Ry's Speech

Ry didn't start communicating through speech until he was maybe two. Doctors have said that is common if a child has an older sibling that does a lot of talking for them. They also say it's a personality thing. At his two-year check-up, they wanted to know if he was using two word sentences. He actually had just begun that right around his birthday.

BUT, it has always been difficult to understand. We would try to get him to say something and he would have no desire. So, it was tough to say. Was he not able to or did he not care to - we weren't sure.

Now he is trying to communicate his wants and desires much more often but if it's not a common desire, we're not sure what exactly he's saying. I can figure out most things, but no one else can. Andrew wants nothing more than to better understand his son. We all do!

Today's appointment lead to the doctor thinking his ADENOIDS may be enlarged because he really does have HYPONASAL speech.

So now we wait - we wait for the referrals to see what happens next. A referral to check out his adenoids and a referral to speech therapy.

Just Chattin' with J

What do you love to do: Ride my bike!

What makes you so happy: Sharing things and showing everyone at sharing time.

What is your favorite food: Broccoli

BROCCOLI???: Mom, (shaking his head) sometimes I like broccoli, so yeah, broccoli.

What kind of baby do you want: One with green guys and lots of hair like this (arms spread wide)!

Do you want a boy or girl: A boy - NO, I mean a girl.

What do you want to name her: Brother

Brother? Brother is for a boy: Umm, Sissy.

But Sissy is like Missy; it sounds the same: Ok, I'll call her sissy and you can call her Dave.

Dave is for boys. What about Kylie: KYLIE - I like Kylie.

What about Maddy: I'll call her sissy and you can call her Maddy!

Silence is NEVER Good

Evidence:

1 - scattered popcorn I brought home from the movies

2 - one year old standing on the elliptical digging in the PEN/MARKER drawer

Whatta Date!

Wednesday Annette and Richard wanted to do a grandkid sleepover. I was a little worried about how it would go, but they asked.

Well this naturally meant Andrew and I had a free night. He returned from Acton at about 5:30pm so we immediately left for dinner. I didn't feel well most of the day and really, I was exhausted. But, we had to eat so off to Chili's we went. The SECOND we walked in I was grossed out by the smell of fried food. Eww! But I figured once I ate, I would feel better. Well, we ordered the Meal for Two for $20 and this included an appetizer. The Texas Fries appeared and I wanted nothing to do with them. Of course I tried one just to make sure, and nope, they were not my cup of tea. Ok, I can do this right? My meal arrived - HOLY COW that was an OVERWHELMING SCENT of BLACK BEANS. EWWW. I was not having it. We put them on another plate so I could try to eat the chicken - NOPE, not working.

At this point I was starving and beyond frustration. BEYOND. Tears were coming, anger was fuming. I went to the bathroom to escape the smell of beans - and seriously, I did not want to stand outside in the 109 degree weather. I came out to find our meals wrapped up and the check paid for - Off we went.

We went to go swimming at our old place, but our old neighbors were there and so we decided to head home. We caught up on a missed episode of Covert Affairs and that was a nice distraction but then my hunger took over.

I wanted sushi. Of course I did. It's just so fresh and light and never yucky!

7:30pm we headed out to get me a roll to go and to try to hit the pool. Both a success! Whew!

Mind you, this was on a Wednesday night; yes, Andrew missed basketball to make sure this night ended much better than it began. We swam until about 9:45pm and I felt much better fed and cooled off.

The most entertaining was Andrew's little man appearance.

That morning I woke up at 7am of course - habit. But Andrew, surprisingly, woke up at 8:45am. I couldn't believe it. He got up, made us breakfast, worked in the garage and then headed out to pick up the cranky, tired kids from their tired grandparents.

Turns out Ryan had diarrhea the entire time he was there so he kept up Annette. Andi kept up Richard three or four times. Good times huh :)

Last week brought change - This week brought adjustment.

Andrew is now working from home in the mornings and working outside the home in the afternoons. It's a new world for us here and the kids are loving it. They love having Andrew here every morning when they wake up. They love being able to see him come in and out of the house as he works. And as for me - I love the help.

Another change is within Ryan and Andi's relationship. Three days a week, from 9-12, it's just them. It has been wonderful watching them play together PEACEFULLY. But it's even better watching them cuddle together!

Jackson the man is still very much into "fashion". He shows off his stuff and then removes it to say, "It's just me mom!". Oh, good :) He had a new discovery this week as well. He experienced what he explains as "movies in his eye" = DREAMS! Last night in fact he was laughing a lot; that's better than the scary dream I had!

The kids are actually going outside this week but only after about 3pm. They are being quite inventive with their different watering techniques. I didn't take any pictures of those, but this gives you some idea.

And lastly, their love for the Dollar Tree toothbrushes still holds strong. If they could, they would brush their teeth every hour!

Older Brother

I was working on something in the living room when I noticed the kids were all gone. When I got up I naturally expected disaster as this is usually what comes from silence. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to see Jackson entertaining the babies with his preschool photo album. I love it when they all hang out - PEACEFULLY!

Happy Birthday Michalle

Thursday night eight of us went out to celebrate Michalle's birthday. I didn't know if I'd make it because our 7:30 dinner was WAY past bedtime, but I knew I had to go for Michalle. I WANTED to go for Michalle. It was a pretty eventful dinner that angered some nearby customers, but it was nice to get out and visit.

Michalle and I had planned to carpool, but when she got word she had to work afterwards, I figured I should drive alone because I would be too tired after dinner. Then at dinner when she told me the "ghost stories" of her office, I couldn't let her go alone. So I fueled myself with some sugar and off we went to her office. This is when we realized no pictures were taken at dinner so we took a few at her office.

The good news is, no ghosts came out to wish Michalle a Happy Birthday!! Happy Birthday Michalle, you truly are amazing!

Come Back MYA

Can you be a nanny at the age of 10? We had Mya all last week and seriously, it was incredible! You know when you're trying to accomplish a task, but at the end of the day it's not done because your children kept interrupting you!?!? Mya made everything possible. She got them juice, snacks, diapers. She resolved fights and boredom. When I said clean this room, it got done. When I took a nap one day, I woke up to Mya emptying the dishwasher and refilling it. Yes, I will now have to do this all on my own again. I will have to buckle both babies. I will have to change all diapers. Oh Mya, how we miss you already! AIYA!

Miss Piggy is Too Skinny

At 19mo., Andi had her 18mo. check-up. Everything looks good except for the fact that's she's too skinny. She has gained maybe a pound since her last check-up and at 21 pounds, they say she's falling off the chart. Dr. Garcia wants me to feed her more but I explained that she's always the last one at the table. The boys leave and she finishes off whatever they have left on their plates. The chick is a pig. I then explained her lactose problem and how she only drinks Almond Milk and she's a beast when she has dairy. He prescribed her some vitamins in hopes to help her gain weight. We will see. The fact is, the doctor's were concerned of the very same thing with Jackson - he's just fine now. So at 19mo., Andi is long and lean at 32in. and 21lbs.

Back-2-School.. FINALLY

All summer Jackson kept asking me, "Mom, when am I going to school?". He was dying, as was I! Because he still struggles with the concept of time, I wasn't able to really answer his question. But the week before we left for Oxnard, I was able to explain to him that when we got back, he would go back to school. HE WAS STOKED. You should have seen his face light up. Then, while at the beach house, every single time someone asked him if he was going to school Monday, he would beam.

Monday came and there was no problem getting him up and out the door. He didn't even say good-bye to me when I walked him into Grandma K's. He simply walked in and made himself comfortable on the chair of his choice. So did Ryan, but we had to tell Ryan it wasn't his turn yet. Poor guy.

Being in the FOUR year old class, Jackson now goes to school MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, and FRIDAY! WAHOO! He is truly loving it and I can't wait to see all he learns!

Lost & Found

My dad just found this in his computer and I thought it was hilarious. It was taken back in March so she was 14mo. old.

Oxnard Beach House - Anderson Reunion

MONDAY

We were ready before everyone else (only because we have to work with our kids' schedule) so we loaded up and drove around to waste some time. The plan was to meet up at Light N Healthy (a Shay tradition) and Andrew, Cosmo and the kids would go eat somewhere else. As it was getting later and later, we decided to take the kids to McDonald's. Sushi didn't happen at 11:30 as scheduled, instead we ate at about 1:30 - ahhh. Oh well, it was yummy. While we ate, the non-sushiers took off to Oxnard. (Notice the stack of trays in front of Shay and Mike - yeah, they like sushi :))

Oxnard was cold, but beautiful. The kids were so excited to finally be there they didn't hold back.

That first night it was just us, Shay, Mike, his mom and niece, Annette and Cosmo. But the best part, we had Bellamy Chicken - I could go for that right now.

At least dinner was good because that night our sleep was AWFUL!!! No one was comfortable with their new surroundings so we ended up with three kids in our twin bed.

TUESDAY

We knew it would be chilly so we were a bit more prepared this time.

Everyone was pretty excited to get Cosmo's kayak out there and the cool thing was the house provided another so people could go out together! It was hilarious watching people try to get in and get taken out by the waves. Seriously, one of the highlights of the trip!

Have you ever seen a pregnant woman in a wet suit - love it!

Tuesday night we made jam. Yes, my idea and when everyone realized this, they made me get up and do some of the work. But, now we have a couple jars of jam and it's so yummy.

This was the first night Tori arrived and so Jackson had a new partner in crime. Within the first fifteen minutes she was there, she and Jackson were out on the street - ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?! Not a good start. So needless to say, I hounded them most of the week! But it did make for a good night's rest because Jackson was upstairs, and Ryan and Andi were so tired they slept all night.

Monday's night sleep was awful - HORRIBLE. But I think because they were a tad bit adjusted the next day, Tuesday was better. Plus, Tori brought some music so they could feel right at home.

WEDNESDAY

This day was the calm before the storm. Mike, his mom and niece left to go back to Utah. This left us, Odoms, and Annette and Cosmo to clean and reorganize beds before the rest arrived Thursday. Shay gave us the King bed so that when our children joined us, we weren't trying to squeeze on a twin!

Watching Shay and Tori try to get on the kayak TOGETHER, was absolutely hilarious. Seriously, I could watch that all day!

Cosmo kayaked (is that a word) with the dolphins and it was SO cool.

Again Jackson was upstairs, but Andi didn't want to sleep alone. So, she made for a tough night.

THURSDAY

Mike, Charlene (Cosmo's sister) and their kids plus Dale (Cosmo's brother) and his two kids (Jessica and Aram), and Ethel (their mom) all arrived to join us the remainder of the trip. Then around dinner time, Chris arrived. PARTY!

After two nights of sleeping with Zoe, Jackson had had enough. He was tired and needy and so he was put to bed in our room at a decent hour. It made such a difference the next day! Many of the older kids used cots out on the balcony's. And the next morning we were greeted with an excellent spread for breakfast.

FRIDAY

This was a chilly, chilly day. I mean seriously. The kids were struggling because they were so tired and just so cold. Ry took a nap on Shay, Charlene and me. The boys dug a huge hole because that's what you do at the beach.

It was adorable watching the kids fly a kite for the first time. They all loved it!

That night Mike made his jalepeno poppers - OH MY GOSH these killed me. It was a bummer because they were so good, but so hot so I could only eat one. Yes, that's bacon wrapped around and then they were bbq'd.

Ethel was so cute to bring out a game for the kids to play - a game SHE MADE which required little animal markers. So cute and Jackson was in seventh heaven playing a game like a big kid.

And lastly, this night included pedicures for some of the men - yummy!

Friday night was a bit tough because Annette and Cosmo gave up their room so Curtis and Tristan could have a room. This meant we had two kids in our bed, Annette on the couch in our room and Cosmo on a leaking air mattress on the floor. Actually, it was a funny sight; but it made for a long night. But I guess it was to be expected because when traveling with the kids, we rarely have good nights. This put us at two good nights, three bad. This will pass right!?!?

SATURDAY

COLD, COLD, COLD! We decided to ride down the street to a public beach. Well, a beach with public access. Jackson wanted to try to ride his bike with the big kids, but it wasn't long before he jumped into the car with me (yes, I followed them because I knew it would happen).

We spent much of this day bundled in blankets but the boys stayed warm playing football.

Tori loved the peace in the kayak and now that she had mastered getting in and out of it, it wasn't nearly as entertaining.

I love the picture of Andi hugging Jackson - so cute.

Ryan loved sitting in the holes because they kept him warm. He was my only kid that liked them.

When Curtis went into the water, he naturally left behind his flip flops. Andi was NOT happy about this - she has a thing about returning everyone's shoes to them. She went to the ocean to return them, but Curtis was long gone. Oh well.

Because this was the night 24 of us were there, we decided to take a group shot at sunset. I was bummed the photo wouldn't work with the sunset as the backdrop but at least we got almost everyone.

For Annette's and Cosmo's birthday competitions, they judged salads and cupcakes. Chris and Andrew took home the titles!

So let's see - I think Saturday night went pretty well. Jackson and Ryan slept well together on the floor, but Andi still bugged us. But it's wasn't too awful in comparison to some other nights.

SUNDAY

Gorgeous day - wonderful, beautiful, spectacular! Sunday warmed up to about 67 but the sky was clear. The clouds did not cover the only source of warmth. It was fantastic. We began the day at the Farmer's Market. Cosmo stayed back with Andi, Tori stayed back to pack, and Curtis and Tristan stayed to go to the beach.

We got some amazing produce and Ryan fell in love even more, if that's even possible, with BOATS. This boy is obsessed thanks to the Evans!

As soon as we got back we changed and hit the beach. We were going to pack up and leave, but how could we turn down some fun in the sun?

Baseball

sand and waves.... oh, and I took a nap. BEAUTIFUL DAY! That was exactly the way the week should have ended.

By the time it was all said and done, I was burned and tired, the kids were so beat (Yes, Jackson's face is IN the sand), Jackson and I got cold sores and everyone was just ready to get back. It took so long to get home because of the extreme beach traffic and I was very sick by the time we got home. I HAVE to eat on a regular basis or it's not pretty. Believe me, the drive home made me NOT pretty. Ugh. But, we were back and ready to send Jackson to school the very next morning.

This trip truly was a blessing and a highlight to our summer. The memories will stay with our kids forever and I am forever grateful for all the help I got so I could rest. Happy Retirement Cosmo - you can take us to the beach for a week ANY TIME!