First Fishing Trip of the Summer!

Dave took the boys out for their first catch of the season! They came home with 3 rainbow trout...these kids are so funny:

The Museum of Natural Curiosity

This place is A-MAZING! I am so glad we have a family pass to Thanksgiving Point because otherwise, this place is expensive! The boys are completely in love and ask to go almost every day. They especially love the Rainforest area, specifically the Monkey Temple, which is pretty much a giant jungle gym. They also have a baby area just for the little ones! They really thought of everything.

They have an area called Kidopolis, which is essentially a little town just for kids! They have a bank, a recording studio, theater, vet, magic shop, library, pretty much everything a town would have, and then some!

Another area is called Water Works that has all things water. They provide water covers and even boots for the kids, so they can go nuts! Although, the cutest part was the baby table. I just about died when I walked by and saw all these babies sitting in what looked like a giant, raised swimming pool. I had to do a double take when I realized none of the babies were wet! So we had to get Miles in on the action.

Another area is the Discovery Gardens, but I forgot to bring the camera the day we went there. I'll have to remember next time. The Discovery Garden was merged with the outdoor splash area with the Noah's Ark sculpture. They also added in a play area complete with spinners, seesaws, and a zip line. When Dave saw that, he said, "Oh good! Now I don't have to put in one!"

Truly an amazing museum. I recommend everyone go at least once, but plan for a whole day because the kids could play there for days and not get bored. The good news is, they have a cafe there, so you really never have to leave until closing!

Cruise's Graduation & Dance Festival

 I'm still trying to catch up from last week since it was Cruise's last week of school. Sorry it's taken a week to get to it!

On the 28th of May, Cruise's class had a little graduation ceremony complete with caps, diplomas, and a giant, oversized gown. I have been so grateful for Cruise's teacher, Mr. Harris, and his aides Mrs. Jones & Mrs. Poyfair. They have done incredible things and have helped Cruise in ways I never could. I don't think they will ever adequately know just how much they have contributed to Cruise's success. So proud of this kid:

After the graduation, we headed outside where the school partook in the yearly dance festival. Of course they made those poor 1st graders go last, but Cruise did AWESOME! They danced to the gummy bear song and he, of course, was a green gummy bear. Cruise knew all the dance moves and didn't mess up once. It was so much fun watching him!

Cruise's Coach Pitch Baseball

Cruise started coach pitch baseball this past week! He's been talking about it for months and was so excited to start playing on a team. I've decided to only put the kids in things if they ask, so I waited until Cruise asked if he could play baseball on a team. If you had told me just a year ago that Cruise would be playing team sports, I would've thought you were out of your mind! This kid never ceases to impress me.

He had his first practice on the 23rd of May, and we got to pin-point a few of the possible triggers for meltdowns he might have during a game. He got a little frustrated when the ball wouldn't come to him, but he generally did pretty well. His coach is super understanding and very patient with him, which is such a blessing.

His first game went fantastic and he had a blast! Sure, he had no idea how to play the game, but he was all smiles the whole time! When it was his turn to bat, he hit the ball and eventually ran to the 1st base. Even when he got out, he was a good sport. My parents were able to come to his first game, which was a lot of fun. Cruise loved having them there to cheer him on! It's pretty fun to watch him play. When he makes it to the base, he likes to chat it up with whoever is there.

His second game didn't go as smoothly, as he was tagged out at one point and especially when he struck out. That was not a pretty sight. But it's all a learning experience and I'm so glad he gets to do it!

Jett's Preschool Graduation

Technically, Jett still has another year of Preschool, but today he graduated from Little Learners Preschool! The bishop's wife runs a preschool out of her home and she is just fantastic! However, it's only twice a week for two hours each day, so I have him registered for public preschool next year that runs 4 days a week, three hours each day.

Jett and his teacher Mrs. Jensen

The graduation program was super cute! The year was a pirate theme and they started out with reciting a book about pirates that go do school. Jett's line was about how pirates bring home art work every day.

Then they sang a song which I dropped the ball on because I was supposed to help him learn the lyrics. So the poor kid wasn't able to sing along with the rest of the class. To be fair, only about half of the class actually knew and sang all the words.

Then they presented all the adorable graduates.

And then showed a slideshow from all the pictures they took throughout the year. I was able to purchase a copy of the slideshow to put in Jett's yearly binder. I can't believe that this school year is already over! One more week and Cruise will be completely finished with the 1st grade! These kids are growing way too fast!

Jett and his friend Camry

8 Months!

Well, Miles is 8 months and still not crawling, which makes half of me very happy and the other half a little concerned. However, he has been practicing being on his hands and knees and rocking, and does pretty well getting to where he wants to be most of the time by either rolling, scooting, or pulling. He is especially good at going backwards, and sometimes gets frustrated when he wants to get to something in front of him and ends up scooting further away. But I think he's generally happy that he can get himself around to some extent.

Miles graduated from the baby bath to the big bath! Jett really likes bathing with his little brother and always asks if Miles can take a bath with him in the evenings.

Miles got his tongue clipped a couple weeks ago since we noticed he was just as tongue tied as Cruise was. So much so that he couldn't even get his tongue past his lips. He finally figured out after a week that he can make awesome sounds by sticking his tongue out of his mouth. So he's a professional raspberry blower now! I keep trying to get it on video but he never will do it when I'm recording.

Miles still loves to eat and really enjoys eating anything we're eating. However, he still doesn't have any teeth, so we have to limit what we allow him from our plate. But he really enjoys mashed potatoes, crackers, watermelon and bananas. He is quite the little chunk and I just love love love it! He is getting pretty heavy for me and isn't very good at sitting on my hip, so holding him gets a little tiring after awhile. When we went in to get his tongue clipped, he weighed 19 pounds, so he's getting pretty chunky that one!

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Miles says "ma ma" most often and it's kinda fun having a baby that will say Mama a lot. Cruise & Jett mostly said "Dada" at this age, so it's kind of fun to hear Mama from such a cute little baby.

Miles loves to be read to and really enjoys the touch and feel books. He also still loves to listen to music, especially when there are musical numbers at church. Miles enjoys walks around the neighborhood, and Jett loves to help with that! He will push him the entire time and I just walk ahead and make faces at Miles as we go. Miles sure loves Jett and gets a great big smile every time he sees his big brother. Jett loves to play with him and tries to get him to laugh. He is actually a really good kid to have around when I need to shower and Miles won't nap. He is a very good helper and loves to do it.

Just like with Jett, we are keeping a close eye on Miles' development. Because they have a brother with autism, they have a 7.5 greater chance of having it as well. Miles has been displaying a few sensory and repetitive behaviors that we will watch as he nears his first birthday. Studies show that that if these behaviors increase between now and his first birthday, there is a significant chance of him eventually receiving an autism diagnosis. Some may think I am paranoid, which may be the case, but I have come to learn that it is better to check it out than to ignore it. I remember Jett having a few sensory things as well (still has major sensitivities to smell), and I got him looked at a few times just to be sure. The hard thing is that we aren't in the clear until about 18-24 months. So Mama will probably have a higher level of anxiety until then.

Overall, Miles is doing extremely well and we are so blessed to have such a healthy, happy and content little boy! He truly is such a snuggly little guy and is so much fun to play with! I just wish time would slow down just a bit so I can take it all in!