after school reading tutoring part 9

SJ had his last session with Mrs. Banks a week before Christmas.  Surprisingly, SJ did very little complaining during their session.  They read two chapters and then they answered some comprehension questions about what they had read.  

Since SJ's book report is due the week he returns from Christmas break, it will be up to me to make sure he finishes the remaining chapters.  I have thrown out a few hints, but he has yet to bite yet.  

Tomorrow, I am going to have to make him have sit down and read three or four chapters.  I may need to strap him to the couch...just kidding!

after school speech part 6

Last Tuesday, SJ had his bi-weekly speech therapy session.  Unlike the day before, SJ was very grumpy about going to speech.  I reminded him not to complain.  He only has to go twice a month now, so he could be there twice as often.

When his session was over, I spoke to his therapist.  She said he worked hard (a relief to hear after listening to all of the grumbling in th car).  They continued to work on Main Ideas. She said he did much better this week.  

They also worked on Idioms.  He loves the word play of idioms, so not surprisingly he did very well with those.  He finds them quite funny (and fun!)

She indicated to me that she would be doing a new therapy plan soon.  I asked her to keep doing what she is doing, but to try to work on sarcasm and appropriate vocal tones when having conversations.  I'll keep you posted.  

after school reading tutoring part 8

Last week, SJ had his weekly reading tutoring session with Mrs. Banks.  There was very little complaining, which was a nice surprise.  During their session, I could hear him through the floorboards.  He seemed engaged and much laughter was heard.  

When he finished, I spoke with Mrs. Banks for a few moments.  She said he worked very hard. She also noted that she didn't have to redirect him, since he was on task for most of the session.  

She seemed pleased with how far he has come and my husband and I are always impressed with his efforts.  I reminded her that we wouldn't see her the following week, since SJ had his yearly appointment with his developmental pediatrician that same night.  

i do, i do, but why do we have to go?

We had a few weddings to go this year.  The first one was my cousins in California.  The second one was a third cousin, but the boys were not invited to that soirée.  

In October, we had our third wedding.  It was my husband's niece, Nicole.  I had the boys wear the same outfits that they wore to the California wedding.  Problem was that their shoes were very tight (feet must have grown significantly since June), which made them more uncomfortable than they already were. (They hate wearing "dress up clothes").  We had anticipated this problem, so we brought their tennis shoes for after the ceremony.  

They were very bored at the wedding and kept asking when we were leaving.  We kept responding with "when the wedding is over". For dinner, Nicole had a gluten free chicken selection for SJ.  Bob ate the same breaded chicken as the rest of us.  

After cake cutting and dancing, we succumbed to the requests to leave.  The actual wedding ended 30 minutes later.  

In November, we had our last wedding of the year.  It was one of my cousins on my dad's side.  Of course, we had to get both boys new outfits and shoes.  It was a little easier as they are finally accepting that they have to dress a certain way for more formal situations.  

I went to the ceremony myself (LONG Catholic service) and went home to get my husband and the boys for the reception.  My sister's family was attending the wedding as well. Jojo has two boys and a girl.  

All the kids sat at the same table with my sisters, Jojo's husband, my husband and myself.  I thought the boys would have more fun at this wedding since they were with their cousins.  They had a little more fun, but still complained.  

SJ had a lot of complaints about the noise in the venue.  It was very loud and echoey.  This is always problematic for SJ.  One of my cousins got him earplugs.  They worked when he put them in, but he didn't want to keep them in.  It was still nice if my cousin to accommodate SJ.  

There weren't any gluten free substitites for SJ, so he ate the Chicken Romano (and tons of sugar cookies) that was available for all. After my husband and I were done dancing, we gathered the boys and left.  

after school reading tutoring 6 & 7

During the last two weeks that SJ had his reading tutoring sessions, they started a new novel. They are now reading Scat by Carl Hiaasen.  

When they started reading it a couple of weeks ago, SJ said several times that he was not using this book for his 2nd Nine Weeks book report.  He stated this fact to me and Mrs. Banks.  Mrs. Banks said that was fine and she didn't leave the book at our house.

Then, a few days before he was to present his choice to Mrs. Page, he decided he was going to use this book for his book report.  When Mrs. Banks was at our house that week, he told her he was using Scat.  She told him she would leave the book with us, so that we can read in between tutoring sessions.  

She told me that he did an excellent job and she was impressed that his focus has improved. That is always nice to hear.

after school speech part 5

Two Tuesdays ago, SJ had his bi-weekly speech therapy session.  I wasn't able to take him (I was meeting a friend for yoga), so my husband kindly took him.  

He said the therapist worked on Main Ideas. She gave him a paper with pictures.  She read him a sentence and he had to identify which picture showed the main idea.  She said he did very well with this activity.  

Next, she read him a list of words and then he had to give her the main idea.  For example: vanilla, chocolate, pumpkin, strawberry.  He had to say: flavors, pies or yogurt.  She said he did well with this activity as well.  She asked us to finish this activity as homework.

halloween 2014

This Halloween was another rainy night.  SJ was going as Scout from Call of Duty. I wasn't sure if Bob was going to trick or treat (considering he hasn't for the last few years). He surprised me, however, and wanted to go out with his horse head mask.  That was fine with me.

They went out together and were joined by two of Bob's friends.  They stayed out longer than I thought since it was so cold and rainy.  While they were gone, we entertained the neighbor kids (and a few others) with our haunted garage.  

They returned about an hour later.  They went through their candy (SJ doesn't eat chocolate and Bob doesn't eat the fruity candy) and swapped.  Then, they played Mario Cart in the theater room while we waited for the trick or treating to finish up.

After 8:00, we were to go to Willie's house. Bob wasn't feeling well (he actually had a fever), so he stayed at home.  We dropped off Bob's friends and went to Willie's.  SJ played with Willie and Topher while we visited with our friends.  We only stayed a couple of hours and then drove home.

I was happy that SJ didn't have to do the tradition by himself this year.  It was very good for him socially to be out with kids who are the same age.  

boo! did I scare you?

SJ wanted to have a Halloween party again this year.  I told him he could invite a few friends over the weekend before Halloween (apparently a girl in his grade was having a party Halloween weekend). I also told Bob he could invite a few friends as well.

Most of the boys that were invited did come. We had a total of 15 (including SJ and Bob) boys between the ages of 12-14.  I wanted to have planned activities, but my husband reminded me that they are too old for that.  

We had turned our garage into a haunted house, so we had two boys at a time go through it.  While the other boys were waiting their turn, they were noshing on "bloody" joe's, mummy dogs, chips, pretzels, cookies and candy.  The boys weren't overly frightened by the haunted house, but they seemed to like it.  

After they all went through, we decided to show Ghostbusters in our theater room.  For the boys who were not into that film, I told them to go outside and play graveyard tag.  I had set up some "headstones" in our backyard.  They seemed to love that.  

After three hours, the party was over.  All the boys left smiling and SJ was thrilled that his party was a success.

after school reading tutoring #4 & #5

Wow, I am so far behind on blogging!  Well, SJ had two reading tutoring sessions over the last three weeks.  He read two chapters with Mrs. Banks during each session.  In between sessions, either my husband or myself read the remaining chapters with him.  SJ had his first book report due at the end of October, so we were running out of time.  

Mrs. Banks said he was doing a great job with the comprehension questions and was very pleased with his effort overall.  I told her I would show her his report when it was finished. 

His teacher, Mrs. Page, gives them many options for book reports beside the traditional book report.  He chose to do a newspaper article.  He did three articles that highlighted the beginning, middle and end of the book.  This is what the report looked like.

Mrs. Banks was impressed with his report.  I was hoping that Mrs. Page was impressed too. Fortunately, she was.  He got an A+.

after school speech part 4

Last Tuesday, SJ had his bi-weekly speech therapy session.  His therapist spent most of the session working on the difference between fact and opinion.  She told him that a fact is a sentence that is true about something and an opinion is a sentence about something that a person thinks.  

She used different cards to show him how opinion sentences can begin.  They were the following phrases:  I believe, in my opinion, my favorite, I like, I think the best, etc.  

She also showed him cards that were examples of how opinion questions can begin.  These were a few of the example questions:  How do you feel about..?, What do you think about...?, Do you believe that...?, etc.

She had him complete a opinion survey on a topic of his choice.  He choose video games (big surprise).  Here are his answers.

My favorite game is Mario Cart.

I like games because they are fun.

I don't like that games take so long to win.

I think the best game is Mario Cart.

I feel that games are awesome.

I think that games are outstanding.

I don't think that games are stupid.

In my opinion, games are amazing.

I can't stand losing.

One of the worst things about games are the tutorials.

after school speech part 3

Yesterday was SJ's bi-weekly speech therapy appointment.  The first thing that they worked on was an Inner Feelings worksheet.  There was a list of vocabulary words for various feelings. SJ had to define or describe them to his therapist.  There were 27 feeling words in total. Twelve of the words (ie: amused, ashamed, comfortable, etc.) SJ was not sure how to answer.  She helped him with those words and asked that I review them as homework.

Next, she presented him with a worksheet that had feeling sentences. Under the sentences, SJ had to write a word that expressed the appropriate feeling word from the word bank. Here is an example of one of the sentences.

Sally wonders what's in the odd-shaped package in the hall.

SJ chose the word curious.  His therapist said he really struggled with this activity.  I was a little surprised about that, considering he was provided with a word bank.  She asked me to review this for homework as well.  Additionally, she assigned him a homework sheet on emotions.  She asked me to give him situations in my life where I am mad, happy or sad.  He could then write about them on the provided worksheet.

Last, she mentioned to me that SJ told her he is experiencing frustration during English class. He said the teacher gives too many complicated directions.  He also told her that when he is frustrated, he asks to use the restroom.  (He has used this as a coping technique since kindergarten.)  I told her I would call his teacher and ask her to give him more simplified directions.  I was very happy that SJ felt comfortable enough with her to let her know how he is feeling.  This is a big step for him!

after school reading tutoring #3

Last Monday and today, SJ had his weekly reading tutoring sessions.  Last Monday, Mrs. Banks had read Chapter 9 with him.  She said he did well at remembering facts from the two chapters (7 & 8) that we had read last weekend. I told her we would again read two chapters before the next session.  

We read Chapters 10 & 11 last night.  He complained a lot, but we got through it.  He expressed some concern about not getting this book done before the book report is due.  I told him not to stress over it.  

Mrs. Banks read Chapter 12 and half of Chapter 13 with him.  She said he read well and didn't complain a bit until they moved on to Chapter 13.  He had seemed anxious about not finishing the book and that is why she had him read the extra half of a chapter.

I told her that I would try to get him to read three chapters before their next session.  I am not a fortune teller, but I can hear a lot of whining in my future!

after school speech part 2

At Tuesday's speech therapy session, SJ's therapist again worked on conversational skills. She began the session with a Speaking Well activity.  She showed him a word bank and told him to select a topic and write three sentences you could say in a conversation.  He choose the following topics:  twins, report cards, cheating and video games.  She said he had some difficulty with this activity, so she asked we pick a few more topics to practice at home.  

Next, she did a Simple Word Association activity with him.  He did well with this activity. Here are a few of the associations.

Butterfly/caterpillar...a caterpillar turns into a butterfly

Basketball/H.O.R.S.E...use a basketball to play HORSE

Radio/music...radio plays music

She also asked that we do a few more simple word associations for homework.  Last, they did a Contingent Word activity.  She said he really enjoyed this activity.  Here is the sequence.

Vacation-fun times-friends-play games-winner-trophy-balls-nets-soccer-kicking-fighting-injuries-hospital-cast-itchy-scratching-cat-yarn-sweater-warmth-fire-hot chocolate-marshmallows

She suggested we try this activity again before the next session, possibly in the car.

after school reading tutoring #2

On Monday, Mrs. Banks came for SJ's after school reading tutoring.  I told her we had read Chapter 5 of Flush together.  I also told her how impressed I was with his reading.  He did a great job when we read together the night before. When we had completed Chapter 5, he ran to get his binder and pulled out a paper from his reading class.  He wanted to show me his options for his book report.  He decided to do a newspaper article as his book report (my heart melted since I have a journalism degree).  He spent 40 minutes working on his first draft and he did fairly well for his first try. 

I went upstairs to prepare dinner while they were having their session.  When it was finished, she said they had completed Chapter 6 and did some comprehension questions.  She seemed very pleased with the effort that he had made and said he was able to remember many things that they had previously read. 

I told her that we would read Chapters 7 and 8 this week.  She said that was fine.  I showed her SJ's rough draft of the beginning of his book report.  She seemed as impressed as I was.  She asked me if I was enjoying the book.  I told her that I was.  It is always a bonus when the book is enjoyable.  I never care what my boys are reading as long as they are reading.  If they like the reading material, at least we are not fighting them to read.  Thanks for picking out such an entertaining book Mrs. Banks.

sj for homeroom rep!

Yesterday morning, SJ told my husband and myself that he was running for Homeroom Representative. We were both a little surprised. I really shouldn't have been since he was mentioning something about it a few days earlier. He had asked me on Monday what they do.  I said the reps look out for the students' best interest.

Back to yesterday, he told us that he wrote a speech as to why he would be a good rep. Here is a copy of his speech.

In case you can't read it, it says the following:

Hello, my name is SJ, and here's why I should be a homeroom representative.  If there is too much homework for you, maybe I can make the teachers have all students have less homework.  If the class is boring, I can make the class less boring.  Also, I can tell jokes to you if you're really down in the dumps.  That's why you should elect me as a homeroom representative.

P.S. I got my eye on you.

He was to give that speech yesterday during homeroom.  I praised him on his funny speech and told him to try his best.  My husband and I were so proud that he wants to do this.  It is often puzzling to us that our typical child never wants to do these things.  SJ, who should be more socially awkward due to his diagnosis, just wants to be like any other 7th grade student.  I will let you know what the results are in a few days.

after school reading tutoring

On Monday, Mrs. Banks was back to tutor SJ in reading.  They continued to read Flush.  They read up to Chapter 4.  When they were finished with the reading, she had SJ answer comprehension questions from that chapter, as well as Chapter 3. 

She was happily surprised that SJ remembered facts from the previous chapter.  Considering they haven't read together in a few weeks, she was impressed with his retention.  I told her that I would try to read one to two chapters with him between their sessions.  SJ wants to use this book for his 1st Nine Weeks reading book report for Mrs. Page (his 7th grade reading teacher).  He was a little concerned that he may not finish it before the report is due if he only read it with Mrs. Banks.  She said that was a good plan.

She was very happy with his overall effort.  She said he did occasionally stop her to ask her what words meant and if he didn't understand what was going on.  She said she was happy that he was stopping her and she is seeing improvement in his reading.  These are all wonderful things to hear, especially since SJ struggles so much with reading.  Keep up the hard work, SJ!

after school speech-new time, new therapist

Last Tuesday, SJ was back to his evening speech therapy sessions.  He had to be assigned to a different therapist.  This usually happens when we switch between summer and school time.

He had the new therapist many years ago.  She couldn't believe how much he has grown.  He went back to her room without much of a fuss.  

When their session was finished, she said he did very well.  They worked on conversational skills. First, she worked on Choosing an Interesting Topic.  She had SJ read about three different people.  Under each of their names, it listed their interests. He then had to write down something he could talk to the person about.  For example: 

Pat likes movies, bowling, remote control cars, playing the piano and playing video games.  He is in the 10th grade and walks to school. 

SJ wrote that he could talk to Pat about playing video games or bowling.

Next, they worked on Starting Conversations.  She went over the rules for starting a conversation.

1. Observe whether the person is busy or is available for a conversation.
2. Face the person and get eye contact.  (If the person looks away, it's not a good time to start a conversation.
3. Greet the person by name.  You could say "Hi, Jim".
4. Say something the person would find interesting. Make a comment or ask a question.

She had SJ read 5 sentences and write what he would say to start a conversation.  For example:

Kelly just started a job babysitting on weekends.  What could you say to Kelly?

SJ wrote, "How much money do you get paid?'

Lastly, she just sat and talked to SJ about what they had in common. She said he did very well staying on subject, asked her appropriate questions and made on topic comments.  Way to go SJ!

 

a little problem over here...

Last week, SJ was having a snack at the counter when I heard him say, "Oh no.  Not again.  I have a little problem over here."  I knew immediately what the problem was.  SJ broke his glasses...again! And when I say again, I mean AGAIN!!!  This kid has broken his glasses at least 9 times and I am not exaggerating. 

I tried to stay calm, which is hard to do after the ninth pair of broken glasses.  I called the Walmart Vision Center to see if they were open. They were (fortunately), so I told SJ to get in the car.  We drove the 20 minutes it takes to get to Walmart and SJ kept mumbling that it wasn't his fault. "Whose fault is it then, SJ?," I asked him.  "Well, if I didn't have to wear glasses, I wouldn't have broken them," he said.  "I know that buddy, but you do have to wear glasses," I reminded him. 

"It is not a big deal, since they are free," said SJ.  "No, they are not free every time. I can't remember if we paid for this pair or it was your latest replacement pair," I said to SJ.  He was slightly correct.  When you buy glasses at Walmart, there is a warranty on the paid pair.  If you break those, they will replace them free of charge.  "If they are not free, you are paying for the new pair out of your allowance," I told SJ. 

When we walked into the Vision Center, I approached the technician.  Not surprisingly, he knew who we were.  He checked the computer to see if the broken glasses were under warranty.  They were not, so we (I mean SJ) were going to have to purchase a new pair.  Fortunately for SJ, his glasses are only $28. 

The technician swapped out his lenses and placed them in the new frames.  She fitted them and reminded him (once again) to be careful when cleaning them.  As we were walking out, I reminded him that I would be deducting the $28 from his account.  He has to learn. 

contact fitting = a very, sad sj

SJ has been wanting to get contacts all summer.  I wasn't sure if he was responsible enough to handle contacts, but Bob did fine when he got his at 12.  I took him to the appointment right after school on Monday.

The nurse did preliminary testing and then the optometrist did a thorough eye exam.  He said his eyes looked good and he can see 20/20 with his glasses.  He gave SJ and I a rundown of the things that can go wrong with contacts. He looked at me and told me it was my job to look for signs of eye infections.  (Duh?).  

Another nurse came in to try to place contacts in his eyes.  He kept flinching every time she tried to put the lens in.  After a few tries, I began to realize he was like me.  I can never put anything in my eye (contacts, eye drops, etc.). This poor, patient nurse tried for over 20 minutes.  

SJ suggested to her that she let him put them into his eyes. She explained to him that if she couldn't put it in his eye that he definitely wouldn't be able to do it either.  I told him to let her try and she tried for another 10 minutes.  

He kept blinking and squeezing his eyelids together.  It was practically impossible for her to even get the contact close to his eyes. Finally, I told SJ that we were going to leave.  I promised him we would come back in a few months and try again.  

When we got to the car, he was so upset. He kept blaming the nurse.  "It was all her fault, it was all her fault," SJ sadly said.  I told him that it wasn't her fault and that he was just not ready. It broke my heart to see SJ so sad. Unfortunately, he may be like me and never be able to wear contacts.  Hopefully, I am wrong!

first day of junior high

Last Tuesday was a BIG day for SJ. He was about to start 7th grade.  This is a new building to SJ.  Bob went there last year, so that was slightly comforting to SJ.  

We had gone to orientation a week earlier.  We walked SJ's schedule, but I knew he would still be nervous. 

He woke very early on Tuesday.  He ate his breakfast and anxiously waited for 6:40 am to appear on the stove clock.  His and Bob's bus comes around 6:45.  He hasn't rode the school bus since he was in Kindergarten.  He was very worried about that bus ride (I was stressed about it all day!).  

At 6:35, I took the traditional first day pictures (the boys HATE this tradition).  I watched them walk to the bus stop at 6:40.  I took a deep breath and hoped for the best!

The boys got home around 3:30.  I was babysitting some neighbor kids, so I didn't get to talk to the boys until 4:30.  I asked them how their day was.  Bob replied with his normal response of "fine".  

Then, I looked at SJ to see what he would say. He said, "Well, the bus ride is so long and boring."  I reminded him that he could bring his IPod with him and then he wouldn't mind the long bus ride.

"I may have made a bad lunch choice, Mom," added SJ.  I said,"What do you mean?"  He then told me that Bob said whoever you sit on the first day is who you have to sit with the whole year.  I wasn't sure if that was true, so I was going to have to verify that.  

It wasn't that he didn't like who he sat with.  He was hoping to sit with Willie and Topher.  I told him to try and sit with Topher and Willie on Wednesday.  I was hoping he would remember to do that.  

The last thing I asked him about was his locker. In elementary school, he didn't have a locker. He had been worried about using the lock on his locker all summer.  His principal, Mr. Mack, had allowed him to get his lock early to practice his locker combination.  That practice really helped him, since there wasn't even one complaint about the lock or locker.  

For all the stress I felt all day long, those few problems that SJ told me were so much smaller than I thought he would have.  That is a great first day in a new school!

summer speech-session #5

Last week, SJ had his last summer speech appointment.  He should have had one the week before, but his appointment was cancelled due to a scheduling snafu.  We will continue with evening speech appointments in September.

The first thing his therapist worked on was Opinions.  She explained to him that eventhough he may like things or not like certain things other people may not feel the same way he does.  

She had him look at a paper and he had to place an X on the items he doesn't like.  She did this activity as well, so that SJ could see they may not dislike the same things.  His X's are in blue ink and hers are in red ink.  See the following worksheet.

She was able to use this visual to show him that he doesn't like salads, but she does.  They both don't like casts.

Next, she worked on Main Ideas.  She showed him a picture without any words.  He had to write down what was the most important thing in the picture.  SJ sometimes struggles with this concept, since he tends to focus on the small details.  

In the first picture, he wrote that she slipped and her food fell on the ground.  In the second picture, he wrote that the man gives a check to the cashier.  He did very well with this activity.

summer reading session #6

Last Wednesday, SJ had his last summer session with Mrs. Banks.  He was again very difficult to get up, but I somehow managed.  

They read two more chapters of Flush.  She said he is enjoying it.  She was very pleased with the effort he gave her considering that he was "so tired".  

Mrs. Banks said she would continue this novel with SJ when their sessions continue on September 15th.  I am hoping his new reading teacher, Mrs. Page, will approve this novel for his first book report.  I will keep you posted.

visiting aunt jojo for gabe's birthday

Last Thursday, we went on a road trip to my sister, Jojo's, house for the weekend.  Pappy went with us as well.  We picked up my dad around 10:30 and drove 3 1/2 hours to Jojo's. We stopped halfway for a restroom break and to buy some snacks.  

After we arrived at Jojo's house, the boys started playing with their cousins.  They played soccer in the backyard and on their pogo sticks in the driveway.  They played until dinnertime and continued to play outside until dark.  

On Friday, we hung out at her house until after lunchtime.  After lunch, we went to their pool. My boys love the diving area.  They have a diving board there and that is different from our pool.  SJ was in the diving area the entire time we were at the pool.  He was working on doing flips.  He is getting pretty good at them.

After we returned to her house, the boys played outside with Gabe, Cedar and Laurel.  It was Gabe's 14th birthday.  He was having some friends over to celebrate.  They had pizza, played baby World Cup soccer, ate cupcakes and played Manhunt when it got dark.

After the party guests left, the boys got ready for bed.  They went to bed, but I heard lots of giggling for hours.

On Saturday, Jojo's in-laws came to visit.  

They wanted to take Laurel shopping.  While they were shopping, Jojo and I took the boys back to her pool.  All four boys spent most of our pool time at the diving area.  Cedar was nervous to do flips, so SJ kept showing him what to do.  Cedar did eventually do a front flip. Bob was trying to get SJ to do a back flip. He did try it once, but he only managed to hit the water hard on his back.  

After we left the pool, I picked up lunch for the boys.  SJ, Gabe and Cedar had McDonalds and Bob had Subway.  They all enjoyed their lunch.  They continued to play outside after lunch.

We had yummy grilled chicken, fresh corn and baked potatoes for dinner.  Jojo's in-laws left after dinner.  The boys watched a movie with my dad and my brother-in-law while Jojo, Laurel and I played Life.  

On Sunday, we left shortly after the boys woke up.  My dad was golfing with my uncle in the afternoon, so we had to get rolling.  It was a great visit with Jojo's family!

summer reading session #5

Last Wednesday, SJ had his weekly reading session with Mrs. Banks.   I had A LOT of trouble getting SJ out of bed that morning.  He was complaining about being SO tired!  

He got up so late that he didn't have time for breakfast.  I told him that I would make him breakfast after we returned home.  

They continued to read Flush.  Mrs. Banks said they read a few chapters.  They were working on the comprehension questions when I returned.  I overheard him saying that I returned too soon.  That was surprising, since he wasn't eager to go in the first place.

He will have one more summer session.  Mrs. Banks has to return to work.  He will have a few weeks off and then his tutoring sessions will continue in September.  

summer speech-session 4

Last Friday, SJ had his weekly speech therapy session.  She spent most of the session working on comprehension. SJ had to read two short paragraphs.  She had him answer a few questions about the passage.  This is the passage.

Seeing blood when we get scratched or cut can be really scary.  Some people even faint when they see blood.  The truth is that blood is an amazing substance that keeps us alive. The heart pumps blood throughout the body. During its trip, blood passes by the lungs where red blood cells absorb oxygen.  The oxygen is then carried to other parts of the body.  Blood also carries glucose, which is a kind of sugar.  Glucose is the food our cells need to produce energy.

Blood also contains white blood cells which are the body's police officers.  These cells defend the body against diseases by removing foreign materials.  Platelets are cells in blood which serve as the body's Band-Aid.  When a person is injured, platelets bond together to stop the bleeding and protect the body.  Blood makes up about 7% of our body weight.  It's easy to see how important blood is for keeping the body healthy.  It's just better when it is on the inside!

His therapist said SJ did very well with the 7 questions.  She then had SJ retell the story with picture cards.  He had a little more difficulty with that.  She asked me to have SJ reread the passage and use the picture cards to retell the passage to me for homework.  Here are the picture cards.

summer reading session #4

Last Wednesday, SJ was back at reading tutoring since Mrs. Banks had returned from her beach vacation.  She started a new book with him.  She selected Flush by Carl Hiaasen.  

Mrs. Banks selected this novel, because it is seventh grade level. It is a mystery novel that has some humor in it.  The book is about a gambling boat that is illegally dumping sewage into the waterways.  One of the characters tries to sink the ship, but the boat is back in business despite the attempted sinking.

Noah's dad, one of the character's, is in jail and Noah tries to get the owner to stop polluting the sea with his raw sewage.  

Mrs. Banks and SJ read two chapters.  SJ had a lot of questions on vocabulary words or they would have gotten farther. 

Mrs. Banks said they would continue to work on this book for the remaining summer sessions.  I asked her if he would be able to use it for one of his book reports in 7th grade.  She said he would be able to use it, so that is one worry off my mind.

summer speech-session 3

Last Friday, SJ returned to his speech therapy.  I brought our completed Yosemite Shutterfly scrapbook.  I thought it would be a good vehicle for SJ to practice his conversational skills.  I also told her that Bob would like her to work on sarcasm with SJ.  (We are all very sarcastic in our house!)  She said she could certainly work on that skill with him.

At the end of his session, his therapist told me that the book was very helpful.  She said she flipped through the pages and SJ was able to tell her stories about our trip.  

She also did some testing with him.  She explained that the testing took up most of the remaining session.  She said she would give me the tabulated results at his next session.  

lake house weekend

This past weekend we were invited to Meryl and Goldie's lake house.  We have been invited in the past, but we hadn't been able to make it.  

We had bought a tent to sleep in because we weren't sure if there were enough beds in their cottage.  Topher's family and Willie's family were also invited to the lake house.  Topher's family had brought their pop up trailer, so there was room for us to sleep in the house.  It was a good thing, since it was a very rainy night.  

Saturday was a rainy day too.  It wasn't raining so hard that the kids couldn't play in the water, but it was too rainy for tubing.  The kids went to the dock and did some swimming and fishing.  

That evening, we hung out at their house.  The kids played charades and little games in the backyard.  The rain wasn't going to dampen our fun.

Sunday was a perfect weather day.  We were able to do many things on the lake. The boys went kayaking, swimming and tubing.  There was a tube that spun all the way around and one that was shaped like a hot dog.  SJ thought they were both fun, but he preferred the one that went in circles.  

After lunch, all sixteen of us got on the two boats and took a 20 minute boat ride to the dam.  When we got to the dam, the eight kids swam to the sandy shore and played in the shallow water while the adults hung out on the boats.  

When we returned from the dam, the adults stayed down at the dock for the afternoon.  The girls were playing in the water and the boys went up to the house for a bit.  After a short while, all the boys and the dads went back out for more tubing.  They had a great time!

When were done boating, we all had dinner and packed up our things to return home.  Despite the rain and cold weather on Friday and Saturday, we had another awesome weekend with our friends.  

mom turns 43!

On Tuesday, it was my birthday.  It wasn't a milestone.  I was just turning 43.  My husband had picked me up some presents from the boys and him.  

I stared at those wrapped presents all day.  I didn't want to open them without him being home.  We met him at my favorite restaurant, Chili's.

I had a very nice birthday dinner.  The food was yummy and the boys behaved nicely (that is almost more important than the food being good).  

We went over to Willie's house after dinner, so I could plan with the moms what we needed to bring to Meryl and Goldie's lake house.  

While we were planning, all eight kids were playing soccer in Willie's front yard. They had a great time.  

When we got home, my husband had a small cake for me.  They all sang happy birthday to me and then I opened my presents.  I got a golf net and turf pad.  My husband asked the boys where their card was.  SJ said, "Oh."  Then, he ran into the library.  He made me a very simple card, but it was very sweet!  It is always nice to have your kid tell you that they love you!

backyard movie theater #2

Two Saturdays ago, we decided to have another impromptu backyard movie night.  We didn't invite as many people this time.  

We had Willie's and Topher's families and two of Bob's friends, Dickie and Gage.  I made a bunch of popcorn and got the supplies out for s'mores.  

We couldn't start the movie until it was dark out.  In the meantime, the kids played soccer outside on the soccer field Bob spray painted on the yard.  They had a great time!

The first movie we showed was Meatballs.  We forgot there was some slightly mature content in the movie, so I had my husband fast forward through those parts.

The kids loved that movie and I loved it too.  My husband selected Men In Black for our second feature.  The kids enjoyed that movie as well and it didn't contain any mature material.  It was another successful movie night!  

summer speech-session 2

Two Fridays ago, SJ had his weekly speech therapy session.  The first thing his therapist told me was that initially he was having trouble with eye contact.  She prompted him and he was able to improve his eye contact.  

They worked on scenarios.  He read a scenario and had to say the feeling word.  He was able to come up with a first word on his own without visual aids.  When his therapist asked him to give her a second feeling word, he needed to use a word bank.  Here is an example of one of the scenarios.

My class just won a pizza party for selling the most tickets!  I feel...

SJ's first feeling word was excited and his second word was overjoyed.

She finished his session with a game.  She selected an everyday object and he had to ask a few questions about them.  He had some difficulty with this.  He wanted to do the questions as a fill in the blank style.  She modeled how to appropriately ask the questions.  We will have to continue to work on this.  

summer reading session #3

Two Wednesdays ago, SJ had his reading session with Mrs. Banks.  They finally finished up the Tarantula Shoes book.  She gave me a copy of the comprehension packet that he had completed.  

She said she was really impressed with his ability to remember things from previous chapters.  The tutoring is really helping him build his comprehension skills.  

She also said he was much more calm during that session.  He wasn't fidgeting in his seat and gave her good eye contact.

She told me she hadn't decided on what novel they would do next.  She was going to do another Hank Zipzer novel, but he'll need a slightly more difficult book for 7th grade.  She said she would decide while she was on vacation.

She reminded me that he would have the next two weeks off, since she we will be at the beach.  I told SJ that he wouldn't be having reading again for a few weeks.  He said, "Well, I guess I am on vacation too then."  In a way, he was right!

fourth of july 2014

On the Fourth of July, we spent the holiday with Topher and Willie's family. We started the day quietly.  The boys slept in until almost lunchtime. 

Around 3:00, we went down to the river to our friends' docks.  Willie's family had their boat in the water, but Topher's family didn't have their boat in yet.  

We didn't take the boat out of the slip.  The river was still a little high and had a lot of debris floating in it.  The girls were disappointed they could not go tubing.

The boys were jumping off the dock and swimming a little bit.  Mostly, everyone was just hanging out.  We left the river around dinnertime.  

We went home to change and gathered the things we were taking to Willie's house.  We had dinner at Willie's house.  It was yummy! The girls had made some cute patriotic treats!  

The boys played soccer in Willie's front yard while the dads and the girls played a toss game.  

When it got dark, my husband and the other dads got the box of fireworks out.  The kids did sparklers, bottle rockets, smoke bombs and small ground firecrackers.  The kids had a blast with their patriotic fun.  I am happy to report we didn't have to visit the E.R., so that means it was also a safe holiday!

summer reading session #2

Last Wednesday, SJ had his weekly reading session.  They read three more chapters of Tarantula Shoes.  After they finished reading, Mrs. Banks had SJ answer some comprehension questions.  

She then had him complete a word list for a Mad Lib type activity.  This was his list of words.

Adjective-comperative  smaller

Adjective-superlative  biggest

Adverb  fast

Noun-plural  cars

Noun-plural  buildings

Adjective  red

Adjective  slow

Noun-plural, instrument  drums

Verb  ski

Adjective-superlative  fastest

Verb  swim

Verb-ing form  flying

Noun  bird

A short saying (2 words)  just kidding

This is his completed story with his words.

When you think about all the holidays, there is one that is smaller than the rest.  It is Independence Day, the biggest holiday ever! We celebrate freedom on Independence Day! Without freedom, where would we be?

There are several things we need so that we can celebrate Independence Dat fast.

1. We need cars in red, white and blue.

2. We need hamburgers and hot dogs and other buildings to eat outside!

3. We need red desserts.  Some should look like the US flag.  They should all taste slow!

4. We need a parade.  It should have a band with drums and drums in it.  Our flag should ski at the front of the parade!

5. We need fireworks!  They provide the fastest noise for the celebration!

6. We need sparklers to swim in the air.  That should be a law! However, kids must learn how to be safe while flying with sparklers.  An adult should be there to make sure no one gets poked or burned with a bird.  Just kidding is a good motto for Independence Day activities!

Mrs. Banks also noted that SJ had a lot of trouble sitting still during the session.  She asked if he had eaten any gluten.  He had donuts the day before, so it does affect his behavior.  Oops!

kennywood 2014

Last Monday was Kennywood day.  It wasn't our school district day, but we were going with our friends.  We all met at Willie's house.  His mom and Meryl's mom were driving the moms and kids down to Kennywood.  The dads were meeting us after work.  

We got to Kennywood around 2 pm.  It was supposed to rain, so that was keeping the crowds away.  We started off riding the Sky Rocket coaster, the newest steel coaster. Bob doesn't like coasters, so he waited with the moms and I.  SJ loves coasters and had a great time with his friends.  

We moved on to bumper cars and Cosmic Chaos.  Bob again sat out.  He was being very stubborn.  I decided he would just have to sit while everyone else had fun. 

The group then rode the Jack Rabbit, a classic wooden coaster.  Bob was being very disrespectful to me while we waited for our friends.  I had to take his phone away as a consequence.  

Most of the kids (and I!) wanted to ride an upside down ride, Aero 360. Bob and SJ waited with the moms while we rode.  SJ doesn't like upside down rides.  Not me. I love that ride!  

The boys wanted to ride paddle boats when we were done.  Finally, a break in Bob's ride stand off.  He rode with Willie and SJ rode with Topher.  The girls paired up and rode them as well.  The boys were all smiles on the lake. Yeah!

The kids decided to ride a water ride next.  I almost fell over when both boys got in line.  I was surprised that Bob was in line, but I was even more shocked that SJ was in line.  He hates getting wet when he is in his regular clothes.  

They could only fit 6 riders in each boat, so they couldn't ride together.  The girls were in the first boat and the boys were right behind.  You can get totally soaked on this ride depending on how the boat navigates the path.  I was crossing my fingers that SJ wouldn't go under the waterfall.  Fortunately, Bob and Willie got the waterfall.  They were all laughing hysterically. Thank goodness!

The boys liked it so much that they jumped back in the line.  The girls wanted to ride the Thunderbolt, another classic wooden coaster.  I waited with Willie's mom while the other moms rode with the girls.  

SJ got the waterfall the second time and happily he was laughing about it.  He was a little concerned about how wet he was.  He wanted to use the giant people dryer, but I said no.  I told him it was so hot out and he would dry quickly.  He wasn't convinced and became very whiny.

The dads arrived a few minutes later.  SJ convinced my husband to let him use the dryer. It cost $5, so I wasn't going to spend that.  My husband told him he wouldn't be completely dry, but he was willing to let him spend $5 once. SJ wanted to go in it again, but he was firm with him only going once.  

We ate dinner with the dads at the Pavillion. The food was good and the kids were very well behaved.  

We went back to Cosmic Chaos right after we finished dinner.  Surprisingly, Bob and SJ got on with all the other kids and dads.  They loved it!

We rode a few more small rides like Bayern Kurve (fast bobsled ride) and the Pirate (giant swinging ship).  They are great simple rides.  

Next, the kids took a chance on a lazer maze. They all tripped up the lasers, but SJ actually made the leader board.  He was so proud of himself and the kids were all congratulating him. What a great moment!

The group wanted to ride the Phantom's Revenge, a super fast steel coaster.  Bob wasn't up for it, so I waited with him.  I tried to get pictures, but the coaster moves very fast.  

We moved over to the Black Widow, a high upside down ride.  Bob, SJ, Meryl and her dad opted not to ride.  While we waited in line (longest line of the day), Meryl's dad took them to play games.  Bob won two prizes, but SJ went home empty handed.  That is usually what happens.  SJ does not excel at the games. This year he handled it much better.  He only complained about it for a few minutes.  That is a big improvement.  

We had time to ride two more rides.  We all went back to the Thunderbolt.  Everyone but Bob rode it.  Our last ride of the night was The Racers, a double train wooden coaster.  Bob sat out again.  SJ and I were in the green train. He was convinced that the red train was going to win before we even left the station.  He was wrong.  We won, but he wasn't convinced for a while.  We had to explain it many times until it sunk in.  

We rode back home with Willie's family.  My boys were aggravating each other in the backseat while Willie behaved nicely.  I gave them a threat of electronics loss and they settled down.  

Despite Bob's stubborn, defiant behavior, it was a great day!  I always enjoy being around our friends.  

The next day, we were at the pool and Meryl's mom told me something that made me smile. She noted that SJ did so well in the lines.  She said he waited very patiently and was socializing nicely with the other kids.  That is something that all parents of kids on the spectrum love to hear.  

summer speech-session 1

Two Fridays ago, SJ had his first summer speech therapy session at his new daytime slot. He had a little trouble getting back into the swing of things.

She told me that initially he had trouble making eye contact.  She prompted him to remind him to look at her.  She said she asked him about our California vacation. She thought he would be able to easily converse about this topic. Surprisingly, he had trouble with this activity.  

She did a visual chart, so that he could see how many times he was answering her questions, asking her questions and making eye contact. He wasn't getting many check marks, because he wasn't always looking at her.  He told her he was looking at her.  She told him he couldn't just look at her foot or leg.  He had to look at her eyes.  

He questioned his progress and she told him what he forgot to do.  "I didn't know I have to use complete sentences," was his response to her asking him to use more than one word answers.  She reminded him that "back at you" is not a good response.  

She had him fill out a worksheet on participating in a reciprocal conversation. She said he did very well with this activity.  

The last activity they worked on was idioms. She reported that he did very well on this activity.  We wouldn't have another session for two weeks, since the following Friday was the Fourth of July.

summer reading tutoring-session 1

Last Wednesday, SJ had his first reading tutoring session of the summer with Mrs. Banks.  His session was at 8 am.  SJ was not happy (at all) that I scheduled it so early.  He is usually up anyway, so it hadn't occurred to me that it would be problematic for SJ.  

I woke him at 7:30.  He was very grumpy and not cooperative.  I was very concerned about how he was going to behave for Mrs. Banks.  

He kept saying that he was tired the entire 2 mile drive to her house.  We arrived at her house right at 8.  I warned her of his mood and apologized in advance.

When I picked him up an hour later, I was pleasantly surprised that he worked very nicely for her.  What a relief!

She told me they continued to read Tarantula Shoes.  She said it would be a few more sessions until the moved on to a new novel.  

They also worked on a end of school year glyph.  SJ had to decide the color of the bell (yellow-he will not return to the same school next year), the color of the bushes (blue-he will miss special area classes most), the color of the roof (red-he will miss homework least), the color of the schoolhouse (pink-he will not attend any summer camps), the color of the sign (orange-he will be sad when summer break is over), the color of the steps (gray-he will see classmates over the summer) and he had to write one thing he wanted to learn over summer break (he wrote the word "nothing").  See the finished glyph.

california adventure-day 10-going home

On Wednesday, June 18, we were going back home.  We ate breakfast at UB's house and then hung out with them until 9:30.  We put our bags in our car and hugged UB and KT goodbye. We were off to the San Diego airport.

We had to return our rental car first.  We couldn't find the office for Alamo.  We were driving around in circles looking for the office.  I tried to find the office on the internet and it didn't appear to be at the airport.  This was a problem, since our flight was coming in earlier than originally expected.  Finally, we pulled into National and they kindly took it.  

Now, I was stressed that we were going to miss our flight.  The stress was not warranted.  We got to our gate with 20 minutes to spare.  

We got on the plane and had the boys sit together.  I wasn't sure about that.  I was worried that they would fight.  When a gentleman sat next to them, we told him we were right behind them.  He just smiled at us. I wasn't sure if he should have been smiling so soon.  

They were actually very well behaved on the first leg of our flight.  There was a very unhappy baby that was on our flight.  I thought the constant crying was going to cause SJ to complain about it.  Fortunately, he had his air buds in, so I thought he couldn't hear the baby.

We landed in Nashville and only had about 6 minutes before our next plane was to depart. We got on the plane in the first group.  The boys sat together again and an older man sat next to them.  

As we were waiting for the remaining passengers to get on the plane, I noticed the family with the baby got on too.  Of course, she was still crying.  As they got to Bob and SJ's row, SJ said very loudly, "Not that crying baby again."  

I was mortified.  I was just getting ready to correct him when the baby's mother corrected him.  She said, "You were a baby once too." And then she smiled.  Eventhough he embarrassed me, I was glad the mom said something (and in a kind way too).  SJ has to learn to not just blurt things out.  He has no filter.

We had an uneventful 2nd flight (minus the baby).  We retrieved our luggage and got our car.  We stopped for food at McDonalds and continued to drive home.  It was raining very badly our whole drive home.  We were definitely out of California!

california adventure-day 9-del mar beach and fun at ub's

On Tuesday, June 17, we had our last full day in California.  We ate breakfast at UB's. My uncle and aunt had to work, so we were going to pick up my parents at the hotel for lunch.  Before we got to the hotel, we stopped at a local bakery and got some delicious treats.  

We picked up my parents and drove to Del Mar. We parked and went to a restaurant, Poseidon, that is right on the beach.  We ate at an outside table and it was awesome to hear the beach sounds.  Bob and SJ flanked my dad and I had to remind all three of them to behave (sometimes my dad is worse than the boys).  

After we finished our delicious lunch, we walked on to the beach for a little while.  The water was pretty cold, so we weren't planning on swimming.  It is always nice to see the ocean.  

After we were finished at the beach, we went back to my parent's hotel.  The boys swam in the pool for a few hours.  

We returned to UB's house around 5.  My husband and I were planning on taking my uncle and aunt out for dinner.  My parents stayed at UB's and supervised the boys.  They took the boys back to In and Out Burger for dinner.  My mom said the boys were very well behaved. 

When we returned from dinner, we had birthday cake for UB (his birthday was the following week).  After the impromptu celebration, my parents returned to the hotel and I started to get our things ready for our travel day on Wednesday.  

After I finished my packing, my husband and I hung out with UB and KT until bedtime.

california adventure-day 8-the inn at ub's

On Monday, June 16th we had our last breakfast at the hotel.  It was a beautiful morning and was lovely to eat outside.  After breakfast, we packed up our bags and checked out of the hotel.  We would be staying at my uncle's house for the remainder of our trip.  

After we got to UB's house, my husband decided he would like to venture into San Diego to see the US Midway.  The boys didn't want to go, so we took my dad with my husband and I. My mom and UB were in charge of the boys.

They swam and played at his house.  At lunchtime, my uncle took them to In and Out Burger (a California treat).  The boys loved it! After lunch, they returned to his house and continued to swim.  My mom said they also played foosball and ping pong.  

When my aunt got home from work, she brought everyone Chick Fil A for dinner.  The boys loved the chicken and fries.  We did too! Then, we all vegged out on the couches and watched television until bedtime.

california adventure-day 7-bbq at ub's

On Sunday, June 15, we had only one activity on our agenda.  We were supposed to be at my uncle's house around 1:00 for a BBQ.  

We ate breakfast on the hotel terrace with my parents.  It was another yummy meal.  After breakfast, we went up to our room and SJ got his bathing suit on.  Bob wanted to watch soccer in the room, but he was going to join us later.

My mom and I hung out at the pool with SJ until Bob and my husband joined us.  After they came to the pool, the boys did some swimming, mini golf and ping pong.  They were hungry around 11:30, so we ordered some food from the pool bar.  

We left the pool at 12:30 and got ready for UB's.  The boys had a great time at UB's.  They were in the pool for most of the day.  They were playing with Isaac and Scooter, as well as Scooter's older brothers, Johnny and Hunter.  

We all ate an early dinner (Bob had hot dogs and SJ had bunless burgers) at UB's, the boys swam more and then we drove back to the hotel.  

When we returned to the hotel, the boys were still hungry.  My mom joined us in the hotel sports bar for a "second" dinner.  My husband, my mom and I ate appetizers while the boys ate kids' meals.  We finished up and called it a day.

california adventure-day 6-wedding day

Saturday, June 14th was my cousin's wedding day.  We started our day by having breakfast outside on the hotel's terrace.  It was yummy!

We had a few hours before we had to be at the wedding venue, so I took SJ to the pool.  Bob was busy watching World Cup soccer in the room.  SJ loved the pool! They also had foosball, ping-pong and three mini golf holes at the pool. This was a kid's dream!

We got ready for my cousin's wedding.  The boys' normal clothing is not wedding appropriate, so I had bought them new clothes for the wedding.  They looked very handsome in their dress shirts, chinos and boat shoes.  

The wedding was held at the Rancho Guajome Adobe.  The wedding was beautiful!  After the ceremony, the wedding party was getting pictures and the cocktail hour started.

I was a little concerned about the boys' behavior during the wedding (they didn't do so well at the only other wedding they attended). However, they were much better behaved. They were entertained with the photo booth and the bottles of bubbles. Scooter and Isaac were at our table, so that worked out great for the boys.  

Dinner was served after the first dance and Best Man's toast.  They had BBQ beef, pasta, potatoes, chicken, veggies and salad.  My cousin was kind enough to have gluten free pasta for SJ too.  He was happy he had something he could eat.  

The wedding continued with all the traditional things.  I thought the boys would dance, but they claimed they weren't interested.  Every once in a while, I would catch SJ dancing near our table. He couldn't be persuaded to go on the dance floor though.

After the wedding, we went back to the hotel and headed straight for the pool.  The hotel was getting ready to have a "dive in" movie.  SJ, Scooter and Isaac were at the pool when they put on the movie, Frozen.  The boys weren't thrilled with the movie choice, but they enjoyed the pool.  

Bob and my husband joined us at the pool halfway through the movie. When the boys were done swimming, they announced that they were hungry.  So, I ordered food from the bar and we had a late dinner in our room.  

california adventure-day 5-sequoias and san diego

On Friday, June 13th, we left Yosemite very early in the morning.  As we were attempting to exit the park, we made a wrong turn.  This ended up being a good thing, because we saw our first bear just walking near the side of the road.  Very cool!  

We drove for about 90 minutes and reached the South entrance of Yosemite.  A few miles from that entrance is the Mariposa Grove.  It is a grove of sequoia trees. My husband was fascinated by the enormity of the trees, but the boys were less than enthralled.  I am going to say they were tired, but they may have just been bored.  They may be too young to appreciate how incredible the trees are.  

We stayed at the grove for about an hour and continued our journey to San Diego. We stopped as soon as we saw a McDonalds for breakfast.  Everyone was more pleasant after they had some food in them.  

We drove for approximately four more hours before we stopped for lunch.  We needed gas and there was a Subway at the gas station. Everyone got lunch there and we continued on to San Diego.

We finally arrived in San Diego 8 hours after we left Yosemite.  We went straight to the hotel. We were staying at the Rancho Bernardo Inn.  It was beautiful (especially after staying in a tent cabin)!

We put our luggage in our room, explored the hotel and met some family members in the hotel restaurant.  The boys sat with two of my younger cousins, Scooter and Isaac, while we ate a delicious dinner.  It was a great way to end a very long travel day!

california adventure-day 4-el capitan

On Thursday, June 12th we ate our last breakfast in the Curry Village Pavilion.  Once again, we fueled ourselves with eggs and carbs for a day of hiking. We had a few extra breakfast vouchers that we weren't going to use, so I gave them to another family.  

SJ really wanted to go biking when we were done with breakfast.  Bob did not share in his sentiments, but he was outnumbered 3-1.  We rented the bikes and took a ride to see the Ahwanhee resort.  It was a very nice ride and the hotel was beautiful!

After returning the rental bikes, we decided to take the shuttle bus to Yosemite Village.  We ate lunch at the Yosemite Grill.  It was delicious.  My husband picked up some insoles, which helped his feet tons. 

Next, we boarded a different shuttle bus to go see El Capitan.  We were dropped off at a bridge where park rangers had telescopes focused on brave hikers that were scaling the huge mountain.  The ranger told us that it takes 4-8 days to climb the mountain.  That is unbelievable!

While we were taking in the beauty of El Capitan, a fellow hiker jumped off the bridge we were standing on into the Merced River.  He climbed back out and said the water was refreshing. 

Bob asked if he could jump in too.  I said no immediately.  I wasn't sure how safe it would be.  We were 12-15 feet above the river.  He then asked my husband and he immediately said sure.  I couldn't believe it, but I was hoping my husband had made the right call.  Bob took off his shoes and shirt and jumped in.  He was so proud of himself.  I was just relieved that he didn't hit something on a river rock.  He said the water was "so cold".

We took the shuttle back to Curry Village and decided to go rafting.  I was not a fan of this activity (I am afraid of water).  We had to navigate the raft down a three mile section of the Merced River.  My husband and I initially were the rowers, but we were having communication difficulties.  Bob stepped in and rowed for me and SJ hung off the back as our propellor.  

The water was so clear and pretty. We were allowed to stop anywhere on the three mile stretch to dock or swim.  We did dock at Swinging Bridge.  The boys and my husband all got out into the frigid water to swim.  Bob and my husband both jumped off the bridge into the water, but SJ was too nervous to brave bridge diving.

When we were finished rafting, we took a school bus shuttle back to Curry Village.  Since we were in our suits, we showered and swam in the pool.  

An hour later, we walked back to our tent to get dressed.  My husband was teaching the boys to hackysack while I cleaned up our things in the tent cabin.  

We ate our last dinner in Yosemite at the Pizza Patio.  After dinner, we went to the general store for dessert and souvenirs.  What an activity filled day!  

We were leaving very early the next morning, so we went to bed early.  I never thought I would admit this, but even I enjoyed Yosemite!

california adventure-day 3-mirror lake and yosemite falls

Wednesday, June 11th we again started our day eating a yummy breakfast in the Curry Village Pavilion.  As soon as we finished with breakfast, we went on a 4 mile hike to Mirror Lake.  It could have been quicker, but we let Bob lead the hike.  Initially, he took us in the wrong direction.  It wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't so hot out.  When we finally made it there, we took lots of pictures and had a snack.  

After our brief rest, we hiked back to the campground.  We went to the Meadow Grill for lunch.  As soon as we were done with lunch, we got on a shuttle bus to go to Yosemite Falls.  

We took the path to hike to the lower falls.  We started climbing over all the rocks.  I was slipping, so I stopped at one point.  The boys and my husband kept going.  They got much higher than I would have been comfortable with.  

We climbed down and got back on the shuttle bus for Curry Village.  We were still hot and sweaty, so we all showered and swam in the pool.  

We decided to eat dinner in Yosemite Village. We ate at a pizza place called Dengan's Loft. The boys liked the pizza, but not as much as the pizza at the Pizza Patio.  

We ended our night by getting snacks at the general store and we hung out at our tent cabin until bedtime.

california adventure-day 2-vernal falls

Tuesday, June 10th was our first full day in Yosemite.  We had reserved the Hiker's Package, so we got complimentary breakfast each morning.  We ate in the Curry Village Pavilion.  It was delicious!

After breakfast, we decided we were going to hike to Vernal Falls.  It was a pretty long hike (3 miles each way) and it was all up hill to the falls. About half way up, there was a spot to fill our water bottles and use a restroom.  After we drank some water and had a snack, we continued up the hill.  It was very steep and wet as we got closer to the falls. 

You could see rainbows everywhere and it was just beautiful. See the pictures below.

I was trying to continue up the skinny, wet rock stairs when I fell and bruised my knee.  At that same time, SJ was freaking out about getting wet.  (He has thing about getting wet only when he is in a bathing suit.) We decided to stop climbing.  Bob was very disappointed. Hindsight tells us we should have kept going for Bob.  My husband and I still feel badly about that.

When we got back to the campground, we decided to each lunch.  We went to the Pizza Patio.  At first, I didn't want to eat there because I thought I saw a rat.  At second glance, I saw it was a squirrel with a deformed tail.  I took a picture of it to show you.  

The boys loved their pizza.  We went to the campground pool to cool off after lunch.  

Next, we took a bus over to Yosemite Village after we got in dry clothes.  We toured the various shops and the Indian Village.  It was hot out, so we didn't spend too much time in Yosemite Village.

We ate dinner in Curry Village Pavilion.  The boys were not crazy about their dinner selections. They ate a little and we went to the general store to get a few more things.  

We ended the evening hanging out at the Pizza Patio.  We got drinks and talked about all the fun we had that day.

california adventure-day 1-yosemite here we come!

On Monday, June 9th, we began our California adventure at 5 am.  We drove an hour to the parking garage near the airport.  We were shuttled from the garage to the airport and went through security around 6:45 am.  Bob got selected as expediated, so he breezed through the line. 

We were boarding the plane at 7:25.  The plane was fairly full.  SJ was concerned about sitting next to a lady.  He was relieved when a man sat next to him.  We arrived in Las Vegas at 11:25.

We ate lunch in the airport and waited for our next plane.  While we were waiting, SJ was watching all the people who were playing slot machines.  He was fascinated by all of the machines.  

We left Las Vegas at 11:55 and flew to Sacremento.  SJ sat next to my husband.  He was in the middle seat and my husband was by the window.  A lady wanted to sit in the empty aisle seat, but SJ wasn't happy about that.  He had my husband swap seats with him.  Thank goodness it was a shorter flight.  

We arrived in Sacremento at 2:45 pm.  We went to the Alamo rental counter and we had a LONG wait!  We didn't pull out of the airport until 3:30.  

We started driving to Yosemite.  On our way, we stopped at a Burger King in Oakdale, California for dinner.  We ate quickly and continued our journey to Yosemite. 

At 7:00 pm, we finally arrived in Yosemite. It was just beautiful.  It is so beautiful it almost doesn't seem real.  See for yourself.  

The boys and I explored the Curry Village campground while my husband checked us in. We were staying in a tent cabin.  They look like this.  

We were assigned cabin #681.  We had four beds in our cabin, three twin and one full.  They have a door and one light bulb that hangs from the middle of the tent roof. After we got our things put away, we explored more of the campground.  We went to the general store and bought some snacks and supplies (including a cooler and a lock for the bear locker).  

You have to put anything that has any odor in the bear box.  Bears can smell things 7 times better than a bloodhound.  So, we put all of our food and toiletries in that box.  

When it is dark there, it is really dark.  Around 9 pm, we were pretty tired.  It felt like midnight to us.  We walked to the restroom to use the facilities and brush our teeth.  Then, it was lights out for us.  We had a big day planned for the next day.