Hello, Summer Break!

It's here! Finally! The day the boys have been looking forward to, since last August, the LAST day of school! It always seems to be dragging and then you get to this day and think, "holy crap, that went fast!"  This is the year I was dreading though....middle school for Ethan. I had in my head it was going to be awful.  I was listening to all these horror stories, but it was nothing like that for him!  Thank the good Lord!  Overall, it was a good year for the boys, but now we are ready to say goodbye to 6th & 3rd grade and HELLO, to summer break!

Ready for summer!

goodbye 6th grade

bye 3rd grade

off they go

teacher gift

Colin's gift from his teachers

all ready for their return

How excited they were when they got home!  Just pure joy with the knowledge of knowing they get a few months of some R&R! From the mouth of Ethan, "Best day of the year!" LOL!  I was super proud when I opened their book bags and found they each got an award at their assemblies.  Just a proud mama, knowing when my kids are away from me that they do act right, on their own accord! That is an awesome feeling! So super proud of my boys and now time to wrap up the year and enjoy some sun!!!

No Better Place!

It's hard to believe, but Memorial Day weekend came and went this year already! That is the one weekend we look forward to, in the spring, because the boys know once we get there school is just about out. We are all ready for summer break this year! It's been a good year, but long it seems. Anyway, we are just about there with only 1 more day to go. Hallelujah! 

Our holiday weekend was filled with a few things, but overall we were able to be home and enjoy it together as a family. In my book, no better place to be with the people I love most! 

beautiful afternoon for the pool

Ethan & Caden at the CC 

best buds since the 1st grade

hard at work

Ethan loved showing Caden his work

then off they went to their 4-H Memorial Day activity

4-H buddies

Later that evening, when we were done swimming and cleaning up we had our family meeting. In this house, everyone has a voice, so we like to sit down once a week and get things in order. It is pretty much conducted like a business meeting and we always start with prayer. Usually, Brenton leads prayer for us, during our meeting, but Colin asked to do it this time and it was the cutest thing ever.  It warmed my heart and yes, brought tears to my eyes. He truly was giving it is all, we couldn't make out the words, but he was speaking his mind and then you clearly heard Amen!  It's amazing how God works, because you're not always sure what Colin comprehends (since he can't speak plainly just yet), however, God spoke right to me and at that moment I knew Colin absolutely, 100% understands! As he was praying, Proverbs 22:6 came to my mind....Train a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it. ♥

Almost Here!

Summer days are almost here and can I tell you, I'm super excited this year for summer break! It's really been a good year for both my boys, but I'm wore out from all the necessary things on a nightly basis....ie: homework, packing lunches, getting clothes ready, etc, etc. And, the morning routine, too.  UGH! Just all of it. I'm tapped out this year. It happens to me every year about this time, so it comes as no surprise. Only 1 more week to go!

Last night, we were working outside in the pool area and one of Ethan's friends stopped by and asked him to go on a bike ride.  Ethan, has been wanting to do this for quite some time, so it was really nice to see them go off together and have some fun. Yes, I'm letting go a bit and giving him some space to grow.  Now, that doesn't mean I'm not watching my Life360 app like a hawk while he's gone, but that's besides the point. LOL! I'll always be that mom I think, however, I'm trying!

It was really sweet to watch him ride off and then lots of my own memories, from when I was his age, flooded my mind at a time I did the very same thing.

He was so excited to get to the pool he grabbed E's swim trunks

Off they go

So ready for summer days

Progress is Progress!

The end of the school year is fast approaching and with this time of year, come some fun events for the boys. Colin and Ethan, both, had their field day this week. For the elementary, the day is called Olympic Day and parents are invited to go and watch, whereas, the middle school is just for the kids to enjoy a little friendly competition with their peers, no parents invited. Colin, with his autism, these types of days aren't his favorite I don't think, but he does participate; however, for Ethan, he eats this all up. He loves it! This day, for me, is one that I've been able to be a part of for both boys and I've enjoyed that very much!

This year, Mrs. Jones, decided she would bring her triplets to help out the class. So, Colin got to spend the day with Joey and pal around at each event with him. It was going good, until.....Colin spotted me. UGH!  He was funny and cute about it, but he would do an event and when he was done he would run off over to me. I would hug him, tug up his pants, and try to send him on his way.  It worked for a few times, but finally around noon he was done.  He had enough of the Olympic Day.  I had sent in a movie, so I asked maybe it was time to go inside and just sit out the next hour and half, because he really truly did last a good part of the day.  That's HUGE! I was so proud of him and tried my best to get him going and away from me, but by this point he wasn't having it and he wanted nobody BUT me!

So, I walked with him over to the school entrance and my plan was to have him walk in and enjoy the movie while I waited for the events to come to a close; however, Colin had other plans.  I was not leaving without him and he made every effort to tell me, "all done", "go byes", "go car", "home" and yes, Mom heard him, but I tried to overlook it and get him moving on. Yeah, didn't work! That's when he started pinching, because his verbal cues weren't working. Yep, I, his mother, was ignoring the verbal cues...OMG, who does that?! I guess that would be me! My heart was in the right place, but looking back I should've acknowledged them and explained 1st and then 2nd, so he could understand. All he knew, Mom was not listening! They say hindsight is 20/20, but I should've known that and not that I didn't, I just didn't execute it properly. I mean my goodness I tell others to do it, why couldn't I?  I don't know! I was trying to play by the school rules, I guess, and that's where I need to remind myself that I am his mother and I am allowed to say, "enough" whenever I feel the time is right and that is OK! I have to get better with that!

Anyway, looking back I realize that I need to get better, for Colin, in these types of environments.  BUT, for now, for Colin to grow even more and stay involved with these types of things, Brenton is stepping in. I will miss it! I love being involved! I missed NOTHING with Ethan and that's what I think is eating at me, but I also realize Colin has other needs and is just better with daddy with these types of things. That's where I put my feeling aside, because for the sake of my son, my feelings don't matter! The best part, is how blessed are we that we have Brenton in our lives!  I mean it, I couldn't do this without him!

So, even though the day didn't end the way I had planned, Colin really did do very well.  He lasted almost 4 hours and was outside most of the day. That, in and of itself, is great progress! And, in my book, progress is progress! ♥

Days like these wear him out

my buddy

Yep, it hurt! 

Night of the Arts

Ethan is not an artsy type of kid! He tries very hard, but it's just not a natural gift. So, when he stated that he wanted to show us his artwork being displayed at the school last Thursday, I knew I had to make it work. Unfortunately, he had Shooting Sports, at the same time, but he was wanting to go so badly! Thank goodness Brenton is so involved in our boys lives, because it meant more running for him and he was just fine with it! After being at Shooting Sports for an hour, he took Ethan and headed over to IVMS for the "Night of the Arts" event going on there. I guess they had the band and choir outside singing and playing, while the artwork was displayed inside the school.  It was a perfect evening for the event. I couldn't be there, but I received the pictures Brenton sent and I was pleasantly surprised at how well Ethan did.  I'm so glad we were able to make it work, because it really made Ethan's evening!

Happy as a Lark

I'm not sure about you, but I am the type of person that looks forward to the next weekend when Sunday evening arrives.  I'm not trying to bypass the week or anything, but the weekend is where I find myself craving more family time.  I love the R&R of the weekend!  It's just not so rush, I guess!  To be perfectly honest, we don't have a crazy, busy life.  It's busy enough, but compared to some, we are pretty blessed!  We've created it to be exactly what it is, but our busy seems to be different.  We're not prisoners to the athletic schedule, like I see some to be. It's ok though, because I wouldn't be able to handle that kind of life. I enjoy being home too much! LOL!!

This past weekend, we opened the pool and Colin was in his glory.  Ethan was off at his friends birthday party, so Colin was the lone ranger who got to break in the pool for 2019.  I mean we had the winter cover off maybe 5 minutes and he was already in.  It was freezing!  He warmed up to it though and was happy as a lark in there swimming around.  We all just love being home and this addition of the pool, seems to be a perfect fit.  It's a lot of work to keep up with it, but it is all worth it when you see the smiles and hear the giggles the boys have when they are enjoying it.

Weekends are just the best and when filled with family and home, it's just heaven!  I'm so looking forward to just being home this summer and letting the hot summer days & nights take us where they will!

Birthday party fun

Going to Soar

Living in a small town, I see it everyday.  Children, who's parents, pressure them to be in so many activities just so they can show off with a decal on the back window of their vehicle.  What is that anyway? A sign of the "cool" parents club or something? Ugh! No, thank you! Most of those people are rude, stuck-up, and their kids are little assholes! Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying playing sports is bad and I fully support it; however, it's when the children are being forced (all for the sake of the parents) is where my problem lies!

When Ethan was little, we ran the gamut on introducing him to sports.  Starting at age 4, he was involved in something.  His dad, being an avid football lover, wanted his son to be the star center for our local football team, just like he was back in his glory days. So, those two boys started with flag football.  Ethan powered through, loving it at first and enjoyed having daddy as his coach.  Brenton, oh man, he was in his glory heading up the team, scheduling practice's and all the other joys that come along with it...for him anyway. LOL!  It was fun, don't get me wrong, but I never saw the spark in Ethan.  Yes, he put on a good game face and tried his best, but something just wasn't happening like it should've.  By the end of 3rd grade, Ethan let us know that football was just something he wasn't wanting to do.  Wait, what?  How does a football loving family have a son that just doesn't enjoy playing the game?  Loves watching the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday afternoons, but getting in there and playing himself...nope, just wasn't interested!  Yeah, that was a hard pill to swallow, especially for Brenton, and at first he thought we needed to push it.  His thought was, "if Ethan doesn't play football, then what will he do?"  At that point, I had no clue, but I didn't want to push something that just wasn't working for Ethan.  I refused to be that parent! Ethan has the build to be a football player, but his heart...oh no, he's not a "get out there and kill'em" type of kid, so to speak.  I reminded Brenton of the time that Ethan was out on the field and felt bad for the other team, so he gave the play away. Yep, that was my son! He was sad for his friend who had no idea what was coming, so he thought he should let him in on the action. LOL! It took Brenton a minute, to truly gather his thoughts and I just asked him to please remember that this wasn't about us. We had to give Ethan the respect of allowing him to make decisions for himself and listen to him. Which, thinking back, was probably the first time we did just that!

I always imagined, after having our boys, that our life would be filled to the brim with activities.  I thought we'd be at some sporting event every season and truly, that's all I knew to do.  I enjoyed sports in my high school days and so, I just thought that's what came natural for all kids.  However, I found out, that's just not true and that next fall, when most boys were heading to the field, we found ourselves home.  Instead of getting ready for a game, my two guys were getting up bright and early to head to the golf course to work!  At this point, unbeknownst to Brenton, he was introducing something to Ethan that he had no idea would turn into something beneficial.  It was just something to give Ethan something to do, a little responsibility maybe?  Possibly even, a little way to show him something that might just steer him back to the football field? You know a little tough love! For Brenton, this was something that was a way of making extra cash and a weekend outing with the guys for a few hours to shoot the breeze.  You know a little "reap what you sow" type of deal...work one day, to play the next! However, what daddy didn't realize, is those little eyes were watching and those little hands loved every moment of being with him at the country club. Yep, Ethan fell in love with the nitty gritty side and the luxurious side, all at the same time! Taking in all the elements of manicuring the course for men who would be arriving, that very day, ready to enjoy the freshly mowed grass, taking in the smells, down to the sound of the wind hitting his ear when he swung his club...all of it was pure joy for him!

Yes, the game of golf captured Ethan!  His eyes were opened and he took full advantage of the opportunity with his dad to learn all the aspects. Not just playing, but the science of running a course.  Ethan has been up every weekend at 5am to "work" with Brenton and what that has done, is monumental.  It's given this kid the insight of his future career even, because now he wants to become a Golf Superintendent and it's given him the confidence of knowing that there is a sport out there that fits him perfectly.  It's a sport that neither Brenton or I even thought would be something he'd enjoy, because it's not your traditional "Friday Night Lights" type of sport.  However, it's a sport that will take him so much further in life than any of those others possibly could.

Parenting is hard, but I have found that it is so important to let our kids have a voice.  Allow them to open up and express what is going on inside them.  Give them the opportunity to make decisions, might not be what we'd want for them, but I tell you what, sitting here now on the flip side, it's so nice to have peace in our lives. The joy of seeing our son happy is what this whole thing is about anyway, right?! What Brenton was trying to do in the beginning, turned into something far beyond his wildest dreams.  He created an avenue for his son that allows him to thrive! These two are too cute to watch, because they enjoy all the time they get to be together.  Brenton might not be the "football" dad, but let me tell you he sure is one hell of a "golf" dad and Ethan is reaping the benefits!

Last night, Ethan started his golf lessons again and he loved being back at it.  He enjoys spending time with his coach, Carl, learning.  This fall, he will officially be part of the golf team and that will be so fun to watch him do what he loves to do!  The moral of all this...When life gives you lemons, turn right around and squeeze those bad boys to create lemonade. LOL! This boy, is going to soar and we will be right here, sipping our lemonade, cheering him on. For, whatever he chooses, we know he'll make us proud!♥

Ball Boy

The older Colin gets, the more social Brenton is wanting him to become.  Brenton, is definitely a social butterfly, and finds this a very important part of life.  I get it, but I'm definitely not like him by no means.  I'm more standoffish and trust very few!  However, with Colin being autistic, I know full well how important social environments are to his growth.  So, Brenton and I several years back, decided to split things.  I would handle the academic side and he would handle the social side!  I'm not sure why, but in the beginning of our journey I found myself a sweaty mess anytime I had to take him places.  The older he has become, I've come to realize that it's definitely different for Brenton, than it is for me, in these types of things.  Colin, as smart as he is, knew my faults and could read me like a book.  He had me and I didn't know how to break that!  I felt like a terrible mother, because I couldn't get as involved as I wanted to with things for him.  I've run the gamut on it all, believe me. I wanted to share the things that most mothers do with their children.  However, with Colin, I had to swallow my pride and allow him to grow in this without me and allow Brenton to take the reigns.  Yes, that was a hard pill to swallow for a little while, however, I noticed a difference in myself when events and things would need to be attended and it wasn't me doing it.  I was becoming a better mother to him, because I wasn't trying to do it all and fit a circle into a square peg, so to speak. Colin, it's been proven, acts differently with me in social settings than he does with his dad.  He was not bad or anything, but he would hang on me, would cry and not get involved, or he would run away from me thinking it was a game. Yes, by the end of the event or whatever we were doing, I'd be a sweaty mess! With Brenton though, oh my, he listens, does what he is told, and enjoys the event.  That, right there, is exactly why me stepping away was the best thing I could do, because he was enjoying himself and growing in these types of settings.  Anyway, a few years in from this decision we made, it's so great to see the difference in Colin and seeing the growth from these experiences...is pretty awesome!

This year, at his IEP meeting, I expressed Brenton's concern about getting him more involved with his typical peers in 4th grade.  He feels it is time to spread Colin's wings and challenge not only Colin, but the typical kids.  These kids need to see Colin and get to know him more, because they are only getting older and lets be honest....kids like Colin tend to get lost in the shuffle!  Well, his daddy (mommy too) is doing all we can to make that not happen!  Colin is loved and we see it, but we just feel he needs to get more exposure for the sake of his growth in the "typical" world we live in.  He doesn't live in a box, so it's time to break down those walls at school and get him more involved.

Anyway, from the concern Brenton had, that opened up a conversation about getting him involved in a sports setting, as well. He participates in the Soccer-4-All every Saturday in the spring and fall, but we were wanting something different. So, Mrs. Jones, got with her daughters soccer coach (whom is also a teacher Colin has, Mrs. James) and they agreed to allow Colin to be the "Ball Boy" for the team.  How awesome is that!  Brenton was so excited and so, him and Colin go once a week to practice with the girls and he is learning how to be their ball boy!

Early on, when I felt I could trust no one and would just keep Colin in a bubble to protect him, I prayed for guidance and "good-hearted" people to enter his life and help him. Well, Mrs. Jones, is one of those people whom God placed in his journey. This women goes above and beyond for my child and I/we will forever be grateful for her love and support! ♥

Akron Zoo or Bust

Yesterday, Colin had his 3rd grade field trip.  We were told about it a couple of months ago and once I saw the paper, I instantly had a flashback of our trip to the pumpkin patch. OMG, that was a crazy trip! This boy of mine, acts totally different with me in social environments and I immediately had this thought of, "oh boy, here we go again." However, as I was reading the paper, Brenton mentioned he'd like to go and, if I say so myself, it sure was a quick answer to a prayer! Thank you Lord for this husband of mine! I knew with "daddy" going, Colin would be able to enjoy the trip and have fun. That is the goal and I must admit that daddy is much better for these types of things.  I mean it, this kid, acts different with his dad than he does me in these types of settings.  Brenton is more of a dictator, in a good way, and Colin knows it.  He knows daddy means business!

After signing Brenton up and with several weeks left to go, before the trip, Brenton was excited!  Talked about his sack lunch and being able to experience this with Colin, was something he was looking forward to.  I love that he is so involved in our boy's lives and that he wants to be, 100% his choice! That, in and of itself, is such a great feeling.  Knowing I have a partner is this parenting thing is heaven! I would not be able to do this without him, because he truly does handle some things much better than I do.  Where I falter, he prevails! Which is a win/win!  I was so excited for them both and when yesterday got here, I could see the excitement Brenton had.☺  Colin was a little standoffish, but once they got on the bus he was good to go.

The field trip was a success! They had a wonderful day together and I'm sure my husband will be talking about this for years to come. ☺

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simplicity

This past week was a nightmare for me!  Oh man, I thought I was dying (no joke) and nothing I did helped permanently.  I had the worst heartburn, possibly acid reflux, I've ever experienced in my life. I'm thinking it came from an Rx I was on, but I'm not 100%. I had so much pain and just felt awful!  Ofcourse, Mother's Day was this past weekend too and we made plans with our moms, but man I felt crummy! I tried everything I could to make it through the day.  Made sure to have Tums and liquid antacid in my purse at all times; however, it didn't help and after we had lunch w/ my mom and spent some time w/ her visiting, I had to get home.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it to my in-laws cookout over at my sister-in-laws, but thank heavens my husband understood.  I literally got home, took a bath, and was in jammies the rest of the night.  Anyway, my guys, made the weekend so fun for me regardless.  Brenton was worried for days about getting the perfect gift and truthfully, I'm more of a practical person anyway, so I wasn't wanting him to spend money just to spend money. I saw that he was worried about it, so I just asked if we could not stress and just go and get flowers for around the house and our pots.  It's what was needed and what I truly wanted anyway, so it worked out perfectly.  I love having flowers and everywhere I look now they are there.  We had a great time together this weekend. I love simplicity, so it was perfect. ♥

Lemongrass - I love it!

Colin made me this bag at school♥