Legoland 2011

It's been a while since I've blogged mostly because we have been so busy... with good stuff, but nonetheless busy. Our busy month of October included a vacation to Legoland with grammy & grampy. Vacations are totally relaxing while ON vacation but preparing and cleaning up after one is not so relaxing. Anyway, it was a ton of laughs and a bunch of fun, not to mention really good food!

Our favorite hotel The Sheraton which is attached to Legoland and a hop skip and jump away...

Mylie loves this game where I bounce her on my legs and then fling her upside down...

This is what makes my heart grow...

This is what makes me somewhat ill...

LOVE this girl~

and because we were celebrating Ty's willingness to patch aggressively... he patched on vacation, too. Amazing kid!

...and huge accomplishment worth mentioning: Ty learned to make bubbles with his gum. Cool huh? 

I remember that day as a kid. HUGE accomplishment. Will make hours of life very fun!

 morning snacks...

and of course LEGOS...

I had fun capturing all of us in the mirrors I found around the hotels...

Cracks me up how uninterested Ty looks in this picture. It looks like all of us are thrilled to be at Legoland while he seems to be anywhere else but there. Must of had something REALLY important on his mind... or the pumpkin was just not doing it for him. 

Anyway, could have been a cute Christmas card pic...

Good try Daddy...

Probably the best part of Legoland... the mini city all made with little legos...

 and STAR WARS

 On to Coronado Hotel where we have lots of great memories.

and then on to Lowe's Hotel...

ahhh... foot up, little breeze...

boys rough-housed in the pool...

girls watched in horror... 

jk, we just laughed. Silly boys!

 San Diego, you've been good to us. Thanks for all the treats!

ta ta!

Mylie's Pre-School

Mylie has a new pre-school. 

She actually started in March when she turned 3, had the summer off, and is back now at the Orfaela Children's Center at Cottage Hospital. It is a pre-school for hospital employees only except that they have an inclusion program and two of the spots are for the outside community. 

We happened to get one of those spots.

The inclusion program simply means that the county of Santa Barbara provides the Special Education teachers for the 4 children with special needs at the school. The four children with special needs are included in the regular classroom, hence - Inclusion Program.

Every parent of a child with special needs feels different about the inclusion program. I have many friends that have chosen not to put their child in this type of program. Every parent will weigh the options and choose the best one for their child. I respect that immensely.

Tyler and I were not sure we wanted Mylie in an inclusion program. We visited a few sites and were not convinced until we found the Orfaela Center. It is marvelous! and I rarely use that word - marvelous - but to describe this school any other way wouldn't fit. 

It is marvelous!

Mylie's classroom door. We walk in a say, "Hello Friends!"

She practices the obstacle course with her friends

The inclusion program provides the Special Education teachers that include Speech Therapist, Occupational Therapist, PE teacher, Special Ed teacher and Special Ed Instructional Assistants. 

Mylie is in GREAT hands!

Mylie loves the sandbox and all the fun stuff that happens in there.

Mylie paints all the time. Between both kids I have way more art than I can handle. I keep it all! There is no way I'm throwing those masterpieces away!

Snack time is a sweet time to share food with friends. They literally share food together as if they were at a dinner table. The teacher serves the kids and they can pour themselves or their friends water or milk. 

The effort that the Special Ed teachers put into the children is... frankly... unbelievable. It amazes me that Mylie has her own All About Me book that the teachers read to the class. In the story about Mylie, her family, her likes and dislikes, all the things she can do... there is a part that explains to the children that she is not yet using her words. She uses her signs to communicate. Her teachers have compiled another book full of all Mylie's signs to reinforce the signs with her and her friends.

The result is that her friends are learning sign language 

and have a wonderful understanding of who Mylie is. 

There is nothing more precious than this in pre-school.

I could go on and on about all the wonderful things that the inclusion program is for Mylie. While she continues to get settled after three months away this summer, I can see that although all the new noises and people may seem overwhelming,  I can tell she likes being there again.

She feels safe there.

She is happy.

and if Mylie is happy then I am a happy mama.

xoxoxo

Schools

School has begun and my days have been full getting these two angels of mine adjusted. 

It's been a rough start for both of them but we are getting on track finally. 

It's hard to go from no set schedule to fully scheduled days.

This is how Ty feels about going back to school...

I remember feeling that way too. 

Mylie's inclusion program started and she is back at school with her awesome special ed teachers Suzy and Kana. And even though Mylie thinks she may be overwhelmed by all the kids, I know she loves all the new stimulation. I will post soon about the details of her inclusion program. Tyler and I feel it is such an incredible blessing for all of us. We are so blessed and so grateful.

So, while I continue to get my kids settled into new schedules I leave you with these two pictures.

Wishing you all a fabulous start to fall...
xoxoxo

Both Hands Project

This Saturday I was given the opportunity to photograph and video a coming together of friends and family of Gentry and Luis Zuzunaga. Together they were able to clean and repair the house of Louise, an elderly woman in need, and at the same time raise funds for their adoption. 

Through the Both Hands Foundation, a non-profit that helps families with the process of raising money for adoptions, Zuzunaga friends and family were all sponsored to work on Saturday and help Louise... 

and also help Maria, an orphan with Down syndrome in Russia.

Some of the friends and family sponsored to work.

Louise, a 90 year young former missionary with the Zuzunaga's

I was so charmed by Louise, the elderly woman served that day. She spent many years in Taiwan as a missionary and speaks Chinese. She was so sweet and kind. She wanted to touch my hands and while mine are always cold, hers were warm and comfortable. I did not want to let her hands go.

 I instantly felt her beautiful soul. 

Louise lives in her mobile home by herself. She has a little dog that keeps her company. 

She suffers from Dementia. Her home was full of reminders of her trips abroad 

as she dedicated her life to serving God. 

She was born in 1921. She's seen almost a century of this world.

I was in awe of her that morning I met her.

Maria, a beautiful angel with Down syndrome in a Russian orphanage

 This is Maria who is 4 years old and lives in an orphanage in Russia. Her parents were pretty well off Russians that refused her after she was born because she had Down syndrome. They signed papers to send her to an orphanage. She has been there ever since.

Maria, as most children with disabilities in some foreign countries, will be sent away to a mental institution for the rest of her life when she turns 5. 

I can't even talk about what happens in those institutions. 

It is not a happy place with love, peace and joy.

And that is why the Zuzunaga's are doing all that they can to adopt Maria before she is sent away.

Both Hands for Maria, for Louise, for our Father in Heaven.

All involved spent all day Saturday serving Louise and repairing her home. 

Here is the video I made of the event. Click on the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bEoti1qyRo

I'm humbled by the love and dedication that I have witnessed from people who live to serve.

There is a joy and peace like no other.

I hope to have caught that joy and peace in the video.

I hope to capture that for others and for my family for as long as I can.

Thanks to all of you for sharing this with me!

xoxoxoxo