Kyle Deserves a Medal

Bryce and Kyle have grown up together. They have been friends since birth. Only three months separate them, although you couldn't tell because Kyle over towers Bryce by a good foot. As they've grown, Bryce has had a lot of questions about Kyle. Kyle is autistic and finds interest in things other kids could care less about, like wire whisks. Bryce asks why he jumps and screams when he's watching TV. We tell him it is because he is excited and happy. Well now when my kids are excited about something on TV they jump and flap their hands too! It is neat to see the interaction between kids and how they pick up each others habits.

When Bryce started asking a lot of questions about Kyle (around 3 years old), Katie suggested we explain to him why he is different and how he learns. He has Fragile X, as well as autism so we tell Bryce that God made the X in his brain different then the X in Bryce's brain. It goes well. Bryce seems to understand and respect Kyle's boundaries.

Not to say it is always easy. If you are Kyle's friend expect to watch A LOT of Dora (it is his favorite show) watch your water (it will be dumped out), and watch your back (if you are in his space-you may get pushed). Since Bryce and Leah have been raised around Kyle, they have come to expect certain behaviors he has. For a while, whenever Kyle would do something a little out of the ordinary Bryce would make an X with his fingers and would proudly say, "I know, I know....his X is different."

There are definite bonuses to being Kyle's friend too! His diet consists mostly of chips, Cheetos and Starbursts. The really good stuff. Well, he doesn't seem to mind sharing and my kids love to eat up the cheesy chips and candy.

Katie called yesterday to share the exciting news that they had made a breakthrough with therapy. They got Kyle to eat an apple!! It is hard to get any kid to eat an apple, so for Kyle, it was a miracle. It reassured Katie that therapy was working. Such a small gesture but such a big milestone!!

I was excited and was telling Bobby today about Kyle's progress in the car. Bryce was in the back playing and I did not think he was listening, when all of a sudden he asked in total surprise, "Kyle actually ate an apple?!?!"

I said, "Yes, he worked really hard and he ate an apple!"

Bryce said, "Oh. My. Gosh!! He deserves a medal. I will make him one. Oh and Mom...I am going to give him a water bottle cap too, I know how he likes those! A soft one though, cuz I don't want him to hurt himself when he puts it in his mouth."

Sometimes you wonder why God would want to make some children different. Why he would give some people a challenge such as eating an apple, but really Kyle teaches us so much about patience, compassion and being carefree. It's no wonder God puts kids like Kyle into our hands. It is really for our own good, not his!

It Spilt By Itself

The face no one can stay mad at!

Leah is notorious for spilling EVERYTHING she has. At breakfast she spills the milk in her cereal. At lunch she spills her juice. If there is a straw she squeezes too hard and the contents come out. She smears ketchup from her nuggets all over the table. I think it gets on her hands and then she manages to touch everything. Even spill proof cups have nothing on this spiller! She leans them on the couch and sure enough, when I go to pick it up there is a round, wet spot underneath.

If there is a cup of water, she finds it and spills it. To cut down on the mess, I tell her no walking around and drinking. Like most kids, when she walks and drinks she is unaware that her cup is tilted and spilling with every tiny little step. I tell her to stay at the table. It doesn't matter, she will knock the cup over, but at least it is more manageable to clean up on tile.

She spills so frequently it is hard not to get frustrated when you can follow the trail of where she has been that day. Let's just say paper towels get used in our household. I usually let out a frustrated sigh. She has come to expect this sign of disappointment. She has built up her defense, and it is a good one, especially when a girl as cute as her says it!

Even before I see the spill,

as I turn the corner,

right before I sigh she says,

"MOM, I didn't spill it...

it spilt by itself!"

It is hard to stay mad at a defense as cute as that!

Sometimes You Can't Escape

Yesterday, after I got Bryce off to school, I decided to put on Imagination Movers for Leah and sneak upstairs and lay down for a second. She really likes that show so I knew I had at least 10 minutes before she came upstairs. I used to watch the morning shows before I had kids. I thought I would relax and watch Regis and Kelly to see which star was promoting what. I turn it on and guess who was on there?

That's right! I can't escape even for a second. There on the show, was the Imagination Movers, singing and dancing, "Jump UP!, get down!, turn around, turn around, turn around!!!" What kind of crap is this!? I get ten minutes to sneak in a morning show and it is the same crap Leah is watching downstairs!

.com

I was playing on the computer and Leah walks over and starts hitting the screen and saying, ".com, .com, .com, .com!"

I was like, "What are you saying???"

Bryce said, "She's saying .com, you know, like Icarly.com?"

She says, "Yeah like Freddy." This is a character from this computer based Nickelodeon show.

It was so funny to hear a two year old saying .com and knowing it related to the computer. It sure is different than when I grew up. See...kids can learn things from watching TV....it's not ALL bad!!

T-Ball Comes to an End

We have finished our first season of baseball. When we told Bryce he was so upset and cried. He doesn't want to stop playing, which I'm sure melted a spot in Bobby's heart. I felt bad he was so sad, I understand. I was the one who cried every school year as it ended because I didn't want anything to change.

I am looking forward to the summer off but there are several things I'll miss about Bryce playing...

He wakes up on game days and loves putting on his uniform. He usually fights us to get ready for school in the morning, but for T-ball he practically dresses himself. I love that he is so enthusiastic about suiting up.

Before he goes up to hit the ball he looks to me and smiles, just to make sure I'm watching. I give him a thumbs up and he gives a thumbs up back.

He slides home every time, even though no one is close to throwing him out. I can't believe his pants made it through the season!

I will miss cleaning his uniform. For some reason it poses a great challenge to get out the dirt and grass stains. It was rewarding to see how white I could keep them.

I will miss snack time after the game. I think this was the highlight for most kids.

I won't get to see Bobby coach. He is so patient and good with Bryce, but it was fun to see how great he was with other people's kids.

I will miss our team too!! We had a great group of kids and parents and I know we won't all be together next year. Just when you start getting close and comfortable with everyone, the season is over.

I will miss watching our kids tackle each other. They never really got the concept of staying in the area of their position. It was funny to watch.

Although I will miss all these things, I am looking forward to free weekends. Till next season anyway....

Our Family Vacation

After Bobby and I went on our vacation, the kids expressed how upset they were. As soon as we got in the car, Bryce said, "Next time you go on vacation, you better sneak me with you." The next morning at breakfast Leah wouldn't eat and she crossed her arms. I asked what was wrong and she said, "I don't want you to go on vacation." Part of me felt extremely guilty but part of me was filled with happiness that they missed us. We promised them that they would be going on our next vacation. That seemed to make them happy.

Our next vacation was a family trip to Lake Mead. We were meeting up with my parents and my brothers, Emmir and Dane and my sister-in-law, Ashlie. It had been a while since we made it to the lake and it had been a while since we visited my brothers, so we were excited to get a move on. The whole drive the kids would ask, "When are we getting to our vacation?"

We spent the first night at my brother's house and then camped the second night on the boat. The last two nights of our stay we got a hotel so we could get comfortable after boating all day.

Emmir and Ashlie have a beautiful puppy, Jo-Jo, that Bryce took to. He really turned into the dog whisperer and thought he was training her. Once when Ashlie was trying to get Jo-Jo to do something Bryce asked her, "Ashlie, do you need me to come there and do it?" I think Jo-Jo took a liking to him also. She would wait at the bottom of the stairs, patiently waiting for Bryce to come play with her.

My dad has a boat that is really gorgeous and has all the bells and whistles. It is his first brand spankin' new boat and we all are lucky enough to use it. The first day we get there and we are setting everything up. We are sweating to death getting everything on board. My dad fires up the air conditioner in the cabin and we all go in there to cool off. We had the cabin at 68 degrees and were loving every minute of it!! I asked my dad, "How did you guys used to boat and camp with four kids, in the heat?" He looked at me and said, "We are just so spoiled now!" It's true. Of course as a kid, the heat never effects you, but my parents must have had to sacrifice their own comfort to give us thess amazing types of experiences.

I was thinking about my kids and how they are growing up in this different kind of luxury and I wonder if they will ever come to appreciate how "spoiled" we really are. I almost think Bobby and I will have to go and take them camping, roughin' it style, just so they know and understand. There is something about the water that is relaxing. The smell of the lake, boat engines, sunblock, even the dock bathrooms take me back to happy times in my childhood. I hope that Bryce and Leah are soaking it all in. These really are special times we get to spend together.