What Connor Does to Keep Busy

Since school has been out Connor has...
Cleaned a house to get Osiris and her family ready to move in to it. Grandpa and Connor home teach Osiris and her family.
Painted and fixed some of that house for Osiris.
Cleaned the carpets at Osiris house.
Cleaned the house that Teri Waite's family is moving into.
Gone to McGill
Rode the train in McGill on Father's Day with grandpa.
Went to a basketball clinic in Ely where there were some Jazz players.
Got an autograph from a Jazz player.
Gone shot gun shooting with Gene.
Ate breakfast at McDonald's with Gene.
Been to Dr. Flynn the diabetes doctor.
Been to Dr. Gorman for a meds visit.
Gone swimming at Leatham's.
Gone swimming at Aunt Dena's 4-5 times.
Gone swimming at the Logandale pool 2-3 times.
Been to the reservoir with friends.
Gone on Rhino rides.
Mowed Rockenbach's lawn.
Worked with grandpa cleaning buildings.
All of that in just the 2 weeks since school has been out.  This kid has to stay busy busy busy!

A Little Getaway-and More Summer Bucket List

On Friday June 15 I woke up and told Don that I had had it with summer and we needed to be spontaneous and go and do something. It had only been summer for a week but I was grumpy and needed to get away. We thought about trying to go to Panguitch to see my friend Amy or go to Cedar City to the Shakespeare Festival but the Shakespeare Festival was not going yet and my friend was at Girls Camp so we just decided to go to St. George.  It was not much cooler at all but atleast it was civilization  We didn't leave here until around 3 because being spontaneous takes lots of time when you have kids. We stayed at the Hampton Inn.  We like it there and it is very clean-one of my most important necessities when staying at a hotel.  They also have a great free breakfast in the mornings and we used some of Don's Hilton points so even better.  This was our first visit to a hotel with Kyle and it wasn't too bad.  After we checked in we walked down the street to Golden Corral.  On our bucket list is try to new restaurants since we ALWAYS eat at the same places.  My kids went nuts at Golden Corral.  It was great!  There was so much to choose from and there was stuff Kyle could eat too.  The boys loved the chocolate fountain and the cotton candy! We made them wait to get dessert after they ate their dinner and it was sure hard for them since we were sitting right by the dessert section.

Our arrival at the Hampton!

Caleb at Golden Corral on plate number 5

Yummy crackers!

Cotton Candy!

After dinner we went back to the hotel for a rest and I ran to Target and Old Navy.  When I got back we all went swimming in the hotel pool.  It was Kyle's first time swimming too!  He loved it!  I bought him a floaty boat at Target and he splashed and played and had a great time.  Saturday morning we went to the breakfast downstairs and then headed out to Zion National Park for the day.  Cayden has wanted to go hiking for a while now and it is not fun in a 110 degrees so we thought we would try it at 100 degrees.  It was ok until about 2:30 when the clouds all disappeared and the sun was beating down on us and radiating off the cliffs.  We parked at the visitor center and took the shuttle up to the Emerald Pools trail.  It was a mostly paved trail so we were able to puch Kyle in his stroller.  We had a backpack to hold him in but thought we would all be much more comfortable with him the stroller.  There were lots of people packing their babies in their arms and a few people with baby backpacks but we only saw one other stroller although many people commented on Kyle's 4-wheel drive!  It was much nicer to push him although there were some hills to go up and down.  That hike took about an hour in and out.  Then we took a rest at the lodge area and had snack and Kyle had a bottle.  Then we rode the shuttle up to another trail but this time I stayed at the shuttle stop and Don took Caleb and Cayden on the hike to the weeping rock. That was a much shorter hike and I sat in the shade with Kyle and read my book on my kindle app.  After that we had all had enough hiking and sun and it was getting really hot.  There were quite a few people up there too and so it took a while to get back down to the visitor's center on the shuttle.  We hustled to the car and headed out.  We were going to stop at Subway but it wasn't open so we decided to just head back to St. George for some Five Guys.  After dinner and a nap for dad, mom and Kyle we headed to the pool again.  Cayden sat up and watched TV which I thought was surpirsing because I thought for sure he would crash!  After swimming and baths we ordered a pizza from Papa John's and some mac and cheese and mashed potatoes from Village Inn.  Kyle would have nothing to do with the baby food I had brought for him so he needed people food.  Sunday morning we slept in and missed the free breakfast but we packed up and went to Village Inn instead.  It was quite delisious and was a pretty good deal too.  After breakfast we headed home and had nice Father's Day nap! 

This is a cool tree with a big hole that Cayden was sure had a squirrel.

On the Emerald Pools trail.

Kyle's first hike!

Swimming and swimming!

Cayden preferred the hot tub even though it was 100 degrees outside.

NOT on the Summer Bucket List

We have lived in this house for 7.5 years and we have never had a visitor like this one that we found on the back porch last week. Thankfully it was dead either due to our vicious guard dog Bailey or the bug man that sprays monthly or both. I don't know and I don't really care as long it is Dead D.E.A.D. DEAD!!

Summer Bucket List Part 1

On Wednesday June 13, Caleb, Cayden, Kyle and I went for our first summer outing. Summer here in Logandale REALLY makes me grumpy sometimes and this was just barely the first full week of it! Caleb needed a bunch of stuff for his scout camp and I really needed a day away from here! So we loaded up and headed out for St. George-it is only 2 degrees cooler than here but atleast it was civilization! Kyle was not a happy camper in the car until about Mesquite when he fell asleep. First we went to the scout store and then to get Caleb some hiking shoes-not hiking boots-hiking shoes. We looked at a few places but settled on Payless. After the scout shopping we went to lunch at Five Guys Burgers and Fries. One of the things on our Summer Bucket List was to try somewhere new to eat and since dad gave it rave reviews a few days before, we decided to try it. Kyle had his first full french fry that I had to keep pulling out of his mouth because he wanted to cram the whole thing in. After a few tug of wars I decided to break it up into pieces for him.  Good call dad on the Five Guys place!  A little more expensive than In and Out and not as fast but much better tasting.  After lunch we went to Target and Deseret Book and then for another bucket list item-snowcones!  They were delicious and then I dumped it on myself just to prove it.  Luckily it was at the gas station as we were heading out of town and so we didn't have any more stops to make.  As soon as we got home I squirted Spray and Wash all over my shirt, let it sit for a bit and then ran it through the wash.  It all came out because it was Cayden's Sugar Free Tiger's Blood.  Man that stuff was RED.  It may have been permanent if it would have been the sugar full kind!  We were all pretty tired but we had a fun day. As usual Connor was working with Grandpa and Don was in Denver.  This was actually my first trip out of the valley with just my boys since Kyle was born.  I have not been stupid brave enough to attempt a whole shopping expedition without Don but I am proud to say we survived but only cuz I had such good help from Caleb and Cayden.  Here's to more summer adventures!

Kyle's First French Fry

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

The first snow cone of the summer-Sugar Free Tiger's Blood

Tiger's Blood-not sugar free

First Snow Cone Dump of the Season-thankfully Sugar Free Tiger's Blood and it all came out!

Kyle's First Haircut

I should have done a before and after but of course forgot until AFTER.  Kyle has needed a little trim for a few weeks now and I have just not wanted to cut his hair because that is just a milestone for him being a big boy and not a baby-which is dumb because of course he is still a baby but it just means that he is getting bigger.  I just decided Monday morning (June 18) that it was going to get done and I was going to do it. I just did 3 snips.  One in the front and one on each side above his ear.  The right side is a bit too short but the left is fine and so is the front.  We just can't believe how much different he looks to us with a haircut.  He looks like a big boy!

Snow In Logandale

When we finally got Kyle's crib put together there was a lot of styrofoam and plastic that was in the boxes.  Cayden asked if he could play with it.  I told him yes.  Big mistake!  He played in his room for hours with that stuff but then decided that making houses and blankets out of it was not enough.  He then decided to make it snow.  He called me into his room and said "Look mom!  It snowed in Lego land." Oh that is super!  It took a very long time to get the "snow" cleaned up and I am still finding little pieces of it.

Kyle Brandt is 9 months old

Another month has gone by and there have been some big changes with Kyle.  The week after I posted about him being 8 months old he
-started sitting up on his own for long periods of time.
-crawled 14-15 steps on the May 16 and now he is unstoppable and goes all over the place.
-started noticing other babies at church and when they were making noises.  He leans toward babies.
This is other stuff he has been doing too this month.
-loves loves to see himself in the mirror.
-on May 20 he pulled himself up on the couch.
-he makes motorboat sounds.
-he pulled the ficus tree down on top of him.  Connor saw it happening but was too far away to stopit.  He did say though "I said sh** but it didn't do anything."
-he is not a happy rider in the car anymore.
-he is not a happy dinner partner.  We went to Texas Roadhouse on 5-12 and it was quite the challenge. We also went out for Laura's graduation last night and he was passed around the dinner table.
-he does sit up in a high chair at restaurants though.
-he crawls over to whoever he wants to pick him up and climbs up their legs.
-he has eaten macaroni and cheese, enchilada soup, baked potatoes, french fries, toast, saltines, townhouse, watermelon, potato salad, frog eye salad and bean and ham soup.  He really prefers much more solid food than baby food.

-we did get his room put together last weekend-June 3-but the one night I put him in there to sleep and I stayed in the recliner he woke up all night long.  I hardly slept and couldn't turn my head to well the next day.
-the pack and play, his swing, and the diapering stuff is still in our room but we moved everything else out to his room.
 -he still sleeps in the bed with us.  This is becoming less and less fun.  He tosses and turns and kicks and ends up under the pillows sometimes.  I am reading a few books on how to get him to go to his own bed because he just screams and screams when we put him in his pack and play and if he falls asleep and we move him he immediately opens his eyes.  No amount of singing or face rubbing will get him back to sleep.  Tonight I am going to try and sleep with him in his room on a mattress on the floor so he can atleast start getting used to his room.  Connor is very concerned about him being left to cry in his bed and I really don't want to do that anyway but he is not making this easy!
-he likes to blow big spit bubbles and says mmmaa while he is doing it.
-he pushed the barstool out of his way to get down the hall last week.
-he pulls back on the banana rockers trying to tip them over.
-we call him Spiderman because he pulls himself up on the walls.
-he has smacked his head repeatedly on the tile.
-Cayden loves to play with tape and leaves little pieces lying around.  Kyle puts them in his mouth and has gagged on them twice.
-he still takes a short nap about an hour and half after he wakes up.  Longer nap in the afternoon and we are trying to get him away from the late power nap so he will go to bed earlier.  Not happened yet.
He loves patty cake and I still sing him Primary songs everyday. 
-we think he waves sometimes but when we want him to he doesn't.
-he gives open mouth kisses.
-he snuggles up against my neck and shoulder almost like a hug.
-he weighs over 20 pounds but I am not sure what his height is.  He should get his 9 month check up here soon if I get it scheduled.
-he is definitely out of the baby tub and loves to scoot around and splash in the big tub.
-he wears mostly 12 month clothes but some of them are even getting too small.
-he is still super spitty and wears a bib almost all day long.
-no haircut yet-it's too cute but getting longer and longer.
-he likes to pinch the backs of your arms when he is being held.  He needs his nails cut twice a weeks still.
-he loves my earrings.  It is funny to watch him look back and forth back and forth at them when he sees them.  He grabs and yanks at them until I have to just take them out and put them away.  I don't wear much jewelry anymore. 

Daycamp

Cayden went to Cub Scout Daycamp on Friday and Saturday June 8-9. Don and I helped chaperone. Don went up Friday morning and I traded him places around 11:00. Then on Saturday it was shorter day so Don stayed the whole time. Cayden got to build a catapult, learn to tie knots, shoot BB Guns and a bow and arrow, learn about bike safety and maintenance, play games, and pretend to fish.  He did not go last year because of Cody's graduation but this is his last time to go since he is a Webelo.

A Little Family Fun and Birthdays too

On Saturday, May 19, we had our Adams Family Day. It has kind of been like a FHE for the whole family where we pick one day a month to get together and take turns being in charge. We started in February at our house and had a dinner and then played pictionary about Valentine's Day. We also drew names and whatever name we had we said something that we love about that person.  We seemed to have skipped March but then we had Easter at the Zundel's in April and then Darbie was in charge for May. This time we went to Spring Mountain State Park about 15 minutes out of Vegas. We had never been there before and it was quite lovely. A really nice oasis in the desert. We sat in the shade and chatted, ate Capriotti's sandwiches and side dishes and had birthday cake for Don and Darbie whose birthday was the next day May 20. There was a old house to explore who we think was Howard Hughes and then there were some trails that you could hike. Don took the boys out on the trails while I sat with Kyle in the shade. After hanging out together for a while we took the long way out of the area back into Vegas and went to Bass Pro Shops to look for some hiking boots for Caleb and then we went to Target and In and Out Burger on the way home.  It was a long day but fun.  We really need to do more of these types of things with the boys but it is so hard to do much that isn't so far away or doesn't cost a million dollars.  Plus the summer is atrocious in Vegas to of course we have to go far far away to do any thing outdoors other than swim.  Cayden is really liking hiking and wants to go and hike some different places.  Don wants to take the kids to fish and stuff so we have good intentions we just have to do it!

Big Steps For Connor

On Friday, May 4, Connor had a special day.  This has been a long time coming for him and he was so excited.  One of his teachers is the girls' softball coach and so he wanted Connor to help be the "manager" during their season this year.  Since the teacher would be there to keep things under control Connor was able to do it.  He would go up a little before the game and help get out equipment and get the roster ready.  Then he stayed and cheered the team on during the games.  There were only two away games this season and so the last game of the year was a travel game to Mesquite.  Mr. Griffiths wanted Connor to be able to go and felt like he had earned the privilege to go with the team, ride the bus and stay there the whole time with him there to supervise.  Connor did great and handled himself very well.  This has been something he has had to work for and was not just a given that he would be able to go.  So Connor put on his pirate shirt and hat, packed some snacks and some water and went with the team on the bus.  Now you may think that this is not that big of a deal but we feel like it is a big accomplishment for him.  He has matured quite a bit this year.  We still have our moments with him but this time last year I don't think we would have let him go and do this.  Since there have been things that have happened in the past I tend to be on guard all of the time with him and for him and want to make sure that he is not put in situations where there is potential for trouble.  Whether that is trouble caused by him or just the fact that he ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time.  We have had a few "perfect storms" and try mightily to avoid that at all costs.  Sometimes to his detriment even because we keep a tight handle on what he is able to participate in.  Since this was a good experience there is potential for other things like this for him to be a part of.  He is understanding more that he can control himself and he needs to choose to do so so that he can participate.  Whew!  Put that one in the win column!

Connor has also been doing some things with kids his own age for once and those have been successes as well.  He has been to the reservoir swimming a few times with some kids, on the Rhino for rides up around the reservoir, and during "M" week last week he actually wanted to go to the movie on the field that they do.  We thought that he would last for only part of it since he does not like movies usually but he stayed the whole time.

Connor also was the official half time floor sweeper for the home basketball games held this season.  He would get the big push mop and sweep the floor during halftime. He got to sit by the score keeper too so that was a bonus for him. 

He has made great strides this year and we hope to see that trend continue.  High school has been so much better and easier for him.  I was kind of worried about it but it has really been good for which I am so grateful.  With Aspberger's there is no "cure"or quick fix but things can get better and more manageable. Since Kyle has joined our family it seems that we have not had the time to do all the things that we thought we needed to to "fix" the situation.  We do know that Connor needs to stay busy and have things to do.  When there is a plan in place he is much calmer.  We also know that we can't throw a wrench into those plans very easily with out some fall out.  All in all we have seen progress so that is always a good thing.      

Please Send Me My Mother of the Year Award

This morning it happened.  The dreaded moment in every child's life and this mom's worry from day one.  Kyle fell off the bed.  Yes, yes I know-what was he doing left alone on the bed?  Well he was asleep I tell you.  I put him into bed with us at 5 and he slept very vertically with his feet in my face until I decided that one swift kick to my face from that little darling may just throw a wrench into my whole day.  So when I got up and he was still asleep I barricaded him with pillows.  Well Spiderman here just does he what he wants.  I was out getting Cayden ready for school when we heard the pitiful scream and cry.  We all ran to the bedroom and found him off the bed and on the floor partway under the bed.  Oh boy, was he a sad boy and I was a very sorry mama.  We checked for bruises, bumps and goose eggs and luckily didn't find any.  We think it mostly scared him.  Cayden told us that he thought that for Show and Tell he would tell the class that Kyle fell off the bed this morning. I said "Umm why don't you tell them you went to see Mary Poppins over the weekend?"  I would like to avoid the judgement from a classroom of 10 year olds about my apparent lack of mothering skills. 

Another Caydenism

I remembered last night another thing that Cayden said when we were out on our "date" on Saturday.  He asked me about some of the people that had died in our family like Grandpa Kim, Pawpaw, and Grandma and Grandpa Gessel because he did not know any of them.  We talked about when Jesus comes again and we are resurrected how we will get to see all of those people again.  He said "Wow mom.  That will be great.  Then you can introduce me to them."  I thought that was so sweet!  I said to him "Cayden, you won't need to be introduced because you will already know who they are because you knew them all before you came to earth." He was ok with that.  I love that kid!

The Car That Will Never Be Ours

8th Grade Graduation

  Caleb"graduated" from middle school tonight even though school has another week to go.  We went to Inside Scoop for dinner before the ceremony.  I begged him not to get anything on his pretty clothes!  We dropped him off at 6pm at the school, picked up some library books, got him a balloon from the store and then tried to find a parking place in the sea of cars covering every spot and then some at the school.  It was pretty warm in that gym and there were lots of kids and lots of awards so it took about an hour and half.  Kyle was pretty good just restless so we took turns holding him and then Don took him down to walk him around toward the end.  There was a cute but long slide show of the kids where they morphed them from their baby pictures to their recent school picture.  It was so cute to see all these kids as babies!  It almost made a little sad especially because we have been here so long that I know most of the kids because Caleb has grown up with them. Caleb was not super thrilled about going but it is a milestone and the boys each escorted a girl down to their seats so if he would not have gone there would have been a girl without an escort.  After the graduation we came home and played dumb like we didn't get him anything while we waited for grandma and grandpa to get back from Mesquite with his new bike.  Connor got a new bike last year for his 8th grade graduation and Caleb said that he wanted one too.  He even asked his dad if he was going to get one tonight and Don just played it off like we hadn't had any time.  He was pretty excited to see that bike.  Grandma and Grandpa gave him $40 as a gift too.  Grandma was a little disappointed that she didn't know about the graduation but we did talk to grandpa about it last night and he said that they couldn't go because they had to work so we just figured he talked to grandma.  She said that she didn't know about it until they were on their way to Mesquite.  Sorry grandma!  We will have another high schooler come fall!