Sara and Katie Here For The Weekend!

What a fun but exhausting weekend! My nieces, Sara and Katie, came and spent the weekend with us. What's 2 more right!?! Chris worked this weekend so it was just me and 6 kids. I survived!!
On Saturday we went swimming at the YMCA, to Christy Creme for ice cream, and had a movie night. On Sunday we went to church, lunch, and went ice skating at the MAC.

Her are some pictures from our afternoon of ice skating:)

Are we done yet?

Mikayla teaching skating and as you can see Megan is in the midst of falling!

Katie not wanting to let go of the wall:)

Megan stepping off the ice for a break.

Mason really wanted to skate. He kept pointing at his feet and to the ice, so instead he had to settle for watching and eating a snack:)

Mikayla trying to help Katie get the hang of it.

Katie

Sara

Mikayla helping Sara.

Mikayla and Sara. Very proud of themselves! They wanted to make sure I took a picture of them in the middle of the ice so that everyone knew they were the best skaters of the bunch:)

Sara skating by herself. Yeah!!

Mikayla helping Katie some more and trying to get her away form the wall.

Zamboni time!

Mikayla showing off!

Megan finally letting go of the wall, but stayed very close just in case!

Time Spent WIth The Birthday Boy!

I took the afternoon off today to spend some quality time with Mason on his birthday! I was a stay at home mom with the girls when they where 3, so I decided it was about time that I give Mason a birthday with his mom:) It was a wonderful time we had and such a nice day out! We started with lunch at Pizza Ranch, which when given 4 choices he shook his head yes to Pizza Ranch! We spent rest of our time at the Union Pacific Train Museum. All week long when you asked him what I was going to take him to see on his birthday he would answer "ooh ooh". He loved it. When we had to leave he started to cry and signed more several times! I was hoping to also take him to Toys R Us, but it was time to pick up his sisters!

Yummy:)

Checking the view from the back of a train.

I also wanted to share this little video of Mason on his birthday:) Telling us his birthday in his own way!  I couldn't figure out how to rotate the direction so it is sideways LOL!!

Preschool here we come!

Well it is official...Mason's IEP meeting was today and he will start preschool at Hoover (1/2 day) Feb 21st just 4 days after he turns 3! I am filled we such of variety of emotions!  Please pray for a successful transition for Mason and for me:)
I have experienced some fustrations in the last few weeks. Mason wants me to know what he is saying and usually I can figure it out but sometimes I just can't figure it out, which causes him to get fustrated. The worst part of it is he knows what he wants but can't get it out. I came across this poem a few weeks ago, which everytime I read it brings tears to my eyes. I can't help thinking that this could be what he is thinking...
 

"I know you can't hear me ... but I do talk to you. And I hear everything you say to me, too. I hear when you laugh when I do something funny. I hear you yell, "Hooray" when I try so hard. I hear you tell others how you'd never trade me for the world even with all the trials I came with. I hear you thank God for what a blessing you have been given. I hear you encourage me when I can almost do it. I hear you cry, too, when it gets a little harder and when you ask God, "Why?!" your baby and I know you know I understand somehow. And you know I listen when you talk to me too But, I want you to know, Mom ... I do talk to you."