A "virtual friend" in my autism world is struggling today. I've been there thousands of times. The pain, frustration, confusion, and helplessness is overwhelming. I'm so fortunate to have an amazing support system. Some of these incredible moms (and dads!) I've been able to meet and hug, others it's virtual support and understanding. Just knowing that someone else has walked or is walking in our same worn, tattered, but loved shoes is such comfort. When I was putting Luke to bed tonight and listening to music with him (which he is very into doing right now), I heard this song "Blessings" by Laura Story and it was exactly what my heart needed to hear. It made me think of Valerie & her precious Merritt, and of our sweet Sam, and of all of the amazing Warrior parents and children that both battle and breathe autism every second of every day. The song made me stop and rethink the frustration we've felt with Sam's behavior this week and the frustration we've had with autism and his bewildering OCD. Below are the lyrics.
We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things
Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?
What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?
We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
And all the while You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe
Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?
And what if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise
When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home
Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the achings of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst
This world can’t satisfy?
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
alabama 2011
We returned late last night from our wonderful family vacation with my family. Last year was our first year to meet up in Alabama (Scott, Holley, & kids from NC, mom & dad from Houston, Rick & us from Plano/Allen) and it was fantastic! This year we rented a different house on the same lake, Smith Lake. Ryan, Piper, & Luke shared a room with bunk beds while Sam had his own "loft" on the 3rd floor next to GG & Grumps' room and everyone else had their own room. There was plenty of space for toys, clothes, naps, etc and the basement had a foosball table and pool table which everyone enjoyed playing! Kent designed some awesome navy blue East Potter Alabama shirts for everyone (Mom & Dad designed last year's, and Holley) and the yearly t-shirts are a really fun addition to the week. GG & Grumps even had fun plastic cups made that say East Potter 2011. Every time we drink out of them, we'll smile at our memories that were made during the week!
Thankfully mom brought some fun crafts for the kids (painting sun catchers, making Shrinky Dinks) because it ended up raining two days. Even that was nice though, because we were able to have a little bit of down time watching movies, playing games (especially Blokus and Hedbanz), and work on crafts. The boys loved fishing and swimming in the lake with Kent. He's so great about taking them and spending quality time with them. We worked out a few times and even snuck in a few naps. It was just wonderful getting to spend time with our family and watch the kids' relationships grow and develop with each other and with their aunt, uncles, and grandparents. It's hard when they don't get to see each other very often and we all really cherish our time quality time together. The talent show was so cute and we'll never forget Ryan's "what will forever be known as The Headstand" and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. We were so proud of Luke for getting up and singing & dancing. I will never forget his smile that was both shy, nervous, and proud all at the same time. I think his confidence grew after watching GG & Sam's adorable performance of "Hey Good Lookin'" that Sam choreographed. Piper even got up and performed a few jumps for us! We're thrilled that Kent took some amazing photos of the 5 cousins together (photos with a one year old are not easy!) and also pictures of our 3 kids both together and individually. I know Kent really wanted to spend some time taking beautiful photos. Aside from some anxiety and adjustment issues that Luke had off and on the first few days, we had a very special week with family and can't wait until next year's trip!!
Thankfully mom brought some fun crafts for the kids (painting sun catchers, making Shrinky Dinks) because it ended up raining two days. Even that was nice though, because we were able to have a little bit of down time watching movies, playing games (especially Blokus and Hedbanz), and work on crafts. The boys loved fishing and swimming in the lake with Kent. He's so great about taking them and spending quality time with them. We worked out a few times and even snuck in a few naps. It was just wonderful getting to spend time with our family and watch the kids' relationships grow and develop with each other and with their aunt, uncles, and grandparents. It's hard when they don't get to see each other very often and we all really cherish our time quality time together. The talent show was so cute and we'll never forget Ryan's "what will forever be known as The Headstand" and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. We were so proud of Luke for getting up and singing & dancing. I will never forget his smile that was both shy, nervous, and proud all at the same time. I think his confidence grew after watching GG & Sam's adorable performance of "Hey Good Lookin'" that Sam choreographed. Piper even got up and performed a few jumps for us! We're thrilled that Kent took some amazing photos of the 5 cousins together (photos with a one year old are not easy!) and also pictures of our 3 kids both together and individually. I know Kent really wanted to spend some time taking beautiful photos. Aside from some anxiety and adjustment issues that Luke had off and on the first few days, we had a very special week with family and can't wait until next year's trip!!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
how cute are these thank you notes....
I'm excited to finally have a few minutes to order thank you notes for Olivia's birthday party. Yes, it has almost been a month, but here we are... ordering them.... they have to be cute, right? And what's cuter than a one year old with icing and cake smashed on her face?! :) I'm thrilled with how they turned out, and they are sure to put a smile on their recipients' faces. Also, I get a FREE $10 credit to Shutterfly for posting our thank you note on my blog... which is why I posted it... and who doesn't love FREE?! :) Now, I'm even more motivated to work on one of the dozen digital scrapbooks that I've been wanting to do... because it will be $10 off. See the thank you notes in my previous post. Happy day!
Stationery Card
Another Year Pink Thank You Card
Shop custom Thank you cards and notes at Shutterfly.com.
View the entire collection of cards.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
our baby is one
Yesterday was Olivia's first birthday. I can't believe that our baby is already one! She has colored our world *pink* with such happiness and unparalleled joy. Olivia is a ray of sunshine in our lives! Everything about her is precious... her sweet smile, her baby belly laugh, her tiny pointer finger pointing at something, anything!, the way she'll reach for something while saying "meh!", her chubby toes, her determination as she walks across the room pushing her wooden push toy, the way she hugs Elmo on the side of her face with a big smile.... what joy. We're so thankful for the magic that she brings to our days, for the bond she shares with her adoring brothers, for the way she completely lights up when she sees "Dada!!", for the special smiles that she shares with me. What a blessing Olivia is. I can't believe it's already been a year. I can't imagine life without her... she is the cherry on top of our sweet family and she completes us! When we look at her, we see such possibility. A clean slate, an open book. The opportunities that await her are astounding. I know we'll blink and she'll be walking to her first day of Kindergarten. We'll blink again and we'll be in line with her at the DPS, waiting for her driver's license. Then, another blink, and Olivia will be throwing her graduation cap in the air and smiling at her proud parents. But for now, we're enjoying her funny nods, her curiosity, her hugs and snuggles, and her uncensored excitement and enthusiasm for life. What a gift sweet Livi is to us!
Happy birthday, Olivia!
Happy birthday, Olivia!
Friday, April 1, 2011
autism awareness month
April is Autism Awareness Month... tomorrow is World Autism Awareness Day. What does this mean?
Blue light bulbs in outside of our house to Light It Up Blue- check.
Sign made & in the yard and sidewalk-chalked on the sidewalk about Light It Up Blue- check.
Wore blue today to show my support- check.
Now what?
When Sam helped me write with sidewalk chalk outside, he asked how he could help with Autism Awareness Month. He said "If Dad goes to a mall with a booth, can I go to and talk to people, or maybe sell something?" He's remembering the last few years when we had our information booth for Stephanie's Day to share AutismSpot. Sweet boy. He wants to help out, he wants to be a part of something, but does he know what it means?
We talked a little bit tonight about what is hard about autism. He said that it's hard when he has an attitude. It's hard when things are different than he expects them to be. It's hard when there are loud noises. I told him that there are some great things about his autism too- like his amazing memory and that he is musically inclined (I'm a great singer, right? he asked)... Then he ran back inside to watch the movie with Luke.
Sam doesn't know that his autism is a "disability". The older he gets, the more differences he is seeing. I know when he starts school at our neighborhood school in August, he will see even more differences. I hope that with our open dialogue and continued support he will see those differences as being many positives, not only negatives. Yes, so much about autism is hard and ugly and it stinks and I would never wish it upon anyone- never. I think back over the past 9 years and it is painful- sometimes I can't even let myself remember the details. Then I look at Sam now, size 8 1/2 shoe, asking how I'm feeling & what my favorite part of my day was, tickling his baby sister, and I can't believe this is the same child.
When I think of World Autism Awareness Day, I think it means that we celebrate the children that we have for who they are today- right now- and love them unconditionally. We don't judge the child at the store who is having a meltdown or the adult who is our checker that won't look us in the eye. We don't judge other parents in our autism community who medicate or who don't medicate or who do things differently than we do. We continue to push for better education, more insurance coverage for therapy, assistance & employment for adults and compassion for all people. We are grateful for our amazing therapists and teachers who dedicate their lives to our children who so desperately need someone to believe in them. Awareness is great- it's wonderful- but what we also need is acceptance. We need change. We need better research. We need to find a way to put a halt to this growing epidemic. 1 in 110 children diagnosed in this country is unacceptable; and the frightening thing is that these are outdated statistics.
I love being able to share my story with newly diagnosed moms and love listening to theirs and being there as a support to them. Just in the last few months, I've met with N, L, S, S, V, & A. One of the greatest things about autism is the incredible moms (and dads!) I've met- without this strong, genuine, compassionate support system, I don't know where we'd be. I love these moms with all of my heart and rely on them daily for information, research, and encouragement. I know Kent feels the same way. In fact, he is out right now smoking cigars with 2 of his incredible "autism dad" friends. Even though I hate that there are so many new moms just in the past few months, I feel honored to know them and I'm glad we have each other. No one understands this life until they walk in the our shoes. On World Autism Awareness Day, I'm grateful for this support system.
I think about autism every minute of every day. I love my son fiercely, and when I see him, I don't just see autism, I see a brave, strong, creative, unique, beautiful gift from God that I am honored to know and share life with.
World Autism Awareness Day. I long for the day that we don't need this day. Until then, we will continue educating, inspiring, & providing hope to the world with AutismSpot.com and celebrating our son for the amazing individual that he is.
Light It Up Blue!
Blue light bulbs in outside of our house to Light It Up Blue- check.
Sign made & in the yard and sidewalk-chalked on the sidewalk about Light It Up Blue- check.
Wore blue today to show my support- check.
Now what?
When Sam helped me write with sidewalk chalk outside, he asked how he could help with Autism Awareness Month. He said "If Dad goes to a mall with a booth, can I go to and talk to people, or maybe sell something?" He's remembering the last few years when we had our information booth for Stephanie's Day to share AutismSpot. Sweet boy. He wants to help out, he wants to be a part of something, but does he know what it means?
We talked a little bit tonight about what is hard about autism. He said that it's hard when he has an attitude. It's hard when things are different than he expects them to be. It's hard when there are loud noises. I told him that there are some great things about his autism too- like his amazing memory and that he is musically inclined (I'm a great singer, right? he asked)... Then he ran back inside to watch the movie with Luke.
Sam doesn't know that his autism is a "disability". The older he gets, the more differences he is seeing. I know when he starts school at our neighborhood school in August, he will see even more differences. I hope that with our open dialogue and continued support he will see those differences as being many positives, not only negatives. Yes, so much about autism is hard and ugly and it stinks and I would never wish it upon anyone- never. I think back over the past 9 years and it is painful- sometimes I can't even let myself remember the details. Then I look at Sam now, size 8 1/2 shoe, asking how I'm feeling & what my favorite part of my day was, tickling his baby sister, and I can't believe this is the same child.
When I think of World Autism Awareness Day, I think it means that we celebrate the children that we have for who they are today- right now- and love them unconditionally. We don't judge the child at the store who is having a meltdown or the adult who is our checker that won't look us in the eye. We don't judge other parents in our autism community who medicate or who don't medicate or who do things differently than we do. We continue to push for better education, more insurance coverage for therapy, assistance & employment for adults and compassion for all people. We are grateful for our amazing therapists and teachers who dedicate their lives to our children who so desperately need someone to believe in them. Awareness is great- it's wonderful- but what we also need is acceptance. We need change. We need better research. We need to find a way to put a halt to this growing epidemic. 1 in 110 children diagnosed in this country is unacceptable; and the frightening thing is that these are outdated statistics.
I love being able to share my story with newly diagnosed moms and love listening to theirs and being there as a support to them. Just in the last few months, I've met with N, L, S, S, V, & A. One of the greatest things about autism is the incredible moms (and dads!) I've met- without this strong, genuine, compassionate support system, I don't know where we'd be. I love these moms with all of my heart and rely on them daily for information, research, and encouragement. I know Kent feels the same way. In fact, he is out right now smoking cigars with 2 of his incredible "autism dad" friends. Even though I hate that there are so many new moms just in the past few months, I feel honored to know them and I'm glad we have each other. No one understands this life until they walk in the our shoes. On World Autism Awareness Day, I'm grateful for this support system.
I think about autism every minute of every day. I love my son fiercely, and when I see him, I don't just see autism, I see a brave, strong, creative, unique, beautiful gift from God that I am honored to know and share life with.
World Autism Awareness Day. I long for the day that we don't need this day. Until then, we will continue educating, inspiring, & providing hope to the world with AutismSpot.com and celebrating our son for the amazing individual that he is.
Light It Up Blue!
Monday, March 7, 2011
playing ball
Every day I am so thankful for the beautiful relationship the boys have with their baby sister. Some people think that the further apart in age children are, the less likely they are to be close. I completely disagree! To watch Sam or Luke interact with Olivia is such a beautiful thing. Her face lights up, arms and legs move wildly, and a huge grin appears on her face the second she receives attention from one of her boys.
It's usually Sam who pays so much attention to Olivia- he walks right up to her, sits or lays beside her, and talks to her in an animated voice, tickles her, touches her foot or her belly and he grins from ear to ear. If I could describe the look he gives her in one word it would be joy. His teacher, Ms. Swing, said that next to the word "adoration" in the dictionary there should be a picture of Sam looking at Olivia. What a treasure!
Luke enjoys Olivia too but doesn't spend quite as much time with her right now; he is pretty busy himself :) But the past two nights have been so much fun watching them play ball together. Luke sits across from her and gives her the ball and says "Can I have it? Throw the ball, Olivia" and then makes the sign for ball- all on his own. He is also trying to make up signs for "Can I have" and that's so cute! When she tosses it to the side or hugs it he just laughs and laughs, which then makes her giggle and kick her legs with excitement or clap. Their laughter is the best sound in the world! Luke sat for about 45 minutes with her last night and about 30 minutes with her tonight, just playing and laughing and talking to her over and over again. Sam joined in the fun and it was so fun to watch Olivia soak in all of the attention and love.
What a perfect way to end the day, with a smile on everyone's faces!
I took some video and photos with my phone and will have to figure out how to transfer them to this blog :)
It's usually Sam who pays so much attention to Olivia- he walks right up to her, sits or lays beside her, and talks to her in an animated voice, tickles her, touches her foot or her belly and he grins from ear to ear. If I could describe the look he gives her in one word it would be joy. His teacher, Ms. Swing, said that next to the word "adoration" in the dictionary there should be a picture of Sam looking at Olivia. What a treasure!
Luke enjoys Olivia too but doesn't spend quite as much time with her right now; he is pretty busy himself :) But the past two nights have been so much fun watching them play ball together. Luke sits across from her and gives her the ball and says "Can I have it? Throw the ball, Olivia" and then makes the sign for ball- all on his own. He is also trying to make up signs for "Can I have" and that's so cute! When she tosses it to the side or hugs it he just laughs and laughs, which then makes her giggle and kick her legs with excitement or clap. Their laughter is the best sound in the world! Luke sat for about 45 minutes with her last night and about 30 minutes with her tonight, just playing and laughing and talking to her over and over again. Sam joined in the fun and it was so fun to watch Olivia soak in all of the attention and love.
What a perfect way to end the day, with a smile on everyone's faces!
I took some video and photos with my phone and will have to figure out how to transfer them to this blog :)
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