FUNNY Family!

Video of Joshua cracking up because his daddy put some glasses on, he doesn't wear glasses, and Joshua finds it HILARIOUS! Sissy joins in too!

M.....More!

Joshua is now consistently using his m sound for more! Sometimes it even sounds like the word more! I truly could watch him do this all day long, it's so exciting! :-)

Love one another!~Yvonne

Daddy catching our Angel...

GREAT idea for a water play table!

Water table, from I Make Stuff.

I just LOVE this idea! We could actually make it to fit Joshua's very tall height, a reason I have not bought any of the pre-school water tables! Going to get Hubby busy this week, while he is on vacation! ;-) I will definitely implement her idea of the hole at the bottom, with a water stopper, for easy draining and changing of the water.

Love one another!~Yvonne

Teaching the Alphabet

I love these fun play-dough mats that you can print out (the link is a pdf file). (Here are more ABC activities from the same site, Alphabet Resources) I love that it has a colorful picture of an object that begins with each letter, AND the upper and lower case of each letter! So many things only have one or the other of the letter case. You would want to print these on cardstock, and laminate the pages, and then your could have your child/children roll their play-dough into long snakes (a great fine motor activity) and lay them into the outlines of the letters. You could also use vis-a-vis markers or maybe something like these, Crayola 8ct Dry Erase Crayons Large Size, to work on tracing skills also. I found the link to these pages at this blog, it's a very cool Montessori style teaching blog. I love the Montessori way of teaching pre-schoolers. I love that it incorporates so many motor skills activities that the pre-school age needs to work on.

My son Joshua, who is 6, and has Angelman Syndrome, struggles with large and fine motor skills. I can find so many ideas, in the Montessori teaching style, that I can use to work on those skills with him. I need to do ALL activities with him using HOH (hand over hand), it takes a lot of repetition for his brain and hands to get on the same page. He KNOWS exactly what he wants his hands to do, but his arms and hands just don't cooperate with his brain. It is super frustrating for him, but he works SO hard, and doesn't give up! He is a such a fighter and I am always inspired by him, and he doesn't give up just because it's hard, but he keeps on trying over and over, AND he does it with the best attitude! I can, and do, learn a lot from him everyday about perseverance, and doing it with a happy heart! He is such a living example to me daily of Philippians 4:13: I can do ALL things through HIM who strengthens me.

Love one another!~Yvonne

Joshua and the Motorcycle

You haven't seen a kid who loves motorcycles until you've seen MY kid who loves motorcycles!!!



We are forever trying to find motorcycles when we are out driving around. We actually go for drives on the weekends, just to find them. This one kept us truly amused on our trip home from Galveston yesterday! It passed us once and Joshua squealed with delight. Well, we've always wanted to get his reponse on video, so...Hubby takes off weaving through traffic after this motorcycle, with Caylee and I cheering him on. It was quite the chase! We finally got past him, so that he could again pass us, and we could roll Joshua's window down and wait for the response! :-) It was GREAT, and so much fun. Some days when it's nice out there are so many out for drives, and he is such an ecstatic little boy! Of course, we enjoy his response just as much as he enjoys the motorcycles!!

It's the little things in life, ya know?

Love one another!~Yvonne

Alphabet Therapy

This is a video of a 5 year old little girl, named Rylee, with AS, in a session with Fae Lumauag, from The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Alphabet Therapy Program.

We are hoping to bring Fae to Dallas, sometime in the near future, to work with our local families! What a great opportunity!!

Rylee's daddy, Ryan, wrote a book called Jade and the Walking Stick it's a fabulous little book! A snippet of the book summary: Inspired by the story of a young girl with Angelman Syndrome, Jade and the Walking Stick is a fantastical tale of a special needs child coping with the challenges in her life. Written for the author's daughter, the book symbolizes the developmental milestones common to special needs children through a fantasy fiction narrative. A fable of acceptance and triumph, Jade and the Walking Stick should inspire others to face all of life's challenges with a smile.

Love one another!~Yvonne

Whip'em out! It's what your knockers are for!

LOVE this! In our area there are some pretty awesome breast feeding commercials on the radio right now too! I love them. I hope they are making a difference in changing the minds of some whose minds had been closed to the idea before. I know there were people in my own family who thought I was some hippie weirdo for breast feeding Caylee 17 years ago. LOL!

EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides

Download this guide to the "Dirty Dozen" and the "Clean Fifteen"

Why Should You Care About Pesticides?

The growing consensus among scientists is that small doses of
pesticides and other chemicals can cause lasting damage to human
health, especially during fetal development and early childhood.
Scientists now know enough about the long-term consequences of
ingesting these powerful chemicals to advise that we minimize our
consumption of pesticides.

What’s the Difference?

EWG research has found that people who eat five fruits and
vegetables a day from the Dirty Dozen™ list consume an average of
10 pesticides a day. Those who eat from the 15 least contaminated
conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables ingest fewer than 2
pesticides daily. The Guide helps consumers make informed choices
to lower their dietary pesticide load.

Will Washing and Peeling Help?

The data used to create these lists is based on produce tested as
it is typically eaten (meaning washed, rinsed or peeled, depending
on the type of produce). Rinsing reduces but does not eliminate
pesticides. Peeling helps, but valuable nutrients often go down the
drain with the skin. The best approach: eat a varied diet, rinse all
produce and buy organic when possible.

How Was This Guide Developed?

EWG analysts have developed the Guide based on data from nearly
89,000 tests for pesticide residues in produce conducted between
2000 and 2008 and collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. You can find a detailed
description of the criteria EWG used to develop these rankings and
the complete list of fruits and vegetables tested at our dedicated
website, www.foodnews.org.

THE POWER OF INFORMATION
Headquarters 1436 U St. N.W., Suite 100 Washington, DC 20009 (202) 667-6982

Learn More at FoodNews.org

Joshua SWIMMING!

Joshua has just recently begun to swim in the pool, with only a floatie around him. I am so happy for him, and for us! ;-) The freedom is amazing, for him and for us! ;-) He twirls around and around and swims from one side to the other, chasing kids or toys. The pure joy is so evident on his face. The first couple of times he did it, I think he was truly amazed and so proud of himself. I love my Honey Man! Enjoy a picture and video from today's swim!

P.S. I think he may have swimmer's ear. :-( Will be calling the pedi in the morning to get it checked out.





Love one another!~Yvonne

This is beautiful...

I LOVE this!!!!! Way cool! I will never, ever forget the first time I did something "alone" I went to the mall, all by my lonesome, around the age of 19. It was strange at first, but then I realized that I loved it. I just had to learn to be comfortable with myself. A week later, I then went to a movie. I was really digging it. ;-)

Love one another!~Yvonne

Joshua LOVING The Wiggles!

It was such a HUGE blessing to be able to take Joshua to see his favorite group and to watch him enjoy it so much! My heart felt so full of love and thanksgiving, watching him. He sat for a full 2 and 1/2 hours, completely mesmerized!

We not only got to watch the show, but also got to meet The Wiggles and have our picture taken with them. Joshua wasn't too thrilled about the picture at the time, he wanted to visit with the guys, and instead we were having him turn away from them and look at the camera! He didn't find that to be the best use of his short time with them. I kind of agree, but I'm glad that we have it, and he did enjoy looking at it last night. :-)



I also bought Joshua the PERFECT shirt!



All in all a VERY good day!

Love one another!~Yvonne

Joshua and Johnny Joe

Choco-Cherry Oats and Chia Breakfast Cereal

Made this recipe up this morning and it was a huge hit with the kids and myself. Joshua ate all of his, and then screamed for MINE! ;-)

I have finally figured out the right ratios of oats/seeds/water, so that I can post the recipe!

In a bowl combine:
1 cup of oats
5 tbsp of chia seeds
2 2/3 cup of water

Stir it once, and then again after about ten minutes. You are then going to let this sit overnight, in the fridge if you like, I just leave mine on the kitchen counter, covered, so that it's not so chilled when we eat it.

Topping:
20 cherries, pitted
2 tbsp of raw coconut butter (I use the Artisano brand and get it at Central Market)
2 tbsp of Nutiva chocolate hemp protein powder
handful of pecans (you can use any nut you like)
agave to taste preference

Put all of this in your food processor and blend it on the pulse mode, so the cherries are still a bit chunky.

Scoop oat/chia mixture into a bowl and add topping mix, and close your eyes and enjoy! It's heavenly!

Love one another!~Yvonne

Hot Raw Chef Contest

It's too late to vote for the Hot Raw Chef, but thought you may be interested in watching all the video entries still. Wow, there are so many delicious looking recipes that were entered. The winner will be announced on July 27th, only 2 days away. I wonder who will win?!?