Happy Easter Weekend!

It's the most wonderful time of year in the Houston area...no, not Christmas!  It's Easter and it's made exceptionally wonderful by the fact it's perfect weather.  Not too hot and no mosquitos!  Oh if only it were like this all year long!  We made the most of it by being outside as much as possible!

Friday was wonderful because both Little Buddy and Daddy were off from school and work, respectively, so they got to hang out with Little Sweetie and I all day!  We went and played at the park and then went to the All Ages class at My Gym so both Little Buddy and Little Sweetie could join in on the fun!

     

     

Everybody is loving life at the park!

Little Buddy surveying his My Gym kingdom.

Saturday started off well!  We had the plan of dying Easter eggs, having the kiddos play with Daddy while Momma had her haircut and went to the grocery store, and then an early bath and bedtime so that we could get to the early Easter Mass the next morning.  Sadly, even the best laid plans can get messed up...

Easter egg dying went well...

     

But then a trip on the patio led Little buddy to get a gash above his lip.  Thankfully, he only required Derma-bond instead of stitches, but it ended up being a late night for the kids.  Our hope for making early church was vastly diminished.

But then, an Easter Miracle!  Daddy and I managed to get everyone up, out of the house, and to church in time for 7:30 AM Mass AND to actually get seats at the service, no less!  And then the kids actually BEHAVED!  Yes, they may have just been too tired to cause trouble, but we might start gong to 7:30 AM Mass regularly if that's the case!  Little Buddy and Little Sweetie definitely deserved the treats that the Easter Bunny left around the house while we were gone.

Happy boy after Church!  Still can't believe how good they were (Little Sweetie refused to participate in the pictures)!

     

     

They loved finding their baskets and eggs!

The new Peanuts movie was in Little Buddy's basket.  I'd say he was pleased!

Finished the day with our annual picnic and egg hunt with our Texas "family."  Love our awesome friends!

     

Little Sweetie was very into it this year!  She was excited to count her loot!

So minus the stitches, I'd consider it a fun and successful Easter weekend.  I will admit that being around our friend's older children can be difficult.  It's hard to see the gap between Little Buddy and his peers that, three years ago, wasn't there.  Last year, I had a panic attack and this year I felt pangs of sadness that he could no longer play with his friends the way he used to.  But then I saw how much fun he was having just being there, around his friends, playing and felt comforted to have the opportunity to be around so many people who love and understand our sweet boy.  What's more, Little Sweetie had a wonderful time!  Now that she is growing up, we have to be mindful of making sure that she has plenty of opportunities to socialize and interact with her peers, even if her brother cannot.  And I need to remind myself that for a Sanfilippo kid, Little Buddy is doing amazing and we are so proud of him!  Easter is a time of faith and hope, and we continue to have both of those!

Hope all of you had a blessed Easter, 

LBM

Little Buddy's Momma

Hi There, Easter Bunny!

Look who we saw at the mall today!  Loved that we got a few great shots with both the kids!  Little Buddy was very excited and Little Sweetie was just a tad nervous instead of scared out of her mind like last year!

     

Hope everyone is gearing up for a wonderful Easter,

LBM

Little Buddy's Momma

March 11

We've been settling into to 2016 fairly well.  Besides all of our family date days and his great race performance, Little Buddy is happy and healthy (and he certainly enjoys Valentines cookies)!

     

Making heart cookies for his teachers!

He enjoyed his Valentines party at school, but then finished his celebrations by jumping off his swing while playing at home.  The head bump just makes him cuter, right?

Also, his smiles and bravery never waiver.  Though sometimes he gets sleepy.

     

All smiles in the hotel and then super strong during infusion day.  He continues to be my hero.

But even heroes need their rest.  And so do their mommas.  Taking a quick 30 reprieve on the way to the airport is good for him and for me during our adventures!

And Minnesota wasn't my only traveling day this month.  I was privileged to go Washington, D.C. on behalf of the National MPS Society on Rare Disease Day to lobby for legislation to help Little Buddy and kids like him.

Momma hates to leave these two, but it is for a good cause!

Doing my rare disease legislation homework!

All in our purple for Rare Disease Day!

Here's hoping we did some good this trip!

Height and Weight

Still at around 48.5 inches and 60 lbs, 10 ounces.  And still looking more grown up every day, especially after a much needed haircut!

Personality

Much happier this month.  Still a bit emotional and less talkative in the evenings, but we think that is just because he is so tired from school.  Overall, though, much more settled than last month.  Honestly, I think it just takes him awhile to get back into a routine after a break.   

Developmental Milestones

This month the word of the moment has been "not."  According to him, he does "not" want to do most of the things we tell him to do.  Although this is frustrating, he never went through the "no" stage that most kids do, so we hope it is a sign that he is gaining more ways to communicate!

Still lots of talking and lots of singing.  I will never get tired of hearing his voice!  We also notice that we need to keep on him with some tasks.  We worry about regression when he doesn't do things he used to do as quickly or easily as he used to do them (e.g., putting on his clothes) but then we realize that, due to time constraints, we have been doing some of these things for him instead of taking the time to make him do it himself.  Thankfully, when we do take the time to work with him, he quickly regains and remasters the skill.  

Fun Tidbits

Our little boy has the rare gift of the connecting with the people that many people overlook.  From TSA agents to custodians, he makes everyone he connects with his friend.  Sadly, though, one of his favorite people won't be in his daily life anymore.  Ms. M is his favorite custodian at school (and arguably his favorite person in general) and she is moving on to a new job.  He is going to miss her smiles (and sweeping) every day at lunch.

We'll miss you, Ms. M!

Until next month, 

LBM

Little Buddy's Momma

Family Date Day: Rodeo Edition

To follow the theme of keeping busy to keep our mind distracted this weekend, we decided to go down to the Houston Rodeo.  We normally go down during the week, but with Little Buddy having to be in Minnesota for the majority of his Spring Break next week, we decided to try a weekend.  We thought Sunday might be a nice day because the rodeo events start earlier so that way the kids wouldn't be out so late.  Unfortunately, the weekend crowds were more than we had anticipated!  WE still had fun, but our visit to the livestock area was crowded and rushed a little overstimulating for both kids.  I think we'll go back to a weekday visit next year!

     

     

     

It was so crowded that we didn't get to take the amount of pictures we normally do in the livestock area.  However, we did find the tractors, which are always a big hit for our cowboy and cowgirl!

    

     

Somebody's legs were getting  bit tired from walking in his cowboy boots, so Daddy gave him a lift over to the events arena.  Just love that happy face!

     

A little difficulty viewing the events this year.  Although both kids really liked watching them, Little Sweetie did NOT like the volume level in the arena, causing us to walk out to the club lobby area and watch through glass.  Next year, we'll be sure to bring her headphones!

All in all, a lot of fun was had and the kids enjoyed the animals, the events, the popcorn, the ice cream, and their souvenir lassos (Little Sweetie is especially enamored with hers)!  Making it through this day marked making it through the rough anniversary weekend.  We did it, and we managed to make some good memories to help dull the ache of the tough ones.

Until next time, 

LBM

Little Buddy's Momma