Rock It, Mr. L

So, if you've been around long enough, you know that Liam was a bit slow on getting going in his early years. He crawled (if you can call it that) at 11 months, pulled to standing at 14 months, and walked at 18 months. All of this involved early childhood intervention, which I am all for when needed. He exited out of the program a year and a half ago, but this did not withdraw us from the Army's Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP). The program exists for the protection of family members that may need extra services that are not provided at all locations. Because Liam's services were through the state, Taylor cannot be stationed internationally since Liam could not be serviced there.

Anyway, as we are waiting on orders and hoping for England, I am in the process of getting us out of EFMP. Part of this process involved Liam getting evaluated on Monday. In past evaluations (a long time ago), he obviously came up with delays. While I am okay with that, it still is frustrating at the same time. You have no idea. Anyway, this evaluation was AWESOME. As Taylor put it....Mr. L finally got vindication. Things he was asked to do and performed perfectly included:

sorting, cutting on the line, counting, naming colors, naming shapes, catching a bean bag, skipping, vision test (where he called the picture of the panda "Kung Fu Panda"...funny b/c he's never seen that movie), naming objects (he called the pop-up toaster a "TV with bread coming out of it", pronunciation, body parts (missed ankle), copying building objects, counting out objects (could do up to 3), etc. There were more things, but cannot remember them now. I was amazed by some of the things he could do. Some items I teach in kindergarten. It was such a difference to not only not see him qualify, but do an amazing job. Blew me away.

Oh and the other thing he missed....he said his name was "L". Hee hee.

Single Digits

Yep...that's right. Just nine days left of having an infant. And it's killing me. I just want to scream "MAKE TIME STOP!!!" And yet, so excited because I'm so lucky to have such a happy and healthy little guy and 3 days later will see his father for the first time in 6 months.

But for right now, I'm mourning the loss of my "baby George" and at the same time looking forward to the next year with my sweet George.

Love ya kiddo....just try not to grow up too fast. It's hard on us mommy-types.

Did the stars fall out of the sky?

A couple of days a week, I pick up my friend Meredith's children from their school and take them home for her. They attend private school (one that doesn't bus) and they get out about 30 minutes before Mere's school does. In exchange, we go over to her house every Wednesday night and she cooks dinner for us.

Tonight was crazy, though. I picked up Brandon, like normal, at 3:00 p.m. Headed to the boys' school and picked them up. Drove to the house for 20 minutes. Headed back out with all three boys to the private school and picked up the girls from their Volleyball practice. Then took all five kids to McDonald's for dinner. Since Meredith had to be in a meeting until late today and couldn't cook, she wanted to buy us dinner. She choose McDonald's so Liam could try going on the playplace there. He had never been and having three helpers and friends to play with him provided the opportunity to try it out.

Well, he had a blast:



Afterwards, me and the five kids headed to Meredith's house so I could drop them off. At that point, Meredith was almost home, so I decided to wait for her just to say "Hi." Saying "hi" took us 2 hours. :) The boys always love it there and it gives us a chance to talk and hang out for a bit.

When we did leave, it was dark out. Rarely do I drive at night because I have the boys home and in bed by that point. As we were driving home down a dark road, Liam asked me why there were lights on the floor. Not knowing what he was talking about, I told him I didn't know. So, in the sweetest little voice, he asked me, "Mama, did the stars fall out of the sky?"

Something about that question just melted my heart. I love that pure innocence he still has. It is such a fabulous reminder to appreciate and notice the little things in life...especially on the eve of such a tragic and life-changing day. It's rare that we stop to notice the small things that make life so magical...including how the reflectors on the road seem to sparkle and shine at night like stars.

It is also so comforting to be able to assure my son that, no, the stars did not fall out of the sky (they are just fine). It is a comfort to be able to assure him that he not need be worried about the dark because I am there to keep him safe. And it is such a comfort to be able to tell him that even though it is tough to have Daddy gone, his Daddy is making a difference and doing some really great things for some really good people.

Taylor...we are so proud of you and will be thinking of you tomorrow, as always. You are such an amazing role model for our sons and it is such a nice feeling to be able to tell them that you are truly working to keep us safe so days like September 11th do not happen again. And while I agree with Liam sometimes that "they gave you too much work", I know you are making a difference in the world and make a difference in our lives every day. We love you and miss you.

231 Days

Now




Then



George...sometimes there are no words. It's such a hard thing to explain how every milestone you meet makes me want to rejoice with excitement and pride and at the same time, cry with sadness that Daddy has missed so much. We are halfway through this deployment and Daddy and I are often speechless when we look at pictures of you and talk about all the new things you are doing. Crawling, talking, standing up, cruising, eating solid foods. And now you are almost a year old. We love you so much and you are such a joy in BOTH of our lives. Keep on meeting those milestones and I'll keep remembering that as time passes and you get older, each new month means that it is one more closer to Daddy being home and watching you grow with me. :)

231 Days

...and you are still smiling. We are halfway now through this hell, kiddo, and you amaze me every day. I haven't been blogging lately because it's hard to know what to say sometimes at the end of the long day. I can say this, though:

Daddy and I are so happy to have you in our lives each and every day. You tell me all the time you have "so much love for me" and it is just what I need when I'm feeling down. It has been so great being home with you this summer and having you be able to talk to Daddy more during his middle of the night sessions. I know they mean so much to Daddy and to me.

Keep smiling kiddo and I'll keep blogging. We've made it through the first 231 and we can get through the second half!! In the meantime, here are some pics from this summer. What a blast we've had!!