I think we are being stalked by Star Wars characters

Last week, we headed to the zoo. When we first moved here, it seemed like we were there every month. I guess we got sick of it, and just stopped going. It had been a few years since our last visit, and we wanted to check out some of the new exhibits.

We got there in the morning, ahead of the crowds.  Our first stop was to check out the Polar Bear Passage area. This was something new to us. Since it was early, we had a clear view of the polar bears, without having to wait for people to clear the way. One polar bear just kept jumping in the water, and swimming right up to the glass. The kids got a kick out of it.

There was just a hint of a chill in the air, but it was a beautiful day. The leaves are starting to turn here! I love fall.

Here are a group of monkeys, both inside and outside of the cage. 

All of the animals were awake and moving around. Check out how close the tigers were to the fence.

Noah staring down an orangutan.

Kangaroos. We had just watched the youtube clip of kangaroos fighting in the streets of Australia, so the kids were very curious about them.

We crossed a suspension bridge to get to the gorilla exhibit. The bridge actually sways a bit, so I'm usually nervous walking across.

At this point, we decided to take a break for lunch. It was under that tent, so we ate fast and got back out into the sunlight.

We took the tram to get to the other side of the zoo.

It was so pretty on that side.

We checked out the gators, or crocs. I can't remember which they were.

And the new baby zebra. So cute!

Then we took the tram back to the front of the park. 

I had new boots on, and my feet were killing me.

We checked out the new to us penguin exhibit.

We were ready to leave at that point. I mean, my boots. I couldn't go on without being carried out. On our way out, we saw some Star Wars characters. Because, you know, it's us. Star Wars characters go where we go. What a way to end a great day!

Sadly, we didn't get a picture with Jango Fett. Noah tried, but Jango kept running away. 

It was a great day at the zoo. I couldn't help but think back to all of our previous trips, several years ago. Back when Noah's anxiety was at an all time high. And all we could do was go to Target or the zoo. And now look at our family. We never gave up trying. We kept on pushing and moving forward, even in the darkest days. Never give up, friends. No matter what your struggles are. No matter how hard it is. Keep on getting out there. Never stop trying. Never give up hope.

The kindness of strangers

We hear so much about how the world is a terrible place. People are heartless. So many tragic things happen. But there are actually some pretty amazing people out there. I believe that there is more goodness in this world. And I just wanted to reflect back on some really great things that people have done for my family.

One of the first things that pops into my mind, happened five years ago. We were in a very crowded line, waiting to get inside Magic Kingdom in Disney World. At the time, Noah was in the grips of anxiety. This was a hard time for us all. We prepared him for this trip, had a schedule to keep our park time to a minimum, and carried along things to distract him. But in this crowd, he got anxious. We put on his noise canceling headphones, gave him a tight hug and tried to sooth him. I knew once we got moving, he would be ok, but it was still hard to watch. And after months of this, I was fighting back tears.  Finally, they opened the park up, and Noah calmed down. As we were walking down Main Street, I still had that pang of doubt. Was I pushing him too far? With that gorgeous castle ahead of us, a woman tapped me on the shoulder. "I just want you to know you are doing a great job!" I almost started bawling right there. That little bit of reassurance from a total stranger, meant the world to me. I have told this story several times, because it had such a huge impact on me, in probably one of the most difficult periods of my life. I hope that woman knows what a blessing she was to me that day.

Over the years, my kids have been blessed with amazing teachers, para's, occupational and speech therapists. I can safely say that every one of them has made a difference in my boys lives. They are better, having been under their care. They have a challenging job. It is not easy to work in a special ed classroom. I can only imagine how exhausting it must be. And lets be honest. They are probably kicked, punched, bit, and slapped by students quite frequently. God bless those educators, who do so much for these kids. They don't love our kids on that first day that they meet. The kids come into their care as total strangers. But these women (and men) jump right in and move mountains for the kids in their class. I'm in awe of what they do.

My oldest is in high school. A group of general ed peers come in to help out in his class. This class wouldn't run without the time that these gen ed kids put in there every day. They really act as peer tutors, both academically and socially. On a certain day of the week, high school students start one hour late. Except for the special ed kids, who start at their regular time. On one particular late start day, the gen ed peers took it upon themselves to come in early and throw a dance party for the special ed class. They are teens. They could have been sleeping in, but they chose to do something fun for my son's class. I mean, come on. That's pretty awesome!

There is a local church that does a parent night out event for special needs families. Several times a year, over 200 hundred volunteers, selflessly give their time, so that parents can feel that they have a safe place to leave their children for a few hours. Those 3 hours give Alex and I to reconnect, and focus on each other. While we are out having dinner and a movie, we have piece of mind knowing that our kids are in a safe place, having a great time. What a great ministry! They take any special needs family, whether they attend church or not. And they do this out of the kindness of their hearts!

My last little act of kindness happened today. First of all, know that this city is out of their minds over our baseball team being in the MLB playoffs. We are so proud of our team!  I ran in to CVS just to grab something before I headed into work. I waited in line behind a couple of women.  They were paying for a bunch of baseball team decorations.They were talking to the cashier, explaining how excited their kids were about the game.  When they walked away, the cashier told me that the ladies bought all the things to decorate their school bus as a surprise to the students. As I walked out the door, I saw the ladies getting their bus all decorated. And it was a special needs bus, which just made me cry right in the parking lot. I'm such a sap. I could just picture the excitement of these kids when they saw their bus coming. I love people!

So, have you done anything lately to brighten the day of someone? It really doesn't take much.  A kind word, giving a helping hand. Even a simple smile. Commit to doing one simple act of kindness this week. Then do the same next week. And so on. Life is good, friends. Life is good.

Star Wars goes to Legoland Discovery

It was Star Wars Weekend at Legoland Discovery last week. The 501st Legion was going to make an appearance, so the kids were eager to check it out. Being the Star Wars nerd family that we are, we got there extra early. We were first in line.

We did our normal tour of Legoland, hitting the Kingdom Quest Laser Ride first. The kids love this ride so much, so we went on it back to back. After that, we did the short Star Wars land tour.

I love  peaking around to look at the details. The scene below is easy to miss, unless you peer into a tiny window.

Star Wars Episode II, battle of  Geonosis

We moved over to the miniland area, and were pleasantly surprised to find it transformed into a Star Wars theme. Well, they left the original miniland in place, but dropped in some pretty cool Star Wars scenes. Except Wizard of Oz. That is sacred, and left untouched.

At-At in the house!

Around the Kansas City Speedway, they set up Endor, complete with speeder race. The kids got to race against each other.

Stormtroopers patrolling from Union Station roof.

The dark side takes over Liberty Memorial.

Lord Vader fly over.

Yeah, Star Wars characters are Chiefs fans!

I love this scene. Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's house. RIP.

After that, we spotted some of the 501st. They were so great with the fans.

Until next time, 501st!

Today's menu- Serving up some special needs truth. Help yourselves to seconds.

I have been pouring over recipes to use for some of the apples that I picked last wee. I ended up making something called healthy apple crisp one day. Half of us liked it, and half did not.I suspect that the word "healthy" had something to do with that.  Oh well. You lose some, you win some.

So today's recipe is for some special needs truth. This is a bit of a spin off over a conversation that I had recently. I can't remember if it was on facebook, or someplace else. But the discussion was about some of the hurtful things that are said to a special needs parent. Sometimes they are meant to hurt (thankfully, that rarely happens), and other times, it is masked with the intention that they are simply trying to offer advice. So I thought I would lay down some truth. This is my truth. It applies to my children. There are many of lists of things you should know about being a special needs parent. But this one is mine.

1. Being a special needs parent does not make me awesome. I have heard it from many people that I'm a great mom because ____. Fill in the blank. Know that I struggle. It's hard work. I don't always do things right. I make parenting mistakes. 

I am awesome, but not because I'm a special needs parent. I'm just awesome in general.

2. I'm worried. I worry about what will happen to my children. Yes, I know that you worry too. Every parent worries about their child. But here is the difference. A typically developed child has options that a special needs child may not have. I worry about the type of job my children will have. I worry if they will be independent enough to live on their own. I worry that they will live in poverty as adults, dependent on public assistance for the rest of their lives. I worry what will happen to them when Alex and I are gone. Will they have people in their lives that love and care about them?

3. I do not have a magic wand to cure them. Yes, I know that you have a friend of a friend of a friend, whose neighbor has a son with autism. And that kid went to college and now runs the most super awesome company known to mankind. But not every person with autism can do that. Some can go to college. Some can't. Some may never be able to tie their own shoes. This isn't a contest. The fact that  Temple Grandin could accomplish so much, does not mean that her mom was more awesome than any other parent of a child with autism. So please stop comparing us.

4. I have high hopes for my kids, but prepare for the worst case scenario. I have visions of my boys going to a trade school, and getting jobs as plumbers, electricians, home appliance repairmen. Those are solid jobs that cannot be outsourced. They would be able to make enough money to live on their own, have medical insurance, and could even afford to travel. That is my dream for them. But I also recognize that I don't know what will happen. So I must prepare for the what if. 

5. And while I'm at it, the fact that I recognize my sons limitations, does not mean that I have given up on them. It simply means that I recognize their strengths and weakness. We all have them. Just like you know that your child is better at art than math, I know that my child has an amazing memory, but not so good at navigating a class without support?

6.Sometimes, I am angry. Not at my life. I love my life. I couldn't ask for a better husband or children. But I am angry over some of the painful things that have been said in the past. And this probably makes me defensive at some of your well meaning comments. Know that special needs parents are given unwanted advice more times than we care to mention.  Just understand that we know what is best for our children. 

7. This is the awesome house. Not a day goes by, where I don't thank God for my sons. We laugh more than we cry. We are happy more than we are sad. We are hopeful for a bright future, more than mourning for what could have been. We are awesome. 

Now does anyone have a good apple cake recipe?