Summertime and the Living is Easy

One of my favorite things about this summer was having a yard. We loved to work in that yard: planning the layout, planting, sodding, resodding, replanting, fertilizing, mowing...it was so satisfying to finally have a property to be in charge of! We would have spent most of our time outside except that our backyard faces west and our trees are not mature...so mostly we spent evenings and nights out there. On the cooler nights we would start a fire, on the hot nights, we'd turn on our fairy lights or just stare at the stars and count satellites. This was a wonderful way to reconnect at the end of a work day, and we enjoyed reading psychological and marriage articles.  We also came up with a game where one person comes up with a category, and everyone just blurts out the first thing that comes to mind: for instance: "The worst thing to name a fish," and Evelyn blurted out: "POOP!"

We also read Hunger Games book one together. Evelyn would teach Timothy how to hunt a Cupcake elephant, or splash together in the kiddie pool. We even love living on a fairly busy trafficked road: it keeps the wildlife at bay....either that or our scary pug does....

We harvested a TON of Zucchini and made chocolate zucchini cake until I was satisfied we had reached our veggie quota for the rest of the year. Right before fall, we figured out how to pollinate tomatoes and we finally harvested more fruit than leaves. 

Timothy is just a joy to all of us: he is starting to discover his imagination and not just reacting to life. His little particular personality is starting to appear: he does not like messes on the floor, and picks up even minute crumbs for me to dispose of. I'm sure this is mostly due to the fact that he spends so much time with his hands on the floor. He loves books, and will read by himself for long periods of time. He loves trucks, trains and balls just like a little boy should, but doesn't really play with other toys. He adores his Eya Foxy. He named her after Evelyn and he loves to play fetch with her and sleep with her. 

When the restrictions on playgrounds were lifted, Timothy got to experience his first swing. He was in heaven! He giggled and begged for more in sign language. Every time he gets within sight of the swings, he starts begging for a ride. He especially loves underdogs. 

 

Timothy has always been a food lover, but he is starting to discover he doesn't love some textures...he's gotten a bit more picky. Sometimes he likes to just throw his whole meal to Angelo. Gelo is getting fatter, but he adores Timothy! 

With Church being at home, we started up a little nursery class for Timothy. We do a quick lesson: our most successful was on prayer: he now says the cutest little prayers all in sign language. Then we do Singing Time. Timothy likes Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. Itsy Bitsy Spider, and I love to See the Temple. 

And then he gets bubble time! 

 

One of the most amazing things about having a baby is getting to experience life for the first time again through their eyes. Timothy got his first hamburger this fall: it was love at first bite! He loves to "Dippa-Dippa" his food in sauces: in the case of hamburger: ketchup! "Di'-Di'!" he says.

We had to make a lot of trips to Shriners this summer because of Timothy's AFO's. He frequently has to get refitted and adjusted so the braces don't cause him skin irritation or slip and cause his clubbed foot to stiffen. He's starting to warm up to doctors again...especially when they starting fitting him for his Wheelchair! He will get his wheelchair in January!

Timothy constantly amazes us with the things he can do. He'll barely be tall enough to reach something on his feet, and he'll stand up to it: how did he do it?! I sometimes can't figure it out. 

More of Timothy's car watching. I love seeing him stand independently. Plus he has crabby pants: can't miss that!

For Summer School this year, Evelyn spent her time collecting points for Fairy Garden accessories. She spent her own guitar money on flowers that she planted and lights so that it twinkles magically at night. She also built her own fairy house out of paper clay. 

Near the end of the summer, we decided we need a change of atmosphere, so we took a trip up Provo Canyon and just stopped wherever we wanted along the way. We drove in a few hours, got a Bear Lake Raspberry shake, skipped stones and climbed trees. We challenged Evelyn to pick one rock, and using only it and the existing stones in the river, cross the river. She only slipped into the stream a couple times. 

Timothy was content just to sit on the river bank and pick up rocks and hit them together or splash them in the water. He filled his bucket with rocks and had a grand time. 

This gorgeous girl is growing up beautifully! She got off her medication when we found out that it stunts growth, and she has been shooting up and growing curvier every day. I'm not sure if she will make up for the two years of stunted growth she had though. She might end up being pretty petite.