Updates & pictures!

It's been a while since our last post. Sorry! Not much has changed in our world - Ben is still looking for a job (keep praying about it!), Joshua is still stealing hearts, & I'm still loving spending all this time with my pudgy little bug!

One of the things we were most excited about when we decided to move back to New York was all the festivals in the summer. Every weekend there is something going on & somewhere to go. A few weekends back, we went to the Park Ave Fest. Joshua loved being outside and seeing all the people. We found a hat that actually fits his head and he wore it all afternoon! It was a beautiful day for a festival too. Not too hot, not too cool.

Last week, we went to Red Creek to visit with the Nodine's while mom was in California. We went out on gramma's birthday. Perfect timing! We had a fun time celebrating at Uncle Brian & Aunt Carly's house until the mosquitoes decided to feast on Joshua. Then it wasn't so fun anymore. I can't really blame the mosquitoes, I nibble on him all day long too! :) Gracie, Uncle Brian & Aunt Carly's dog, really enjoyed the empty beer bottles left on the lawn. They really were empty...don't worry. :) The picture is just too funny not to post! Aunt Carly made a delicious boston cream pie for gramma's birthday. The candles were having a hard time staying lit in the breeze, but Aunt Carly was determined to keep even a few lit so gramma could blow them out. We got to visit with most of Ben's relatives while we were out in Red Creek. We especially enjoyed seeing the newly built Duvall mansion (they have 13 kids now & the house is really really big), and visiting with Ben's cousin, Melissa, and her boys. Koby, Melissa's youngest, was the perfect host (thanks again for the brownies, Koby!) and loved playing with Joshua. Josh also really enjoyed watching the fish in their tank!We really enjoyed our time with gramma, grandpa and the rest of the Nodine's. It's so nice to be able to visit whenever we want to. I'm glad we're close enough to see these two grow up together!

Today, Joshua was evaluated for the Early Intervention (EI) program. A special ed teacher and a physical therapist came to see him to evaluate whether or not he was delayed enough to get services. They determined that he is right on schedule cognitively, but his motor skills are behind. He is delayed enough to qualify for services, so an occupational therapist (OT) will be coming to see Josh twice a week to work on his motor skills. We're excited that we'll be getting some help for him and we are really hopeful that it will make a big difference in his future. He gets frustrated so easily when he tries to grasp toys. His right hand is much more stiff than his left and he has a hard time getting all his fingers to open up. He also has really low core strength so he has a hard time sitting and lifting his head to proper position. That being said, these are all things that we can work on and hopefully find ways to do things that work for Joshua so we're not that worried. I mean, being really, really, ridiculously good looking and having great motor skills would just be too much to handle I guess! So the motor skills had to go. :)