Plumber Boy and Amish Girl

William's newest craze is going around shirtless. We're hoping this is just a stage.

After months of trying unsuccessfully to get Lily to keep barettes in her hair, I finally gave in yesterday and got her hair cut. So sad!

Independence

Lily's new favorite phrase is, "I do!" (emphasis on the "I") Here's one example. It's a good thing she likes her Elmo superbib.

Recent Purchases

I thought this might give you a little window into our life these days.

We have not had much success yet in getting William to eat different foods. But V8 Fusion (along with Multigrain Cheerios) has taken the nutritional necessity out of that. It has a full serving of fruits AND a full serving of vegetables in every cup. It has a lot of (naturally occurring) sugar, so we drink it at breakfast and/or lunch.

Of all the nutritional supplements to help with talking, omega 3 is the most well-supported. I found these chocolate chunk flaxseed cookies at Wal-Mart. They have 500 mg of ALA omega 3 per cookie, which is really quite a bit compared to some other omega 3-enriched foods. I've been having William eat one a day. It's hard to say if they've played a part in his recent progress, but it's certainly a painless prescription.

I am not in faith for undertaking potty training yet, but we are trying to prepare and familiarize the kiddos with the concepts. One step in that direction is buying family toilet seats. The kiddie seat is attached, so it takes the fear out of sitting on the big potty. (William is already too big for our little stand-alone potty.) And there's a little latch (Lily's playing with it in the picture) that holds the kiddie seat in the lid so it's not annoying to adults.

William has had more success operating this scooter than he has had with his tricycle. He still prefers to be pushed instead of working himself, but he's already starting to get the hang of it.

Idlewilde

This past weekend we went to Pittsburgh for a short visit. On Saturday we went to Idlewilde, an amusement park aimed at young children. As Jenn said, "It was not a banner day." [For all other parents out there, learn from our mistakes: If you want to go to Idlewilde, sleep well the night before, get out the door as quickly as possible so you get there before lunch, and if possible go on a weekday.]

But amidst the fussing, we did manage to have some fun. And Jenn got some great pictures. Here's a few of them.

William climbing a giant net. All the sudden he forgot how miserable he was.


Lily could have ridden this little bus all day. Notice she made her way to the front seat.


Waiting in line to ride the trolley into Mr. Roger's Neighborhood of Make Believe. It made me want to watch those shows all over again. (Does anyone know if you can get them on DVD?)

We had great weather, and I was very impressed with the park in general. I think it will be a great place to try again another year. Thanks for your hospitality, Auntie Jenn!

And, as always, it was fun and encouraging to see so many friends at church on Sunday. We love you guys!

A Few Pictures

Yesterday I found my battery charger for my camera, so Jessica had fun taking some pictures. Here's a few of them:


Lily's language is continuing to blossom. Most of the time she speaks in single words, but she does say a few phrases like "I see you" and "Hold me, Mommy." This morning when I gave her some raisins, she bowed her head and said, "Jesus 'men."


William had his last visit with the teacher from the school district yesterday morning. It's now officially summer! I'm enjoying the freedom in our schedule. Our only weekly commitment is PROMPT therapy once a week. William has not said, "Hi" again, but he is saying his other words consistently. It's sweet to see his pride in his accomplishments.

Meet Jessica

This is Jessica. She's a sixth grader from our church, and she's agreed to be my mother's helper for the summer. I am so grateful for her assistance. I've finished my whole to-do list three days in a row. I can't remember the last time that happened... And the kids are enjoying her company too. Praise God for Jessica!

Pray for Ian

Lately God's been encouraging me through the testimony of another guy who's working hard to talk. Ian was in a car accident over two years ago. Ian's dad Steve and his girlfriend Larissa give updates on recent progress and current prayer requests on the blog Pray for Ian. If you know Ian, but haven't checked the blog lately, the last few posts and the video from April 1st are especially touching.