Cute Pics

Andrew went to Big Bear Camp this week at his preschool.  He had a great time learning all about bears and playing with all of his friends.  They ended the camp with a water day which Andrew just loved!!

My little bear :)

Water time.

Gigi and PaPa surprised Andrew with a motorized truck to use at their house.  We couldn't believe how quickly he picked it up and knowing which way to turn in reverse.  He could maneuver that truck like no other :)

Andrew's first Ford F150!!

Decided to give Nathan a lift in the back - they were having a blast :)

Tee Ball!!

Tonight was Andrew's first tee ball practice and game :)  We decided to sign Andrew up through TASK - Team Activities for Special Kids.  This incredible organization makes almost any sport you can think of accessible for ALL children no matter what the circumstance.  Andrew had a great time and we look forward to future activities for the boys.

Big hit off the tee.

Running the bases.

Full speed ahead :)

Playing catch.

Ready to head home!!

Boys' IEP Meetings

This afternoon Steve and I met with both boys' teams of teachers and therapists to discuss next school year's plans.  IEP meetings usually last quite a while, but we thought we would do them back to back and get them completed in one afternoon - what an event!!

We discussed Andrew first to update his Individual Education Plan with his medical diagnosis of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.  The last year Andrew had been receiving Speech, OT and PT outside of his preschool classroom.  This meant scheduling and attending these therapies on our own time.  For the '12 - '13 school year, Andrew will remain at Trinity Lutheran and go to preschool Monday thru Friday in the mornings.  Then, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, Andrew will go to Parkway Early Childhood Center in a team taught classroom (one general ed teacher and one special ed teacher) and will receive his therapies then.  We are excited for this transition as Andrew is clearly ready for full day school :)  AND, hopefully he will be able to ride the bus - he will be in heaven!!

Nathan's discussion followed with the area coordinators from both Parkway and Ladue.  Steve and I expressed our concern AGAIN about wanting Nathan in a classroom specialized for the hearing impaired (which Ladue has).  We were told Nathan was too far behind those peers in the hearing impaired program at Ladue and that he needs to make more progress before he would be able to be in that setting.  Steve and I were at a loss, but knew we had to fight to get Nathan more time with his teacher of the deaf if Ladue wasn't an option.  We were able to change a couple of things on Nathan's IEP to help make this happen, but it still wasn't everything we wanted for Nathan.  Nathan has made so much progress in ALL areas at Parkway in such a short time except for progress with his teacher of the deaf.  If Nathan had consistency in this area just like he does with everything else, we know he would be making the progress he needs and everyone is looking for.  We will continue this battle and make sure we get Nathan everything he needs!!

New Concrete!!

Today they poured the concrete for the driveway, sidewalk and front porch!!  It was quite the sight to see and definitely had ALL the boys' undivided attention :)

The boys outside first thing in the morning.

Hard at work :)

Andrew and Nathan keeping an eye on things!!

Trinity's Closing Program

Wednesday was Andrew's last day of preschool.  Today was the closing program and it was all about FRIENDS :)  The kids put on a great performance with several songs and then we enjoyed cookies and lemonade for a snack.

Andrew on the very left side of the stage :)

Andrew and Mrs. Nilson.



Andrew and Mrs. Strauss.

After all of the festivities were finished at school, we headed to Schroeder Park for a School Picnic.  We had a great time having a picnic lunch outside and then playing on the playground with all of our friends!!

Steve and I cannot say enough about Trinity Lutheran Preschool and the ENTIRE staff.  Since Andrew started there two years ago, they have been nothing but supportive and so helpful to our family.  This past year especially has been a hard one and we cannot thank everyone enough for their unending support and especially their love and concern for Andrew.

Concrete Construction

See ya old driveway, sidewalk and front porch!!  We are so excited for new concrete that is smooth, even and has no cracks!!  We can't wait for the boys to be able to walk, ride bikes and not worry about tripping, falling or skinned knees because of the concrete!! 

The concrete contractor was just great!!  There was a wait period from the time they filled up the truck then to have it dumped in order to haul away all of the concrete.  During that time, Andrew helped drive the Bobcat and was in heaven!!

Andrew picking up some of the concrete.

Manuvering the Bobcat.

Driveway is ripped out!!

Taking the bucket up.

Another load.

Andrew pointing out all of the mess :)

Happy Mother's Day!!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful Moms out there, especially our Gigi and Grandma!!  Steve and I don't know where we would even be if it wasn't for our Moms' unending support and non-stop help with the boys.  We are forever grateful for everything you do for us and love you more than anything.

I had a wonderful Mother's Day with my boys :)  We started out with a delicious brunch at The Officer's Club on Scott Air Force Base (thanks Todd for coordinating it) and ate until we couldn't eat anymore.  We ended the day with a BBQ at Steve's brother's house with the Vehige side of the family.  It was great to see everyone and celebrate all of the Moms!!

My wonderful sons!!

My Mom and Dad with their Grandchildren.

Christ Prince of Peace Parish Picnic

This afternoon we headed to our Parish Picnic and had a great time!!  We really didn't know what all to expect and if the boys would be big enough to ride some of the rides.  Well, there was plenty to do and amazing how quickly we went through a lot of money :)

CARS Slide - Andrew's first pick (big surprise).

Coming on down.

Whee!!

Driving the mustang convertible.

Best of buds :)

Two peas in a pod!!

Nathan loving the Space Ride with Daddy.

So, there's a bit of a story behind the swings.  We were down to our last tickets and Andrew absolutely LOVES to swing.  However, he was much too short (so I thought) for the ride.  I thought what the heck, it's worth a try and asked the attendent if Andrew could ride.  To my surprise, he said, "Sure, as long as you go with him."  I thought this meant Andrew would be sitting on my lap.  I was wrong.  What you can't tell from the picture, there is a huge hole in the back of the chair.  I strapped him all in and said a little prayer and told him to hold on tightly!!  Andrew by far was the smallest person on the swings :)

Andrew just loved the swings and I had to laugh to myself why I was even on the ride.  Once  the ride started, I was so far away from Andrew's swing.  God forbid anything happened, there was no way I could even reach him!!  Good thing everything went as planned and we left the picnic happy!!

A Family Evening Out!!

This evening we headed to the Zoo to enjoy Zoo Friends Day.  Each year members are able to come and enjoy all of the Zoo ammenities for free - it was perfect weather and the boys had a blast.  We started by petting the Stingrays, seeing the Puffins and Penguins - Andrew's favorite and of course riding the carousel and train :)

Loving the carousel.

Enjoying the relaxing train ride.

 Andrew keeping his eye out for animals :)

After the Zoo, we headed to Seamus McDaniels for dinner.  We sat on the back patio and it was just perfect.  The boys did great and Nathan was all smiles.

 Nathan saying he's finished and excenuating the "ished" part :)

We left Seamus and headed to Turtle Park to end our fun night out.  Andrew couldn't believe how big the turtles were and loved climbing on them!!

 Goofy boys :)

 Hello way up there!!

Feeding Evaluation

This evening Nathan and I headed to Mid-West Therapy for a feeding evaluation with an Occupational Therapist.  Since Nathan turned three in February and started school, we kind of lost the focus on his feeding and chewing skills from a medical perspective.  His OT at school worked on feeding with him, but wanted to know what exactly she should focus on.  We figured it was time to get some more help.

Nathan did a great job and we decided we would meet weekly on Monday evenings to get him chewing and making progress.  We still puree all of Nathan's meals and he still takes two bottles daily.  It will be so nice when he can actually take bites out of food!!  He can spoon feed himself which is great, but we can't wait until he's independent and can handle any texture!!  Baby steps :)

Water Table

Nathan received this water table for Christmas and we finally were able to actually put water in it!!  We have been playing with it inside, but WATER really makes the difference - the boys were in heaven :)

 Just getting started.

 In action!!

Sno Cones!!

Tonight after swimming lessons, we enjoyed the first sno cones of the season!!  It was a treat for Andrew since he did so well going under the water and kicking towards the wall :)

Andrew patiently waiting for his sno cone.

Three flavors - grape, cherry and orange :)