One last summer adventure

Well, this post is a little late coming! Oh...I can blame it on housework, children, even cooking. But, well - the truth is, I've been surfing Pinterest a little too much lately :)

In late August, Cole got a couple of days off of school for a local celebration they have here. We took advantage of he & Jason both being off and went away on one last little adventure before we were thrown into the school year. We decided to try Caribean Cove Waterpark & Hotel in Indianapolis, IN. The rates were very affordable because they were running a buy 1 night, get 1 night free special. Waterpark access is included, as well as a full buffet breakfast each morning.

Here are a few pictures of the waterpark. It's all indoor - awesome not to have to deal with the weather issues, sunscreen, etc.

We also took advantage of the awesome Indianapolis Childrens Museum. It is a little pricey (about $50 for the 4 of us), but wow - we could have spent all day in there. They had a transformer exhibit - probably the coolest exhibit I have ever seen - in the lobby. The boys (my big boys!) loved it :)

It was a very quick trip, but so relaxing. If you get the opportunity to grab those quick weekends away - do it! Remember, your making memories both you & your children will always remember :)

10 Months old

Today, Baby J is 10 months old. I can't believe how fast it has gone. It's a fun time right now. We do all kinds of neat things.

Like...

Empty half a bag of wheat flour on himself...all while Mommy is loading the washing machine :)

Isn't that just the sweetest smile you've ever seen? Stinker. He knows he's caught!

He also LOVES to "help" unload the dishwasher. Like, while it's running. Yep, he's tall enough to reach up & open it.

As you can see, this happened immediately after the flour incident, while I was sweeping the floor. Yep...good times :)

Homework time!

Even though homework is pretty minimal in Kindergarten, we have a regular homework time as soon as Cole gets off the bus. I use that time to reinforce skills they are working on at school.

This is Cole's regular homework position. At the kitchen table, pencil in one hand - snack in the other! (this day, it was cheetos, so cheesy fingers on top of it!)

Because he has mastered the current skill they are working on with numbers, I decided to just try some simple addition. I used a worksheet that included the scale at the top & taught Cole how to find the number, move over X tick marks until he gets the answer. I also had him count on his fingers to reinforce he had the correct answer. He actually got everyone correct, on his own! I was so proud of him! (and a little proud of me for having a part in teaching him how to figure out the answer, he he)

Here is his first Math worksheet!

As you can see, he still struggles a bit with handwriting. The OT has us using this wishbone pencil - which makes it easier for Cole, but it doesn't solve the problem of his hands hurting when he writes. That will truly just take time, practice & getting used to the feeling of it. But, for the most part his numbers are all legible - which is a step up from last year!

The Rusted Chain..Review of a beautiful gift!

My cousin recently had her 2nd child, a handsome baby boy named Corbin (he just melts my heart!). I wanted to get her a meaningful Mommy Gift since she already had 2 of everything else :) As soon as I got my email from The Pioneer Woman, I knew exactly what I should get. Ree reviewed a necklace by The Rusted Chain & had such wonderful things to say. I immediately went to their website & found a very cute necklace that I thought would be perfect. Kaci is a physical therapist, in scrubs most of the time, and, I thought this would be a great necklace for those casual work days ahead of her.

When I received the necklace I was so excited to check it out. Here is it!...

The first thing I noticed was how sturdy the chain was. I LOVE that. Having an (almost) 10 month old myself - I know the appeal of pulling at those necklaces, especially while nursing. I was thrilled to see that it was strong & would stand up to the abuse it might take from the little man :)

I have many upcoming gifts of this type planned, and, am hoping to maybe get one for myself as well (Dear Hubby, what a great Christmas Gift! hint, hint)

Please check out their webpage at http://therustedchain.com, or find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Rusted-Chain-Jewelry/108350919190616. You will not be disappointed!

(I did not receive any free items or compensation for this review ... I just love the product, and, wanted to share it with YOU!)

And, P.S. if you are not already a fan of The Pioneer Woman, you must check her out. I aspire to be her when I grow up :) http://thepioneerwoman.com/

Tonight we held our first Autism Support Group meeting. What I thought would be a pretty routine evening for me turned into a roller coaster of emotions.

As I sat & listened to 2 Mom's talk about their struggle with the fresh diagnosis, my mind went right back to where we were almost 4 years ago. I could feel the pain they were going through right now. So many unknowns, so many fears about what life might be like. I wanted so badly to fast forward their life 4 years ahead to where we are right now & show them it will be OK. But the truth is, even though we are in a good place right now, those fears still live within me. I'm scared to think about what life might be like for Cole as he gets older. All that I can hold onto is God's promise to me that he has big plans for Cole's life. I know this, I feel it, I believe it.

We survived these last 4 years holding onto the promise that God has put a call on Cole's life. Yes, we did all the "right" things. Therapies, Therapies, Therapies. But, I can assure you - no amount of therapy in this world can heal what He can. Dr's told us not to send Cole to school - he now functions well in a typical Kindergarten classroom! We consider it a blessing the extra help he gets at school because of his diagnosis. The Lord has put gifted, knowledgeable professionals in our life to support Cole throughout this journey. (not to mention support Mom!)

If I could say anything to those Mom's right now, it would be...Don't. Give. Up.

Work Hard - but remember to play harder :) These years go by far too fast to forget that they are children, and, the greatest work they have is play.

Educate yourself. Don't rely on Dr's or Therapists only. Read, Read, Read. If you don't understand it - keep looking until you do. Form your own opinions. Follow your gut! Remember, God gave these children to us, because He knew we were the perfect Mom for them. Don't forget that!

Let go of the Guilt. You are the best person for the job of mothering your child. No. Matter. What.

Pray. The most profound thing in the world to me is simply this.. God loves my child more than I do. I can't fathom it, but, it's true. He wants you to tell him what you need. Pray for healing, pray for financial support, pray for emotional support. Just pray. Everyday. Even when all you can muster up is "God, help". Just do it. He's there, He knows, He will help.

Stay strong. Have Faith. This is the most rewarding thing you will ever do.

Slap a Sight Word!

A month into Kindergarten and we are all about sight words in the Lenczycki House! I found this cute idea on Pinterest, and, fell in love. Now each morning when Cole leaves for school he has to read the 2 sight words by the door & "high five" the hands. I plan to put a set of hands in each bathroom too - just to get a few more words in use around here :)

These were so easy to make. Print the handprint outline onto colored cardstock (to make them a little more sturdy), laminate that & cut around. Print the sight words onto regular computer paper. Cute around the letters (allowing for height differences, this helps child distinguish between the letters), glue onto a piece of cardstock, laminate & cut around that. Attach velcro to the hands & words - and, change out as often as you like.

I have sat down to blog a few times in the past month, but, each time I started to write I felt a bit stressed - so I deleted it & thought "oh, tomorrow". Life has been a little stressful lately.

In the past 2 months life has looked a little like this...
We had a sweet, beautiful "gift" for a week that turned our lives upside down (more on that, someday). I still haven't fully dealt with the emotional leftovers of that adventure.
Cole started Kindergarten. That has thrown us into a whole new routine. Early mornings, packing lunches, doing homework, new bedtime routines - ahhh! The amount of material they cover in a week is a little surprising to me. I try to make sure that our school time at home (still fondly called "Mommy School" - creative, huh?! ha!) reinforces what they are doing at school - but I'm even having a hard time keeping up.
Jacob is just so unbelievably active. He's "crunning" (as much of a run while crawling as he possibly can!), teething, and eating me out of house & home! He still doesn't sleep through the night, that's a killer - and his naps have never been as good as Cole's were. He has 8 teeth already! Teething has been so much harder on him than it ever was on Cole. Lots of fussy days :( He also gets very fussy with Jason's Mom - who is our only real babysitter option many nights - which makes it very difficult for me to get out of the house without the boys at all during the week :(
I have several volunteer irons in the fire that are keeping me very busy. I love doing these things - all are wonderful, worthy organizations - but it's hard when you don't have your husband home at night to take a turn with baths & bed :)
OH, and, we still have a ceiling that needs replaced from the flooding that occurred in July! Seriously, how ridiculous is that?!

Ahhh...all that said, I'm also finding myself stressed about my house lately. I feel unorganized, clutter, and, just all around NOT peaceful about my living environment.

I think I need a week with nothing on my calendar to get life back in order & feel better! Wonder when that will happen?!

Family Pictures

We finally had time to get our family pictures done a few weeks ago. It's so difficult working with Jason's schedule, my Father-in-Law's schedule & the boys schedules. I think I am the only one that is flexible anymore! ha! I was so happy with how they turned out. It was a quick shoot, with neither boy really interested in having photos done - but we got several good ones, and, that's all that matters :)