Disneyland

We did it.

Feeling like we should have one last hurrah before baby comes we packed up our family of five and went to Disneyland.

Oddly enough my vote for Maui was not taken seriously.

Our kiddos have been blessed to go on lots of vacations as they’ve grown up.  However during this vacation we realized that our boys have also missed out on lots of vacation norms.  Like flying.  Staying in a hotel.  Little things like that.  We are vacation road warriors, and don’t think twice about driving 9 hours to our destination.  That way we can pack our car to the gills and be as loud as we’d like without bothering anyone else.  William was pretty darn confused about the whole rental car thing, and *our new house.*

Let’s play *can you spot the cowboy hat?*

See baby Coco…you’ve already been to Disneyland.  And the beach.  ;)

We had the best time.  Six full days together, just the five of us.  It was so much fun to play and laugh and see where each day led us.  And while our exhausted troopers could have used every excuse in the book for meltdowns, they were fantastic.   We were on the go from our 7am wake-up until we returned to our room around 9pm and once until 10:30pm!

On Tuesday my brother Jimmy joined us {which was apparently the same day we gave the camera a break?}  What a treat it was to spend the day with my brother and to watch him interact with his adoring nephews.

Wednesday we decided that three days at the Happiest Place on Earth was enough and called it a beach day.  We headed to Malibu and spent the day playing in the sand, eating a tailgate picnic, catching up with my cousin Jessica and stopping at In-And-Out for dinner.  Yum.

Yes, Disneyland was cliché.  It was overstimulating.  We probably could have just flown the commuter flight from our hometown to Seattle and back and called it a day.  {Seriously, that was probably a top highlight for the boys.  That and a pack of gum they split.}  I also felt like I should make a tater tot casserole when we got home.

But for all of those silly things, it was just right.  I’m so thankful for Alex who carefully planned every detail for our family.  And I can’t think of anything better than watching my loves play and laugh and be thrilled together.  Yay for family vacations!

A couple of Disney tips if you are headed that direction in the near future:

1.  If you are traveling with multiple little ones bring your biggest double stroller.  We might have gotten some funny looks at the airport, but there is no way we could have successfully done this trip without our trusty double bob stroller.  Even Henry would collapse into it on occasion.  It was the perfect place for the little ones to nap or just pull down the shade and take a break if it became too much.

2.  Bring your own snacks and water into the park.  We ate our lunch and dinners at the park {or right outside} but I was so thankful to have plenty of granola bars, raisins, water bottles, etc. to pass out throughout the day.  Not only did it save money but we were able to avoid standing in yet another line.

3.  Speaking of lines, we pulled the special needs card.  We’ve never, ever done this {quite honestly we try to avoid doing this at all costs} but this felt like the right time to do it.  I’m not sure if this is taboo to say or not, but hopefully this information will help another family out.  When we first got to Disney we checked in at city hall and received a pass that allowed us to cut to the front of almost every line and keep our stroller with us the entire time – right up until we boarded the ride.  Now before you start cursing my name, know that this was huge for Charlie.  {And let’s be honest, his very pregnant mama too.}  I’m pretty sure it allowed him to keep pace with the rest of us and avoid the way over-crowded and over-stimulating lines that might have led to some meltdowns.

4.  Go slow.  We spent 1 1/2 days in the Disney park and 1 1/2 days in California Adventure.  We didn’t see it all.  We didn’t go on every ride.  But by doing this our boys never felt rushed and we were simply able to enjoy what we did see.

5.  Take the ART shuttle to the park if you are staying off-resort.  It’s way easier {and cheaper} than parking and again, another unexpected highlight for our boys was riding the *bus.*

P.S. I have no idea why sometimes pictures post and why other times they don’t.  I’ve even noticed that some text occasionally gets left out.  I’m just not tech savvy enough to understand…but I’ll do my best to fix things as problems arise.

Life right now.

Life has been moving in busy extreme mode for oh I don’t know, the last two weeks?  Maybe forever?  Forgive me I’ve lost track of time.

There was last Monday’s meltdown {I’m never volunteering again!} which eventually paled in comparison to last Friday’s meltdown {the school district is suggesting what for my son?}

Last week was a week of meetings.  And e-mails.  And phone calls.  And if you know me, then you know how much this pains me.  I’m the gal that loves to hit the ignore button on her phone or ignore an e-mail until a response is deemed urgent.  I don’t know why I’m wired this way but I am.  Frankly a little part of me gets ticked off when “my time” gets sucked up by the {boring} tasks of life {i.e. phone calls, e-mails and meetings.}   And by “my time” I’m most likely referring to more important things like grocery shopping, drinking coffee, doing laundry, making dinner, carpooling kiddos, wrangling a neighborhood of hooligans, with a sprinkle of blog-reading and finding a new dinner recipe on pinterest.

So Monday I put my big-girl undies on, hopeful that this week would look different.  And it has.  We kicked-off the week needing stitches, {three for William}, tears {again, me}, more meetings {this time I’m prepared – watch out!}, lots of phone calls {made by me – ha!}, a little one who pulled out his stitches {after only 24 hours!}, e-mails {sent by me – take that!} and a little one who threw-up in the back-seat of the car.

One might argue that this week was actually tougher.

Maybe all of this sounds a little over dramatic.  Maybe it isn’t.  Maybe it’s just a reminder to myself that if I dwell on the overwhelming moments {they were abundant and real} then it’s all to easy to miss the beautiful moments that were also woven into our days.  Moments like meeting a friend’s newborn baby, celebrating my mom’s birthday, having my grandparents over for dinner, dinner with my best friend while the kids ran amuck, watching Alex and the boys play baseball together, and a glowing report at Henry’s parent-teacher conference.

Because sometimes life is like that.  The good weeks, the hard weeks.  The struggles mixed right in with the blessings.

And so we wrap up this week with Spring Break looming large and I’m hopeful.

I’m not going to lie, fresh tulips and cake help too.

It’s the little things.

After Christmas Charlie initiated a bedroom shuffle around our house.  We were happy to play along because, {A} it was still Christmas vacation and bedtime didn’t need to be strongly enforced and {B} we had always really wanted Charlie to share a room with one of his brothers…because…well it’s hard to explain but it’s a whole combination of: guilt, perception, building up his relationships with his brothers and well, I don’t know…

Anyhow, never in a million years did we think this new arrangement of Charlie and William sharing a room would work.  Over one month in and the transition has been flawless.  Henry happily moved into his own room and enjoys reading every night before bed.  Charlie and William read, snuggle and yes even play before bed in their shared room.  And somehow, this new magical arrangement has all three boys not only going to bed earlier, but sleeping in longer.  If that wasn’t enough, Alex and I often get to catch glimpses of our two little ones all snuggled in together.  The light still on, books scattered around them.  Two brothers, happy and content.  There is no doubt that it’s really all about the little things isn’t it?

Milestones

We’ve had two recent milestones that might not seem noteworthy, but for our family were big.

The first milestone was our annual church Christmas program.  This year, all three boys participated.  Really and truly it was amazing.  Not because our kids stole the show {not even close} but simply the fact that they were all singing together.  It might not make sense to anyone else, but to see Charlie up there makes my heart want to burst with joy and hug and profusely thank everyone who loves and believes in our little guy.

my two tough guys at practice.

{Perhaps William, our curly-hair cutie might be stealing the show?}

Seriously. Look at our Charlie.  Look at all he can do.

No, he wasn’t singing or doing the hand motions.

But I can’t help but feel like it’s like watching a miracle.

and henry…we have since been to the eye dr…guess who’s getting glasses?!

Another somewhat silly, but oh so big milestone took place at a birthday party.  Our boys have been invited to numerous parties over the years celebrating family and friends, but never before has Charlie received an invitation.  Just for him.  Last Saturday Charlie and I went to a party that he had been invited to by one of his classmates.  There is no doubt that he understood the significance of this as he waved good-bye to his brothers while also wearing an impish grin.

Upon our arrival Charlie was greeted with hugs and waves from his buddies.  He slipped on his bowling shoes and yes, he bowled a strike.

There was pizza, cake and ice cream.  And Charlie sat right alongside his buddies, eating his slice of greasy cheese pizza.  Of course I was on-guard the whole time.  Ready to swoop in at any time to make things right, or normal, or whatever.  I know some of you mama’s know what I’m talking about.

But guess what?

Not one thing about the party was remarkable, but I will never forget it.

Amazing Charlie.

This is entire post is probably going to sound like I’m bragging.

I am.

But seriously, with all that Charlie has been up to it’s impossible to not be proud.

I don’t even know where to begin.  How about horseback riding?

Charlie has two weeks of hippotherapy lessons under his belt and I can’t even begin to list all of the amazing benefits.  The look of pure pride and joy Charlie wears during his entire lesson is worth it alone.  There are of course some major benefits he is working towards – building core strength, balance, coordination, improvements in speech – honestly the list could go on forever.  Then there are the more subtle perks.  Like watching Henry encourage and cheer his little brother on.  And giving Charlie an activity that is special and fun and HIS.  Sure that might sound nuts, but with brothers like Henry and William, having the spotlight shine on Charlie for an hour or so is a good lesson in balance.

Another unexpected blessing is all the people who are involved in Charlie’s lessons.  There are just 3-5 kiddos per session, but it takes a whole arena full of people to make it happen.  Each person is quite simply amazing and we’ve left each session so encouraged and proud of our little guy.

Charlie drew this jack ‘o lantern un-prompted the other day at school.  AMAZING.  See how proud he is?

Then there is school.  Last week we had our fall conference for Charlie.  We simply can’t say enough about his teacher Mrs. R.  Her love and encouragement for Charlie is overwhelming and in the very best way possible.  She sees Charlie as we do and has taken the time to truly get to know and understand our child.  How he learns, his personality, his sense of humor, his strengths and his weaknesses.  And if you have a child with special needs, you understand that this is nothing short of a miracle.  She has never once taken Charlie at face value, or judged him based on any preconceived notions.  So yes, we think she is amazing.

He did this task unassisted.  It might look easy, but when you consider all of the balancing and fine-motor skills involved you’ll understand Charlie’s pleased as punch smile.

It was so much fun to learn about the work Charlie is doing alongside his *typical* peers.  Mrs. R. also pointed out that Charlie knows himself well.  He innately understands his weaknesses and instead of shying away from challenging work, he naturally seeks out the areas he needs to learn the most.  Speech, letters, words.  Fine motor skills, balancing.  Numbers, counting, value.  Of course he still leaves plenty of time for snack.

In the middle of our meeting Mrs. R. put into words a thought I’ve long been trying to capture.

“There is no doubt that Charlie is a bright little boy, but sometimes his body fails him.”

Oh, how these words are true.  I see it daily as Charlie works so hard to run, keeping up with his peers.  Or when he is trying to say something to me – I can practically see the word in his mind, but he just can’t get it to his mouth.  And as much as this breaks my heart, I am once again blown away by the endurance and strength and determination of my child.

counting after lunch…

Always, Charlie you amaze me.

And we never stop being amazed by the ways God brings people into our lives, wherever our journey takes us.  I can assure you that we can’t stop giving thanks to those who have chosen to walk alongside us as we raise up our little ones.

By summer and grace.

For an entire week the vacuum cleaner sat in the middle of the living room, unused, though certainly not for a lack of need.   I decided this must be the sign of a summer well spent.  On Saturday, Alex decided it was time to vacuum.

Bike rides, swimming with friends, wading pools and slip n slides.  Picnic lunches, playdates at the park.  Dinner with family and dinner with friends.  Tennis lessons, golf lessons.  Chocolate chip cookies and popsicles.  Quiet-times, go times.  It’s all in there.  A true summer week.  Heck, we even tossed in some horseback riding.  {Thanks Bob and Joe!}

All too often I catch myself looking towards the future rather than soaking up the present, thinking way to much about what could be, what could have been.  I wonder if this is a character flaw, all of this dreaming?  I’ve discovered a balance to my dreaming, the decision open up my hands and heart, to fully receive each day for what it is, a gift.  No matter what.

Yet even in the midst of sweetness the bitter creeps in.  It’s there and it’s real and this journey of special needs is flat-out hard sometimes.  I’m certain this is why I’ve been so reflective and wishy-washy and reserved, circling the wagons and breathing in family time like air.  The hurt comes out of nowhere and settles.  But oh the gift of a friend who knows, who gets it, who is walking this parallel life with me.  A mother who doesn’t require lengthy explanations or needs me to sugar coat feelings.  She knows my true heart, my love for my children and encourages and refreshes my spirit.  Amy, you don’t know the courage your friendship gives me.  What a gift it was to meet sweet baby {girl!} Mikayla and sit down and talk with you {in person!}  Thank you.

Again, the bitter is washed away by the sweet.  His grace is good.  Always.

Charlie.

Charlie and I enjoyed some unexpected and oh so special one on one time together.  I had a few quick errands to run and brought my little buddy with me while the other two boys stayed home with dad.

I don’t know the best way to describe Charlie right now.  His personality is blooming and his skills are coming fast and furious.  That isn’t to say we don’t deal with any delays, but somehow even though he isn’t speaking per say, we can still carry on a conversation.  I always know what he is asking me and he often leads our family in prayer before dinner.  He is a social butterfly and manages to be the favorite buddy of both Henry and William.  He shadows me closely, as I go from kitchen to laundry room, from task to task.  He is quite simply a joy.

During our afternoon together, Charlie dutifully held my hand in the parking lot, followed me closely in the grocery store and of course, he helped to carry our bags to the car. Charlie is such a helper these days.  He is always the first to clear his dishes following a meal, gets a kick out of feeding the dog, and is getting pretty darn good at helping me sort laundry.  The other day while I was cleaning up after dinner I set out the overflowing recycling bin for Henry to take to the garage.  Before Henry was able to do his chore Charlie carried the bin {I have no idea how} to the garage door and rushed back to find me while exclaiming help! help!

Last week we had Charlie’s second school conference.  It was nothing short of amazing to hear his teacher speak of all of the progress he has made over the year.  I asked his teacher Mrs. R. point-blank if this year had gone as expected.  Her response?  Charlie has far exceeded my expectations this year.  He is working at the same level as all of his first-year peers and this year has not only been a good learning experience for him, but he has been good influence for the other students as well.  She went on to say that this Montessori classroom is exactly where he should be. 

I also asked a tough question that I’d been curious about…How did the other parents initially feel about Charlie coming into a mainstream classroom?  Were there grumblings?  Mrs. R. acknowledge that there had been a few concerns expressed, but she said it has been amazing to watch the parents accept Charlie, just as their children have.  She said that many parents come into the classroom to observe their own child but they actually spend more time observing Charlie.  They can’t get over the work he is doing, his focus and accomplishments.  Needless to say, any concerns have been wiped away.  Charlie you are amazing.

As you might imagine I floated out of that conference.  I am so thankful that we decided to give a mainstream classroom a try.  And most of all I am so thankful for the blessings and encouragement of Mrs. R.  She saw Charlie’s potential and he has thrived under her guidance and I know that he will continue to do so next year.  After teaching and loving two of our children we tend think the world of her.

We had visitors the other day…Charlie loved holding baby Jack and couldn’t give him enough kisses. 

On a random note, we decided to do the neck x-ray for Charlie last week.  {It’s commonly recommended for children with DS.}  The results showed that his neck was perfectly normal and we can cross that to-do off of our list.  I had mentioned before that we were going to skip that process, but there are enough activities {gymnastics, etc.} that we would like Charlie to participate in that require it – no exceptions.  Anyhow, what really prompted us to get the x-ray done is our goal to get Charlie going in a hippotherapy program.  We have an exceptional local program and I can’t wait to see our little guy riding high on a horse.  We’ve decided to pursue this type of therapy instead of traditional speech therapy over the summer.  I realize that the connection might seem blurry, but there is some legitimate science that shows a dramatic increase in speech due to hippotherapy.  It has to do with neurons, and working both sides of the brain.  Again, I’m not the one to explain it, but I’ve seen enough positive results and want to give Charlie that opportunity.

Brothers.

{thankful for:}

6.  our three boys, each one a treasure.  watching them as they grow, learn and love together.

7. good health.  finally.

8.  alex.

9.  my mom.  she is a lifesaver.

10.  strong friendships.  newer friends and those who I’ve known since well, what was it, summer camp?

11.  meals and treats from friends and family.  nourishment = love.