Dear Daniel,

Wouldn’t it have been funny if I answered your phone call like this?

Quote:???? I’ve had a really lousy Christmas, you’ve just managed to kill my New Year’s, if you come back on Easter- you can burn down my apartment. (Lucy, While You Were Sleeping).

LOL!!! :)?? I love you brother. (I had to look that up – I am not as quick witted as you hee hee).

**********Sorry folks – brother-sister insider****************?? 🙂

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So here is a weird thing.?? Ty has a terrible time with colors so today we worked on color flashcards.?? He was getting them all right but I had a funny suspicion that we weren’t making headway.?? I went in to my closet and pulled out a red shirt and asked him what color it was and he couldn’t tell me.?? Even after memorizing the red flashcard.?? Hmmmm….

This evening he pulled out the flashcards in front of Daddy and we started reviewing them again.?? All became clear to me when he slowly said bbbbbbblllllllack.?? I started covering up the labels and as I suspected, he started getting them all wrong.?? Turns out, he was never memorizing the colors.?? He was reading the labels.?? So first off, again I have to ask, how can he read the labels????????? Second, do you find it strange that a 4 year old can read his colors before he knows them LOL??? Tanner had a hard time with colors also so I doubt it’s color blindness.?? Grandma Cheri??? Color blindness in the genes?

Already had to talk to Cheri about genetics today once.?? I am concerned about Ty’s toes.?? They honestly appear to be looking clubbed but we always teased about the “flintstone toes” gene in Ty’s birthfamily so I had to ask Grandma Cheri for specifics.?? My concern is that Ty’s CP is changing the development of his feet.?? I’ll post pictures soon and see what you think.?? I don’t see his neuro or ortho until next year.

I tried having him hop on one leg today and he couldn’t come close.?? It was pretty cute watching him try though.?? His little fists were tightly balled (he always does that when something challenges him physically).?? I had tears streaming down my face last week in AIT because he was so far behind the other kids running and I could tell he was trying so hard.?? You can really see his CP when he is running.?? I mentioned this to Dad and Dad very wisely said “Why are you crying when you watch him run??? You should be crying because he can!”.???? I started tearing up all over at that because I realized Dad was so right and why couldn’t I always see the glass half full on this topic.?? I guess because I am a mom.?? I won’t let my son see my heart ache for him – it wouldn’t help him.?? I make him tough through it and I give him no sympathy.?? We both have to be brave and grateful.?? We have been so blessed and have no right to utter a single complaint.?? No right at all.

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Tori is loving the word UP UP UP today.?? She says it with such gusto too.?? At nine months she can say, mama, dada, hi, baba (bottle), na na na (no no no), up, and I think she is saying tuh tuh for Tanner.???? She really loves Ty too.?? In fact, you can usually find Tori by looking for Ty.?? She??usually gravitates to wherever he is.?? I suspect it is because they both like to be independent but they want to be near people so they like each others company but they leave each other alone.?? Her brother Tanner??gives her absolutely NO personal space.?? :)?? ??She has been practicing her stand alot today.?? She randomly stands and lets go and then gives me an enormous grin waiting for my praise.?? She was so cute at Church yesterday.?? She loves worship time and just sings away at the top of her lungs.?? She even started raising her hands too.?? Adorable.?? Ty did that as a baby as well.?? Speaking of worship, Tanner came up to me after lunch yesterday, grabbed my hand and said “Mommy.?? Guess what??? I closed my eyes when I sang today.?? It was Holy Fire.”?? (Song by Jeremy Camp).?? So sweet.?? Tanner is at that age where he can’t decide if he is too old for holding my hand or not.?? He keeps slipping his little hand in mine real casually and then will let go or he’ll slowly touch my fingers just a bit and then walk away.?? I can tell he is trying to decide and my heart is breaking at what will come next.?? Praying this stage will last a little bit longer.?? I am not ready for that little hand to leave mine yet.