August 2010-November 2010

Week of  8/2 thru 8/6/2010- David and Gregory went to Camp Prov! Camp Prov is a special day camp for special needs kids and their siblings. The weather was gorgeous, the boys swam, played games, went on nature walks, checked out the petting zoo and did crafts. I was really nervous about this because it was so far away from home. I was assured that the camp counselors and volunteers were well equipped to handle the boys. David was assigned a “buddy” for the entire week- she was amazing. If David got over-stimulated, she would take him aside under a tree and sing songs or help calm him down. He asked for her for weeks after camp was over. We are thoroughly looking forward to next year!

Home from camp, got a little sun and a NEW haircut too!

8/23/2010- Our annual all church picnic out at Kayak Point. Lots of room for the boys to run and play. David almost always heads straight for the water (Puget Sound). Daddy was right there to wade in the water with him while Gregory opted to throw rocks in the water.

Daddy & David in the Puget Sound while Gregory throws pebbles.

9/2/2010- This is what happens when I don’t close the guest room door all the way. Thinking David is playing in his room, I’m noticing how quiet it is and immediately go look. This is why it was so quiet…David has decided to paint with A&D Butt Cream all over the guest room walls! (A hint: use a dry towel for clean up, no water) 

     ~A funny side note about this, my husband and his older brother (when they were toddlers) had a butt cream incident, but it involved my hubby getting slathered head to toe in the stuff while his older brother didn't get much on him.was not so bad. I just laughed when I caught David, made sure to get pictures and call her right away…letting her know I had sent her an email to remind her of old times.

A&D Butt cream...so many uses!

9/11/2010- We took the boys to “Touch A Truck” which is a fun event for kids to get up close and personal with all kinds of big rigs. From 12-1pm they have a quiet hour where the sirens and horns are not used. What a great idea for kids that would be scared or over-stimulated from all the noise. David has always been fascinated with cars, but mostly the tires, so he got to see a lot of those.  He did not want to get out of the stroller though, I think he was intimidated by the sheer size of everything. We had fun anyway- we rode the mini-train around the track, which David thoroughly enjoyed. Our last stop was to check out the fire truck before we headed home.

9/24/2010- This was during our 9^th anniversary week. Troy & I celebrate both of our birthdays and anniversary during the week and took the whole thing off to do fun family stuff. We went to Fort Casey on Whidbey Island to fly kites and run and play. We also went to see our wonderful friends and previous pastor’s family and their new home on the island. We enjoyed dinner  and they got to see the boys, they had not met Gregory yet. The boys loved the ferry ride but it was way too short for them! It was pretty chilly at Fort Casey and extremely windy and David flew a kite for the first time. It was so windy that it screamed on the kite string! It was blowing so hard the wind made a screaming sound against the kite string!

On our way to Whidbey Island

David flying a kite for the first time! It's super windy and chilly too...

Checking out dandelions...

10/12/2010- Super fun day for David! Friends in our church have a ranch and invited David and I to come meet and possibly ride the horses. They have Tennessee Walking horses and experience with special needs riding for kids- what a blessing! My girlfriend mentioned that David would more than likely make a bee-line for the John Deere tractor and she was right! David was given a ride on the tractor and he loved it. He also got to ride Dee, a beautiful and patient horse. He made it about ¼ way around the arena, then he wanted off…but he didn’t seem scared to approach the horses, he wanted to play in the sand! He proceeded to hang out on the chair in the arena and when Dee came up and sniffed him, David didn’t even flinch. He also really enjoyed sharing carrots with all the horses as a way to saythank you for letting us come and visit them. We can’t wait for spring to come, so we can go back for more visits!

Right for the John Deere... of course

David's first horse ride...he did really well!

Saying Thank you with carrots...

10/16/2010- A day at the Pumkpin Patch! This was fun and a little stressful because David didn’t want to leave. The patch we go to is wonderful and very family friendly. Tire swing in the trees, small train rides, bunnies to feed, swing sets to play on and of course the big hay ride down to the pumpkins in the main patch across the street. We’ve come for years and they have really made it a beautiful and enjoyable place. The roasted corn is AMAZING!

So excited... he's levitating!

The cow train

The bunny

David, How old are you?

10/17/2010-  Another day, another pumpkin patch. Daddy found one that had Charlie Brown cut outs- we had to go…David was so excited.

     ~This week we would have watched the classic fall Charlie Brown movies, which David enjoys.  However, there has been a negative side effect we’ve had trouble with since last summer. He picked up the word ‘stupid’ and won’t put it down. I can't believe how much that word is used in those shows! We’ve tried vinegar and/or hot sauce on the tongue and he likes it! He’s had time out and different forms of discipline, we still can’t get it to go away. Currently we are trying "good words get tickles" and we’ll see what happens.

Momma, it's Linus!

I'll just take this one home...

Guess Who!?

10/21/2010- Photo shoot with our friend Kim Loomis. What a great day, even though the fall colors weren’t cooperating. She does a great job at capturing the boys really well. David was having a rough day and you can’t even tell!

Sating "Hi" to the tree

Looking at all the trees while Daddy ties his shoe...

That look? Pure mischief.