Catching up...

Photo taken at Six Flags June 2010

It seems as though the months have flown by since we've updated our family blog. You may be anxious to hear how Matthew's first year of school went in kindergarten or how Andrew did in first grade... Well, there just isn't enough room to include it all or you'd be reading for hours. So lets just say it was a pretty uneventful school year. Matthew adjusted well to Kindergarten and looks forward to first grade in the fall. Of course he made lots of friends and did well in school. Andrew, again did well in first grade despite our fears of the higher expectations. He continues to receive PT, OT, Speech and all his other support staff regularly help him each day.
Now that summer is here, we've hired a nanny who is working out really well! The boys are happy to be home for the summer and we're happy to have the stress taking off of bringing Andrew to therapy everyday during the summer and bringing the boys to camp etc. She's been really great at helping the boys really learn this summer by doing homework time, library time and daily outings like blueberry picking and the park. We've also installed a pool this year!! Our greatest purchase to date for entertaining. Not only do the boys love the pool, but we do too and it gave us a big excuse to finally replace our failing deck. Now we've got a great place to sit, relax and entertain with no worries of the whole thing collapsing. We were lucky to have an acquaintance of Sean's give us their pool that they didn't want, so we were able to finally afford it. Andrew's physical therapist for the summer is starting aquatic therapy on Wednesday so this should be interesting but hopefully successful.
Sean and I continue to work hard and the summer has been filled with fun outings. We went camping in June/July, which was beautiful weather the whole time. We took the boys on a surprise trip to Six Flags and Lake George on the last day of school. We surprise them by bringing them to dinner, stayed in a hotel with a waterslide and surprised them with the theme park & waterpark the next day. Their faces were priceless.
Sean competed in the Plattsburgh Half Marathon this past April and did great for his first time. He seems to be a natural runner. Sean & I competed in the Lake Placid Half Marathon and ran together the whole way. It was quite the challenge and hope to be able to go again next year. We both have been running a lot and feel great about staying healthy. We also competed in the Boilermaker 15k in Utica which was a huge race through Utica that ends at a brewery! It was an amazing race along with about 14,000 other entrants in 80+ degree heat. And a few other smaller local 5k races.
Matthew has been happily competing in the local fun runs and has gotten quite competitive about his running. He won his first race a few weeks ago and we're so proud of him. He also did great playing his first season of coach pitch baseball. Andrew was unable to continue his Hippotherapy this summer but we hope to be able to get him in and riding the horses real soon. Andrew is happy enough to cheer us all on... although we can tell that sometimes he feels left out. It's difficult to find activities to get him into with is disability.
So we've been pretty busy lately and apologize to all of you who follow our family's blog... We'll try to update more frequently... Especially since we are looking down the road at Andrew having another surgery in September. We'll update more as the information comes to us. The blogs were a great way to update you all on his progress and recovery during his last surgery, so we'll be sure to keep this up and running again.

Veteran's Day Photo Tribute

We would like to take this time to thank all our veterans for their Duty, Honor and Courage. We thank you for all of the sacrifices you have made for our country. Sacrifices so honorable… so that we can live free.

Wow, it's been a while...

I guess the daily challenges of life have gotten in the way of our blog updates! Ya think??
So since my last post we have been VERY busy!!! We had a great busy summer. We were able to do some camping, traveling to visit family, parties and cookouts with friends... but the best was taking the boys on their first trip to New York City! We were given some great tickets to go see the Yankees play in the new stadium. The boys LOVED it! We were given tickets that were just to the right of the Yankee dugout and 18 rows up from the field. We spoiled the boys while at the game of course and we got a great deal on on hotel right in the city. They were amazed at the sights, smells and sounds of the city. They can't wait to go back. They got to ride the train there, rode in their first taxi ride and subway ride. We had great food, great shopping and an all around wonderful time... we can't wait to take them back.
Andrew continued his horseback riding therapy (Hippotherapy) this summer at Medicine Horse. As always, he loved it. We've seen some huge improvements this year. He continues with PT, OT and speech to help him achieve his goals. He had a doctors appointment with his Orthopedic doctor here with a great report. He shows no signs that he will need heel cord lengthening at this time. His hip, knees and ankle xrays looked great. His hip dysplasia that was forming is no worse than before his Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy surgery. Although his heel cords seem tight to us and he tends to have days where he walks on his toes aggressively, the Ortho said that he does not need surgery yet! whew! Basically, Andrew has gone through a huge growth spurt this summer and his body can't keep up. So we have to just stretch stretch stretch. Otherwise, he's doing great. He's started first grade this year and is coming along nicely in school. Today was picture day, can't wait to see them! Will post when they come in. :)
Matthew had a fun filled summer playing t-ball again this year. He really seems to like it and loves the Yankees. His favorite part of the summer was going to see them play in real life. He was excited to get to see Jeter hit a home run too. He's doing great in kindergarten... Can't believe he is actually in school now. He has a hard time getting into the routine of the classroom, but seems to be learning a lot. He's doing a great job with reading... we're so proud of how talented he is when it comes to being creative. He loves to write his own books, staple them together and bring them to school to share with his class.
So we plan to try and get them into a winter activity. We're torn between Karate or just swimming. We would love to do both, but with it both being on Saturday, it may not be possible.
We've been so busy and we're looking forward to the holidays... yes, holidays already.
Hopefully we can update our blog more often. I guess if we continue to keep it up, we won't have to write such long ones all at once!

Check out some of our pictures from our busy summer...

hectic last few days...

Well, to start it all off, Sean and I have been committed to getting fit and training for some marathons.  So, because of that "get fit" idea, now I (mel) have severe leg pain that just will not go away.  The doctor has ordered a bone scan of both legs and we're awaiting results.  Hoping that there is no signs of stress fracture.  Also, PT was ordered to find out where all this pain is coming from and how to prevent further injury.  It's something that we really want to do and it feels good too.

So then, Matthew ends up with Strep throat on Sunday.  The first sign was on Saturday when our "ball of fire" zonked out in the car at 6:00 pm without any warning.  We barely did anything all day and it is not like him to take a nap.  We got home and he didn't want dinner and just went to bed. His friend at school had strep last week so I just put 2 and 2 together... besides, mommys know best and I knew right away by the smell of his breath that it was strep.  Sean brough him in on Sunday morning to the ped and sure enough it was positive.  He basically vegged out all day on Sunday and was in bed by 7pm.  BUT , all night he had a high fever between 102-103.  Sean had to run to the store at 10pm to get more children's motrin since tylenol was not even touching it.  after cold washcloths and lots of tylenol and motrin, it wasn't until after midnight that his fever started to go down.  

And TODAY, he woke up with the biggest grin and asked "is it the next day yet?".  We told him yes and he said "I am so excited, this is my kindergarten day!".  He was up and happy to know that he was going to his kindergarten registration and screening today.  He did a great job and scored really well on all areas... except social skills (which is not believable since he is so very social) but they combine listening skills with social skills so that is def. the reason why.  But otherwise they said he is more than ready for Kindergarten. We treated him to lunch before I had to get back to the final part of my bone scan.  The rest of the day was pampering and spoiling him on his special day!  He still didn't feel good today and just lay on the couch till dinner (which he didn't eat) and was in bed by 7pm.  Hopefully he will be better for school tomorrow and hoping that no one else in the family gets it.

Andrew was very excited today to see Matthew come to visit school.  His teachers told us that he was proud of Matthew! (so cute)  So we popped in to visit Andrew and he was not in class but was at Art Class.  Andrew came out of the classroom and gave Matthew a huge hug and was very excited for him.  It was so "big brotherly" of him!

Here's a little pic of Matthew in front of school.  It was REALLY windy and very cold out today, and the camera wasn't working right so we only got these crazy shots of Matthew.

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more on the weather...

BURRR is all we can say!!! The freezing subzero temperatures are taking its toll. Friday morning we woke up to finding out that school was closed because it was TOO COLD and then we realized the we had no heat in the house! Apparently the 25 below zero night had frozen our pipes, so we had no heat. We thought we were doing the right thing by having our thermostat set to go down to 65 degrees at night while we slept and to come back on up to 73 at 5am. But when we got up, the house was frigid. We have a comfort zone heater to supplement our heat to save on fuel but we soon found out that since the heat is set for 73 during the day that the furnace does not kick on and circulate the heat for hours while the house cools down to 65. The hot water stayed dormant in the pipes while the 25 below cold air was busy freezing the pipes in the front section of the house. Because the way the house was built 15 years ago, the builder placed the pipes too close to the outside wall of the house causing the pipes to be more exposed to the elements. Thankfully, with the supplement heat, the natural gas fireplace downstairs and the thermostat being left turned up downstairs helped to keep the house warm during the night, but it was not enough to keep those pipes from freezing.
When we got up in the morning, my dad came over to check the furnace, which was fine. When we could not get the heat to circulate upstairs we called a heating specialist who came over and informed us that we had a frozen pipe somewhere and speculated that it was on the front wall of the house, which by the way, is precisely where our 52" plasma tv is mounted on the wall, along with all the wiring for it installed in the wall and all of the in-wall speakers. It's also the wall where my computer and work files are and other tons of wiring for the house! So first things first! Sean had to take the day off from work to figure this all out. Andrew was home from school, so that added to the need for help. Unfortunately, since I could not take the day off from work... we were doing an "inaguration page" test run for the front pages of the newspaper for next tuesday and I had to be there while the press was running it off and we had to do color correction (it's a historical day, you know, and we are trying not to screw it up) It's my responsibility to be sure it goes as smooth as possible along with getting ads and other pre-press things finished before the weekend. The newspaper does not stop for frozen pipes! So anyway, Sean was left to take care of it all. I brought Matthew to preschool (which was thankfully open) and headed off to work. Sean had to prepare for the attempt at thawing the pipes so he had to move as many things as he could since there was a chance that the pipes would burst! BUT it's not like you can just take the tv off the wall. If the pipes burst, we would have a lot of water damage. He worked at it all day and was instructed to go slow with a blowdryer since thawing too quickly would cause the pipes to burst. Finally, I could get done work and come home to help. No sooner had I left from work when Sean said that he got the pipe unthawed but that for some reason the water was spraying out from the furnace pipes. He called the heat guy back and he came over and replaced a valve that had blown on the furnace because of the built up pressure in the pipes.
WOW, got to love the weather around here! We were lucky this time and now we've learned that when the weatherman calls for below zero, we have to keep the heat up! So much for trying to save on fuel! We figure that it's not worth trying to save a few bucks on fuel since it would cost us MUCH more if our pipes froze, exploded and damaged all of our belongings! Lessson learned.

Blogging about the weather!

Well, at this point we're ok with winter. With all the snow, we've found ways to really enjoy this winter... so far anyway. We've had to buy the boys new sleds since the one sled cracked in half and the other just isn't fast enough according to the boys. So now they have 2 new sleds that we tested out in the fresh new 4-5 inches of snow from last night. This was that fluffy snow so it was no good for building anything with. They boys did enjoy building their snow fort the last few days from the snow from the last Noreaster that we just got a few days ago. The forecast for that storm was calling for about a foot of accumulation but since we had a mix of sleet at one point, it kind of packed it down a bit. It didn't help much with shoveling since it made it quite heavy. But with all of the snow we've gotten so early this year we have yet to see any grass below since after Halloween. Thankfully the boys really enjoy playing outside and now that We're ALL winter equipped with snow pants, new boots and long johns, mittens, hats, scarves and anything else to help keep us warm, we can actually try to make the most of our long winters. I refuse to subcome to the "cabin fever" that I've suffered the last few years. Forcing ourselves to get out no matter how the weather is, is a goal for this year. So today we took a trek out into the woods near our house down by the river. There had been a snowmobile that made tracks for us in the deep snow so it was a bit easier going. I would have loved to have had some cross country skis. Wearing those boots in the deep snow pulling the boys on sleds is a great workout though. It was so beautiful out there in the winter. People had been snowshoeing out there and there were lots of animal tracks for the boys to follow. Matthew was a little concerned about mosquitos so we had to explain that they don't live in the woods in the winter and then came the questions about the bears. We had to remind him that the bears hibernate in the winter so not to worry. Last summer when we went out to the trails the mosquitos were so thick they could carry you away... even doused with bug spray. But it really was nice to get out in the freshly snow covered trails with the sun shining through the trees. Thankfully Andrew is still young enough to drag along in his sled, because otherwise we would have never made it as far into the woods as we did. I think at one point the boys were laying on their sleds and were falling asleep!

Besides the weather, we're really struggling to find a place to send Andrew for the summer school break. It seems like any program that we've found is either not enough hours during the day or it is just not the right program for him. The last few programs we've looked into were more like just a babysitting service. For the money that we'd pay, it just does not seem like a worthwhile investment. We're better off to hire a teenager to come over every day. We know that it is quite beyond our control, since in this area there are NO programs available for a child like Andrew. There are many camps in our area but nothing that is full time summer care that is accessible for Andrew. These programs are for the average child and include activities that would not be possible for him to participate. It seems like the older he gets, the less there are for options. Besides just having a place to send him to be looked after for the summer, we're also running into the issues of where he will receive his summer services. We anticipate that he will definitely have PT during the summer but we plan to push for OT also. His academics are suffering since he was behind to begin with, so the ideal program for him would have to be an "educational" summer program... but good luck finding such a thing around here. I know that kids look forward to summer break but we want Andrew to have the most educational experiences that he possibly can now that he's too young to realize the it is "summer vacation". I think the only other option is for us to stay home and work with him, BUT, it's just not an option. It's awful to say that our jobs have to come first... it's sort of like a snowball effect. We can't take the chance of taking summer off from work, mostly because we can't afford it financially, but these days you just can't risk the possibility of not having a job at all. I just don't know what everyone else in the world does in the summertime. Where do all of these kids go in the summer. I assume that they must go somewhere but it seems like everyone I talk to has the same problem. Our community really has to do something about this. Everyone talks about the kids that get into trouble when they can't keep busy, But do you see anyone providing a place for all these kids to go. It may be that just because we're new to this that we just have to learn, but where else do you go, who do you talk to. But realistically, there is no place for Andrew. He needs structure. He needs that 1:1 attention. He needs the education. Never in a million years did we ever think that it would be this difficult to just have someone take your child for the summer months so that we can work. Nothing like making you feel like a horrible parent that there is nothing you can do about it except to just keep trying. In the end I'm sure it will work itself out. But like everything else, nothing with Andrew is simple. It's always a fight to get him what he needs. But we are his advocate and that's what our lives consist of at this point.
Matthew on the other hand is getting excited that he will be going to kindergarten in the fall. It seems so far away but yet so close! He can't wait for kindergarten. He wants to ride the bus. He wants to go to the big school. He wants to pick out his backpack. He wants to have all of his own school supplies and when he visits Andrew at school he goes right to the art area. Andrew told him about art class and Matthew cant wait. Andrew has told him about lunch time and recess and seems to really love school, so now Matthew can't wait! It's a good thing that Andrew rarely argues about going to school. I think that this year has gone by so smoothly so far. It's really unbelievable that he likes school this much still. Matthew has decided that he wants to be a runner like daddy. So we told him since he is good at riding his bike and running, that all he has to do is learn how to swim and he can be like Uncle Jay and run in the Iron Man Triathalon when he gets older. How amazing would that be. It would be so good for getting out his energy. So when the next enrollment for swimming lessons comes up, he will be there.
Speaking of, Sean has really been getting into the running. He goes regularly and has these little spikes that hook up to his shoes so he can go in the ice and snow too. He's trying to convince me to do this marathon in vermont this spring. It's in May and is a 5 leg marathon. He actually thinks I will be ready to do the first leg by May, yeah, whatever. I plan to try and it's something that he really wants to do together. but I really don't think my body can take it. So now it's on... I HAVE to keep active and motivated. He's trying to suck me into his "healthy life", but I swear I will NOT give up chocolate, potato chips or Mountain Dew... I swear!

Seems that sad news is all around...

First, yesterday as my friend Bobbi and I were visiting, she told me that her friend's brother in law is extremely ill and has scleroderma. This amazing man has been through multiple treatments to try and save him. He was part of a study that was suppose to improve his quality of life and to hopefully, save him. But now he is not doing well at all and all the family and friends must just pray that he can somehow make it through. Their blog is here http://thedupreyfamily.blogspot.com/
Next, I came to work today to find out that another wonderful man has died. His name is Kevin Couture. He is a writer for our newspaper. Not only is he a writer, he had severe Cerebral Palsy. He was quadraplegic and non-verbal. This amazing person managed to have his own apartment and with minimal assistance, wrote stories for our newspaper on his special computer that helped him type his stories letter by letter! It would take him weeks to finish typing just one story, but he did it. Just a few weeks ago, some of us at work took up a collection for him. It seems that the state threatened to take away his funding help because he "worked too much". Here you have a man that is trying his best to make something of himself and of course he gets assistance because he cannot work a full time job to support himself. He cannot care for himself, etc. But he was a writer because he wanted to be a writer. And the state is trying to say "well you have an income, support yourself". So he decided to continue working for our paper and said that he would find a way to manage. He loved to write and did not want to quit. So we took up a collection for him to get him a new stereo system. Something that would make him very happy. Just the day before he passed away, a co-worker went over to his place and hooked up his new stereo. He was elated and extrememly thankful. So we do know one thing, he died a happy man.
Here is his story in the paper of the horrible luck this man has had and how overcame a few recent obstacles....
http://www.pressrepublican.com/archivesearch/local_story_364043026.html

Then you hear all of these things on the news of people dying... it seems like such a morbid day.
I know it's all quite depressing, so hopefully our night will be much better.

The holidays are over...

So it seems that the holidays have taken it's toll on my effort to keep up our blog. Seeing that the last time we posted was in the fall, so much has happened since then. Winter is here and it started off with a bang. The snow's been falling since before thanksgiving and has not stopped since. At one point we had a total of 2 feet on the ground in our back yard. It warmed up to 50 one day and then snowed the next. The boys are having a blast in the snow but the cold is here too. This morning on the way to work I noticed that it was 8 degrees outside. Cold like that makes you want to stay inside all day... Which is how we spend much of our days in the winter. This year we discovered a great sledding spot and the boys love it. It's a lot of work since we either have to carry Andrew up the steep hill or drag him in the sled. But regardless, he gets to enjoy the snow with everyone. Matthew can literally run up the hill and it's great to tire him out like that.
Sean has taken to the healthy lifestyle of exercise and healthy eating habits. He's been out running just about every day, even in the snow with his shoe cleats. He's run in a few small marathons and hopes to be able to enter some more this summer. He even got me out there in the Poker Run that was held. I have to admit, that although my body did not like the shock of it, it was a lot of fun. I think that it is a good plan for us all to enjoy some more exercise. Even Matthew is excited to go running with Sean and jumps at every chance he gets to do his "exercises" as he calls it. The boys get on the treadmill which is a great energy release for Matthew and good for Andrew's strength building. We put it on a high incline for Andrew to help stretch his heel cords. Which brings me to...
Andrew is done with his horseback riding therapy for the winter as we explore an indoor alternative until spring. We plan to get him into swimming when the next enrollment comes up. He's got his therapists at school all coordinated and is doing great at school. He is aparently pretty far behind on his academics in school so he is getting extra help for that. His teacher and aide keep us updated daily on his progress and the lines of communication between his team has improved greatly. He had the pleasure of singing on stage for his christmas concert at school (Make sure you check out our videos on www.youtube.com/thefavilles) He's sad to be done with his riding therapy, and had the chance to continue for the winter, but the bitter cold would have made him not want to go and we didnt want to chance the idea that he may not EVER want to go again, so we are holding off for the winter and will continue again in the spring. He's been on break from school for the last two weeks and we're seeing some regression and hope that he can get back on track quickly. We've been trying really hard to keep him active and stretched but there is only so much we can do without the equipment they have at school. During his next break we will schedule some clinic visits for him if the school decides he does not show the regression in their opinion.
Matthew continues to excel at school and is in love with his creative side (must take after his mom :)) He still has a difficult time keeping his energy bottled until recess, but tends to lose focus in class. He's got a few buddies that he gets into trouble with and has a hard time listening and staying on task. They try to keep them separated at the activities and meals to help... but mostly, they like to act up together and feed off each other. The teacher has noted that it seems Matthew is bored since there is a wide range of ages 3 to 5 in his preschool class. Matthew has mastered all of the skills they focus on and so she has been working independently with him on more advanced learning and it seems to be helping. He's a quick learner but has a wild imagination and lots of energy.

We all had a great christmas and a relaxing new year. Sean & I had a great Christmas and just bought some items together instead of exchanging large gifts. We bought a new digital (well needed) camcorder, a subwoofer and a bluray dvd player for our media room. So we had minimal gifts for each other this year. Christmas for the boys was great of course. It's really all that matters anymore. Andrew got a lot of learning toys which he was a bit disappointed but got over quickly when he realized how cool they really were. He's been playing his lelappad regularly and is loving his karaoke machine and "stage" that he got. Of course they both got some spiderman, Venom, Ironman etc, figurines that they love so much and we can't forget all of the clothes. Matthew was SO into Christmas this year. He begged every Santa he saw or even looked remotely like Santa, for an Imaginext Safari set... which he got. He was So excited to open presents this year. Unlike last year where he really just didnt care and was so sick he could barely open presents. He also got the Leapfrog "Tag" reading system and he & Andrew fight over it. We may just have to get Andrew his own. For anyone out there that doesnt know what this is, it is a pen that can help read the stories from a special book and has the option to go online and download stories to it that it will read for you. It's really neat and they really seem to be learning from it.... Imagine THAT!
So that's what we've been up to and it's about hibernation weather. But be sure to keep checking the blog and youtube for more videos and also be sure to check out new photos on photobucket and our picasa web albums. We upload to those quite regularly.
Hope you all have a Great New Year!

New Fall Photos

Click on the link to see some fall photos, while they are up online.
http://webpages.charter.net/thefavilles/pics/index.html

Golf Season is over...

And now it is offically fall. We'll be posting some pics of the boys playing in the leaves. That's right, Leaves are falling and it's peak leaf peeping season! We brought the boys to the apple orchard to pick some apples and go on a hay ride. They had a great time feeding the animals in the petting zoo. Matthew even got to take a horse ride there. We're so glad that he has no interest in horseback riding. He doesnt have the attention span to pay attention on the horse.
The boys each had their yearly trips to the pumpkin patch and apple orchards for their class field trips. Andrew's was today and Matthew's was last Friday. They got to pick out their own pumpkins, make apple cider and taste cider donuts. Again they took a hay ride and went to the petting zoo.
Matthew is doing so well at preschool and really enjoys writing. He also loves to do his "art stuff" and thinks he's an architect! So cute. He's been a little off beat lately missing Andrew at school. He can't wait to ride the bus to Kindergarten next year with Andrew. He's sad that He can't ride the bus now. They get to see each other after Andrew gets off the bus for Afterschool care where Matthew goes to preschool and daycare, so that makes him happy. And of course he is still such a ladies man. He's got his little girlfriends that he hugs and kisses before leaving each day. It's really cute. Soon he'll be saying they have cooties, so we'll smile while we can. Then it will be onto real girlfriends and we're not looking forward to that.
Andrew's doing really well in school. We're having a really hard time with the school coordinating his services. This year he has a shared aide and gets the usual OT, PT and speech. The school dropped the ball on him having an aide on the bus, but thankfully he's adjusted to riding the bus without one. His PT is a HUGE issue since he relys on that Physically Therapy to keep him walking. He had a major regression because of the lapse of service of PT. We've been fighting with the school to keep up on it and seems that there are some scheduling problems. We've called a team meeting and have a regular schedule sent to us from the school so that we can check up on them. Hopefully we will not have to resort to going to the State Education Department to resolve these issues. He has an Individualized Education Plan (or IEP) that states his services which is a legally binding document that the school district must follow under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (or IDEA). If they do not follow, we then have to takes steps at a Due Process Hearing to help push things along. It's horrible, but the squeaky wheel gets the grease and we're hoping that if we stay on top of things, that Andrew will not be one of those kids that falls through the cracks. It's sad to find out that even though we are on top of making sure that Andrew gets his services, that there are MANY other children who probably aren't. This is what allows Andrew to attend a regular school and in a regular classroom. Without IDEA, Andrew would probably not be in a regular classroom. Although he is a bright, intelligent little boy, his physical delays would prevent him from going to school where he does.
On another note, his Therapeutic Equine sessions are going really well. Andrew has graduated to a faster more aggressive horse. He will still go on Lilly the smoother horse for his Hippotherapy, but for his riding, he has been riding Sheba and last week Dell. He's been trotting on the horses and going quickly through the trails. He's been righting himself without assistance and LOVES to go fast! Marie at Medicine Horse is amazed at Andrew's ability to ride. She is so excited that she's got a rider like Andrew and she loves to watch him. We've continued this therapy despite the cost. We feel it may be the one "sport" that Andrew can really enjoy and it shows that he is good at it. In the long run it will be worth it. He's really bonded with the horses and we see a real enthusiasm that he has for horseback riding. Eventually he will graduate to riding without any sidewalkers but will still need the "Hippotherapy" part of it all. That's where he does other things on the horse such as the tether ball and stretching etc. We've been advocating for Medicine Horse to help get things like this included on his IEP for part of his therapy program. If the State Education can recognize this as a beneficial form of therapy, we can hopefully replace one of his school provided therapy sessions to include Hippotherapy. This would help to ease the cost to us for having Andrew attend. There are other agencies that help to provide the service at no cost, but unfortunately, even if I quit my job, our family income is beyond the guidelines for acceptance. Although we can barely pay out of pocket, the income guidelines are too low for many families unless the parents work minimum wage jobs or do not work at all. So if anyone knows of a better way or how to get our insurance company on board, let us know.

Many Firsts.....

Ok, so the first day of kindergarten has come and gone. The first day was pretty un-eventful. It was a little nervewracking for all of us. Andrew was so excited to tell everyone that he was going to be getting on the bus to go to Kindergarten. We visited school a few days before so he could meet his teacher and some of his classmates. He clung to my side for a bit but was soon off playing alone. He loved the gym and of course the cafeteria. He had lots of questions and spotted a friend he went to preschool with. She's not in his class but they will see each other at recess and lunch and they will be riding the bus to afterschool care together. So he was excited to see a familiar face.
We were told that he did cry a bit when he got to school but was triggered by a little girl who happened to have gotten off the bus at the wrong school and was in the wrong place. So of course Andrew was unsure of himself also. But after a bit of talking with a teacher he ended up fine. He cried a little when he got to afterschool care because he thought he was going to be riding the bus and getting off at home. Afterschool care is held where his preschool and daycare was so he was upset that he was there. He said he's a big boy and doesnt go to school there anymore. He wanted to ride the bus home instead. But after they sent him to see Matthew in his classroom, he cheered right up.
So the second day was a HORRIBLE morning. He DID NOT get excited to see the bus. He was crying as soon as the bus rounded the corner. We tried to walk him up onto the bus where he kicked and screamed that he didnt want to get on. Come to find out, he was sad because he wanted us to give him hugs and kisses ON the bus, not in the driveway! Made us feel Horrible! So I climbed on the bus with him and gave him his hugs and kisses and thankfully his babysitter who lives behind us in our neighborhood, sat with him on the bus. She offered to sit with him every day if he wants. Thank GOD!
So today, his third day of school, he was fine. He got ready for school without any issues. But again, when the bus was on it's way, he started weeping. Not like the other day, but still sad. He told us he wanted to sit with Katie (his babysitter) and he wanted us to hug and kiss him on the bus and that he wanted to wave out the window. So we followed through with all his requests and he waved out the window to us. We're told he stopped crying and that he was fine walking into the school today and seemed much happier this morning. So hopefully each day will get better.



AND, another first... Andrew has stared his Therapeutic Horseback Riding! He LOVES it! We're not loving the cost, but if it will help him and we'll find a way to pay for it. He loves his horse, "Miss Lilly" and loves to be around her. His favorite part is riding and when he gets to "hug" her during his stretches on horseback. He's had 3 sessions now and has been able to ride the sensory trail too! We're so glad that he is enjoying it and he really seems to be so stretched out afterwards. He is much calmer and in control and seems his speech is clearer too. There's a lot that he can get out of this therapy... not just the physical aspects. He has developed a connection with Miss Lilly and she seems excited whenever Andrew arrives! We'll try to keep you updated on the progress as much as we can. If you'd like more information about his therapeutic Horseback riding and Hippotherapy you can visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippotherapy

As far as Matthew goes, He's happy to be back at preschool with his little buddies. He's grown so tall over the summer and is getting so smart. He takes after his mommy since he loves "art stuff" as he calls it. He's mastered drawing houses and loves to get into detail. He gets frustrated when it is not just right. He's still our little fireball and keeps us going non stop until he finally gives in to sleep. He's up bright and early in the morning ready to start the day. Even as daylight becomes later and later, he still gets up so early and thinks everyone has to as well!

Summer seems to offically come to an end although the mosquitos are still in full force for some reason... it's still difficult to enjoy the outdoors. The days are shorter and the leaves are even starting to fall. The boys are looking forward to halloween and look at costumes online regularly trying to decide what they want to be for halloween. Seems like it should be so far away, but it's just around the corner. We do look forward to visiting the apple orchards and picking pumpkins, but that's a sign that winter is on its way.

We've been busy trying to get all of Andrew's therapies organized at school and have a well needed vacation weekend planned for our anniversary. We're finally going to Maine and hope to enjoy some lobster while we're there. We're staying at a resort that has a beautiful golf course right on the ocean. We've actually enjoyed a lot of golf this year and have done well and placed in all the tournaments that we've played in. The last one we played in, the UPS/United Way Tournament, we won first place and I got the longest drive for the women. We also had the opportunity to help raise money for a family that has 4 year old triplets with Cerebral Palsy. We ran a 50/50 raffle just for the family and hope that it will help them with their rising health care costs. With us having only 2 children and one with mild CP, we can't imagine the struggles they must have with triplets AND them having CP. The family also has 3 older children to care for. So it meant a lot to us that the money from that raffle go to their family this year.

In closing, fall is on the way and we're not looking forward to heating our home this winter. We hope you have all had a wonderful summer!