A Wish Granted!

This adaptive bicycle is on our way to our house as we speak! I added Addy's name to the AMBUCS wishlist (see link at side of page) a while back when I discovered this bike. She had a chance to ride it and it was a great therapeutic tool for her. After adding her name to a very long list of other wishers also hoping to get bikes, I really didn't think that it would ever become reality. Well, we received word today that an anonymous donor purchased the bike for Addy. All we know is that is it someone that Addy does not know. How thoughtful, especially during the holiday season. Now we just need Spring/Summer to come a little bit faster and we will be out riding our new bike. A huge thank you to that special person who took the time to bring a smile to the face of a little girl with special needs.

Santa

We took Addy to Lakeside Mall to see Santa. I really thought this was going to be the year when she would freak and not want to sit on Santa's lap. I was wrong. She was very excited, walked right up to him with her walker and took a seat on his lap. She told him she wanted Dora presents for Christmas. He was a great Santa, very patient with her and very kind. I only got one good pic. My other ones turned out blurry, but we got great pics in the package we purchased from the mall.

Christmas Tree

The weekend before Thanksgiving, we not only attended the circus, but we also headed out on our annual trip to cut down a Christmas tree. This year we had no snow and it was a very nice day to be out and about. We took the sled for Addy, only because strollers don't work well on the tree farm. She ended up riding on the Christmas tree cart until we got the tree. She was very excited for the cider and donuts that came after.

Our real tree decorated- in the front room

Our artificial tree decorated- in our back room

Circus

The weekend before Thanksgiving we took Addy to see the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus. We were not sure if she was old enough for the circus yet and if it would keep her attention, but she seemed to really enjoy it. Her favorite was the elephants. The pictures are not very good.

Leaf Fun

Big Sister!

Addy's going to be a big sister! We have a new arrival coming in June. Our due date is June 3rd. Of course we are thrilled and excited, but I would be lying if I didn't say I was personally nervous. We are hoping and praying that everything goes well with this baby. The doctors are following me very closely and I feel like I am under great care. Addy seems to already have some idea of being a big sister after only a few mentions of it. She talks about the baby in momma's belly and that she wants it to be a girl. She likes to watch the Dora episode about Dora becoming a big sister which she had long before we became pregnant, so when we mentioned it to her, she was able to understand. I'm sure the full realization of it won't hit until the baby is here. Should be a fun-filled summer of 2010 getting used to 2 little ones!

Halloween

Halloween was lots of fun this year. The weather could have been warmer, but at least it wasn't raining or snowing! Addy had the routine down pat. After she would receive candy at a house she would say "go to the next house." She didn't even want to be done. We took the wagon with us along with her walker and she actually ended up walking about 2/3 of the route by herself with her walker. Go Addy! We had the grandparents over and Grandma Kris and Grandpa Bub dressed up to surprise Addy. Can't wait til next year.

All ready

Our neighbor Cass dressed as a puppy

Pirate and a bee

Excited!

Our neighbors Landon and Logan dressed as Batman and Robin

Our neighbor Isabelle dressed as a giraffe

School/Daycare Party

Pumpkin carving

Fall Pics

Things have been very busy around here. We had these pics taken 2 weeks ago and I am just now getting around to posting them. I have a lot more activities to post......hopefully soon.

You will see the pic of Addy in her "cowboy" outfit. This is her Halloween costume. She is very much into Halloween this year. She's been talking about it for weeks. She understands the concept that she will say "trick-or-treat" and get candy and is very much into dressing up in a costume. I thought that I would be able to pick out her costume one more year and pick something very cute like a bumblebee, monkey or some other cute animal. Well I forgot that very quickly. As soon as I asked her what she wanted to be for Halloween, she told me a cowboy and hasn't changed her mind. I'm not really sure where the cowboy idea came from, but she's sticking to it. If you try and convince her that she's a cowgirl rather then a cowboy, she insists that she's a cowboy. I guess I don't always get my way.

A Trip to the Apple Orchard

We headed out to Blake's Cider Mill and Apple Orchard today. Us along with the millions of other people who decided to go today. It was an absolute zoo, but Addy had a blast. She was very excited about taking a hayride out to the pumpkin patch to pick her own pumpkin. We ate cider and donuts and then drove our car out to the orchards to pick apples. Fun day!

The Lemonade Award

I recently received this award from a parent of one of my students at school. Not only do I get an opportunity to work with this amazing little boy everyday, but I also follow the blog she writes. She was also the one who made Addy that great Dora crown for her birthday. Check her out at better than normal. Thanks Melanie for nominating me!

The lemonade award is to honor those people who show great attitude or gratitude, hence "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." This award comes with rules and here they are:

1. Put the Lemonade logo on your blog or within your post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs with great attitude or gratitude.
3. Link the nominees within your post.
4. Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

Drumrolllllllllll..............here are the nominees:

1. Tyler & Ethan
2. Kendall's Hope
3. Gwendolyn Strong
4. Reagan Leigh
5. My Journey with Jackson

Okay, so I'm going to cheat a little and only nominate 5 people, but if you get this award, feel free to nominate 10 people.

Take a minute and check out these awesome kiddos!

Kings Island

Last weekend to headed to Cincinnati. Aaron's brother, Graham, lives there and we were off to see his new house. Grandma and Grandpa Mills came along as well. The weekend we chose to go, happened to be P & G days at Kings Island. Uncle Graham works for Proctor and Gamble and they "rent out" Kings Island for the day and it's open only to friends and family of P & G personnel. Pretty cool!

Addy was very excited about the rides. We immediately got in line for the Merry Go Round and after 20-25 minutes of standing in line holding her, I knew there was no way that I was going to be able to stand with her in lines all day. Because she can't stand on her own, weighs almost 40 pounds and strollers are not allowed to be taken into the lines, this was going to be very difficult. So, I put my thinking cap on and headed to guest services. I explained the situation about having a child with a disability and not being able to stand in line with her and they were awesome about it. They gave us a handicap pass for the day so we got to go through the exit of every ride with the stroller and get right on the rides with no waiting. It was a lifesaver and allowed Addy to ride as many rides as she wanted. Thank you Kings Island!

We started out with the slow rides, as there are not many rides that Addy has been on before. The kiddie area is Nickelodeon themed (right up Addy's alley). Most of the rides were named after characters she knew, especially Dora and Diego. As you can see by the pics, Addy had a blast. One ride in particular called Swiper's Sweepers was her favorite. You sit with another child in a small cart and the carts whip you around the corners of the ride. I wasn't sure how Addy would react and as you can see by the pics, she loved it. The first time she rode she got put on with a girl much older than her who was scared to death. The girl was screaming, crying and trying to climb out of the ride while Addy sat and laughed and happily screamed her way through the entire ride.

Thanks to Uncle Graham and Sarah for their hospitality!

Labor Day Fun

This post is a little late, but with the start of school this week, things have been crazy. We had lots of fun on our last camping trip of summer (probably). We headed north and camped with the Coffindaffers (Tara, Kyle, Tyler & Ethan), the Courtneys (Kimberly, Greg & Macy) and the Coffindaffers (Corine, Keith & June). Addy had another Addyventure on this trip. Kayaking for the first time. She certainly enjoiyed it. Enjoy the pics!