Happy Memorial Day!

Our family had a wonderful time at the Murphy's house for a Memorial Day Picnic. It was really hot (in the 90's) and the boys spent a great deal of time in and around the pool splashing with their friends.

Some of the boys started using the bouncy house to add a little excitement to the splash pool but it didn't last very long.

Something that made us laugh so much was the above picture. At one point, Adam and I were "where's Matty?". Next thing you know we spotted him at the bottom of the hill with Caitlyn and Mallory. They were having a good time feeding him some sort of food and we could see him laughing. It was hysterical! For a good 10-15 miutes all the girls surrounded him and were playing with him. Gotta love it!

We had some delicious BBQ that Mike was smoking all day. It was the kind of food I'd eat every weekend if I could. It was nice hanging out with some different families. Everyone was so nice, in a great chill mood and the boys were so well-behaved. I was sorry the night had to end, but it was way past bedtime and also a school night for Adam. But, it finally feels like summer really is right around the corner!

Family Picnic

finger painting with bumble

Boys meeting new "sister"

We decided to take the boys to visit their new cousin at the Hospital. When I told Tyler what the plan was he got so excited and was running around the house. Then he said "No, no Mommy. I can be a brother to more than one person. I want to meet my new sister. And Bea's my sister too." It was a precious thing to say and very indicative of the closeness he already feels with Bea and soon to feel with Millie too. I love that he loves them so much already!

Adam was also so excited to meet Millie. Our timing probably wasn't the best because Willa was right in the middle of feeding her, but Willa still wanted us to come into the room. After a few minutes she introduced Millie to her Uncle Adam. As you can see from the smile, Adam was thrilled.

The gang was in a great, celebratory mood. I baked some fresh chocolate chip cookies and we all had a few to eat while oohing over our little Millie.

Tyler couldn't believe how little she was and kept asking to see her whole body. He did really want to hold her, so the two of us sat on the chair and I helped him hold his "sister". It was precious and then as soon as we got settled Millie decided to say a nice hello by crying for a bit. Tyler wasn't so sure about the crying so then I held her myself for a while. I wish we got a picture of Tyler holding her, but I'll never forget it myself.

Then Bea and Patrick arrived and we all hung out for a few minutes. Tyler gave Aunt Willa a huge pink foot balloon (that he thought was funny and would make her laugh!) and a magic wand for Bea. They had a few good laughs together.

Then we decided to get the kiddos some dinner and went to Sorrento's restaurant to celebrate the new addition to the Freer Family. My highlight of dinner was when Bea came at the very end of dinner and started playing with Matty. It was hysterical because it was very late (almost 8:00) and Matty was cranky and tired but as soon as Bea came, he was giggling and the two of them couldn't stop kissing each other. First Bea would kiss him and then he'd lean in and kiss her and then he'd turn to Baca and give him the biggest smile and chuckle. Too cute! I didn't want it to end but the night was getting very late. All in all, a memorable afternoon!

Welcome to the family, Millie!!!! We're so glad you came.

Pawel's NYC Premiere

Last day of school

I find myself reminiscing so much today. It's really hard for me to believe it's Tyler's last day of Jack and Jill and the last day of his first year of his school career. I went back to all those tumultuous feelings I had in September. I was excited, jittery, joyful, hopeful, and definitely nervous. It was hard for me to come to terms with the extraordinary progress we made with Ty's food allergies and that we were able to even consider sending him to school where a snack is involved. And from the very beginning, all the teachers at school made us feel so welcome. They encouraged me and supported Tyler with a willingness I'll never forget. Those first few times I dropped him off, I'd walk around the house with the telephone in my pocket worrying that something was going to happen. Slowly but surely the weeks passed and the phone calls weren't coming. I started finding myself relaxing and taking deep breaths. Maybe this school thing really is possible!?! Tyler was fortunately oblivious to my worry and would pop up from his crib on his school days with such enthusiasm and excitement. We'd always have to read "what I'm going to learn today" from the little calendar so he'd get even more excited. The days turned into weeks which turned into months which turned into today, the last day of school. When I think of all the progress he's (and I) made throughout this year, I swell with pride. He's learned to write his name. He's learned to be much more independent of me. He can recognize all this upper and lower case letters and start recognizing some simple words. He's much more social with students his own age. He understands basic school behavior like waiting in a line, raising his hand to answer a question, and respecting the teacher. Most importantly, this year has given both Tyler and I a new level of confidence that, in spite of his disability, his opportunities are limitless. Jack and Jill and his teachers, Mrs. Fessler and Mrs. Krall, have played such a vital role in the positive development of Tyler's third year of life. I owe everyone a great deal gratitude and am already looking forward to the fun he's going to have as a preschooler attending the 3-day program. And Ty can't wait for summer camp!

Welcome to the world, Millie!!!

What an extraordinary day it's been!!! We started with a phone call from Willa saying that it looks like her body was starting to get ready for the baby to arrive. We'd be anxiously awaiting updates throughout the morning and then it all came to an abrupt stop around 11:00 when I got the text that everything stopped. So, we went about our day as usual until another phone call came from Dad around 9:00. I was literally just about to climb into bed when I answered the phone and he said they were heading to the hospital. I tried to stay calm and made a miserable attempt to go to sleep (way too excited to drift off!) when I got another call around 10:30. Willa was officially in the hospital and was 6 centimeters. I had no idea how long the progression would take and honestly wasn't in a huge hurry to rush to the hospital quite yet, but told Mom and Dad to keep me updated if things seem to really be happening. Much to my surprise the cell phone rang again at 11:00 and the report was "she's progressing fast". I laid in bed for a few minutes and then suddenly popped out of bed hurried my butt to the hospital in hopes of not missing anything else. I literally was getting out of the car at 11:45 when Mom and Dad called again and said they had the baby. Ahhhhh!!!! Patrick didn't come back to the waiting area yet for the big announcement and I sprinted into the hospital not wanting to miss one of the most fun, miraculous moments in life!!! I got into the waiting room with Mom and Dad and we had the difficult task of waiting there patiently for the big reveal. Suddenly I saw Patrick down the hall and I jumped up and started doing a little dance. He had the biggest smile on his face and then bolted to the end of the hall and came running in. "It's a .......................GIRL. We have another little girl!" And, of course, it was followed by lots of screams and hugs. I had goosebumps all over my whole body. It's really an incredible moment to hear those words followed with both Millie and Mommy are healthy and doing well.

Millicent Sky Freer, 8 lbs 5 oz and 21 inches long born on May 23rd!

By 2:00, the three of us were able to see both Willa and Millie. Willa seemed incredibly good and had already taken a shower. I had the pleasure of holding my precious little niece, Millie, for the very first time. These moments are so spiritual for me. There is not a more straightforward reminder than a newborn that our God does exist and He's our eternal Savior. Little Millie is a true miracle in the flesh and I can only dream of the good she will bring this world!

Spontaneous playdate

I love our Friday mornings because it's the only morning of the week where we don't have to rush out of the house to be somewhere. I allow Tyler to watch the entire hour of Sesame Street and hang out in his PJ's and once in a while Matty will watch a few minutes of it too. It's important to have days like this especially considering he's not even 4 yet. Downtime is good. We planned to have Bea visit which the boys love. I got a last minute text from the Reagers about meeting them at Club Kid and instead invited them over as well. It worked out really well and the kids seemed to have a good time. There was a period where the boys were pretending to be super heroes and running laps around our downstairs. Matty tried keeping up with them and was running and laughing and making his silly noises. We played in pretty much every room in the house and ended up on the 3rd floor. My only disappointment was Tyler's behavior. He's usually really good about going along with things, but for whatever reason was in a funk this morning. There were several times when Owen wanted to do something and Ty didn't and was real whinny about it. Honestly, he was being a mean friend and a terrible host, both of which I have NO patience for. When everyone left, we had a long talk about the morning. Now I can only hope some of it sinks in at some point. I had to take advantage of the teachable moment and let him know it's not acceptable. Period. Otherwise, it was a nice morning and I was happy to have some company since I'll be home alone all night while Adam goes to NYC (to support Pawel!).

dancing parts?!

So I'm putting Tyler's diaper on for his nap and he proceeds to grab his penis and say "look Mommy my penis is dancing for you." He's pulling and twisting it and doing all sorts of weird stuff. Honestly, I wasn't so sure what to do, but whether is was appropriate or not I did start laughing (a lot). Then I felt like I shouldn't be encouraging that crazy behavior and had a short 'talk' about private parts and privacy. Still, it was pretty funny and it did make me laugh. I just wonder what made him even think to do that??!! Gotta love little boys!

Patches Creamery Field Trip

Whew! I was nervously anticipating this day for a while. Tyler's class "won" a field trip to Patches Creamery.

Speech Class

Every Monday morning at 8:45 we find ourselves in a classroom at Union Canal Elementary school for speech class. Mrs. Arnold is Tyler's speech teacher and she's been wonderfully helpful and patient. They play all different games while incorporating the speech into the play. I try to be there for it to hear the way Mrs. Arnold is explaining the sounds, but more often than not Matty end up wondering the halls because it's very difficult to keep him in such a small space for 45 minutes. But I get enough of it and a short review at the end of class. Unfortunately she is retiring this summer, so we are very bittersweet of the news because it's been such an important addition to his weekly schedule. Let's hope things keep improving as much as they have.

Dream

When I got Tyler from his nap today, he told me the cutest thing. He was lying on the floor while I changed his diaper and put on his clothes and said "Mommy, guess what? I had the best dream. I dreamed that I was a prince and you were a princess and we got married and lived happily ever after." And he had the very sweetest smile on his face when he said it. Seriously, what do you say to your 3-year-old son when he tell you that??!! Oh my goodness, my heart felt like it burst with joy. It's in these moments where true, unconditional love just feels so pure and so real. It's these simple moments where life happens, where I refuel my tank, and where all the effort and dedication pays me in something much more meaningful than a paycheck. It so simple, yet so significant. It's crazy when a moment is happening and you know you're someday going to look back on this moment with such fondness. So I did what I do best; I hugged him, kissed him, and tried to soak in every single second and made it last as long as possible. It was a good moment...

Happy Birthday, Baca & Tate's Pirate Party

It was the morning of Baca's 62nd birthday and the four of us were hanging out in the living room. We hadn't eatten breakfast yet and it was about 8:45 and decided to invite Baca and Grammy to our house for a pancake breakfast. The timing was perfect, they'd just woken up and within 20 minutes were at our house having a good time.

Spontaneous moments like this are so much fun and awesome that they can happen because of us living so close to each other. After eating pancakes, Tyler pulled out his guitar and sang "happy birthday" to Baca as Adam brought him a piece of pie with a candle in it. It was a sweet, tender moment and one that I think Baca really enjoyed.

Then Tyler was invited to Tate's Pirate Party celebrating the big 4. It started at 11:00 and I stayed with him to help with some of the kiddos and all the games. Misty and Ed went all out and all sorts of fun games and activities planned. They did peg leg races, walking the plank, put the treasure on the X blindfolded, crafts, delicious lunch, a treasure hunt, and a pinata! It was a busy and exciting 2 hours.

Ava's Birthday Party

Hard to believe another year has gone by and Ava is now 4! I have very distinct, fond memories of Natalie at my baby shower when she was about 39 weeks pregnant and looking radiant and ready! Amazing what's happened the last four years. The party was at South Hills again and unfortunately it was a bit cold and misty, but everyone had a great time and the rain held out so all the kiddos were out playing and running around.

It's such a nice, friendly group of families we've gotten to know and enjoy at these parties. The Schreier family goes all out to make sure everyone has plenty of food and fun. One of Tyler's highlights was the Princess Castle pinata. He's definitely at that stage and was very excited to participate and run for the candy. I was so impressed with how he handle himself and all the unsafe food. I tried not to make a big deal out of it and stay relaxed and think it really helped him stay relaxed too. He never once made a fuss about not being able to eat the candy or food. I was very proud of him and made a big deal of it when we came home.

All in all, it was a fun afternoon.

Happy Mother's Day!

Another one of my favorite days of the year! It started with my three adorable boys walking in the bedroom at 7:15 singing "Happy Mother's Day to you" while Adam gave me waffles and coffee to enjoy in bed! It really is the sweetest, most perfect way to start me day. They all were smiling, Tyler was really singing, Matty was just smiling, and I was bursting with love. Tyler was so excited to give me my card which was Mickey, Goofy, and Donald Duck. He hid it in another book and popped it out and said "this is your surprise". It was a nice peaceful, relaxing morning.
We went to church and the boys were very well behaved, always another good gift. I was feeling like such a proud Mama walking in holding Tyler's hand and walking behind the beautiful Adam and Matty. All my boys, I love it!

We had Wendy's lunch and then everyone took naps. When Matty woke up, the two of us took a nice, long bike ride to Creekside and back. He was loving it and would point to things like the butterflies and say "ohhh ohhh". I'll have to take him on more rides because he seemed so content behind me in his chair checking everything out. When we got back around 4:45, I played with the boys while Adam cooked a delicious fajita dinner and then we made our way to the campfire for some smores and fun. Of course, the boys were in their glory! Matty probably had 5 or 6 marshmallow and walked around eating the graham crackers. Tyler kept saying "yum, I love smores". It was great.

The boys started running around and playing after eating all the sugar. I love the above picture of Tyler showing his belly to Matty and I can hear them both laughing.

Then Tyler grabbed Matty's hand and walked him over to some of the higher grass and they played a fairly long game of follow the leader. I could have sat there for hours and hours watching the two boys playing together. This is really what Mother's Day is all about.

I'm incredibly grateful and blessed to have the opportunity to mother these two amazing children. They've given me the biggest and best gift in the whole world...to say I'm their Mommy. What an honor. And all I can promise is to do my very best. I love you, boys!!!