With that being said, I am probably going to give the following subjects much less blogging fanfare than they deserve, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.
So let's get started....
After looking at Cole looking like this for too long...
Abe convinced me to give the little guy his first haircut.
It was pretty traumatic for both of us.
I will admit, it did look so much better when finished, but I don't think I will be cutting it again for a while (I want some of his curls to grow back, maybe-hopefully- even fill in!)
Cole also turned 3! I can't believe my baby boy is 3!!! We took him to his favorite, Fuddruckers, and he raced boats and shot moose all night long.
Surprisingly, when we got home, we asked what he wanted to do and his response was "pull weeds." Weirdo!
We then gave Cole a garbage/trash themed birthday party- which, as always, I put way too much time, money, and effort into- but it was a lot of fun!
These were all my decorations. I made all the lanterns and garbage can paraphernalia, and the newspapers were abundant.
I also put all the chips/snacks in garbage cans...
...and made a garbage truck cake (as long as you didn't look too closely, it looked halfway decent.)
Our activity was a garbage pile bug search- complete with claw grabbers
I made Cole a shirt again this year, though I didn't get a good picture- you can kind of see it here, it says 'Trash Talker' under the garbage truck.
Cole did so well at blowing out his candles, that we had to relight them like 3 times! He kept blowing them out before we could sing, get pictures, etc...
I also made this little mural to go around the kitchen island, and paper pieced the houses together.
We had a Fabulous 4th and spent the evening watching fireworks off the deck, for probably the last time (one of the great benefits of living on a mountain top.)
We then gave Cole a garbage/trash themed birthday party- which, as always, I put way too much time, money, and effort into- but it was a lot of fun!
These were all my decorations. I made all the lanterns and garbage can paraphernalia, and the newspapers were abundant.
I also put all the chips/snacks in garbage cans...
...and made a garbage truck cake (as long as you didn't look too closely, it looked halfway decent.)
Our activity was a garbage pile bug search- complete with claw grabbers
I made Cole a shirt again this year, though I didn't get a good picture- you can kind of see it here, it says 'Trash Talker' under the garbage truck.
Cole did so well at blowing out his candles, that we had to relight them like 3 times! He kept blowing them out before we could sing, get pictures, etc...
I also made this little mural to go around the kitchen island, and paper pieced the houses together.
We had a Fabulous 4th and spent the evening watching fireworks off the deck, for probably the last time (one of the great benefits of living on a mountain top.)
We then spent 5 days in Phoenix, came home to get ready for 2 days, and then headed off to Utah with my family.
Here is how Cole kept entertained most of the trip...
We spent a day in Park City at the Bitner Family Ranch. Cole was totally in his element...
He really enjoyed the sheep through the fence.
Aaawww! A picture of Mommy and Cole (one of very few, ever!)
He didn't enjoy the sheep so much on his side of the fence...
While all this was going on, I was at the outlet mall across the highway on a very successful shopping trip.
We then had a barbecue with some of my dad's family. Cole wanted in on the volleyball action bad!
He got his turn!
And two bowls of homemade ice cream for all his hard work!
Cole also found ways of keeping himself entertained on yet another shopping excursion.
The ultimate reason we went to Utah was to drop off my youngest brother, David, at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) where he will prepare to serve a mission for the LDS church in Guatemala. While in Utah, David taught Cole to attempt to touch his nose with his tongue, which has become an obsession of Cole's (and which is what he was doing earlier in the clothing rack base). Here, they were doing it together.
After coming home from Utah, I spent a few hours at home, made a mad dash to Phoenix to do my friend's hair before she got married, and ran back home to prepare for 9 days in Michigan!
Here is how Cole kept entertained most of the trip...
We spent a day in Park City at the Bitner Family Ranch. Cole was totally in his element...
He really enjoyed the sheep through the fence.
Aaawww! A picture of Mommy and Cole (one of very few, ever!)
He didn't enjoy the sheep so much on his side of the fence...
While all this was going on, I was at the outlet mall across the highway on a very successful shopping trip.
We then had a barbecue with some of my dad's family. Cole wanted in on the volleyball action bad!
He got his turn!
And two bowls of homemade ice cream for all his hard work!
Cole also found ways of keeping himself entertained on yet another shopping excursion.
The ultimate reason we went to Utah was to drop off my youngest brother, David, at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) where he will prepare to serve a mission for the LDS church in Guatemala. While in Utah, David taught Cole to attempt to touch his nose with his tongue, which has become an obsession of Cole's (and which is what he was doing earlier in the clothing rack base). Here, they were doing it together.
After coming home from Utah, I spent a few hours at home, made a mad dash to Phoenix to do my friend's hair before she got married, and ran back home to prepare for 9 days in Michigan!
What was so nice about our Michigan trip was that there were no set plans. Besides making it to the Dining Hall in time for meals, the rest of the day was spent doing absolutely whatever! This year, the weather was great, so we were able to really enjoy the lake.
This was Cole's first time in the water.
He was quite unsure about going in...
Cole and his partner in crime (and hunting), Felix. Felix is one of Abe's cousins who lives in England.
Cole finally got off of the stairs.
And then he found why Higgins Lake is so fabulous. It is literally 2-2 1/2 feet deep for about the first 40 to 50 feet from shore, at which point it drops to a whopping 3-4 feet deep. At some point it does drop off to much, much deeper. It is an awesome lake for kids, since they have SOOO much space they can play in. (my depth ranges are just guesses, I couldn't find anywhere to give me exact figures)
Kayaking with Dad
Taking a rest on a raft
...and the dock
Here is Cole, Felix and Georgia making the pilgrimage to the dining hall.
Cole quickly learned that the best thing about the dining hall is the abundance of ice cream cones...
After lunch one day we took a walk and Cole decided to take a nap. He slept in his stroller on the screened in porch, with the lake breeze blowing in for like two and a half hours! Everyone was jealous!
Abe's dad, John, spent most of the trip in similar scenarios. He was such a good sport...
Cole would gather "hot nuts" (long story) for the squirrels and chipmunks and place them on the stoop of the deck. I would wait a while and then throw them to the wind and tell Cole that they had come and eaten them all *repeat* Much to my surprise, one day I actually caught a chipmunk eating them!
After two "sca-wee" firework displays in Utah, Cole began to warm up to them a bit
Cole also got to go play golf with his Dad and Gaga. Golf is his new favorite past time- I can't begin to tell you how many pictures I have from the last few weeks of this kid playing golf.
He really though he was one of the big boys...
He also did a little "work" with Dad
Cole and Felix spent much of the trip sharing their love of weaponry. They also went on several "hunting" excursions a day.
Cole even helped Abe light a few fireworks.
Family S'more time (there's a few neighbor kids there, too)
Cole getting his first taste of the Geupel Family Bongo Board...
Cole and Abe headed to Costco- don't worry, there is no air bag up front and Costco is less than a mile away!
So, as a follow up to Cole and his therapy- things went great. He had been doing so well in speech, that for the last three weeks that he was still eligible to receive services (the state literally only covers kids until the day they turn 3), they sent the OT only (plus, they justified it that he will get speech services like crazy in preschool.)
Basically, the first time she came, she just sat to observe Cole and his behaviors during a speech session. Of course, Cole being the charmer that he is, was a near angel while Cassidy (his SLP) was there and his OT (Raina) was beginning to wonder what she was doing there. She, at a later time, told me she was grateful she stuck around that day, because you better believe the instant Cassidy left, Cole began to act like his self (his self around me, anyway), and at that point Raina thought 'Oh, this is why I'm here.' (this was after he walked up and smacked me for talking about him, and when Raina told him that that was unacceptable behavior and we don't hit people, especially mommy, he turned and screamed at her to "shut up."-- We can't really have that happen at school now, can we?)
She had several opinions of Cole and his behaviors, as well as suggestions and tips that have been a tremendous help to me. In a nutshell, Cole is too smart for his own good, causing him to feel he is a peer to adults (and sometimes, superior to adults-especially me) and definitely superior to his true peers. Raina also commented that in all her years, she has never seen a child so concerned with/focused on what the adults were doing and discussing, and chiming in like he did (especially for his age.) She feels there are also many other factors into his behavioral issues, that are too boring and intricate for me to enumerate here- but just know that I (as well as those who spend time with Cole) are having to make adjustments, all for his ultimate benefit. She also helped me realize things about myself and the way I parent, which has been invaluable. Because of the time constraints, we crammed 3 information-packed sessions into a week (basically, we sat at the kitchen table and just went back and forth for an hour+ at a time.)
Cole's therapy overall has helped him/me/us more than I would have thought possible. The State Coordinator also wants me to look into a developmental children's psychologist or developmental pediatrician (which I will be discussing with Cole's pediatrician at his upcoming well-check for a referral) just to help give me some more understanding and guidance at how to adapt and handle a child like Cole (you may think this all sounds crazy, perhaps extreme, but I have discussed this matter to death with trained professionals, and a dear friend who has been through a very similar situation, and they all agree that this is all/has been more than necessary to help Cole, especially for once he gets to school and to make sure he never becomes labelled the 'bad kid'- which we are quickly approaching that irreparable territory, and that would be more than awful, because he is anything but a bad kid, he just needs some extra help right now, and we've been fortunate enough to receive that help.)
I am more than grateful though that I have had the help and direction with all this that I have had. My aforementioned friend tells me all the time that she wished she had known about all these services (or that they had even had these services) when she was dealing with her son, and I will forever be grateful to Cole's pediatrician for the referral (and forever drive to Scottsdale to see her!), because never would I have known that any of this would be available and be so beneficial to my son and our family.
I think that will be it for the serious stuff- now I'll just go back to writing about Cole coloring on all his new toys, or pulling out scissors to cut open packages of Reese's PB Cups that he helped himself to out of the upper pantry, or getting himself a can of pop out of the fridge in the garage- all of which has just occurred today!
This was Cole's first time in the water.
He was quite unsure about going in...
Cole and his partner in crime (and hunting), Felix. Felix is one of Abe's cousins who lives in England.
Cole finally got off of the stairs.
And then he found why Higgins Lake is so fabulous. It is literally 2-2 1/2 feet deep for about the first 40 to 50 feet from shore, at which point it drops to a whopping 3-4 feet deep. At some point it does drop off to much, much deeper. It is an awesome lake for kids, since they have SOOO much space they can play in. (my depth ranges are just guesses, I couldn't find anywhere to give me exact figures)
Kayaking with Dad
Taking a rest on a raft
...and the dock
Here is Cole, Felix and Georgia making the pilgrimage to the dining hall.
Cole quickly learned that the best thing about the dining hall is the abundance of ice cream cones...
After lunch one day we took a walk and Cole decided to take a nap. He slept in his stroller on the screened in porch, with the lake breeze blowing in for like two and a half hours! Everyone was jealous!
Abe's dad, John, spent most of the trip in similar scenarios. He was such a good sport...
Cole would gather "hot nuts" (long story) for the squirrels and chipmunks and place them on the stoop of the deck. I would wait a while and then throw them to the wind and tell Cole that they had come and eaten them all *repeat* Much to my surprise, one day I actually caught a chipmunk eating them!
After two "sca-wee" firework displays in Utah, Cole began to warm up to them a bit
Cole also got to go play golf with his Dad and Gaga. Golf is his new favorite past time- I can't begin to tell you how many pictures I have from the last few weeks of this kid playing golf.
He really though he was one of the big boys...
He also did a little "work" with Dad
Cole and Felix spent much of the trip sharing their love of weaponry. They also went on several "hunting" excursions a day.
Cole even helped Abe light a few fireworks.
Family S'more time (there's a few neighbor kids there, too)
Cole getting his first taste of the Geupel Family Bongo Board...
Here is Cole driving the Ponta. *note that just about every child in the family has a picture, at about this age, similar to this. ** I also have to add that this was one of the most hysterical boat rides I've ever been on, for reasons too numerous to mention now, but it will definitely be one for the ol' memory bank.
All that driving was hard work...Cole spent the rest of the trip like this:
...and followed it up at dinner with this:
He actually fell asleep at the dining hall several times. We also celebrated Abe's birthday while we were there (along with his cousin, Ava, and aunt, Amanda). Unfortunately, I don't have any great pictures from his birthday (he got a cake and sang to at dinner), because right before we went to dinner, Cole suffered his greatest injury to date. Let's just say that a very large and heavy wooden rocking chair somehow made contact with his mouth, while his tongue was between his teeth. Let your imagination go, and you probably still won't be able to picture how gruesome it was. It's an absolute miracle that it didn't go all the way through (though, it came about as close as it possibly could to doing so!) That incident kind of put a damper on the whole evening, but fortunately, it has been healing quickly, and he is able to eat and drink normally again.
Like I said, I probably did none of these events the true justice they deserve. Things have been hectic, crazy, but ultimately fun. We have had a blast the last few weeks, and are now just trying adjust back to normality
Of course, our normality now involves school...but that will have to wait for another day.
All that driving was hard work...Cole spent the rest of the trip like this:
...and followed it up at dinner with this:
He actually fell asleep at the dining hall several times. We also celebrated Abe's birthday while we were there (along with his cousin, Ava, and aunt, Amanda). Unfortunately, I don't have any great pictures from his birthday (he got a cake and sang to at dinner), because right before we went to dinner, Cole suffered his greatest injury to date. Let's just say that a very large and heavy wooden rocking chair somehow made contact with his mouth, while his tongue was between his teeth. Let your imagination go, and you probably still won't be able to picture how gruesome it was. It's an absolute miracle that it didn't go all the way through (though, it came about as close as it possibly could to doing so!) That incident kind of put a damper on the whole evening, but fortunately, it has been healing quickly, and he is able to eat and drink normally again.
Like I said, I probably did none of these events the true justice they deserve. Things have been hectic, crazy, but ultimately fun. We have had a blast the last few weeks, and are now just trying adjust back to normality
Of course, our normality now involves school...but that will have to wait for another day.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Cole's Therapy Progress
Cole and Abe headed to Costco- don't worry, there is no air bag up front and Costco is less than a mile away!So, as a follow up to Cole and his therapy- things went great. He had been doing so well in speech, that for the last three weeks that he was still eligible to receive services (the state literally only covers kids until the day they turn 3), they sent the OT only (plus, they justified it that he will get speech services like crazy in preschool.)
Basically, the first time she came, she just sat to observe Cole and his behaviors during a speech session. Of course, Cole being the charmer that he is, was a near angel while Cassidy (his SLP) was there and his OT (Raina) was beginning to wonder what she was doing there. She, at a later time, told me she was grateful she stuck around that day, because you better believe the instant Cassidy left, Cole began to act like his self (his self around me, anyway), and at that point Raina thought 'Oh, this is why I'm here.' (this was after he walked up and smacked me for talking about him, and when Raina told him that that was unacceptable behavior and we don't hit people, especially mommy, he turned and screamed at her to "shut up."-- We can't really have that happen at school now, can we?)
She had several opinions of Cole and his behaviors, as well as suggestions and tips that have been a tremendous help to me. In a nutshell, Cole is too smart for his own good, causing him to feel he is a peer to adults (and sometimes, superior to adults-especially me) and definitely superior to his true peers. Raina also commented that in all her years, she has never seen a child so concerned with/focused on what the adults were doing and discussing, and chiming in like he did (especially for his age.) She feels there are also many other factors into his behavioral issues, that are too boring and intricate for me to enumerate here- but just know that I (as well as those who spend time with Cole) are having to make adjustments, all for his ultimate benefit. She also helped me realize things about myself and the way I parent, which has been invaluable. Because of the time constraints, we crammed 3 information-packed sessions into a week (basically, we sat at the kitchen table and just went back and forth for an hour+ at a time.)
Cole's therapy overall has helped him/me/us more than I would have thought possible. The State Coordinator also wants me to look into a developmental children's psychologist or developmental pediatrician (which I will be discussing with Cole's pediatrician at his upcoming well-check for a referral) just to help give me some more understanding and guidance at how to adapt and handle a child like Cole (you may think this all sounds crazy, perhaps extreme, but I have discussed this matter to death with trained professionals, and a dear friend who has been through a very similar situation, and they all agree that this is all/has been more than necessary to help Cole, especially for once he gets to school and to make sure he never becomes labelled the 'bad kid'- which we are quickly approaching that irreparable territory, and that would be more than awful, because he is anything but a bad kid, he just needs some extra help right now, and we've been fortunate enough to receive that help.)
I am more than grateful though that I have had the help and direction with all this that I have had. My aforementioned friend tells me all the time that she wished she had known about all these services (or that they had even had these services) when she was dealing with her son, and I will forever be grateful to Cole's pediatrician for the referral (and forever drive to Scottsdale to see her!), because never would I have known that any of this would be available and be so beneficial to my son and our family.
I think that will be it for the serious stuff- now I'll just go back to writing about Cole coloring on all his new toys, or pulling out scissors to cut open packages of Reese's PB Cups that he helped himself to out of the upper pantry, or getting himself a can of pop out of the fridge in the garage- all of which has just occurred today!
*On a super side note- with all this happening I have been more than terrified of Cole getting kicked out of preschool for behavioral issues. I have been informed that because we have an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) in place, they can't kick him out! Woo hoo! Though I am sure I will still get called into the office regularly- though I am really hoping and crossing my fingers not to!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Wow!
So things have been a little hectic around here, between therapies, wrapping up MOMS Club, house hunting, house keeping, and the obvious- dealing with the antics of a three year old (yes, he is now 3!!!)
But I am happy to say that they are all DONE! Well, maybe not- I'm still house hunting and house keeping and dealing with the antics of my 3 year old! However, we are done with therapy (speech and occupational) and I am Done, DONE, DONE with MOMS Club... which means, I will hopefully have a lot more time to blog again (hopefully there are still some out there who check in to this poor little neglected blog of mine!)
That being said, I have a lot of catching up to do, and I will begin when I know that my boy child is no position to strangle the dog with his belt, spray sunscreen ALLOVER the entire house, and smash a box of Frosted Flakes all over his playroom (and I wonder why there is an ant problem in there?), which are all some of his most recent antics (honestly, I think the dog was 30 seconds away from dieing!) which is precisely why I am going to go now!
But check back soon- because I am back!
But I am happy to say that they are all DONE! Well, maybe not- I'm still house hunting and house keeping and dealing with the antics of my 3 year old! However, we are done with therapy (speech and occupational) and I am Done, DONE, DONE with MOMS Club... which means, I will hopefully have a lot more time to blog again (hopefully there are still some out there who check in to this poor little neglected blog of mine!)
That being said, I have a lot of catching up to do, and I will begin when I know that my boy child is no position to strangle the dog with his belt, spray sunscreen ALLOVER the entire house, and smash a box of Frosted Flakes all over his playroom (and I wonder why there is an ant problem in there?), which are all some of his most recent antics (honestly, I think the dog was 30 seconds away from dieing!) which is precisely why I am going to go now!
But check back soon- because I am back!
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About Me
- Becky
- Prescott, Arizona
- We are the Geupel Family. We have been married 6 years, have a 9 year old yorkie, and the best, sweetest, most amazing and rambunctious three year old boy anyone could ask for!
Becky and Abe
The Cole-Man
Dozer
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