The Wagner Family

Disneyland Day 5

2011-03-18T15:23:00.001-07:00

Well this is finally the last post of Disneyland. This was our last day and it was filled up with finding the rest of the princesses and riding our favorite ride-It's a Small World. Later that evening we went to Goofy's Kitchen for dinner. It was character dining, so we got to see Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale, and Princess Belle. It was really fun. Sorry about the quality of the last few pictures, something happened to the camera and the wrong button was pushed which in turn made the pictures blurry. We had a great vacation and can't wait to go back again.

Disneyland Day 4

2011-03-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

Today was day 4 of our vacation. We spent the day at California Adventure Park. This was probably Hunter's favorite day so far. We took the kids to Disney Playhouse Live on Stage. The show has Mickey Mouse Club House, Handy Mannie, Tigger and Pooh, and Little Einsteins. The kids loved it! Hunter was all smiles and did great!! One of the ladies that was working there talked to us after and said that watching him was the highlight of her day. We were also able to take Hunter on a few other rides in this park. Most of the rides are bigger so we didn't get to do everything today. All in all, it was a great day!!

Disneyland Day 3

2011-01-26T16:23:00.000-08:00

Day 3 of Disneyland was a blast. Sorry for the marathon of pictures but I had too many good ones to leave them out. Most of the pictures toward the end are from the parade at California Adventure Park. It was really good! Today we decided to try taking Hunter on a few slow rides. So we started with "It's a Small World". He LOVED it! I couldn't believe with all the stimulation that he didn't have one issue. It was so fun to see him enjoy himself. We also got a rare encounter with the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella. She even went out of her way and came over and talked to Hunter. It was so cute!! I LOVE Disneyland!!

Disneyland Day 2

2011-01-26T16:02:00.001-08:00

Dwayne had to try the turkey legs-GROSS!

This is my favorite picture!!

Day 2 of Disneyland was all about seeing as many characters as possible. Caitlin didn't want anything to do with the rides. All she cared about was seeing all the characters. It was so cute seeing her excitement when one was spotted. The reason you don't see many with Hunter in them was because the lines were long and Hunter doesn't have the patience to sit there in line to wait. Today we also went over and checked out California Adventure Park. We couldn't believe how less busy and clean this park is. Went on a few fun rides and saw a Goofy and Minnie here. It was another great day at the happiest place on earth!

Disneyland Day 1

2011-01-26T15:50:00.000-08:00

It was a fun first day at Disneyland. We were able to see a few characters and one princess today. As you can see in the picture above, Caitlin was in awe of sleeping beauty. We are excited for the rest of the week and have so much more to see.

Disneyland here we come!!

2010-11-12T14:22:00.000-08:00

Now I Can

2010-11-12T14:03:00.000-08:00

We finally had Hunter's evaluation with the Now I Can Foundation. This is a intensive physical therapy center in Provo. After evaluating Hunter, Sergio (the physical therapist) said that he can definitely benefit from this therapy. He also said that he has lower functioning kids than Hunter that are coming to them and they are seeing results. The whole reason this therapy works is because it is more consistent. The therapy sessions are 3 or 4 week sessions, 5 days a week, for 4 hours a day. We plan to schedule Hunter's first session within the next 3 or 4 months. I am sure you are wondering about the last picture on this post. I took it to show the neurosuit that they use. We are very excited to see what this therapy does for Hunter. Our hope is to get him walking. Wish us luck!!

Cousins

2010-11-12T13:56:00.001-08:00

Hunter and Trenton are only 2 months apart exactly. They don't see each other very much, but I thought this was a sweet picture.

Grandpa Butcher's 86th Birthday Party

2010-11-12T13:37:00.001-08:00

We had the chance to go to Wyoming this summer for my grandpa's 86th birthday party. We had a good time. It was fun seeing all the extended family that was able to come. It has been hard since losing my grandma, so it was nice to have something to celebrate.

Hunter 2010

2010-08-24T20:20:00.000-07:00

Here are the newest pictures of Hunter. I can't believe that he is already 5 years old! I was glad to get some pictures of him standing to show his progress. As he has gotten older, it is getting harder to get him to cooperate for pictures. I thought they turned out pretty good. I was also glad to get a good picture of the kids together.

Lunch with Special Friends

2010-08-12T16:13:00.000-07:00

We had the privilege of going to visit April and her family in their new house. I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to get to know April. She is such a sweet person. She is an awesome mom and takes great care of Caleb. It was fun to see Caleb and feel his special spirit. One thing about having a special needs child in my home is that it has given great compassion to Caitlin. Watching her with Caleb was just precious. She isn't intimidated at all by his disabilities. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and tried to read a book to him. It was so cute. We had a great time and hope to have more visits in the future.

Caitlin's first bubble bath

2010-08-12T16:09:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of Caitlin taking her first bubble bath. She just loved it. She now thinks that she needs one every night.

Just because

2010-08-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

The cutest kids ever!!!!

Loving One Another

2010-08-12T15:57:00.000-07:00

I just LOVE these pictures! It shows how much love my kids have for each other. Caitlin is so good with Hunter and Hunter is very gentle with her most of the time.

Hunter's 5th Birthday

2010-08-12T15:37:00.000-07:00

We had a small birthday party for Hunter this year. Aunt Jessica and cousins (Annibelle & Dallas), The Coopers, and Grandma and Grandpa Butcher were all here to help us celebrate. Hunter didn't have a good day. He was having a lot of paralysis so Caitlin and Daddy helped him open presents. I can't believe that my little boy is already 5!! Time sure goes by so fast. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY SWEET BOY!!!

Flaming Gorge Lake

2010-08-12T15:25:00.000-07:00

We decided to surprise my parents and drive to Wyoming and see them while they were camping out at the lake. We had only planned staying overnight but it ended up being a little longer of a trip than we had expected. My dad ended up going into the ER that night and had a pulmonary embolism in his left lung. He was admitted to ICU and so we stayed to help my mom. The next day, Dwayne ended up going by ambulance to the ER because of his back. My poor mom had to go back and forth from ICU to the ER all day long. By the time Dwayne got back from the hospital it was too late to go home. We stayed an extra day and then headed home. My dad was in the hospital for the rest of the week. He is doing good now.

Hunter's New Walker

2010-08-12T15:19:00.000-07:00

So this is Hunter's newest piece of equipment-A Gator Walker. We are hoping to get him walking in this soon. He will be able to be a lot more independent once he gets the hang of it. There is also a sling seat that isn't shown in the picture that we will have to use at first.

a new dress

2010-08-12T15:15:00.000-07:00

Caitlin loves to have her picture taken. I will tell her to stand there and smile and she always turns and looks over her shoulder. She cracks me up. She is such the little poser!! But I thought she looked so cute in this dress. Love this girl so much!!!!

Flaming Gorge Days Parade

2010-08-12T15:05:00.000-07:00

We decided to go to Wyoming for Flaming Gorge Days this year. I haven't been in a really long time and now I know why I don't go-haha. These are pictures of the parade we went to. Dwayne said it was the most redneck parade he had ever been to. There was a sanitation truck in the parade that I didn't get a picture of, and we were cracking up. In fact, Dwayne started yelling really loud cheering for it! It was so embarrassing. He had everyone around us laughing. I guess you do what you got to do to make it interesting right?!

Caitlin's new bike

2010-08-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

We finally got Caitlin her first bike. She has been practicing in the house and can finally pedal really good. She loves it especially because it is pink and purple. :)

Cookies for Breakfast!

2010-08-12T14:57:00.000-07:00

I was getting Caitlin's breakfast ready one morning and she wanted to have her baby eat with her. This is what I came into the dining room to. I thought that it was so funny that she had given her doll a cookie to eat. What a fun stage that she is in!!

Caitlin's New Haircut

2010-06-30T17:04:00.001-07:00

I decided to have Caitlin's hair cut shorter until it grows in thicker. It was getting pretty long and stringy. I had it cut into an A-Line. It turned out so cute!! It is a lot easier to do and much cooler for summer.

Memorial Day

2010-06-30T16:52:00.001-07:00

We went to Wyoming for Memorial Weekend. We hadn't been all together in quite a few months. I didn't realize how hard it still is for me with my grandma gone. This was the first time I had been up to the grave since she died. But we know that she was there with us in spirit and even gave us a sign with the rainbow. We looked up and noticed there was a rainbow all the way around the sun. VERY COOL!!!

New Skills!!

2010-06-30T16:47:00.000-07:00

Hunter is such a busy boy these days. He is very active and is learning to do a whole lot of new things. He has started pulling up to everything. These pictures show that he is able to pull to things that don't give him much support. This is the first time that I caught him standing to the door. He was very proud of himself. GREAT JOB HUNTER!!!!

New Treatment

2010-06-30T16:40:00.001-07:00

This is my new regimen these days. Amidst all the cases of lyme disease here in Lehi, I was able to find the Utah Lyme Disease Support Group. They meet once a month and it is great to be able to get information from others going through the same things. I went to my first meeting in April. After listening to everyone else talk about their treatments, I decided that I needed to find a new doctor. I talked with one of the girls at the meeting and decided to try her doctor. Since changing doctors I have made huge improvement. I am on alot of stuff right now, but she is treating everything that is wrong and not just the lyme disease. My body is responding and I am hoping that within a few more months that I will be able to come off of the antibiotics. I will update soon on how the treatment is going.

Hunter's New Bed

2010-06-30T16:31:00.001-07:00

So we had to get Hunter a new bed because of safety reasons. He has started pulling to standing on everything and I went in one morning to find him standing in his bed. Luckily it was at the end and not on the side rail. At that point I knew that we had to get something that was lower to the ground that he could get in and out of. We found this bed at IKEA and it is perfect. We also got it in a full size to give him more room. He has done great with this new bed. I also had to get him new bedding and I think his room turned out pretty cute.

Mother's Day

2010-06-30T16:13:00.000-07:00

So I am a little late on posting Mother's Day pictures but here they are. Dwayne and the kids got me some shape-up shoes. I guess they thought that I could use some help losing weight-lol

Spring/Summer Fun

2010-04-29T20:57:00.000-07:00

We bought Caitlin a sand/water table so that she would have something to play with on the back patio. She was so excited to get it all put together. I think it will be something to keep her busy quite a bit this summer.

Hogle Zoo

2010-04-29T20:39:00.001-07:00

We are associated with a non-profit organization called Angel's Hands Foundation. They helped us get Hunter's special needs stroller. Well, they have lots of activities throughout the year and the zoo was the most recent activity. I thought it would be fun to go while the weather was warm. Hunter did great and Caitlin loved all the animals. Thanks to Angel's Hands for buying us a year pass to the zoo!

2010-04-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

Hunter is sitting in Caitlin's rocking chair. I love the second picture of him. His smile is so contagious. He is getting so big and strong.

Easter 2010

2010-04-29T20:23:00.001-07:00

We spent Easter at Grandma and Grandpa Butcher's this year. I forgot my camara so I didn't get pictures of Caitlin dying the eggs. I took all these when we got back. It was fun watching Caitlin find all the hidden eggs on Easter morning. Both kids loved their Easter baskets. Caitlin got a Minnie Mouse doll from grandma and grandpa and wouldn't put it down. She also got to have a chocolate bunny for the first time. The smile on her face shows how much she enjoyed it!

Ring Pop-YUM

2010-04-29T20:17:00.000-07:00

I bought Caitlin some ring pops for a treat. As you can see, she really enjoyed it. Her lips, teeth and tongue were turned blue from it. She doesn't get sugar like this very often so she was thrilled when I gave it to her.

Reading Wednesday

2010-04-29T20:12:00.000-07:00

So I think that I posted on this before, but I wanted to share some more pictures. The achievement day girls come every Wednesday to read to Hunter. It has been a really good thing. I know that Hunter loves it, and the girls are enjoying it also. It is fun to watch the girls grow and become comfortable with Hunter.

Thumb Sucking

2010-04-29T20:07:00.000-07:00

So lately Hunter has started on occasion sucking/chewing on his thumb. I love sleeping pictures, and thought that this was so cute. Notice also that he is sitting Indian style in his wheelchair. :)

2010-04-29T15:17:00.000-07:00

Such a cute SMILE!!!!

Bathtime

2010-04-29T14:58:00.001-07:00

So we have taken a big step with Hunter the past month. Hunter has finally started tolerating his baths without us sitting in the tub with him. I got some good pictures of him sitting all by himself and thought I would include a few of Caitlin as well.

More New Hairstyles

2010-04-29T13:59:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more ways that I am doing Caitlin's hair. It is the first time I have been able to get her hair in pigtails. I think it turned out super cute!!

Chillin Out!

2010-04-29T13:55:00.000-07:00

What a Cute Kid!!!

Color Coding

2010-04-29T13:51:00.000-07:00

So Caitlin loves the LeapFrog Fridge Phonics that we have. She has just recently started color coding the letters. She is so particular in that they have to be in straight lines as well as by the same color. She is learning so fast and has already started learning her letters.

More Standing!

2010-04-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

Hunter is doing very good with his standing. He is pulling up to EVERYTHING!! The television is permanently dirty with fingerprints because I can't keep him from pulling up and touching it. We are in the process of ordering him a reverse walker to get him up on his feet and moving around. We are excited to see how he progresses.

Caitlin's Big Girl Bed

2010-04-29T13:27:00.001-07:00

We finally moved Caitlin into a big girl bed. She all of the sudden wouldn't sleep in her toddler bed anymore. We ended up getting her a twin bed with a trundle. I found the same bedding in twin size that she had in her crib to match her room. I was so glad because I wasn't ready to change her whole room yet. I think it turned out very cute!

HE'S STANDING!!!!!!!!

2010-01-09T23:11:00.001-08:00

I can't believe my eyes-Hunter is finally starting to reach another milestone. He has been trying a lot lately to pull himself up into standing. I came into the living room to find him standing up to the entertainment center today. This time I was able to get my camera and get a good picture to show everyone. I am so proud of his progress and look forward to seeing what is in his future. WAY TO GO HUNTER!!

My little helper

2010-01-09T23:08:00.001-08:00

Cailtin got a little vacuum for her birthday this year. Everytime I go to vacuum the house, she runs and gets hers and starts helping me. It is the cutest thing, but I think I am creating a monster-LOL

Dress-Up

2010-01-09T22:58:00.001-08:00

Cailtin is such a girly girl! She loves all her dress up stuff. I couldn't resist getting some pictures of her when she just had to have everything on all at once. And for some reason she thinks that Hunter's chew toy is a crown-lol

I looked out the window.....

2010-01-09T22:50:00.000-08:00

Hunter is making a lot of progress in regards to his motor skills. He is a very active boy now and into everything. I found him kneeling at the window happy as could be looking out. Caitlin decided to join him and I thought it was so cute. They are best buddies and the last two pictures of them looking out the window together and looking at each other were so precious. I sure love these two kiddos!!

Sleeping with Grandma

2010-01-09T22:46:00.001-08:00

This is such a sweet picture. He doesn't fall asleep with just anybody. I think it made Charlotte's day that he was comfortable enough with her.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-09T22:13:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas this year. We flew Charlotte (Dwayne's mom) here to spend it with us. We had a fun time and really good visit with her. It was nice for the kids to spend some time with her and for her to get to know them. The kids were spoiled once again this year. They got a lot of toys that they absolutely love. It was fun to see them open presents this year because they were both way more into it. It was nice to be with family and remember the true spirit of Christmas. MERRY CHRISTMAS 2009!!!

Christmas Eve 2009

2010-01-09T21:50:00.000-08:00

So this year for Christmas Eve, we decided to get dressed up and go out for dinner. I put the kids in their Christmas outfits and thought they looked so cute. We had a really nice dinner and a good time. Later on that night the kids got to open their Christmas Eve present (it is always new Christmas pajamas, of course). It is always fun to see the excitement of the kids. They enjoyed opening the present and we knew that they were going to have a really fun time Christmas day.

Heber Valley Polar Express

2010-01-09T20:51:00.000-08:00

This year we decided to go and check out the Heber Valley Polar Express Train. I ended up staying home with Hunter and Dwayne went with Caitlin and his mom. It didn't end up being as fun as they thought it would be, but they still got a lot of pictures. Not something that we will invest our money next sure that is for sure!

Caitlin's 2 Year Old Pictures

2009-12-20T22:46:00.000-08:00

Well it was that time again to get new pictures of Caitlin. She did so good!! The photographer said that she was the best 2 year old she has ever worked with. Caitlin smiled great and stayed posed for all the pictures. They also said that because she took such beautiful pictures, they would probably put her pictures up in the studio next Christmas. What a beautiful little girl we have!

Caitlin's 2nd Birthday

2009-12-20T22:29:00.000-08:00

Today was Caitlin's 2nd birthday. It was fun to see her be able to blow the candles out on her cake. She didn't get very messy with her cake only because we did it kind of late and I think she wasn't that interested and tired. She did have fun opening her cute presents and Hunter got in on the action as well. When you ask Caitlin how old she is, she replies with "two" as she tries to hold her fingers to show you. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAITLIN!!!

What a position!

2009-12-20T22:22:00.000-08:00

So I thought this was so funny. Hunter fell asleep in his wheelchair in the funniest position. It doesn't even look very comfortable, but he stayed that way for a few minutes. I love sleeping pictures and think they are so precious.

Santa Clause

2009-12-20T22:16:00.001-08:00

This year we missed out on seeing Santa at Costco. They have the best set up and it works better for Hunter. So our only other option was to go to our neighborhood party. I arranged for us to be able to be there early with Santa before everyone else showed up. Needless to to say Santa was late and another family showed up while we were there. Hunter didn't do well. That is why there is one picture with all of us in it. It was the only way to get a picture of Hunter at least by Santa. Caitlin was very hestitant to sit on Santa's lap but we finally got her to do it and she didn't even cry. What a big girl!

Santa's Reindeer

2009-12-20T21:55:00.000-08:00

I took Caitlin to see the reindeer at Thanksgiving Point. She thought it was pretty neat! It was fun to see her reaction to them. What a fun experience to share with her :)

Hunter's new onsies

2009-11-19T21:56:00.001-08:00

So I think most of you know all about Hunter by now. He has grown so much and it was time to figure out what we were going to do about onsies. The 24 month ones were getting too small for him. I also wanted something that was adapted for his g-tube. It was such a pain to have to undress him everytime we fed him. A friend of mine talked to someone she knew about making some onsies for me. She agreed to give it a shot. I was so impressed with her work. She came and measured Hunter and got to work. This is the finished product. It is so nice to have the easy access opening to his g-tube. Now all I have to do is lift his shirt and open the flap. IT IS WONDERFUL!! I think so many others could benefit from this idea. I am still working on a way to market this, but for now I am just glad that I found someone to help me. I had her make me 10 of them. They should last us quite awhile.

Say Cheese!

2009-11-19T21:53:00.000-08:00

Everytime you take Caitlin's picture she says "cheese". I thought this was a really cute picture.

OUCH!

2009-11-19T21:48:00.000-08:00

Caitlin had her first real injury. She went to grab the curling iron and thankfully I caught her and she barely burned one finger. She cried pretty hard, poor thing. But we put a bandage on it and she thought that was pretty cool. It healed fast and she is all better now.

Thanksgiving Point Pumpkin Fest

2009-11-19T21:32:00.001-08:00

So this post is out of order, but I didn't have the pictures to put on here when I was posting Halloween pictures. We took the kids to Pumpkin Fest at Thanksgiving Point. The Angels Hands Foundation was having an activity and so we took advantage of getting in free! There were a lot of activities to do. Caitlin loved the slides and her balloon crown (which I didn't get a picture of). The weather was getting cold and it was about to rain so we hurried through everything. As you can see, I forgot my camera and so we had to buy a disposable one there. I don't think Dwayne knew that he bought a Halloween camera. So needless to say I am stuck with all of the sayings at the bottom of each picture.

The Perfect Song!

2009-11-12T12:11:00.000-08:00

Click on the link below to listen and watch the video She's With Me, by Collin Raye. Make sure to watch the second link first. I can really relate to this song. He has taken the experience of having a special needs child and put it into the perfect words. I cry everytime I listen to it. Collin Raye has a granddaughter that has a brain disorder that they have been unable to diagnose. His experience is what inspired the song. Dwayne and I always talk about Hunter being our ticket into Heaven and Collin Raye touches on that very point. Hope you love it as much as I do!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc5RDJnF2vI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj6GXVTAOiU

New Pajama's

2009-11-11T13:52:00.000-08:00

I just bought Caitlin some new pajamas that I thought were so cute. They came with a tutu and everything. She absolutely loves these pj's. She has been wearing the tutu with everything since. She is just so cute!!

More Random Pictures

2009-11-11T13:41:00.000-08:00

I love sleeping pictures of my kids. The other day I came out from getting ready for the day and found Caitlin sound asleep on the couch with her dolls. It was so precious. She is such a sweet little girl and I couldn't resist to take a picture of it. And here is Hunter hanging out in his wheelchair.

First Candybar

2009-11-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

I gave Caitlin a small candybar from her Halloween candy after lunch today. She went to town on it and got it everywhere! I love her smile :)

Halloween 2009

2009-11-11T12:53:00.001-08:00

Halloween was really fun this year. We started off the night with a Halloween themed dinner with Dwight and Jessica and their two kids. We had potato cheese soup in pumpkin bread bowls. We had swamp juice for our drink and rice crispy treats for dessert. It was really yummy! Then we got the kids all dressed up and went out trick or treating. Hunter didn't last very long so Dwayne stayed home and handed out candy with him. Caitlin however loved it. She never got the hang of saying trick or treat but she did start copying Annebelle and said thank you after getting candy. She would not let me carry her or carry her bucket of candy. It got so heavy she was practically dragging it. The kids all looked so cute and it was a really nice night for it also. The only thing is I wished I would have got a picture of Dwight in his costume. It was hilarious!!

Tutu Cute!!

2009-11-11T12:45:00.000-08:00

New hat and gloves

Caitlin is a such a girly girl. Tabitha Sabin made this tutu for her. She loves it and would sleep in it if I would let her. She loves playing dress up already. I can't keep her out of her clothes in her dresser. I just bought her a new pink hat and gloves for winter and she immediately had to put them on.

my little organizer!

2009-11-11T12:19:00.001-08:00

Caitlin has picked up a lot from watching me I guess. But I have been watching her lately and she seems to be quite the organizer. When playing with her toys she lines everything up in one big line (blocks, cars, etc). The other day she got into the shoe basket and starting doing it with them also. I thought it was so funny and had to have a picture of it. The only thing is, I don't know how she can be so organized yet at the same time be such a little hoarder also-lol. the second picture is of her with everything and the kitchen sink with her in the rocking chair. She also does this with her doll cradle also. So Funny!!

Tall Kneeling

2009-11-11T12:14:00.001-08:00

Hunter is doing so good lately. He is very active and is starting to hit some very important milestones. In addition to getting in and out of sitting by himself, he is pulling up to kneeling on everything and has pushed into standing by himself several times (I will post a picture when I get one). We are excited for the the future and what is to come with his abilities. :)

Hunter

2009-11-11T12:08:00.000-08:00

So I took these pictures to show how flexible Hunter is. The pictures don't do it justice. He was practically doing chinese splits!!

Caramel Apples

2009-11-11T12:02:00.000-08:00

After the pumpkin patch, we came back to the house and made caramel apples and had apple cider. Caitlin and Annebelle had a fun time helping. The apples turned out really good, but the caramel was pretty sticky and thick and made it hard to eat them.

Pumpkin Patch

2009-11-11T11:11:00.001-08:00

We went to a pumpkin patch this year. My brother-in-law and his wife and two kids came with us. We had a fun time and got pumpkins for really cheap!

Family Pictures 2009

2009-11-11T09:39:00.000-08:00

This is our 2009 Family Pictures. We tried a different photographer this time. I have always wanted outdoor pictures done. It was a bit chilly, but for the most part we had good weather. The photographer's name is Heather Telford (Telford's Photography). What I liked about her is she gives you a cd with all your pictures on it. I saved a lot of money by being able to go to Costco to get my prints. Enjoy!!

More random pics of Caitlin

2009-11-11T09:34:00.000-08:00

Trying a new hairdo ( I ended up doing this one for family pictures)

Daddy's Socks

2009-11-10T22:20:00.000-08:00

I thought this was so cute. Caitlin is in that stage where she is always trying to put clothes on. These are Dwayne's ankle socks, but they look like leg warmers on her-lol

Pink Leash

2009-11-10T22:12:00.000-08:00

Well I finally decided to get Caitlin one of those kid leashes. I am not sure how much longer I will be able to use the double stroller because Hunter is getting too big. So when the time comes and I have to move Hunter into his special needs stroller, I will need to have a plan for Caitlin. So this is what I came up with. She loves it and I was glad to find one that was pink.

Farm Country

2009-11-10T21:57:00.000-08:00

We took the kids to Thanksgiving Point Farm Country. It has just the basic animals (cows, horses, goats, sheep, chickens, etc.). Caitlin didn't stop squealing (however you spell it) from the time we got there until we left. She LOVED it! I thought that she might get scared when we put her on the pony for the pony ride, but she went right on and had a smile on her face the whole time. Hunter wasn't having a good day as you will see in the picture. He doesn't like the animals and so needless to say we went looked at things a little bit faster so that we could get him home. It was a fun day none the less. :)

Random Pictures

2009-11-10T21:08:00.001-08:00

Hunter's New Booster Seat

Here are just a few more random pictures of the kids. We recently got Hunter a new booster seat. He had grown out of his high chair and needed something to sit in for preschool and occupational therapy. It is a special tomato brand chair and he seems to really like it. He better like it, it was expensive!!!

More kneeling

2009-10-14T15:39:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pictures of Hunter kneeling to his toy. He is doing incredible lately. He has also started to want to push to standing. Stay tuned to see more progress in the near future!!

Playing with Daddy

2009-10-14T15:32:00.000-07:00

Today was such a nice day that Dwayne took Caitlin outside to play with some sidewalk chalk. I thought they looked so cute together out there playing. Caitlin LOVED it! She looks so grown up with her hair pulled back on the sides. She is our beautiful little girl!

Hunter's sippy cup

2009-10-14T15:28:00.000-07:00

We have been working with Hunter to try and get him to at least drink through a sippy cup once in awhile. He doesn't do it all the time, but we have on occasion gotten him to suck water or juice from it. He is soley fed through his tube but we hope eventually he will start to take something orally again. But we are happy with any progress we can make with him.

Another New Hairdo

2009-10-14T15:25:00.000-07:00

Caitlin got another haircut today and this is the hairdo the stylist gave her. I thought it was so cute, I had to take a picture of it.

More Sitting

2009-10-14T15:21:00.000-07:00

Another Milestone!

2009-10-14T15:18:00.001-07:00

As I said Hunter is doing so good. Along with sitting, he has started to pull up into kneeling also. This is what I walked in and saw him doing. Since then he is doing it all the time and can now reach things that he couldn't before. I now have to start baby proofing the house once again!!

HE'S SITTING!!!!

2009-10-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

So Hunter has been making HUGE progress lately. He is sitting so well now. I think that he is a lot happier now that he can sit up and play. He is starting to get into everything! We are hoping that he will be crawling soon. He is so active and is also having less episodes as well. He is such a happy kid most of the time and we just love him sooo much!!

My little poser

2009-10-14T14:59:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few cute pictures I took of Caitlin in her pj's. She just loves to have her picture taken!

Funny Girl!

2009-10-14T14:54:00.000-07:00

I don't know why Caitlin puts this doll blanket on her head. I thought it was so funny that she just kept playing and it didn't phase her that it was on her head. She is sure a funny girl!

2009-09-01T12:25:00.001-07:00

I was looking at a blog today that was set up for families of children with special needs and came across this newest post. I LOVE it!! It totally touches on how I feel and how I am sure others with children with special needs feel. Just wanted to share it with everyone. ENJOY :)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=84FHZhB5__Y

The Kids 2009

2009-07-30T22:13:00.001-07:00

I thought the pictures turned out so cute. The one with Caitlin smiling big is my favorite. We picked the first picture as the main one because both kids looked good in the picture.

Hunter's New Pictures

2009-07-30T22:05:00.000-07:00

I thought we got some pretty good pictures of him. As you can see, Hunter is sitting so good now. He sat in the chair without any help and we would have picked it as his main picture, but he was doing something funny with his lips. I wish we could get him to smile, because he has a great smile. But we will settle for the little smurk ( at least we got that!) :)

Playing

2009-07-24T23:26:00.001-07:00

Hunter loves his books :)

These are just some random pictures of the kids playing. It shows how well Hunter is sitting now.

Opening Presents

2009-07-24T23:19:00.001-07:00

Hunter got a Barney shirt from Grandma and Grandpa Butcher.

Hunter had a good time opening his presents. He was a lot more into it this year. He got a lot of videos (Wiggles and Barney)-his favorites.

Hunter's 4th Birthday

2009-07-24T22:56:00.001-07:00

The following pictures are of Hunter with his cake. He doesn't eat it, but he sure can make a mess with it!

Hunter got some of the frosting in his mouth and by the look on his face, he didn't like it one bit-lol!

We celebrated Hunter's birthday the day before his actual birthday. Grandma and Grandpa Butcher came down to celebrate with us. Hunter didn't eat any of his cake, but he did a great job of getting it everywhere else! He had it in his hair, all the way up his arm and all over his highchair. He was getting tired, so we gave him a bath and decided to let him open his presents the next day on his actual birthday. I can't believe that my baby is already 4 years old. Time has sure gone fast. He has come along way in the past year or so. He is such a blessing to have in our home and we love him so much. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUNTER!!

4th of July

2009-07-24T22:41:00.000-07:00

Caitlin is trying to give Hunter a kiss-she sure loves her brother!!

Hunter was having one of those days where he was really oral. We couldn't get a picture without his tongue sticking out.

Below are a few pictures of Caitlin on her new swing. She wasn't sure of it at first but I think she started to enjoy it.

This year we didn't really do anything for the 4th of July. We spent the day hanging out at home. Dwayne and the kids were in bed and asleep by 8:30. Thanksgiving Point puts off great fireworks and we can see them from our backyard. I ended up staying up and watching them by myself. I didn't stay outside very long though because the mosquitos were really bad. I was glad to have a relaxing day at home.

Beautiful!!

2009-07-24T22:32:00.000-07:00

Caitlin is getting so big and really becoming a beautiful little girl. She has such a great personality and does the funniest things. We love her so much!!

A Great Explanation

2009-07-09T11:01:00.000-07:00

WELCOME TO HOLLAND by Emily Perl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland.""Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very, very significant loss.But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley

Hunter

2009-06-27T20:11:00.001-07:00

Hunter is getting so big! I can't believe that he will be 4 years old in a few weeks. He is such a special boy and we love him so much.

Swimming

2009-06-27T19:57:00.000-07:00

Today I took Caitlin to the pool for the first time. As you can see she loved it! She liked being in her ladybug floaty more than me just holding her. It was fun to get out and get some sun.

Caitlin

2009-06-26T20:04:00.001-07:00

So I can't believe how big Caitlin is getting. I can't believe that she is already 18 months old. You can see how demanding she is in these pictures. I put a before and after. She wasn't very happy until I gave her what she wanted-lol

Hunter's Couch

2009-06-26T20:01:00.000-07:00

This is Hunter on his new couch that Grandma Butcher got for him. He loves it!!

Random Pictures

2009-06-26T19:54:00.001-07:00

Here are just some random pictures of the kids. The first one is Caitlin with Grandma wearing her sunglasses. Hunter is giving me one of his funny faces. And the last two are of Caitlin falling asleep watching T.V. I was in getting ready and when I came out to get her hair done this is how I found her. She is so cute!!

Caitlin and her babies

2009-06-26T16:27:00.000-07:00

Caitlin has just started to really like her dolls. I thought this picture was cute of her sitting on her couch holding her baby all wrapped up in it's blanket.

Taking a nap

2009-06-26T16:26:00.001-07:00

I thought this picture was precious. Notice that Caitlin is holding her daddy's hand as she sleeps. Too Cute!!