3 boys and a trampoline

I usually have a "One Kid At A Time" rule for the trampoline.  We have relaxed that rule recently.  It is a great way for SJ to interact with Bob.  They have so much fun and I can't tell you how much laughter I hear when they are on there together.  Today, their neighbor boy friend came down to play.  Before I knew it, all three boys were on the trampoline.  They spent well over an hour jumping on the trampoline.  One kid would jump in the middle and try and get the other two boys to jump even higher.  I sometimes worry that someone will get hurt.  No one was doing flips tonight, so I felt it wasn't too dangerous.  I would go outside every 15 minutes to check on them.  They were having a great time.  SJ was interacting with Bob and the neighbor boy.  It is a great way for SJ to practice his conversational skills.  He was talking away to both Bob and their friend.  The trampoline also gives SJ the gross motor exercise that he craves.  The biggest benefit is how it tires out these three energetic boys.  This boy's mom told me that he fell  right to sleep shortly after he returned home the last time he was on the trampoline with the boys.  I am all for any activity that tires out Bob and SJ. 

day two of Bob's tournament

It was the second day of Bob's soccer tournament today.  His first game was at 10 a.m., but we needed to be there by 9:15 a.m.  We had to leave our house at 8:30 a.m., which was too early for all of us.  Everyone was grumpy and not extremely motivated to get out of the house.  I was careful to try to avoid making the same mistakes that I had made yesterday in my preparations for SJ's attention span problems.  I had my husband fully charge the IPad.  I packed A LOT of snacks for him and several drinks.  I also packed two travel games, Hangman and Checkers.  The first game started promptly at 10.  The boys didn't win.  They lost 8-2.  SJ did great though.  He sat in his chair, ate his snacks, drank his drink and played the IPad.  We left the fields to have some lunch at my parents' house.  After lunch, we headed back to the fields.  SJ didn't want to go back, but it wasn't an option.  Bob's second game started at 1:00 p.m.  Initially, SJ wasn't as patient as he was during the first game.  He ate a snack and was starting to get a little hyper.  I asked him if he wanted to play Hangman or Checkers.  He opted for Checkers with his dad.  He played a round of Rock, Paper, Scissors with him to see who would be red and who would go first.  This game kept him occupied for about 15 minutes.  After they finished their game, he went back to his seat and began playing the IPad.  Fortunately, he sat for the remainder of the game quietly and calmly.  When the game was over, we told him that it was time to go.  He looked up at me and said, "Let me guess...Lost again!"  I tried not to laugh.  Sometimes, he says the things that scroll through your head out loud.  He is always very matter of fact about them.  I told him, "Yes, they lost.  As long as Bob does his best, that is all that matters."  So, Bob's team did not advance to the playoffs, but he was smiling as he was hanging with his teammates and coaches.  Overall, it was a good day for both of my boys!

attending Bob's first soccer game of the season

Bob is in a soccer tournament this weekend.  His team had one game today.  It was at a park about 35 minutes away from our house.  SJ wasn't too enthused to go.  He kept asking how far away it was and how long would the game last.  We told him how far it was (very near to Grammy's) and that it would last an hour (they always do!).  The problem was we had to report 45 minutes before the game started.  About 30 minutes after we arrived at the field, SJ started to get restless.  He kept asking to leave.  He asked me why we didn't bring two cars.  I told him that would have been a waste of gas.  He said that if I would have brought my car then I could take him home.  I told him to be patient and get ready to watch Bob play.  The game started and within seconds he was complaining that he was hungry.  My husband took him to get a snack, a bag of Frito's, which seemed to satisfy him for a few minutes.  We had brought the IPad, but its batteries died before the game even started.  I asked him if he wanted to play Brick breaker on my husband's cell phone.  He nodded yes and this activity occupied him for a few more minutes.  He then started whining that he wanted to go home.  I told him that we were there to support Bob and he needed to watch the game.  SJ managed to keep quiet for the remainder of the game (another 15 minutes).  I am hoping when we return to the tournament tomorrow for the next two games SJ will be more patient than today.  On days like this, I am reminded why he isn't playing soccer too.  His attention span is just too short for an activity such as soccer.  I will have to be a better mom tomorrow and pack lots of drinks, snacks and activities to keep him occupied.  That was mistake number one today.  Hopefully, he will be patient and I will be prepared for his impatience.

1st day as a 4th grader

SJ had his first day of school today as a fourth grader.  He happened to get the same teacher that Bob had last year.  I had a meeting with him yesterday to go over SJ's strengths and weaknesses.  He wanted to know what SJ's likes and dislikes were.  His likes are Mario, swimming, basketball and puppets.  His dislikes are writing, homework, losing and reading out loud.  We went over his behavior plan that was used last year (it was very effective) and discussed some strategies for making this year a success for him.  I suggested setting up a visual chart for SJ.  He always does better when he knows what to expect.  I also suggested that he give him some jobs, such as being an office runner.  I told him about his sensitivity to noise and his weak fingertips (which is why extensive writing is difficult for him).  I told him about the wiggle seat and the stretchy band that the Occupational Therapist has him use.  After I left the meeting, I felt very confident that this teacher would be a great fit for SJ. 
This morning Bob and SJ weren't too eager to get up and get ready for school.  It took my husband several prompts to get them moving.  When we left the house, they were already complaining about going to school.  All my confidence of the previous day was beginning to drain out of my body.  I was hoping this would be a good day for both boys, but I was starting to get anxious thinking about SJ's day.  When I picked them up at the end of the day, all that anxiety was unwarranted.  SJ had a great day!  He was extremely happy and very chatty on the car ride home.  He told me several stories about his new teacher and that he was thrilled that he had gym today.  Maybe he is getting older or maybe he is adapting quicker, but whatever it is I hope tomorrow is as much of a success as today was.  Here's hoping!

why do I have to be the younger brother?

On Sunday, my husband and I decided to replace our dinosaur of a television that is in our bedroom.  Bob wanted to know what we were going to do with the old tv.  I said, "Donate it."  He said, "Can I have it?"  I explained that he wouldn't be able to watch regular tv on it.  He said that was okay because he could use it for his PS3.  My husband and I agreed that this plan would be fine.  We got it all set up in his room when the green eyed SJ realized what was going on.  He started yelling that he wanted a tv in his room.  I said, "Bob can't watch tv on it.  It is just for the PS3."  He started crying and said, "It is not fair.  I want a tv in my room too."  I said, "Well, Bob is 10 and you are not old enough to have a tv in your room."  He started to whine that he should be 10 too.  About 10 minutes later, he came into the room where I was sitting with a handwritten note. 
It said:  Can I have a TV in my room? ___________
                                                                               sign
             How much does a TV cost?_____________
                                                                               sign
Then, he started to go through his wallet.  I asked him what he was looking for.  He said, "For money for a tv."  I told him once again that he wasn't getting a tv.  He stormed off with tears running down his face.  It took him a few hours to settle down, but eventually he did.  Or so I thought.  This morning he again said that he wished he was the older brother.  "Older brothers get everything," said SJ.  I told him that is not true and Bob had been asking for a tv for a much longer time than he had.  I told him to ask Santa for a TV and he teared up again.  He said, "Why do birthdays and Christmas have to be so far away?" Good question SJ.  This is when it is difficult to explain to him the logical reason of why he can't a tv right now.  Sometimes you just don't get what you want at the exact time that you want it.  I am hoping he learns that with patience comes great rewards.  Realistically, I know that he will be asking for that tv everyday hoping our patience will run out.  Unfortunately for SJ, I am more stubborn than he is impatient.

hershey park=sweet fun

Yesterday, we traveled to Harrisburg and spent the day at Hershey Park.  The four hour drive didn't seem so bad since we had just had endured a 12 hour drive from Myrtle Beach.  It was very crowded, but we were able to get a Disability Pass.  They issue these to people with all sorts of disabilities.  They gave SJ a special arm band and then we went to the exits of the major rides.  They would assign us a time and then we would return to that ride's exit.  This is their way of making the person with the pass wait without having to actually stand in the line.  We only used it a few times, but it can definitely help alleviate his waiting stress.  We rode all of the rollercoasters they had but 3.  Our favorite was Lightning Racers.  It is a great wooden roller coaster.  SJ also enjoyed the Super Dooper Looper, Comet and Sidewinder.  Bob was apprehensive to ride most of the coasters, but he and SJ both enjoyed the Wild Mouse and Trail Blazer.  Hershey Park had a lot of classic rides that we all enjoyed.  They had Tilt-a-Whirl, Wave swinger, Bumper Cars, Frontier Flyers, Ferris Wheel, Turnpike and Scrambler.  It rained pretty severely for about an hour, so they had to close down many of the rides.  We took this time to eat our dinner and play some games in the arcade.  Since the weather wasn't cooperating, many of the patrons left.  This was great for us, because when the rides reopened we just walked on to rides.  We had about four more hours of riding time after the rain stopped.  We rode all the rides we wanted to and some of those multiple times.  I am glad that we decided to wait out the weather.  We had a wonderful family day!

an extra loud reminder that SJ has PDD

The boys had a sleepover at Isaac's house last night.  They are still not fully recovered from our vacation, so they have both been staying in a tired, crabby state for days.  When I picked them up today, SJ was especially whiny.  He wanted to go to the pool, but I had other plans.  We were going to stop for lunch and I had a few things to take care of in my house.  The neighbor boy came down to play with Bob and SJ.  I was fine with this since I was going to do some chores.  A few minutes after the boy arrived, SJ declared that we were going to the pool.  I told him again that we weren't and all Autism broke loose.  He started crying, yelling and rolling around on the floor having a full blown toddler's tantrum.  I gave him a warning to settle down, but he was not able to begin to comprehend what I was asking of him.  The tantrum continued for a few more minutes, so I put him in his room.  It didn't really help him calm down, but at least it was a small buffer for the boy, Bob and I.  He would appear to calm down after a few minutes and I would let him come out.  Then, the tantrum would reescalate.  I would again put him in his room to calm down.  As soon as he was out, he would start again.  This cycle went on for about 60 minutes.  I just wanted to pull off my head and throw it in the weeds.  SJ's PDD on most days in fairly invisible, so I almost forget that he has PDD.  Today, I was reminded very loudly!  Fortunately for our family, these days are seldom unlike some other families that suffer with these symptoms daily!

summer speech therapy...the end

SJ had his last summer speech therapy session.  He will continue to have speech in school and once a week in the evening.  He also will continue to have the same therapist, which is great for SJ.  He has been doing great with his summer speech sessions, but the afterschool sessions can be tougher for him.  He is usually so tired from working all day at school.  Maybe this year, he will adjust better.  His therapist told me that he was especially chatty today.  We just got back from vacation and he had many things to tell her.  She was very proud of his conversation initiations.  He also asked her appropriate questions to what the subject was.  For example, he told her about the water park that we went to.  He told her about the slides and which one was his favorite.  He then asked her if there was a water park where she was on vacation.  She said this went for a while.  She said that he wanted to do so much talking (which normally would be excellent), but it cut into their work time.  She told me next time they will do their work first and finish with conversational speech.  What can I say?  He is chatty like me.  When they did finally begin their work, he did well.  They worked on a Deciding What to Do worksheet.  Today's topic was "My Neighbor tells him to run across the street".  He was able to repeat the question and then he had to ask three questions.  He chose "Is it safe?" (No), "Is it a problem?" (Yes) and "Will I get in trouble?" (Yes).  Then, he had to discuss what to do next.  He decided that it was not safe, so he shouldn't cross the street.  He said he would ask his parents and then look both ways.  The therapist was pleased that he able to use his critical thinking successfully.  The last thing they worked on was Multiple Meaning words.  He knew the difference for most of the word pairings.  The one he didn't know was to "toast" someone at a celebration.  He was never at an event where he would have witnessed this.  She had to explain that one to him.  I am glad we continued the speech therapy throughout the summer.  I believe he has made many gains.  For me to think back six years ago to my son who didn't even utter a word, I couldn't have imagined this talkative 9 year old.  He still has work to do, but I know with therapy anything is possible for him!

a long ride home

On Saturday, we left Myrtle Beach at 6:20 a.m.  We had decided to drive straight home instead of stopping like we had on the way down.  For the most part, the boys did a pretty good job behaving themselves.  We stopped for breakfast at a place called Biscuitville.  How could it not be delicious?  They were making fresh biscuits every 20 minutes.  They were so good!  The boys were taking turns using my husband's I Pad.  They had movies on it to watch and they were playing Angry Birds.  An occasional fight crept up from time to time, but a simple threat of taking the I Pad usually was enough to stop the tension.  When it was time to stop for lunch, Bob wanted to go to a "real" restaurant like Chili's and SJ wanted to go to McDonald's.  We didn't want to go to a sit down restaurant, so SJ won that battle.  The boys got food from McDonald's while my husband and I opted for Burger King.  An hour later (the Burger King employee was perplexed by my plain chicken order), we were back on the road.  When we got to West Virginia, the ride seemed to progress at a snail's pace.  We had to travel through all of West Virginia to get back into Pennsylvania.  After about 8 hours, the boys started to get restless again.  We stopped for dinner at another Burger King and fortunately the service was much better.  We ate in the car as we continued our journey home.  During the last four hours, SJ started to become very whiny.  We kept telling him to go to sleep, but he would not rest.  When it was Bob's turn to use the I Pad, the whining got out of control.  He and Bob started fighting and it got too much for me to take.  He wouldn't give the I Pad to Bob and Bob was beginning to name call.  I had to confiscate it.  They had a 15 minute break from electronics and we had some silence in the car.  It was wonderful.  At some point in West Virginia, we got out of the car to visit a bridge overlook.  We thought it would be good for the boys to stretch their legs and get some fresh air.  SJ wanted nothing to do with it, but we made him go anyway.  After 10 hours in the car, anyone can get a little cranky!  After we finished at the overlook, we began the home stretch of the journey.  We spent another 2 hours in the car.  The last two hours were difficult for everyone, but I could tell SJ was itching to get home.  When we passed into Pennsylvania, we all got a little burst of energy.  We started talking about our trip and what were our favorite things we did.  SJ and Bob both agreed that it was the go-cart riding.  My husband enjoyed swimming in the ocean.  Mine was getting to spend time with our extended family.  We pulled into our driveway at 6:30 p.m.  The 12 hour ride was over.  If the long ride is the worst part of a vacation, it is a well deserved sacrifice!

last full day of vacation activities

    
     On Friday, it was our last full day of vacation.  We started the day by going to the beach.  SJ and Bob were a little tired, but we wanted to go early.  The weatherman was predicting thunderstorms in the afternoon and it was very overcast in the morning.  We went down to the beach to meet our relatives.  SJ and Bob were playing in the ocean and the adults were taking some last minute pictures.  About 90 minutes after we arrived, it started to get very dark.  The boys told me that my hair was starting to stand up in the air.  I told them a storm must be coming and the static electricity was causing my hair to do that.  The boys had a few more moments in the water as I packed up our things.  We got back to our house just before the rain started falling. 
     After we ate some lunch and changed out of our bathing suits, the rain stopped.  We decided to take the boys to another mini-golf place.  We went to Mt. Atlanticus.  They had two mini-golf courses there.  One was predominantly outside and one was "in the caves" (mostly indoors).  Since it was still looking nasty out, we decided on the indoor course.  SJ didn't do as great of a job playing mini-golf today.  He was not being patient and had a lot trouble waiting for his turn.  This behavior then caused Bob to get mad.  He said, "He is not being fair and is cheating."  Bob was completely correct, so we tried to get SJ to stop acting like that.  SJ only got worse and started getting louder with his complaints.  Eventually, my husband and I were able to reason with SJ.  We told him he wasn't acting like a 9 year old, but he was acting like a 3 year old.  That must have sunk into his brain, because he started to be more cooperative with the rest of the game.
     We left Mt. Atlanticus and decided to go souvenir shopping.  SJ was hungry and didn't want to stop.  Bob was busy adding up the golf scores.  He announced that SJ didn't win and his bad behavior started again.  Sometimes when he is frustrated, he seems much younger than he is.  He has what appears to be a toddler's tantrum.  We told him we were just having fun and the score didn't matter.  Bob was even trying to talk SJ out of the tantrum.  He is really good with him sometimes.  I was really proud of Bob for being a great big brother!  We made it to Whales, which is one of the many souvenir shops in Myrtle Beach.  I found a few things and we left. 
     We thought we should stop for dinner, but it had begun to rain very hard.  My husband wanted to stop at a seafood buffet, but I felt it may be wiser to just get the boys fast food.  My husband really didn't want fast food, so we decided to stop at King Crab.  This was a big mistake.  The food was disgusting.  Everything was overcooked and old looking.  The boys ended up only eating french fries.  I tried the clam strips and mac and cheese.  They were both terrible.  My husband tried some chicken and veggies, but they were inedible.  We probably ate only $5 worth of food and paid over $60.  We left King Crab and went straight to McDonalds.  McDonalds never tasted so good!
     After dinner, we cleaned our rental house and then headed down to our relatives rental house for one last visit.  As we were driving back to our house in our golf cart, we were trying to savor every last moment of this place.  It was so nice to blend in with all of the other typical families.  We will definitely return to Ocean Lakes!

shuffle board at the beach

Last night, we had dinner at our relatives' rental house.  After dinner, we were going to head down to Family Kingdom amusement park in Myrtle.  The boys didn't really want to go, so we opted to head over to the beachfront to play shuffle board.  When we first got down to the courts, SJ said it was like curling.  I have never played before, but my brother-in-law had.  He explained to all of us how to play.  Bob was a natural.  He was able to push the disc much farther than most of the adults.  SJ needed a little help.  He was having some trouble shooting the disc to the other end of the court.  We let him move up a little and he did much better.  We teamed up and had a great time.  SJ even got his team (with my husband) 20 points on one turn.  Bob and I were teammates.  We lost our game, as well as SJ and my husband.  It was a lot of fun, though.  It was a great family activity that we will definitely play again!

bob evens, sj odds when mini-golfing

Tuesday night we took the boys out to dinner at a restaurant called River City Café.  They are a local Myrtle Beach place and are known for their burgers.  It looked like a shack, but the food was very good.  We had told the boys that if they behaved during dinner then we would take them mini-golfing.  Their behavior was very good considering it took us a while to find the place and to get our food.  We left River City Café and headed to Jungle Lagoon mini-golf.  This place came highly recommended from both of my husband’s sisters.  In the past, SJ’s behavior has not been so great at mini-golf.  He didn’t usually golf well, so he would get frustrated and pick up his ball.  This behavior infuriates Bob, who plays by the appropriate golf method.  My husband had decided that SJ would verse him and Bob would verse me.  He thought this would help SJ not be frustrated if Bob was golfing better than him.  It was a little crowded at the Jungle Lagoon, but surprisingly SJ was not complaining.  Bob said he was first, because Grammy (my mom) said he plays even holes first and SJ plays odd holes first.  God bless my mom!  This method is genius.  There was no fighting the whole time!  When we started golfing, Bob played well as usual.  A welcome surprise was SJ’s golfing.  He putted very well.  He even ended up with 3 hole-in-ones!  They were laughing and having a great time.  Occasionally, I had to remind him about staying off the course when the people in front of us were still golfing.   My husband had to remind me that my son with Autism was doing great!  I guess we all need reminders sometimes.  Actually, it was the first time we had a pleasant game of mini-golf on vacation.  Hopefully, it is the beginning of many more “typical” family outings to come!

water park fun!

On Tuesday, my husband and I wanted to avoid the ocean.  We weren’t sure about the jellyfish, so we gave the boys a break from the sea.  We decided to head to a water park instead.  The boys have been to a water park before, but it was a few years ago.  We went to Myrtle Waves.  They had 21 slides, a wave pool, lazy river and a big splash area.  My husband and his relatives headed off to the slides while the boys and I got our feet wet in the splash area.  The boys liked it, but it was a little too young for them.  We tried the lazy river next.  It was fine, but still too slow for the boys.  Then we moved over to the wave pool.  We kept waiting for big waves to come, but they were timid at best.  My husband came back to the wave pool area and SJ went with him to try some slides.  He loved the slides!  He went down almost all of them.  No hesitation from him!  This is how the rest of the afternoon went.  He did single tubes and double tubes with my husband.  Bob and SJ raced up the steps as fast as they came down the slides.  They really enjoyed the water park.  They had so much fun they never even mentioned the ocean.  I would say it was a successful distraction!

go-carts=evening fun

After the jellyfish fiasco, we decided not to do swimming of any kind for the rest of the day.  We decided to drive up to Broadway on the Beach and check out Nascar Speedway.  They have about 7 different go-cart tracks that the boys could ride.  SJ and Bob love to ride go-carts.  It was still pretty hot and humid out, so there weren’t many people there when we arrived.  They had a minimal wait for their first ride.  SJ started to go over to the next line and Bob said the line was too long.  It was hardly what I would call a long line, maybe 20 people.  We told him that the lines would only get longer, so get as many rides in now as possible.  Eventually, Bob listened and went into the line with SJ.  SJ loves to go fast!  SJ tried to pass as many people as he could.  He was on one ride, a slick track, and a teenager was in front of him.  It was one lane from the starting line.  SJ thought the teenager wasn’t going fast enough, so he tried to pass him.  The lane wasn’t wide enough to pass though.  SJ and the teenager’s cars got wedged together.  It took the ride attendant the entire ride to get them free.  He let them remain in their cars and SJ didn’t make the same mistake again.  The lines started to longer after that, but SJ’s patience was great.  Usually, long lines make him antsy.  He waited for almost 30 minutes and there was no complaining or pushing into people.  The only noise he made was to tell the attendants that he “was a single” or that “that car needs a rider”.  He was so excited when he rode his last ride of the night.  He came into the pits first, so in his mind he was the winner.  He was the winner in my book for his patience in line!  Way to go, SJ!

jellyfish 3-boys 0

On Monday, we started out our day by going to the beach.  The boys are getting very comfortable in the ocean.  Without hesitation, they run right out into the ocean.  They were in the water for about 30 minutes when my husband got stung by a jellyfish.  It had stung him on his right calf and then a little sting on the left calf.  I told him to see if the lifeguard had medicine for the sting.  He said he was fine and he went back out into the ocean.  A few moments later, Bob was stung.  He said that he was fine too.  He is so shy that he would rather be in pain then go talk to the lifeguard.  Bob returned to the ocean.  Then, SJ was stung.  He wasn’t as calm as my husband and Bob.  My husband took him to the lifeguard’s stand.  She sprayed them both with white vinegar and told him to put seawater (not freshwater) on it.  She said to stay out of freshwater until the stinging stopped.  They returned to our blanket and started building a sand castle.  Bob was still in the water.  He said he may have gotten stung more than once, but he was powering through the pain.  After some time, Bob joined them.  They were building for a while.  SJ seemed better and he wanted to go back in the ocean.  Bob and SJ went back in the water.  They made it another hour and the jellyfish struck again.  This time it got SJ badly.  He had a huge mark on his right arm and right side.  He was screaming.  The sand was so hot and his sting was hurting him badly.  I took him over to the lifeguard station and she repeated treatment.  While we packed up, Bob was a big help.  He went to gather some seawater for us to take with us.  We drove back to our house and repeated the treatment.  We got SJ out of his suit and in the house.  About an hour later, SJ finally was back to his normal self.  He said, “Mom, we should fire those jellyfish and get them out of the ocean.”  I wish it would have been that easy!

SJ and Bob enjoy the ocean and Ocean Lakes

On Sunday, we had a full ocean day.  We got down to the beach around 10:30 am.  The waves were pretty calm and it was around 97^o.  We were with most of our family members.  SJ ran right into the ocean.  Bob went in a few minutes later.  My husband, brothers-in-law and nephews joined the boys in the water.  They were having a great time.  SJ calls his teenage cousins “The Dudes” and was thrilled that they were out in the water with him and Bob.  We had bought a blow up raft and the boys took turns riding it in the water.  Since they were bare-chested, they were getting a sand burn on their bodies.  We suggested that they put on their t-shirts, but they didn’t care about the sand burn.  They just wanted to be in the water.  They were in the water so long that they forgot to come out and eat lunch.  They only came out of the water a few times to have a quick snack and a drink.  It was very hot.  Even I had to get into the water (partway) occasionally to get cooled off.  We stayed at the beach until about 3:30. 

We went back to our house, got showered and had a bite to eat.  The boys watched a little television while my husband took a nap.  I know he was exhausted.  The water can be fun, but it can also beat you up with the waves.  After my husband woke up, Bob and I went to play mini-golf at the property.  SJ was still tired, so he stayed at home with my husband.  After Bob and I returned, we all jumped in our golf cart and headed to the house where the rest of our relatives were staying.  After we ate dinner, our relatives wanted to take the boys for a walk on the beach.  I was a little concerned with this idea.  I knew that SJ would want to get back in the water.  It was getting dark and I was concerned about the visibility.  I told my sister-in-law that she couldn’t let him get in the water.  She said that she wouldn’t.  She asked Bob and SJ if they wanted to go.  She told them they couldn’t get in the water.  SJ said he didn’t want to go if he couldn’t swim. 

They went down without the boys and we took the boys to the swimming pool.  It is a very nice pool, but it was very crowded.  We stayed for about 45 minutes and then headed back to our relatives rental house.  While my husband and I chatted with the adults, I could see that the boys were getting tired.  I tried to put SJ off, but he is very regimented.  I looked at the clock and it was around 9 pm.  I opted to take the boys back to our house, so my husband could stay and visit a little longer.  The boys got in their pajamas and headed to bed.  The boys got their money’s worth out of that day!

SJ and Bob each catch a fish

Our one cousin is staying at a rental house that is on a lake.  We went over there on Saturday for dinner.  The boys took their fishing rods.  My husband and nephew helped the boys get the worms on their rods.  SJ needed some help with his casting.  After a few tries, he was able to cast it out.  Bob had no trouble with the casting.  He did a great job.  My husband and I told SJ to watch the “red thing” to see if it went under the water.  My brother-in-law kept telling SJ to watch the “bobber”, but we told him SJ didn’t understand what a “bobber” is.  I told SJ to watch the” red bobber”.  I told him if he sees circles near the red bobber then he would know a fish is coming.  Eventually, the circles came and the bobber went under.  We yelled for him to reel it in.  With some help, he was able to pull the fish in.  It was so exciting.  SJ was so proud.  A few moments later, Bob’s bobber went down too.  He didn’t need any help reeling his fish in.  He pulled it in and we got it off the hook.  He was so happy that he caught a fish on his first try.  They continued to fish for a little longer, but they didn’t catch any more fish.  It started to get dark, so we told them they were done for the night.  It was such a great moment to see that they both caught a fish.  That is a vacation memory that I will have for a long time!

SJ and Bob arrive at Myrtle Beach

We left North Carolina on Saturday morning.  We had a 3 ½ hour ride to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  The boys did a great job the day before with the 6 ½ hour ride, so my husband and I were optimistic about their car behavior.  Surprisingly, they did worse on the shorter ride.  After we arrived in Myrtle, we stopped for lunch.  It seems that the boys were hungry and that was a big part of the problem.  After they ate, we headed to our vacation location.  We are staying in a rental house in Ocean Lakes campground.  I knew that we couldn’t get into our house until 3:00, but we still needed to check in.  Luckily for us, no one had rented our house the week before, so we could get in right away.  The boys were so excited when they saw the house.  It is beach house that is a raised ranch.  It is decorated very cute.  It has a parrot and lighthouse décor.  The boys opted to share a room, since the one room had a bunch bed.  I was surprised that they didn’t want their own rooms, but all that matters was that they were happy.  After we unloaded our stuff, we went to the beach.  It was very overcast, but it was still very hot out.  They went right in the ocean.  The waves were pretty rough since it was so close to high tide.  SJ and Bob didn’t care.  They were laughing and having a great time.  After about 90 minutes, it started to thunderstorm.  We had to vacate the beach.  Even though the boys had a short time at the beach, they still enjoyed it.  I just wish Mother Nature would have held off a little longer for our first day.

SJ and Bob make the best of a bad situation

We left for vacation on Friday.  We were going to Myrtle Beach, which is a long ride.  We decided to stop in an Asheboro, North Carolina to rest for the night.  We checked into a motel that would at best be described as a dump.  We were going with other family members, so we couldn’t really change our motel choice.  The first room that they gave us had a door that looked like it was kicked in at one point.  My husband asked for another room.  The attendants gave us another room and it was only marginally better.  They did have a motel pool, which was outside.  At first, it was closed since it was storming outside.  Thank goodness the weather improved slightly and they opened the pool.  SJ and Bob swam in the pool for over an hour.  They were having a great time.  As we sat at the pool with our relatives, we had a great time reminiscing while the boys swam away.  After the swimming was over, we took the boys out to dinner at a local restaurant.  The food was delicious and their behavior was great.  We went back to the motel room and the boys happily watched Cartoon Network.  The boys fell asleep and didn’t worry about the state of the motel.  I am glad that they were able to have a great time (even though it will go down in the record as the 2^nd worst motel we ever stayed at!)  Fortunately, we only stayed there one night.

sleepover with isaac

The boys had a sleepover last night with their cousin, Isaac.  His mom dropped him off and they were right on the video games.  This activity went on for a few hours.  After they took their nighttime pills and brushed their teeth, they put in Rango to watch.  At one point while they were watching Rango, I said to my husband that it was pretty quiet upstairs.  That didn't last for long.  A few minutes later, I heard SJ talking very loud.  Isaac didn't seem to mind SJ's talking, but I did hear Bob telling him to be quiet a few times.  When the movie was over, I sent them to their rooms and Isaac fell asleep in the playroom.  We were supposed to go swimming today, but it is a dreary, rainy day here.  After breakfast, they continued with their video game time.  About an hour before lunch, they put in Star Wars III: The Revenge of the Sith.  The three boys ate their lunch while they watched the movie.  SJ was chatting up Isaac.  They were laughing and having a good time.  I realized that SJ was repeating lines from Rango, so I had him stop.  Isaac said, "It is okay.  It is from Rango."  I said, "I know, Isaac.  We don't like SJ to repeat too much from shows or movies, because other kids think it is weird."  Isaac said, "I don't think SJ is weird.  I think he is funny."  That is why Isaac is so great.  He never really looks at SJ like a child with Autism.  He is just his cousin and that is fine with him.  I wish more kids were like Isaac, but unfortunately they are not.  I have to say we are lucky, though.  Most of the kids who have encountered SJ have been fairly understanding.  I am just preparing him for the ones who aren't.

summer speech therapy part 8

Today, SJ had another speech therapy session.  His normal therapist was on vacation, so he had a different therapist.  He went back with her with no trouble.  When he came out, she told me he did very well.  She continued to work on "How" questions with him.  He had some to do for homework.  He required a lot of cues and verbal prompts.  She told me that was what happened when she did the "How" questions with him today.  She also went over some "Predictions" with him.  She said he was able to do this activity with minimal assistance.  The last thing she went over with him is conversational turn taking.  She said he took up to 4 turns with her.  He asked about where she was going on vacation.  He asked her if she had ever been to the beach.  He asked her if she had ever been to South Carolina.  He then told her all about our upcoming vacation.  He told her that we were driving and that we were going to South Carolina.  He also told her that we were stopping for an overnight break in North Carolina.  I think today's session was definitely a success.  I will take his speech homework with us and make a game out in for the car ride.  Wish me luck!