Back To School

I have to admit the first day of school is bittersweet for me.  I remember at the beginning of the summer wondering how in the world I would keep Lundyn from getting bored with me all day.  It turns out that our days were busy with activity and fun together.  I know that we will fall easily back into the school routine though.  She thrives on going and seeing her friends.  Here is a glimpse of her first day back to school:

All smiles for her first day

She came up with so many faces this morning.  It was funny to catch some of them on camera.

My favorite.  She has her arms going so fast, they blurred a little.  Her happy arms!

Class time!

I am ready to pick up Lundyn from school and she is still smiling!  I love seeing this smile when I pick her up.  Sometimes it comes with a few happy squeals too.



Our Summer Vacation ~ Morgan's Wonderland

The last "official" stop on our vacation was Morgan's Wonderland.  This is a park designed especially for kids and adults with special needs.  I knew this park would be a place where we would have a lot of fun, but what I didn't expect was how much it would touch my heart.

Lundyn was completely uninhibited here both by her surroundings and by the people who engaged her.  There was no limits for her and she was accepted without question or explanation.  As a fairly new mom to this world of special needs, this was liberating for my heart to see her enjoying and fully participating in each activity that interested her, at her pace, on her terms. 

We let Lundyn loose behind the wheel of a car!  Watch out, y'all!  Here she comes!

"Toot toot chugga chugga big red car!"  Look y'all no hands!

Morgan's Wonderland has awesome playground equipment!  Lundyn had a blast on these swings.

I tried out the see-saw with her on the playground.

We made the ride extra bumpy for Daddy sitting on the other side.

We shot some hoops in the gym.  Lundyn was tickled when Daddy put her up at the net.  Momma was nervous!

The train ride was exciting too!  It took you through the park and around the lake! 

So fun!  We had to ride the train a couple times.

Lundyn drove a remote controlled boat around the mini lagoon.  She took this very seriously.

In the Sensory Village, Lundyn wanted to show off her horse riding skills.  She also played in the grocery store, made a brief cameo in a weather forecast, drove a car through the streets of San Antonio and around the hill country and played with interactive videos!  Whew!  Just all in a day's fun at Morgan's Wonderland.

Love love love this merry-go-round!

We all know that Lundyn's favorite was probably the Water Works play area.  Lundyn was in heaven to see and touch the water flowing in different directions.

What a special fun day for us.  We will be back to play here soon and often, no doubt!

We made great memories on our summer vacation this year.  We are grateful that we were able to go and truly treasured each moment of fun together.  We thank our Mema for going to share this time with us and capturing the fun on camera.

Our Summer Vacation ~ South Padre Island, Texas

We are ready for fun in the sun, sand and water.

Welcome to the beach!

 

This was Lundyn's first time at the beach.  There wasn't any hesitation to jump right in.  She was off as soon as her feet hit the sand.  Mom and Dad had to keep up.

She was all smiles playing in the water with her Daddy...

 and relaxing in the water with Momma.

Lundyn has learned to swim in the pool this summer by kicking her legs.  It was more difficult for her in the ocean, but she kept those legs going nonstop.  Now, if we can just work on keeping her mouth closed so that we don't drink so much water!

Playing in the sand is fun too!

We are on our balcony that overlooked the beach.  So beautiful!  We spent a lot of time in the evenings out here just enjoying the view.

We had a blast at the beach!  I'm already planning a return trip.  But we're not done with this one yet.  Next stop:  Morgan's Wonderland.

Our Summer Vacation ~ Sea World

We had a blast on our summer family vacation.  A vacation has been a long time coming for this family and we cherished every second of our getaway together.  The first stop was Sea World of Texas in San Antonio.

I have so many memories of visiting Sea World as a child.  It was exciting for me to bring Lundyn to see her enjoy it too.

We took Lundyn to feed the dolphins.  They were hungry and eager to eat and approach us for food.  Lundyn couldn't understand why we wouldn't let her get in the water with the dolphins.

Love that face of wonder.  I really think she was just trying to figure out a way to get in the water.

We saw two shows.  It was so hot. It was nice waiting for the shows in the shade.  We sat in the "splash zone" in hopes of getting wet for more relief from the heat.  That was Lundyn's favorite part, no doubt.

We couldn't miss seeing Shamu.

What a "hot" start to our vacation.  Next stop: South Padre Island, Texas.