More of Busy Busy Busy!!

Maddie helping Papaw in the garden.

Maddie and Mia (my best friend Shell's little girl)

Aren't we cute?

My brother opening his coins.

Walk for Autism

Yesterday, I went to Walk for Autism at the Abilene Zoo. So many people were there to raise awareness of this disorder and to show support to the families that have autistic children.

The crowd

Me and Macey...the speech path that works with me

The AU Crew

The back of our shirts.

Me and Allison

Did you know…
1 in 150 children is diagnosed with autism
1 in 94 boys is on the autism spectrum
67 children are diagnosed per day
A new case is diagnosed almost every 20 minutes
More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes & cancer combined
Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.
Autism costs the nation over $35 billion per year, a figure expected to significantly increase in the next decade
Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases
Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism
There is no medical detection or cure for autism

If your baby shows any of these signs, please ask your pediatrician or family practitioner for an immediate evaluation:

No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter
No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions by nine months or thereafter
No babbling by 12 months
No back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching, or waving by 12 months
No words by 16 months
No two-word meaningful phrases (without imitating or repeating) by 24 months
Any loss of speech or babbling or social skills at any age

Father/Son Walk

My parents drove out to El Paso this past weekend to see my brother. My dad and brother were supposed to do a 26 mile march....plans were changed and this is what my dad wrote about their hike.







"These are pictures of Jame and me a few hours after we hiked up a mountain that Jame had hiked several weeks ago to camp out. We showed at the White Sands Missle Range to participate in the Bataan Death March but since we did not preregister we could not march. So, we drove and parked the car about 2 miles from where we took off up the mountain. I was not used to the high elevation and thought I would pass out. Jame took the lead and I did my best to keep up but had to stop often to catch my breath. The climb up was hard but the climb down was also difficult because of the rocks and cactus. When we got down and hiked back to the car I was exhausted but Jame felt pretty good. It was a good time for both of us and a experience I will not forget. Jame is scheduled to leave for his 2nd tour in Iraq so I'm glad we were able to do this as father and son. Maybe one day we can do the 26 mile march."


Way to go Dad!!

Kitchen Re-Do!

I finally have pictures of our completed kitchen...it took a little longer than anticipated but it sure was worth the wait. Thanks to Thomas, Nick and Webb for making the tile counter tops looks so nice and thanks to suzanne for helping us paint. I actually enjoy being in the kitchen a whole lot more now!

Before:

For those of you who hadn't seen the kitchen before...it wasn't hideous but it wasn't pretty either. It was the last room we painted before we moved in 5 years ago and we haven't touched it since.




After:

Now we have tile counter tops and back splash. Wood trim around the tile and in front of the counters. Fresh paint on the walls and new knobs for the cabinets.

Wyatt and Elmo

Wyatt loves this little elmo doll...and was being pretty cute with it this afternoon.


Uncle Jame bought the kids this cool wagon...just because!...Nick put it together tonight and we took the kids on a walk. They had so much fun and I have a feeling the days of the stroller are disappearing. Thanks Jame!

Fun Weekend

This past weekend, we drove to my parents house. On Saturday, my mom and dad took Maddie to see Disney on Ice...she LOVED it to say the least. She can't stop talking about the characters but epecially that "mean ol Captain Hook." When they got back from the show...we all piled in the car and drove to East Texas to see my Papaw. He hasn't seen Maddie since she was 9 months old and he had never met Wyatt. We had such a great trip and a wonderful time with family.

Maddie watching "Disney on Ice"...yes...she is in her Tinkerbell outfit.


Playing at Papaw's house

Maddie and Great Papaw

Madison and Maddie

Tyler and Wyatt

Madison and Maddie

Wyatt enjoying playing at Papaw's

Wyatt and Uncle David

Me and My Papaw

The kids were SO tired right before we left.

Papaw and Wyatt