Teenager/Mom Lagoon Day

I was lucky to spend a whole day with Josh this summer at our local amusement park.  Jeff hates roller coasters and he was happy for me to take him.  I loved every minute I got to spend alone with him.  Here we are about to board THE original white roller coaster.  It is slowly turning brown because the replacement wood no longer needs to be painted white with weather treated paint.

 Joshua really, really loved this ride but would't take a picture with me.  I guess one selfie with you mom is enough to last a year or so.

This corndog was epic and he could've easily eaten one or two more.

 

 I did convince him to let me take a picture of him in front of his favorite ride.  I told him I would ride any thing he wanted and as many times as he wanted.  I was so relieved when he decided 3 times in a row on the Colossus after 2 times in a row on Wicked was enough.  My head was KILLING me but I couldn't tell him that.  

Halloween 2014

 This Halloween was a year to remember.  Caleb actually wore a costume!  When  he wouldn't take off Katie's Lego costume, we decided it might be worth it to try one for him.  He loved it.  Can you see he even let me dye his hair orange.  Man, that kid has progressed so much this year. 
Kyle's costume was a self designed Chocolate Knight.  His helmet is a Hershey Kiss.  His sword is a 3 Musketeers bar.  The shield is a Reese's peanut butter cup and the armor is two Hershey bars.  He came up the idea and assembled the entire costume himself.  Mom offered tiny a small amount of help with quality control and paint application.  Jeff helped the most by not putting an end to the entire endeavor when he had to witness the massacre of so many cardboard boxes and the ensuing mess all over the house.  Art kids are MESSY!

Some memories hold stronger than others.

When I see these three pictures, it invokes a lot of emotion and very strong memories from being a mom.  This first picture is from Caleb's therapy room.  He has an occupational therapist that works with his issues that interfere with everyday life.  Usually they start a session with some sort of physical stimulation which seems to kick start his focus and helps him relax.  It's always a little surprising to me how well this works.  If he is having a panic attack at home or at the store, I can calm him down by hugging him tightly, rubbing his head or massaging a part of his body.  This "autism" thing sure bites hard but I love learning how to deal with it and learning how special this little boy really is. 

This image of him holding his little brother is precious for many reasons.  One of the strongest memory I have from being a mother is when Kyle was a 3 day old and was at home for his first night.  When I woke up I found Joshua in the crib, holding Kyle's hand, and fast asleep.  I kick myself quite often for not having a photo for proof of that magical moment.  Although, it's kind of nice that it is an image that only Jeff and I have and we hold it dear to our hearts. 

Sibling Love!

 This picture of my oldest with a bee he froze into a deep sleep and reined with dental floss, cracks me up and sometimes brings me to tears.  Sweet tears!  This boy has such a love for nature, science, animals, and above all-BUGS!  One of our funniest memories of baby Josh is walking with him along the sidewalk in Cedar City when he had just learned to walk.  He would drop in an instant and hold his face inches away from the sidewalk to watch EVERY SINGLE ANT along our way.  

This memory photo is for all of my babies.  They have all taken their turns sitting on the bathroom counter while Mommy does her makeup and hair.  I love watching them copy me while brushing their hair and applying makeup to their faces.  My oh my, being a mother give you so many wonderful and tender moments.  It's terribly hard but still tender.  I will miss these "littles" keeping me company in the bathroom.  I might even miss this little bulldog banging on my shower door and emptying every cupboard and drawer the entire time I'm in there.  Maybe.....