Halloween

Last night was Halloween. The boys loved it. They all wore their costumes to Red Robin (Oldest really wanted a picture with Whitney, a special server there). They got a piece of candy from RR. Then, they went out trick or treating with the Hub (I stayed home to hand out candy). Youngest decided that he didn't want any repeat candies and he came home early. They were all decked out in their finery. I managed to find a "TOY STORY" goodie bag for Oldest and Youngest. Middle boy had a Transformer bag (I couldn't find a "Star Wars" or "Clone Wars" one and we couldn't find his Darth Vader one).

All and all it was good night :)

Halloween Eve

Today, Youngest had his Halloween party at his preschool. He got to wear his 'alien' costume, decorate cookies, play musical chairs (everyone gets a piece of candy when they get 'out') and poke holes (and smell) a pumpkin.

Middle boy told today that he traded his cookie from his lunch to a friend in exchange for a Pokemon card. I asked him if he missed out on his cookie and he said, "no, I got to eat more of my apples". Maybe, that's why he's so skinny!

"Mom, My Hair is Handsome!"

Yes, some days, Youngest does his best at cuteness. Today was one of those days. He insisted that he 'write' a book like Middle boy does. He got out a couple of pieces of computer paper. He has trouble writing, so he dictated his story (including title page) to me. The title of it was "Disney/Pixar Toy Story". Evidently, I did not do it perfectly, I thought he said the main character was Annie, not Andy (I did ask him twice). My middle son corrected me when he read the story.

At bath time, it was hair wash night and he said to me, "I don't need hair wash, I have handsome hair!".

Pumpkin Patch

Last weekend, we went to the pumpkin patch for our annual foray in the rain. We went to Pomoroy Farm, which is a local farm (I believe it is a 'working' farm). We went on the hayride, played games (not for prizes), looked at the animals (Youngest was fascinated by the roosters, Oldest by the pigs and sheep...all of them got to feed all of the animals) and got our own pumpkin. The boys also enjoyed pumpkin lane (think pumpkins/scarecrow wearing clothes).

Youngest picked out my pumpkin (a very petite one, but that is totally fine). Hub picked out a humongous one. Middle boy also picked out a big one and Oldest picked out a small one. Youngest was actually able to carry his pumpkin this year, which is cool.

Finishing Up Great Wolf

I apologize for not getting back to finishing up the Great Wolf Lodge....it is truly a fantastic place...pricey, but fantastic.

Saturday morning of our visit, we went to the water park. Fun, because it was so empty. We played in the water park all morning. Youngest loved going down the 'twin' slides (they are big kid slides), but he also had a lot of fun in the younger play area. Middle boy loves the big, thunderous slides and the big 'funnel'.

Then, we went off site to lunch at McDonald's (not very interesting, but was funny because it was literally two minutes away and the boys wanted us to hook up the dvd players).

The afternoon was spent at the water park, with a continuation of the morning's adventure. For some reason, the boys enjoy watching me go down the 'big' water slides...they say I have a funny look on my face.

Dinner was at a restaurant in the lodge (no french fries for Mom!). Then, it was time for pajamas and 'story time' near the lobby. Story time was a puppet-animatronic show that we really couldn't figure out the theme other than you need to respect nature. That was followed by story time ("No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed"), which even Oldest enjoyed.

Sunday morning was back in the water park (we had to give a howl so that the front desk knew that the water park was open) and then get ready for check out at 11 a.m.

Whew.

Autism Equalizer

Since this was a three day weekend (Friday being the third day), The Hub and I decided to take the boys to the Great Wolf Lodge. For those of you who don't know what The Great Wolf Lodge is....let me explain....think rustic lodge, add a HUMONGOUS water park and add in some games (that, of course, cost money).

The boys have been looking forward to this trip....they advertise heavily in our area because it is about an hour and a half away. The room we have has this little 'cabin' area with three twin beds (convienent if you have three kids) and then a 'parental' room.

Oldest has been looking forward to it all week long...he has been doing his best at school and home so he could go (we'd take him anyway, but we always need a 'carrot'). All he has been talking about is the pool/waterpark.

This complex is huge....when we walked up Youngest looked with his little eyes like something he had never seen. There were huge wolves all over the top of it. He loved it.

So, we checked in, and all we heard was "I want to go to the pool". They loved the water park. Imagine huge waterslides, rides with rafts and rides with tubes, all with a 'lodge' theme. They even have a little kids play area, perfect for Youngest (who doesn't swim, yet).

As far as it being an "autism equalizer'...it's like Disneyland, you really can't tell the kids with autism or the kids who are neurotypical....all you can tell is that the kids are having fun...

Then, they have a special "Trick or Treating' for October....the boys dressed up in their Halloween costumes and went to four different locations and trick or treated. Lots of people thought that our little Pixar "Toy Story" aliens were adorable (especially Oldest in his 3-D glasses) and our Commander Cody.

Tomorrow, we are playing the "Magic Quest" game (another way to suck the money out of you...you have to buy the wand and then the game). It should be fun, once we figure out how to do it (I guess you have to read the instructions and then figure it out....that's not my department).

I truly love places where all kids can just be kids and not labelled as 'special needs' and just be a kid. Those are the times that I cherish. It's not that I necessarily am upset by autism or anything like that, it is just time when I realize I have three boys...not two boys who are neurotypical and one with autism. I treasure those moments because I know that autism hinders Oldest in many ways. For those brief moments, we are just like any other family. Those are the moments that help me get through the bad times (not that we have any of those anymore). I just go 'back to that place' and I remember what a joy all of my boys are (and they are...I wouldn't change anything of my life). Hopefully, that makes sense.

John Travolta

I know I wasn't going to get 'political' with this blog....sometimes, it just happens. It's more of me working through something, trying to figure out how to deal, as they say.

Last week, John Travolta was testifying in the extortion case down in the Bahamas. He testified that his son had autism. This was an interesting factoid in my world. First and foremost, my heart breaks for John. I feel that anytime a parent has to 'bury' their child, it is a horrible day. A friend of mine had to do that a year ago and I see the pain in her eyes and her daughter lived less than a day. I can only imagine if your child is older.

Jett Travolta was 16 years old when he died. He suffered from seizures (many times a week and many at a time). This is very common with children with autism. Fortunately, Oldest doesn't do that. So, Jett had medical issues, in addition to (it turns out) profound autism. I can't even begin to imagine, first of all. I remember when Oldest first lost his few words he had and I was determined to have him tell me (even if he didn't understand) that "I love you". I remember that was my project. There was no way that that was not going to happen. I know a lot of families who live with this reality, and, again, my heart breaks for them. I have no idea what that is like.

Back to Jett....throughout his life, John and Kelly had denied that Jett had autism. First of all, Jett was 16....he grew up in a time different than it is today. When Oldest was diagnosed at 3 (6 years ago), there were one in 500 kids afflicted with autism. Now, it is one in 94 boys; on in 150 children. I remember when the speech therapist first told me (at our first meeting, mind you) that Oldest had autism, I came home white as a ghost. I remember my mom asking me, "what is wrong?" To me, if you had autism, you were institutionalized, you were in a corner, banging your head. That is not my reality. So, times were different. Thanks to Bill and Suzanne Wright, founders of Autism Speaks, autism is more accepted....there is more knowledge out there.

Also, in scientology (from what I understand), autism is not accepted as a 'disease", even though it is a 'neurological-developmental delay". Yes, I can say that whole mouthful in two seconds flat. I like to think that Oldest 'thinks differently'....his neurons are just not connected the way the 'average' person is connected. Oldest possesses so many things that the 'average' person cannot. I like to think he just has a different way of thinking. From what I understand, scientologists can get medical attention (as in go to a General Practioner), but NOT a psychiatrist, which is who typically diagnoses someone with autism. So, the Travoltas would have to go against their 'religion' in order to help Jett. And, they did.....so I have been told.

They were doing everything correct....being amazing parents, getting him therapies, putting their children first, etc. The picture that always flashes through my mind is the one of John resting on Jett's chest. There is such love in that picture. You can tell John adores Jett. It's not one of those 'fakey' pictures. There is pure love in that picture...something that is rare and something that is pure.

My hope is that the Travoltas channel some of their grief and help others. We all do that as parents of either a special needs child or a child with a disease. We channel our grief for the betterment of others. John has so much compassion to give. It was evident in that picture.

I know others who have 'come out' and done good things for the autism community like Holly Robinson Peete, Gary Cole, Toni Braxton and, yes, even Jenny McCarthy (yes, even she has done good for the autism community). All of these 'celebrities' have a chance to do something good and help others, even in a small way. We all do that. I do what I do for those who come after me....just as the Down's community did a lot before the autism community. We all have a responsibility as a parent to help the next generation and to make this world a better place. We owe that to our children and the children after us.

Barack Obama

I am trying not to make this a political blog...but today, a favorite great aunt and uncle gave my boys a book entitled, "Barack". Needless to say, that middle boy inhaled some air when he saw the book. He was so taken, he had to sit next to it on the car ride home. His eyes lit up and he has claimed it as his own.

Halloween

Halloween came without a hitch. Middle boy had a 'hibernation' day at school. They got to wear their pajamas to school and take a favorite teddy bear. They rotated classrooms and had different stations in each classroom to do activities related to their study of bears (polar bears, grizzly bears and brown bears). Middle boy loved it. Youngest was trained on the fine art of 'trick or treating" (knock on door, say 'trick or treat", get candy and say 'thank you"). The one thing we forgot to ingrain in head was that he needed to walk a little faster to keep up with oldest and middle boy.

Halloween

Yes, we are two days away from the 'big day'. I have costumes ready, candy ready, but most of all, the buckets are found and put in a place that is easily accessible. Yes, I know it is weird, but they each have a bucket. Unfortunately, they are from last year (hey, I invested about $4 a pop on them, they have to last more than one year!) and match their last year's costume, except for middle boys'. Middle boys' bucket is a Darth Vader....his costume? Darth Vader. Oldest's bucket is a CARS-the movie (he was Lightening McQueen from the movie), but he is satisfied with it (this year's costume is Wall-E). They are both Pixar-right? Youngest is going to be the most random...he has a Thomas the Train bucket (he was Thomas last year). Much to my chagrin (I was THIS close to having him be Thomas again), he wanted a Diego (from "Go, Diego, Go") costume. He's happy though with his Thomas bucket.....

The Virtues of HSM

I know it has been awhile since I last posted (life is busy, you know!).

For something completely different, I thought I would post about HSM (for those of you who have been living under a rock, that is "High School Musical").

HSM is a story that was originally a Disney Channel movie aimed at the 'tweenies'. It has since been branched out to merchandise (dolls, clothes, etc), ice show, broadway play (yes, "HSM-The Musical") and many, many more forums. If Disney can dream it, it will be done.

It is the story of a boy (Troy, a basketball star) and a girl (Gabriella, the genius) who meet at a ski lodge new year's eve. Turns out (surprise) that Gabriella is moving to Albuquerque and is going to Troy's school after Winter Break. They reconnect and try out for the high school musical, but their friends all pooh-pooh them because Gabriella is a genius and Troy is the star basketball player and why would they ever want to do the drama thing? Bottom line is that they try to conform to peer pressure and not 'want' to be in the musical. In the end, they also 'fall in like" (they don't kiss until HSM 2 and that is all they do). The moral of the story is to do your own thing, without peer pressure.

Along the way, they unite their friends (of course). They also sing, dance, have amazing chorographed numbers and learn about what 'THEY" want.

Of course, there is the 'evil' character (although, Sharpay is not so 'evil' even by Disney standards, she does join in with them singing and dancing). She does try to undermine Gabriella because she wants the musical to herself (and Troy, too).

My question is...isn't the moral what we all want for our kids, to listen to their hearts and find their own way? In HSM-1, even my 6 year old picked up on the line that Troy's dad said (at the last moment of the state championship), "I want you to have fun". Isn't that what we all want for our kids? To find something that they enjoy and have fun?

Yes, it is cheesy, but who cares. There was not a single person (including myself and my mom) when I saw the musical (which was my introduction to HSM) that wasn't singing and clapping their hands. Yes, my husband did inopportune giggles during HSM 3, but it WAS full of cheese.

Final thought: Besides all of that cheese, the best part of HSM is that it brought my boys together with me. We watched HSM and HSM 3 together. We all enjoyed it. Oldest was singing and dancing during HSM 3 at the theater (he had seen the videos online and knew ALL of the words). It's something that has allowed him to be on the same level as his peers (okay, the girls, but that is fine). I wish I had had a videotape recorder and could have recorded it. I haven't seen him so happy and giggly like that in a long time. He had such a great time.

Middle boy growing up....

First, I must give you some background. Oldest boy is in cub scouts (primarily to help him with social skills with 'typical' kids), but we have found that cub scouts is a great organization and that middle boy would probably love it, too.

So, we signed up middle boy, too (so, now we have TWO boys in the same pack: oldest is a 'bear' and middle boy is a tiger cub). All I can say is that cub scouts is made for middle boy. He attended his first 'pack' (all levels of boys) meeting on Wednesday. He came home 'pumped' up for cub scouts. He is eager to earn as many badges as he can. If he could have slept with his tiger cub book, he would have (he took it to church today and read it during the service).

Yesterday was his first event. He and his den went to the World Forestry Center in Portland. They rode the MAX train in and visited the center. He had a blast. Afterwards, he went to lunch with his new friends (including a new friend in our development!). Then, he went to the cub scouts store and purchased his uniform.

Today, he went to our local Fred Meyer (a grocery store), suited up and sold popcorn (the fundraiser. I can't tell you how handsome he looked in his new uniform. I almost cried. He looked so grown up and handsome. He had a grin from ear to ear in his new uniform.

All we have heard for the past five days is, "how do I earn a patch?". He is so highly motivated to earn patches (I may be able to get him to do more chores for me, remember, a cub scout is a helper around the house!).

Oldest boy is also motivated. He saw middle boy in his uniform and really enjoyed it. This happened recently, when middle boy was learning the same stroke as oldest in swim lessons. It really motivated oldest to push himself a little further to achieve the goal.

Goin' back to school

Today, I had so much fun. I volunteered in Middle boy's 1st grade class. I got to be introduced by him (he couldn't remember my name and said, "Katie") AND I got an applause (shooting stars, his favorite). He loved having me in class (although, I was there and he was in another class for Reading, such as life). I did get to talk to his teacher and learned some things we can do at home to help him (she is pleased with him, so nothing major!).

Youngest

See, my best stories come in bunches.

This morning, I dropped youngest off at preschool and told his teacher that he was 'moody', which was true. One second he was fine, the next not so much. This has been happening a lot (I just read and article that this is common in 3 1/2 year olds). Anyway...his teacher was very understanding.

When I picked him up, I asked him (as I always do), "how was your day?". Today, he didn't miss a beat and said, "I was fussy". His teacher looked at me and said, 'he was fussy'. I could only contain myself from laughing.

Goose Egg

I just got a phone call from the school nurse (never a good sign). My first thought was "who's sick? (since both oldest and middle boy go to that school)".

Turns out middle boy ran into a pole at recess. Now, this doesn't suprise me since he is the quickest of them. He has a goose egg, but no dizziness, eye problems, stomach aches, etc. Again, does this suprise me? No. So, looks like I get to play "Florence Nightingale' when they come home. Poor Guy....

Catch up!

Yes, I have been remiss on keeping up on my blogging...things get busy, as I am sure you are aware....

Last Thursday was picture day for my older boys. They got to wear their favorite shirts. Yes, before I had children, I vowed that my children would never wear a screen print top for school pictures. What did they wear? Middle boy wore his green "Yoda" shirt and Oldest his blue Ratatouille shirt. Obviously, rules are meant to be broken...

Last Friday was a state-wide inservice day. Typically, those days I have an autism conference that I go to. However, this year, I did not have a conference. I planned on taking the boys to the library (which sounds boring, but the boys LOVE going to the library. They all got dressed and we went and they got a new book and a new movie (I have a rule that they can get a movie, as long as they get a book). As always, it was popular and then we had drive thru McDonald's (which was a new toy....always a thrill...)

Saturday, we all went to the pumpkin patch. We had a lot of fun at Palmeroy Farms in Yacolt, which is about a good half hour away. It is a 'working farm', run by volunteers. They saw farm animals (which they loved). They got to pick out a pumpkin and then take the hay ride through Pumpkin Lane, which is comprised of 'pumpkin people' with different themes. Middle boy loved the superheroes. Oldest loved it all. Youngest boy loved the whole thing, also.

I also wanted to tell you that I am "the best Mom ever'. Youngest son has told me twice (unprompted) that "You are the best Mom ever'. I guess it must be true.

My Middle boy, the Civil Rights activist!

Middle boy has been fascinated with Dr. Martin Luther King ever since he learned about him in preschool (Teacher Jessica to be precise). He has thought he was really cool. We talk a lot about Dr. King because it is because of Dr. King that Senator Obama can run for President. Middle boy LOVES Senator Obama....he is Senator Obama's youngest fan. He has a sticker on his door. If you stay in his room, you HAVE to vote for Senator Obama (this is middle boy's rule). I think middle boy likes saying "Obama"....

Anyway...a couple of weeks ago, he went to the school library and checked out a book. It was a book by Faith Ringgold who is a well-known African-American writer (she wrote "Tar Beach" to critical acclaim, including the Coretta Scott King Award for literature). This book was called, "If This Bus Could Talk" and it was about Rosa Parks. Now, I thought that Middle Boy would be bored (although the illustrations are amazing, just like they are in "Tar Beach"). It was a historical fiction book about a bus that once a year, on Rosa Parks' birthday allows a 'special person" to sit where Rosa sat and tells the story of Rosa Parks.

Middle boy was fascinated. He was interested and then it got into the part after Rosa Parks didn't give up her seat on the bus, she met with Dr. King and joined his 'movement'. We talked a lot about how African-Americans couldn't sit on the bus and then what they did, etc and how because of what Dr. King did, has allowed Senator Obama to run for President. He was very interested and sat and listened with wide eyes. It was really cool to see him think about it and process it. I am not sure how much he actually understood, but he did think about it.