double-digit dude

Our big little boy is ten years old today.  Every day he wakes up with a smile and with enthusiastic anticipation of his favourite things:  jigsaw puzzles, Blue's Clues and Mr. Dressup dvd's, "yellow-blue-red" (see photo).  He knows how to take pleasure in the simple things of life.  Happy Birthday, Jonathan!  xoxo

crash landing

We got home last Thursday night after a very nice vacation in PEI.  We left Kingston on Aug. 4 (Allison's birthday) and spent Aug. 5-25 with Mom & Dad.

Things went well.  Jonathan enjoyed playing with the Legos (he made a beeline for them the minute he walked in the door at Mom & Dad's); he liked sitting out at the picnic table doing jigsaw puzzles or playing basketball on the lawn; he slept well & long; he had fun at the beach, at the Gold Cup & Saucer Parade, etc.  Although he was challenging at times, it was not as stressful because there were always people around to fuss over him and engage with him.  Rich & I got away for a nice dinner at the PEI Preserve Co. and we had some other pleasant outings.  Best of all we had lots of good family time -- just sitting outside under the chestnut tree, relaxing and talking about the great weather!

The re-entry to Kingston has been rough.  Jonathan is glad to be home, for sure, but his screaming, demanding, and fussing have increased (and therefore so have mine).  Perhaps for him it's just a matter of coming back and not knowing what the routine is NOW -- esp after 5 consistent weeks at camp and 3 weeks at Grandpa & Grandma's.  Next Tuesday school starts so it will be wonderful to get into a steady routine.  I know I'm looking forward to it.  I didn't feel overly stressed or tired while in PEI, but now the reaction is setting in.  I didn't sleep well Saturday night (I slept upstairs because I had to get up early to go to worship team practice) and on Sunday afternoon as I went around the house putting stuff away and finishing unpacking, I kept passing by our bed and forcing myself not to lie down in it.  On Sunday night I went to bed at 8:30 and slept till 7 a.m. -- something I NEVER do unless I'm sick.  I must have needed it!

Allison goes to LCVI tomorrow for a pre-orientation day with other grade 9's.  I hope she enjoys the day and feels excited about school starting next week.  I think we all need a fresh start for the fall.

fourteen is fabulous

We'll be heading for PEI tomorrow and I won't be able to post, so I'll do it today.  Tomorrow, August 4, our sweet Allison turns 14 years old.  She received the above figurine as a grade 8 graduation present, and it depicts her perfectly:  not only her love of books, but even her hairstyle!

Allison is an intelligent, kind, and sweet young lady.  Having Asperger's makes her life challenging at times:  she struggles with feeling out of place, not quite knowing what's expected of her, and managing her emotional responses.  But she is also blessed with an incredible memory, a keen ability to analyze, a great sense of humour, and a gift of writing that shows the depth of emotion beneath her quiet surface.  She is kind to her brother and patient with him above and beyond the call of duty. 

Happy Birthday, Allison -- we love you!!!!

my boy

Yesterday I was very grumpy with Jonathan.  Everything he did and said (and how he did and said it) annoyed me, and I couldn't wait till he went to bed.  Then he got up twice AFTER going to bed.  It was hot and sticky and I felt so irritable with him I could hardly stand it or myself.

This morning he went off to Extend-a-Family camp with a big smile on his face, and I got thinking about how, no matter what, I'm always eager to see him when 4:00 rolls around -- even though he immediately starts quizzing me about whether I've gone to the library and what we are having for supper and whether there will be a newspaper tomorrow and whether it's garbage day and whether he can have Cheesies for a snack and so on and so on.

EAF camp has many special needs children -- some are verbal, some not; some are independently mobile, some not; some are social; some not.  Without actually comparing people (which is a waste of time), I can't help thinking of all the positive qualities Jonathan has:
- He is affectionate and friendly, not aloof or off in his own world.  He loves to snuggle.
- He takes pleasure in simple things and remembers those simple pleasures months and years after they happen (going for ice-cream with Grandma & Grandpa in PEI, going to McDonald's on the trip out east, doing a giant hockey puzzle at his cousins' house, having hot dogs and sausages at someone's house after church, etc.).
- He can communicate.  He understands everything said to him and verbalizes his own needs and ideas more and more clearly all the time.
- He holds no grudges and keeps no record of wrongs; he only remembers the good things.
- He treats everyone the same regardless of age, ability, or status.
- He is honest.  He never pretends or deceives.

Anyone who is reading this probably already knows all this.  So really, I guess, I wrote it for me.

lazy days of summer

It's hard to believe July is over half gone already!  So far we have had a good month.  Jonathan has been attending Extend-a-Family day camp every day since July 3 and, as in past years, he is really enjoying it.  He looks forward to going every morning and to greeting his special staff friends like Susie and Eric and Sam, and his "classmates" like Ish and Max.  This year they have done lots of water outings -- splash pad, beach, outdoor pool, indoor pool -- so he has enjoyed that.  He's very proud that he now has his own lifejacket.

Allison went to Quintilian Summer Club last week and will go again next week.  During the times she's not at camp we've been trying to plan some fun outings, and we've actually done quite a lot in the last 3 weeks:
- She went to Grass Creek Park beach with her friend Alexandra
- Allison and I went with Alexandra and her mom to see the movie "Brave" (excellent movie!)
- Allison and I went to see "Mamma Mia" (the musical) here in town at the K-Rock Centre
- We drove to Napanee and took Caroline and Cara to a coffee shop for Caroline's birthday
- Rich and Allison went to Canada Day fireworks and to the Buskers Festival
- We've gone to Tim's and to lots of different library branches
So it has been a good summer thus far.