Muppet Party Inspiration

As an  autism mommy I'm grateful for the several sources for inspiration out there so I can give my Caiti a party where she will feel happy and surrounded by family and friends (both people and plush).

Since Caiti's birthday is by Halloween, we decorated her pumpkins to go with her party.  They were out front to help welcome everyone.  :)

A few months back,  I  made Caiti  some Sesame-Street-shaped heads out of felt.  Then I  cut   out a bunch of different-shaped eyes, mouths, etc. I put velcro on the back, because velcro sticks to felt.  These came  in handy for an easy party game:   Pin  the face on the Muppet.  :)

I have been in  love with  the  Sesame Street and Muppet Alphabets by  m_baboon.  I used his alphabets as inspiration to make her  birthday banner with cardstock, scissors and glue.

I found awesome decor ideas on http://family.go.com/disney/muppets-crafts-and-recipes-pg/.  They have a bunch of printable Muppet Paper crafts. 

The Muppet hand puppets in the top left corner of the pic were everyone's favorite, and I just thought the other crafts were too cute.

I found a cute party idea on pinterest (http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/best-kids-parties-muppets-my-party-165820?img_idx=3) for a "Create Your Own Kermit" craft.   I  totally borrowed that idea,but I thought Kermit  looked  lonely, so I had to add a "Make Your Own Miss Piggy" craft to the bunch.

We have bought several copies of the Dollar Store Sesame Babies book about Bubbles.  After our last copy got trashed, I framed a couple of pics for the kids bathroom.  They gave me inspiration for a bubbles station...However,  right after I took this picture, Jason found the gigantic thing of bubbles and was following me around with it, while I was trying to finish up party prep.  So I hid it, and then I totally forgot to get them out for the party.  Still, it was a good idea anyway, right?

Another game I  had that we forgot to play was Oscars Trash Toss.  Yes, I found the idea on Pinterest.  It made a cute decoration though.  I made Slimey (Oscars pet worm) out of felt.   It was my first attempt at a sewing craft with felt.  Good thing my sister Amy was a phone call away to tell me to put the yellow felt on the orange first, then roll it into the worm, then sew it together.

Our friend and respite provider, Maria, was a sweetheart and brought an Elmo balloon to go with the decor  We tied it to a basket full of all of Caiti's Sesame Street/Muppet books.

 She also had a cute cake made for Caiti with all her favorite Sesame Street friends.

My friend Whitney and I borrowed another pinterest idea and decorated the cups like Cookie Monster and the plates like Elmo.  Jason was OBSESSED with the Cookie Monster cups.  :)

Our party was so nice, such a success.   I'm so thankful for my wonderful friends and family who came and made my baby girl so happy.  Thanks for bringing the pizza, drinks, helping get everything set up.   And of course, thanks for the fun new friends that Caiti can play with now.

  

Trunk-or-Treat Serenade

As an autism mom, I'm thankful for trunk-or-treat.  Trick-or-treating is too scary when you have kids who run off, have no safety awareness, don't get why everyone looks creepy.   We even had to stop handing out candy because Garrett would make a dash for it any time we opened the door to the cute little trick-or-treaters.

This trunk-or-treat, my kids were "The Wiggles."  I chose that costume cause then they would actually wear it. I had originally gotten Caiti an Abby Cadabby costume.  She wouldn't even let me try putting the wings on  or the cute headband with the Abby Cadabby ponytails.  

I'm  grateful they have iron-on image transfers so I could make their plain shirts into Wiggles shirts.  :)

We loved getting candy from all our friendly church family.   The best part of the night was what I caught on this video though.  Caiti makes me happy, and her friend with the guitar made her happy.

Finding Emotional Healing in Music

As an autism mom, I'm very grateful for music.  It is healing to my soul. Music has a way of expressing my emotions when words sometimes fail.  Certain songs have touched my life in very meaningful ways, and even now, when I hear them, I experience the same feelings.  One such song is my personal anthem for my children, and I think many parents of children with autism also feel this is the perfect anthem for their situation.  I first saw it on a video for an autism awareness campaign, but it is actually a Rascal Flatts song, "I Won't Let Go." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5gBxKEgZqM)

Another song that touches my heart is Beyonce's Halo.  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnVUHWCynig).  This song is beautiful to me for a different reason. After finding out that Garrett and Caiti had autism, we had a surprise pregnancy resulting in my last baby, Jason.  I felt some hope with Jason that I might have the experience of raising a neurotypical child, and I believed for the longest time that he wasn't affected with autism.  When he started showing signs at about 18 months, I went through a very deep depression.  I remember my therapist suggesting I write a poem to address my feelings about Jason.  I couldn't come up with the words to portray both my love and the pain I was feeling.  One day, while listening to "Halo" by Beyonce, my own personal lyrics came to me with the music of that song.  Now, whenever I hear the song, it reminds me of the great love I have for my beautiful little boy who proved to me that it would be okay, and he has become my "warm fuzzy" and such a blessing in my life. This is the poem that I wrote that day:

Discovering Jason (Inspired by Beyonce’s Halo)

Jason, my baby boy,
I love your expressive eyes.
Your sloppy kisses make me smile.
You’re my sweet little cutie pie.

Watching you since the day you were born
Hoping you’d turn out just fine.
I would see little things that you did
And realize they might be signs.

It’s like I’ve been waiting
These doubts trying to shake, and
It’s a choice that I’m making.
I’m never gonna shut you out.

Every day as you grow more
I’m there to hold you by your hand.
Baby, you’re amazing, and
You’re a great part in God’s plan.

Jason you make me happy,
And you always light up my days,
But parts of you are changing...
I hope my sadness will fade away.

It’s like I’ve been waiting
These doubts trying to shake, and
It’s a choice that I’m making.
I’m never gonna shut you out.

Never, ever gonna shut you out.
I may want to scream and shout…
But I will never shut you out

Kindness from a Friend

As an autism mom, I'm grateful for the kindness I receive from my friends.  For example: last month, I received the following email from a friend that I have had the pleasure of knowing as long as I can remember:
" I was thinking of your daughter. I was thinking she would love an Elmo skirt:) If you think she would like that I would love to make one for her (or any other character you think she might like that I could find fabric for). Autistic children are so special and a blessing from Heavenly Father. I don't think I could find an applique for Elmo (for the matching shirt) of course it wouldn't be to hard to make one up. They have the disney princesses and minnie mouse. Seriously I would love to do that for your daughter. Making stuff for others is my way of serving others. You wouldn't have to worry about paying for any of it either."
I was so touched by the thought, and so excited too.  
Yesterday, we received a very cute package in the mail, just in time for Caiti's birthday next Monday.  Caiti is NOT big on clothes, but when she saw these, she was very happy to let us dress her in them.    We will have to get her used to the hairbows, but  I'm thinking she'll like them soon enough.  Until then, I think I make a great hairbow model.  ;)

Adapted Opportunities

Today, I read the sweetest little article about a Russian ballerina in NY who teaches free adapted dance classes to children with autism.

 http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/autistic-kids-learn-dance-thanks-brighten-ballet-theater-irina-roizin-article-1.1186142
I have a great love and respect for the people out there that are willing to spend the time to work with these cute kids and give them the chance to learn and experience the same things as their "typical" peers.
I remember one of my first times I let myself cry after realizing that Caiti had autism.  I was watching the evening news, and they had a story about an adapted ballet class for special needs children.  I saw all those beautiful little girls in their tutus and tights.  I just balled my eyes out.
I remember complaining to my kids' ABA supervisor that I was upset that there weren't more opportunities close by for my kids.  I felt bad that they weren't in Little League, etc.  I don't think my kids cared though.   I know there are special teams out there, but if you have three kids with autism, and limited transportation, it's tough to follow through on those.  Luckily, this amazing ABA supervisor decided to add "therapeutic rec" to their ABA.  They were able to learn, slowly and surely, a bit of soccer.  They have all started to have swimming lessons, and they are so much more comfortable in the water.  That gives me the most peace of mind.
A dear woman from my church is a Yoga instructor, and she has worked some with my kids.  We have worked together to develop a curriculum for them that they can understand, including a picture schedule with things they are familiar with (like fun songs), in between the different poses.
My children also are able to take adapted P.E. in school.  This is so wonderful because they are able to feel good about themselves by accomplishing things that are tailored to their ability.
The main thing I have learned about these adapted opportunities is that you might have to make them happen on your own.  Take the initiative and ask friends/family who are good at different sports, etc., to learn a little bit about how to teach children with autism and maybe donate some of their time to helping these kids find things that make them feel happy and successful.

Therapy

As an autism mom, I am not ashamed to admit that I am grateful for weekly therapy sessions.  I had to take the summer off from therapy because there was literally no time for myself when the kids were out for the summer.  Today was my first day back, and it was great to have the reminder that the only thing I can control in my life is myself.   It was good to be able to focus on my wellness and have some guidance when thinking of strategies to lessen my stress, or at least to cope with it in a healthy manner..
One of the things we talked about was allowing myself time to be creative.  That can be dangerous with me because I have ADD, so I can become hyper focused on things that are fun/interesting to me and neglect other things.  So we discussed setting the timer for 15 min when I'm having my "me" time, and then setting it for another 15 min to clean the house or do other things that need to be done, rewarding myself with 15 more "me" minutes.
I was pretty proud of what I came up with during my "me" time today.  It definitely took way more than 15 minutes, but it was a fun way to relieve my stress.  All I used was Halloween paper, tape and magnets (for the back to hold it to the front door).

Grover Voice

As an autism mom, I'm so grateful for my cute Caiti and how much she loves her toys.  She has a hard-to-learn skill with a lot of kids with autism of playing with her toys.  She has a great imagination, and they are all her friends.  I have an entire blog addressed to Caiti and her toys (http://findingcaitisfriends.blogspot.com/).  My very favorite is when Caiti plays with her Grover.  She has a voice designated especially for him.  I'm grateful today that we were actually able to capture it.  It makes me smile every time.

Impromptu Photo Ops

As an autism mom, I'm grateful for my friend/the kids' tutor, Whitney, who happened to bring her camera on our outing today.  We were getting ready to get out of the car, and I looked back at my kids.  They were sitting so well in the backseat and looked so cute.  We decided to take advantage of having all the kids in the same spot at once.   So I climbed in the trunk behind them, and miraculously, I got some pictures with all three kids at the same time.  Hooray!  Take those photo ops when you can get them.  ;)  I never thought about how nice seatbelts are for keeping kids in the pic.  ;)

Snuggles

As an autism mom, I'm so grateful for the love and snuggles my kids give me.  They don't care if it is cool or not to hug your mom or give their own kinds of kisses.  Garrett likes to sniff people he likes' hair...can be akward, but if you know that about him, it's super cute.  This moment was one of the best though.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!!!!

As an autism mom, I'm grateful for the awesome family recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  Today is the first day of October, so we decided to do something fun and seasonal for therapy time.  Whitney, Jason and I went to Wal-Mart, looked at lots of fun Halloween stuff that I'm too stingy to actually buy, planned costumes, etc.  Then we decided to make yummy cookies to celebrate that it's fall.  This is the easiest, but most rewarding cookie recipe ever.  

All you do is mix together a spice cake mix, a can of pumpkin and a bag of chocolate chips.  (We used the mini chips).  Drop dough by spoonful onto a greased tin.  Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.  

This is my excited face.  He he.  J/k.

 Whitney has jazz hands.  :)  Jason already enjoyed a cookie...can you tell?

 I had to be like Jason and enjoy my cookie too.

 Caiti and her buddy.  :)

 Ha ha.  Garrett isn't very good at the whole "smile" part when we want to take his picture.

I think those were a success!!!!!

Adele

As an autism mom, I'm grateful for Adele's music.  I absolutely love her.  By accident, I discovered that my kids absolutely love her too.  I had her on in the morning before school, and my kids were all happy, didn't fight me on the getting ready part of the morning and happily went on the bus.  That was yesterday, and to make sure it wasn't a fluke...here we are again listening to Adele before school.  I'm thinking this is going to be a before school ritual at my house.  It is so calming for my kids...oh wait...maybe it's calming for me which helps me feel less hectic in the morning.  That's gotta rub off on my kiddos.  Either way, yay for Adele.

Soccer Cone Hat

Two summers ago, we had the kids learning soccer.  So I bought a soccer net which included some blue soccer cones.  We haven't really played soccer in forever.  So, as an autism mom, I'm grateful that Garrett found another use for the soccer cones.  They make really fun hats.  :)

Dr. Phil ;)

As an autism mom, I'm grateful for the funny things in my life...like the fact that Garrett LOVES Dr. Phil.  I guess it's my fault.  When I was pregnant with Caiti, and Garrett was the only one around, I was kind of obsessed with that show, and I would watch it every day.  I think Garrett subconsciously decided he liked Dr. Phil because he's super tall, bald and has a mustache...just like my dad did at the time.  I didn't realize Garrett even was aware of Dr. Phil until I brought home one of his books from the library one day.  He saw the picture on the cover, and said, "That's Dr. Phil!"  I bought Dr. Phil's Family First Book when it came out, and it was coverless after the first day because Garrett carried around the cover with the picture of his "friend" Dr. Phil on the jacket.
Now,  years later, Garrett will surprise me.  We'll be flipping through the channels, and he'll see the Dr. Phil Show on and make us stop and watch it.  Some days, the first thing he says when he wakes up in the morning is, "Watch Dr. Phil?"  :)
This past summer, when I was gone to my family reunion and left Kevin home with the kids, Kevin called to tell me that he was recording Dr. Phil for Garrett.  It made me laugh, and made me think I have a cute husband.
So, how does this relate to today???  Well, I have been super bored this evening. The kids are in bed, but it's Sunday night.  Therefore, football has been on nonstop...snore.  I decided to try and learn something new.  So I went on Pinterest and found a tutorial on how to make gift bows out of magazines.  http://www.100layercake.com/blog/2011/12/06/how-to-make-a-gift-bow/
I found an old 'O' Magazine and made a bow out of a pretty green advertisement and another advertisement that was mostly black.  When I was looking for a third page to make a bow out of, I came upon an advertisement for the Dr. Phil Show.  I got a huge grin when I decided to make this bow to top a future present for Garrett.  :)  The whole time I was putting the bow together I was laughing with glee.  I find it super hilarious, plus, I was smiling because I just know how much Garrett is going to love the bow...maybe even more than the gift.

Hair Clippers and Mirrors

As an autism mom, I'm grateful for hair clippers.  I haven't ever been one who felt talented in the hair cutting department.  I have cut my own bangs with disastrous results.  I cut Caiti's hair once...from whence I was banned forever from touching her hair.  I don't even try to cut my boys' hair.
A common thing in so many kids with autism is HATING haircuts.  The first time we cut Garrett's hair, my dad was there to video the momentous occasion.  Let's just say it was painful to watch.  I've never seen him scream or cry so much.  It just wasn't the cute home movie I was expecting.  My sister had clippers and would come over three or four times a year and cut his hair super short.  We learned ways to distract him, like putting a movie on the portable DVD player, etc.  When we got stationed in San Diego, I no longer had the wonderful luxury of having a sister to cut hair.  We started going to the local NEX (Navy store) gas station.  It has a Barbershop right inside, and haircuts are under $10.
Let's just say that ended the last time I took Jason there.  He was so upset, I'm sure due to the sensory overload of all the buzzing clippers, the bright lights, tons of people, etc.  He started crying so hard that he threw up all over their cape.
That's when I bought clippers.  Yay for those.  I can hold Jason in my lap and hurry real fast and cut his hair.  If he needs a little break, he can have one, and then I have to chase him around and finish the haircut.  Also, those clippers paid for themselves the first time I cut both Garrett and Jason's hair.

Caiti, on the other hand, has beautiful, naturally curly hair.  She's not so keen on my putting clips, bows, barrettes  ponytail holders, etc., in her hair, so if it gets too long, it starts to look really stringy and messy.  I can't cut her hair either, because clippers don't really work for a longer hairstyle, right?  Luckily, we have found a salon that actually has decent lighting and hair stylists who are flexible.  She tolerates the cape for about a minute, then freaks out and tries to take it off.  She'll stay sitting for about that long as well.  Those hair stylists are good at cutting her hair while she stands up...and doesn't stand still at all. The only reason Caiti is any good at the salon is that they have giant mirrors that she can look at herself in and smile and make faces.  That is her favorite.  So, yes, I'm also thankful for the mirrors at the salon as well.

                                                                                                  

An Umbrella, not a sponge

As an autism mom, I'm grateful for a saying my mom used to tell me when I was feeling sad about something someone said about me.  "You can be a sponge and soak in the bad things people say about you, or you can be an umbrella and let them slide right off."  I try to remember this when I hear people make comments about my children, my parenting, etc.
Last night we were watching TV, and an ad for a law firm came on.  They were saying that if you took Zoloft during pregnancy, that could cause birth defects, including autism..."  Hmmm.  Lets add that to the list of things that I did (the last two months while I was pregnant with Jason, when Kevin left for basic training).  I am tired of these law firms looking for easy prey in parents of children with autism.  Yes, we feel bad, and it is human nature for us to feel like it was our fault and wonder if we had something to do with why our children have autism.  I was also overweight when I was pregnant with Caiti and Jason.  According to some studies, overweight mothers cause autism.  If that isn't the dumbest thing I've ever heard.  What about the skinny mothers with kids with autism and the overweight mothers with "neurotypical" children.
In the 1950's there was a theory out that there that autism was a result of "refrigerator mothers."  "The "refrigerator mother" label was based on the assumption that autistic behaviors stem from the emotional frigidity of the children's mothers. As a result, mothers of some children on the autistic spectrum suffered from blame, guilt, and self-doubt from the 1950s throughout the 1970s and beyond: when the prevailing medical belief that autism resulted from inadequate parenting was widely assumed to be correct. Some present-day proponents of the psychogenic theory of autism continue to maintain that the condition is a result of poor parenting. However, others merely point out that some conditions are perhaps psychological in origin rather than physiological, and that this is not necessarily a reflection on parenting skills." (wikipedia)
Vaccines...well there's another moral dilemma.  So many people want to blame vaccines.  I remember the feeling of dread I would get when I vaccinated Caiti.  Garrett was showing signs of autism, and I had totally followed  a vaccination schedule with him.  I remember praying, "God, please don't let these vaccines hurt my baby."  I also remember some study or another that said that vaccines caused autism, and feeling devastated and crying that I had done that to my babies.   So with Jason, I decided to hold off on vaccines.  Then, when he was 3 years old, he got the whooping cough.  Also, he had just been diagnosed with autism, as well, so I had proof that his autism wasn't a result of vaccinations.  I decided then and there that even if vaccines did cause autism, I would take that over my child dying from a dangerous disease/illness that could have been prevented if I hadn't been afraid.
According to Dr. Eric Courchesne, director of the Autism Center of Excellence at the UCSD school of Medicine, "UC San Diego has inched closer to the root causes of autism, identifying genes that appear to go haywire before a child is born, preventing the brain from developing normally.  Neuroscientist Eric Courchesne says he and his collaborators found evidence that many genes basically misfire, producing an overabundance of brain cells in the pre-frontal cortex that affect a child’s social, language and communications skills.  The problem begins during the second and third trimester of pregnancy, the period in which most brain cells are created.  “Essentially, the wiring pattern for the brain goes wrong and you don’t get normal development,”  (Gary Robbins)
So I have been trying to be an umbrella, and not a sponge.  I'm trying to let all the billions of theories of what I did wrong as a mother roll right off my back; and as they roll off my back, I'm going to try my hardest to think about all the things I'm doing right to try and give my children a happy life.

Being a Source of Comfort

As an autism mom, I'm grateful that I'm finally able to play the role of comforting mommy to my Caiti.  When she was little I had a hard time with Caiti.  It seemed like she saw me as a piece of furniture or just a part of the room.  Then she would go snuggle with her daddy or Aunt Michelle.  I didn't know how to reach her.  My therapist was awesome and told me the obvious of doing things with Caiti that I know she totally loves.  The problem was that I don't love to give her rides or let her splash and make big old messes in the tub...but it was worth it to start making connections with my Caiti. She started to see me as someone that could help her have some fun.
Yesterday was our first day having Speech Therapy back in their office.  They had worked with us by doing home visits when we only had one car for a couple of years.  Now that I have my own car, they wanted us to start back once a week at the office.
The best moment of my day, and possibly my week, was when the speech therapist went up to Caiti and told her it was time for speech.  Without hesitating, Caiti came up to me, looked me in the eyes, smiled and grabbed my hand.  She wanted me to come with her on this new experience that might be a little scary.  I was so happy.  I only got to walk her as far as the door, but that walk brought warm fuzzies to my heart, as I realized that Caiti was seeking me out for comfort.  After all, isn't that a mother's role?

Choice Boards

As an autism mom, I'm grateful for choice boards.  That is one thing I miss about the iPad that I can't find on the kindle fire.  Choice boards are so important for kids that are nonverbal or have very limited language.  We used this choice board when we had the ipad.  It can be found in the App Store under "My Choice Board" :

It was awesome for so many things.  Our speech therapist used it to allow the kids to choose which activities they wanted to do during their therapy.  I loved it cause I could put different snacks/activities.  When my kids were whining, I wouldn't have to go through a list in my head and guess what they wanted.  I could show them the choice board, and they could point at the picture they wanted.  They would then have to drag the picture up to the "place image from below here" box.  They then would hear "I want ___."  They would have to repeat the sentence before they could get what they wanted.  It was amazing how much more they talked and what words stuck in their vocabulary when they were using a choice board.
We just started summer break, and my kids are big eaters.  I hate when they go to my fridge and try to open it (we have locks on our fridge, if you didn't see that in a previous post).  They get so mad.  So, I decided it was time to make a non-digital choice board that my kids could utilize.  I had tried printing pics of all the available foods on magnet paper before and putting them on the fridge.  It was a great idea, until my kids decided they were a fun thing to carry around and lose.  They were also hard to grasp because they were thin.  So this time around, I made a paper choice board that basically was the same design as the "My Choice Board" app on the ipad.  I laminated it, then I put six velcro strips underneath the "I want ____" and one velcro strip next to the word "want."  I then printed off all the food choices I could think of, laminated them and placed velcro on the back.  Since I wouldn't have all the food choices available at all times, I also made a not-available board.  I did this by laminating one clear lamination sheet without anything in it.  I cut out two long red strips and shaped them like an X inside another lamination sheet.  Then I laminated that. I taped three of the four sides of both laminated sheets with duct tape, leaving the top open to form the 'Not-Available' folder.  I then laminated another piece of paper and covered it with velcro strips.  When I don't have certain foods, I just velcro them on that paper and slip it into the 'Not Available' folder.  I used a glue gun to glue magnets on the back of both the choice board and the 'Not-Available' folder, then placed them on the fridge.  The choice board is in easy reach for the kids, and the 'Not-Available' folder is in mom's easy reach.  :)
This has worked out great.  My kids know what is available, so they don't get upset when they are asking for things I don't have.  Caiti has relearned the word, "carrott" so far.  Yay.  I love that they are bringing me the pictures of what they want instead of bringing me a dirty plate from the sink and hoping I can read their mind.

More Mod Podge Fun

As an autism mom, I am grateful that I have learned to cope with stress by being creative.  If I'm feeling overwhelmed or depressed about things, it is nice to put that negative energy into something positive.  A lot of times these bouts of creativity involve mod podge...yes, I wrote about mod podge before.  That is because it costs under $10 for a thing of mod podge, and then I can use my creativity to make things look prettier without spending money that I don't have.  Hooray for that.
My very favorite project I have done with mod podge is close to my heart and makes me happy every time I look at it.  In my early teens, we found out that they were going to go through the stuff that was still in the location of my great, great grandparents' old store.  It was awesome to go and see all the neat things that had been kept in that building since the 1940s.  I was lucky enough to be able to take a stack of LOOK magazines from the 1940s.  I have just had them sitting in a box, so I decided to use them in my decor.  I know, I know, they are probably worth bunches of money; but they are too valuable, sentimentally, for me to ever try and get money for them, and they are way too cool for me to leave in a box in my garage.  I used a couple of the magazines and cut clips of advertisements with women in them for the drawers to my entertainment center.  Then I decorated Kevin's desk with pics relating to the war/military, since he's my military guy.  It makes me so happy to look across the room when I am sitting on my couch and see that bit of history, both personal and of the world.

Another mod podge project I worked on, when I was particularly antsy and needed a break from reality was my knife block.  I had some pretty scrapbook paper bits and pieces to mod podge onto it that made it more fun to look at.  That is good since I hate cooking, so at least when I'm reaching for the knife while doing that unfavorable task, I can enjoy the scenery.

This last mod podge project was pretty much done as a last ditch effort to prevent Caiti from opening the blinds in her bedroom.  As you may have noted previously, Caiti's favorite outfit is her birthday suit, and she loves to wear it in her bedroom at night when she's supposed to be asleep, but instead walks around with all her favorite toys with the lights on and the blinds open.  This is not good, since her window faces the street.  So, I took her old Madagascar book that was sooo loved that it was falling apart.  I cut out a bunch of cute little pics and mod podged them onto her blinds.  This has worked great so far.  Yay for weird ideas that actually work.  It'll be worth it to buy new blinds for housing if we ever move.  ;)

Barney

I know what you are thinking...What mom is grateful for Barney.  To be truthful, before I ever had kids, I promised myself that Barney would never have a place in my home.  He's way too annoying, and the kids are such bad actors, and who wants to hear cheesy songs for 30 minutes straight (oh wait, I love cheesy songs).  
That promise to myself was quickly broken when I saw how much my kids love Barney.  Caiti carries around her plush Barney and tells him her deepest secrets.  Jason flaps and does a happy stomping thing whenever Barney shows up on TV.  The very best thing about Barney is that he taught my Garrett some functional language.  I know they are working on hello, goodbye and all those greetings in his therapy, but the one that stuck was "See ya!"  "See ya later Aunt Michelle."  "See ya later Mommy!"   That is because at the end of Barney, when the last kid is leaving, he turns around and says, "See ya later Barney!"  My very favorite thing Barney taught Garrett to say was his closing statement, "And remember, I love you."  When Garrett wants me to tell him I love him, he comes up to me and says, "And remember..." and waits...and then I get to finish his sentence with "I love you!"

The Movie Cars

So, I was awakened at 2 a.m. this morning (not an uncommon occurence) by my cute Caiti.   She has a habit of kicking her door until someone comes to get her, so I have to actually get up so she won't wake everyone else up.  We decided to pass the time by watching Disney Pixar's Cars.
I wasn't feeling too cheery, (who would be after being woken up in that way after only getting three hours of sleep), but Caiti made things better by being adorable.  She would go right up to the screen and make her happy noises at all the characters.  She was absolutely enthralled.  So, of course, just like with the dump truck post earlier, it took me back a few years.
When Caiti was between the baby and toddler stages, I had a hard time keeping her still for 2 seconds.  I would get overwhelmed with the combination of super hyper Garrett and into-everything Caiti.  I figured out that if I strapped Caiti into her high chair with some snacks and turned on Cars, she was OCCUPIED for the  entire movie and would happily watch it.  That was my way of getting a much needed break.
Amazing how that is still the case.  It was nice to get a little break/nipper while she watched her old favorite this morning.

Guidance

As an autism mom, I'm thankful for the guidance that my kids receive from their wonderful teachers and all the support staff that they have (which are also a support to me).
Today we had Garrett and Caiti's end-of-school picnic.  It's weird with year-round school because when the back to school sales/ads start showing up, that is when I'm gearing up for the summer break.  Anyway, it was a joy to see Garrett and Caiti with all their cute friends, to mingle with the other parents, and especially to see the kind and loving way that the support staff and teachers interacted with my kids.

 I don't think I've ever been in the classroom when the aides weren't helping out Caiti  in some way.  I remember being so nervous for her to start kindergarten.  That was two years ago, and she has thrived in a school environment because it is structured and the people in her class are so great.

 This is Mr. Bryan.  We had to work really hard to get Garrett a one-to-one aide at school.  Mr. Bryan was his aide in both first and second grade.  We were very happy to learn that he is going to be moving on with Garrett to his new class next year.  Garrett absolutely ADORES Mr. Bryan.

It was bittersweet to have Garrett say goodbye to Ms. Zavala.  She has been his teacher for kindergarten and first grade, and she asked to have him again for second grade because she wasn't quite ready to let him go.  But, third grade means he'll have a new classroom.  Every day before school, Garrett says, "Go see Ms. Zavala.  Go see Mr. Bryan!"  It will be weird to tell him he's not going to see her next year.  I'm greatful for the last few years he's had in such a good environment with people who see his strengths.