This summer flew by. We didn’t do a ton of things, but we did get out more than we have in the past. That was one of my goals; to be able to take my kids places. I wanted to make memories and I made sure I had the resources to accomplish that.

We invested in a wagon at the beginning of the summer for the sole purpose of making being outside easier. We were fortunate enough to have help everywhere we went especially when it was just me and the kids.

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The last three weekends of the summer were spent with a lot of family. We went to the mountains first with my in-laws for my father-in-law’s 60th birthday, then with my family just for fun. All of our siblings were able to be at both events which was really special.

Both of these trips were fun but it’s always hard for our family. We’re out of our element which makes it difficult for our kids. The chaos is sometimes hard to manage. One weekend Nicholas had tummy issues, the next weekend we were all sick. We can never stay as long as everyone else because it’s too much. We do what our family can handle and participate as much as we can. I was actually surprised by how well we did. It shows how much we’ve grown just in the last six months.

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Last weekend we went to my cousin’s wedding. The day turned out better than I thought it would. We were able to go home between the wedding and reception so the kids could sleep. We got there just in time for dinner, speeches, and first dances. We went outside to take some pictures and stayed out there for a little bit before going home. It was actually perfect the way everything worked out.

These three events gave me anxiety the entire summer. They were back to back to back weekends and I knew they would be hard. We were away from home two weekends in a row. It was loud, there were a lot of people especially kids, and people we don’t see that often. Despite the difficulties, I’m glad we experienced these events. I like to at least try things because it’s good for our family. Plus it was a lot of fun getting to spend time with people we don’t see very much.

We also went to the splash pad, the park, celebrated birthdays, babies being born, holidays, summer camp, went to a Lego convention, and walked for two really good causes; Autism and the American Heart Association.

My husband and I tried our best to spend one-on-one time with each of our kids, especially Daniel. He doesn’t get a whole lot of attention. Daniel and I spent a lot of time at the park this summer. We went out for ice cream. My husband would take him to the store and out to eat.

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I’m really excited for this school year. We decided to put Daniel in preschool four days a week. Daniel is sometimes hard to manage at home and I hope school will help him get his energy out and give him some structure. I feel like I’m unable to challenge him at home so I’m hoping school will be good for him. It’s taking him a little bit to warm up to school but it seems like he gets better as the day goes on. Daniel is in the general education classroom but will be getting speech and OT services.

Nicholas will also be in school four days a week instead of two days. He remembered the routine from last year and got right back into it. He will get PT, OT, and speech in his special education class. He has the same teachers from last year who are all really nice.

Grace was accepted into the toddler program at the Anchor Center for Blind Children. I’m so excited for her to go to school there. Nicholas really did well there and I think Grace will too. She will go twice a week starting next week.

It’s been really nice just being with Grace while the boys have been at school. I’ve actually been able to run errands and get things done that I usually am not able to do. It’s quiet, relaxing, and surprisingly productive.

I’m really proud of how far our family has come in terms of being able to venture out together. We try to do at least one thing per weekend to just get outside and have fun. It was so hard for a long time, but we’re finally there. I’m also excited for this school year. I think everyone is really going to thrive where they are at and I’m looking forward to where it brings us.