Life is an endless Developmental process. We all have unique Abilities and Disabilities. The Day we choose Awareness instead of ignorance, is the DAY we start to see everyone as equal. Gary Spears, DSP



Thursday, April 30, 2009

Does Caden like Monkeys?

This the the original Vinyl MonkeyWith the new Vinyl one and the bed gang, this doesn't include blankie/monkey that has 5 monkeys wrapped up!

Heather made Caden this new vinyl monkey, that he just LOVES and had to have his picture taken next to him! He chose where on his walls he wanted the new monkey placed and he helped me rub him on as well. After that, we continued on with pictures, where ever Monkey's were he needed me to take a picture of him with them. It was really cute.

Bahamas here we come!


I booked our trip to the Bahamas via the Carnival Sensation for Mike and I today. I am SO excited you have NO idea! Thanks to all of our wonderful parents, Meema, GG and Grandpa for watching the kids for us! We'll be leaving On Saturday October 3rd and returning on Thursday October 8th. We are very much looking forward to those 5 child free days. Please don't get me wrong, we love and enjoy every moment with our children, but Colin is still a bit too young for such a vacation, and caden would not mentally be able to process trip and the people for such a period of time. Courtney ~ yeah, she is bit upset with us, but her time will come. Mom and Dad deserve this time away. I am sure it will be the last time, until the kids are MUCH older that we will travel without them. The older they get, the more fun we have taking them on small trips with us, so as the years go by, hopefully we'll be able to do this type of a vacation with them. In the meantime... OUR countdown is on!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Courtney made the Merit roll!

Yea!! The first making period she made honors, we were so excited for you, then last quarter she skipped, and didn't even make merit, so today's report card came in and she made the merit roll! We are so happy for her! Her average is an 86.7! Her grades are as follows:

English 90
Social Studies 84
Music 96 - final grade
Art 97
Gym 97
Math 70 - not so great you say? This is UP from a 60 last quarter, that is wonderful!(and passing!)
Science 83
Chorus 100

Courtney is also on her way to becoming a Lancaster Jr. Redskin Cheerleader. We registered her last weekend, and are now doing the fundraising. If your interested in buying anything, please let us know, she gets 50% towards the cost of her uniform, sneakers, wind suit etc. May 6th we go for Sneaker fitting and uniform sizing. What happened to the days of saddle shoes? When I was a cheerleader (when I was what 5?) we wore saddle shoes, now you special order special Cheer leading sneakers that match! Insane!

Go Court!

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Life Lessons

So this apparently is my week for some lessons taught by Caden. Only my boys. Yesterday morning at 6:30am, I went to switch laundry before I went to work. As I was pulling clothes out, little pieces of "stuff" was stuck to everything, I figured someone left paper in their pants or whatever. So by the time I get to the bottom of the load, it got worse, some shirts I think are way ruined (mostly mine of course!) Well, I then found chunks and pieces of Caden's pull up! Ew..!! When he was stripping for his bath, he just took it all off at once, and never took the pull up out of the pants. And I didn't check, just put it all in the washer as is. Well, what a mess that created! I still can't get the stuff off of the black shirts. I might just have to give up soon. Right now I am letting them dry, so I can try to beat it off then rewash it yet again!

Lesson Learned.

*Side note*-The child lock broke off of the pantry door a couple weeks ago. This comes into play here.
So this morning, Caden came into bed with me, as he does every Saturday morning. Once Colin wakes up, Caden always go in and "get's" him for me. He opens the blinds, give him some toys, and sits in the rocker until I come to release Colin. It's nice to have him occupy him for that extra 10 minutes. Well today, they much have decided they were hungry. Caden went and got 3 boxes of cereal from said pantry. Honey Comb, Frosted mini wheat's & the HUGE box of BJ's Cheerios. Well they decided to throw the Cheerio's in the crib. Caden then climbed in the crib after it, they dumped them out and proceeded to have breakfast. I got out of bed because they were way to quiet. Now I know why. I couldn't help but laugh, I couldn't even be mad. First thing I did was grab the camera!

Lesson Learned




o

Friday, April 24, 2009

I Believe

This was sent to me in an email today. I thought it was very beautiful and really read into my daily life, so I wanted to share it on here.

Birth Certificate shows that we were born
A Death Certificate shows that we died
Pictures show that we lived!
Have a seat . . . Relax . . .
And read this slowly.

I Believe...
That just because two people argue,
It doesn't mean they don't love each other.
And just because they don't argue,
It doesn't mean they do love each other..


I Believe....
That we don't have to change friends if
We understand that friends change.


I Believe...
That no matter how good a friend is,
They're going to hurt you every once in a while
And you must forgive them for that.


I Believe...
That true friendship continues to grow,
Even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love..

I Believe...
That you can do something in an instant
That will give you heartache for life.


I Believe...
That it's taking me a long time
To become the person I want to be.


I Believe...
That you should always leave loved ones with
Loving words. It may be the last time you see them.


I Believe...
That you can keep going long after you think you can't.


I Believe...
That we are responsible for what
We do, no matter how we feel.


I Believe...
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.


I Believe...
That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.


I Believe...
That money is a lousy way of keeping score.


I Believe...
That my best friend and I, can do anything, or nothing and have the best time.


I Believe...
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you When you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.


I Believe...
That sometimes when I'm angry
I have the right to be angry,
But that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I Believe.
That maturity has more to do with
What types of experiences you've had
And what you've learned from them
And less to do with
How many birthdays you've celebrated.


I Believe....
That it isn't always enough,
To be forgiven by others.
Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.


I Believe...
That no matter how bad your heart is broken
The world doesn't stop for your grief.


I Believe...
That our background and circumstances
May have influenced who we are,
But, we are responsible for who we become.


I Believe......
That you shouldn't be so eager to find
Out a secret. It could change your life Forever.


I Believe...
Two people can look at the exact same
Thing and see something totally different.


I Believe...
That your life can be changed in a matter of
Hours by people who don't even know you.


I Believe....
That even when you think you have no more to give,
When
A friend cries out to you -
You will find the strength to help.


I Believe...
That credentials on the wall
Do not make you a decent human being.


I Believe...
That the people you care about most in life
Are taken from you too soon.


I Believe...
That you should send this to
All of the people that you believe in, I just did.


'The happiest of people don't necessarily
Have the best of everything;
They just make the most of everything.

Thank you God for all the wonderful people who help us throughout the journey of life..
May Angels guard you and guide you.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Autism screening tops Obama's medical to-do list

I found this article quite interesting! Thumbs up to Obama

Nancy Shute U.S. News & World Report
Autism is the only disorder or disease mentioned explicitly in Obama's 24-point agenda on Whitehouse.gov . Heart disease and cancer don't get the call. Neither does diabetes, or other chronic diseases.

But there are four hefty bullet points addressing autism. Obama called for:

1. Increased funding for research, treatment, screenings, public awareness and support services for autism spectrum disorders.

2. "Life-long services" for people with autism spectrum disorders, as children and as adults. Many parents struggle to find and pay for screening and treatments for their children, but there is even less coverage and capacity for adults with autism-based impairments.

3. More funding for the 2006 Combating Autism Act, as well as improving state and federal autism programs.

4. Universal screening for all infants for autism disorders, as well as re-screening for all 2-year-olds. This is the biggie; children are currently screened only if parents or pediatricians voice a concern, so too many children aren't diagnosed until they enter elementary school. The earlier treatment starts, the more effective it is, and a national screening program would help reduce the number of kids falling through the cracks. It would also be a huge undertaking, at a time when both government and privately insured health care is foundering.

That second bullet point would be a huge help for families who are struggling to provide care. In a recent survey, 52 percent of parents of children with autism said their family finances were drained by treatment and care, compared to 13 percent of typical families.

The 2006 Combating Autism act promised almost $1 billion over five years for autism research and development, but Congress hadn't appropriated $200 million per year, even before the economy hit the skids. The Obama manifesto gives a big fat hint that for autism, at least, the hard times cited in the new president's inaugural address won't mean big cuts in funding.

Still, universal screening for autism will be a huge challenge. There's no blood test that can be used to diagnose autism, as there is for hereditary diseases like galactosemia and sickle cell, which are screened for using a heel stick while a newborn is still in the hospital. With autism, parents and doctors instead need to observe a child and look for delays in language, social interactions, and gross motor skills.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that pediatricians screen children during well-baby visits at 9 months, 18 months, and 24 or 30 months. But many doctors don't get around to doing those screens, and until very recently the recommended tests weren't sensitive enough to pick up mild autism spectrum disorders. Early screening for autism is a terrific idea. Making it happen will be a tall order, even for the can-do Obama team.

(c) 2009 U.S. News & World Report

Copyright © 2009, Tribune Interactive

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Sick Colin


How sweet is this picture?? Colin has not been feeling well for close to 2 months now. He had a pretty severe sinus infection about 5 weeks ago maybe, and put on meds for 10 days. He was doing great while he was on the meds, then with days of stopping them, got sick again. I just chalked it up to what the rest of the world has now. Well he has been downright MISERABLE for about 2.5 weeks. So clingy and whiny, feverish and just over the past weekend was not ever content. You wouldn't put him down and he wasn't sleeping much at night or during the day. So Monday I had Mike bring him in to the doctor, and of course he has another sinus infection AND an ear infection, which explains the lack of sleep! So back on meds we are now. This was taken on Sunday, when he didn't ever nap, and was the worst! We gave him a very early bath and he feel asleep on Mike at 6:30pm. Slept right through until 6:15 as well! So I am hoping this nips it in the bud, but we'll see. My next biggest concern is the ears. His tubes have now been in for close to a year, and the right ear, with the infection in it, is already working it's way out. So if he's ALREADY got an ear infection, with it almost out, what is going to happen when it is all the way out? He has a follow up ENT appointment in May, so these questions sure will be asked at that time. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Updated Picture

I think Heather wanted pictures of the new light that Dad, Mike and Caden installed. So here ya go!

What it looked like before
The after product
The view of the whole shebang!

Case Conference for Caden 04.21.09

Yesterday Was Caden's Case conference at his school. This is where we discuss how he progressed and what areas still need improvement. We also set a goal for the next meeting, which will happen in about 4 months. Our last one was this past December. Caden has shown great confidence with his speech and has began using a ton more words. He is showing that he enjoys speaking although many of the words are not understandable, he is making the effort. I believe that he has a vocab of about 20 words now and uses signs in conjunction to them. He can also tolerate sitting at circle time during an activity now for up to 15 minutes, which is huge for him, currently he can only do this in the classroom setting, but we'll work up to elsewhere. He is showing greater one on one eye contact as well, which stems from his boost in confidence level. academically he is at a stage 2, which is 24-36 so that is wonderful! He is almost on track on that level. He is very smart of his age level and absorbs everything. We discussed that he is visually intelligent, that he needs sights to be able to complete things. Which is why he picked up signing so well. What he is unable to do with words, he compensates with his eyes. We are going to work on more speech and hope to amended how often he gets it weekly. We are also going to work on interaction with peers, as he still shows no interest in others. they are going to prompt one other child and him to purposely interact daily to see if we can spark an interest in others outside of adults. We are also going to work alot more on his sensory delays. he is very bothered by many things, such as light, touch, crowds etc. And he needs motion and heavy work often, so were going to work on that. We noticed that he does most things and alot of talking when he is engaged in something sensory related, such as swinging on the swing during gym or therapy. So we'll also try to engage him in conversation alot when he is doing those sensory related things, such as going down the slide, or vacuuming, swinging, etc.

So all in all that sums up what I can remember until I get the report back. We have a meeting with our district coming up and the school has requested full time summer services in a 6:1:1 class still for him due to the severity of need. We will also keep in such a setting next year as well, since is not ready to be put in an integrated class of 10+ children. I am looking forward to the district meeting and even more so for our visit to Strong in just 27 days. I am also quite nervous about this visit. We had such a horrible experience at Robert Warner last year, that the outcome of this makes me nervous. I am so worried they will once again say your child is shy there are no other problems. Which is crap. I pray everyday they give us the news we need to get Caden all the possible services we can and help him lead the best life for him!

Happy Earth Day!


Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Daddy & Grandpa Helpers

This past weekend, Dad and Mike were installing the recessed light in the kitchen above the sink. In order to do so, you had to crawl up into the crawl space through Colin's closet ceiling, not an easy chore for the big boys. Caden however, never backs down from a manly task! After Mike went up there and was prepping the ceiling for the cut, Caden followed him right up that ladder and hung out in ceiling too! He is such a goof ball!

Caden taking pictures of Grandpa, not bad for Caden!
Working away, in deep thought
Notice his pants are falling off? Like a true working man!

The Crawl Space and hole from the top view
Caden crawling over the floor beams and insulation
This is me in Colin's room taking the picture of them from the bottom,so it's a bit akward
Colin really wanted to climb up that ladder too!
Caden heading back down.

Bandits Game

This past Saturday night we were able to get tickets to the Bandits game at HSBC. I've never been to a Lacrosse game before and man it sure was a good time! What a fast paced game that loves to involve the fans! Courtney had her friend Elena spending the night that night, so she came with us as well. We got a sitter for the boys and were on our way. here are some highlights of the game.. Which by the way we lost :-(

Longtime lifelong friends of our from Susan lane have season tickets as well, so we knew what section they were in and kept our eyes out once we got to our seats. As luck would have it, they were RIGHT below our suite! We were lucky enough that Tom took off his hat for the anthem and we pick his not so hairy head out of the crowd! So at 1/2 time we got to go down and visit and get hugs. Nothing like old friends. Those kind of people don't happen in life often.

The "Bandettes"
The girls
Elena
Courtney

The score when we happened to be ahead!

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Give a Way!

So my friend Heather, who has done all of the vinyl work in our house, is doing a give a way on her Vinyl Design blog. She just got some great new items too, so be sure to check it and see if you can win some great things for your walls as well!

Click HERE To visit Vinyl Designs.

Or Click HERE to take a look at all the great things she's done for us!

You can also click on the icon of Vinyl Design in the right side toolbar and it will take you directly to her site! Good Luck & Have fun!

PS- If you Do happen to enter... Mention that you heard about it on my website, and I'll get an additional entry as well! ♥

Happy Easter! Egg & Basket Hunt

Happy Easter! Before we searched for baskets this morning, we had the kids find some hidden Easter Eggs around the house. Caden woke us up with the one that bunny hid in Colin's room at 7:15, bright and early! There are still a couple hiding about, but it seems every one's given up so far... we'll find them for days to come I am sure. The boys really got into searching, and had a lot of fun with it. They sure would have enjoyed the egg hunt at our local fire hall yesterday, however it was at 1:00pm, right in the middle of nap time, so it was a no go ~ deviating from that schedule can get pretty ugly.

Later on today we'll be having Meema, GG, Uncle Shawn & Angel over for Easter dinner. Yummy, Ham, potatoes, Corn, bread & of course yummy deserts!! Happy Easter!

What baskets look like before the kids get to them! :-) Can you tell which one belong to who?



Caden Found his basket! On a chair at the table!






Colin found his basket! Hidden behind his house!



.
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Courtney found her Basket! Hidden in the stove!




Colin being nosy

Easter Egg Hunt!

Courtney Finding her Eggs
Col found some up high!
And down low
Caden found alot!
See mom!
"When a loved one becomes a memory ~ That memory becomes a treasure"