Lisa Leonard

we went over to cayucos for lunch and beach play again today. david was in such a silly mood so i had fun shooting some pics of him. gotta get it while the gettin’s good! david was giggly, matty threw rocks into the ocean, steve and i started out a little grumpy, but we ended up having a good time. this morning david cruised from the spare bedroom into the hallway ane then DOWN THE HALLWAY all by himself. steve said ‘now he can go anywhere, well, anywhere except an open field’. wise words i’ll post pictures of david criusing tomorrow.

we went to the breakfast buzz to get pancakes this morning. as we were getting ready, matty was singing ‘happy cancakes to you, happy cancakes dear jesus, happy cancakes to you…’ hopefully that bible teachin’ is sinking in little by little matty stacked up the creamers and both boys chowed down on pancakes (as did steve & i) then david insisted on picking up the tab. wasn’t that thoughtful? we played at the park and went by art’s cyclery for the big bike sale. steve is happy-he got some treats! nap time is coming soon-yea!!

matty’s appointment went SO well yesterday! thanks for all your comments, emails and phone calls. i feel so supported, loved and encouraged. it’s funny because, i felt so alone, but its amazing to hear what each of you are facing. life is sometimes scary and unpredictable and we each face challenges every day. but life is also so beautiful and we have to face those challenges head on and just LIVE!

so we were referred by our pediatrician (i initiated the request for a speech evaluation) to see a speech and language pathologist at french hospital. she is such a nurturing and kind person. which is perfect for mattty and for me in my fragile state i told matty we were going to go play with a new friend. she had all kinds of fun toys for him to explore. she asked me a lot of questions and was very encouraging. she thought he was adorable (he’s got her fooled, at least for the moment!) and very engaging. He was polite and very responsive to her directions. She did feel that his articulation was a bit behind, so that is what we are going to focus on in our twice weekly therapy sessions. david already has two therapy sessions a week, so, i was nervous about scheduling, but that worked out perfectly as well! She said she feels giving him a boost with speech therapy will help him catch up quickly. she also felt that having an older brother with a disability can sometimes casue a little delay in speech. steve and i have discussed this possbility before.

the photo is of a necklace i just made for a friend. aren’t the names just too darling?! this would be such a great mother’s day gift for a sister, grandma, friend. i know, shameless plug here. but i am just having so much fun with these necklaces and i think they are so personal and precious.

check out lindsey’s new blog-imperfect. there is a link to the right. happy thursday!!

there are times i have to literally tell myself ‘just be brave’ when i walk into a new store or a restaurant with david. because he has a deformity, i know people will do a double-take or even stare. any kind of physical differences are intriguing. i don’t think people are being cruel, they are just curious. but sometimes it gets to me and i have to be brave.

well, today i am taking matty for a speech evaluation and i feel like i have to be brave. i am so nervous that we will get bad news. i think he is a bit behind in speech, but i don’t think anything major is going on. but still, i’m nervous.

anything going on in your life that requires you to be brave?

So my busy day just got suddenly freed up because David has a cold. So I took Matty to school cancelled my dentist appointment and now we’ll just lay low and watch a movie and cuddle! Here is a photo I took this weekend in our backyard. It is overrun with weeds because we really want to do some better landscaping back there–so we’ve let it go. But even in the mess, there is beauty! Have a great Tuesday

the boys have their jammies on and their ready for some dr. suess. we’ve been really into sneetches lately. love the strong messages about commercialism and cliques. david has been a walking fool–well, cruising really. he holds on but he really gets around.
tomorrow is a busy day. i’m in charge of bringing snack for mattty’s class tomorrow. so we made muffins again and i got some applesauce for the kiddos. i also have a dentist appointment tomorrow which is not very fun, except the ladies in the office are so sweet and they always want me to bring a basket of jewelry. then in the evening we are going to see a play at the PAC. I think its a cirque de soleil. busy but fun!

i’ve been having fun playing with photos–cropping and adjusting the color. i really know nothing about photography except what i learned in my high school photo class and from an ex-boyfriend who took photos. but i have fun playing. we have an awesome camera that just can’t take a bad photo–especially in daylight. and we use iphoto on our mac.
tomorrow is monday so its back to the grind. actually its kinda of funny because when you work full time you really appreciate fridays–finally a break! i’ve heard it said that when you retire, you feel like everyday is friday. so when your a mommy with little ones is everyday monday?! not that i’m complaining! it’s a great job!

check out our trip to the elfin forest. i used one true media to create this video montage. (thanks kelly!) i had david in the backpack (he was super silly) and matty ran around and had a blast. steve was on a bike ride. the wildflowers are starting to bloom. even though it was a gloomy day, the view was incredible!

trip to the elfin forest

Steve took Matty over to a friend’s home last night so I was going to lay low with David when Jen called. Her husband was busy as well–so we decided to meet at Taco Temple for dessert. If you live near or ever vaction near Morro Bay you MUST try this place–it’s AMAZING! Max and David played for a while until we were seated. We ordered lemon cheesecake and choclate bread pudding-oh my gosh!! Then Max came over and played for a bit. What a fun, spur of the moment, treat!

i am loving the contrast of the clear aqua quartz and the opaque bonze freshwater pearls in this necklace. so fun for spring. hope you all have some fun plans for this weekend. no major re-organzing projects, well, except get my books done for the business-yuck! but lots of time to play and relax!!

we took the boys up to montana de oro to see the incredible wildflowers. We got some great pics. Can’t believe its already been a year–and how much they’ve changed! Matty looks like such a toddler, and David wasn’t even sitting up consistently!!

available for a short time, and only on pink casette…

life has been moving at such a fast pace and I feel like I’m pulling kids in and out of carseats more than I am home! driving to and from preschool, running errands and making jewelry have been the things keeping me busy (well, seeing friends, too!) time to slow down a little and maybe catch a nap. here’s a photo of a bunch of sterling tag necklaces that I made yesterday. They have been selling really well and my stores are excited about them!! have a great wednesday!

step one-mix up all the ingredients

step two-dance and play with the potholders while they bake

step three-add a little icing on top, just for fun

step four-show off what you made

step five-share with brother

yum, yum!!

matty seriously loves this girl. she’s pretty lovable! we had a ‘laid back’ lunch at mcdonald’s today. when i say laid back–i mean, kids running around in a cirlce laughing while mommies sit back and chat. i personally feel that if you want a nice, quiet, kid-free lunch, DON’T go to McDonalds, because I might be there with my kids having a ‘laid back’ lunch! matty always wants to give gracie a hug, and a kiss, and an i love you, before we part ways. so sweet.