A Day with Nana

The day after school got out for the summer, my sister Kim and I took our kids up to Alamo to visit their Nana. My mam has goats, chickens, ducks and cats. She had acquired a calf who had to be bottle fed because her mom died giving birth and an African lamb who also had to be nursed to health. The kids love playing with the animals and they love having the freedom to run and play. We also went to "Little Ash" which is a local warm springs swimming hole. It was so much fun and the kids loved the fact that the water was warm. Needless to say, the kids passed out on the way home after a busy day.




Ryan, Baili, Jacob, Niamh, Gavin, Nana, Tyrone & Kami

Giants

So a few months ago I was preparing my lesson for church and was reading in Genesis about Giants. It doesn't say much about them, just that even the Giants feared Enoch and his people. I was very interested and wished I knew more. Today on facebook I saw this picture of giant bones found in Russia and thought I would share. It's pretty amazing, I think so anyway.

Celebrating Gavin

May has been a crazy month for us. We are on the go all the time. It has been a big month for Gavin especially. First of all his first soccer season ended. The Blazers won the last few games and had a pretty good season. It was great to see each player get better throughout the season. Gavin learned a lot. We are planning on putting him on The Blazer team next fall. To celebrate the end of the season the team and their families went to "Pump it up" where we jumped and had pizza and cake. Gavin got a trophy which he was very excited about.



Gavin also graduated from Kindergarten. He had a graduation. All the children sang songs they had learned over the year and received little diplomas. Gavin sat in the front row and he sang every single word of every song, even one in Spanish. I was overcome with pride as I watched my first born be so grown up and confident as he sang and kept his eyes on me the whole time. I have worried about Gavin all year long. Although he has caught up in his speech and has come so far with that, he still has a major issue with staying focused and paying attention. I have felt for a long time that he may have ADHD, he doesn't show as much hyperactivity, but he struggles with inattentiveness and finishing tasks without being constantly reminded and prompted. I also found out this week that Gavin is no longer eligible for special education services within the school district. So he was exited from the program. He will continue on to first grade and that makes me nervous that he won't be able to keep up in a regular ed class. He will have a resource teacher who will be available if he needs extra help with reading, math etc. I visited with his pediatrician this week and we decided to start him on some medication. I am very nervous about having him on medication, but I am willing to try it for a month and see if it makes any difference. I have done a lot of research online and he definitely shows a lot of the symptoms of ADHD. You always want the best for your children and it's so hard when it's your first born and you are really learning as you go. I don't have all the answers and I get so frustrated with him sometimes, when it really is not his fault. Gavin's doctor assured me that she put her own son on this medication several years ago and it has done wonders for him and his self esteem especially. I hope and pray I am doing the right thing. I also heard that altering your child's diet can affect ADHD. I'm willing to try anything.
Aside from all of this, Gavin is a very smart and amazing boy. He surprises me all the time. He has come so far in his development already and I know he will continue to make strides where that is concerned. I am so proud of him and I love him so much.




P.S, These events took place on two different days. Notice Gavin is wearing the same shirt. He is obsessed with Bulldogs right now and wears this shirt as much as he can.

Cindy

Cindy is Lucas' aunt. She came to live with us at the end of March when her mother died. Cindy is 57 years old and a sweet, sweet lady. When Grandma Abbott died, Cindy took it hard. She stopped eating and got really weak. She didn't talk much and looked so sad. She spent some weeks in hospital because she had fluid on her lungs and had low blood pressure. We were all very happy when she was able to come back home. Since then Cindy has regained strength and she has her fiery personality back. She loves having the kids around. Gavin, Tyrone & Niamh love going into her room and watching movies with her. Niamh likes to tease Cindy by taking all her stuffed animals off her bed and stealing her water bottle and drinking it. Cindy is very patient with Niamh and has found ways to deter Niamh from taking her water bottle. Whenever we come home from the store with groceries, Cindy loves to get out of bed and come and investigate what goodies we have brought. We love her lots and are so grateful we get to spend every day with her.

Gavin, Tyrone & Niamh watching a movie with Cindy.

Lucas' mom & Cindy.

Niamh & Cindy ( I love this one.)

Burley again

We drove up to Burley, Idaho at the beginning of May for my nephew Noah's blessing. We drove to Alamo first and picked up my mam and drove up through Nevada instead of Utah. We saved about 3 hours time. Although it was quite desolate the whole way, Nevada does have its beautiful parts. It was fun traveling up to Idaho with my mam. She kept the kids supplied with candy and entertainment the whole way. Noah's dad Tyler gave a beautiful blessing and the crowning moment was right at the end when Noah blew out in his diaper. He's a natural :) We spent a lovely 2 days with Trudi, Tyler & Noah. We stayed with a couple, The Halls. We actually met them in Ireland where they were serving their mission. We've kept in touch over the years and come to find out when Trudi and Tyler moved to Burley, the Halls were their neighbors. Small world. We had a lovely visit with the Halls and they were so kind and hospitable.
About 10 minutes into the trip

Isn't he the cutest little man ever?

The kids played at "Storybook Park."

This one shows how much fun they were having.

Cousins

In April we.......

1. Had many a slurpee.

2. Rode 4-wheelers in Alamo :)

3. Lost a few Soccer games.

4. Rode our bikes.

5. Sat on the swing with Grandpa.

6. Had a few dates here and there.

7. Painted the kids room.
(Before)

(After)

Easter

Every Easter we do an Easter Egg Hunt with friends from our old ward. It has turned into an annual tradition now. It's always fun to see people that we may not have seen since the previous Easter egg hunt. There always seems to be a bigger crowd each year. Everyone brings candy filled eggs to hide and a snack to share with everyone. Then each age group gets to go hunt for easter eggs in the park. This was Niamhs first year of actually getting to collect eggs and put them in her basket. She got the idea right away and was starting to collect before the hunt even began. When she got about 5 eggs, she was satisfied with that and sat down and began to open and eat the contents. It was so cute to see Gavin, Tyrone & Niamh all sit down together and enjoy their candy treasures.

On Easter Sunday we enjoyed a family dinner at Lucas' brother Jasons house. We had Turkey and Ham, and lots of great side dishes. The food was great and we all had a great time talking and laughing together. I loved that General Conference was also on Easter weekend. To hear from the Prophet and the Apostles of our church was such a treat. I was touched by many of the talks that were given. As always, it motivated me to get back on track and I was given a lot of inspiration and answers to prayers. I am so grateful for the knowledge I have and the joy that it brings in my life.