Student of the month!

After a rough start with Dawson's new teacher (and many red days and frowning faces on his daily reports...), I am proud to say that he received a certificate on Friday for being the Student of the Month! He has really worked hard over the past several weeks to turn his behavior around at school. He is learning so much in kindergarten already, and it brings tears to my eyes to see how quickly he is growing up.



Dawson has passed many milestones this year. He finally hit 40 pounds, he knows how to write his whole alphabet, he has started to spell some words, his knowledge of numbers has expanded from 1-10 to 1-29, and the list could even go on! Mommy and daddy are filled with tremendous pride for our little guy. He continues to struggle to catch up with the other kids his age, but he won't ever stop trying because that's how he is! Dawson is always curious and is constantly trying to figure out new things.



Good job, my student of the month! Here's to many more successes over the next 12 years of school!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!

The Cloud family had so much fun putting up our tree this year! Dawson was really excited to be able to hang the ornaments up by himself without any assistance from mommy or daddy.





Hayden also had fun while she enjoyed pretending to help!



Here are a few more pictures of our fun-filled tree-trimming evening!

Hayden's sick day with mommy

Hayden has had a bit of a cold lately and last Friday was the WORST so I stayed home from work to be with her. She had a barking cough and she screamed and cried any time I tried to lay her down for a nap. For the most part though, she was still her happy self.



She even let me take a few pictures of her from the back and side views to show you all how long her hair is getting!





After that, we practiced our ballet stretches. Hayden's favorite stretch is reaching up to the sky and then down to touch her toes.



By the next day, Hayden was feeling a little better so we went out for pizza. She had a lot of fun playing at the table and chewing on her straw.



This week, her nose has still been a little runny but she is well on her way to recovery. I'm sure I will have a Cloud family update for you all after our big feast tomorrow for Thanksgiving!

Spotlight on Hayden Olivia

Hayden Olivia is 18 months old and she is girl all the way! Her favorite toys include her babies, her baby stroller, her Pretty Learning Purse, and her Disney princess bath toys.



When she is around familiar faces, Hayden is quite the little ham but around new people, she is actually pretty shy. Right now, her favorite place to be is in the comfort of her own home. She really likes playing in her bubby's room now that she is big enough to have fun with him.



Hayden really looks up to Dawson. She tries really hard to play basketball with him and she even shares his love for Barney! In the past couple of months, she has begun to bounce on the trampoline with him too. Hayden has really brought joy to all of our lives and I don't know what we ever did without her smiling face!



While you can't tell from her happy disposition, our little princess has gone through a lot in her young life. She had surgery at the age of 8 months old in which the thumb on her right hand was removed and her wrist had to be straightened out. She is a trooper though and she uses that hand the best she can.



While Hayden's hand hardly slows her down, I simply tell her the truth - that she was so much more gorgeous than all of the other babies that God had to even the playing field a little by making her a little different! :) I am still convinced that she is going to be America's Next Top Model cycle 142, acting as a role model for all girls born with deformities!

Spotlight on Dawson

Dawson is 6 years old and in full-day kindergarten this year at Stephen Decatur Elementary School. He is in a special education classroom with kids ranging from kindergarten through 4th grade. Dawson's favorite past time is playing basketball and he is quite the little athlete!




Dawson has a genetic condition where he has extra genetic material on his 15th chromosome (Isodicentric-15). With this condition, he has had a lot of struggles along the way which have included a seizure, severe developmental delays, and autistic tendencies. Despite it all though, Dawson is a very energetic and excited little boy. He thinks everyone he meets is his friend and he doesn't care what anyone thinks about him. He is on this earth to enjoy his life and that's exactly what he intends to do!

Better late than never!

I am finally joining the blogger world! I'd like to start by telling the story of my little family. I am a 27 year old working mom who also goes to school full-time. I am a short Christian woman loving my life!



I have been married to my husband Troy for a little over 7 years now and he is my best friend in the whole world. I could not have asked for anyone more perfect!



We have two kiddos - Dawson Everett and Hayden Olivia. Dawson is a 6 year old boy with special needs and his laugh could solve the world's problems. He is the happiest kid I have ever met. He doesn't care what anyone thinks of him and he thinks the world revolves around him, Barney, and Elmo. Dawson is pretty much non-verbal to those who don't know him but to mommy, daddy, and a few special others, he has his own little language and he is actually a pretty smart little guy.



Hayden is a sassy 1-year old princess. Her passions so far in life are food, baths, books, and brushing her teeth. She screams when she wants something and also to let you know when you aren't living up to her expectations. She loves to play with her baby dolls and her pretty learning purse so she is girl all-around. She is currently learning the importance of sharing and "nice touches" vs. grabbing and slapping people in the face. Hayden takes a while to warm up to people but once you've won her over, you have a forever friend.