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My kiddos are growing up so fast.  Princess lost her first tooth in June, just a few months after Bulldozer lost his first tooth.  She was very proud!

June was the last month of our school year.  We had accumulated all of our hours and then some, so I decided to relax our schedule a bit and give our learning time room a makeover.  What I thought would take a weekend, took two weeks from beginning to end.  But, most of that two weeks was spent sorting through our learning time closet and organizing all of my shelves of supplies.

The kiddos helped with the sorting, which made the process a little less painful.

They also helped with the painting!  I must say, they did really well for their first time.

Pictures of the finished room will debuy in August!

Once a month we have grandparents come and babysit the kiddos so Jason and I can take a little break.  Grandpa Ron decided to teach the kiddos chess while he was here.  The boys both enjoy the game, but Bulldozer LOVES it.

He loves it so much that he wants to play it all the time.  The only problem is neither Jason or I play chess.  When he tries to play with Dinomite or Princess, they always fight and at least one kiddo ends up crying.

So, we've had to have Grandpa Ron come over more often to play with Bulldozer to make sure he gets his chess fix, but also so everyone can learn the rules.

Bulldozer is very big into celebrations.  He finds any excuse he can to gather people together to have fun and eat great food,  In June he decided we were going to have a Summer Celebration.  We invited quite a few people, but the end of June is a very busy time of year and only a few were able to come.  Still Bulldozer was thrilled.

Everyone met at a local park with a playground and beach.

Sunshine was thrilled Grandpa Ron came.

Princess LOVED the playground, especially the twirly slide.

Dinomite and Bulldozer enjoyed playing with one of their favorite friends.

Sunshine LOVED the chance to practice her climbing skills.

Even the littlest of friends enjoyed the playground.

Everyone LOVED "the spinning ride," as the kiddos call it.

They definitely burned some energy while playing.

After a bit of play, everyone gathered round the picnic table for summer salads, turkey sandwiches, fruits, chips and desserts.

 Everything was fantastic!

Each of the kiddos picked out a dessert to make.  Dinomite chose lemon cookies.  Bulldozer made S'mores bars.  Princess chose strawberry shortcake kabobs.  I made peach cobbler for Sunshine.

The kiddos did okay while eating, but they were so anxious to start swimming that the meal portion of our celebration was a little bit rushed.  Still they had fun.  You can see Grandma Rose at the end of the table with the kiddos.

Once to the beach area, we met up with a few more friends, who had missed the first portion of our celebration.  The kiddos swam and had a grand time.

Some preferred to be in the water, others preferred to stay at water's edge.

Bulldozer decided that this would be the year he'd finally get his head wet!

Here are a few other friends of the kiddos.

Though nap time, the little ones continued to play.

Even the littlest guy seemed to enjoy himself.

Bulldozer's celebration was a success and definitely left him wanting more celebrations.  Lol.

It just so happened that the drive-in was playing Inside Out and Jurassic World a few days after our party.  The opportunity wasn't one to be missed, so we piled all the kiddos in van, including a friend and went to the drive-in.  It was a first time for our kiddos.  Jason and I thought they'd fall asleep before Jurassic World started, but almost everyone was awake and was determined to watch it.

We packed dinner to bring with us to eat before the show started.

Everyone did so well while waiting.

Princess was particularly excited as she desperately wanted to see Inside Out.

The kiddos had a blast practicing their emotions before the show started.  Can you tell which one is which?

I worried how Sunshine would do at the drive-in, but once she was cuddled up with Mommy she did great.  She fell asleep during the first show, and again during part of the second, but settled right in again both times!

The kiddos moved to the car towards the end of first movie because they were cold and the bugs were out.  I was worried that people might not be able to see, but they all did and enjoyed the rest of the night.

Everyone was tired, but determined to finish Jurassic World.

It was definitely a night to remember!  I'm sure we'll be heading to the drive-in again when they play two different movies we want to see.

I can't forget to mention another huge accomplishment this month for one of our kiddos.  Sunshine is now putting together 12 piece puzzles!  This is HUGE and definitely not expected.  We're so proud of her!  Everyone is growing up so fast.

That's Renae today!

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Renae Today: May

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May started out with a play date at the zoo with one of the boys' friends.  All four kiddos came.  It was very busy and ended up being warmer than expected but so much fun!

 Though Adam was extremely tired and on sensory overload much of the time, he loved taking a moment to walk this trail on his own.

 Dinomite was thrilled to see one of his favorite snakes on display.

 Princess and Sunshine were not at all hesitant to feel the skin of a snake.

 Everyone LOVED the penguins as always.

The boys always have a great time with their friend!

Sundays wouldn't be Sundays without a little dancing in the living room!

 Or at least that was the case this particular Sunday.  The kiddos were quite adorable with their partners.

On May 13th, Jason had to have two wisdom teeth and one other tooth pulled.  The dentist office was in Syracuse, only five minutes from the zoo.  While he was in surgery, we decided to wait at the zoo.

 Sunshine did such a great job following directions and staying with us when not in the stroller.  Here the kiddos are looking at the turtles.

 It's always fun when you can have an up close and personal experience with an animal, even if glass is between you.  I don't think they'd ever seen this creature so up close before.

 The zoo had two new monkeys this visit and boy were they loud!  After a few minutes the kiddos ended up covering their ears and asking to leave the exhibit.

 Outside the kiddos were given an opportunity to pet a giant rabbit.  Sunshine was in heaven!

 The kiddos were also able to see a peacock with it's wings spread out wide.  It was so beautiful!

When Jason was finished with his teeth being pulled we picked him up and headed home.  The recovery was quite scary for a bit.  He ended up vomiting and almost passing out.  I was very close to having to take him to the emergency room. Thankfully he started to feel better once he had some food in his stomach.

Once Jason recovered from his oral surgery, we were blessed with a chance to go on vacation to Grindstone Island.  Before we left, the kiddos received their own pieces of luggage for the trip and also for Disney World.  They were so excited!

 I must admit they look quite cute!

 They were sure to practice carrying everything before our airport experience.  Lol.  Let's just say, these bags may end up being checked, unless they have a lot more practice.

Our vacation on Grindstone was wonderful, even though Bulldozer ended up with a tic stuck in his head and Princess ended up with an ear infection.  The last night before heading off the island, grandparents, aunts, and uncles come to visit.  Even though it was cold, they still had a wonderful time.

 To read a detailed account of our vacation check out:

Our Family Vacation to Grindstone Isalnd Day 1

Our Family Vacation to Grindstone Island Day 2

Our Family Vacation to Grindstone Island Day 3

Our Family Vacation to Grindstone Island Day 4

Our Family Vacation to Grindstone Island Day 5

 We had just enough time to come home, unpack, get settled, and then celebrate Memorial Day.  Grandparents, aunts, and cousins joined us for the day.  We were sad a few of our friends weren't able to join us like in years past.  The Memorial Day parade is something the kiddos look forward to every year.

 We bring yummy treats for the kiddos to share before and during the parade, so we don't have to worry about the kiddos running out in the road for candy.

 We put sunscreen on while we're waiting for the parade to start.  And then we celebrate one of our favorite holidays!

 The parade wasn't at all like it's been in years past this year, but everyone still seemed to enjoy themselves.

As always, after the parade we head back home for a fun Memorial Day lunch!  Grandparents, aunts, and cousins joined us.  I love the picture below because it shows just how tired the kiddos were of having their pictures taken.  Lol.

Memorial Day is always such a great kick off to summer!  Here's to loads of fun to come!

Oh! I almost forgot, the kiddos were introduced to the concept of chores this month!  Each kiddo was assigned a chore that they complete each morning. The chores rotate every week.  Jason and I help with some chores when needed, but for the most part the kiddos can do everything themselves as long as they have supervision.  Here are our chores:

1.  Take care of shoes in the front entryway.

2.  Bring down the dirty laundry from upstairs.

3.  Take care of recyclables, by sorting them into their bins.

4.  Put away DVDs.

The kiddos have done so well with their chores. I thought they would struggle, but it's been perfect!

That's Renae today!

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Renae Today: April

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April proved to be a great month!  Jason resigned from his job at Walmart and decided to help out at home.  We have been extremely blessed to be in a financial situation where this can actually happen.  It has made all of the difference for our children, and for me.  He now helps out with everything, including learning time!

Sunshine has been doing so well during learning time with a one-to-one assistant at her beckon call.  It has provided me with the opportunity to be a teacher to the older kiddos without interruption.  This has been so wonderful!

Sunshine's time with daddy during learning time is also helping their attachment.  Hooray for progress!

In April we decided to try out another restaurant for practice for vacation to Disney World.  This time we chose Red Lobster.  The kiddos had eaten there before, for their great-grandparents' 50th anniversary.  This experience was much better than our first attempt last month.  Everyone was happy and content. The only challenge we had was waiting for meals and dessert to be brought.  Sunshine needed a few breaks to walk around, but they were short breaks.  The kiddos, Jason and I played the guess who game during periods of waiting.

Dinomite LOVED his meal and dessert.

Bulldozer couldn't get enough of his chocolate cake.  (In April, Bulldozer decided to stop smiling in photos and instead either look really serious or make silly faces.)

Princess LOVES eating at restaurants in general. She's not a dessert person but she loves appetizers.

I'm not sure what happened to my picture of Sunshine. She was with us.  Lol.

Over the course of the month we continued to prepare for the first day of our vacation to Disney World.  I figured if I helped prepare the kiddos for one day of the vacation each month, it wouldn't be too overwhelming, and they'd be ready when October 14th comes.

Our first day of vacation is all travel!  We'll be traveling by car, then plane, then plane again, then bus, and then we'll finally be at our resort in Disney World.

As I started reading children's airplane and airport books I realized that the best way to prepare the kiddos for security, would be to actually go through a security check.  Our local court house has one, so I asked if I could bring the kiddos there to go through the process.  The security guards were more than willing to help out.  I am so glad we went!  Not only did the guards take the kiddos through the security checkpoint, but they brought them back behind the scenes to see what actually goes on,

Dinomite loved asking questions.  Bulldozer learned that he will get his things back after he walks through the metal detector, and that he is to wait until his turn to do so.  He can not walk around the metal detector to get his things.  Princess learned the process isn't scary.  Sunshine learned to follow the crowd.  Lol.  All of them learned what would happen if they wore metal etc.  I still think this was one of my favorite field trips of the year.  And as for me in the picture... That was NOT planned.  Jason took my camera.  Lol.

Speaking of field trips... For learning time we took a field trip to a local flower shop where the kiddos were given a tour.  Each of the kiddos received a free flower.  We were then given this beautiful arrangement for free to use in our activities!  Bulldozer really enjoyed the flower shop.

The weather was FINALLY fit for outdoor play without snow in April.  We didn't hesitate for a second!  All four kiddos received new garden tools and went right to town  using them.

Dinomite dug up a bulb we didn't know was in the backyard.

Bulldozer raked up some old leaves.

Dinomite practiced digging using every tool available.

Bulldozer found a worm!

Sunshine LOVED having perfectly sized tools to use!

As we continued to learn about the airport and flying on airplanes, we decided to take a trip to an airplane museum.  It was small but amazing!

The kiddos had so much fun having a hands on experience with the airplanes.  Grandma Rose even joined us for the trip.  After the museum we headed to Olive Garden for dinner.  The restaurant was right next to the airport.  Three airplanes flew right over our heads and landed right across the street.  What a fun experience for them!

The restaurant experience was okay, but Bulldozer ended up in tears.  His meal was brought out after everyone else's for some reason.  Then when the waitress did bring it out, she dropped the plate with food on the floor, and he had to wait AGAIN.  By the time he did get his meal, everyone was ready for dessert.  He was not a happy camper.  Thankfully he enjoyed his dessert.  We watched the same waitress drop someone else's plate as well, so I'm guessing she didn't stay working there long.  

When we weren't out and about having loads of fun, or doing learning time, the kiddos enjoyed play time.  I'm not quite certain what they're playing here, but they're all very involved!

That's Renae today!

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Renae Today: March

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The month of March started out with four sick kiddos.  Two parents became sick shortly after.  Due to sickness combined with extremely cold temperatures and too much snow to make it possible to go anywhere, we didn't do much outside of the home.  Thankfully even with bad weather we were able to make the trip to see our developmental pediatrician towards the end of the month for appointments for Bulldozer and Sunshine.

We also started prepping for our trip to Disney World!

We made a countdown using some cardstock and part of the personalized book Disney sent us when we booked out trip.  The back of our countdown lists all of the important dates to remember:  when we can book meal reservations, when we can book fast passes, when our vacation is to be paid in full etc.  I laminated our countdown so it would be easy to change the count each day.  (This picture was taken towards the end of February.)  The magnets are those used in our hockey unit, just shaped to form Mickey ears.

We also started prepping for meal time on vacation.  It has been rare that we take our kiddos to restaurants due to food allergies, autism behaviors, RAD behaviors, etc.  In Disney World, we'll be eating lunch and dinner at restaurants every day.  Some are quick serve. Some are table meals.  But still, all of it will be new for the kiddos, unless we start practicing beforehand.

Jason and I decided to try Chili's with the kiddos for dinner one night.  They serve allergy friendly food for everyone.  All through the meal I kept reminding myself that this was the kiddos first experience at Chili's, and at a sit down restaurant in general, for quite some time.  Overall they did well.  Princess and Bulldozer LOVED the experience.  Sunshine did okay, although she was a little rough at some points.  Dinomite however did not do well at all.  He was so anxious and nervous that he could barely keep himself together. When they did bring his food, he burned himself on the plate and started sobbing.  Then he realized he didn't like the shape of the pizza slices they served.  Being burned combined with so many little new experiences and sensory stimuli were just too much for him.  Thankfully we had a fabulous waitress who was kind, patient, understanding, and so wonderful with all that was happening at our table.  In the end, we all survived the meal, but I can promise you it's going to be years before Dinomite steps foot inside a Chili's restaurant.  Lol.  In regards to our trip to Disney World, at least we had a starting point to work from and had plenty of time to practice.  Lol.

The last weekend in March, we celebrated Easter.  I wanted to separate General Conference weekend and the Easter holiday . Since the kiddos don't believe in the Easter Bunny, and it would mean they'd receive their Easter baskets and goodies a week sooner, they were all for the change in plans.

 I had so much fun putting together their Easter baskets this year!

Everyone was extremely pleased!  After going through contents of the Easter baskets the kiddos went in search for their Easter eggs. As always, Dinomite's were blue.  Bulldozer's eggs were green.  Princess' eggs were pink.  Sunshine's eggs were purple.  We've color coded eggs for as long as I can remember.  This year instead of little toys and figures, I put money a $1 bill in each of the kiddos' eggs.  When the hunt was over, they each found $20 to go and purchase a toy of their choice.  Since Sunshine was still a bit too little for this, I put allergy friendly chocolate, fruit snacks, and LEGO duplo pieces in her eggs.

Like in years past, each kiddo received a new church outfit. The girls each received dresses, sweaters, hair accessories, jewelry, and church socks.  The boys received new pants, ties, and socks.

After the morning business was over, I settled in to make our annual Easter brunch while the kiddos played.

The kiddos love their homemade cinnamon rolls.

Sunshine enjoyed her allergy friendly brunch also!

For more details about our Easter celebrations, feel free to read our Family Easter Traditions.

That's Renae today!

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