October Update

This has been an exciting month.  Sophia was in another horse show.  There were two riders in her age class.  She rode Elliott and took first place both on and off lead.  She loves all the work that goes into getting horses ready.  She loves helping in this way.

We also went to visit Grandma Barb.  Sophia loves these trips.  She was also very helpful.  Grandma needed a CTscan at the hospital and Sophia pushed the wheelchair through the hospital.  She also made sure Grandma's walker was set up in the right place every time so Grandma could get around.  It was so nice to see her do all this without being asked.  I guess when she see behaviors modeled it goes a long way.    Grandma bought marbles for the girls and they got to pick their favorite marbles.  Sophia had a blast playing a game of marbles with Grandma. We celebrate all the fall birthdays, Auntie Linda's, Stephanie's, Hollie's and Sophia's.  This was fun.

Sophia and I went to a farm to pick pumpkins.  I love fall.

We went to Boo at the Zoo.  Sophia entered a costume contest.  She was Po from Teletubbies.  She looked adorable.   The animals seemed very active that day.  I am not sure if it was the cooler weather or the approaching storm but we enjoyed watching them.

Hurricane Sandy hit on Monday, Oct 29.  We lost power for about 20 hours but that is all.  It was a minor incident compared to some of the areas hit.  Aiden is going to be without power for at least a week in NJ. Linda is without power for about four days thus far.

Sophia and Steve did a great job carving pumpkins.  They had a blast doing it.

Power came back on in time for Halloween.  Schools were opened so we started the festivities  with the school party and parade.  We then went door to door for over an hour and a half.  We were all exhausted when we got back.  I am not sure what we are going to do with all the candy.

And tomorrow is Sophia's birthday!

September Update

These months just seem to fly by.  September meant back into the routine of school.  Sophia is slowly adjusting to first grade.  It seems there is a lot more work involved.  Sophia sees four teachers in addition to all the related arts teachers.

There were two horse shows in September.  The first one was the Labor Day In House Show.  There were about ten kids competing.  She won first place in equation, second place in cross rails and fifth place in pleasure (she needs to smile more when riding!)

She also did the first in the Fall Show Series.  She had no competition in this one so she took first place in both on lead and off lead.  She said, "This is going to be an easy one!"  She got pointers from the judge.  For us this is all about riding and not about winning so it made it all worth it.  The best part about this show was the prep.  She helped get the horses ready.  She mucked the stalls and polished the bits.  This was hard work but she LOVED it.

I went to help my mother transition home from rehab.  She is doing amazing.  She is on oxygen but doing very well.  She even out-shopped me at TJ Maxx and Marshalls!  It was nice to spend almost a week hanging out with her. 

August update

August has proven to be a bit easier than July was.  First off Grandma Barbara is in a rehab facility and slowly becoming stronger.  She will be going home in early September.  She may need oxygen permanently but that is far better than what we thought.  I have been talking to her every day and her spirits are high which is helping a lot.

We went to two fairs this month.  First to the county fair as a family and then to the state fair with Katlyn.  Sophia was picked as a cheerleader for the pig races both times.  She had a blast.

We also celebrated six years as a family at Dutch Wonderland.  It was a wonderful two day trip.  Sophia loved the rides, water park and shows.  Our hotel had a pool so we spent time in there too.

We switched Sophia's and Aiden's room.  Sophia loves her new bedroom.

Sophia is now into cake decorating.  We made a fish cake and had a blast.

We continued to garden and harvested some wonderful vegetables.

The end of the summer meant back to school.  She started her first day of kindergarten on August 27.  It is hard to get back into the morning routine.  As we were leaving for school she picked up glasses.  She thought they were hers.  They were actually mine.  I typically leave mine in the car and use them only for driving at night.  After walking her to school I came home and found her glasses on the microwave.  I thought she had forgotten them.  I brought them to school.  She came home wearing glasses, however, the eye glass case still had glasses in it.  It was then that I realized she had put mine on.  (YES- I am slow on the uptake)  She had not realized it all day!!!

July update

We had an excited start to our July.  We had a storm which knocked out power for five days.  We ended up losing all the food in the refrigerator but other than that made it through without any scars.  We found ways to keep cool, both physically and emotionally.  It is through these tests we become stronger!

We celebrated Grandma Beadle's 90th birthday on July 1st.  The party planned had to be revised due to lack of power in the days leading up to the party..  Fortunately Bev and Skip got power back the night before and the family got together to celebrate.

Sophia "raised" butterflies from caterpillars.  It was a great science activity.  Once all came out of their cocoon Sophia released them in her butterfly garden.  I am sure we will be doing this again.

We took a trip to see Grandma in Conn.  Sophia loves these trips almost as much as I do.  She gets spoiled by Grandma and has a blast with her cousins.  Stephanie and Hollie planned a horse party for Sophia.  It was complete with outfits, photo shoots, piñata and crafts.   They also put on a little dance show for us.   We were also fortunate to visit Aunt Philly and Aunt Rosemary.  We spent an afternoon catching up.  

We went to the zoo.  Sophia rode a giraffe.  

We had another interesting event at end of the month.   We had bats that decided to use our attic as a home.   We called in the professionals and hopefully the bats will be out of our attic and any entry points closed off.

The end of the month ended on a real low.  Grandma Barb was rushed to the hospital after the cruise she took with Linda.  She has pneumonia and is on a ventilator.  We got the call on Sunday afternoon and immediately drove up.  Sophia was packed in five minutes and did a great job.  Sophia and Steve hung out at the hotel while I visited my mother.  Steve and Sophia headed back yesterday.  I will likely head home tonight.  Mom is stable but still on the respirator.  We are hoping that the antibiotics will clear the infection and she will be back to normal.  It has been a scary time... still scary.

July 1st picture

We took Sophia's yearly July 1st picture.  I am amazed to see how much she has grown as each year passes.   July 1st was our referral day.  It was the first time we saw Sophia in a picture.  I can't believe it has been six years!!  It is a day I will never forget.

June update

Where does the time go?  Sophia finished her first year in school on June 7th.  She had a great kindergarten year.  She met a lot of great friends and learned a lot.   She is looking forward to 1st grade.

We picked blueberries and raspberries.

 We got together with five of the six families we traveled to China with six years ago.  The kids had a blast playing together for the weekend while the adults enjoyed catching up.  It is amazing to see how big the kids are getting.  Aiden even joined in on the fun.  

 Our yearly "red couch" photo shoot.

May update

May was another wonderful month.  The weather was nice and we enjoyed time outside.

We are always proud of our kids but this month we were very proud of Katie.  She shared with us that she has never felt that she was a girl.  Katie identifies as a male.  Sharing this took incredible courage.  Katie is transforming into the person he believes he is.   His name is Aiden.  Aiden told family and friends first and then went to school as Aiden.

When Aiden shared this with Sophia he shared that he is still the same person.  He still will play with her on the playground, read her bedtime stories and chase and tickle her.  He still loves her the same.  It was a very sweet conversation.  We are also very proud of Sophia who accepted her brother without questioning it.  She actually is the one who has the easiest time getting used to the new name and pronouns.  

We heard that not everyone is comfortable with this decision and we talked to Sophia about how people can say nasty things when they aren't comfortable with things.  The conversation went like this.   Some people get pregnant and give birth to their children and think that is the only way to have a child. Some people have white skin and think that is the best kind of skin to have. Some woman fall in love with men and get married and think that all marriage should be between a man and a woman. Some people are born into a male body and feel like a male and think that is the only way to be. People can believe whatever they want. However because some believe the things they do they don't accept others who are different from them. They may say hurtful things to them, not want to hang out with them, even hate them. Sophia's response was "We all share the same world and we must take care of it. And we are all different and that makes the world a better place.". That is coming from a six year old. If all children grew up in homes that taught respect for individuals the world would be a better place. I hope all those raising children show respect and tolerance for others. It will go a long way in making the world a better place.


Sophia also competed in her third horse show of the season.  She got a huge ribbon for coming in second for the entire season.  

Sophia also competed in the in-house show over memorial day weekend.  Here she took first place for position/overall riding skills and the cross rail jump.  She took fifth for pleasure.  Once again the judge said that sometimes the best riders take riding so seriously they forget to smile!  

We celebrated Mother's Day with Grandma Beadle and Grandma Bev.  Sophia even went for a swim.

Sophia and I started our garden.  We spent 7 hours in 90+ degree weather getting it ready.  I planted some vegetables and Sophia planted a butterfly garden.  

We visited the farm again.  This is something we did all the time when Sophia was younger.  Kids grow too quickly!!

 And some of our other "children" enjoying spring.