Is it really the end of September already? I could have sworn that I intended to have a blog post up by July but yet here I am writing in what is officially the fall. We left off last time just after Christmas so we are going to cover a couple different seasons in what will undoubtedly be a long post.
So this winter we really only got one decent snowstorm but what hit us was reminiscent of a good Halloween snow up in Boston. The kids really enjoyed the snow this year with Andrew continuing his role as the main protagonist to get outside and play. We also took the kids up to the elementary school a couple miles from our house to go sledding. Despite the fear that the kids sometimes display when encountering different situations, for some reason they had absolutely no fear of hurtling down a hill on a sled. The only downside to the storm was that I learned what an "ice dam" was because one formed on the roof of the screened porch which caused water stains on the ceiling in the downstairs bathroom. Thankfully the fix for that is a quick coat of Kilz (which I bought in May and STILL haven't done).
This spring we started another new program with the kids as we instituted chores and commissions. Thanks to Grandma Waskey we had some awesome chore charts and commission envelopes to get us started and the boys were each tasked with helping to set the table a couple nights a week and a few other household tasks for the opportunity to earn some money. The difference between a commission system and an allowance is that if they don't work, they don't get paid. The boys quickly learned that earning their own money was a cool thing and it has been fun to watch them save money for different things that they want to buy and then taking them shopping for said thing. They are also required to give some of their money as well which has included giving to church and buying school supplies to be donated to kids in need. Hopefully as they grow up they will learn the value of hard work and the benefits of being generous with what God has entrusted to them.
In May Julie and I celebrated our 15 year wedding anniversary and we had hoped to do something out of the ordinary this year since it seemed to be an important milestone. That opportunity presented itself when we were invited to my cousin's wedding in Ireland. The catch was that my whole family, who normally would watch the kids for us, would be at the wedding as well and therefore unable to babysit. Initially we thought it would be impossible for us to go but then Julie's sister Annie and her friend Ashley offered to use some of their hard earned vacation days to come watch the kids so that we could go to this once in a lifetime event. It was quite the whirlwind trip as we left on a Thursday and came back the following Monday but man was it worth it! While I could write a whole blog post just on the trip, the highlights included a weekend at a castle, falconry, archery trap shooting, awesome food, and a reception that included Stevie Wonder. Needless to say it was an amazing way to celebrate our anniversary while also celebrating the wedding between my cousin and her new husband.
During the spring we also enrolled Andrew and Nadia in activities at
different times to give them the chance to try new things (Ryan did a
sports class over the winter). Andrew took a karate class with a friend
for a couple months which he really enjoyed and thankfully he did not
practice any of his newly acquired techniques on his brother. Nadia
took a ballet class for a few weeks which went better then we had
expected. Nadia did her best to do the steps and for the most part she
kept up with the rest of the class. She struggled a bit with her focus
at times but that is something that is continually an issue so we
weren't surprised.
The kids finished up the school year which was their last in the Bright Beginnings preschool program. The boys continued to develop their social skills and we were really pleased with their experience in the program. Meanwhile we negotiated with the school and they agreed to allow Nadia to spend half of each day during the spring semester in the same class as Ryan, which was considered a general classroom by preschool standards. While there were some obvious challenges with having Nadia in a class with less support then the room she had been placed in, the teachers did their best to make the situation work. All in all we really appreciated the opportunity that the kids had to attend Bright Beginnings and it was very hard to see them "graduate" and move on to kindergarten.
This summer we took our annual trip to Ocean City, MD with Julie's sister and family. As with past years we also had Julie's brother and his family down for one of the weekends so as always it was crazy and loud but still a blast. The only real difference between this and previous years was that we went over July 4th week instead of our usual end of summer time slot. That worked out fine but it was definitely weird to get home and still have two months of summer rather than a transition to fall. We had a lot of fun with everyone and the cousins all got along really well. We also spent even more time on the beach this year and in the water. Other activities included the boardwalk, Frontiertown, arcades, board games, and fireworks.
The kids went to several camps and vacation Bible schools over the summer as well. Ryan and Andrew each did a week at a local 4H day camp and Nadia did a music camp at a local rec center. The boys took swimming lessons as well and are now able to swim without floaties, at least when they feel like it. This year we also started taking the kids to Water Country (the Busch Gardens water park) and to be honest they seemed to like it a lot more than Busch Gardens. There was a lot more for them to do and Julie was even able to take them by herself a couple of times. The kids surprised us with the slides that they wanted to go on and the number of times they'd do the same slide over and over.
We made the usual treks to Grandma Waskey's as well and got to see my side of the family, including the newest additions to the family, twin boys that my brother and his wife are fostering to adopt. It is crazy to think that now both of the Waskey boys each have a set of multiples that are within a year old of each other. The cousins also came to visit us in Virginia once as well which was their first time down. Our kids really enjoyed having the company and did a better job sharing then we expected. The same week that my brother and his family were down we also had some of our friends from college visit for a few days with their two kids on their way back from a family camping trip. It was truly a worldwind week but it was great to see everyone. Julie also took turns taking the kids up to see Grandma Smith one at a time. They really enjoyed the one on one time with mommy and getting to see Grandma Smith. They also had a lot of fun playing with Gracie, Grandma's golden retriever puppy. Thankfully they haven't figured out yet that we could have a dog...
Julie has continued to be involved in her multiples group and the local down syndrome group, as well as serving in kids community at church. I have been serving on the local Special Education Advisory Committee to the local school board, as well as on the worship team at church. This summer I also tried my hand at smoking barbecue and have successfully done a pork shoulder, ribs, chicken wings, and a brisket.
As summer wound down we began preparing for the huge transition of sending the kids to full day kindegarten. Based on her experience in the gen ed classroom in Bright Beginnings, we requested that Nadia be placed in a general education classroom for kindergarten. Since our school system does not generally support what we would call "full inclusion" of disabled kids in regular classrooms with their "typical" peers, it was quite the task to convince them to place Nadia in a gen ed room. However, despite the school stating that they did not concur with our desire for placement, they agreed to do it based on our strong feelings about the matter. That means that Nadia is in the same class as Andrew but with some support throughout the day. We are now three weeks into kindegarten and there have definitely been some challenges but overall it seems to be working out. We will be meeting with some of the school representatives early in October to discuss the situation and see how things are going from the school's perspective. The boys meanwhile have been having a great time, although the long day seems to be wearing on Andrew. Unsurprisingly Ryan LOVES school, especially computer class.
Well that about wraps it up for the past 8 months so now on to the photographic and video proof that are kids are growing up way too fast.
We did move out of Boston right?
I guess if you only get one snow in a winter you want it to be a big one
They might look small but trust me, when they are piled on top of you they are not
Amazing to think that I didn't have handheld electronic games until I was a teenager...
Andrew makes his first purchase with money he earned....
...and of course it is letters (and note the Dave Ramsey product placement)
Like a true gambler, Ryan chose to play arcade games with his first earnings
Empty blueberry bag, frozen blueberries jammed in the couch and scattered on the floor, and blue stains on Nadia's hands and face...evidence that someone forgot to lock the gate to downstairs one night
Because someone thought "he's hyper, let's teach him to punch and kick!"
"If your brother asked you to jump off a drainage pipe..."
"Daddy will you tell me what colored eggs have to do with bunnies and Jesus?"
Those new Easter baskets look great Grandma!
This passes as a smile for Andrew these days
Pretty sure they had Paw Patrol at the first Easter right?
Sooooo, when are these kids' parents going to come pick them up?
Many things change but GiGi's love and involvement in our lives stays the same
Yes, that is an actual freaken castle...and a 1%er taxi (I mean helicopter)
Amazing that we still own dress up clothes
After years of wanting to make my own pulled pork, many hours of internet research, and a free grill from Mom Waskey, I finally have a "before" picture to share
...and an after picture...great, now I want eat some pulled pork...be right back
Yay! Daddy made a sandbox that we will play in this one time and then never set foot in again!
After two years with Ms. Amy and Ms. Carrie, the last day of preschool was a very sad one for us
Ryan had a lot of fun in preschool but he was ready to move up to the big leagues
Nadia said goodbye to Bright Beginnings after three years in the program and we were very sad :(
The boys have gotten very creative with their train layouts over the past several months
It's not exactly elaborate but hey, a forts a fort...
...and every fort needs a sign with the rules
The other set of Waskey multiples paid a visit this summer and it was awesome!
Then our friends from PA stopped by and we were faced with the reality that our kids will be 12 in no time
When one lacks an iPad to play Candy Crush, one simply makes Candy Crush out of UNO cards (courtesy of Ryan)
Unfortunately we didn't take a lot of pictures at the beach this year (probably due to the six kids running around)
They are very close to being too big to fit in the chair for our annual picture
"This is not exactly what I had in mind when Daddy said there was pizza in the pool"
That's a lot of candles on your cake mommy...
Is it cute or creepy that Nadia likes to line up her fisher-price animals every night before bed so that they can watch her sleep?
Hmmm....I can't imagine why they can't wait to go to Grandma's house when we already have a pool in our backyard
Nadia finally wears the ballet shoes that Julie bought for her the day she was born
I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure I could have taught them to kick while sitting on the side of the pool
Gotta be honest, I figured Andrew for the ladies man but I guess I stand corrected
Ryan, it would probably help if the marshmallow was cooked
"Yeah boys I jumped from the rocks, no big deal"
Looks like Jesus wasn't the only one who could do it
Our child with seemingly endless energy literally fell asleep sitting up at Grandma's house after an exhausting pool session
So I guess we can add fireman to the list of potential accomplishments that Nadia could end up being the first person with Down Syndrome to do
Andrew dresses up as a policeman, a very punctual policeman
Sure the movie is only $1 but then they sucker you into the $6 "kid box"
Not exactly sure what Julie was thinking with this but hey, at least it's not the side of a train car....yet
Grandma quickly learns that it is best to just lose quickly to Ryan at cards because you WILL lose eventually
"I don't care if we get it out of the attic as long as I don't have to pull it" - Dad
Another activity that clearly took place while Dad was at work
Andrew enjoyed his first full day camp experience and always had a lot to tell us when he got home
Nadia enjoys her inclusion in a general education kindergarten class (at least until the school decides that it is too much work and tries to put her back in a special education classroom)
Man I wish I could ride a big wheel again, the are so awesome
After a scandalous error on her last trip, Ryan leaves a handy reminder for Grandma for her next visit to Virginia
Ryan celebrates another successful ride at Water Country with Aunt Annie and Ashley
How come the one that is always smiling is the only one NOT smiling...we were so close!
They might be starting Kindegarten but they still can't give us a good picture of all three looking at the camera at the same time, even after ten tries
The boys learned the finer art of bailing out to avoid a fire hydrant and other important sledding lessons. And yes, I got them better sleds for next year.
The technique needs a little work but you gotta love the enthusiasm.
A little storm runoff never hurt anyone, am I right?
By far one of the coolest things we've ever done in all our travels.
Another awesome experience that I never knew existed until doing it that day...and yes it is very hard.
I did manage to hit two out of about a hundred...
Hmmm...I think you're doing it wrong.
Nadia provided Mommy with some vicarious living...
Long gone are the days of being afraid of the vents in the pool.
Maybe don't aim it right at her face?
Finally, for those that figured this out from the title of this post, I have become obsessed with the musical Hamilton and my fixation has started to rub off on the kids. They have all learned some or all of several songs and the first thing that Nadia says to me when I get home from work is "Hi Daddy, can you sing My Shooooot"?? If I say no then she says "Guns and Shiiiiiips". Although the kids know a couple of songs, they very rarely will sing it when other people are around, however we were able to get them on video doing Guns and Ships with me for Grandma Waskey and GiGi. Enjoy.
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