Projects

Memorial Day was supposed to be a fun filled family day. I got up early and planned on making Munchkin a climbing wall. I went to Home Depot and strapped a sheet of wood to the car, and we made Munchkin her climbing wall that I promised her I would do for months. She loved it. Before I could even finish it, Mom found our basement swimming in water. With the advice from a neighbor we thought the leak was from outside. I dug a big hole and found the leek in the main water pipe. I had to succumb to calling a plumber to get it fixed and it kind of ruined the whole Memorial Day, but Munchkin, and even the neighbor kids love the climbing wall. Now I just need to finish it. We need some more climbing pegs, and we are going to let the kids paint it. ~Dad

Happy Memorial Day

Freedom Is Not Free
By LCDR Kelly Strong, USCG - Copyright 1981

I watched the flag pass by one day,
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Service man saluted it,
And then he stood at ease.

I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil
How many mothers' tears?

How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of Taps one night,
When everything was still,
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times
That Taps had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin.
Of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.

Happy Memorial Day to all....

Buddy Boy's Progress

With so much going on, I feel like we've neglected to update everybody on how Buddy Boy is doing. He's made some good progress, and I wanted to share!

First of all, he's now actually playing on the playground. I know that sounds silly, but here's the deal. Every day when I pick Munchkin up from school, if it's good weather, we stay for 10-15 minutes to play on the playground. Buddy Boy has always been content to be there, and he'd climb up the stairs to one spot and then sit there, watching the kids run around. He was content to watch, but never wanted to do more than that. It sure made it easy to watch him, but inside my heart broke because I wish he felt comfortable interacting. In fact, if any other child ever tried to interact with him, he'd get upset and we'd have to go home early. Now he's going down the slides, running around on the grass, and just plain having more fun!


He's also been more affectionate with us. Don't get me wrong, he always loved us and let us know, but lately he's grabbing my hands and putting them to his face, or putting his hands on my face and pulling me in for a kiss. I absolutely melt every time, and he's figured it out. If he wants something, he'll now pull me in for a kiss, or stroke my cheek, then sign "more" letting me know he wants something. Well, I'm butter by then, so he usually gets what he's after. So he's learned to manipulate his pathetic mother!:-)



Also, when he was first diagnosed, he was put on a waiting list for a "structured play therapy" one-on-one with an adult. The wait finally ended (thank heavens, since he won't qualify for services when he's three!), and he's begun. The first therapy was Wednesday and he screamed and cried the whole time. I wasn't surprised, since his mom wasn't there with him, and there were strangers touching him and holding him. However, Dad and I both feel really good about it, and we know he'll improve with time. This is a great chance for him to learn to socialize, and to get some more intense sensory therapy. Honestly, Munchkin and I wanted to kick him out and play in the room! It's really a huge, cool, indoor playground that he does the sensory therapy in.

And last but not least, he's really enjoying the warm weather and the outings provided. He's just happier in general being outside!

Munchkin's Accomplishments

This year we put Munchkin in soccer, as you know...this year she has also made it a goal to learn to ride her bike without training wheels, to lose a tooth, and more!

Well, we are quite proud to say that she's accomplished much in all three areas! At her soccer game yesterday, she scored her first goal!!! We were so proud of her. She's gotten braver about getting in the mix and kicking the ball. She blocked a couple of goal attempts by the other team, and she's been a really good sport too. She tripped over a team members foot, and instantly apologized, when all the other kids were pushing each other when something like that happened. So we're glad she's nice too:-)



Last Tuesday, immediately upon returning from her field trip to the zoo, she lost her first tooth. She'd been looking forward to this so much, yet her reaction was to hold her tummy like she was sick and say, "This is really freaky."

Then today, out of nowhere it seemed, she decided to try again to ride her bike with the training wheels ON, but to try and not let the training wheels actually touch the ground. She succeeded, so we took them off, and she's been doing great since!



Congrats, my dear. You're one accomplished young woman!

Happy Belated Mother's Day

Everything Mom

How did you find the energy, Mom
To do all the things you did,
To be teacher, nurse and counselor
To me, when I was a kid.

How did you do it all, Mom,
Be a chauffeur, cook and friend,
Yet find time to be a playmate,
I just can’t comprehend.

I see now it was love, Mom
That made you come whenever I'd call,
Your inexhaustible love, Mom
And I thank you for it all.

By Joanna Fuchs

Munchkin the Photographer

Munchkin has really enjoyed taking pictures with the camera, and holy hannah, she's good. Maybe she can teach me how the heck to take pictures! Thank heavens for digital! Here are some she took the other day:








And here's a picture the neighbor took of Munchkin on the trampoline...I can't keep up with her talents!

I'm a nerd, I know, but I LOVE IT!

Okay, so I've been playing on my MK site, and decided to try out the free virtual makeover. You know how there's tons of sites offering that type of stuff, but when you get the finished product it looks so fake, or if you want to do more details you gotta join? Well, this "makeover" on the MK site is so detailed. It's so fun! I did makeovers for me, Munchkin and Dad (but I promised Dad I wouldn't post his anywhere, and that I'd delete it.) Anywho, here's the picture. Yeah, I've got flyaways in the first picture...what of it? It's so fun! You don't even have to join to do it, so you'll have to check it out if you're bored and want to pretend you're pretty.



And of course Munchkin wanted to do one too...don't worry folks, it's fake, and she's not getting makeup or highlights anytime soon!

Munchkin's moves

This is one of Munchkin's favorite clips. She asked me to post it on the blog so everyone can enjoy it as well as her. She wanted me to mention her favorite part is the very end where she says "O Yea." As you can tell she really loves High School Musical. Her favorite song on High School Musical is "Bet On It." The clip, I'm sure will come shortly. ~Dad