Family Photos

For those who are interested, we had a photo session with Chang2Studios and here are the pictures:  http://www.chang2studios.com/client-photos/2013-05-30-Revoredo-Family-Session
This was long overdue as we hadn't had one since Joe was 18 months!  I admit, I was being a little vain.... I really wanted my braces to be off before we did this session!  Thanks Rich and Leeann for the great photos!

All in a weekend's work...

I decided to bite the bullet and attempt potty training this weekend.  Joe's final day of school was last Thursday, and I thought what better way to start the summer than 3 days of potty training.  :)  I was thinking do the hard work now, and then refine the skill all summer, right?

I knew it wasn't going to be easy.  I mean, potty training a stubborn boy (who also has a language delay)?     Whew.  

Friday was terrible, Saturday was a little bit better, and today, well, Joe was requesting to use the potty by the end of the night!  Yahoo!  He's not fully trained, but like I said, we have the rest of the summer to work on that.   

So, dozens of laundry loads later, through tears, triumphs, and sunken cheerios, I am ready to call it a weekend. :)

Lydia turns 5!

We can't believe our "little Lydia" is five!  She is such a blessing to us.  She adds so many laughs and so much joy to our home.  She is our little jokester/comedian.

This was the first year we decided to a do a "friend" party for Lydia.  I may have overdone it a little with 20 somes kids at our house, but it was a great time!  And we couldn't have asked for a better weather day, it was perfect, thank you Lord!  The theme was flowers, as Lydia LOVES flowers.

Our friend Leeann at Chang2Studios took photos, which was the best gift!  Thanks Leeann!  Here are some pictures from the day!

 Anticipating the arrival of her friends!

Recieving her favorite flower from Superhero, Caleb :)

Trying out the party game (toss the squishy animal in the sand pail)

Dirt Cake time!

Reading her cards(she actually re-read her cards many times in the couple of weeks after her party)

"Thanks for coming!"

Lydia, we love you and thank God for you!  So glad you enjoyed your party!

Big accomplishments

We have been working with Joe on riding his kettler bike since last summer(we took a break over the winter). Last year it pretty much involved us pushing him or him just shuffling along using his feet to make the bike move. His therapists told us it would likely take him longer to learn the skill of pedaling and steering because of the motor planning piece to it. To our great surprise, Joe biked all the way to the park tonight. We just went to the same park on Sunday and he had to be pushed the majority of the way. So we were not expecting such a huge change in a couple of days, even weeks or months for that matter. Something must have just clicked for him. Marc and I shared a proud moment just watching him go! We only regret not catching it on video. Go Joe, go!

Joe's first week of school and Weekend fun

Joe finished his first week of school. He seemed to like it. The only way for me to really gauge that is by his willingness to go back. It was weird to only have him home in the afternoons but I know he's learning a bunch and hopefully growing in the skill of sharing. :) it is nice to have some one on one time with Lydia too.

Pics from first day (it was Hat Day for Lydia)



Saturday we had a great family day. We rarely have a free Saturday so it was really a great gift to have a free day combined with glorious weather. We got breakfast out at Grammy D's (last time I was there was 2 days before Joe was born!), played at a fun new playground, got some flowers from Home Depot, and went on a bike ride, which was fun for all. We did the Palatine bike trail. Thanks to some friends of ours for the bigger bike trailer. Our kids outgrew our old one last year. Hopefully by the end of this summer Lydia can bike along on her own. We're working on it!


Halfway through bike ride we stopped at "The Hill"(one of Marc's memorable childhood spots) for a break/snack.

And later on in the day we tried out a new to us bike attachment for Lydia.  We weren't sure how she'd do or feel about it, but I feel pretty safe saying it's her new favorite thing!  

Joe is 3!

What a great year this past year has been for Joe!  He has changed so much and it has been fun to watch!  His personality is coming out more and more, and we're seeing his sense of humor (and mischievousness!) all the time.  He just LOVES to be with his sister, and has even learned the "art" of teasing her.  Payback can be brutal.  This week, despite the rain, snow, and more rain, we had much reason to celebrate, as we celebrated Joe's life, specifically him turning 3!

His actual birthday was Wednesday and he woke up to a medley of Thomas balloons in the kitchen, and a special birthday breakfast (cinnamon rolls, bacon and OJ).  For those of you who know what we eat most mornings, this was indeed a special breakfast! Then we went to the Choo Choo restaurant in Des Plaines.  This was a cute little restaurant that has a train that brings the food to you.  So fun!  Then on the day after his birthday, we had family over for pizza, cake and ice cream.  Joe was super excited about all the fun!  He got some trains, CD's, a t-ball set, and even a fake mustache from Lydia(she picked it out at the party store, lol).  All in all we had a great time celebrating Joe.  We are so thankful for him and the way he makes us all smile and laugh!  Happy birthday Joe, we love you!

Joe, Marc, and I at Choo Choo

Lydia(being camera shy) and Nikki at Choo Choo

Thomas Cake: Pre-Frosting

                                                       

                                                  

Thomas Cake: Outlined!

Thomas Cake: Finished product!

Singing Happy Birthday to Joe!

                                                                 Yum yum yum...........

Catching up- Winter/Spring 2013

I had made the lofty goal of blogging more in 2013, and I have failed.  I'm okay with that, though.  I think my new goal is to blog more in 2013 than I did in 2012.

This winter has been really hard for me.  Unexpectedly so.  There are a few reasons for that.  The move to a new house, though so exciting (and believe me, we are still enjoying the "newness" of it), was a bit more stressful than I anticipated.  I know that moving is on the list for things that cause stress, but I guess I was thinking more about the packing and the stress of closing, etc.  Moving with 2 small children, one of whom is tied to, and finds great comfort in his routine, made life after the move a little bit more difficult.  Also, Lydia had separation anxiety for the first few weeks when she was back at school after the move, while Joe had tears/tantrums almost every time we left the house the first few months(due to being in a new environment).  One of these alone was enough to cause anxiety, but combined, oh boy!   Thankfully, we've made it through and there were many times when I would pause, breathe slowly,  and ask God to get me through.  He did, of course!  I'm sure as a parent, I will have countless more moments like that, due to various reasons!

My Grandma Wise passed away in early March.  This came rather unexpectedly, and we miss her.  I'm just thankful I got to say goodbye.

Grandma Lohela has also been in the hospital a couple times, and we've been up to visit her and Grandpa a few times, which has been nice.

But though it's been a hard few months, we've had a lot of great moments.  And spring will be here soon. :)

Visiting Grandma L. while she was in the nursing home.

Playing in the snow!

All dressed up for Palm Sunday

Visiting Grandma and Grandpa over Spring Break. Joe was giving Grandpa "squishes".

Easter Egg Hunt in our back yard on Easter!

All the kids holding their eggs (aka candy!)