Beckett Updater

I met with the school district on Monday to discuss Becketts evaluation. First of all, I thought it would be a short one on one meeting, but I was wrong. I sat with a whole panel of experts and discussed every part of the assessment. Long story short, he doesn't qualify. Its rewarding as a mother to hear that your child is average or above average for his age group in almost every category. The only one he was behind in...speech. No surprise there. They said he was much too smart qualify for the whole preschool program and for the speech aspect he wasn't far enough behind. To qualify, you must be below level in at least two categories. He was only behind in one. They called him a big baby three. Meaning, he is big for his age, but still barely three. If he is still having issues in 6 months to a year, they will reevaluate just his speech and see if there is an opening for the speech part of the program. Honestly, I didn't think the school district would be a good fit for him, but wanted to explore all my options. And now, this is no longer an option so we will stick with our private practice. Which is great.

He went in for his first session Monday morning. It was wonderful. They tested his hard sounds vs soft sounds. I was able to watch and observe and learn how to help Beckett during the week. We were assigned a new technique to help give B the best help we can. It's all about sound progression. Previously, we were trying to get him to say the whole word, but now we just focus on one part of the word at a time. For example, we have a the sweetest little friend named Paige, who we lovingly call Paigey. Beckett has referred to her as 'Po" for as long as I can remember. His brain thinks Paige and he mouth says, "Po". So instead of working on saying Paige, we have been working on just saying PAY, over and over until he gets it. Less for his tongue to try an articulate. Brandon, our speech therapist, doesn't want him to have to think about the words that come out. It needs to be natural and the best way to do that is practice individual sounds until they become habit. And you know what, today it worked. He said, "Pay-jee". It was awesome. Its just like the scriptures say, "Line upon line". One step at a time. And we'll get there. 

Color Run Fun

Today we participated in the color run. We went with our friends the Turneys and had a ton of fun. The kids did great and ran at least half the time. Well maybe not ran, but walked or jogged or marched and held hands. It was awesome. We are so lucky to have such good family friends where everyone gets along. The husbands get along. The wives get along. And the kids love each other. Couldn't ask for anything better.

The actual race was awesome. There were a lot of runners but there were also a lot of walkers, like us. Tayden and Beckett loved the color stations, but Cache absolutely hated it. In fact most the time he either cried or wanted to be held. There was a lot going on and he wasn't a big fan. But he did enjoy seeing the police cars and all the airplanes. No surprise there. I can't wait to do it again next year! It seems like it's going to be a new fun family tradition. We took lots of pictures. Enjoy.

I blogged this from my ipad, so my pictures aren't centered. Anyone have tips about that?

Desert Gems

This week I discovered two new desert gems.

The first, Calico Basin. I have heard my friends talk about it over and over, but I haven't been there until now. We did a little field trip for Becketts preschool and it was awesome. Its only about 20 minutes from the house and is a great place to let the kids run, get some fresh air and look at some awesome rocks. I can't believe we've been in Vegas almost 3 years and I am barely experiencing this awesomeness. This is definitely going to be a visitor stop when people come. *hint hint*

The basin boasts an awesome boardwalk. There are also actual hiking paths, but the boardwalk is perfect for the kids. 

Cache loved it too.

And the second desert gem, my very own backyard! We put in grass this weekend and I could not be happier. Everyone worked together and we (mostly) had fun doing it. I mostly enjoyed being outside and getting my hands dirty. My little Idaho heart was bursting with happiness. After it was laid, we all just sat in the back and enjoyed it. Then Tayden promptly brought down his toys and played outside for a little bit. It is my little slice of heaven. And little it is, but even more so heavenly. My very own oasis.

We'll move the tramp back to the corner of the yard and the eventually get an outdoor table for the patio. We love eating outside. 

Cache's cheese face. We're in trouble! 

Fixing the sprinklers. Barefoot and soaking wet in the middle of February.

The desert does have some perks afterall. 

Evalutation Day

Friday was Becketts evaluation day. His speech was assessed by a private practice and the school district. It was a long day for him, but we did great and I am so excited to get the ball rolling.

We went to the private practice first. Beckett put up his usual guard and refused to talk to anyone. They were so patient and gave him time to warm up. B played with me for a few minutes and then ever so slowly the therapist started to play with us and within minutes he had won Beckett over. They played with toys and then did picture drills have B say the words of the pictures. Brandon, the speech pathologist, suggested Beckett go to therapy twice a week. He determined it was strictly an articulation problem, which I already knew. They were hopeful it wouldn't take too long of articulation focus to get Beckett on the right track. He has most the sounds, just not the patterns. His tongue gets confused and doesn't know exactly where to go. 

Pros and cons?

Pros: This place was awesome and Beckett loved Brandon. Which is a huge deal. It is family oriented and allows siblings to come if needed. I would be involved every step of the way and they would be teaching me what I need to do at home, so he would be getting the right help seven days a week. Beckett would work one on one with the same person and with his particular delay one on one works the best and fastest. 

Cons: Insurance may not cover it because it is not a medical need. We find out Monday if they will or not. If they don't, its a pretty penny.

We went to the school district in the afternoon to get him tested. I was a little frustrated as I felt like he was just another number getting tested. He did great though. He saw about 7 different people for different assessments. They all did something different. He was tested not only for his speech but all academics and milestones for his age. He was at level or above for everything other than speech. He did great with his shapes, colors and some letters. He knew all the feelings and how to react to certain situations. He is smart and people kept commenting on how intelligent he was. His response was, "I know. My brain is super smart. It tell me what to say." He put on his Beckett charm and everyone fell in love with my infectious red head. 

Pros: Its free.

Cons: He would be in a classroom setting with other kids that may have more severe problems, potentially leaving Beckett to be overlooked. The focus would not be on his speech 100% of the time and I would not be a part of it at all. Its a drop and go program. He may not even qualify because of his higher scores. Although, some of the therapist thought they might have room for him to attend just the speech portion. 

Obviously, I would like him to go to the private practice and will do everything that I can to get him the help he needs. Either way, I am so excited to be able to help Beckett. He has the funniest personality and I am so pumped to share it with everyone.  

Bright, Sunshiny Day

For Becketts preschool class we had planned to take the boys for a little hike on a local trail in Red Rock. When we woke up, it was cloudy, foggy and rainy. We didn't get to go on the hike and to say the boys were disappointed in a major understatement. The only thing that would soothe the poor boys hearts was an awesome fort built by yours truly. We watched movies and ate lunch and dinner under the fort. It was awesome and stayed up all weekend. 

Yes, I ghetto rigged two portable DVD's on top the dog kennel because I am just that awesome. 

When we woke up Saturday, Tayden quickly reported that it was perfect hiking weather. So after naps, we packed up the kids and went for a hike. We borrowed a backpack from some friends and Cache loved it after he stopped crying! We went to up a trail that is literally 2 minutes from our house... I love where we live. It was really fun and it was a nice change of pace. 

This is our development. I don't know why I didn't take a picture from the top of the mountain, but this is mid hike. The large building in the bottom right is Taydens school. 

 Close up of the strip.

 It was really super bright. 

And this city dog loved it more than anyone I think.

It was a good Saturday.

Hopefully we can make it out more before it gets too hot and the snakes come out!

Sick...

Scott worked nights last week, which meant we were due for a sick spell. Every time he works nights, someone gets sick, without fail. As he finished up his mids last week, I commented on how surprised I was that nobody got sick, minus my nagging headache. As soon as I opened my mouth, I heard a little cough from Beckett. That turned into a full blown cold for the three boys, Tayden and Scott ended up with a short flu spell and my headache came back with vengeance. It was a rough week, but we made it through and are getting back to normal. Until next week, when he is scheduled for nights again! 

I'll get a post up with pictures soon. 

I promise.