Playing Catch Up!

Last Friday night The Wolf Family headed out to Hamilton Ice Center to go ice-skating. Dathan was invited to attend a birthday party for one of his “best buddies” from school, Lake. A lot of his classmates were there along with many of their families. Dathan wasn’t to sure about skating at first, but once he got out on the ice with the skate bar, he enjoyed it a lot more. Kyleigh went to the party as well and attempted to skate for a little while. She is fearless when it comes to trying new things, but quickly got bored with skating. One of her friends from school, Gretchen, was also at the party. They were so entertaining dancing, laughing and chasing each other. After skating, the kids enjoyed getting to eat cupcakes and watching Lake open up all of his presents. Dathan had picked out a Stormtrooper Nerf ™ gun to give to Lake all by himself. Dathan was so proud of himself and later told us that the “best part was when Lake made a happy face.” It was so innocent and honest and made us very proud. Dathan was so genuinely happy to have given Lake a good gift. We hope Dathan never loses his spirit of giving.

Monday started a new chapter in Kyleigh’s development. She began Occupational Therapy with Miss Tara. Daddy was able to go to the therapy session since Mommy couldn’t get out of school early enough. Kyleigh was very good for Miss Tara and showed her many of her unique qualities. Since then, we have started “brushing” Kyleigh 3 times a day to help with some of her sensory issues and doing joint compressions. It seems to really be helping her out a lot, but is also very demanding. We have had to start a new routine, but once we get the routine down it shouldn’t be a problem. Kyleigh was also given therapy bands to chew on to build her facial muscles. We just hope and pray that she will continue being as enthusiastic about all of her therapies. Miss Becky also saw Kyleigh on Monday. Kyleigh seems to be doing extremely well for Miss Becky and her vocabulary and speech are increasing each day.

Today was a lazy day. Mommy didn’t have school today since it was -6 outside. Dathan, Kyleigh and Mommy all enjoyed a day of snuggling on the couch, playing and watching movies together. Daddy left work early today to come home and participate in their fun. We did have to get out in the cold for a short period of time to take Kyleigh to have sinus x-rays taken. Hopefully we will find out something by Thursday when we go back to the ENT. We are hoping and praying that it is only her adenoids.

We have a busy weekend planned, so stay tuned!

2008 A Year in Review and Our Hope for the Future

Dear Kids,

What a year it’s been. So much has happened this year, most of which you cannot understand right now but in time some of these events will have a major impact on your lives.

The year had its share of triumphs. For the first time in history a woman had a legitimate chance of becoming President. Even more unlikely was the story of Sarah Palin, the unknown governor from Alaska, who became a pop culture icon with her selection as John McCain’s running mate. However, most surprising, this year “politics as usual” was confronted by a promise of change. This change was dramatically realized in the person of Barack Obama whose message of hope and unity rallied people from all different backgrounds. It is our hope that this man will lead our nation and restore it to the prominence we once held. To be a beacon of hope not just for American citizens but for the entire world to witness. Hope that we rise up those who attempt to divide us. And hope that we realize we are not disparate parts of a broken promise but united as one for the greater good of all mankind.

Politics aside there are other things of significance in the world. Michael Phelps showed us what talent, desire and determination can do. He set an unlikely goal to win 8 Olympic gold medals in a single Games and with the help of some teammates in one impressive swim Michael Phelps achieved his goal and reminded us what we are all capable of.

The year did have its share of downs. The economy had one of the worst years since the Great Depression. The housing boom burst, 401K’s tanked, banks were going bankrupt and oil prices soared. In response, Congress decided to bail out these banks for their poor decision making ultimately making your generation responsible to foot the bill. This has become a worsening trend in Washington, spending today for what future generations will provide. I hope that we can change that trend and leave the world in your capable hands.

In June, our town experienced its worst flooding in 100 years. That evening felt like a “war-zone”. We were literally surrounded by water and the town was dark. The only sound to be heard was the constant flutter of helicopters evacuating patients from the hospital. Fortunately, our house was spared any damage but a few of our friends lost everything. Mommy and Daddy pitched in to help volunteering in clean-up efforts. You kids got involved too. You graciously gave some of your clothes and old toys to some local children in need. Since that day much of Columbus has been restored. Houses and buildings have been cleaned and rebuilt and the Hospital finally re-opened in October but the lingering effects on our community will be felt for years to come.

Dathan, you turned 5 this past year and wanted a Soccer themed birthday party. For your birthday you received a soccer goal, shoes, shin guards and shorts. You spent hours in the backyard with Mommy and Daddy practicing. Then in August your soccer season began. You were so excited. Mommy and Kyleigh spent an hour every Thursday night watching you practice. Your games were held every Saturday morning for 6 weeks. During the season you scored 16 goals and your team finished 5-1. To this day we still hear about that one loss, learn from it and move on. You are very good soccer player and we are so proud of you. Our hope for you in 2009 is that you will continue to try new experiences and always do your very best. 2009 will be a big year for you as you will be starting Kindergarten in the fall. We are very proud of you and love you very much!

Kyleigh, you turned 2 this past year and your year was filled with many firsts. Our biggest highlight of the year was you learning to talk. Mommy, being a special education teacher, was getting worried that you were not talking yet. So we had you evaluated in May. Mommy insisted that you get speech therapy and was able to get one of the best speech therapists in the area, Miss Becky. She has worked with you for the past 6 months and has done wonders for your language skills. You have worked very hard at home and with Miss Becky. Your attitude through all of this has been amazing for such a little girl. It makes Mommy and Daddy happy to see how proud you are of your new found communication skills. Our hope for you in 2009 is that you maintain your spirit and joy. Don’t ever let anyone define who you are.

We love you both very much and promise to do our very best for you.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy.