Boomers/Pretend City

It has been a fun past few days so lots of photos to post. Matthew went to a birthday party Thursday night but my camera died after about 5 minutes but I did have these photos that I thought were so cute of my little man. I can't resist that smile!

Saturday, once it cooled off a bit we went to Boomers with our friends the Raos for some fun with the kids.

Is it me or does Matthew always look mischievous?

Look at those smiles!

We had fun and went back for the Rao home for a delicious dinner while the kids played. A wonderful and relaxing evening.
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On Sunday we headed over to Pretend City after social skills to check it out with some friends.
WOW!
Very well put together and you could literally spend hours there. It is literally like a little city with a bank, restaurant, grocer store, beach, post office, house, movie theater, roads to drive cars on, etc. with tons of activities.

The first stop was one of Matthew's favorite...the grocery store.

He had fun running around collecting food

Checking out the "frozen foods" and paying the cashier.

Out sweet buddy Zachary!

The had a cute little 2 bedroom house with a kitchen, tv room and bathroom with dress up clothes. Matthew came out in these red pumps and said "Look Mommy! I find new fwip fwops!" We laughed so hard because he did not want to take then off and walks better in heels than I do.

Washing windows and filling the gas

Picking apples and going through an ATM drive though....yes, the ATM dispenses play money!

Brenna got face paint...doesn't she look adorable!

Cupcakes with Brenna and Riley make any outing even better!
They had a little restaurant with a back kitchen, counter for ordering and place to eat.

They had a little beach too. My Matthew, always the sensory seeker.

There were plenty of chances to dress up too and drive around the city in cars. Kind of funny because the pedestrian cars were mostly BMWs.

Don't mess with Officer Sumida

And then it was time to go home. Overall, the kids had a great time and Matthew is already asking to return. Matthew loved it though due the crowds and noise level he did go into overload mode a bit. He is very sound and light sensitive and too much sensory (visual and auditory) can be a little overwhelming. I realize how far he has come as this type of stimulation would have sent him into orbit last year. Mark and I are enjoying new and fun experiences with Matthew this year that would not have been an option for us in the past. .

Labor Day Weekend/1st Day of school

We had a big treat this weekend....a 2 day visit from Andrew and Zach. Matthew was so excited to see them and we loved seeing him interact so much and seek them out to play with them. He would just crawl into their laps, asked to be picked up and grabbed their hands. All weekend we heard "I want to pay with cousins/Boys, come pay wif me/I want boys sit next to Maffew".....you get the picture. It was so sweet, made us both tear up. Saturday we played at home in the afternoon and went to boomers in the evening.

Andrew and Zach love the crazy rides.....

Matthew thought it was so fun to watch.

We asked him if he wanted to try riding it and he said "Noooooooooooo. Dat one vewy too scawy!"

Sunday we went out for a yummy breakfast and watched videos and played in the afternoon. We dropped of Matthew with my mom for dinner while we went out for our family favorite....Shabu Shabu. Mmmmm....as Matthew says "Dewicious!"

Stopped by McDonalds for apple fries and to play in the jungle gym

Andrew tried to teach Mark to solve a rubicks cube. Andrew is a whiz at it and his best time this weekend was 1 min 31 seconds! WOW! When we got home the boys played a little more before crashing.

The next day our friends the Roas came over for a swim/lunch date.
The kids were so adorable!

Matthew must have gotten his taste buds from me because he loves his Daddy's salsa. The kids decorated then inhaled the frosting on cupcakes for dessert.
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Today was Matthew's first day of school. I could tell he was a little nervous at first but he did well.
How cute is he?

Matthew's teacher and shadow. Both are very nice.

I have mixed emotions about Matthew going back to school. Even during the more challenging times I have loved our summer together. Last summer we were still in a very intense ABA program as he was under 3 and quite honestly he was not in that place where we could enjoy the experiences with him then that we do now. We are proud of all he has accomplished but want to hold these special years close. We love you little fella'!