There were two on the couch...

Both boys love this spot on the end of the couch. Sometimes they fight over it, and once in a while they can get along well enough to be there together. They did this the other night and I couldn't NOT take a picture! It's so fun to hear them playing together. Sometimes they fight like cats and dogs, but more and more lately they love to play together. This is what I had really hoped for when we found out Trevor was a boy, and what I was afraid wouldn't really happen when we found out Jaylen was autistic. But Jaylen has come a long way. At his parent-teacher conference in November, his teacher said last year he wanted to spend more time showing the teachers how much he knew academically, and not as much time playing with the toys and other kids. This year he is much more into playing with the toys and learning to play with the other kids the way he plays with Trevor. He started Awana this past year, and for the most part really likes going. He was chosen to be the Cubbies helper a few weeks ago, and boy, did that boost his self-esteem! He was so excited to tell me about it! And Geoff (who got there early to pick up so was watching him through the window) said he did so good at the front of the class, handing out papers and doing whatever they asked him to do. We still have our "bumps", but overall, Jaylen is making great progress!

Still kickin...

So I thought on the off chance that anyone still checks my blog, I would do a little posting today... :) Since my last post was- ok, this is ridiculous - in October, a lot has happened! I had a birthday, Thanksgiving, went on a train ride with the kids, got a new niece, the Christmas parade, Christmas parties and Christmas presents, and oh yeah, Christmas... And now Jaylen has had another birthday, Wendy and the kids came for a visit, and now we're about to start planning a party for Trevor's 3rd birthday. So let's get some pictures on here of a few of the things that have been happening...

In November, my mom and sister and I got a chance to walk through the house I grew up in (I lived there until I was 15!). This is a picture of the boys in my old room... When I lived there, the room was pink and the carpet was bright red. Jaylen kept asking where he slept. :)

On December 21 came the arrival of my sister Trischa's little baby Addison... so precious!

Then it was Christmas! It was really a fun Christmas, and busy as usual. Lots of family to spend time with, lots of presents to open, and trying to make sure our kids understand that Christmas isn't just about getting stuff, it's about Jesus being born so He could die for US! Sometimes I wonder if we're getting through to our kids, then I hear things like this morning Jaylen said to Trevor : "Hey Trevor, you know what? Jesus is in heaven making a house for you, and one for me. And they're going to be really big houses. And you'll get to live in yours all by yourself! Doesn't that sound cool?" Well, at least some things are getting through. :)

Here we are at Jaylen's birthday party at the Jump Around Fun Zone. The kids got to jump in the bounce castles for a while, then we had cake and presents in the party room. Jaylen is plugging his ears in this picture (he always does this when we sing "Happy Birthday"), but he really didn't plug them for long . We sang a little quieter for him, so he was able to take his fingers out. :) And yes, I'm actually posting a picture of myself. Lovely double (or triple) chin, no less. Guess I forgot to employ my "push-your-toungue-to-the-top-of-your-mouth" strategy for this picture. So Jaylen is a big 5 year old now, and Trevor will soon be 3. Jaylen told me last night he doesn't want to grow up. I agree a little, because sometimes I want him to stay little, but I do want to see him grow and mature and become his own person too... So I'll just try to enjoy each stage while it lasts. :)