Ella's B-day!

Hard to believe it has been one year.......

But, this Friday Ella will have her first birthday! A few things about Ella at one year old....
She doesn't walk yet and, in fact, refuses to stand. If you try to get her to stand she will make herself go completely limp. Matt and I tend to have very cautious children and neither of our boys walked until well into their 13th month. She is generally a friendly baby and loves attention. Luckily, she gets a LOT of it from her brothers who both adore her....sometimes too much. It is often hard to carry her around because both of the boys are tugging at her legs and trying to kiss her. She usually enjoys new people and will let most everyone hold her, but occasionally she meets someone who rubs her the wrong way and immediately starts screaming (we think it has to do with how deep a person's voice is). She loves her Daddy and smiles and lunges for him every time she sees him. Certain things however, MUST be done by Mom. She will not eat or go to sleep for anyone else, including Dad. Her favorite toys are rattles and she shakes every toy she picks up to see what kind of sound it will make. She is not a picky eater, but we recently discovered that she gets very ill from gluten, just like her brother Gavin (he is very excited to have another gluten-free kid in the house). Most everybody calls her Ella Bella. I don't know why we even tried to go with a different middle name for her, Ella Bella just seems to roll off the tongue. Matt and I also refer to her as "the Hoover" (because she eats anything left on the carpet) or just "the girl". She definitely gets spoiled by her Dad and I because of her tender feelings. She isn't left to cry nearly as often as the boys were. She is adored by everyone in our house and we are all excited to watch her grow!

Will the real Santa Claus please stand up.....

Last weekend our church had its annual Christmas party and both of the boys got to sit on Santa's lap and rattle off their wish list. They were both very excited about it! Then, on Saturday, we were at TJ Maxx doing some Christmas shopping and Santa and Mrs Claus walked into the store. Gavin and Abe got to shake his hand and Mrs Claus gave them both a little stuffed reindeer. On the drive home we were talking with Abe about how lucky he was to see Santa twice in one week since Santa must be really busy right now. He said "Mom, that wasn't the same Santa, that was a new Santa." Trying to perpetuate the fantasy, I said "Abe there is only one Santa Claus." Gavin took my word for it immediately and tried to help me convince Abe that it was,in fact, the same Santa. Abe didn't say much about it on the rest of the ride, so I thought we had done a good job convincing him. But, this morning he came to me and said "Mom, do you think both the Santa's know what I want for Christmas?"
Oh well, I tried!

Walking Webster's....

Gavin is always on an information hunt. His brain is like a rolodex of information and he is constantly trying to add to the files.
The result of that is a really smart, but compulsive, boy. One of his newest learning tools is asking us to define words. For instance in the last 24 hours I have had to come up with definitions for: nosering, piercing, babushka, language, OK, including, soda, science, etc. I honestly don't know where he hears some of these words....I don't think that we have even said the word babushka in the 6 yrs since he was born. Once you give him the definition he usually asks you to define the words that you used in the definition to the original word....it's a vicious cycle! I'm thinking about buying a pocket dictionary and keeping it with me at all times because I am honestly not smart enough for most of his questions. He'll probably make a killer scrabble player someday though!

Snow Day!

Yesterday we had our first significant snowfall of the season. We had some flurries earlier in the month, but nothing that stuck. We didn't get much yesterday either, but the ground was dusted with white. So, the boys insisted on pulling the sled out. We have a little hill in our back yard that is just perfect for 4-5 year old sledders.....not too steep, but enough to give them a thrill.
We spent about 20 minutes putting on the gear. Snow pants, boots, mittens, hats, coats, etc. Then they headed out. They went down the hill about 4 times and then wanted back in. I think this is one of the natural laws they fail to teach you in school. Children will stay out in the cold for about 1/3 the time it takes you to put on all the clothes and about 1/8 the time it will take you to clean up the melting snow and put away all the snow clothes. It was worth it though to see the look of joy on their faces as they went flying down that hill!

Ella's first word!

It's official! Ella said her first word today. She learned to wave and say Bye-Bye. It actually sounds more like "Ah-Dye", but we know what she means.

Brotherly Love?

Craft Corner

Last night we decided to repurpose some baby food jars by making homemade snowglobes. They turned out pretty cute, don't ya think?

Thanksgiving Weekend

We've all enjoyed a fun, four-day Thanksgiving weekend together and now it's coming to a close. Time flies! Like Karen wrote in her last post, Gavin had a great gluten-free meal prepared for him and he loved it! He ate some of his stuffing, most of his turkey and all of his gluten free rolls. And for dessert - gluten free pumpkin pie! (We won't mention that he decided to skip the gluten-free pie crust and stick with just the pumpkin part.) Karen found her true culinary calling: making the most kickin' stuffing this side of the Food Network, with apples, sausage, and all sorts of good stuff. Karen's mom made a great turkey and controversial mashed potatos (that I stand by 100 percent) that made for a great meal. We all had fun hanging out with the Worlton's and stuffing ourselves silly.

The next day, we decorated our house for Christmas. Gavin and Abe loved trimming the tree - it's in a constant state of flux, with ornaments being moved every few minutes. On top of our usual decorations, we bought a few strands of battery operated twinkle lights for hard-to-reach places. They shone brightly for a grand total of 6 hours before fizzing out. (Needless to say, don't buy battery operated lights.)

We also went to the Naperville Christmas Lights Parade with Karen's parents and Dan, Marci and Ethan. We almost froze Abe and Ella solid in the process, but it was still fun! And Santa Claus was the big ending of the parade!

It's back to reality tomorrow, but we're definitely feeling the Christmas spirit after this weekend. Let the Christmas season begin!

The Grinch Loves the Ladies!

Activity Page Genius

"Don't even try to top me, mister. I'm the connect-the-dots master!"

Gluten free Thanksgiving

I am so excited about Thanksgiving! Mostly because Gavin is excited about Thanksgiving. Gavin is never excited by food or eating. He is more of a drinker....orange juice is his weakness. But, since it is a holiday, he has been talking non-stop about eating turkey, stuffing, potatoes, pumpkin pie and all the other fixins. If you know Gavin, you know what a big deal that is (Karina, I know you understand). He is not usually open to new foods (those foods may not seem exotic to you, but for Gavin they truly are). Not only is he gluten free, but he is also EXTREMELY picky. This is our 2nd Thanksgiving since he went gluten free. Last year he didn't eat much. I wasn't as prepared as I should have been, so he didn't have much to choose from. This year I am making gluten free stuffing and I bought gluten free dinner rolls. My Mom even bought a special gluten free pie crust to make him some pumpkin pie. I am so excited to see him eat something other than peanut butter and jelly and apple slices! It might just be a Thanksgiving miracle! He is also excited about Christmas dinner....he has been reading "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and can't wait to "carve the roast beast". Maybe I can disguise some spinach as a roast beast and really expand his palate!

A few of my favorite things....

Our kids drove us CRAZY this weekend! My first instinct was to vent to you all and wow you with how difficult my life can be. BUT, in an effort to have an attitude of gratitude during the Thanksgiving season I have decided instead to share with you some of my favorite things about each of my kids.....
Ella:
-The way she sticks her thumb in her mouth, snuggles her blanket to her face and looks up at me adoringly as I lay her in her crib (check out my "Ella Bella" entry from June for a visual).
-How she lights up when she is around animals. I take her to a pet store almost every week just to watch her face as she looks at the puppies in the windows.
-How she loves to look at herself in the mirror. She gets a big cheesy grin when she catches a glimpse of herself (I would too if I was that cute!).
-Her tender feelings. She is so sensitive to a harsh voice or look. She has such a sweet girly temperment.
Abe:
-The adorable monkey/baby talk voice that he uses when he talks to Ella. He is always so sweet and gentle with her.
-His love of food. He reminds me of the rat in "Ratatouille". He loves to experiment with different tastes and textures.
-His enthusiasm. He loves life so much that he can make the most mundane task seem amazing. When we drive in the car he gives a running dialogue of all the great things he can see out the windows.
-His social skills. Abe really has a way with people. I have yet to meet someone who can resist his charms.
Gavin:
-His mind. Gavin is so smart that it sometimes scares us. He will definitely be surpassing Matt and I in intelligence very soon.
-His imagination. He can turn a box into a spaceship or a newspaper into a pirate's map. He is never bored!
-The questions he asks. I know my brain will always be challenged by him. Just this weekend he asked Matt and I to explain the differences between colons, semi-colons and ellipses....and he is in Kindergarten!
-His innocence. One of the benefits of Gavin's disability is that he is blissfully unaware of social stigmas. He is just happy with who he is and he is teaching the rest of us to be too.

So, there it is. I feel better already!

Primary Program

Today was the annual Primary Program at church. Gavin has been really excited about it because he inherited his Dad's love of public speaking (he definitely did not get that from me!). He only had one line, but with Gavin you never know what that will mean. Last year his "one line" turned into a mini sacrament meeting talk. Our morning started out badly. For some reason Sundays are horribly chaotic for us. Ella was screaming, skippy was doing his nervous pee thing, Abe was really emotional and Gavin was obsessing over a new activity book and refused to get dressed. When we finally made it to church it was fun to see that Grandma and Grandpa Worlton and Uncle Dan and Aunt Marci had all come to see us. Gavin did a great job saying his line. He did it just like we practiced and sat still through the entire program. Abe had a lot of fun watching the big kids and is excited to be a part of the primary next year. I can't believe how grown up our kids are getting. Life seems to go at warp speed lately.

Tricks and Treats

Halloween this year was a scary ole time . . . in more ways than one. Gavin spent the night before following Abram's example (see Karen's "never cease to be amazed..." entry below), so he missed school and the class parade. Luckily Karen made the boy's skeleton costumes and used comfy jogging suits, so he was able to spend his sick day in his costume. This is Gavin:





We went to Gramma Worlton's house for treats and she made the day especially memorable. Then, after a lot of rest. we headed out to hit a few houses for trick-or-treating. Ella was a bee, Karen was a butterfly and I was a bug catcher (follow the theme?). We gots lots of candy, and despite having to adjust our plans, we had a great Halloween!




It was pretty cold, but as you can see Ella was as snug as a bug!

Ray of Light

Ella exhudes so much sunshine, it actually comes out of her mouth! Don't believe me? Exhibit A:

Never cease to be amazed....

Well, last night around 10pm Abe strolled into our room and told us his tummy hurt. We, of course, assumed this was another one of his attempts to stay up late (he has a rolodex of excuses that he cycles through each night and this is one of them). We told him to go back to bed, but within a couple of minutes he started vomiting all over our bed. Needless to say, he did get to stay up late.....all night in fact, because he threw up about every half hour ALL NIGHT! Matt slept down on the couch (he has a busy day at work today and got a pass) and I was on vomit patrol. The amazing thing is that today, Abe is running around the house like nothing ever happened. I, on the other hand, have to be heavily caffeinated to get from one room to the next. I will never cease to be amazed at the energy level of my children....even after vomiting for 12 hours straight they run around looking and feeling fabulous!

Gavin's progress report

This year Gavin is in both a "regular Kindergarten" class and what they call "Social Skills Kindergarten". He enjoys his regular kindergarten, but he REALLY likes his social skills kindergarten. He is learning a lot of great concepts in that class, like sharing, making conversation with others, problem solving, etc. He also comes home using a lot of interesting buzz words that always make us laugh. For example:
-One day Ella was in her crib crying after her nap. I went upstairs to find Gavin standing at her door saying to her "Ella, you really need to use your calming strategies!"

-Last week Gavin was in a BAD mood. I told him that if he could calm down he could go outside to ride his bike. A few seconds later he yells at me, "I'M IN A BETTER MOOD! I WANT TO RIDE MY BIKE RIGHT NOW!" I said, "Gavin screaming at me is a sign that you are still feeling angry." and he responded, "Mom, Mrs. Kovar says when someone is angry their eyebrows point down. I am lifting my eyebrows up right now so I am obviously not angry anymore!"

-A couple of Saturdays ago Gavin and Abe were fighting over what tv show to watch. Gavin says to Matt, "Dad, we have a problem. First we need to identify the problem. Next we need to brainstorm solutions. Then, we will make a choice. That's how we do a good job!" Sure enough, Gavin decided Abe could pick first and after Abe's show was over, Gavin could pick. He did a good job!

We had our first parent teacher conference yesterday and Gavin is doing great. He has accomplished all of the kindergarten academic goals for the year, so they are going to start pulling him out for a smaller reading group. They said he behaves well without any extra adult assistance. He is getting better at building relationships with the other kids, although he still needs to be pushed into it sometimes. He loves his friends from social skills because they all have similar quirks and mannerisms. We had a playgroup with some of his social skills friends last week and they all had a blast playing and laughing at jokes that nobody else understood. Most of the kids are even "gluten free" just like Gavin! It is great that he finally has a good group of friends. We are so proud of him!

The Bear Necessities

In honor of the release of 'The Jungle Book" DVD, we had a special Friday evening movie night with the boys complete with pizza, pajamas and lots of popcorn. They got to stay up way past their bedtime and pig out, we got to enjoy watching one of Karen's all-time favorite Disney flicks. I loved the groovy jazz music . . . scitelldy scat-dat-da-de-bop!

Mom knows best....

On Monday Gavin's teacher pulled me aside after school to tell me this story...
Gavin got a sticker for doing a good job on something and it had a picture of the Earth on it. Gavin decided he wanted to write a story about his sticker so he asked his teacher to help him spell the word Earth. She told him to sound out the word in his head and try to figure out which letters to use. His reply?
"Well, if you don't know I'll just go call my Mom!"

Pumpkin Patch

Every year we have a family tradition of going to Bengston's Pumpkin Patch in Homer Glen. There are pig races, a petting zoo, a haunted barn, popcorn and lots of pumpkins. The boys had a really great time and said their favorite thing was the hayride. Ella on the other hand just wasn't too happy (I guess pumpkins are hard to appreciate at that age!) Regardless, it was great fun and we got some excellent family pictures!

Pics Are For Kids

Hangin' With My Bros

"Who cares about TV, I'm just happy to be up here with the big kids!" -Ella

Block Party!

Yesterday we had our annual Windham Hill block party, and this year it was held right in our front yard!



The party committee rented a moon jump for the kids complete with a huge Batman, and Gavin and Abe got full access hours before the rest of the neighborhood came because it was on our lawn. (Needless to say, they were completely exhausted by the end of the day!) We all sat around and visited with the neighbors, meeting new people and chatting with our friends. There was a pinata, games for the little ones, and plenty of food. Everyone brought drinks, snacks and homemade goodies. Despite a few questionable mystery items ( . . . is it supposed to be sweet? Salty? Yikes!), everything was tasty. Karen contributed a West family favorite: little smokies in BBQ sauce on toothpicks with cheese and pickles. (They were the hottest item at the food table!)

The fire department brought a fire truck for the kiddies to check out, and Gavin and Abe loved it. They got free fire hats and learned a few lessons from the firefighters. It was all very cool and a fun afternoon! It's always fun to spend time with our great neighbors.

Gavin's little accident

This last week has been an exciting one for us! On Monday, as I was walking in the door from dropping Gavin off at school for the day, my phone rang and it was the school nurse. She said "Gavin got hurt and you need to come pick him up". I panicked a little, but figured it couldn't be anything too serious since he had only been there five minutes. I walked in the doors of the school and immediately heard his screaming. He was UPSET and his mouth was severely swollen. The school nurse told me he wasn't watching where he was going as he went into the classroom for the day and he fell face first into the corner of his desk. I got him home quickly and looked to see that his 2 front teeth had gone completely through his lip and were fairly loose in his mouth. I called the dentist and brought him right in to have his teeth checked. The dentist said his mouth should heal on its own and we would just have to wait and see what happened with the teeth. He was in a lot of pain that first day and spent most of it laying on the couch and complaining. Our biggest concern was that he was refusing to eat or drink for the first 3 days. I had to sit with him and force him to sip nutrition shakes from a straw as he screamed and cried in pain. Finally last night he gave in and ate some refried beans and ice cream for dinner. Today he has been more willing to eat and he is much happier because of it. He actually bit into a chocolate chip cookie this afternoon! We are still waiting to see if his teeth fall out or turn black, but if they do it will be a temporary problem because his adult teeth should be coming in a year and a half to two years.
On top of all Gavin's problems, Abe has been having asthma attacks all week and Ella is still battling her diarrhea and severe diaper rash. I can't compain about being bored! Everyone seems to be on the mend today, so I feel optimistic that we will have a great weekend! I hope you all do too!

Karen

Ella's Blown Away

Some great photos of Ella.

Our Kindergartener!

Gavin has officially completed two full days of kindergarten. He goes to school everyday 8:15-2:30pm. In the morning he is in a regular kindergarten without any assistance. His morning teacher's name is Mrs. Hatfield. In the afternoon he goes to a social skills class just for kindergarten age children who need a little extra help with their social skills. In that class they focus on communication skills, attention skills and behavior instead of academics. His afternoon teacher is named Mrs. Kovar. As far as I can tell, it is going well. One of Gavin's challenges is being able to communicate about past events, so he has not told us much about school. I know he goes everday because I drop him off and pick him up, but that is about all the info I have. Hopefully I will get some good communication going with his teachers as the year goes on. I know they would definitely talk to me if there was a problem, so I guess no news is good news!

Bad Blogger

I have been a bad little blogger lately. Summer schedules have been crazy, but school is starting soon and then the blog will be back in full swing. Gavin starts kindergarten next week and he will be gone at school ALL DAY EVERYDAY! Sad for me, Abe and Ella, but exciting for Gavin. Tonight we go over to the school to find out who his teacher will be. Hopefully she is someone full of patience and understanding...she's gonna need it. More blogging to come. I promise!

Walmart Line

Picture this scene....
Me, Gavin, Abe and Ella in the busy Walmart line, within earshot of 20 other people.
Abe: "Mom look I found a great booger in my nose"
Me: "Ok, hold on while I find a tissue" (digging furiously in my bag for a tissue or wipe)
Abe: "Mom what should I do with it?"
Me: "Hold on" (still digging furiously in my bag for a tissue or wipe)
Abe: "Maybe I can eat it"
Me: "NO! Hold on" (still digging furiously in my bag for a tissue or wipe)
Abe: "Nevermind Mom, I just put it back in my nose!"

"I have a problem"

Gavin: "Mom, want to play a game?"
Mom: "Sure Gavin, what kind of game?"
Gavin: "The game is called 'I have a problem'"
Mom: "How do we play?"
Gavin: "The problem is I have an empty bowl."
Mom: "Okay, so what should I do about it?"
Gavin: "Maybe you should fill it up!"
Mom: "Hmmm...what should I fill it with?"
Gavin: "Maybe cookies would work!"
Gavin: munch, munch, munch (eating his cookies)
Gavin: "Mom, you are good at that game....want to play again?"

Abe and Ella

Abe is such a people person! He always wants someone watching him, talking to him, playing with him. And he LOVES his siblings. He has an especially sweet affection for his baby sister Ella. He is so excited to see her every morning and is always trying to get her attention. If she cries he goes into a panic, giving her toys and binkies and hunting me down to help her. Sometimes I will catch him caressing her face and talking so gently to her that it makes me tear up a little.
Last night, the boys and Matt and I were sitting trying to have dinner together while Ella played on the family room floor. Even though Abe had a plate full of his favorite meal (mac and cheese) he could not sit still. He kept popping up every few minutes and running off. I finally got frustrated and said "Abe why can't you just sit still?" and he said "Ella is being so silly and so happy...I HAVE TO SEE HER!" I can't blame him for that!

Catch of the Day!

I caught Ella smiling!

Frog House

Last week Gavin got it into his mind that he wanted to build something in the backyard. Not something PRETEND, something REAL! At first he decided he was going to build a ferry boat for our cars to ride on (must have been something he saw on t.v.). We had a pile of small bricks on the side of our house and one day he spent over an hour carrying bricks from the side of the house to the deck, one by one. He figured if he used REAL bricks he must be able to build a REAL ferry boat. I didn't want to burst his bubble right away, so I went along with it telling him how great it looked and how I couldn't wait to see it finished. He spent hours arranging and piling up the bricks until he thought it looked just like a ferry boat. When he was done he came to me and said "Okay Mom, let's put our van on my ferry boat!" I said: "Gavin, we can put a pretend car on your ferry boat, but what you made will not hold a real car or float in the water." At that comment, he lost it! He cried and cried saying he wanted to build something REAL not pretend!
Then on Saturday, Matt found a little frog hopping around our yard and when Gavin saw it he got a great idea. He decided he'd build a REAL house for the frog out of our bricks. He moved the bricks onto the grass, made a roof out of cardboard and even a sign for the front. I don't think the frog will really be interested in it, but Gavin feels great that he made something REAL!

Spiderwebs

Cool spiderweb on our swingset!

T.P., Not just for PeePee!

Like MacGyver with his duct tape, Abe's go to item is toilet paper! He uses it to clean up spills, wipe dirt from his skin, dry his hair, mop the floor, heal a booboo, hide objects he doesn't want me to find, etc. He is a very independent boy, but kinda short, so the toilet paper roll is at the perfect height for a quick fix. The problem with this is that we end up with tiny bits of toilet paper all over our house where he has tried to clean the floor or pick up a bug or hide something from Gavin. I have to give him credit for being resourceful though!

4th of July

In the grand tradition of Gramma West, we try to make the Fourth of July really special. This year Matt woke up with a terrible head cold so we were not off to a good start. But, he took one for the team, and we started our day with the Wheaton, Ill. Independance Day parade (matching shirts and all). It is the biggest parade in the state.... nothing but the best for our 4th celebration! It had a little of everything....bands, boy scouts, floats, politicians and even an elephant (which I found disturbing, but everyone else thought was cool).

Here we are with our neighbors Josh and Ethan....

After 2 1/2 hours (wow!) the parade was over and we headed home for much needed naps. In the afternoon, we went to my parents annual 4th of July BBQ. The spread was HUGE. Watermelon, potato salad, chicken salad, chips and guac, hamburgers, banana cream pie, etc. Unfortunately, we were the only guests! Usually my whole family comes, but this year they made other plans so it was just us and the Folks. We had to stuff ourselves sick to try and make a dent in all that food. We all had a good time!
By evening Matt had pretty much run out of energy and needed some sleep to nurse his cold. We decided to skip the fireworks, but explode a little diet coke and mentos instead!


I think Gramma West would have been proud!

No Nonsense Ella

When you meet Ella for the first time, this is the look she will give you.........

She is our no nonsense baby! At home she has a really sweet disposition, but when we are out and about, she puts on her poker face. Whenever we meet new people they say "What a beautiful baby.....she is sooo serious!" She doesn't give away her smiles easily, but when she does smile at you she will wrap you around her finger in an instant. I guess when you are that beautiful you don't have to be friendly!

Chef Gavin

After seeing Ratatouille, Gavin decided he wanted to be a chef.
I made him a chef's hat out of paper......

And a recipe........
(I had to hide the fact that we were actually making gluten free banana bread...mush=bananas+sugar)

It took a lot of hard work and concentration.......

But, his cake turned out great and we all enjoyed eating it together!

Ratatouille!!!

Yesterday our neighbor Debbi watched Ella for us for a few hours so we could take the boys to see the movie Ratatouille. We're all Pixar fans, so we've been counting the days leading up to its premiere. Gavin even memorized the date we planned to go - June 30 - and in the last few weeks would ask us all the time "is it June 30 yet?" Needless to say, we were all very excited.

We bought the boys kids meals (if you can call popcorn, soda and candy a "meal!") and had a blast! The kids really loved the movie and have been talking about it ever since. Karen and I also loved the show - a great movie, even for adults. Two thumbs up, we laughed we cried! Four stars. We're also craving gourmet food big time . . . watch the movie, you'll see what I mean/ (Mmmmm . . . lightning fried mushrooms . . .)