this is for you, grandma

freckles

Lydia is patiently waiting for her freckles to surface. They're coming!

vacation pix-- a tad bit late

We vacation in Michigan now that we don't live in Michigan. I find that humorous. We lived there for 7+ years and rarely travelled the state. I think we were just a bit too busy with ministry, and when we had time to vacation, we wanted to get AWAY-- closer to family and friends. We did another Michigan tour this summer and had great family time.

My kids, like most, love staying in hotels. If they had a hotel available, they'd think we were on vacation regardless of where it was located. We spent some time hanging out in hotels, but had a stop with our friends. That's where I had fun taking pictures!




When Mike referenced Isaiah as Lydia's "buddy" at dinner last week, she told Mike that "she thinks she's going to marry him." They certainly make a cute couple now :)


Kilwins has dairy free ice cream!!! Yeah for Jonah!


It was the 4th of July. We had a show with some of Noah's fireworks.


That fire bomb was very dangerous :)


The real thing.

We love our friends. They're such gracious hosts (Thanks, guys!)

After Charlevoix we headed to Mackinac. Our kids love this adventure.

Thankfulness

"Stand right here, Bud, while I take your picture."

"How about if you just stand with your hands in your pockets."

"You're excited, aren't you? Show me some excitement!"

I'm so relieved. It seems like the school year is off to a great start. All summer long I planned to write a blog post about the decisions we made regarding school for Jonah, but a busy summer stopped me from sitting down to write.

I'm sure some of you remember my dilemma. The whole school day was too much for Jonah. In May I sat down with the principal and commended her for everything the school did to accommodate Jonah. "But it still wasn't enough," she said. She was right.

So I was looking to homeschool and was excited about the possibility. I think my excitement came in the form of relief. No one would be keeping a record of Jonah's wrongs. I would be around to meet his sensory needs. We could RELAX a bit with everything.

The problem was that if I removed him from school, I felt like he'd never learn to function in that environment.

A friend made a suggestion to me. Could he attend school for some of the day and homeschool for the rest? I remember my exact words to her, "That's profound."

After meetings with numerous people at the end of the year, it was official. His IEP reads that he'll attend school part-time. We determined the exact schedule a few weeks ago. He arrives at school at 8:15 after students are settled in their classroom (to avoid the chaos of the morning) and leaves at 12:15. He has reading, writing, grammar, and math at school along with recess and lunch. He comes home for history/geography and science.

After two days, I think this may be the answer to our prayers. It's going very well. We've been riding bikes to/from school which is great therapy for him. And homeschool hasn't been overwhelming at all. It's nice to know if things start to go sour at school, I can just add another subject to our home repertoire.

He has his same aide from last year. I like her. My goal is that, other than his aide, he won't be "different" from the other kids. Maybe that's asking too much. He needed to play with therapy putty during class today, and the other students wondered why they couldn't play with some too. We'll see.

For now, I'm feeling good.

And that's a really good thing.

Fishing

Jonah's been asking Mike to take him fishing. Mike's dad was a true fisherman, but the fishing genes skipped Mike and were given to Uncle Al.

We spent the day with Uncle Al, Aunt Tricia, Davy, and Jacob. Look how the boys spent their afternoon:

T

Our Lives

I get a e-newsletter every month from the S.I. Focus Magazine. Every time I read it I have one of those "Are you serious? I could have attached my name to that article" moments. Jonah is such a classic case. It just amazes me. I thought this one was worth sharing...

Is it Sensory or is it Behavior?
By Amy Bornhoft

Just when I think I have Madison figured out….Kaboom…..she changes. It is like I have read many times, you need to be a detective to understand and correctly parent a child with Sensory Processing Disorder. I had hoped that once we got through the first year or two, I would have a working knowledge of Madison and her Sensory Issues. Little did I know that not only can they change daily, but at developmental milestones, new events, new experiences, etc…..

I find myself asking, “Is this a sensory issue or just her personality/age?” When she acts out, over responds to something, or has a fit, how do I respond? For the most part I know how to react with my other children and they know what response to expect from me. Madison and I confuse each other. Sometimes when she is over reacting I know it is a sensory issue. I think back to our day and what she has experienced, what we have done, how much sleep/food she’s had. Then I look at the current situation and “Aha”, she is done…she needs a break. I then respond with understanding and empathy knowing she is just as frustrated with her response as I am. We have both recently learned when we are upset to take a deep breath and blow it out of our mouth. It often ends up in a game of who can blow the others hair the most. But it works; we both calm down and begin again. In other situations, I just don’t get it. Why is she screaming…having a breakdown…acting like this? It is morning, she slept well, she just ate, we have had little activity, everyone else is behaving, etc. So, is it sensory or behavioral? In these scenarios I mostly go with behavioral and respond as I would with the other children. At some point, soon after my reaction I ask myself, “Am I doing the right thing, Is this just typical?” It can be so exhausting!

For example, today, Madison touched a burner on the stove. Thank God it was just warming up so the wound was minor. Her reaction on the other hand was mind blowing. She screamed and cried for a good hour. I cared for her wound and then held her until she was calm. We did our breathing and bear hugs and tried diversions. She had moments where she could be consoled but they were few and far between. The moment bedtime was mentioned it began all over again, even though she had been calm at least thirty minutes. I looked at her burn and could barely see it but there was some redness so I treated it. I was sure to her it was awful and intense and she was “feeling” it more than, say I would. So, it was a sensory response, and I reacted correctly? Then why did she return to panic when bed time was mentioned? Had I fallen for it and she just milked it for all she could get? Either way, I questioned myself, but in the end, she was fine. I responded as a mom and helped my child who was hurting, no matter what.

It is also hard around others to explain or not explain why you are not responding or reacting the “accepted way” – whatever that means. Reactions to children’s behaviors vary from person to person and child to child, but everyone has an opinion even if they don’t express it. That is why it is so much easier and relaxing to be with others who know some of the issues Madison has, and have an idea why we are responding the way we are.

Sensory response or behavior, she needs me! It is my job and privilege to take are of her and teach her the best I can. She has taught me so much about so many things. She is brave, outgoing, resilient and amazing. I love who she is and who she helps me to be. She would not be the same beautiful, wonderful girl if she didn’t have Sensory Processing Disorder.

I love you Maddie, be patient with me.

AMY BORNHOFT lives in Virginia with her husband, son, and twins (boy and girl). She works for Soulcial Solutions, developing new business and Child Development Resource Center, raising awareness and funds. She also facilitates a support/resource group through Parent Connections at the Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation. She would like for readers to identify with her families experiences and realize they are not alone. She also hopes parents will open up about the positive and negative impact Sensory Processing Disorder has on their lives.

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I'm glad I'm not alone!

Couples Retreat 2010

A few weeks ago we spent some time vacationing with our small group. These people have become our family. We're very thankful for them!

I had to include the first picture. It was taken moments before a bad crash which resulted in
Mike: a bruised rib
Heath: a punctured eardrum
Me: a stiff neck


How fun to just be carefree!

Friends

I had a great time today seeing great friends at Paula's baby shower.

There will be more pictures to come on my photography blog..

She looks way too cute!

tonight

Eric and Brittany stopped by the house tonight. Lydia had just asked Mike to remove her training wheels. Eric took this video a few minutes later.

I'm not sure it's going to "stick." She's timid and still wants someone to hold the seat the whole time. We'll see what she does tomorrow!