The Beard Family

We had a great Thanksgiving Day at my parents house in Brownwood. Then on Friday, we spent the day at Ricky's parents house here in Abilene. Here's a list of the things Austin said he was thankful for: my mom, my dad, my dogs, my toys, markers, my tractor, my walker, my backpack, my lunchbox, my bed, my book, my toybox, my home, my jacket and watching TV. That is quite a list!

Here are the guys playing football at my parents house. (Ricky, Kwade, Kyden and Ky)

Austin and his cousin James are having so much fun with the remote control trucks.

Okay. . . my sister, Velre and my niece Kyra (pictured above) did some crazy shopping on Black Friday. We got up at 5 am and shopped with all other crazy people who got up that early. It was so much fun! As you can see, my sister's SUV is pretty packed. And just think. . . we only shopped for a few hours. Just think of the damage we could do in a day!

I love this picture! Austin loves to ride the 4-wheeler out at his Momo and Papa's house and it was warm enough the day after Thanksgiving that he could get out and ride it.

Today was Austin's last day of HERO's until the Spring. Below is a picture of Farren, Emily and Austin. They were so sweet and got him a present for his last day. The stuffed animal looks exactly like Misty and he absolutely loves it. I also got some video of him too which is posted below.

Today we went to Fort Worth for Austin's check up appointment with his neurologist. These are always easy appointments for us. The doc comes in, talks to us for 5 minutes, says he looks great, and then we're on our way. This time was no exception. We had a great day, ate lunch and even went shopping while we were up there.

Here's a funny story. . . Austin has been hooked on riding his Power Wheels truck lately. Every day, he asks us if he can ride it. We were on our way home and it was probably around 4 pm. The conversion goes like this:

Austin: Can I ride my truck when we get home?
Me: If it isn't dark outside when we get home, you can ride it.
Austin: But it's bright outside.
Me: I know its bright now, but it might not be when we get home.

45 minutes later

Austin: Can I ride my truck when we get home?
Daddy: If it isn't dark outside when we get home, you can ride it.

1 hour later

Austin begins to cry for no apparent reason.

Me: Austin, what is wrong?
Austin: (while crying) It's getting dark outside. It's not bright anymore. . .

It was so hilarious! He knew since it was getting dark, he wasn't going to get to ride his truck. Ricky had so much pity for him that he told Austin he could ride his truck when we got home, even if it was dark. Interestingly enough, Austin did not have any more problems with the sun going down.

Below is some video of him riding his truck with Daddy. He is so much fun and I love his laugh. (I apologize, it's kind of hard to see because it's DARK!)

If you'll remember in a previous post, Austin was getting pretty good at writing his name, but not quite there yet. The picture below is the latest attempt. He is so proud of himself!

Austin has been doing HERO's for the past few weeks! He absolutely loves it and looks forward to it every year. Below is a picture of him with the horse he rides, Misty, and his physical therapists and volunteers. The two girls on either side of him are Farren and Emily - they volunteer and are with him each week. He LOVES them. . . Next week is his last week. Hopefully, I can get some video of him and post it on here.

Austin was so excited that one of his favorite people got to come over and stay the night. We had so much fun together! And let me just tell you that I was so impressed that Ricky and I got to church on time while getting TWO children ready. London, you can come stay with us anytime!

Austin and London before church.

How cute am I?