Update

After arriving back from our mini-vacation, Cody came down with a cold. He then generously shared it with Carleigh and I. Cody had a mild case and was over it by Friday, but it is still lingering for Carleigh and I. It is nothing major, just a stuffy & runny nose, slight sore throat and a cough. I am thankful that it hit me now and not in a few weeks as I go back to teaching in 3 weeks. Sadly, the summer has gone by so quickly! I have to return for teacher inservice (yawn) in 2 weeks and then school officially starts August 20. I had a party yesterday at a home of a parent whose child is in second grade this year and I got to meet some of my students this year. They seem very sweet and I am excited to try a few new things differently this year.

We are awaiting Carleigh's appeal verdict in her case. Once, the verdict has been rendered, we will move forward with her adoption. We are hoping and planning to adopt her in the late fall. She has learned so much this summer! The things she says and does are just too cute and...funny! Her daddy showed her how to pretend to sleep and snore. So this morning as I got her out of the crib, she laid down and snored! She also hits herself or other people (including me!) and says "Ow!" Now, if we can get her to stop hitting her brother and taking his toys away, all would be good!

Cody has been making amazing progress in speech! I think he will blow away his speech therapist at school when he goes back in September. He can count 1-10 (when HE wants to), knows most of his capital letters and some sounds, identifies some colors and shapes and identifies some animals. He is also understanding more oral language and commands. His favorite phrase is "uh-oh!" I am seriously considering buying the special needs homeschool curriculum and speech curriculum for the fall and work with him and his sister in the evenings.

The first night!

We left for Santa Claus, Indiana after church and lunch. We got stopped two times for traffic jams, which prevented us from getting there at the normal driving time of 3.5 hours. We arrived around 6pm, had dinner at the restaurant and then went swimming. The hotel had a wading pool, hot tub, and large pool...all were indoor and very nice. Cody and Carleigh had a blast. They also enjoying playing and snuggling with Mamaw and Papaw Schmidt.

Holiday World - Day 1

Everyone woke up early....I woke up at 6:30am (gasp)! We were at the park when it opened at 10am. We rode rides in kiddie land, I rode Libery Launch with Michelle and screamed because it shot you up REAL fast and dropped you real fast!! We also rode the train, water bump boats (I rode with Raygan) and then went to the water park. Carleigh LOVED the wave pool. All were exhausted when we left around 7:30pm!

Seahorse Fun

This was the first ride that they rode in the park on Day 1 and Carleigh rode the ride again while Cody was napping on Day 2. They so enjoyed it!

Bomber Jets

Day 2

When the park opened, Matt, Devon, Ryan and I raced to the first roller coaster "Raven." It was so much fun! We were the second set of people to ride it that morning and it was nice walking right up to the coaster. Next, we rode the "Legend" which was way more intense than the Raven. We were so proud of Ryan and Devon to ride the coasters since they are 7 and 9 years old. I don't think I would have rode it at that age! We then took Cody and Carleigh to "Holidog's Fun Park," where we rode the train, rode jeeps where Carleigh lead the caravan of jeeps around, and played in a huge playground. Carleigh loved going through the tunnels. We then had lunch and then hit Christmas kiddie land at the beginning of the park. We ate funnel cake and bought souvenirs. Then Carleigh saw Santa and became instantly shy

Salmon Run

Carleigh just woke up minutes before we put her on this ride....notice the dazed look!

Cody LOVED this ride! He loved it so much that he was squealing and laughing! I think the best part of the whole trip was seeing my children enjoy the rides so much!

Ball Pit Fun

Merry Go Round

Harbin Park

Glamour girl having fun on the swings with her cousin Raygan.

We went to Harbin Park today. The weather was gorgeous! It wasn't hot or cold. The kids played with their cousins and we had a picnic lunch there. We are now getting ready for our 3 day trip to Santa Claus, Indiana. We will be swimming in the evening tomorrow. And then....Monday and Tuesday, we will be spending the day at Holiday World and Splashing Safari waterpark. It will be Cody and Carleigh's first time at an amusement park and they can ride all the kiddie rides and some bigger rides. They will also love riding some of the rides with their cousins. Matt's parents, sister, and her children are coming with us. We have never been to Holiday World so it will be a new adventure for all of us. We will return late Tuesday evening.

Cody and Devon

KFC Picnic!

Our nephews Riley and Ryan eating lunch at the park.
Our nephew Devon playing with his favorite cousin Carleigh.

Loving the new van in many ways!

We decided to pick up dinner last night since I had Bible study that night and we were at the car dealership for 4 hours. So, we piled the kids in and tested the DVD player. Once we figured out how to get the sound to come out, there was awesome silence in the van. Two toddlers were glued to the "Sesame Street ABCs" and Matt and I could have a conversation. The van rides smooth and the seats are very comfortable. The a/c will freeze you after a few minutes. Oh, I am so loving the new van!!

Our New Van!

We bought a new van today! It is the luxury version for the Toyota Sienna model. It has a DVD player, sunroof, and leather seats. We had a 2001 Sienna and it was giving us problems so we traded in for a better one. We will be riding in style!! Woohoo!

Two Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed!

or should I say crib? Carleigh loves to jump in Cody's crib. Why? I have no idea. The crib will not be there for long because we are transitioning them to toddler beds next month. They say the cutest things. We were eating lunch today while the kiddos eat healthy and I was eating fries, Cody leaned over in his sweet voice and said, "Fries?" Meaning that he wanted fries and I better give him a couple! Of course I gave him a few since he ate his lunch so well.

I found a sucker and was getting ready to throw it in the garbage when Carleigh sees me and says "Oh.....a sucker!" Then she gets real upset when I threw it in the garbage can!! Her big cousin Brittany came to see her this morning and she was still her and she was still in her crib. When she saw Britt, she became shy and laid in her crib with her face down. Boy is she a silly girl!!!

Miami-Whitewater Park

More fun at the park!

Water slide!

Cody riding with Devon!
Carleigh sliding with cousin Devon!

Splash Park

Cody and Carleigh had a fun time at Miami-Whitewater's splash park. At first, they were a little fearful of all the water that was shooting out of the ground and it was very COLD water. However, they started enjoying it and Carleigh became braver by the minute. Devon and Raygan helped them slide down the water slide. Everyone had fun!

Swimming at the Y

We went to the Y for swimming for the first time this evening. Let's just say that the kids had a BLAST! We swam in the instructional pool with the slide and it was 88 degrees. Nice and warm! Matt also got in and we swam for over an hour. We put lifejackets on the kids after a few minutes and it was nice to let go of them and swim beside them. I think Carleigh is going to be a pro quickly! She was pushing off of us and not wanting us to hold on to her. She may be part fish! Cody liked the pool also. We plan on going to the outdoor pool with slides, fountains, and water mushrooms on Sunday or Monday evening.

Tomorrow, we are going to Miami-Whitewater park with Matt's family and the cousins. They have a splash park and I have no doubt that Cody and Carleigh will have a fun time.

Busy Fun Day

Today, we joined the new YMCA out in the township. Our adoption agency gave us a one year family membership to the Y as a gift for adopting Cody. We are so excited! I plan on taking some fitness classes as well as taking Cody to a special needs water class and signing Carleigh up for the toddler gymnastics class. Tomorrow we plan on going swimming for the first time.

After joining the Y, we went to Winton Woods and found a secluded playground near the park shelters off the beaten path of the high traffic area. Cody and Carleigh had the entire little playground to themselves. Boy did they run and play! They even went down the long twisty slide by themselves! (Of course, Matt was down at the end to catch them!) They also ran through the open field, straddle-walked along the parking lot bumbers, played in a water sprout and also played at the big playground. They crashed on the way home.

We plan on going to another park tomorrow if Matt's work doesn't need him. The weather has been gorgeous in the upper 70s/low 80s.

The Streaker!

Last night, as I was cleaning, Matt was keeping an eye on the kiddos. Well, I was in the kitchen and Carleigh came up to the gate with no shirt on. Next thing I knew, she was running around in her diaper. Then Matt yells from the living room saying that Carleigh is sitting on the couch with no clothes and no diaper on!! Whoa!! I wish I had my camera because she was sitting on the couch like a big girl with no clothes on!! Ha Ha Ha! She is such a little spitfire. You just never know what she is going to say or do....she keeps us in stitches all the time and of course she loves to make her big brother laugh!!

I love this boy!

I love my kissing bandit!!

Pigtails

Carleigh let me or should I say allowed me to put her hair in pig tails for a few hours. I would love to style her hair in different ways but the terrible twos haven't gotten a firm grasp on her and aren't releasing her any time soon!

More progress and a funny moment

I was reading to the kids tonight when I was showing Cody a picture of an animal, I asked Cody, "Is that a cat?" To which he shook his head no and then said "Noooo!" This is one of the first times I have asked him a question and he actually responded with a firm answer. He is also learning a lot more words lately. Whenever Carleigh learns a new word, Cody tends to learn the same word a week or so behind her. He said "flower" and pointed to a photo of a flower in a book tonight. He can identify many letters and numbers to much the surprise of his therapists. I have been really working with both of them to follow commands and to respond to questions. Each day, we read books, practice the alphabet, and then move on to shapes and colors. I am also working on some PT suggestions that Cody's preschool PT suggested as well as suggested activities from his private PT (physical therapist). I really want Cody to improve and to better function in the preschool setting beginning in September. I think his teachers and aides will be amazed at his progress. I guess the teacher in me can't take a break over the summer, I need someone to practice! He He He!

Okay, time for a celebration! Carleigh is totally finished with the bottle!! Woohoo! To some that may not be a big deal but for this mommy who has been dealing with bottles for 3.5 years now, I am overjoyed that one of them is finally finished with them. Cody is still a work in progress, but he is now holding his own bottle. I am going to switch from the nipple to the sippy cup spout soon.

Carleigh funny: We were sitting out on the porch this evening. Cody and Carleigh were playing on the porch and I was cooling off from spray painting my corn hole set. I was drinking bottled water when Carleigh comes up and I sprinkle a drop of water on her head. I thought she would get mad, but she LIKED it! She wanted me to sprinkle more water over her head until she was totally drenched! Silly girl! Cody didn't like it as much as Carleigh. It really did cool her down though!!

We have a climber!

Or should I say monkey? Matt was playing with the kids in Cody's room, but had to go in the kitchen for something so when I went into the bedroom to see what they were doing, I found Carleigh hanging from the window! Yep, you read that right! She climbed on top of the wooden toy chest, stepped onto the window and was trying to climb the window. I guess I better buy her toddler bed soon or she will be doing the same thing in her crib. And of course she just loves getting her big brother into trouble because he tends to do what she is doing. He couldn't climb the window but was standing on top of the toy box as her accomplice to the crime.

Matt heard Cody's new word today, and drum roll please.....he now can say "No!" I am wondering if this is a good or bad thing?!!

1,2,3,4....

and 5! Carleigh can count to 5. Cody can too when he is motivated. He likes to point at letters and numbers and identify them individually. Also, if you are saying the ABCs, he will chime in with the correct letter during different parts of the song. They are such little learning sponges!

Playing in the dirt

This is what they love best....playing in the dirt and rocks!
Cody sneaking a kiss from Jen's friend Shannon and Carleigh so serious!

Cornhole games

Adults and Children were playing cornhole. We had two adult sets and one junior size set for the kids. Jen's friend Shannon, cousin Robert, Jeremy and Jen's sister Connie playing cornhole.
Riley studying the game!

Playing with cousins

Raygan, Ryan, Devon and Carleigh playing in the playhouse
Playing a game of badmitton....Raygan is showing Carleigh how to play!

Cousins Ryan, Devon and Raygan and others in the background
Matt is grilling in the back with others helping.

Cookout pics

Cody and Aunt Michelle
Jen's mom, Jen's sister Connie, and Jen's dad.