Here we go!

This summer has flown by...

We are heading out tomorrow morning for mom's house. Madeline has sessions 3 days this week and then starts preschool next Monday. We get to go and meet her new teacher on Thursday afternoon.

This is where a little more of the anxiety picks up, probably mostly for me. School isn't Madeline's favorite but she needs to go so we'll make her think it's the most exciting place on the planet. Who knows, maybe it will be :)

Here our a couple pictures of the girls with the moving boxes.

Packing!

I really hate packing! It's such a crazy process I barely know where to start.

Last week we were up in Seattle for Madeline's intake meeting and her first official session with her new ABA consultant. It was both sad and exciting at the same time. We are going to miss Audra dearly but we're really hopeful that she'll keep Madeline in her schedule as often as possible.

Madeline wasn't too sure about the new place at first. She cried when we first got there for awhile. It looks a little like a doctors office and those aren't her favorite places. I kept thinking how the space needed a major overhaul of paint and decor but I assume they keep it very bland because lots of kids have sensory issues and fun colors and pictures might be sensory overload.

I really like Jennifer, Madeline's new consultant. She has a dog named Aurthur that she brings in with her everyday. Madeline was interested in the dog, but only for a few minutes. Hopefully they'll become friends. Jennifer knows she has her work cut out for her, I hope she's ready.

Madeline is 4!

Wow, I can barely believe it. Four years ago we were watching the summer olympics in a hospital room and Jon and I were talking about how the next time the summer olympics came around Madeline would be 4. It was so crazy to think of that looking at a tiny, day old baby girl but here it is. We have been through an amazing journey in the last 4 years. I can't even imagine what life will be like during the NEXT summer olympics :)

Hopefully no one got their feelings hurt for not getting an invite to a birthday party. Madeline's not a big fan of crowds so we only had a couple people over for cupcakes. I figure it's her birthday she should get to have a good time.

We are still in the house hunting process. We've just recently rented our home in Vancouver for a year. Hopefully this means we can sell it next year and not lose a ton of money on it.

School starts Sept 8th so we'll be in Seattle then for sure. Next week is Madeline's first meetings and appts at NBA which is her new ABA tutoring place. Audra is going up with us for the initial consulation and meeting to make sure the new consulatant gets all the details on Madeline. We've also been video taping sessions with tutors so that they can see how she works.

Hopefully we'll be able to find a house and close soon so that we won't have to live in mom's basement too long. :)

Rockaway Beach

We're home from a week at Rockaway Beach, Oregon. For those of you unfamiliar with the area it's about 30 minutes south of Cannon Beach. It's a lot quieter. Less people on the beach and in town. A lot more peaceful. We've also noticed that Cannon Beach and Seaside tend to be in a cloud cover most of the time and we've had amazing weather at Rockaway.

We went on the trip with Jon's cousins PJ, Tami, Madison and Jadon. We have a great time whenever we are around them. Tami and I have lots of things in common and I think Jon and PJ are two peas in pod. Maddie is the best babysitter we could ask for, she loves playing with the girls and she's great at taking care of them. Very responsible for a 10 year old. The added bonus is that they don't seem to mind the added noise level when my kids are involved! :)

Madeline had fun. She loves the ocean! She'd stay in that FREEZING cold water all day. She loves having the waves crash down at her feet.

Abby wasn't too sure about the beach. She wanted to head straight for the water but she only wanted to be at the actual beach for about 20 minutes and then she was pointing back at the house.

Here are some pics!

Finally Ready!

The house is finally ready to sell. The sport court got the finishing touches put on today and we are totally kicking ourselves for not finishing it sooner. It's beautiful.

We showed the house this afternoon to a couple, friends of our neighbors, that has already looked once before. We are giving them until Monday morning to decide on it. If they don't want it then I'll post it for sale by owner Monday morning.

So exciting!!