Triumphs

There are things that we choose not to dwell on in our family.  Among the big ones are two things we can't change: food allergies and Dyspraxia.  Both are ever present, silently lingering among our days, we feel them, sometimes we suffer because of them, sometimes we wish them away, but we never give them power over us.  In our lives we have the power to overcome anything.  

No one exemplifies overcoming obstacles like Evan.  I can't put into words the work ethic and dedication that Evan harnesses into real life accomplishments.  Sometimes he doesnt get the recognition he deserves for these triumphs.  Afterall, most 6 years old can hold a pencil, write their names, jump rope.  But, these small accomplishments didnt come naturally to Evan.  

This past year and a half has been hard for Evan, he has worked, and worked, and been rewarded with only more work.  Through physical therapy he built finger and hand muscle strength and used that muscle tone in occupational therapy to learn to hold a pencil.  Once he learned to hold his pencil he was pushed to master writing.  Hours upon hours of therapy, every week, every month, for nearly a year and a half now.  Through all that hard work, not a single complaint.  More than that, through it all, smiles and those sweet brown eyes beaming with pride and happiness. 

Maybe he is too young to understand that he has to work harder than his peers?  Maybe he has always had to work harder to achieve, so he knows no different?  Maybe its his inner spirit of happiness that conquers his struggles?  Im not sure which propels him forward, always reaching, striving and accomplishing the seemingly unachievable.  What I do know is, all his therapists and teachers who have worked with Evan have complimented him on his dedication to achieving combined with the happiness that pours from his very soul.  

I have learned so much from being a mom.  Especially with three crazy boys, each with their own personalities, strengths and weaknesses.  My children have shaped me in ways that I never dreamed of.  But, Evan, he has inspired me in such unique and wonderful ways. Evan has taught me so much about dreaming big and believing in yourself no matter what doctors, specialists, teachers, therapists say and then taking that belief and making it real with hard work.

For two years Ive been worrying about Evan learning to pedal a bike.  I cried the day that I kept Evan home from preschool last year on "bike parade" day.  At 6 years old Evan just could not pedal a bike.  Coordination issues combine with low muscle strength made it impossible for him.  So, when my parents told me that they had bought Evan a bike at a bike sale and were bringing it over to have him learn to ride, I was skeptical.  When I saw that the bike had no training wheels, my skepticism grew.  Evan upon seeing the bike declared that he was going to ride it.  And so he tried, and tried and tried.  And then...

Today, in the sunshine of our grassy lawn my mom, dad, G and I looked on as Evan conquered his disability and rode a bike for the very first time.  

I've never been so proud, relieved and happy.

School Vacation Week and Other Things

I went to log into blogger today to do a post and found that the entire site and blogging interface has changed dramatically.  Bear with me as I learn the changes....

Im playing a bit of catchup here.  Last week we went with some friends to explore a new playground.  It was tons of fun.  I made a deal with Evan that when school let out we would try and find one new playground a week to explore.

 I used to love Merry Go Rounds as a kid.  A local ice cream place had one on the side of a steep hill.  As a kid we would get ice cream, fill our bellies and then spin and spin around.  Today that makes me nauseous just thinking out it, but, back then, it was sheer enjoyment!  In our area merry go rounds are rare, this playground happened to have one!

 Back at home after school the kids played outdoors together really nicely on this afternoon.  Even Nathan joined in the fun, which is always nice to see.  Its hard because Justin and Nathan's age difference and stages are so large right now.

 I found Evan and Nathan snuggling together like this one morning, while they watched a show on tv.

 Nathan got new rain boots (just in time for all the rain!) he was quite excited to be wearing them around the yard just like I do with my purple gardening boots.

We had a wonderful weekend.  We got alot done in the yard, the garden fence is nearly complete!  G got his tractor out and Nathan enjoyed a ride around the yard, he was delighted when he got to steer!

  Justin had baseball practice, he made a couple great hits and had a couple good plays.

Afterwards we took a walk down to our town beach.  Nathan LOVED the beach and cried when we had to leave.  The next day he woke up and asked if we were going to the beach again.  It was pouring rain outside, so sadly, we didnt go.  G and his brother took the big boys to an indoor laser tag place.  Both boys had such a fabulous time and are dying to go back again.

I took these sweet pictures of Evan and Nathan together the other night.  After dinner Evan declared he was going to read to Nathan and picked him all his favorite books off the shelf and snuggled up on the couch with him and read and read to him.  The two giggled and talked and it was about the sweetest thing I have ever seen.  Moments like these are priceless.

 This week is school vacation week.  Its been raining off and on and cold, and the forecast for the rest of the week doesnt look much better, which is a bit of a bummer.  But, we are making the most of it.  Yesterday I took all three boys to an indoor soccer arena for an open play.  The boys' cousin Andrew met us there with Scott.  Everyone had a very good time and got nice and tired!!!

Nathan and his friend Bella.

Nathan in the tunnel.

 Boys on giant soccer balls.

Andrew and Evan.

Misc. Photos and Updates

We have been so so so so busy lately. Ive missed out on updating huge chunks of things going on in our lives. As Im typing this, Im uploading 209 pictures that I have not taken off my camera recently. The two older boys are in the town's baseball program this Spring and its a big time commitment. Justin practices 5 hours a week and Evan practices, separately, 2 hours a week. They both enjoy it very much, but, its time consuming. Add to that some projects we have in the yard (remember when I said that the basement was our last project for awhile?) and we have been almost too busy to imagine!

The big news is that we are getting a pool!!! Its a 24 foot round above ground pool. I think I might be more excited than the boys. Although to them its still a "pool" until it actually gets installed and is up and running. Its getting installed in early May and we are hoping that it is up and running by the first of June. I cant wait to watch the boys transform into fish this summer and the summers to come, having a pool in their backyard!!!

The second big news is that we tested milk on Nathan and he did not have a reaction. We are so excited because this opens up so many food options for him. He has been busily taste testing all the new dairy products.

Nathan had ice cream for the first time ever last week. He was so excited! And he loved it, naturally.
Evan and Andrew after baseball practice.

This outfit was one of Justin's favorites when he was Nathan's age, and whenever I see Nathan in it, I think of Justin.

It was so nice the other day that I decided to serve lunch outdoors for the boys. And on the menu? Mac and cheese! In fact, Nathan's first time ever eating mac and cheese!

Nathan enjoying his Annie's mac and cheese!!!
Earlier this week it was so hot here. It got up into the 90s, which in April is unheard of typically. The boys had me dragging out all the water toys and had so much fun playing outside for two solid days.

Nathan wanted to try on his brothers goggles. He looks so funny in them!
The first thing Justin did after getting the water set up was dunk his head under water in the pool. He has the longest hair I can ever remember him having here. (It got cut later this same day).
Evan decided that goggles were a must.
Nathan, before he decided that being naked in the yard was much more fun. Good thing we have a private yard!
A group shot of the boys. Evan decided that he had to sit in the water table, despite the three kiddies pools we own. Sigh.
The boys even dragged out the Slip and Slide! Always fun. Nathan was not brave enough to attempt it...this time...
Justin slippin' and sliding.
Tee ball practice for Evan. Thats him fielding balls with his cousin Andrew, they are both happily on the same team this year which is so much fun! Evan LOVES tee ball passionately. I love watching him out there playing his heart out.
An action shot of Evan throwing at a helmet on the tee, he really likes this game.
True story, I had a church lady come up to my house and ring the bell a week or so ago, she heard my loud kids inside, saw all the toys outside and asked if I ran a daycare. Sigh. Anyway, this is one of Nathan's favorite trucks at the moment, his dump truck that he pushes around the yard everywhere. Its so cute, he has a great imagination.
I gave all three of the boys Spring hair cuts this week. Three buzz cuts. The joy and ease of having boys whose head you can shave is still a novelty for me after 8 years. Nathan did really well sitting for the clippers all by himself this time. This is the before picture. (I do the cuts outside in the Spring, Summer and early Fall, its so much easier for cleanup).
The after shot: Much cooler and easier to manage.

The Weekend Around the Yard

The weather was beautiful this weekend. In between baseball (three practices), a birthday party, and a cub scout pack meeting, we managed to get out and work in the yard. Everything is coming up or in bloom already! I saw all the rhubarb sprouting up in the garden. The chives are already about a foot tall. Our peach tree has blooms covering its branches. I just love Spring and Summer.

Here are some pictures from the yard.



We hired someone to come and push about 8 big boulders that were right in the middle of where I planned to expand my garden this year. He came on Saturday, much to Nathan's delight, he exclaimed, "there is a backhoe in MY yard!!!" I was pretty excited too. THe new garden now measures 46 feet by 28 feet. Ive graphed out every square foot of it, planning all my vegetable seedlings placement. This year we are having pumpkins, gourds, acorn squash, butternut squash, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini and peas. Plus a bunch of herbs and of course our rhubarb, and fruit trees. All 20 of my blueberry bushes I planted from last year took and are sprouting away too!
We took out the bounce house for the boys to work off some energy.

This year Nathan can JUMP!!! This adds to the delight-fullness of the whole experience for him.
It was a good, good weekend.

Cooking Lessons - Brownies!

Today I perfected the egg free, milk free brownie. This is no small feat, given that I have had some added challenges in terms of new food allergies from Nathan's latest round of testing. But, I will not digress, you can read about it here if you want to learn more. These brownies are yummy and dare I say, healthy? Made from garbanzo bean flour and prunes, with quite a bit of sugar, they are probably healthier than any brownie you have ever eaten before. [While food allergies present lots of challenges in our life, one thing is for sure, they have the added benefit of challenging us to eat much healthier.]

Start with 6 ounces of unsweetened chocolate, broken up into small pieces. Add to it 1/2 cup of vegetable shortening.

Microwave this in a bowl on 50% power in your microwave for about 45 seconds, then stir, and microwave again for another 30 seconds.

While the chocolate and shortening is melting, grab some flour. Whats that you say? This isnt the white flour that I usually bake with? Well, yes, you are very observant. THis is in fact wheat free flour to satisfy Nathan's new wheat allergy. But, its healthy! Made from garbanzo beans!
Spray a 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray.
Lightly flour the pan after spraying it. I got a little carried away here, this is not very lightly floured. Eh.
Put 2 cups of sugar in a bowl.
Add 8-10 oz of baby food prune puree to the sugar. [These brownies are delicious AND keep you regular.]
Remember the chocolate you were melting? Grab it from the microwave, stir it around, make sure its nice and liquified.
Add it to the sugar and the prunes. Throw in 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract.
Add 1 3/4 cups of flour.
Add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum. Add 1 tablespoon of baking powder. See this baking powder here? It contains CORN SYRUP solids. Upon discovering this I went to three grocery stores and could not find any baking powder without corn. Im on a mission now, and in the meantime, Im using it. Sigh. A kid's gotta eat.
Mix everything together really well. The mix comes out a bit think I think, so I added a few tablespoons of rice milk to it to thin it just a little and have it spread in the pan better.
Bake at 325 F for 50 minutes or so. Cool and enjoy!