I want to ride my bicycle

Balance...check

Hand Eye coordination....check

problem solving...check

muscle development....check

Hope for tommorrow....double CHECK !!!

Hope

A lot has been going on around here lately. We started school and Myles has been learning the ropes at Kindergarten. Sam is still in preschool, but he also has lots to learn. The teachers are pushing our boys to be better and we so appreciate it.

There have been so many little (huge) random acts this month it is hard to focus on just one thing. Myles has struggle some with behavior issues, but his academics have excelled. He is doing great at writing his name, his numbers, and his letters.


He likes so many new things: The planets (you know there's only eight now??). Books and cars and trains are things he has always enjoyed, but he doesn't get "fixated" on any one thing.

Sam has been much more receptive verbally. He is really interested in his shapes now, and can even say their names. He gets excited when he sees familiar faces and will say "Hi" and "Bye" when prompted.

So my random act of cool right now is what my boys have given me: Hope. And they give it to me daily.

End of Summer

OK, OK, so it's not really the end of summer just yet. But both boys are back in school now, and it is starting to cool off a little here. That doesn't mean you can't still have a little fun in the pool though.





What I like most about this photo is that it shows my boys actually playing together and liking it. I know...I'll use this as blackmail later. For a long time, it was hard to get the boys to interact without us suggesting it. This summer we have definitely seen an improvement in that.

Whether it is wrestling, or hugging or just making each other laugh...those are things we don't take for granted. When we see those things happen.....randomly.....well, that's just cool.

School Day

So today was the first day of kindergarten for Myles. I don't think the poor guy new it was coming. But he did fine. As far as I know. I mean, I didn't get any calls at work. And they said he can come back tomorrow.

Seriously, he is in an excellent class and has a very experienced teacher. He will be focusing a lot on "playing well with others". Sounds like a class I could use..

Joyfullness said that Sam did excellent at preschool. He went right in, gave mom a kiss and a wave good-bye, and started playing. He seemed very happy to be back at school. And the teachers liked having him. I mean, he is the cutest kid in the class.

Amen

What he's singing:

"My God he was, my God He is, My God is always gonna be.

My Savior lives, my Savior loves, my Savior's always gonna be..."

(with apologies to Aaron Shust)




What the video didn't catch...Sam started trying to sing the song too. I'll try and catch that for you later. That's the prob with Random Acts...sometimes I don't get it on film...I have to take a mental snapshot, and just remember it !!

Piece by Piece

Sometime it really seems like a puzzle. A puzzle piece is the symbol for autism awareness, didn't you know? The last few days have been difficult with Myles. It seems like nothing we say gets through to him. I have been working a lot this week, and finally had the chance to spend a little one on one with Myles. Like most children, Myles craves attention. And he will use whatever means to get it.

The symbol for autism is a puzzle piece. But it is not a missing piece. We have all the pieces we need for Myles and Sam. And they are showing us the picture to put it together.

Piece by....

Myles and his first 100 piece puzzle (with a little help from mommy)

a little dirt

What is "Appropriate Play"? And who determines that? My experience as a father has been a different lesson than what most men learn. Teaching The Boys (yes, I always capitalize that) what is meant by appropriate play must first include teaching them what is not appropriate.

It is not appropriate (hate that word by the way) to look at the UPC on the back of books. Nor is "play" looking at a spinning wheel, or reflective material, or pushing a video cassette box around with your foot. And though it makes a little boy feel better to do those things...as a father...my job is to teach them...."Play".

By the way, I stink at this job. First I had to relearn "Play" myself. And what better way than with Hot wheels cars and dirt. Simple, really.

Take a bare spot in the yard, a spoon or butter knife, and carve out some roads. What boy could resist?

And he couldn't !!! And that is my Random Act.

Now...go enjoy playing with your children !!!

It's just a cup right?

So the other night we gave Sam his drink cup at dinner. Nothing new there, he has been drinking without a sippie cup for quite a while. As he got through with dinner, and finished his drink he began to play with his cup.


And he began to turn it in his hands, saying "A ....Buu....Di...E....Eff...G.....Ja...I...Mmm...."


Babbling you say? Just silly sounds from a boy not yet talking? Definitely not. You see, The Joyfullness and Sam has been practicing a little song. And it is a random act of cool...





It's just a cup, right ?

Happy Father's Day

Over the last year, I have really learned to appreciate what it means to be a father. I think that in the beginning, after the diagnosis, I was finding myself in disbelief. I thought that it was my fault.

Would I still be a father if I knew ahead of time how different things would be? The answer is a resounding "Yes". I take nothing for granted now.

Today I heard my 3 1/2 year old say the word "bumble" for bumblebee. I watched him imitate the hand motions to the song, giggling all the time. THAT was cool!

Like any father, I have my good days and bad. But there are more good. And the good is getting better everyday.

Ask yourself as a parent, how much do you take for granted? Open your eyes and enjoy the random acts of cool your children show you. It's there...look for it.

"I did it!"

No pics of this yet, but crazy cool thing happened the other morning. Joy has been trying to teach Myles to pull out his own clothes and dress himself.
She would say things like "Myles, go get some underwear from your bureau drawer." This usually takes him about half a second. But the other morning he took particularly long in his room.
We were just starting to wonder about him when who comes out with underwear, shirt and shorts on?? And might I add...coordinating colors ! Who cares if his shorts were on backwards....I mean, come on....who hasn't wanted to put their shorts on backwards at one time or another ???

Unassisted

Just look at that face. Not so long ago we wondered if he would ever smile. Now, with help from so many special teachers, therapists, and friends we are starting to see a change. Here he is on his scooter board, practicing therapy again. It's been great seeing the improvements with Sam. He is babbling more now and clearly saying some words. I could (and will in the future) go on and on about the random acts of cool Sam has shown me. But the other day I was completely blown away when I saw this...

The Kid can WRITE !!! Unassisted !!! OK, only once...but hey, THAT'S COOL !!!
Props to The Joyfullness for the hard-core encouragement. He couldn't have done it with out ya, baby!

by the numbers

I think it has been an amazing experience watching Myles learn to talk...to actually connect words into sentences...to ask for what he wants. And to watch him identify letters and numbers has been very encouraging. But when I first saw Myles write his name, I nearly did the big boo-hoo. To see your child make the connection between the spoken word and the written word is incredible !!

We take so much for granted in our lives. My boys have helped me appreciate every single moment. As easy as 1...2...

Happy Birthday

What a great birthday weekend! Got to hang with the "Brownies", eat grilled fish and veggies, and have homemade blueberry pie. And I got a "French Press" from The Joyfullness. What's so cool about a coffee maker for your birthday? Only this: That in all the hustle and bustle of day to day life, my wife can pick up on the little things that make me happy. That someone can know you almost better than you know yourself...that you can depend of their love everyday...well, that's just cool....

Letting your guard down

Today I took Samuel's baby guard down from his bed. No, he hasn't really needed it for a while. Yes, it still hurts a little to take it down. I doubt he will notice much except that it will be that much easier for him to jump out of bed...run down the hall...and climb up into our bed in the middle of the night.

For me, though, I guess it is a mixture of pride and sadness. Another step that leads him to adulthood, and the hope that he will never again need a guard rail.

Training Wheels

Neat thing today: Got to help Myles with his bike riding. He still is learning and uses training wheels. But today, I was able to let go and watch him pedal some on his own. Hard to believe that one day I will be handing him the keys to the car!

sleeping

Tonight I went in to my boys' bedroom to see them sleeping. It is one of my favorite times of the day. When they are sleeping they seem almost typical. Is that a selfish reaction? No, I think it is hopeful. I think I can see them sleeping peacefully, and hope for their future.