Summer Living... moments of joy!

I have been posting photo blog posts almost daily now for about three weeks.  The photos are filled with joyful moments.  "Typical" in our home is NOT the highlight reel of the photos I share.  I wrestle with this as I post so I just wanted to be real for a minute before I post yet another precious highlight reel. Mixed in the middle of the photos is a mess. "Typical" involves two dysregulated kids and two weary parents every.single.day.  We continue to be thankful for our therapist and the road she is leading us on.  We have taken steps back this summer and we are heading to a specialist later this month to discuss another avenue of anxiety treatment.  We covet your prayers and we continue on this long journey.

And now for those sweet July moments...

One morning T really wanted to help make her fried egg.  She is such a mover and a shaker and I feared that this would be a big problem next to a hot stove.  I often try to direct her away from helping me cook, but then get convicted because M helped me so much at that age.  She was thrilled when I said she could help.  She cracked the egg and flipped the egg.  She did great.

T: I was making my own egg!

T: I even flipped it by myself. 

One of our dear friends is a photographer.  She happened to have several tutus and other fun costumes that she no longer needed.  T had the thrill of her life looking through the bag of treasures!  She could not believe there was a real Ariel dress.  While she has never seen the movie, she does love mermaids and she feels like a real mermaid in this dress.  She wears it often.  It is hard to walk in, but she makes it work.

T: It's me.  T mermaid.

The house band!

M and T: It just works better when we are separated. 

T: I needed an outdoor microphone stand.  The rake worked well. 

For months T has been interviewing our family and others as well.  She typically asks questions like, "What do you like about your husband?" or "What do you like about summer?"  etc.  One day she shocked us.  She asked her first question and wrote the scribbles visible in the upper left paper (on pic below).  Then she asked her next question and I gave a long answer and she asked how to spell it.  She did her best to spell the entire answer.  Sometimes M would help her with a letter than she didn't know how to make.  It is so excited to see her explore writing.  The second note on the top row shows the answer to her first question.  She didn't ask for help from M.  I have tried hard to remember what she wrote, but I can't remember all of it. "I like the way he...?"  After the first longer answer I got right to the point with short answers.  With M's help you can see that the bottom left one says,  "He is kind.  He is fun." The bottom right one is the tricky one because that is the one she left out the letters she didn't know how to make. It says, "I like that he ...."  She comes up with some very creative ideas.  Her interviews are precious.

T's interview notes. 

Making a castle bridge. 

T: Daddy look.  I can hold up all these tiles together. 

T: Daddy for a very comfortable way to carry me. 

M: Ready cowgirl T?  T: Yes, I just have to make sure my fish bag is secure. 

M: Hold on tight, it is about to get bumpy. 

Charissa and I have been enjoying many after bedtime walks this summer.  We decided that after a four years break, we are going to walk every street in our community again this year. One night we had quite an adventure.  We assumed that two subdivisions connected but came to the end of one and saw a huge pile of dirt.  We couldn't see around the pile, but were sure that houses were on the other side so we walked around it.  Once we got around it we discovered that we were in a corn field.  We walked back to the subdivision through the corn and then found a more direct route needing to walk through more corn again.  We were very careful not to disturb any plants.  We walked on the edge of the field where the stalks were not very high so we were always safe.  I had several strange bugs crawling under my clothes when we got out of the corn.  Just typing that makes me itchy all over.  It was such a special memory.  I think I laughed the entire time we were in the corn.  I felt like a college student again.  I am so thankful for our friendship and the physical, emotional, and psychological benefits of our long walks! 

Our view after going around the big mound of dirt. 

Lost with corn over our heads... the most relaxing part of our day! 

The kids have really gotten into drinking from these cheap baby bottles lately.  They have to suck hard to get water out which is great for regulation so I encourage it.  M came up with a creative idea on night at dinner.  The idea backfired, but was so precious.

M: I thought maybe I could use a straw to get the water out more quickly.  

M: Then I thought maybe I could tip the bottle up.  That didn't work well either.

What do we do when we need to leave somewhere and the kids are not regulated?  We put them on top of the van of course!  No, we don't drive anywhere.  We just provide a change of scenery.  It works well!

M and T:  We are on top of the van! 

We all love our Friday Night Group potluck nights.  One woman called before the last potluck asking if she could bring things for an ice cream bar.  Brandon told her that she could and that he really liked ice cream.  I am not sure she knew that it is seriously one of his love languages.  Brandon loves ice cream.  He filled the bowl so full.  It was a sight to behold.  He had a layer of ice cream and a layer of toppings then another layer of ice cream and another layer of toppings.  Impressive!

He enjoyed every bite!