"I'm going on an adventure!" Bilbo Baggins. Day 1 California

Every other year, we make it back to California for Christmas. This was the year. The day before our flight, we had snow. The kids had fun outside while Alex and I packed up.

Ok, I have no idea how I made that picture snow, but I'm a genius.

We had a 6:30 am flight, so this meant we had to get up at 4am. Yikes! The boys were so excited, they were pretty easy to wake up. We had the minivan loaded up, and pulled away from the house by 5am. The check in line was long, but it moved fast. We made it just in time for boarding. Phew!

It's just a 3 hour flight to LAX. What a nightmare that airport is. But one nice thing about it, is that it has See's Candy. Yay!

I resisted the urge to buy, and we headed straight to the shuttle pick up area. Although the airport was pretty busy, our private van picked us up in no time flat. Before I could say "andele", we were on the freeway, with Santana blasting on the radio. We're back!

We always stay with my in-laws. We got to their house in less than an hour. We were so happy to see everyone. We spent time just chatting and enjoying the sun. After a few hours, we headed over to see my mom. By that time, we were all hungry. Where else could we eat, but In N Out, of course! No visit back to California is complete without a stop here. So we picked my mom up, and headed to In N Out. I miss In N Out, but I miss mom more!

"I am king under the mountain!" - Smaug

Last week was Hobbit week in this house. What is Hobbit week? A completely made up week long celebration of all things Hobbit. We are big Hobbit/ Lord of the Rings fans. So for the five days leading up to The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug, I did little things to build up the excitement.

Day one: a gift of hobbit slippers
Day two: another gift, Gollum winter hats
Day three: The Hobbit illustrated movie guide
Day four: Movie release day t shirts
Day Five: A home made Hobbit cake, then we went to see the movie.

Noah waiting for the school bus Friday morning. Decked out in his Smaug shirt.

Alex ended up taking Friday off, so he could help with the cake. I think we could have done a better job, but black ice in the morning made shopping for cake supplies impossible.

I'll forgive you if this picture ends up on Cake Wrecks.

We went to an IMAX screening, and loved it! We can't wait for the last Hobbit movie. The kids handled the crowd great. Here are the kids wearing their Hobbit gifts.

"I find your lack of faith disturbing."

Another great quote from Star Wars. Faith is a word that gets thrown around quite a bit, both by the religious and not so religious. I have faith that we have enough gas in the car to get home. I have faith that I can squeeze into these jeans. I have faith that I can get two kids off to school every morning. See? That's allot of non religious faith right there. But there's so much more to that word.

I experienced true faith last week. It blew. Me. Away. I met some pretty awesome people. I took a trip down to Joplin to pick up my brother for a weekend visit. While there, I met James and Marsha, a couple that run a shelter in town. Their work is truly amazing. They founded a mission which serves the homeless and impoverished in the city. They not only take in people off the streets, nourish and provide clothes. They minister to them in a more meaningful way. They give them a purpose.

You see, in order to sleep in the shelter, a person must be 1. sober, and 2. agree to pay it forward at the shelter. They have something that they call Project Worth. In Project Worth, residents of the shelter do various jobs. It can be anything from gardening to creating jewelry to be sold at their store. As their website so eloquently put it, "The purchase of Worth-Shop items in our community are reminding 'the least of these' that they have something to offer, that they have the ability to earn and that they have worth."

 What an amazing place this is. There are so many stories of redemption in this building. Now I'm not totally naive. Not every story is a happy one. Not every one of these residents makes it out alive. But souls are saved at Watered Gardens. Because of the hard work and dedication of people like James and Marsha, people are given opportunities for a better life.

I imagine that James and Marsha's jobs are very difficult. There must be quite a bit of heart ache. But in that heart ache, must come immense joy when they see one person saved. So when you see a homeless person on the street, remember that person matters. He/she is someone's child, sibling, aunt/uncle. And think of people like James and Marsha, who do so much to help them. Donate to their wonderful ministry in any way you can.  http://wateredgardens.org/

Never a dull moment

It's never a dull moment around here. You just never know what may occur. I was minding my own business, just helping Nik with his homework. I noticed Noah circling us and trying to wait patiently to tell me something. I finally asked him what was up.

"Mom, your toilet had too much water. I fixed it with your towel. All clean!" He was so proud of himself. I snapped this picture of him after he revealed his cleaning method.

He was so proud, I didn't have the heart to get upset that he used my extra absorbent, 100% cotton super soft feel and touch terry, built for absorbency towel to clean an overflowing toilet. I did tell him to use a mop next time.

Meet Berry

"Hi Mom! Meet Berry. Berry, meet my mom." Noah came barreling out of the school bus yesterday, wearing an ear to ear smile. He had Berry in his hands and was so excited. And he was all too eager to walk Berry around the house and introduce him to his tent, the couch, the fridge, the oven.  "But don't touch it, Berry!"

Noah is earning classroom money in exchange for meeting class expectations. The idea is to earn money to be able to buy Christmas gifts. I think Berry was supposed to be a part of that, but he clearly loves the bear too much to give it away.

Last night, Noah fell asleep with Berry, and left him on top of his i pad this morning when he went to school. He loves Berry.

Halloween 2013

This was a fun Halloween season. On Saturday, Nik and Noah participated in a Halloween party with our Special needs ministry at church. They had so much fun. Here they are on our way to the party.

On Halloween day, Nik's class had a big party. They invited other special needs classes from neighboring schools. The class did a fundraiser and handled all the planning on their own. What an awesome way to teach them some very important life skills. And Nik had a blast at the party.

In the evening, we did our traditional carving of the pumpkin.

I, Jack, the Pumpkin King!

Then it was our turn to trick or treat. No, I did not get candy for myself. But this was my costume that I wore to work. 

Noah must have had a great time. I could hear him singing himself to sleep. "Yahoo! Celebrate good times, come on! Celebrate good times, come on!" He's either a fan of Halloween or Kool & the Gang.

Happy Halloween!

How not to get lost in a corn maze

We made our annual visit to a local corn maze. When we got there, Noah spotted Spookley the square pumpkin right away. This is one of his favorite books.

Here is Noah reading the story to Nik.

The kids also spotted a Spongebob hay bale.

 We headed over to the hay ride so we could get lost in the maze.

 

We tried to get lost. We really did. But we were able to find our way out two times within 40 minutes. The benefit to having a smart husband.

 Before leaving the farm, we picked out our pumpkin and walked through the haunted barn.

Boo!

Another perfect day in Kansas. I love fall!

When life gives me lemons...

I don't want to make lemonade. I don't like lemonade. When life gives me lemons, sometimes I want to pick up that lemon and throw it right back. I don't mean a little toss. I mean 90 mile an hour fastball throw right into the face. Life is not always rainbows and sunshine. Sometimes it just plain old sucks. This week was the trifecta of parental suckage.

1. Sick kid. Few things suck more than having a sick kid. I hate seeing them curled up in bed, with that sad, queasy look in their eyes. Poor baby. But on the positive side, it was just a one day thing. He was up and on his feet by the end of the day.

2. An IEP meeting. Now I feel incredibly fortunate that since we have moved here, IEPs have generally been very positive. Back in California, I think I cried all the way home from each IEP meeting. I think I have only cried coming home once since we moved here. But even though they don't break me down into tears, it's still a kick in the gut. Another painful reminder that my kids struggle and have to work twice as hard to succeed. 

But on the positive side, I was surrounded by staff who do an amazing job with Noah. They are a very positive group of women. I know that Noah will make improvements under the care of this staff. I am confident in that. 

3. The first transition meeting at high school. This is a new layer of suckage that I have never experienced before. High school is a time when we start talking about some serious things. I'm learning about durable power of attorney, independent living, job coaches, trust funds.  Other parents are learning about SAT scores, college prep, financial aid.

I'm generally a very positive person. I try to find the joy in everything. But sometimes I...just...can't. This was one of those times. I sat in the transition meeting, becoming overwhelmed by all of the information. There is just so much to prepare for. Unlike most parents, who only prepare kids for college. I am preparing my kids for...well, forever! 

I need to bring my A game to these meetings. I need to make sure that everything is taken care of. I cannot fail at this. Because if I fail, my kids fail. I want them to achieve as much as possible, and then some. I want them to have the best jobs possible. I want them to live independently. I want them to have meaningful relationships with people. I want them to be able to afford cable TV, trips to the theater and vacations. These are the things that bring them joy. These are the things I want for them.

The good news is, I'm ahead of the game. We have a special needs trust all set up, we are on waiting lists for services the boys will need as adults. We are starting to put plans in place to make sure that both boys have a solid future. 

But a part of me just can't let go of that dream that I had 14 and 11 years ago. The dream that they would go to college, get married, have a family, have successful careers. The IEP and transition meetings will always be reminders that my idea of success for them is so much different now. 

On the positive side, I still have faith. Faith in a higher power, that will watch over my sons. And faith in the ability of my boys. The confidence that they will be successful, happy, kind hearted adults. Because Nik and Noah are two remarkable kids. 

So yeah, this week sucked a little. I don't have the life that most parents have. But I am so glad that I have the kids that I have. I wouldn't trade them for the world. They are pretty awesome kids!

Damn, I think I just made lemonade out of lemons. 

Autism.

Keep calm and stay positive!

Workin' the concession stand like nobody's business.

Last week, Nik and I volunteered at the school concession stand. What a great experience! Nik did a great job He greeted customers as they approached the counter, and took their order. Then he added it up and told them their total. With the help of a calculator, he was able to count out their change. And he also helped prepare their order. Not such a big surprise that he absolutely loved doing this!

Break a leg!

This week, Nik performed in his first high school play. He played the DJ, and had a few lines. We worked at memorizing, and he had rehearsal with the rest of the cast. The day of the play ended up being an all day event. He had school until 3pm, followed by rehearsal, dinner with the drama department, more rehearsal, then the play. On his way out the door that morning, I told Nik to break a leg. He shot back with "Mom, are you crazy?" Oops. Sorry, I forget how kids with autism take things literally. 

 

Nik did not have a para with him after school, so we were nervous how he would handle things. He did look a little lost prior to the performance, but once he hit the stage, he did great! And most importantly, he had a great time.

No One Mourns the Wicked!

Just months after our wonderful experience on Broadway, we decided to take the kids to another musical. Wicked is visiting on tour, and the kids wanted to see it. After my usual research, research, research, I settled on some tickets.

We selected Orchestra seats row Q, 17 rows from the stage. As the big day approached, the kids were just beside themselves with excitement. And any time Noah is eagerly anticipating something (like a vacation), this usually ramps up the anxiety for him. This was no different. He had a couple of issues earlier in the week, both at home and school. But on the day of the show, he was as happy as could be. He literally threw off the covers and jumped out of bed to get dressed. No asking him a dozen times to get dressed. And Nik woke up even before his alarm clock went off.

I selected a matinee performance hoping to avoid the crowd, but the show was pretty full. We got there with plenty of time to take a quick picture.

Rockin' the headphones to reduce noise.

I had heard an usher say no photography allowed. But Alex didn't, and took a picture before the show started. 

Even though we had great seats, it was a challenge for Noah and I to see over people's heads.

But if we leaned left or right, we could get a clear view of the performance. It was excellent. We all really loved the show. I think everyone's favorite part was Defying Gravity, when Elphaba flew up into the air. The kids also loved Oz. Their quick review was that it was the best show ever. Yes, even better than Spiderman Turn off the Dark. 

It was just another awesome reminder of how far Noah has come. From the kid who was so traumatized by sound in 2008, that he would not want leave the house, to a kid who had a huge smile on during the show. Yes, he needed to wear noise reducing headphones, but he could still hear well, and loved every minute of it. This was something that we never would have been able to do as recently as 2012. Noah couldn't even tolerate a 20 minute musical when we went to Disney World. Noah and I had to make a quick exit during The Finding Nemo musical, leaving Alex and Nik behind to enjoy the show. It's such an awesome feeling to finally be able to enjoy things as a family. And Nik just loves having us together. 

Ok, enough of raving about the show. If you haven't seen Wicked, do it! It's great. After the show, we made our way to the car. It was an absolute nightmare leaving the parking lot after the show. It took a good 30 minutes to get out of a parking structure only three stories high. Ugh. Apparently, Kansas City does have some traffic. 

Once we were out of there, we headed over to Crown Plaza and Fritz's Railroad Cafe. We love that place.

To refresh your memory, you order your food by telephones located at each table. Then the food is delivered by train. 

Here comes our train!

It delivers our food to the platform.

 The platform is lowered...

and it's time to eat!

Following dinner, we made our way back to the car. We spotted this guy near Discovery Legoland. We still need to go there! 

And I spotted this little restaurant called Streetcar Named Desire. It really does resemble a streetcar. This was the first place we ate when we visited Kansas City for the first time 6 years ago. Time flies.

And here is the big city! Note that it's about 7pm. I can't imagine a freeway being so empty at 7pm back in California. I love Kansas City!

Soccer season

Both boys participate in Special Olympics. It's such a great organization. I love how they push the kids as far as they can go, and even beyond that. Every year, they improve in their skills.

Unfortunately, I had to miss this year's tournament due to work. I was so disappointed. But Alex was in town for the last tournament of the year, so the kids were able to make it.

For the first time in 3 years, they were assigned to the same team.

Nik had an outstanding game. He scored 4 goals!

Noah also did a great job. He was very eager to play, even asking to be let back into the game!

In order to protect his surgical scar, Noah needs to wear his sun hat.

I'm so proud of my boys. They didn't win the game, but they never gave up!