Saying Thanks

Another school year is coming to a close. Only this time, it's the end of fifth grade. The end of elementary school. We always say thank you to the teams of people who work with the boys every single day of the school year. And this year, we're having to say thank you not only for this year, but for some of those people, for as many as six whole years of working with our boys, caring for our boys, helping our boys succeed despite the challenges and obstacles and the hard days. There are not enough words or gifts in the world to truly say thank you for all that these people have done.

We baked cookies for each and every person who touched our lives in elementary school. We hand wrote notes of thanks and shared a favorite memory with each one of those people. Forty-eight jars of home made chocolate chip cookies with hand written notes.

And we gave them a photo print with an image of the boys from the past six years, each grade of elementary school.

We drew pictures for the aides who worked with Xander. And then we framed them. Because to know Xander is to know how much he loves art.

We made photo books for the people who've been with the boys for years. Some as many as six years, some as few as a single year. But so many people, who have made such a difference in their lives every single day. And who will impact them for years and years to come. 

It takes a village. We have had an amazing village throughout their elementary school years and preschool years. Our boys are incredibly lucky.

A Day at the Orchard

As warmer weather arrives, some of the boys' favorite outdoor activities start to open back up. One of those is the orchard!

Today Sawyer and Aunt Kelly went to visit one of their favorites ...

Flag Football Sundays

I really need to remember to take the good camera to a few things these days. The iPhone camera is usually pretty good, but we sit pretty far away during flag football Sundays. Connor's carrying the ball on offense, though it's hard to tell. He's usually a defense player, but gets a few offensive series, too. The team played well, but came up short. Connor had a great defensive game, two pulled flags and three pass interceptions. He picked up a few yards on this offensive play, but normally he snaps the ball on offense. Just another Sunday of sports ...

A Night Out

There was a time when he didn't talk. When those first words he'd started to speak, just faded away until they were gone. They came back, eventually, but functional communication has (and likely always will be) somewhat of a challenge. He's come so very, very far ...

On a random Thursday night, I took two of the boys out to dinner. Dad was at work. Sawyer was out with Aunt Kelly. It was just me and Connor and Xander. And Xander had a plan.

"We wait for Connor," he told me.

Okay, I agreed. We will wait for Connor.

"We wait for Connor, then Buffalo Wild Wings. Chicken fingers, french fries, ketchup and a Coke."

And that was his plan. We would wait for Connor to come home from middle school (he rides the bus in the afternoons). And then we would go to dinner. At a very specific place. To have a very specific thing.

And I love it.

I love the words. I love the plan. I love the understanding that goes into all of those words and the plan. I love the functional communication that lets him tell us exactly what he's thinking and what he wants.

We don't always get that.

So we embrace the days we do. And when it's practical, we indulge him with what he wants. Not every night, but maybe once every week or two. We let him take the lead, and plan what we're going to do on our nights together.

Because there was a time when he didn't talk, when the words faded and went away.

And we are so incredibly glad that he's found his words, and his own way to communicate the things he likes and the things he wants. We'll keep working on answering questions, identifying emotions, appropriate conversations, and all those other speech goals.

But sometimes, we're just going to take him at his words. We waited for Connor. And then we went to Buffalo Wild Wings. Where he did, indeed, get his chicken fingers, french fries, ketchup, and his Coke (actually Pepsi).

Chalk Art

Sometimes it's even prettier after it rains. I love Sawyer's chalk art. It's always in the same place, and usually a similar type pattern, but the colors are always a surprise. Our own Jackson Pollock ... wonder if he would switch to giant canvas and paint. We could be rich!