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!