The Men in My Life

I am well aware of the importance of having a Father in the home. So, for just a moment, I would like to take a minute to say Thank You to the men in my life.

To My Daddy: Thank you for being the wonderful man that you are. For always providing for the temporal, emotional and spiritual needs in my life. For being someone I can always confide in. For always reminding me that I am blessed. Thank you for always pushing me to achieve something greater. For teaching me right from wrong. For being a wonderful example of service. For supporting my dreams. Thank you for always being there, no matter what. For praying for learning experiences. For being faithful. For being worthy. You are my Hero.

To My Papa: Thank you for my childhood. For always making me feel special. For taking me on so many fun vacations...these memories will be cherished always. Thank you for sharing your talents with others. Thank you for being an example of hard work. Thank you for your service for this great country. For your great love for my son.

To My Grandpa Daniel: Thank you for sharing your knowledge. For encouraging me to reach beyond myself. For making the time for me (I loved all those times you stopped to see me on your way to CA or MO). Thank you for making your home a place I always want to visit. Thank you for always making me laugh.

To My Father in Law: Thank you for raising such a wonderful son. For being a wonderful example of humility. For welcoming me into your family. Thank you for being understanding. Thank you for always being willing to help.

To My Husband: Thank you for being a great provider for our family. Thank you for taking the time to play with Dylan. For not raising your voice when I frustrate you. For trying to distract me and make me laugh. Thank you for not laughing at my crazy dreams. For encouraging me to be me. For always letting me know that you love me. Thank you for being a partner in parenting.

To My Heavenly Father: Thank you for giving me all of these wonderful men who have helped make my life so wonderful.

We love Summer!

The lazy days of summer have hit us head on and we are loving every single minute. Well, except this week when it rained 3 days. Our days have consisted of waking up, eating breakfast, watching some cartoons, hit the pool for a few hours, shower, take a long nap and then it's time for dinner and bedtime. IT IS AWESOME! I completely understand why my parents always had a membership to the swim club when I was young. It certainly helps matters that Dylan loves to be outside and loves the water even more. The days we can be at the pool are awesome days...all signs of him being in the terrible two's disappear. Summer (so far) has made for a happy toddler and a content Mom & Dad. The pool doesn't get old to a toddler...does it?

It's the small things

I know you have all been wondering how Dylan's speech therapy is going...ha ha ha. So, here is the update. The first 6 or 7 visits were terrible. Dylan and I both really like the therapist (Mindy), but Dylan was so not into doing what we wanted him to do. He is in the terrible two's and it is all about 'ME' right now. His sessions are only 30 minutes long and he basically threw a fit for 25 minutes of it each week. Mindy comes at 8:30 in the morning, so Thursday's were always getting off to a rough start. I was at the point of taking him out of therapy until he turns 3 and can go through the school system into a classroom setting where I don't have to be there. I told Mike two weeks ago that if the session went like the others, I was telling Mindy 'No more.'

Wouldn't you know that the kid was a complete angel! He was so agreeable and was repeating everything either Mindy or I said. It was awesome. So, I decided to test the waters another week. Lucky me, same thing. That is some serious progress, folks.

I have been working on teaching Dylan the letters of the alphabet for a few months. He knows all of them, but has refused to say 3 particular letters or make their sounds...F, M and P. In therapy we have been concentrating on 'P.' Dylan knows the letter; he can point it out and he will often pronounce it in place of a 'T', but the stinker will not repeat us when we try to get him to make the 'puh' sound. I walk around saying 'P says puh' all day long...I am tired of hearing that darn letter. Tonight, while Dylan was eating a bowl of colored Goldfish crackers, I was having him name all the colors as he shoved them in his mouth. When he pulled out a purple one, I did the normal 'P says PURPLE.' Lo and behold...

Dylan said 'Pur-Pel.' We had a mini-party right then and there. Now it's on to 'F' so Mike and I don't have to hear the word 'Haaaan' (Fan) anymore.

For the past few months, Dylan and I have been attending a Toddle Time class at our local community center. It was a lot of fun. The teacher guided us through song & dance, finger plays, free play time, and many other activities. I loved spending this time with Dylan, knowing that he is learning new things and participating in a structured class to prepare him for future adventures. All of his little friends were in the class, too. Friends always make everything double the fun!
Mommy and Dylan playing telephone with the cones.

Dylan's favorite part of class was free play time. He loved climbing through the tunnels.

At the end of class, each kid gets a turn for something special during the 'Goodbye' song. Normally they each get to pound on a drum. This week, however, Miss Michelle pulled out the fun stuff...a trampoline! Dylan might be getting one of these for his Birthday...he has turned into quite the jumping bean lately.

We will definitely miss our weekly class. Good thing we have the pool to take over. Yay for summer!