Joel is FINALLY Riding a Bike!

My prayers have finally been answered -- Joel has learned to ride a two-wheeler! This has been quite a process because Joel has been scared to death to forgo the training wheels and ride on two wheels. For a while he has been riding with one training wheel (he looked quite funny).

You must understand what a big deal this is for Joel. When he was born 13 weeks early, he had a minor brain "injury" that was sort of like a stroke. This caused him to have difficulty with his left side -- his leg, foot, arm and hand are "tight" which makes it hard for him to use them. He went to several years of physical and occupational therpy and the occupational therapist explained it to me like this: "When he puts weight on his left foot, it's like me putting weight on a leg that is asleep -- Joel doesn't know if he can trust that leg or not." This also makes it hard for him to balance. Does that make sense? I know to see him, unless you look closely, you would never know that he has difficulty. So, the moral of the story is that riding a bike is a HUGE accomplishment and I am very proud of him.

For the last several practice runs, I wasn't allowed to give directions, cheer or say ANYTHING while he was riding because it distracted him. Today, he actually gave me permission to talk to him while he was riding. :-)

Joel went to take off his helmet and couldn't because his hands were shaking so badly. Poor kid! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. After he went all the way around the block he came back in the house and said, "Mom, I'm excited and scared. My heart is beating so fast."

Way to go, Joel!

Pumpkin Farm

On Saturday Drew, Evan and I went to the Pumpkin Farm for some Fall fun (it was supposed to be a family outing, but Joel was rotten so he had to stay home with Dad). We had never been to this farm but some friends from church invited us and now it's our new favorite spot for pumpkins. The boys got to go in a corn maze, feed goats, go on a hayride and enjoy fresh apple cider -- it would have been the perfect Fall day had it not been 90 degrees!!

This is a picture of Drew lifting a gord. His comment: "This pear heavy." haha!

Drew was absolutey enthralled with the corn maze. I'm not a big fan of the things -- I'm a little clausterphobic and was afraid I'd never come out (and I'm not sure my boys would have come looking for me!)

Then when we got home the boys wanted to carve the pumpkin immediately. I'm sure it will be nice and moldy for Halloween. Yuck! Drew and Evan found the "guts" absolutely disgusting and even hated the smell of the pumpkin. The strangest part for mama, was watching Dad "pass the torch" (or should I say, "the carving knife") -- Joel decided this year he was old enough to do some of the carving himself. Oh, he's growing up so fast!

Flying Lessons

Batman and Superman show up at our house frequently (along with Spiderman, firemen, a football player, Buzz Lightyear, Power Rangers, a dinosaur, and many, many other "characters" thanks to Grandma and Grandpa "Popcorn" White). On this day, Batman was giving Superman flying lessons.

Oops! Better luck next time, Superman.

Crack Kills and Other Fall Activities

Now that Joel is in school all day, the two "little" boys and I are finding all sorts of new ways to entertain ourselves. Today we "painted" the sidewalk with water that was tinted with food coloring. I couldn't resist taking this picture of Evan that I've titled "crack kills."

Since Joel isn't around to "police" activities, "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" get into a lot more trouble. One day I found them with a box of spaghetti noodles -- they were eating some and breaking up the rest of them all over the floor. The crazy part -- they were being so quiet and having so much fun, I LET THEM DO IT!

On another day we were playing with rolls of toilet paper (my sister-in-law, Robbon, gave me this idea -- kids LOVE stacking and building with rolls of T.P.) and we ended up wrapping Evan as a mummy. Once Joel got home, the T.P. ended up ALL over the living room, including flying from the ceiling fan. Problem: now I'm almost out of toilet paper!

The White Boys

Our little White boys: Joel, 7; Evan, 3 1/2; Drew, 2 years. (My brother-in-law, Jeff, says they look like pickles.)

2 Years Old

My "baby" is now two years (and one month) old; I am SO sad! Here are a few pics of my cutie, Andrew Dean White.

Lemonade 25 cents

Evan came up with the idea of a lemonade stand to make money. However, he and Drew kept drinking all the profits! We only had 6 real customers (two of them are pictured here), and the boys only lasted about 20 minutes sitting and waiting, but it was fun while it lasted. We did get to meet two new neighbors this way, so maybe it was all worth it.

I've since done some "market research" and decided next time we should set up a "Gatorade Stand" in the BACK yard -- which is adjacent to a small park with a running trail. I think we'd make a fortune on a hot day! (It's all about finding the customer and "location, location, location.")