5

On April 28th, at 2:16 pm, we officially had a 5 year old in our house.  Lots and lots of emotions came through me and I couldn't help letting the tears flow.  I spent a lot of time watching Colin, listening to him play, and simply just doing everything he wanted to do.  It's amazing what this little guy has grown into and his continual growth, floors me.  I love how he has changed me, our family, our life and I'm so looking forward to what the future has for him.  Happy Birthday Colin, we love you dearly!!!

birthday breakfast

birth - 5

at school

he loves that thing....he's so funny

Happy Birthday to you.....his face while I sang

present time...

as much as he loves bubbles....

Ethan gave the perfect gift

Up, Up, and Away!!!

What a fun weekend we had celebrating Colin's 5th birthday!  It's really hard for me to believe that 5 years have gone by already, but the truth is, they have!!!  I sat Sunday night with Colin looking at his scrapbook's and reminiscing on where we were and where we are now.....boy, what a journey its been!  We've had a few bumps in the road, but overall what a great ride these 5 years have been.  He's genuinely our "little blessing" and we really enjoyed making him feel "extra" special with a few celebration's over the weekend......Saturday, Brenton and Ethan took him to see Chaps and Seana....Seana sang the birthday song & he loved it.....he loves the barn & having Ethan there this time, was a special treat.  That evening, Brenton and I finalized the clubhouse and Sunday, we celebrated with family here at the house.  I have to say, his birthday celebration was really a great one!  We had an open house type of setup and people just came and went, the kids played, we ate, had cupcakes & cookies, drank coffee, and just enjoyed the beautiful day....I did start a new tradition, since my little guy loves balloons, Brenton and I got enough balloons for a balloon launch to happen....what a hit!  Colin loved it and so didn't the rest of the kids!  Anyway, it really was a great celebration for my little man, so glad he enjoyed his special day!!!

Take a look at our weekend!

brotherly love....birthday hugs!!!

my "birthday" cowboy

Big Brother Alert....LOL!!

he was so excited when I said, "It's your birthday celebration day"

loved his gift that Daddy built

cousin's rock

birthday lunch

G&G Shroyer gave the perfect gift

so didn't Mommy's family....movies, movies, movies

and CARS takes the cake!!!

Balloon Launch #1

letting go

balloon tags...wonder if we'll hear back?

up up and away

what a treat

final launch w/ the cousin's

there they go and they all made it....

UP!!!

reminiscing

how much do I love you....BIG MUCH!!! What a fun day!!!

Easter 2014

This was the BEST Easter to date for us!  Ethan woke the house up at 5:43, but Daddy & Colin were stragglers and came down about 6:30ish.  By then, Ethan had found his Spiderman 2 costume and he was in full get up.  I heard him say while looking at his Easter stuff, "Wow, the Easter Bunny really knows me" LOL!!!  We got the biggest kick out of Colin, b/c he was really into it. When he came down the stairs, he found his basket right away and started looking at it, playing w/ his big red ball, and gave the biggest smile while he sat beside his stuff.  He's never really been into all the hype of the holiday, whichever one it may be at the time, but this past Christmas and now Easter, have been so fun.  The boys really enjoyed themselves and we enjoyed watching them.  Here are some pics from our day.....

Easter Bunny was here....

and he made our "magic jelly beans" bloom

Ethan's goodies

Colin's goodies

EB remembered Katee, too

so excited

he had the best morning

Katee enjoyed her treats

after the fun, we get serious and learn about Jesus w/ our Easter Story eggs

Fun at G&G Bardall's house

Easter Bunny Prep!!!

What a fun filled Easter weekend we had this year!  We enjoyed it so much that on Sunday evening Brenton and I looked at each other and both said how sad we were that it was over.  It all started Friday evening coloring eggs!  I got home from work early, Brenton was already off for Good Friday, so he cooked the eggs and by the time I got home with food, we ate, and then started coloring.  Ethan, of course, loved everything about it and Colin, enjoyed about 2 eggs and he was done.  He cracks me up!!!  Overall, it was a good time and I'm enjoying them still today. LOL!!

"egg"stravaganza!!!

Saturday morning, Brenton, his dad, and Ethan started on Colin's birthday gift bright & early.  We wanted to get him a play set of some sort and Brenton found one that he liked online, so the DIY mission began.  It's absolutely perfect and a great idea on daddy's part! It's still needing a few finishing touches, but for the most part on Saturday they got all the hard stuff done.  He's going to be so excited! 

After they were done for the day, the boys got showered and then it was time to prepare for the Easter Bunny.  We had an egg hunt out back, planted our magic jelly beans, and by 8pm the boys were out.  What a fun, yet exhausting day Saturday was!!!

Easter Bunny prep

Easy? Nah!!!

This is going to be a weird post for me, only because for so long I've wanted what I'm about to say and for some reason, I feel myself getting overwhelmed that we are finally experiencing it, b/c it's like I don't know how to act? Stupid, I know, but hey I'm working through all these emotions...so, bear with me. =)

Anyway, as a mother, when you give birth you want nothing more than to have a healthy, happy, loving baby to watch grow and for the most part, Brenton and I have experienced that with both our boys, thus far.  As you know, we have had a little hiccup in our life with Colin's recent autism diagnosis, but overall our boys are just fine!  Now, looking back, I remember sitting and watching Colin several years ago and thinking to myself will he ever be able to call me mom, will he ever be interested in playing with kids, will he ever use the potty, will he ever be interested in new things, or to be very specific....I remember sitting on our back deck in New Phila and praying to God this, "just give him the chance to be a boy, a fun, loving, ornery, little boy just like his daddy"!  In tears, at that moment, I begged the Lord to let him come out of his shell, show me his personality, and to give me the chance to have a conversation with my son.  I learned, very quickly, to take each day with Colin and embrace whatever it was he was doing.  The small things mattered even more!!  It was quite different than what I had with Ethan, but it still was great to watch him grow.  Eventhough, I stood alone for about 2 years on what I knew & wanted to happen with Colin, I had a great support system reassuring me that it was ok regardless how they felt.  Even up to his diagnosis day, we still had people saying "nah, not autism" and still even now people say to me, "really, autism" so I know his growth is showing us all that autism, truly is not cookie cutter.  But, with all that I've said, I take great pleasure in knowing that God answered my prayer.  I'm here, right now, at this very moment watching how "ornery" Colin is becoming and how "loving" he is all at the same time.  Yes, music to my ears! Thank you Lord for answered prayers!  Now, tell me, why do I feel so overwhelmed at the fact that he is?  I get nervous when I drop him off to go to school, b/c I think to myself please just be good today or please Lord, let them not get frustrated with his actions today.  I would think about him all day, text my sister wondering how it was going....to get he's fine, he was climbing, or he was running the hall today...all things that he has never done before & now finding the courage to explore his surroundings. As his mother, I smile inside, but I know he's not the only child there and that's when my heart goes out to his teacher and her assistant.  Well, that was up until last week, b/c I finally shared my emotions with my husband and his words will forever ring in my head when those thoughts come back and those are, "he's being a boy, he's not being mean or nasty, just a little ornery boy trying to make himself known" and sure enough Brenton is right. I can't change Colin or the reaction from others, but rather try to help in teaching him right from wrong and together (teachers, therapists, family) we all can make a difference in his growth.  I'm not an expert at this, by no means, just a mother learning as we go; however, I do know one thing to be true....when people think of autism, it's not my Colin they picture!  It's not easy & it never will be, but all that hard work we've done for Colin is showing and we will continue to do all that we can to help our little man succeed!

Light It Up Blue day...Mommy made my shirt for me

Click Here! I Love this song!!

Love him so much

He's waited a long time for a nap on the swing...thank you Mother Nature

I found this while planning his 5th birthday ;/

My whole world in 1 pic =)

so explains Colin these past few weeks....YAY!

Weekend Recap!!!!!

Here I sit with yet another weekend behind us.  It was a nice weekend, weather was beautiful, and it was filled with family fun. I know Easter isn't for another week, but this past Saturday we celebrated with Brenton's family in Sugarcreek.  It was a nice evening with food, chats, and a new event that Colin loved....a lot!  We didn't have the traditional egg hunt, but instead we did a balloon launch.  It was perfect and the kids picked their balloon, wrote a note, or wrote on their balloon, and then let them go...well, except for Ethan.  He got outside and decided he would rather keep his balloon, so that's what he did!

up up and away

there it goes he was so happy

watching it get higher & higher

Earlier that morning, it did start out kind of hectic, but it was so nice.  Now, that Brenton has decided to not work out at the CC anymore, we finally have our weekends back with our boys.  Well, that was before he found out that he had to work out at Provia.  LOL!!  No biggie though, Colin and I got Ethan to baseball practice and then we met Brenton in Dover, so he and Colin could head out to the barn for equine therapy.  It was a beautiful day and what a great session he had.  Colin, trotted on Chaps and Seana was so happy with how he handled that.  He did everything she wanted him to do.  He loves to ride horses and so glad we found a great therapist that enjoys what she does, because Colin is really benefiting.

what great form

2 peas in a pod

loves his new nap spot

 Finally, to end our weekend, we have finally met our neighbors. They come equipped with kids that are Ethan's age and let me tell you, I have one happy boy!  It has always been something he has wanted and for the past 2 years I've heard, "Mommy can I have friends over to play" now, I can provide that.  I tell ya, moving here, truly was a blessing.  Anyway, he had a great weekend with them and we enjoyed the giggles.  

off he goes

neighborhood protection