Last Sunday, we had SJ's 14th birthday party. He invited 7 friends. They were all able to come except for one (that is pretty good odds). We couldn't fit all the boys in one vehicle, so I had Bob, Topher, George and Kingston in my car. My husband had SJ, Willie, Garry and Dallas in his vehicle. The trampoline park that we were going to was about 40 minutes from our house. Our jump time was scheduled for 12, but we didn't actually make it there until almost 12:30. Kingston's grandfather got a little lost on the way to our house (no biggie).
We stopped at McDonald's to get the boys lunch. We let them have anything they wanted, so we had a variety of orders (Big Macs, Chicken Nuggets, breakfast sandwiches, etc.). The manager didn't seem to care that we were a little late. We signed up for a 90 minute session. In that 90 minutes, they could do the trampolines, dodgeball, rock climbing wall or the ninja course.
They all decided to begin with the ninja course. They were in there for over 15 minutes (and they cheated a little). They moved on to the trampolines and then dodgeball. They also had a huge airbag that you could jump into from a platform. They were back and forth between all the areas so many times. Some preferred dodgeball and some of the other boys preferred the ninja course. As long as they were having fun, all was good.
Only Topher and Bob braved the rock climbing wall. They both said it was very hard. Bob got slightly higher than Topher and that is saying a lot since Topher is over 6 feet tall.
When our 90 minutes were over, we drove back home. We only had 30 minutes until parent pick up, so we sang to SJ right away. The boys ate gluten free cupcakes and had chocolate ice cream while SJ opened his cards and presents.
They went outside for their remaining time at our house. Some of the boys played basketball, some played soccer and the rest tossed a whistling Nerf football. All the boys behaved nicely, had great manners and were very fun to be around. Once again, I am very thankful for the boys in SJ's grade. They are always so accepting and kind to him. I am glad he is able to have genuine friends.
I am so glad one of my new friends from work told me about this trampoline park. We will definitely be going back there soon!
Friday, March 25, 2016
8th grade tutoring #9
Last Wednesday, SJ had his weekly tutoring session with Mrs. Banks. They finished the "Toilet Paper Tigers" book. Mrs. Banks told me she thought SJ may not be able to answer some of the comprehension questions that they were scheduled to do. I had to cancel his appointment the week before since he had a high fever virus. She was pleasantly surprised that he remembered everything from two weeks earlier. She said he really enjoyed that book.
The next book they are going to read is by Sterling North. It is called "Rascal". It is a memoir of the author's childhood, but it is fictionalized. It is set in the 1920's and is about the author's childhood best friend. Not another boy, but his pet raccoon. The author brings home a baby raccoon. He already owns many other wild animals (woodchucks, skunks and a crow) and a few cats and dogs.
Although the boy has other animals, Rascal becomes his best friend. He is a funny showoff who is rather mischievous by stealing items from neighbors' gardens and yards.
I like that Mrs. Banks picks books that SJ would never gravitate to himself. Hopefully, he will like this one as much as the others she has selected. He will be skipping tutoring next week...Easter Break.
The next book they are going to read is by Sterling North. It is called "Rascal". It is a memoir of the author's childhood, but it is fictionalized. It is set in the 1920's and is about the author's childhood best friend. Not another boy, but his pet raccoon. The author brings home a baby raccoon. He already owns many other wild animals (woodchucks, skunks and a crow) and a few cats and dogs.
Although the boy has other animals, Rascal becomes his best friend. He is a funny showoff who is rather mischievous by stealing items from neighbors' gardens and yards.
I like that Mrs. Banks picks books that SJ would never gravitate to himself. Hopefully, he will like this one as much as the others she has selected. He will be skipping tutoring next week...Easter Break.
Thursday, March 17, 2016
no more speech sessions
A couple of weeks ago, my husband took SJ to speech. We had missed a bunch of sessions due to basketball games. I felt bad cancelling them, but the basketball season only lasts for a short while. When my husband dropped him off, the therapist told him she was at a loss of what to do with him since we had so many cancelled sessions. She said she was going to have to reevaluate his goals and potentially do something different with him.
My husband called me while SJ was back with the therapist. He said she sounded somewhat frustrated. We discussed this for a few minutes. I told him he may want to tell her that we are going to take a break. SJ wasn't loving going there and it was very difficult to get him there with their (Bob's and SJ's) activities and our work schedules.
When he came out of his session, my husband told the therapist that we were going to take a break. She seemed a little surprised, but honestly she must have be relieved. We believe that he has outgrown the speech therapy. If we feel he starts to slip, we can always start it again.
We have been going there since he was 3 years old. He will be 14 next week. Eleven years is a long time. All of the therapists that he has seen over the years have made such a huge difference in his life. It is a little sad to end this chapter of SJ's life, but also joyful that he has made so much progress. Thanks to all of you who helped SJ with his speech (both physical and social) and also to the occupational therapists who also helped him with his weak fingertips and texture issues. We are very grateful to all of you.
My husband called me while SJ was back with the therapist. He said she sounded somewhat frustrated. We discussed this for a few minutes. I told him he may want to tell her that we are going to take a break. SJ wasn't loving going there and it was very difficult to get him there with their (Bob's and SJ's) activities and our work schedules.
When he came out of his session, my husband told the therapist that we were going to take a break. She seemed a little surprised, but honestly she must have be relieved. We believe that he has outgrown the speech therapy. If we feel he starts to slip, we can always start it again.
We have been going there since he was 3 years old. He will be 14 next week. Eleven years is a long time. All of the therapists that he has seen over the years have made such a huge difference in his life. It is a little sad to end this chapter of SJ's life, but also joyful that he has made so much progress. Thanks to all of you who helped SJ with his speech (both physical and social) and also to the occupational therapists who also helped him with his weak fingertips and texture issues. We are very grateful to all of you.
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