Monterrey

One of our favorite places to go...Monterrey! We just can't seem to get enough of this place. The beaches are so beautiful, we love to watch the boats, seals and sea lions. Cooper and I always go and search for treasure (sea glass). We get yummy food and explore new beaches. One good thing about going to Monterrey is that it's only a 45 minute drive so we can just grab our stuff and go. We love to go to the beach and play in the sand, but as you can see in the pictures we are usually in pants and long sleeves. It's a totally different experience than our East Coast Beaches. So, although we love the beaches here I really really miss our Beaches back home as well!

Mushroom Mardi Gras

There are festivals everywhere around where we live. Some are food related, some are wine related and well why not Mushrooms? :) We decided this one sounded like fun and was located in Morgan Hill, really close to us. We chose to go right when it started up before the crowd would be there. It all worked out perfectly. I was surprised at the kids sitting and enjoying the music with us, they seemed to really enjoy it! There was a petting zoo and Pony rides for the kids and of course yummy food. Notice my Cup I was holding, it was called Hill billy tea, and was so Delicious! :)

Happy 4th Birday Cohen

Ok, so I haven't give up on the Blog world. I am trying to catch up a little bit today! We recently celebrated Cohen's 4th Birthday! I can't believe he is 4 already, it just doesn't feel like he could be 4. But, he is and we have enjoyed all 4 years of his precious life. So...choosing what theme to use was quite difficult being that Thomas is his most favorite thing in the world. We have been there and Done that and wanted to try something else. Cohen has decided he likes the Angry Bird game so we went with that. He really enjoyed it although he has continued to ask me about his Thomas cake! :) Oh well..I know he enjoyed his cake. We took Cohen to Red Robin for his Birthday lunch and he really enjoyed that. We of course did lots of swimming and then had a small family party that evening. Cohen racked up on toys and enjoyed all of his gifts. The cutest part was seeing Cohen sing his Birthday song to himself. He said Happy Birthday Cohen all day! Gotta Love him!

Interview with Cooper: Age 5 April 2013 What is your full name? Cooper McCoy How old are you? 5 What is your favorite food? Pizza and Mexican Favorite thing to do? Play with transformers When is your birthday? June 22 Where do you live? Gilroy, CA Where is your favorite place to go? Golfing What is your favorite thing to do in School? Eat lunch Who is your Best Friend? Sam and Billy What do you learn about at Church? God and Jesus. We learn about things that Jesus has. What is your favorite Sport? Tennis Tell me a story about your Brother and Sister: Long time ago I love my Sister and they are my Best Friends ever.I like to play with them, like play in the pool.

What Autism Looks Like...

I wrote this little article a few weeks back for a Contest being held by Parents magazine. It obviously didn't win, but I wrote it more for myself to get my feelings out. So, I thought I would share. What Autism Looks like in my family, from a Mommy's perspective. My son was diagnosed with Autism on November, 2012. The diagnosis not only changed the help we received, it also changed our parenting styles. I really was not well informed about Autism and how prevalent it is in so many homes. I treated my son just like my older son, had the same expectations and really wondered why he wasn't "listening" to me. NOW I know he wasn't ignoring me or choosing to disobey he was just struggling to interpret and process the things I was saying. As a baby Cohen was always sweet and laid back, but also quite loud. When he began to crawl he found ways to always find his way to the train table and would NOT leave. That was his thing and did not want anyone else to touch it. Play time as a toddler was always lining things up, playing legos, or playing trains. Everything he did was about Trains (Thomas) or solving problems. Again as time progressed we noticed more and more things were difficult. He would throw really bad tantrums when having to leave his favorite activities or random times we didn't know why. The tantrums would be fairly violent, throwing himself on the floor, kicking, stiffening his entire body. Finding a calming agent was usually a Thomas show if we were home. I began choosing not to do things as a family such as restaurants or parks, or parties just because I did not understand what was bringing on all of the tantrums. To skip ahead a bit at Cohen's 3 year old check up we went for his regular checkup and the Doctor recommended we have him tested for Autism. We did just that, and after much paperwork and meetings the Diagnosis of Autism was given to us. There were No tears. I was filled with such relief that there was an Answer to what was happening and that help was on the way. Wow! I can't tell you how many people have supported us and cheered us on through this process. I forgot to mention that Cohen's vocabulary at age 3 was absolutely non existent. He would always hum his words, and even get the right syllabols but not the word. We began to read a lot of information on Autism, and found that an I pad could be very useful for children with disabilities. Because Cohen could not use a crayon or would not use his hands to put pressure on things I was not sure how it would work. Almost immediately he took to it, was very stimulated by the Ipad and learned it and began using it by himself. After a week he was picking out the apps he wanted to use and flying through it. Words began to come, by repeating what he was hearing on these games. What??? Yes, he was so stimulated by this computer that he was responding to it. Occupational therapy and speech therapy came next. We began taking Cohen to 1 hour a week of each, which have been absolutely Amazing!! Now, a preschool 2 1/2 hours a day. Cohen is now repeating almost everything he hears and has several phrases to ask for things he wants or needs. So, to sum this all up I think Autism looks very different in every family. We have been so Blessed to have so much help and I feel like Autism is just a word to describe what we are treating our son for, but it's not who he is. Cohen is a funny, smart, endearing, loving 3 year old little boy that fills our lives with endless Joy! There are many many struggles through our days and weeks but our lives couldn't be more fulfilling. I couldn't imagine him any different. Autism has changed our lives for the better. It has opened my eyes and my heart to others with disabilities. Next time I see a child in a store breaking down I will not judge, I will help! I hope my families story and our daily struggles can maybe be an inspiration to others. Life is hard but it does get better, and what God brings to you and he will help you through!

Gizdich Ranch

We visited a new place this past weekend that we really enjoyed. It's a big Apple Farm where you can "pick your own" apples. Apples are not in season so we weren't able to do that this time, but it was fun to walk around and look at the trees. I walked around an antique shop and then we got fresh apple juice and a yummy pie! I love the endless amount of places to visit all around us!!