Merry Christmas!!!

So once again I am updating after a LONG absence.  It has been an eventful past 8 months.

In April, after much debate, I had decided to try and find a job outside the school system.  By end of April, I hadn't found anything that was going to work and I was starting to get ready for another year in the schools.  However, I received a call from a private pediatric speech-language therapy clinic to interview at just the right time. God blessed me with a job there at the end of May.  I have now worked there 7 months.  It is a lot less stress and paperwork.  I truly feel that I am able to help the children I work with.

 

In June, we celebrated Daniel’s 2^nd birthday!  I can’t believe it’s already been that long.  It seems like it was just yesterday we brought him home from the hospital.  He is such a bundle of energy and fun!  Something else that came with June was some speech therapy for Daniel.  I had this nagging feeling that Daniel's speech sounds weren't quite where they needed to be (my specialty has always been with PreK-6th grade).  So, I spoke with my boss at the clinic I have been working at.  She was kind enough to use not only his evaluation, but also his therapy as my training, which meant affordable help for our son!  God not only gave me a great job, but also a way to help Daniel that I would not have had otherwise.  Daniel was able to get through therapy quickly thanks to some great mouth exercises and play techniques that we continued at home.  He is now done with speech therapy!

  

 

In July, Eddie and I celebrated six wonderful years of marriage.  My parents watched Daniel for the whole day while Eddie and I took in a couple movies and went out for a nice dinner.  I realized it was the first time we’ve had that much time alone since Daniel was born. 

In addition, Eddie and I began a consistent exercise routine, as well as making better food choices.  We have been able to stick with this!  We’ve each lost 20 pounds and are looking forward to achieving our ultimate goal of being healthy.

In August, we had the pleasure of having my cousin, Heidi come to visit from Virginia.  Despite the visit being short, we enjoyed seeing her, and hope to again soon! 
Some difficult news reached us before the month was over.  Eddie's aunt Lupe had passed away after a long illness.  While it was not completely unexpected, it was very sad news to hear.

In September, we had more family visit.  This time it was my Uncle Jeff & Aunt Deana from California.  We were excited to have Daniel meet them and it was wonderful to spend time with them.

 

 

In October, we went for our 2^nd annual apple picking trip in Ellijay,Georgia.  My mom and sister, Laura joined us.  They had a petting zoo there, as well, so we took Daniel to see the animals.  He loved it!  It was a beautiful day and we took home over 5 pounds of apples, which turned into tasty snacks, apple butter, and an apple pie!  I had the pleasure of making my grandma’s recipe for apple butter.  It turned out delicious, and brought back many memories of eating apple butter on slices of white toast at my grandma’s house.

One of Daniel's favorite things: 1-2-3 Weeeeee! (getting picked up and swung)

Enjoying some yummy apple slushy!

Picking apples with some help from Daddy

 We also went to the Cumming Country Fair.  First, Daniel got to ride a merry-go-round for the very first time.  At first, he was a little unsure of the whole idea, but soon realized how fun it was.  Next, we took Daniel to the petting zoo.  He absolutely loved seeing all the animals, and would walk right up to them to try and pet them.  We saw goats, sheep, ducks, rabbits, horses, cows, roosters, and even a peacock (no we didn’t pet it).  When we walked up to the rooster, it crowed.  Daniel’s expression was priceless.  It was as if to say, “Did that sound just come out of that animal?!”

November – We went to my family’s house for Thanksgiving dinner.  There was so much delicious food, as always!  Daniel really enjoyed the mashed potatoes and my homemade cranberry sauce.  For desert, he especially liked the pumpkin pie and vanilla ice cream.  It’s funny, Daniel didn’t really like the turkey on Thanksgiving Day, but he loved it as leftovers!  Go figure! 
Unfortunately, we had sad news following Thanksgiving.  Eddie's uncle, Rodolfo passed away. This was tough news to hear, especially with Christmas so close.

 

So that catches you up to the present.  Daniel continues to grow into a happy, healthy little boy.  He is constantly exploring in new ways (i.e. CLIMBING EVERYTHING).  He is saying new words all the time, and is making short phrases now, too. 

Some of our favorite pronunciations are:

Grandma: "Guhgah"

Grandpa: "Buhpah"

Abuelita (Spanish for "grandma"): "Buhdeetah"

Orange: "wookie"

Pancake: "pahday"

Winnie-the-Pooh: dah-dah-Pooh

Eeyore: "eeya"

Snowman: "nomae"

Yellow: "yahyo"

His favorite songs to sing are: Wheels on the Bus, Old MacDonald, & the Winnie-the-Pooh theme song.

He LOVES music and has a huge variety that he likes.  He really likes anything with a beat.  You always know if he likes a certain song because he'll starting nodding his head to the beat.  Daniel is beginning use pretend play a lot.  He will pretend to feed his stuffed animals and give them drinks.  He also likes to "cook" food and pretend to ride a "motorcycle".  He also has learned many of his colors and is beginning to learn to count.

Another big step that was taken this year was moving from a highchair to a booster seat at the table.  Daniel just didn't want to sit in his highchair anymore and always would try to sit at the table, so we went ahead with a booster seat.  He really enjoys it and even seems to eat better.  He also attempts to join in our conversation, which we think is great!

Eddie has been perfecting his culinary skills this year and has made some wonderful dinners for our family.  Some of our new favorites include: stir-fry beef with broccoli, mesquite chicken, and meatloaf.  He has also perfected cooking fresh broccoli - he blanches it.  It's delicious!  Even Daniel likes broccoli now.

So that's our year in a nutshell!  As Eddie and I begin looking back over the past year, we are  reminded that of in the midst of challenges, God is always faithful to take care of us.  Sometimes, it seems that He isn't listening, but that is NEVER true!  He is allowing us to learn and gives us what we need at just the right time.  We are so thankful for a God who cares for us so much that He gave His Son, Jesus Christ, so that we could have life through Him.  As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, this Christmas, we wish you His peace, His love, and His joy!

Merry Christmas and very blessed New Year to you and your family!

"For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

~Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)~