Monterey Bay Aquarium

This past weekend,  we headed over to Noah's Happy Place.  We were blessed with beautiful weather, a fantastic place to stay, and some special family time.

We took all the photos on our phones because Kc left his camera at home and I had some fun playing with a new app.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium was hosting their annual event, Cooking for Solutions.  It was a fun, if not busy, event. 

Kc was taking close up pictures of jellyfish...I took the opportunity to take a picture of him.

Do you see the sea turtle at the top of this picture?  Noah just loved to watch him.

Kc took some pretty great pictures on his phone.

Here's my Little Pearl!

And, of course, our traditional picture in front of the tidal pool.

Gotta love the love.

We headed over to our favorite restaurant for lunch.  Isn't the view from The Fish Hopper simply amazing?!?

On Sunday afternoon, shortly before we climbed into the car and made the long drive home, we headed over the Dennis the Menace Park for a bit of fun.  It is an amazing park, right on the water, filled with so many things for a child to play on.  Noah had so much fun!

My Little Man, who is quite terrified of slides because they are "too fast", braved the rolling slide at the park.  Notice, however, that he has slowed himself down so much that the father behind him had to stop his son from running into Noah.

 So many fun places to climb and run and slide.

What a fantastic way to end a fantastic weekend!

Spring Pictures

This was Noah's first full year in preschool and he absolutely loved it!!!  He had amazing teachers, amazing friends {although some of them moved away}, and got to come to school with me in the morning.  

This is Noah's fall picture

and here is his spring picture. 

My Little Man continues to grow and change.  I can't wait to see what next year, his last year in preschool, brings.

Surfing, Diving, and Swimming

Noah's awesome swim teacher had Noah do some "Duck Surfing" during his last lesson.  Bubs had such a blast standing on the yellow duck and trying to keep his balance.  

My Little Man with balance and depth perception issues is seriously standing.

Mr. Nick created waves so Noah would have a true surfing experience.

I love the surfing arms...keeping balance.

Bubs is also learning to dive into the pool rather than jump.  His form needs a bit of work, but Daddy says he's got time before he joins the dive team in high school {following in his Daddy's footsteps}.

We are so thankful for a fun and creative teacher.  Noah just LOVES Mr. Nick!!! 

Happy Mother's Day

If you remember, last year, Kc and Noah secretly worked to create a fantastic Mother's Day present for me.  They had set the bar high for themselves and established a precedent that would be hard to follow.  

I think, however, that they succeeded.

Kc distressed a frame and wrapped the backing in burlap.  He then traced Noah's hand to create the "ILY" {I Love You}.  Because Noah's first language was ASL, this has so much significance. 

Noah then wrote "MAMA" on the individual squares.

I cannot begin to tell you how much I love my two boys and how loved I feel in return.

Eating Progress

Most days, eating is a struggle for Noah {as well as for us}.  Let's be honest...Bubs just doesn't like it.  He finds little or no pleasure in how things taste and struggles with texture, volume, and an ever-present gag reflux.

During meal time, we encourage Noah to eat graham crackers {in fun shapes that he can tolerate} or yogurt {which he has easily mastered} before we give him his blended food through his g-tube.  Let me tell you...all meals involve bribes with the iPad or iPhone.   Seriously, where would we be without those?!?  Noah LOVES to play games and will typically do just about anything for some "technology time".  That's not to say, however, that there still isn't usually a struggle to eat.

On occasion, Noah happily eats his food...and dare I say enjoys it.  Other times, however, meals look like this...

I just keep repeating to myself, "One step at a time..."

Portrait of His Mama

Noah drew a picture of me at school the other day.  I think it is a stunning likeness.

Swimming Lessons 2013

Noah has started swimming lessons this year and has taken to it like a fish to water {pun intended}. His very first lesson did not have any crying or screaming or kicking or fighting.  He ran into the pool and met his new teacher, Nick.  Bubs seemed to remember most of what he learned last year and Nick has taken him so much farther than I could have imagined.

Yesterday, Noah swam across the pool all by himself, rolling over to get a breath when he needed to.  We are so proud of him!