"Dada"

Clara has always been a very quiet girl. She is extremely attached to me and still gets upset when I leave her or if she wakes up and I am gone. Because she was sick a lot as an infant, her speech skills are not developing on track. I know that kids develop at different rates and that each child is different. But deep down I have felt that Clara was not progressing in her vocabulary. By 18 months a child should be saying a minimum of five words. I decided to follow my gut and have Clara tested for speech delays. The therapist confirmed it and we were able to intervene and start working with her. I know she is a smart girl. After two weeks of working with her and trying sign language, today she finally said her second word"Dada". Soon after that she was on a roll and said something that was close to Gracie.It was so wonderful to see her face light up as she said it.. We were all so excited. I am so excited to go to therapy this week and help her learn more.

Merry Christmas

I just wanted to wish everyone a safe and wonderful Christmas. We love you all and miss you..

On the record

After a few days of freezing weather and even snow, we decided to enjoy the day at the local zoo and to see the new giraffe. While we were there, the Idaho Statesman was there recording a segment for the internet site. Grace was interviewed. She just cracks me up.A little part of me always knew that she would end up on camera one way or another. I will try and have Beau when he gets home post the video but until then, please follow the link. Thanks

http://videos.idahostatesman.com/vmix_hosted_apps/p/media?id=2498379

Sister's Love

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As a mom, one of the most rewarding things in life is to see how much my children love each other. Sure, they have moments where they are screaming or taking toys from one another, but all and and all I know that they truly love each other. For Thanksgiving, Grace's Kindergarten class had a thanksgiving feast. They made corn bread and a fruit salad. Clara loves to go to school with Grace. She feels like such a big girl. I love to see how Grace watches out for Clara. I am so lucky to have them in my life...

Thanksgiving

I am so very thankful for the blessings in my life. This year, I had the opportunity to cook dinner for my family and my brother and sister. The meal was great and I really enjoyed spending time together. This year I feel like I have so much to be thankful for. We have survived two hospital visits, countless xrays and MRIs, and everyone is doing well. I cannot ask for more.

On Friday, I was up with all the Black Friday shoppers trying to snag the early morning deals. It was lots of fun. I was able to talk Kelli into coming with me. Later that day, we were lucky enough to have my husband's parents come and visit from Oregon. It was wonderful to spend time and enjoy their company. Clara had no problem warming up to them,which was a surprise considering that she typically does not like to be with other people. I think some part of her knew they were Grandma and Grandpa. Grace loved having them close and managed to keep Grandpa busy with lots of games she had planned. We had a wonderful visit and we really miss them now that they are back home. We sure love and miss you.