Summer is busy with mommy teaching swim lessons and the kids’
activities. We are lucky to have friends helping us think of creative – and cool – play date
ideas!
Here we are making the best of what Arizona has to offer us in the
summer!
Ice cream treats!
... Ryan wasn't so sure about the cone and he didn't like the nuts ..
Ellie enjoyed the entire thing ...
Ellie loves messy fun!
When it's 115 degrees outside ... mommy gets creative with the games ... Here's the first round of "Foil Ball" ...
Ryan started swim lessons!
We practiced at home in our "pool" ...
Baking day!
School starts at the end of July on our year round schedule. Ryan was
ready and excited to start his second year of preschool. He loves to learn and
play with his friends. This year has been a better year for Ryan. He’s more
confident and most of the kids know that he’s a little person so there aren’t
as many questions and/or social challenges as last year. His
teachers tell me that there are still some incidents where kids aren’t nice. I’m
working on letting it go (angry mama bear instinct!) and he’s working on
communicating in these situations. The confidence gets better daily. I’m really
glad that he’s in school at a young age so that he can have practice in these
situations. It’s also good for me … since I also need practice … I know that if
I can get over it, Ryan can too.
Here’s Ryan on his first day of school!
The end of September is a very special day for our little man! Ryan
turned FOUR years old! Time goes too fast, I can’t believe that he’s already
four years old. Ryan celebrated his birthday with some very special fun. We had
lunch with daddy at Ryan’s favorite restaurant – Red Robin of course. And a few
days later we celebrated with a Disney Planes party with some special friends!
Special lunch ...
Birthday Boy
Special birthday gifts!
Yummy!
Ellie likes cake too ...
Party time!
At the end of October we made a trip to CA for Ryan’s annual doctor
appointments. We have kept him with the same specialists he has had since
birth. ALL of his doctors said that he’s doing really well! We’ve been lucky to
avoid a lot of complications that achondroplasia can have. We are still
watching his ears since the ear tube holes never closed. For now, it’s nice
since it’s like “built in” ear tubes. But in a few years we will have to have
them closed. As of now they aren’t affecting his hearing – so Ryan’s caught in
a lie … he CAN hear me when I tell him to clean up his toys. Nice try Ryan! Ha ha.
Ryan’s Genetic doctor doesn’t require an annual visit but I like to check in
with her since she oversees new needs and ongoing things. She and I decided
that he has slight bowing in one leg that should be looked at by an orthopedic
doctor just in case we can manage it. I am proactive when it comes to Ryan’s
medical care and I don’t want to miss anything!
The trip was fun for the kids – we had a nice visit with family and
friends over the weekend. And then Ryan – a trooper as usual – had doctor
appointments Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. These aren’t all easy and they are
time consuming. He is a champion. We are glad to have good news overall. He’s
come so far, I am stronger and so is Ryan.
Here are the kids enjoying their visit in CA.
Only a few weeks after getting back home and it’s the holidays! What a
blur this year has been. We kicked off the holidays with a fantastic Halloween! It was the first time we got to know a lot of our neighbors. What a great bunch we have!
Our "My Little Pony Ballerina Princess"!
(she made that up all by herself)
And our Garbage Man!
"Trick or Treat!"
After a fun Halloween we ended November with a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! Being out of state from our family is a bummer on some
accounts but we also love being able to spend time with our new friends and
each other. The kids had a whirlwind of a weekend with daddy home from work and
their new friends.
Already we are getting ready for Christmas! Ryan's counting down until the day Santa comes ... and in the meantime I'm looking forward to getting the kids involved in as many holiday activities that we can. There's so much more to Christmas than Santa!
Already we are getting ready for Christmas! Ryan's counting down until the day Santa comes ... and in the meantime I'm looking forward to getting the kids involved in as many holiday activities that we can. There's so much more to Christmas than Santa!
Already the end of 2015. It’s been a great year for our family and for
our adventures with Ryan. We look forward to continuing our success from 2015
and finding new adventures in the new year too.
… on to the next adventure!
Hey my friend!!!! I love all the pics and Ryan and Ellie are growing up way too fast! My goodness! I can't believe Ryan turned 4 years old! Man how time flies!!! I was sad to read that Ryan has had some incidents in pre school with the kids. I wanted to share with you a great idea that I've done for Lyla and it worked out great. I sent a letter home to all the parents in her class explaining her dwarfism and the parents loved the letter and appreciated the fact that I spent the time to outline things I wanted people to know about Lyla. Lyla has had no negative experiences in preschool and she started Kindergarten in September and it's been wonderful! No problems because I try to prevent any issues with the letters in the beginning of the year to address it from the start. If you would like a copy of the letter I sent out just email me and I will send it your way. Granshaw5@aol.com. Also I wanted to say that it's ok to get "mama bear" on people. I don't go crazy or start yelling and screaming but I get right up in there and express anything that's inappropriate and crap I will not tolerate when it comes to my daughter. I haven't had a lot of negative experiences because I just don't except stupidity. Period! In the five years she's been on this earth there has only been 2 issues and one was by a boy born with autism and the other a 4 year old girl. Both times Lyla had no idea anyone was being rude because I took care of it pronto and discreetly! Both parents were so apologetic and I loved the fact that I was able to teach both children a lesson without getting psycho! Lol best of luck in 2016 with you and your beautiful family and if there's anything I can do to help in the future just contact me! I'm here! 😘
ReplyDeleteHi! Thanks for the kind words and the information on the letter. I'll email you so that you can send me what you've written. One of the moms in our district did the same. Last year when Ryan started preschool the teacher discouraged me from sending a letter home. For us, that was a good decision. But that said, I don't think it could hurt to hear what you wrote. My approach with negativity is similar to yours. I also feel strongly that these experiences are the exception. When I watch Ryan on a daily basis I see him thriving and happy with his friends. This is the norm. I see the same for Lyla, she seems so confident and happy! That said I'm fine tuning my "mama bear" skills just in case :)
DeleteThanks again - I hope that we can meet sometime soon!
xo
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