kinley started preschool!!!

kinley started preschool last week weds at canyon creek. we were so excited when she got her placement for her IEP for speech there since her cousins go to that school. it is so nice to not have to drive all the way across town like we had to last year. kinley is on a IEP ( individual education plan) for speech and occupational therapy. since she has both apraxia of speech and sensory integration disorder we feel so blessed to life in a state that supports kids with disabilities and provides schooling and therapy! we met kinley's speech therapist and occupational therapist at her new school and LOVE them both! they are so great with kinely and have a huge heart for kids with disabilities. i of course get nervous being at a new school and a new environment...wondering how kinley will react and do. i am so happy to say that we are on day #4 of school today and when i dropped her off she just gave me a kiss and said "bye mom" and ran to sit and color with some new friends! it feels sooooo good to see her excited and adjusting so well!

when i think back to last january when she first got placed in school for her IEP she could not say but maybe 5-10 words...and here we are 6-7 months later and she is talking SOOO much more. she is able to communicate a lot of her needs and what she is feeling! it brings tears to my eyes thinking of all the answers to the many prayers we had for kinley! we have a LONG road ahead and i know kinley will always struggle but she is doing amazing!

here are some pictures of kinley before her first day at canyon creek :) she is all the sudden looking so much older!

I love you kinley hudson! you are a LIGHT in in life! i feel soooooo BLESSED to be your mommy! your SMILE and JOY for life touches everyone around you! God made you SOOO SPECIAL and i can't wait to see how He is going to use you ! i am SOOO PROUD OF YOU!!!

grand lake getaway

we were lucky enough to go away for a weekend with the jon and maggie to grand lake. my aunt and uncle have a BEAUTIFUL cabin overlooking the lake..it is amazing! we all left the kiddos at home in the care of gracious grandparents and had an adult only weekend! it was such a treat to get quality time with mark and our dear friends. we made SOOO many fun memories! we had great night talks out on the deck snuggled in blankets, campfires, games night, meals enjoying beautiful views, hike to the falls, moose sightings, a boat ride on the pontoon where the guys were brave enough to dive in the FREEZING water...and so much more! it is amazing what a weekend away surrounded by God's beautiful creation can do for you soul! on the drive home mark and i talked about how blessed we are and how it is great to take the time to just sit back and thank God for all his gifts! here are some pictures from our fun weekend away!

fun during track off ~

kya is in year around school so even though she started july 6th she only had 3 weeks of school and they tracked off for 3 1/2 weeks. we LOVE this schedule, it gives her a little taste of what 1st grade will be like and then she gets to go back and have a couple more weeks of summer fun. since we got belle during track off we were mostly home just playing with her, but we also had fun taking her along on some park picnics. this park the girls had so much fun at! there is a little creek that runs along it so they could look for tadpoles and frogs

zac brown~

we were so excited to head to Cheyenne frontier days to hear zac brown! nothing like spending the day with great friends and family, wearing some country gear, and wandering the fair grounds. it was such a fun time!

cute girls!

these machines said standing on them for 15 min was equal to a 1hr workout....oh my goodness it was soo funny watching everyone get on them and see every part of their body jiggle!

love this guy!!

my sweet friends!

mark with the "young girls" :)

bringing belle home

the long awaited day came for us to pick up belle! the girls were so excited!!! our house has been extra quiet since wilson went to a new home...so belle coming home was a big deal :) belle has done AWESOME at home! she is sleeping great, she loves to play and she loves to cuddle! we have not even had an accident in the house yet! here are some pictures of her first day home!