A POST FOR LAUREL

"You want me to do what?"

Lots have been happening in Laurel's life lately. I can't believe it but she's been here 6 months already!! She just slid in to her new USA life like she was meant to be here. Not to say we don't have setbacks! We now have therapy 4 times a week for her. It's a lot I know but we feel we need to get her all the help she can right now to head off stuff later on. Mondays our DHH therapist comes to the house. Tuesday Laurel goes into a preschool with her Developmental Therapy teacher to work on socialization. Wednesday we will be starting her speech therapy. Thursdays we go to a Group speech therapy class. Shew! It's a lot but she is holding up fine.

One new thing that we are doing right now is stopping the signing to her. Her speech therapists want to be able to know for sure what she is hearing and understanding in order to be able to get an accurate assessment about Cochlear Implants. We know she has no problem signing and picking up signs so for now we will stop the signs and just concentrate on hearing. We won't do this forever probably but just to assess. So far she has done wonderful!! She still signs some to us but is now really concentration on talking. Today she said "car", "no", "pickle" and a few more NEW words that she hadn't been saying. Hopefully her speech will come along.

Her new love is her red jeep that was given to us. It just needed a battery. You should have seen her face when she saw it and now she and brother have one each. However, she is terrible at driving it and runs into everything and laughs and laughs. Noah had to get in and give her a driving lesson. He felt his life was in danger so it didn't last very long.

I'm looking forward to Laurel's first Easter season EVER! How awesome we get to share with her the joy of this season and of our Saviours Ressurection! New Birth Indeed!

*****I SWITCHED THE UPDATES ACCIDENTLY SO TO SEE NOAH'S UPDATE GO TO http://www.bringinglaurelhome.blogspot.com/******

The Museum

My little sweet hearted boy

Catching Butterflies

Digging for Fossils

Having a picnic

Last weekend we had a blast with the babies, taking a family day and going to the Life and Sciences Museum. I hadn't been there in many years and was shocked at all the wonderful changes. You could spend all day there and still not see everything. We played on the playground, rode the train, saw the butterfly house, saw all the animals, walked down the dinosaur trail and dug for fossils, sailed sailboats, and had a wonderful picnic. It was very fun day that I won't soon forget and hopefully the babies won't either. It is great to be able to get them out and see new things.
Newest Funny Noahism: (While playing in the creek yesterday):

Noah: "Look Mama, I'm playing in the Creep!"

Some Funny Quotes.....

Noah has been making us laugh a lot here lately. In this picture, we were painting and while I was washing dishes, he decided to do a little face painting. He said "Look Mommy", I turned around and he said "I have a mustache just like Poppy!!".
The other day I was taking him to Walmart. We pulled in the parking lot and I said, We're here Noah. He replied, " I know Mama, I see the sign. See it, it says Buy your toys here!!"
One more Noahism to make you smile. Tuesday was a particularly hard day with Laurel's appts. and my car breaking down. Anyway, that evening after supper I told Mike to go run their bath before I go to the Looney bin. Noah said " I want to go Mama" I told him he was going to be able to take a bath. He said "No, I want to go to the Looney bin too!" :)

Coyotes and the Emergency Room.....

Just look at this cool shot of the coyote

Noah was fishing with a stick for algae

One of the gorgeous creeks

Hey Rach..... get married under this tree!!

The babies and I were invited by Rach & John to ride the new gator around the farm. We had a blast and saw so many things. The highlight was seeing a coyote and being able to watch it for a few minutes. We were even able to get photos and a video of it. Noah was completely still and quiet and amazed! It is so neat that these animals as big (or bigger) than dogs are running around out in the woods and fields and are hardly ever seen. We were lucky to catch a glimpse.

On another note.... Mike and I had to take Noah to the lovely Emergency Room last night (Monday). He and Laurel woke up with a cough and Noah's gradually turned into a wheeze and then difficulty breathing. His inhaler didn't help and the Doctor sent us to the E Room. They saw us right away and a chest xray, a steriod, and 2 breathing treatments later we were on our way home with a different child. He had never breathed like he was that night and we were pretty scared. Anyway, I thought it would be Laurel who would have been at the hospital as she had the 104 fever but nope..... not that strong Ukrainian. Today they are grumpy but no real fevers or wheezing PRAISE GOD. Hears to hoping we'll all sleep well tonight.

A Whole Lotta Love .... & Snow

There has been a whole lotta love going around our house!! For some strange reason Noah & Laurel have been getting along great. Not that they don't have their moments (like when she pulls a king kong on his train track), but they have definately hit a new level of brother/sister love. Today, when Laurel was stuck in between the table and the chair (happens a lot) and she was screaming, loudly, I heard Noah say "It's ok Laurel, don't cry, I'll help you." Now, usually he would scream back at her "Laurel STOP SCREAMING". Laurel's developmental therapist has been helping us "learn" to talk to each other so Laurel can understand us. Noah is really getting it and I'm very proud of him.

Noah cracks me up these days with some things he says. Yesterday he was looking for his big stuffed Nemo fish. He said "Mommy, go find my Nemo". I told him that I was busy and he could look for his Nemo. He said " Aw Come on Mommy, sure ya can. He big and bright orange, now go find him." I'd say he's getting a little big for his britches! :)

Once again we had snow here this past week. I think it was the prettiest snow I've seen in a long time. Light and fluffy and it was gone by the next day. Perfect. Enjoy the pics.

My Funny Valentine

If you want to hear the cutest most sweetest Valentine EVER just click on the above video clip. No, I didn't prompt him. He did this all by himself and my heart just melted. I love being his Mommy. My Funny Valentine.

WAYS TO SURVIVE A SNOWSTORM......

#1: Make sure your sleds are working!

#2: Don't forget about the birds-make some treats for them

#3: Don't forget to eat lots of chocolate and drink lots of tea and hot cocoa!!

Oh and don't forget the SNOW CREAM!!!

#4: BUNDLE UP!

#5: Enjoy a sled ride with your sibling!

#6: Get LOTS of rest!

Well it happened. The "GREAT" snowstorm of 2010. Mike and I enjoyed being snowed in so much. Our lives get so busy and sometimes it's nice to be snowed in and have nowhere to go. We had a wonderful time playing with the babies and watching them have a good time. They both had colds so we didn't stay out much with them but made the most of it when they were out. The only time we left the house to venture out on the roads was when we HAD to in order to save a horses life-maybe not that dramatic but it was very sick (ask Rach). I love building memories with my little babies.