The spirit of Christmas!

I absolutely love the holiday season! I always have these grand ideas of how we will decorate the house. With the hectic life we live, usually I have to settle for a few lights on the house, a decorated Christmas tree, and maybe a few decorations. Tuesday night, I drug the tree down from the attic and the kids helped me decorate it. Mallory was pretty exhausted from school, so she didn't stick around long. Matt & Hannah had a lot of fun with the Santa hat's and stockings.

Lil' Miss Attitude!

Hannah has this scratch on her face that will not heal because she constantly picks at it. The other day I placed a Band-Aid on it and got her ready for daycare. I just had to get a picture of her before we left. She was less than pleased this morning and it shows!

Matt's Birthday

Matthew's birthday was on December 2nd. We spent Thanksgiving Day with the Frese side of the family. Matt got some pretty cool toys that any 6 year old would love.

We celebrated with the Walter side of the family on November 30th. Matthew helped bake his cake and frosted it himself. He was pretty proud of his creation.

We decided to surprise Matt with his birthday present at the Walter party. We hauled the bike to Washington without him knowing and presented it to him after cake. His response was "Cool. I wanted that."

Black Friday

Well, Mallory and I were part of the craziness of Black Friday. We headed to Salina that morning to see what deals we could find. We didn't find much for Christmas, but we did find these letters at Hobby Lobby for Mallory's bedroom wall. They were $1 a piece. She loves having her name on her wall, the only problem is she likes to spell it loudly in the morning when she wakes up.

A place to work.

Teaching a child like Mallory takes some creative measures on her teacher's part. Here is Mallory's work space at school. It allows for her to focus on her school work without distraction.

Mal's Bike

I know that I promised this picture weeks ago, but here is a picture of Mal's Bike. She thoroughly enjoys it.

Pajama Day

One of the big treats at school is Pajama Day. All of the students have the option to come to school in their PJ's. Mallory gets so excited!

Mallory's New Ride

Most of you know that we receive case management for Mallory through OCCK in Salina. Our case manager, Lisa, helps in finding resources that make life for Mallory easier. And let me tell you......Lisa is on the ball! She serves on AMBUCS in Salina and told us about their Amtryke program. This program gives bicycles to children with disabilities. The bikes are customized to each child's individual needs. We completed the application and sent it in. To be honest, I was excited but a little concerned about how Mallory would respond to a bike. Physical challenges tend to make her very frustrated. Well, Mallory set my fears aside. Today, was a BIG day for Mallory. She received her Amtryke. Lisa delivered to the school in conjunction with Mallory's physical therapy session.

What bike wouldn't be complete without a helmet?!? I'm going to let Mallory decorate it with High School Musical stickers.

Laurie, Mal's physical therapist, was very instrumental in getting the application submitted. She also helped to get Mallory properly fitted to her bike.

Starting from Left to Right-

Laurie (PT), Me, Amanda (Mal's Para), and Lisa (case manager/AMBUCS rep)

Of course the smiling girl in the middle is Mallory!

Mallory was so excited to receive the bike. She immediately started pedaling it up and down the hallways at the school. In the past, I could get her to pedal maybe 1 or 2 revolutions on a traditional bike. All of the boys in Mallory's special ed class room got to watch the events unfold. While Mallory was biking down the hall, several classes came by to cheer her on. It was a great day! One that I won't soon forget.

One last thing, AMBUCS has done tremendous things for our family and many others. Please consider supporting your local AMBUCS.

Mallory's Doctor Appt

Monday, we met with a developmental pediatrician in Wichita. It's been an 18 month long wait. We spent 1 1/2 hours at the clinic. Dr Kerschen spent most of the time interviewing Mallory and me. I was tickled at the fact that she carried on a conversation with Mallory. She basically wanted to understand "a day in the life of Mallory Walter". She then wanted to discuss our concerns.

I listed them as follows:

1. Sleep (did anyone doubt that this would be top on my list?)
2. Behavior (mainly attention span and the inability to stay focused)

She immediately recommended a higher dosage of melatonin for sleep (we are actually doubling the dosage). She is going to research meds for behavior. I was very pleased with the visit. We go back for follow-up on December 18th.

Mallory and I spent the rest of the day in Wichita. She got to pick where to eat lunch (Chili's). We then spent a good hour at Toys-R-Us. She had fun telling me what she would like for Christmas. We stopped in at Kohl's and grabbed a few items on sale. It was a day well spent!

All grown up.....

It seems like over the last month, Hannah has grown by leaps and bounds. Even though she is the youngest, we've always known that she doesn't consider herself the baby of the family. It is so fun to step into "Hannah's World" and see what is new and exciting.

Rock City

Todd has been very busy with class and work lately. About the only time we see him is as we are hurrying out the door every morning. Quality time was needed so Todd decided to take Matt & Hannah to Minneapolis on Sunday to see Rock City. Matt drug his feet about going, but had a blast once he got there. Hannah, on the other hand, was so excited to go but pouted the entire time they were there. The afternoon was a great opportunity for the kids to hang out with their dad before another busy week began. Plus it gave Mallory and I a little time to hang out as well.

Lazy Day

Mallory really likes to listen to her I-Pod Shuffle. She camped out on the couch the other evening and ended up falling asleep. Some of her favorite tunes are from Camp Rock, High School Musical, and Taylor Swift. I absolutely love it when she sings along to Rock Star by Nickelback.

Matt & Hannah just chillin' on the couch after a long day.

Dedric's Birthday

Did you vote?

Matthew drew this picture at school yesterday. It's nice to know that he leans towards the humanitarian side. The election has intrigued him. They even got to vote at school. Matt came home and said that he voted for "the gray-haired guy".

Prayer Request

Since it was so beautiful last weekend, my sister (Brandy) decided to take Maxton and her dog to the park. It's not far from their home, so she grabbed the wagon and off they went. On their way home, just 3 blocks from their house, two dogs left their porch and pursued them. My sister's dog took the brunt of the attack. The dogs owners tried to call the dogs off to no avail. My sister was able to keep Maxton and herself from getting hurt. Her dog, however, was severely injured. After a lengthy vet visit and major vet bill, her dog is recovering. When my sister called the local police department to report the incident, they informed her that nothing is done until there is a second offense. My sister is now pursuing a dog ordinance change that would require some sort of action on first time offenses. My sister and her son were very lucky that they were not injured. Please keep her in your prayers as her dog heals and she pursues clarification and possible change with the local dog ordinance.

Halloween Pics

Matthew wanted to be a soldier.

Hannah could not decide on a costume. After debating on

4 different ones, she settled for the doctor scrubs.

Hannah would not hold still for a picture, she was too focused on the candy!!


Matthew and Mallory are never this close to each other, without some sort of an attack.

Mallory enjoyed being a chef.

Yummy!

Jackie recently gained two infants at Daycare. Mallory loves to play with them and feed them. Of course, by the looks of the picture, more food ends up on the face than in the mouth!

Unexpected.

Todd's father (Aug), passed away in 2004. Amongst all the things that had to be dealt with, we sold Aug's truck shortly after his passing. A couple from Clay Center purchased it. Aug had been a trucker for years and it was something he enjoyed. There were several weekends when Aug would pass through Abilene and have supper with us.

Todd was in Clay Center last weekend and stopped at a local gas station. While he was there he noticed a magazine promoting Clay County. On the front was a picture of Aug's truck. What a nice surprise! It brought back several good memories for us.

Hannah's Art

Hannah loves to draw. Here is one of her latest creations.

Parent Teacher Conferences

We had parent teacher conferences this week for Mallory and Matthew. Mallory is enjoying 3rd grade. She has a new para this year. They have bonded well and I think we'll see some great strides with Mallory. Mallory really likes music, but science and math frustrate her. Matthew is adjusting to Kindergarten. He is in a really good class of kids. I've attached some pictures from his journal. Matthew likes recess and centers. Centers are when the kids break out into various activities. He particularly likes the play-doh center.

Airplanes

Squidward from the SpongeBob cartoon.

Trip to Hays

Saturday, we took a day trip to western Kansas. We drove to Ellis and had a picnic at the city park located next to Big Creek. The kids had fun running around and crossing the bridge. We made a visit to the train museum and the kids enjoyed watching the miniature train display. Afterwards, we traveled to Hays and toured the Sternburg Museum and Fort Hays. It was a day well spent and one that the kids won't soon forget.

Mallory enjoying the day at the Ellis City Park.

The kids enjoying the train display.

Matthew and Hannah standing on the miniature outdoor train track.

Mallory balancing items on a scale.

Matt & Hannah inspecting teeth.

Hannah.

Matt & Mallory

T-rex

Matthew comparing his wing span.

I want to ride my tricycle.

Hannah received a tricycle as a birthday gift in April from her Grandpa and Grandma Frese. She was pretty excited about it and this fall she has really taken off with riding it.

Finally updated!!

It took a little time but our blog is finally up-to-date. I'll try to do better at posting regularly.

Volleyball in AV

Hannah

Amber's Team


Mallory

Gina and Maxton

I traveled to Alta Vista with my friends (Jackie Walsh, Terry Kiser, and Beth Kiser) and our 9 kids. My sisters were organizing a sand volleyball tournament (sounds kinda crazy for October!). But anyway, they needed some more players. The weather was perfect. Our feet were sore by midafternoon from running and jumping in the sand barefooted. The kids spent all afternoon at the park and played and played and played. My friends and I played on Amber's Team with her husband (Matt) and our cousin (Jeremy). My little sister, Brandy, had a team with her husband's family. Neither team won the tournament, but we still had a great time!

Horseplay

The kids were riding on each other's backs, pretending that they were horses. They had a blast! Their laughs are infectious.

Daddy's Little Helper

We planted some grass seed this fall. It seems like it's a never ending task at maintaining a lawn. Hannah likes to help. She had fun spreading the straw.

Let's Pretend.

Hannah has quite the personality. Besides playing with her babies, and mimicking everything we do, she now uses everyday objects as part of her play. On this particular day it was raining. Hannah used a dish towel and pot holders and made herself a raincoat.