Mom pays us a visit.

Mom came to visit us from California. It was just a short 7 day trip. Her knees are bad and it's difficult for her to climb the stairs in our house.

We picked her up from the airport. She was definitely slower and her hearing was much worse than last year. When we got home, Alex grilled some burgers and we relaxed. When we lived in California, she moved in with us when my dad died. The boys really miss having their grandma around.

I'm posting both of these. In one picture, Noah looks sneaky. In the other, Nik looks drugged. Neither is the case. I love Nik's shirt though. It's a spoof of the old Judy Bloom book. I'm trying to buy the boys funny shirts in hope that it will be a conversation starter for them at school. 

We had such a nice visit with my mom. We mostly spent the time just relaxing at home, or taking short walks. Her knee gave out on her one time, and we didn't want to push our luck. I showed her how to use Redbox. We rented Les Miserables one day.She fell asleep after 20 minutes and woke up as it was ending. Then she declared that it was a long movie. 

We rented Lincoln another day. Mom liked this movie, but spent some of the time questioning the accuracy of the movie. She even had me get on my computer to see if Lincoln really used a fountain pen. That woman has an eye for details. Anyway, she must have enjoyed the movie. I didn't see her fall asleep once. 

One day, we picked the boys up from school early so they could have lunch with her. When we got to Nik's school, they were showing a musical video of the kids dancing. We were able to spot Nik in the video and my mom got a kick out that. 

We had lunch and were able to relax with a kid friendly movie at home. Noah was just eating up every minute with is grandma.

On mom's last day in Kansas, it was hard. Mom and I always cry when we leave each other. It was hard to hold it together. But we managed to make it a happy day. We just spent time together as a family.

Alex surprised mom with a box of chocolate covered strawberries. She only got to eat 2. The kids munched them down while we were getting her suitcase packed up. Little stinkers!

The next morning, she had a really early flight. We both held back tears as we hugged and said goodbye. Even though it's so hard to let her go, we just have to focus on the good time we had while she was here.

To conclude a very fun week, we celebrated one more birthday for our family. Alex and the kids surprised me with an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins. Why hasn't Kansas fallen in love with Baskin Robbin? They are so into the custard. Everyone that loves me, knows that I'm crazy for the Baskin Robbins ice cream cake. Alex explained that he wanted to order the cake in the shape of a handbag. Because everyone that loves me, knows that I love Baskin Robbins ice cream cakes, and handbags. Unfortunately for Alex, he waited too long to order the cake.  But I think this one looked awesome!

"You can't stop the change any more than you can stop the suns from setting" - Shmi Skywalker

The beginning of May consisted of a flurry of activities. We celebrated 3 birthdays, a Map meeting, Mother's Day, and my mom came for a visit.

We kicked things off with Noah's birthday. Since it was during the week, and we were scheduled to celebrate when Grandma arrived, I made cupcakes at home.

I can't believe my baby is 11!

The next day was Nik's Maps at his Focus room. It also happened to be the 5 year anniversary that we moved to Kansas. We were definitely filled with emotions. While we are excited to see Nik growing up and become more independent, we are nervous about what the future may hold. The Map is a meeting that creates, well, a map for his future. 

During the Map meeting, we identified Nik's strengths and weaknesses. And we also came up with some ideas to ensure that Nik can live up to his potential. It was a great meeting. After the Map, Nik's teachers and paras threw a little celebration for him. What amazing teachers and paras he has! We are so blessed.

The next day was Nik's birthday. He is 14 this year. It's so hard to believe! My mom arrived from Los Angeles earlier in the day. To celebrate Nik and Noah's birthdays, Alex grilled some burgers, and we had yet more cupcakes.

I can't believe that Nik is 14!

So it was a busy week for us. When I look back at the last five years, it's hard not to remember the struggles. Change is not easy for us. The move was especially traumatic for Noah. But we are definitely stronger for the experience. We knew coming into this move that adjustment would be difficult. But we knew that moving would give our boys a better future. Each teacher, para, speech and occupational therapist has been amazing. I can still remember the encouragement, advice, or just plain old loving on my boys that each staff member gave. We are so incredibly blessed to be here.

Next up, Grandma pays us a visit, and we celebrate one more birthday. And no, I will not wear the birthday hat.