constantly on the go and into everything! He is 100% interested in anything Drake and Kennedy are using. Sometimes he is even a little too helpful...he pulls himself up and pushes Drake's communication buttons for him. It's hard to believe in a little over a month our little guy will be turning 1! 

No matter how caught up we get in this busy life, it's great to see the values we try to instill in our children are showing up in their outlook on life...follow your dreams & help people. Our plan is to continue to teach as much as we can before they become teenagers and think they know more than we do :) 

Play time with just mommy & daddy!

It is unacceptable to be left inside while daddy & sister are outside!

Sweet Boy!!

Kennedy with cousin Jacob! He's the Top of the growth chart & she is the very bottom!

Family Fun at Discovery Science Place!

Always wants to help his brother!

Cousin fun!

Why does my boy look so grown up??

Yum!

Startle

The startle reflex guy notice in a new baby is something that our sweet Drake, and other children like him, do not out grow. It's something we have become used to and really don't give much thought. However, over the last few weeks Drake has developed a startle seizure. This isn't a huge surprise, although it is still something we are adjusting to here at home. Even familiar sounds are throwing him into a seizure. According to what we have learned, this develops between the ages of 1-16. We are fortunate that we were able to make it 4 full years before Drake developed these.

We are starting to prepare ourselves for Kennedy beginning preK. We are excited for her to make this next step and look forward to the progress she makes over the next year. Although the thought and realization of her growing up is still not easy for us to accept. 

Hayes is cruising! He is the happiest little guy and he is always on the go! Reminds me 100% of his daddy! Yes, I do believe both my husband and my youngest son lack the ability to sit still! 

Having some fun at cousin Lauren's house!

My boys!

Delta waterfowl banquet with her daddy 

What??

Such a little mess!

Cruising 

Dress up at a friends house!

A couch full of cousins



Sent from my iPhone

Celebrations

I was fortunate enough to be able to celebrate my sister's birthday with her! I'm even more thrilled that we were able to celebrate at Disneyland! This was a 1st for both of us! It was also a good "recon" trip for future family vacations! Knowing that our next visit will be with some very happy children makes me feel excited! We just need a little growth in height so that they can ride on everything.

Even though it is hard to be away from home, it was a wonderful trip! I'm thankful for FaceTime so that I was able to see my family members sweet faces while I was keeping in touch with them. Kennedy and Hayes definitely had fun at Mimi & Poppy's! I'm sure they were not spoiled at all (yeah, right!). They even took them to a birthday party! Drake and Brian held down the fort here at home, and  Brian even stepped in as nurse when our nurse had to leave early due to a family member being hospitalized. He was even stung 6 times by a yellow jacket while mowing the lawn that same day...Clearly super dad! 

My trip was eventful and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I was even happier to arrive home to my family! My crazy, offbeat, one of a kind family! 

Our daily routine

Checking in at our hotel!

FaceTime with my babies!

Drakey even face timed from the tub!

Mimi & Poppy took them to a fun birthday party!

At Dinseyland with the best tour guide, my niece Alyssa.

Happy Birthday, Meredith!!

So excited watching my SIL walk the state in California for her promotion!! 

I was pretty excited about mine, too!

Moving Right Along

Time seems to be moving in fast forward with our kiddos growing up! Drake's summer break from Homebound School services is almost over, we registered Kennedy to begin pre-school, and somehow Hayes will turn one in less than 2 months! As a kid, the anticipation for exciting things like Christmas and birthdays seemed to drag on for an eternity. It's only now as a parent that I truly understand what my parents meant when they said to treasure every moment because they grow up in the blink of an eye! 

Brian's mom, Yea-yea, was in town for a visit over the weekend! She brought a custom sand-table adorned with insects that she painted. Kennedy absolutely loves it!! Hayes will love it too, but for right now he wants to eat the sand. This will also be a good sensory activity for Drake when it isn't so smolderingly hot outside. One of the many perks to having grandparents visit...Brian and I got to go out on a date night!! It was a nice early dinner and we were home by 8pm, but we were thankful to have a night out :)

The walls are going up at the brewery and everything is starting to take shape! Over the next couple of months, this dream is going to become a reality! We've been busy picking out light fixtures, paint colors, bar stools, chairs, tables, ect... Witnessing this transformation is going to be an amazing adventure and yet it is only the beginning! 

Pure Joy!

When you have a big sister, sometimes you wear a princess crown!

Our VERY busy 10 month old!!

Picnic/Sand Table 

Love when my happy baby wakes up! 

Checking things out with daddy!

A little family planning session at the brewery!

Date Night!!

When daddy is cleaning the kitchen & Kennedy asks, "Daddy do you want to play a matching game with me?" The cleaning gets put on hold for a little game time! 

So excited for my sister-in-law, Angie, who earned her new dream car!!

We always have time for a good book!

This little guy is all tuckered out!