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a journal of autism, homeschooling, faith, and general family craziness
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
the Terror is Two!
A certain little boy turned two years old on August 14th, and since the Drama Queen and I would be away on our Canadian wilderness adventure during that time, we planned the Spud's birthday celebration the Saturday before we left.
The Spud is easy to please - give him some corn dogs and cake, and any gift with wheels will do.
He skillfully removed the fancy wrapping from his gift:
And folks, let me tell you, yes, that expression was accompanied by several shrieks of utter delight. Only two and he has his own car!
Top it all off with a Little Einsteins rocket cake complete with Kool-aid cherry frosting sweet enough to put you in a sugar coma for a week! :)
I still can't believe my baby is two! I no longer have a baby in the church nursery (the first time in 4 1/2 years), and the Spud is already making strides in taking over the 2-3's class.
Seriously, the title of this post is only slightly a joke. The Spud's specialty is terror, whether it be destroying the house wall by wall or attacking his siblings with gusto. I am already envisioning the phone calls we are going to get from his teacher when he goes to school. "Michael is so smart, but..."
Ha, I love my little monster! He gives me the fiercest hugs and best kisses and is the greatest for making me laugh. Happy 2nd Birthday, Spud!
and we're back!
It seems a little strange that with the exception of checking my Facebook and email here and there over the last few weeks, my fingers have been largely absent from this keyboard for quite a while now. The Drama Queen and I took a two-week trip up north to Ontario, Canada, to visit my favorite (okay, only!) sister and her husband and of course their darling newborn Delaney Hope. We had a wonderful time, as you can see by the smiles in the photos below:
We talked, laughed, ate, read books, watched movies, shopped, and even worked out a trip to see Niagara Falls. It was a great way for me to spend time with my girl, even if her little body seemed to take up most of the bed every night! During the trip, she cultivated a love for the Nintendo DS, playing it on the plane and throughout our vacation weeks. I have come to realize that this new love will be very advantageous for me - "You can't play your DS until your room is clean" etc. :)
It was also fantastic to see my little sister as a mom. She has confidence and a natural "mommyness" to her that was wonderful to see.
And now, finally we are back in the States and trying to get back into our normal routine. Next week, school starts - preschool for the Drama Queen, special preschool for the Beast, and teaching Spanish for me. I can't wait!
I also can't wait to hop around my favorite blogs and catch up on all the latest news and funny stories. I missed you all.
Happy Monday!
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Found It Friday - Stars
It's that time again for some more inspiration! Welcome to Found It Friday, where I take a theme, draw inspiration from it, and show you five results of that inspiration. I hope you can join in this week and show us all some starry goodness.
And that is our theme this week: Stars!
1. The first thing that came to mind with this week's theme was origami stars. These little cuties are super easy to make and can be used for so many things - jewelry, garlands, confetti, etc. I think a glass bowl filled with origami stars in similar colors can be quite beautiful as home decor. You can make your own or even buy origami stars premade by crafters on Etsy. (origami stars by zhoira at smashingapps)
2. I always love to include at least one food inspiration each week. I googled "star cupcake" and found hundreds of starry cupcakes, many of them Fourth of July inspired. My favorite was this sweet swirly pink frosted one with dainty purple stars scattered on top. (cupcake from donuts to delirium)
3. And now, moving on from cupcakes (but not necessarily from sprinkles!), these fun yet chic star hair pins caught my eye. The resin stars contain hundreds of tiny neon sprinkles, perfect for the party girl or the girl who wishes she were at a party. The best part? These flashy pins can be yours for the low price of just $12.00. (bad hair day neon sprinkle pins by high strung beads)
4. Another way to add a touch of the celestial beauties to your home is by bringing in some beautiful star-shaped flowers. There are several kinds, and I found this red star flower to particularly striking. Just one placed in a simple bud vase would brighten a room instantly. (red star flower photo by DLC Flower Photos)
5. I see those metal barn stars displayed everywhere - front doors, porches, even living rooms or entryways. Usually they are painted a dark red, navy blue, or rust color and then distressed on the edges. I love this take on the traditional barn star - cleverly decoupaged with coordinating papers and then distressed at the creases. This Olivia Star would be a great addition to my daughter's green and pink butterfly room! (Olivia Star by 4 guys and a girl)
Well, it's time to see what star-inspired finds you came up with this week. Go ahead and link up below, and I will be sure to check it out!
There will be no Found It! Friday posts for the next two weeks. I will be in Canada visiting my sister and her husband and lavishing a lot of hugs, kisses, and cuddles on my new niece, Delaney Hope. I may still post here and there throughout the weeks, but Found It! Friday will have to wait until I get back. And when I do, the theme will be: Back to School. :) woohoo!
Play Time
Lots of thoughts are swirling around in my head, but those thought-provoking posts will just have to wait! It's a gorgeous day out there, and we don't want to miss it! Time to play!
Please don't forget about Found It! Friday tomorrow! The theme is STARS, and I would love for you to participate. Please please please!
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Wordless Wednesday - Wedding Cake 2
Autism and Grief
After we got the official diagnosis of "high-functioning autism" for Davey from his evaluations, life suddenly got extremely busy. I had a wedding cake to make for a friend. I was behind on custom orders for The Framed Frog and so was working on them every spare minute I had. Both the Beast and the Drama Queen took turns being up all night with a stomach virus. I had to write scripts for the VBS puppets and then perform them every night with my puppeting friends. My sister had her baby. (long phone calls).
Finally, yesterday, the chaos slowed a little. I actually spent my morning in normal activities, like cleaning my kitchen and doing loads of laundry. Despite the Nerd being home from work sick, I managed to straighten up the living room and make the place look somewhat comfortable. After all, we were having company!
At 1:30, there was a knock at the door, and an energetic man named Scott came in, immediately taking off his shoes and bounding up the stairs in search of Davey. Davey, who almost never acknowledges when we have a visitor, especially strangers, ran up to Scott and began shouting random things like "Hey I have a brother" and "I like hot dogs!" Within five minutes, Davey was seated on Scott's lap being tickled while the Drama Queen filed in and out of the room, showing off each of her Toy Story toys to our guest. You would have thought that Davey and Scott had known each other for years!
Scott is going to be Davey's teacher at the Early Intervention Preschool in the fall. For two and a half hours every Tuesday and Thursday, he is going to be working with Davey on specific objectives that we have set for him. I was grateful to see the connection between Davey and his new teacher, and the two of them spent over half an hour just playing and talking and getting to know each other. Then Scott went over some of the specifics with me, drawing some diagrams out on a sheet of paper and talking. He left with a "See you at school, David!" It was a very hopeful and positive experience.
But last night, as the Nerd dozed off on the couch and I tried to get some things done, I found myself in tears. Frustrated that I would be crying over "nothing", I turned on the TV and tried to focus on my to-do list. Before I knew it, I was sobbing - the kind of crying that doesn't allow you to do anything else but cry. The Nerd woke up and asked me what was wrong. I didn't really know. I finally realized that in all the busyness of the past week or so, I hadn't allowed myself or even had time to think about David's diagnosis. The tears came fast and heavy, and strangely I felt embarrassed, as if no one would really understand why I was crying. I didn't really understand why I was crying. David's diagnosis is the best possible diagnosis we could have gotten. Unlike many other children on the autism spectrum, David has a wonderful vocabulary and is very loving. In fact, there are some days when I wonder if we should have even taken him in to get evaluated - he seems so "normal."
But then he has a "bad day" full of melt-downs when he reverts to speaking in gibberish and cries hysterically at the smallest things. He bites his siblings and does things that have no explanation. Those are the days that are painful reminders of why we chose this journey in the first place.
I guess I didn't really understand it when the special education therapist offered us a grief counselor as a resource. Now I know. There is grief for the obstacles and uphill battles ahead of us, and grief for Davey. He has such a promising future, but he will have to work harder at things than most kids. Making friends will never be easy for him.
The tears are still coming this morning, although not nearly as much as they were last night. I know that God is in control and that He has a special plan for my son; but I also know that it's okay to cry and release all those feelings and fears.
Today is going to be a good day. I just got a big smile and hug from Davey, and the Drama Queen has politely asked me to please stop using the computer so we can play. :)
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