Monday, June 28, 2010

Summer




Here are a couple of recent shots from the inlaws. I love going to visit BUT in the summer they aren't big fans of really putting the AC to good use. That and the fact that the kids come home with ticks (icky!)


Little man is quite a ham and quite a handful. He loves to ride the gator. That is probably the biggest attraction there besides Nana and Pop.

Pop is growing a nice veggie garden this summer and the kids are really getting interested in where their food comes from.

One day I plan on having my own garden but for now I need to get someone potty trained and let the dog mature a bit more. Hopefully next year!
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Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Doodle's new activity



Here is Princess #3, well technically she was born 2nd so I guess she is 2. Anyway, she loves her Daddy almost as much as she loves Pizza and playing on the computer. He is her security blanket. I try not to be jealous but sometimes its hard. At least she connects with someone. That is such a blessing when you have a child with classic autism.
There is so much talk these days of autism. I hear people in the grocery store casually throw around, "oh my son has autism" I look at the son and he is smiling and talking to mom or the cashier and maybe he gives a little screech or repeats a phrase he just heard but I am thinking "really?" Umm No your child is "on the spectrum" and that is a whole other ball game. Being on the spectrum is nothing like having full on autism. Its like night and day and I don't understand why they are even considered the same thing. It makes me mad, sorry. But when people say their kid has autism so casually it really makes light of the heavy load the kids who are really afflicted (and their families) carry. If your kid can't tell you they love you, or what they want for dinner, or why they are crying at 3 am or doesn't even look at you when you come into their room at school, then you know what I mean. Otherwise your child is on the spectrum or has PDD-NOS. They do not have Autism per say. Yes I know there are different levels of severity. Something about this just really makes me angry. Sorry. But on a lighter note . . . We have a new equestrian in the family!! Doodle has started horse therapy and she LOVES it!!
See that smile? It lasts the entire 30 minutes she is riding. And she is getting better and
more independent each week.














These are some of the volunteers at the farm she rides at. They are awesome and some of the kindest hearted people I have met in our journey so far.
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Musings of a Wal Mart Shopper

We have no idea what it really means to be inconvenienced do we?  I mean yes, sure, when my two year old decides to explode his diaper just as I am checking out - that is an inconvenience.  And maybe when my Aunt from Alaska calls just as I am drifting off into a delirious and happy nap experience - inconvenient.  But really, take the Wal Mart experience . . . Love it or hate it, you have convenience as a way of life now.  Most people live only a short distance from one of these mega discount retailers. 

Up and down the aisles you can wander and find nearly everything you want in one store.  You can ponder the important questions of life - Does it make me a bad person if I don't buy the detergent that cost 2 dollars extra and sends its profits to Haiti or Katrina Victims? (no, I prefer to send my donations directly and buy the cheaper detergent)  And the less important . . . Do I really want my armpits to smell like Cherries?  Yes they have that "flavor."

I really don't like considering myself a Wal Mart Shopper but alas with 5 kids it is inevitable.  HOWEVER, were I to win the lottery you would probably never find me on the inside of one again just to avoid the random weirdness that occasionally crosses your path there.  Does that make me a bad person?  Don't answer that. Now let's see I am thinking lemon might be the right choice. . .

Summer Begins

I love this shot! Not bad for getting 5 kids in one place at one time. I think this may be my Christmas card for next year so if you are on my list forgive me. Do you know how hard it is to get 5 kids dressed up, hauled across town, and forced to smile by some overly eager worker at a portrait studio who you know is thinking "SMILE DA***T!!! - I hate my job!!!!" Well they don't all think that . . .that is until they've experienced my crew. The quads are seven and Budgie is two and change. Its great that they can help out with the little guy now. By this time next year he should be well out of Pull Ups, yay for the budget!


A good shot of Buddy's new waterproof green cast. He earned this about 2 minutes after the picture above was taken by falling off the monkey bars - How Cliche?


Princess #1
Princess #2.

Princess #3 will be in very next post showing off her new activity!
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