A Trip to the University

Joe and I helped Evie raise over $250 a few months ago for her "Dawg Walk" fundraiser at school. She not only won a t-shirt and a collectible Aluminum water bottle (which she LOVES), she won an afternoon and luncheon with the athletes of the University of Illinois. Only 10 chaperones were chosen to go to the event and Joe was one of them, (which was also great since Evie has a cold and was a little out of it today). I know it was nice to have Daddy there.
They met all types of athletes from softball to basketball... football to track.. and it seemed that Evie liked the girls from softball best.. she took pictures of them the most once she got a hold of the camera! :)

They had a nice afternoon! Here are some pictures from the day!
Thanks to all of Evie's donators that helped make this event happen for her! Only 99kids from the whole school district (which is a HUGE district!) got to go!

The Great Pumpkin Patch

Evie had her fall field trip today and I chaperoned. We went to The Great Pumpkin Patch in Arthur, Illinois. It was freezing cold!! 40 degrees, rainy, muddy and windy! What a terrible day for a field trip outdoors! But we still managed to have a good time.

Here are some pics of my group and a picture of the class:








We walked through muddy mazes, went through a spooky haunted barn, ate lunch together and chose a pumpkin to take home.
All in all, a nice day!

Evie's next field trip is next Tuesday when she and Joe will go to the U of I for a luncheon with the Illini Athletes! Pictures and blogging to follow!

Sleepover Dance Party!

Last night Evie hosted a sleepover with her friend, Brooklyn at our house.. (this is one of 3 that they have had). They decided to have a "dance party". I thought I'd snap a couple of pics.. Evan's friend, Nathan did a little boogie, too.





I made candy apples, too!




And here's a cute after party pic at Jess's house this morning.. Evan has decided that he likes hats :)

My little man

I just can't get enough of my little guy! Now that Evie is back in school full time, I get to do alot of stuff with Evan. His personality rocks! Literally! He drums on EVERYTHING! (great gift idea for anyone who is wondering)
He is learning alot now that he has less distractions.
I had him sorting colored paper for me into little bins the other night. He did it with NO direction whatsoever! It was simply awesome! Also, another milestone... he never asks for what he wants by name.. he just hops around and screams.. the other night we had candy apples.. as a rule, Evan hates apples.. but on this night, since they were candied, he LOVED them.. he pointed to the counter and said, "apple!" repeatedly and so clear! I was almost in tears!
Anyway, I feel like he is catching up quickly and his first therapy visit went well. Dina seems like a caring lady that Evan took to immediatly. I'll keep ya posted!

Until next time, here are some quick pics of the little man!

Just a little help....

Hey all!
Some of you already know this little info but I'm ready to share it with my blog readers... Evan is now 26 months old and at his 24 month old check up, his doctor recommended that he get some extra help through Early Intevention. By standards, he should be using 50 words and making two to three words together to ask for what he wants. Evan is certainly not doing this. He sure seems like a smart, witty boy... but he could use some help with understanding commands and speaking.
He's had several evaluations now from a few therapists including cognitive, speech and physical movement. The overall concensus is that physically, he's right up to par with his peers, meaning he and run, jump, climb, etc... with the exception of his right foot turning in a bit when he walks and runs. An orthotic therapist will be examining him in the next couple of weeks to determine if a corrective insert in his shoe might help. As far as understanding what we say to him, and being able to voice his wants, he's with the 18 month olds. So that's where he's going to get some extra help to catch him up. He's had his hearing checked and has a clean bill of health there, including no fluid being in the ears.
His first therapy visit will be Thursday, October 1st and will commence each Thursday until further noted. His therapist has been doing speech and cognitive developmental therapy for 18 years and we feel, based on her credentials that she will be a good fit for him. I am super excited to see how he progresses!

So we've been trying to get a head start with everything...we've been working with him on counting to 10, which he does flawlessly, singing his ABC'S which he does fairly decent with and he's in a class called, "Wiggles and Giggles" every Friday morning (he's had 3 classes so far) and Joe and I both attend with him. He's doing fantastic imitating what the other children are doing, and it is a class with only 2 year olds so we can compare his development a little... now before you say it.. I know that all kids develop differently and I have taken this into account... he just needs a "boost". :o)

I'll keep you posted on Evan's progress!

Rock Stars!

The kids have been playing, "Rock Band" all day. Evie is actually getting good on the drums! But there's no denying that Evan is a true drummer already.

Family Visit

We had a wonderful visit with my parents a few weeks ago! They travelled here from Mississippi and the kids miss them already!