September 4 = Kayleigh & Mommy Day

Yesterday was a bit overwhelming between figuring out the bus situation- Liam's bus comes right to our door and I have the phone number of his driver and it's the same driver as last year so she called me and told me what time she'd be coming and it was easy.  Malia's situation was a bit different.  Because of Liam riding the special education bus I didn't know the normal process- they post all the bus routes online and you find which one has a stop close to your stop.  The only information you're given is when the first stop is and you just have to guess when the bus will get there.  So since Liam's comes up 6:50, I just headed to Malia's bus stop right after- better to be 30 minutes early to be 2 minutes late.  Well as I put her on the bus, the bus driver asks if I have my yellow card.  Liam had a yellow card last year- the number on your card has to match his for them to let him off the bus but I didn't get one in the mail for Malia.  Wellllllll they gave them out at the open house that I did not attend.  I had a broken ankle, three kids and no stroller and they were saying you'd have to park about half a mile from the school so I wasn't about that life.  So after I got Malia on the bus I had a MOPS playdate to go to and then went straight to the school to get my card... and it really seemed as soon as I got home I had to watch for the bus- because again, I didn't know when Malia's was coming.  So today we had a bit more time so we headed to Chickfila to have breakfast together :) I'm looking forward to Miss Kayleigh getting some individual attention.  I think she might be too.

November 1 = Yummy Breakfast Day

Liam's still a little loopy from his MRI yesterday so while I had both Liam and Malia scheduled to go to the CDC, I kept Liam out and we went and got breakfast at Newport Creamery- here's his pancake:

and little Kayleigh was happy to tag along!

June 1 = Messy, Yogurty Kids Day

First of all- great gift idea for Zachary.  Liam needs a shirt that says "small 1," Malia can be "small 2" and Kayleigh can be "small 3." 

Also- I took this video because Malia was being especially silly- I just never want to forget her little two year old personality- she's got a lot of it!

May 25 = Malia is a Nut Day

I treasure videos like these because I'll always remember Malia was a pretty silly toddler but videos like these will help me remember some of her specific little quirks... like picking up food with her mouth and those expressions she makes with her eyes.  I'm getting a little nostalgic with my last pregnancy coming to an end so... I'm glad I have these!

March 12 = Second Spring Break Day

Here's a McKenzie update:

And more pictures from our week on our own:

We went to the Breakfast Shoppe... I love the Breakfast Shoppe so much but it's always so crowded and we have to wait so it's not ideal for Liam.  So Malia and I went and there was a 45 minute wait so we went across the street to AC Moore and I got her some Minnie Mouse puzzles and we came back just in time for breakfast.  It was so yummy and Malia had so much fun coloring and doing puzzles!

Also, I laughed out loud when I saw this:

December 5 = Chickfila Day

Malia and I went to Chick-fil-a for breakfast this morning because, why not?

June 27 = New Book Day

What a yummy breakfast:

So I got this bookbag with a strap attached.  Let's be real, it's a leash.  So I tried it out today going into the gym because Liam likes to open the door himself and then race to the kids club and I have to pick up Malia and run after him and I like to get my workout in after I drop them off.

I love taking pictures of my sleeping kids:

Also I got this book and read it all today.  It was so good.  I took really detailed notes and I'm ready to get to work!

May 7 = Early Mother's Day

Zachary has duty tomorrow so we're celebrating Mother's Day today.  We have a bit of a tradition that we do something outside on Mother's Day- it's been a picnic for the last few years but Zachary went to a marathon with the USNA marathon team recently and thought I would love to go where they were.  However, he chose a different park on the same river so it would be somewhere he hadn't already seen so we could experience something new together!  As part of my morning routine, I looked at my facebook feed and saw this and while Liam doesn't have Autism, I can relate to this.  It says "Being an Autism parent is like flying one of these for the first time without a manual in the dark while all the passengers are telling you what you are doing wrong."

The first part of my special day my sweet husband planned for me was getting chickfila for breakfast.  As a bonus, we went inside instead of just going through the drive thru. I prefer eating inside because it's less of a mess and it's just easier for the kids.  So we went inside and the kids went straight to the play area.  Zachary went to order and at first it was going really well.  Then a mom came in with her two kids.  One was probably a little younger than Liam and the other was probably 6 or so.  The older one looked panicked when he saw there were other kids in the play area and he quietly said something to the younger one along the lines of "behave."  After a few minutes I could tell the mom had her hands full with the younger one.  There is no judgment in that statement because I have my hands full with my older one.  He was really loud and wanted to do what he wanted to do when he wanted to do it- again, just like Liam.  The older brother kept trying to keep him in check and was stressing himself out and the mom looked at me a few times like she was going to say something but decided against it.  As I thought in my head about what I wanted to say, the mom decided to take the kids and leave- a decision I make pretty often.  So I didn't get a chance to say this but this is what I wanted to say:

I get it.  You don't have to explain this to me.  I am a safe place.  The fact that you got both of your kids dressed, not to mention yourself- you look really cute by the way- is an accomplishment.  The fact that you talked yourself into bringing them somewhere where they could eat yummy food and play is impressive.  Especially when you're the only adult available, it's a lot easier to stay at home.  So good for you.  You can let him scream as loud as he wants- the people outside of this well insulated room can't hear us and he's not bothering me.  At this moment, I'm thankful my kid's not screaming but I can handle it if yours does. Thank you for being real- for letting that face of exasperation show through instead of pretending this is the first time this has ever happened and where did he learn this??  I've worn the same face a lot.  And I know it's usually met with superior, "thank God that's not me" smirks or straight up, "get a handle on your kid lady" glares.  But keep up the fight.  One day, you'll go to Chickfila and you'll get through breakfast and playtime and it'll be easier.  I'm not there yet either but I hold out hope it'll happen.  It feels like it's not worth it but each time you take him,  you tell him you believe in him, you love him and you want what's best for him.  And each time you leave carrying a screaming, flailing child out to the car and you still believe in him, love him and want what's best for him, you're proving you're an amazing mom.  

The only constructive thing I've had someone say to me in one of these times was someone who said, "God gives special needs kids to special moms."  In this day and age, everyone's so worried about being politically correct.  That was a brave thing to say- what if I didn't accept my child had special needs- I could have been offended.  That's probably why I didn't say anything- out of fear of how she'd react.  It's sad really.  I really just wanted to encourage her and tell her I can empathize but you just never know so I kept my mouth shut.  And right after she left, our food was ready, and so Malia and I went down and sat with Zachary right outside the play area where we could easily see Liam and he could continue to play.  After about ten minutes, a lot of kids came in and started playing and Liam lost control over the room and he didn't like that.  A mom opened the door for him thinking she was helping him out but he had a breakdown because he likes to be the one opening the door.  Poor woman- she had no clue what she did wrong.  Welcome to the club.  So I ended up taking Liam to the car and having him eat his breakfast in the car while Malia and Zachary finished up.  Too bad the mom from earlier didn't stick around and see my kid have a meltdown- maybe it would have made her feel better!

So we left from there to Great Falls Park on the Potomac River. We had such an awesome time- it was beautiful and my kids just love being outside so they were content as could be!  Liam hopped off the stroller a couple of times because he wanted to walk but for the most part they loved it and were super cooperative!

October 3 = Tattoo Day

So Liam has been in a terrible mood for... a while now.  My wonderful mother-in-law sensed that I needed a break like nobody's business so she offered to come up and watch the kids so that Zachary and I could get away.  We were planning on going to the Navy football game but it was raining so we had breakfast at my favorite, favorite place, The Breakfast Shoppe, where I had a delicious ham, sausage, bacon and cheddar omelet.  And then Zachary had to do some stuff at work but I got to take a nap.  And then we did some shopping and went to dinner and then... Zachary got a tattoo!  This was the before picture... probably would have been better with short sleeves but it was cold!

And the after!

These are the Gaelic astrological signs for me, Liam and Malia- Zachary read that it is common for family members' signs to be joined by the one long center line consistent in each one so that's what he did!  He says it's like carrying his family with him which will be even more significant when we go back on sea duty and he has to leave us from time to time.

August 10 = Yummy Breakfast Day

Zachary's working nights this week so we took advantage of this and after dropping Liam off at the CDC, we headed to The Breakfast Shoppe where Zachary got his "whole nine yards" and I got one of the specials- strawberry cream cheese stuffed french toast- oh my goodness- so good.

July 1 = Yogurt Day

Since Zachary's been working so much, I've been doing a lot of planning to make things run as smoothly as possible.  One thing I've done is found a meal chart where I can plan out breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks so I make sure I've got enough of all of the food we need for the week because one thing I do not want to happen is to have two hungry children and go to get them something to eat and find that I don't have what I thought I did.  It also helps me when they're screaming and I can't think- I can just look at the list and get whatever I wrote down.  So this morning, breakfast was yogurt and blueberries!  Liam has been working on using a spoon so eating yogurt gave him the perfect opportunity to practice more!  He did a great job.

Malia, however, is not a fan of yogurt.  We had to go with a plan b for her!

June 10 = Sweet Husband Day

I was pumping- one of my last times, praise the Lord- and Zachary brought me this :) a sliced English muffin with nutella, two blueberries, a raspberry and a banana.  Yum!

May 5 = Cinco De Mayo

We started off today with a yummy scrambled eggs breakfast.  Both kids were thrilled.

Cinco de Mayo is a bit of a sad day for me because my grandfather died on Cinco de Mayo of 2009- it's crazy to me that it's been six years already.  But it's kind of funny because he was a alcoholic and I don't mean someone who drank more than he should occasionally- I mean- the few times I've watched the show "Intervention" on A&E and they profile an alcoholic I think, "Oh they've got nothing on Grandpa."  So it's kind of appropriate that he died on a day Americans celebrate by drinking.  Anyway- we were invited to a little outdoor potluck that one of Zachary's classmates and his wife were hosting.  She wanted me to be able to meet some of the moms that she knows since we live in her area now.  I didn't bring my phone so I don't have pictures of Malia pigging out on some cantaloupe or Liam pushing the baby stroller up and down the sidewalk.  But it was fun.  We got kind of late for us so we put the kids to bed and then Zachary got out some frozen margaritas in a pouch and we toasted Grandpa and drank while we watched Jeopardy.

April 2 = Steal Brother's Cantaloupe Day

Well Malia is becoming quite the thief with her newly found mobility.  I put a plate of cantaloupe on the floor because he refuses to sit in his high chair.  And cue the mantra "choose your battles."  We had thirty minutes to change diapers, get dressed, eat breakfast and get in the car to go to OT and ST so forcing him to sit in his high chair was not on the agenda.  Between me putting the plate on the floor, putting the rest of the cantaloupe back in the refrigerator and reentering the living room, Malia had crawled and scooted her way over to the plate and was eating Liam's breakfast.

 He made this in OT:

And when we got home, he wanted to take a selfie.  He is cute.

And then we snapped a picture of Malia (playing with another of Liam's toys.  Oops)