Thursday is official Lake Day! We go out on the boat enjoy a relaxing ride then swim till we are exhausted then drive around again to dry off on its off to dinner! We love it, we have been doing it since Erik was 1 year old! He even celebrated his 2nd birthday on the lake!
This year we added our new family member Blue to our weekly excursions! The first time Blue went with Erik to the lake it was too cold to swim! The funny part of everything was how I expected Blue to act! I figured he would get all excited about being on the water and act like a fool! I had to work so when I got home and got the low-down on how the day when Papaw said Blue did excellent! He thought his life jacket was his service dog gear and acted like the perfect obedient service dog! I was wondering how he would act once he realized that the lake was fun and not actually work!
So yesterday we got to the lake and I brought Blue's new birthday toy a water Kong! Climbed down to the shore and told Blue "it's sink or swim buddie" and threw the Kong into the lake! Blue dove in without even thinking and swam beautifully! We did that quite a few more times then headed for the boat! I garbed Blue and Erik in their life jackets and we were off for a ride! They were so cute and enjoyed it so much! Finally it came time to swim! Erik is in love with swimming even though he doesn't know how! He tries really hard and he loves jumping off the back of the boat as you can see in the pictures, he has no fear! I got Blue down on the platform and threw the Kong out into the lake! I didn't think about how Blue was going to get back up on the boat once he retrieved his toy until he was swimming back! Thank goodness the life jacket had a handel on the back and I was able to haul Blue up by that! We only threw the toy out a few times then I made Blue chill out in the boat! It was after all his first time swimming every and he had exherted a lot of energy! He enjoyed every second and kept trying to go back out in the lake with Erik, Papaw and GeeGee.
I took some of the cutest pics and wanted to share them with you! The bond between Erik and Blue grows more everyday! Hope you enjoy them as much and I have!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Erik & Blue at Therapy
On Wednesday Erik has Occupational Therapy! He really likes his therapist her name is Staci! When we first met Staci we brought Blue with us and she was really excited she did her thesis on service dogs and using them in therapy session! She said at some point she wanted to include Blue in Erik's therapy.
This week she was able to include Blue in the session! It was really exciting! Erik cannot stand to go on his stomach or crawl on his knees! Of course Erik & Blue hadn't even been in the therapy room 5 seconds when they found a tennis ball! She was able to get Erik to lay on his stomach across a ball, raise up on his arms and throw a ball to Blue! He sat on a ball and twisted his trunk also to throw the ball for Blue! They both did so great! Blue was a little crazy since a tennis ball was involved but all in all he did really well! She took some pictures and I wanted to share them with you!
We can't wait to see what else Blue can help Erik achieve! We have been so blessed and are really excited to see what the future holds for Erik and Blue, it just keeps getting better! Hugs and Love from our gang will keep you posted!
This week she was able to include Blue in the session! It was really exciting! Erik cannot stand to go on his stomach or crawl on his knees! Of course Erik & Blue hadn't even been in the therapy room 5 seconds when they found a tennis ball! She was able to get Erik to lay on his stomach across a ball, raise up on his arms and throw a ball to Blue! He sat on a ball and twisted his trunk also to throw the ball for Blue! They both did so great! Blue was a little crazy since a tennis ball was involved but all in all he did really well! She took some pictures and I wanted to share them with you!
We can't wait to see what else Blue can help Erik achieve! We have been so blessed and are really excited to see what the future holds for Erik and Blue, it just keeps getting better! Hugs and Love from our gang will keep you posted!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Erik & Blue's Birthday!
Wow what a wonderful time we had! June 28th is Erik's official birthday and 4 Paws estimated Blue's birthday to be around July 1st so I have decided that Blue and Erik have the same birthday! We had a wonderful party! The Standley's came down from Kentucky (they were actually visiting Tennessee) and we were so happy to have them! The Lambert's came as well as many other friends. Erik's teacher Lori came with her children and I hope she will come over again! I rented a HUGE inflatable slide for the kids to play on, they company hadn't put us on the schedule and when I called they didn't even know we had rented it so they were about 3 hrs late arriving to set up the slide! I was not happy since the party had been going for about 2 hours before the main attraction arrived! They discounted the rental and let us keep it an extra day!
All the kids enjoyed the slide and Erik got a trampoline for his birthday from Papaw, Nienie & Geegee. It was also a hit! Many of the families who were able to stay later hung out and continued to enjoy the slide! We had more food than you can imagine, it feed a ton of people multiple meals and even feed Erik and Blue's second birthday party the next day :) Papaw got out his favorite toy, his Ford tractor and rode the kids around or let them drive! Jonathan loved riding the tractor you should have seen the smile on his face!
Blue enjoyed seeing his friends Nitro, Zoro & Case! He got some cool presents as well! He spent a lot of time in his Kennel during the party due to kids running around with plates full of food and that is just tooooo much temptation for a Blue Dog! Nitro hung out in the same room with him so at least he wasn't alone!
Erik loved all his gifts and plays with them every day! He got a drill and saw that he loves to spin and make noise with! He got a guitar that plays cool songs and pushes the buttons often! He got a bubble blower, a spongebob car and so many other neat toys and honestly plays with each of them! The spongebob shirt you see him wearing in the picture was one of his gifts also and he loves it and says Bob every time I show it to him before he wears it!
We enjoyed everyone who came and want to tell you Thanks and hope you will come back out again soon and jump on the trampoline, go on hikes, ride the tractor, and just enjoy relaxing with us! Donna we hope you will be able to bring Rachel and Jonathan over again soon, Larry, Ann & Sara can't wait to see ya'll again, Lori, Reagan & Owen it was great to have ya'll and hope to do it again soon you are a welcome addition to our family of friends, Kelly, Connor & Carter hated that ya'll had to leave so quickly maybe you can come over and spend more time, Cathy and lil Kevin, it was so great to see you and see the amazing progress Kevin has made, you are always welcome, Amy & Valor what a surprise to see ya'll and we enjoyed the way Valor brightened up a room, The Standley's thanks for making the trip you were such a special addition to this years party you are such an amazing addition to our family and we miss you when you are away, can't wait to see ya'll again and the fun things we are starting to plan (Oh yeah by the way everyone keep your ears open for some fun things ahead). The Lambert's love you guys sooooo much and am so glad ya'll were here! To all who couldn't come or are too far away we missed you so much and will have to plan to get together soon!
Enjoy the pictures we love you all!
Deanna, Erik (big 9 year old) & Blue Dog (when do Labs calm down sometime after 2 yr right?)!!!
All the kids enjoyed the slide and Erik got a trampoline for his birthday from Papaw, Nienie & Geegee. It was also a hit! Many of the families who were able to stay later hung out and continued to enjoy the slide! We had more food than you can imagine, it feed a ton of people multiple meals and even feed Erik and Blue's second birthday party the next day :) Papaw got out his favorite toy, his Ford tractor and rode the kids around or let them drive! Jonathan loved riding the tractor you should have seen the smile on his face!
Blue enjoyed seeing his friends Nitro, Zoro & Case! He got some cool presents as well! He spent a lot of time in his Kennel during the party due to kids running around with plates full of food and that is just tooooo much temptation for a Blue Dog! Nitro hung out in the same room with him so at least he wasn't alone!
Erik loved all his gifts and plays with them every day! He got a drill and saw that he loves to spin and make noise with! He got a guitar that plays cool songs and pushes the buttons often! He got a bubble blower, a spongebob car and so many other neat toys and honestly plays with each of them! The spongebob shirt you see him wearing in the picture was one of his gifts also and he loves it and says Bob every time I show it to him before he wears it!
We enjoyed everyone who came and want to tell you Thanks and hope you will come back out again soon and jump on the trampoline, go on hikes, ride the tractor, and just enjoy relaxing with us! Donna we hope you will be able to bring Rachel and Jonathan over again soon, Larry, Ann & Sara can't wait to see ya'll again, Lori, Reagan & Owen it was great to have ya'll and hope to do it again soon you are a welcome addition to our family of friends, Kelly, Connor & Carter hated that ya'll had to leave so quickly maybe you can come over and spend more time, Cathy and lil Kevin, it was so great to see you and see the amazing progress Kevin has made, you are always welcome, Amy & Valor what a surprise to see ya'll and we enjoyed the way Valor brightened up a room, The Standley's thanks for making the trip you were such a special addition to this years party you are such an amazing addition to our family and we miss you when you are away, can't wait to see ya'll again and the fun things we are starting to plan (Oh yeah by the way everyone keep your ears open for some fun things ahead). The Lambert's love you guys sooooo much and am so glad ya'll were here! To all who couldn't come or are too far away we missed you so much and will have to plan to get together soon!
Enjoy the pictures we love you all!
Deanna, Erik (big 9 year old) & Blue Dog (when do Labs calm down sometime after 2 yr right?)!!!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
For Erik by Laura Lambert
This is a poem Laura Lambert wrote about Erik! It is very special to me and I wanted to share it with ya'll hope you enjoy!
(for Erik)
He shrieks
as he pulls up grass and
delights in the feel of sun on his
face
and I am lost in his eyes...
He touches every leaf
he passes,
every flower,
every petal
and claps with delight
at the feel of the rain on his skin...
He has lived a lifetime in
just shy of nine years
I've seen his scars
and know his pain,
and my heart breaks
at any sadness he might know
This boy with the deep brown
eyes
an ocean of dreams
waiting just beyond the horizon...
Locked inside himself
and yet,
his laugh is contagious
and I am wound around his little finger
as surely as he has wrapped himself
around my heart
The sound of his voice,
the mischievious grin
when he knows he's done
something he shouldn't,
the way his hair has
a mind of its own,
just like him...
I can see him,
someday sitting quietly
at a table and telling his mother
how much he loves her,
how much it meant
that she never gave up,
that she never gave in
I know it to be
true for I've seen it in my dreams,
I've seen it in his eyes...
(for Erik)
He shrieks
as he pulls up grass and
delights in the feel of sun on his
face
and I am lost in his eyes...
He touches every leaf
he passes,
every flower,
every petal
and claps with delight
at the feel of the rain on his skin...
He has lived a lifetime in
just shy of nine years
I've seen his scars
and know his pain,
and my heart breaks
at any sadness he might know
This boy with the deep brown
eyes
an ocean of dreams
waiting just beyond the horizon...
Locked inside himself
and yet,
his laugh is contagious
and I am wound around his little finger
as surely as he has wrapped himself
around my heart
The sound of his voice,
the mischievious grin
when he knows he's done
something he shouldn't,
the way his hair has
a mind of its own,
just like him...
I can see him,
someday sitting quietly
at a table and telling his mother
how much he loves her,
how much it meant
that she never gave up,
that she never gave in
I know it to be
true for I've seen it in my dreams,
I've seen it in his eyes...
Sunday, May 24, 2009
My New Coffee Table Decorations!
This is Blue and Case playing on the weekend we babysat Case! It had me laughing so hard to see this huge Golden Retriever standing on my Coffee table like he was my new decoration! Hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I do! This memory is always good for a laugh!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Springing Into Action Again, Hopefully :)
Sorry for the long time between post! I am sure people have quit reading but in case ya'll still check!
Everything has been a whirlwind! It has all been good but extremely busy and crazy! Hey but who's life isn't right? Erik started his new school and has done really well. He adjusted great and even made a friend named Kevin! They shared each others snacks and we learned that Erik loves to dip his food in Honey Mustard (YUCK) & Ketchup, he will eat his roll, his pizza anything as long as he can dip it!
Blue has been amazing but I know he feels a little left behind right now! With Erik being carted across Atlanta everyday Blue gets left at home a lot. I feel bad taking him to Atlanta with me and having him chill in the car for 3 hours and that doesn't include the 1 hour trip down then the return 1hr trip home! So when I take Erik to Marcus Dad lets Blue out a few times and usually when we get home dad has him out on the tether throwing the toy for him. Blue loves his Papaw!
We did the walk for Autism this year and had an amazing time. Laura Lambert and I did a talk about 4 Paws and Autism Assistance Dogs. It went over really well. We didn't pass out a lot of flyers at the speech but when everyone saw how awesome Blue and Zorro were with having the boys tethered and how well the kids walked with their dogs, the flyers started flying out of our hands. I was so proud of Erik and Blue! I have had comments from people who saw us at the walk at how well they did together! Erik only sat on the ground once while we were walking! This is a major improvement because if he had been holding my hand he would have dropped to the ground every 5 minutes and it would have taken me 5 minutes just to get him off the ground! It is really exciting and I am looking forward to upcoming trips and events! Wow who thought a dog could change your life like this!
Denise, DJ, Nitro, Morgan & Zach Standley came for a visit in April and we had an amazing time! Since I started my new job I don't have a lot of time off right now but I was able to work out a few days to hang with them. They stayed at the Lamberts for a few nights and then came out here and stayed two nights with us! We went to an Alpine Village named Helen, GA and walked around, went to a winery and goofed off it was so much fun. I think the kids loved playing around the house and getting to ride the tractor with Papaw best! Denise has some cute pics on her facebook of everyone getting to ride the tractor! We are looking forward to our next adventure with the Standleys, hopefully this June for Erik's birthday!
Alaska Peg also came to visit and we had so much fun with her! It was such a short visit but every second with Peg is a blast! Laura picked her up from the air port and we met them at the Lamberts house! The next day we got up at 5:30am and went back to the air port for a brief airport breakfast with no other then Lisa Beth (aka: Tink) it was awesome to get to see here even if it was only for an hour, again we are hoping for a longer visit from Tink and the lost boys at Erik & Blue's Birthday! Later that day everyone came over to our house for a cook out with Nie Nie and Papaw, we had more kids ridding the tractor and loving it! It was a great time of catching up and chilling out! Man do I miss my Peg!
We have so many fun things planned for this summer, hopefully I can keep up a little better with my posting now that we are more in the swing of things! I can't keep anything peaceful long though! Erik's last day of public school is tomorrow but he will still go to Atlanta from 1 -4 and in 2 weeks he will start summer school two times a week to keep him in the habit of public school, which he will start full time in August! I love my new job it is exactly what I want to do but it is very stressful right now! There is only so much they can teach you in school! I learn something new almost everyday! It keeps me on my toes that's for sure! As if this all isn't enough I have signed up for school to start taking my core classes to get my RN! This should only take 2 years but I am not rushing anything, with work, Erik and school I will only be going part time! Wish me luck!
Hugs and love to everyone! I hope we still have faithful followers! Even if I am a slacker at keeping up on my post!
Everything has been a whirlwind! It has all been good but extremely busy and crazy! Hey but who's life isn't right? Erik started his new school and has done really well. He adjusted great and even made a friend named Kevin! They shared each others snacks and we learned that Erik loves to dip his food in Honey Mustard (YUCK) & Ketchup, he will eat his roll, his pizza anything as long as he can dip it!
Blue has been amazing but I know he feels a little left behind right now! With Erik being carted across Atlanta everyday Blue gets left at home a lot. I feel bad taking him to Atlanta with me and having him chill in the car for 3 hours and that doesn't include the 1 hour trip down then the return 1hr trip home! So when I take Erik to Marcus Dad lets Blue out a few times and usually when we get home dad has him out on the tether throwing the toy for him. Blue loves his Papaw!
We did the walk for Autism this year and had an amazing time. Laura Lambert and I did a talk about 4 Paws and Autism Assistance Dogs. It went over really well. We didn't pass out a lot of flyers at the speech but when everyone saw how awesome Blue and Zorro were with having the boys tethered and how well the kids walked with their dogs, the flyers started flying out of our hands. I was so proud of Erik and Blue! I have had comments from people who saw us at the walk at how well they did together! Erik only sat on the ground once while we were walking! This is a major improvement because if he had been holding my hand he would have dropped to the ground every 5 minutes and it would have taken me 5 minutes just to get him off the ground! It is really exciting and I am looking forward to upcoming trips and events! Wow who thought a dog could change your life like this!
Denise, DJ, Nitro, Morgan & Zach Standley came for a visit in April and we had an amazing time! Since I started my new job I don't have a lot of time off right now but I was able to work out a few days to hang with them. They stayed at the Lamberts for a few nights and then came out here and stayed two nights with us! We went to an Alpine Village named Helen, GA and walked around, went to a winery and goofed off it was so much fun. I think the kids loved playing around the house and getting to ride the tractor with Papaw best! Denise has some cute pics on her facebook of everyone getting to ride the tractor! We are looking forward to our next adventure with the Standleys, hopefully this June for Erik's birthday!
Alaska Peg also came to visit and we had so much fun with her! It was such a short visit but every second with Peg is a blast! Laura picked her up from the air port and we met them at the Lamberts house! The next day we got up at 5:30am and went back to the air port for a brief airport breakfast with no other then Lisa Beth (aka: Tink) it was awesome to get to see here even if it was only for an hour, again we are hoping for a longer visit from Tink and the lost boys at Erik & Blue's Birthday! Later that day everyone came over to our house for a cook out with Nie Nie and Papaw, we had more kids ridding the tractor and loving it! It was a great time of catching up and chilling out! Man do I miss my Peg!
We have so many fun things planned for this summer, hopefully I can keep up a little better with my posting now that we are more in the swing of things! I can't keep anything peaceful long though! Erik's last day of public school is tomorrow but he will still go to Atlanta from 1 -4 and in 2 weeks he will start summer school two times a week to keep him in the habit of public school, which he will start full time in August! I love my new job it is exactly what I want to do but it is very stressful right now! There is only so much they can teach you in school! I learn something new almost everyday! It keeps me on my toes that's for sure! As if this all isn't enough I have signed up for school to start taking my core classes to get my RN! This should only take 2 years but I am not rushing anything, with work, Erik and school I will only be going part time! Wish me luck!
Hugs and love to everyone! I hope we still have faithful followers! Even if I am a slacker at keeping up on my post!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Quick Update Feb 09
Everything is going well but a little hectic! I started my new job and am working with a preceptor nurse doing 3 12hr shifts, I love it but am still nervous and learning so much! Erik is having a hard time adjusting but change is hard for all of us.
Erik and Blue are doing well! We babysat Case (formerly AC/DC) and he was so much fun! We miss him, Blue and Case had a blast I will post pictures soon! I go tomorrow to visit the new classroom that Erik will be attending half days in our county's public school. He will continue to go to Marcus the other half of the day throughout the rest of the school year. We have his IEP next Wed so please pray for everything to turn out well with this and for God's strength.
We love ya'll and think of you often, if I haven't been in touch I am so sorry and once I get settled in my new job and schedule and Erik settles with my new schedule and his new school, I will try to come back to Earth and call my wonderful amazing friends!
Hugs and Love from my crew
Erik and Blue are doing well! We babysat Case (formerly AC/DC) and he was so much fun! We miss him, Blue and Case had a blast I will post pictures soon! I go tomorrow to visit the new classroom that Erik will be attending half days in our county's public school. He will continue to go to Marcus the other half of the day throughout the rest of the school year. We have his IEP next Wed so please pray for everything to turn out well with this and for God's strength.
We love ya'll and think of you often, if I haven't been in touch I am so sorry and once I get settled in my new job and schedule and Erik settles with my new schedule and his new school, I will try to come back to Earth and call my wonderful amazing friends!
Hugs and Love from my crew
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
