Summer fun!

The boys and I have been having a fantastic summer so far!! In fact, my notoriously early risers are both still asleep and it is nearly 8:30 am. I think they are catching up on sleep and recuperating from all of the fun we have been having over the past couple of weeks! We have been hanging out with my mom, Reid, and Aunt Lys every day, and Uncle Marc and Uncle Seth when they don't have to work.


The boys started their gym class this week and it was even better than I thought it would be! There is only one other child in the class, so everyone gets lots of one on one attention from the teacher, who is an OT, and each kiddo gets to learn how to use all of the equipment. They both surprised me with how quickly they figured out what to do and by how much fun they had. I am so grateful that my mom is coming to our classes with us, obviously because I need help with one of the boys, but also because it is wonderful to have someone to share in all of the fun! Riley was completely exhausted by the end of class, but with his lower muscle tone, that's to be expected. Hopefully, the class will help him build up more strength and endurance. Ross, on the other hand, had enough energy left to do another hour! I will try to get some pics of them in class, but I'm not sure if I will be able to since both my mom and I have our hands full (literally) the whole time!


We also went to Kennywood this week with my mom, Reid, Aunt Lys, and Uncle Marc. For those of you who aren't familiar with our area, Kennywood is an amusement park and it holds lots of great memories for those of us who grew up here. My sister and I had a really fun time reminiscing about all our visits when we were younger as we walked around with the boys. Right before we left, I put sunscreen on the twins and since their hair is still pretty thin on top, I always have to spray some in their hair to protect their heads. I took the opportunity to see what they would look like with mohawks:





Excuse the pink pacifier.....in a pinch, you do what you have to do and Target is always out of the blue ones!



I think Riley has a future in rock-n-roll!



Anyway, our trip was Kennywood was absolutely perfect! The we got to go on a couple of easy rides, the boys had Potato Patch Fries for dinner (if you are from around these parts, you know all about those!) and they got to taste cotton candy. Riley thought it was strange, but delicious. Ross and Reid refused to eat it, silly boys! Here are some more pics from the trip:




The boys and I on the turtle in Kiddyland, with Uncle Marc (and hidden Reid) in the turtle behind us.




The twins on another ride in Kiddyland....that they never really went on. Ross kept standing up before it started and making all of us way too scared that he would stand up when it was moving, so I took them off. But, they looked really cute for a couple of second sitting there, didn't they?


The boys and I, with my mom, on the train through Kennywood. Reid, Aunt Lys, and Uncle Marc were sitting right across from us.



Cute twins in a stroller.....



Riley eating cotton candy.


As we were leaving, Uncle Marc and Aunt Lys bought the boys chocolate covered pretzels. Ross and Riley were too tired to eat theirs at that point, but Reid really seemed to be enjoying his:

Photos on a Friday

At the Science Center, playing at the water table.

The twins helping Gigi open cards on Mother's Day.

All three cousins together....for one split second.

Ross, looking so grown up.

Ross and his beautiful Grandma at Reid's party!

Handsome Riley

Ross enjoying the scarves at Reid's party.

Ross getting stamps for a job well done!

Riley trying to decide whether or not to use the scooter.

The most adorable nephew and birthday boy, surrounded by friends and cousins on a parachute!

Check out all of the great activities in the gym!

What a fun party!

Almost Summer and a Quick Update

Tomorrow is my last day of work before summer vacation! I can't wait to have all that free time to spend with the boys!

It's been a while since I've updated, so here's what's been going on: Riley has continued to make great progress with his walking and has not used his walker in over two weeks now. He is getting better and better with his balance, endurance, and speed and his PT is amazed at how well he is doing.

Ross has discovered a passion for playing "Ring Around the Rosie" and asks to play it several times a day. He has also started to ask me to chase him around the house and squeals as loudly as he can when I catch him, just before he falls on the floor in a fit of giggles. I love it.

We have a new pet. "Ish" the fish now lives in a bowl on our dining room table. Riley has inherited my love of fish (those of you who have been to our house know that their nursery was done in an aquarium theme) and learned the sign for fish in speech therapy. He can't make the "f" sound yet, though, so when he tries to say the word, it comes out "ish". That's where the fish got its name.

The boys both had an evil virus this week that gave them fevers and a slight cough. They were rude enough to share it with with Reid right before his birthday party, too, for which they have asked me to apologize. Luckily, none of the boys really started to feel sick until after the party, because it was so much fun! The party was at Gymkhana, where Reid has been taking toddler gym classes for several months. He showed us all of his amazing gym skills and all of the kids had a fabulous time. It was a perfect party and everyone had so much fun! All three boys are starting to feel better now and we are all hoping that they are all completely better by Saturday, which is a very important day in our family. It is Reid's actual birthday and it is also my Mom's birthday!

Ross and Riley are also going to be taking toddler gym classes this summer at Gymkhana, so Reid's party was a great opportunity to see the gym and get a glimpse of what they will be doing. The class they will be taking will be geared for kids with some sensory issues (Ross) and fine and gross motor skill issues (both boys). I think the added effort to address those needs will make the class especially helpful, but I also think that, after watching them at Reid's party, the boys would be able to participate in a "regular" toddler gym class with no adaptations. When I originally signed them up, Riley was still using his walker and Ross' sensory needs were a little more pronounced, so I was thinking that the special needs class was exactly what they needed. It feels really good to know that they would be fine in a regular class, too.

Here are a couple of pics from the last couple of weeks. Enjoy!