Gearing up for the Big 3

I should start out by mentioning something that I've left out of my last few posts. Ian has now officially been home with us longer than he was in orphanage care. That is substantial to me for many reasons. I know there are many out there who will understand the magnitude of that statement.

Moving on... Ian enjoyed another fun sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa T's house Friday. Shawn and I needed some time to go out shopping for his birthday. It is only the second time he and I have shopped for Ian together and the first since Ian has been home. Hard to believe, but true!

We went to the Lego store and Toys R Us and spent almost our whole b-day budget on only a few small things. I always said I would never get sucked into Thomas trains or Licensed characters. Boy was I naive! There's no getting around it, just no way. They fill that Thomas aisle with something irresistible to kids and dads... OK, and me on occasion. It's impossible to stay away.

Shawn begged to get him a PlayMobil scuba guy and shark...Not because Ian will enjoy it, in fact he will most likely play with it for a few minutes and relegate it to the bottom of the toy box. No- They're for Shawn. He justified by saying they'd make great bath toys. Uh-huh. Sure.

I'll go over his birthday loot later in the week, but let's just say he'll have plenty to open, and more than last year. We were shocked at how many aisles we skipped in TrU that contained toys he was receiving as recently as 6 months ago. He is definitely growing up fast!

Also a big deal, today is Ian's last speech therapy appointment. I'm so sad; we will definitely miss Mona. I made her a card and got her a set of the Brain Quest 2's "Max" cards that have helped Ian so much. Hopefully she can use them with her son or with other therapy families.

Also exciting, Shawn's uncle Andy is coming to visit from Minnesota this week! He'll be here for almost 2 weeks, so I'm sure I'll get a good number of pics. It will be Ian's first time meeting Andy and the first time we've seen him for several years.

Below are a handful of pictures from Ian's latest adventures at Grandma & Grandpa's house. I'd like to add an extra huge THANK YOU to Ashleigh for all the time she spends with Ian. Teenagers would probably much rather be doing other things, but she is always excited to spend time with him.

Making a bead necklace with Ashleigh

Head over heels about puzzles!

Working through the tough pieces

Super Ian!

His favorite spot in the house...

...Grandma's window seat!

Dancing in the street

Hanging out in grandma & grandpa's newly landscaped yard...on grandma's rock: Hudson