After a year of isolation in 2020, this year was filled with so many adventures for our family. We spent a lot of time outside especially at the splash pad. It was the first year where I felt comfortable taking the kids places with a little bit of help, and sometimes by myself. 2021 saw a lot of first-time moments and huge milestones for our kids.

1. First Time at a Water Park and Swimming Pool — One of Nicholas’s classmates invited us to their neighborhood pool. This is something we’d never done before, but I knew all three of my kids loved water, so I wanted to try it. Nobody got in, but we stuck our feet in the water from the side. I consider that a success for our first time. We also went to a small water park for the first time. It took a minute for the kids to warm up to that, but it ended up being a lot of fun! I realized Nicholas prefers water that splashes, while Grace likes the calm water.

1. Nicholas Thriving in School — I can’t believe how amazing Nicholas is doing in school. He’s learned so much this last year from his colors, to letters and numbers, to writing his name. He can recognize small words in books like “I” and “Go” and loves to point out the letter “N.” He has many friends at school and is tolerating being in the classroom for at least an hour every day. His para has helped him, believes in him, and challenges him to do his best. It helps so much that he has an amazing support system at school.

1. Daniel’s Independance — School has also helped Daniel, but in a different way. Daniel’s diet used to consist of macaroni and cheese, pizza, and waffles and that’s it. But at school he’s been trying new foods at lunch time like hamburger, tacos, and hotdogs. He drinks milk at school and requests it at home now too, along with other new foods. Daniel’s independence has improved as he can dress himself now, put his shoes on, and put his seatbelt on by himself. He also does a great job helping his brother and sister with their shoes and coats.

1. Grace Feeding Herself and Going Down the Slide — We worked on independence with feeding for Grace for 1.5 years. It wasn’t a lack of motor skills, she just got so used to me feeding her. The first day she started school was when she began feeding herself. It’s been so helpful that she can do that herself now. And then going down the slide was something else we worked on for a year. School has helped her accomplish both of these goals and so many others as well like talking more and being more social with her peers.

1. Steamboat Springs Vacation — We went on our first family trip just us 5 without any help to Steamboat Springs this summer. It was hard, but also very good and I’m glad we did it. We did an activity each day that included a hike to a waterfall, walking around the botanic gardens, and playing in a creek. The kids tolerated sleeping in a hotel with everyone in the same room. I was mostly worried about Grace, but she did so great. I think we could prepared them and talked about it a little more, but it was still a good time.

The independence from all three kids has improved greatly this year. Everyone is growing and doing so well in school, at therapy, and at home. We got to spend more time outside this summer and did a lot of activities together. I hope 2022 brings even more growth for our family.