Kailee Walking!!!

Its official, Kailee has past the phase of taking a couple of steps here and there to walking short distances! She will be running in no time :) So here is our cute little ragglemuffin, right after her nap - of course she rolls all over the place so her hair came out of her cute little pig tails - and the video is sideways....cant figure that out at all!! haha

School Days

Cayden started pre-school at the beginning of September. I was able to take hime his first day of school; he was really excited until he realized that I would not be staying with him. His fear tugged at my heart; but I was able to hold back my tears. His teacher told me that his first day went well and he wasnt nervous for long, especially after seeing his little girlfriend, Aspen (a cute little girl that he had gone to early Head Start with) is also in his class.
He missed almost two weeks of school after his first day because of some bussing issues. Last Tuesday, he resumed going to school and got to ride on the "magic school bus" for his first time. I had been preparing him for a couple of weeks to get him familiar with buses and he was truly excited. The morning of his first official bus ride had finally came, so I got him ready for school and put on his Batman backpack and we stood outside in the driveway and waited. Every car he heard he would get more and more excited. Finally, we could see the bus coming down our street. Cayden could hardly contain his excitment.

The bus pulled up to our house and we began to walk to the door. The doors opened. Caydens eyes became wide and he grabbed on to me, "I dont want to go." The bus assistant met us at the door and Cayden took an instant liking to her. I helped Cayden onto the bus and then they drove away. I cried as I walked into the house.
I decided to go grocery shopping with Daves niece and found this to be an easy distraction, even though I checked my phone at least a thousand times. I wanted to be sure I was home to meet the bus to make sure that my little man made it back to me in one piece. Luckily we made it back just in enough time. The bus pulled up and I walked over to the door, Cayden came running off the bus talking so fast it was almost difficult to keep up. He loved it! He couldnt wait to go tomorrow!

He is so grown up!

Growing Up So Fast!

Sorry - this is a couple of months old, we had some internet issues and now they are fixed! Yippie!!!
Kailee has become quite the little monkey. She crawls all over the place and will pull herself up on anything she can. She will eat anything is sight, as well - however, she still remains tall and skinny. It takes a lot of food to fuel her constantly moving body. She is such a happy baby and is really easy going. Her most recent developmental landmark - she waves bye bye! Sometimes it is accompanied by "bububububububu," but either way is just as cute! We love her so much! She definately has us wrapped around her tiny finger. Cayden has grown to love her as well, she is the first person he wants to see in the morning. I LOVE MY KIDS :)

Life

This is not a post about my wonderful kids and the joys of motherhood - but simply an observation of where I am standing and currently find myself in a reflective state as I begin to move forward feeling the resistance like a brilliant windstorm pushing me back..but I continue, with my hair a mess and feeling the exahstion to my core.

Motherhood isnt easy. Life isnt always easy.

I never truly comprehended how much more chaotic life would be with 2 kids. How in the world did my mom do it with 6 (or 7, now)? Im constantly moving. I love to write and so I take the time to do things such as this, but honestly this single blog entry took me days to compose, seriously!

Im finally starting to make connections with people outside of my home. Any mom knows what a blessing it is to have these connections. These connections remind me of what it is like to be Casey. Ill never stop being mommy or being a wife, but it refreshes my soul when I can remind myself what its like to just be me.

Life seems to have taken our little family in some not-quite-planned directions. It can and has been stressful, any adult knows that feeling of "its not ever going to end..." so feeling completely defeated this morning, I began my morning routine of work, school and the daily maddness that is called Cayden and Kaille. I checked my email, and generally I do not read forwarded emails until I have spare time -- so generally, once a month late on a saturday or sunday night. But, for some reason I chose to read this email on Wednesday morning and it was just what I needed. So I feel compelled to share it.


In April, Maya Angelou was interviewed by Oprah on her 70+ birthday. Oprah asked her what she thought of growing older.

And, there on television, she said it was "exciting." Regarding body changes, she said there were many, occurring every day...like her breasts. They seem to be in a race to see which will reach her waist, first.

The audience laughed so hard they cried. She is such a simple and honest woman, with so much wisdom in her words!

Maya Angelou said this:

"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow."

"I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights."

"I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life."

"I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as "making a life."

"I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance."

"I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back."

"I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision."

"I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one."

"I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back."

"I've learned that I still have a lot to learn."

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Kailee Ann

Our baby girl is growing up so fast! 6 months already! She has mastered rolling all over the place, grabbing anything in site, serenading us for hours with her squeals, and eating! I know she doesnt look like it, but this girl LOVES her food - and if I let her, she'd love everyone elses food too. She also is quite proud of her sitting abilities and most recently has managed to pull herself up onto her hands and knees, she doesnt go anywhere but its really cute!


Here is our angel doing what she loves -- eating! I believe this is Squash.

Another Day at the Miller Farm

So - heres the short version:

Dave and I stayed up way too late on Saturday night and the next morning we struggled to take care of our kids. So, he napped with Kailee while I attempted to keep my eyes open while hanging out with Cayden. I fell asleep....and woke up to this:



What is this, you ask? Well its a special paste made of diaper rash ointment and baby lotion...and I believe white face paint may have been added. All accompanied to a soundtrack of "Ghostbusters" that Cayden was singing while dancing around with his backpack on his back that has the vacuum hose attached. I promise to get a picture of the backpack and post it at a later time.

Anyhow, 5 hair washings and a long bath and I finally found Cayden.

Cayden

Cayden is amazingly brilliant and has been blessed with a gift that allows him to see the world in a way that others have forgotten or never learned. Because of this, his spectrum of possibilities are endless and I look forward and feel greatful to be blessed with the ability to make the journey with him.
He is high functioning autistic. What does this mean to him? absolutely nothing! He will coninue to view the world with his carefree heart and optimistic, innocent eyes. What does this mean for me? A lesson in patience and a greater need to protect him from people who have no understanding or who may label him as anything other than the amazing little man he is!
We have been blessed to have Cayden involved in a program that allows him to work with people that will not let him slip through the cracks of "public education." I wish I had the means to educate everyone on what autism is...maybe one day.