Summer

In June we took a trip to San Diego and stayed with my parents for a long weekend.

We went to the Del Mar Fair.

We went to the beach.

Abby loved being in the water. She wanted to crawl right out into the waves. Spencer was a little more timid. It took a lot of effort to get him to let go of our hands! He warmed up to it eventually.

Mostly, we just enjoyed being OUTSIDE!

We don't get to spend much time outside during the summer back home. It's too hot.

Father's Day.

The Primary kids sang in church again for Father's Day. I looked at Abby up there with all the other kids, and I am certain that for a split second I saw her grin.

We had our own 4th of July celebration with sparklers in the backyard. Spencer loved them. Abby wasn't so sure...

Abby got lots of practice with her walker over the summer. Several times we went down to the mall before the stores opened so she could walk around without all the crowds. She does really well now. It seemed like every time we went, she was better at maneuvering around road blocks and anticipating turns. The first time we did it, she walked for 30 minutes before tiring. A month later, she walked for an hour straight! 

This video is from July. She does even better than this now!

Abby has been "helping" me do the dishes lately. At first I thought she really did want to help. But I soon realized that she was only interested in dumping water out of bowls and pots. She looks like she's really washing dishes in this picture though!

Before church one Sunday, Abby thought the ottoman full of books looked like a good place to sit. Of course, Spencer quickly agreed and jumped in with her.

Abby can't get enough of her little brother. She is always trying to get her hands on him.

Spencer isn't always thrilled about it...

Abby started Kindergarten last week! Seriously, when did she get old enough for real school?

She's in a Special Ed class with 4 other kids, grades K-3. It's been a bit of a rocky transition for all of us, but I think good things will be coming soon. It helps tremendously that Abby is now able to show people how smart she really is. A few weeks ago she finally started pointing to pictures when asked to identify something specific. One of the aides told me a few days ago that she was impressed by how smart Abby is. That day during class Abby had identified all her colors and got most of her numbers and alphabet correct. I'm glad they were able to see under the surface and realize that she isn't just a bump on a log. That was a HUGE concern for me. I wanted to make sure that she would be challenged in school and taught age appropriate things, and not just end up being babysat for six hours. She decided to start pointing at just the right time. 

Spencer loves the extra one-on-one time with me while Abby is at school. Surprisingly though, six hours goes by really fast! I think maybe I set my expectations a little too high for what I could get done while Abby is gone. But my house is the cleanest it's been in 3 years. Ha!