{this moment}

{look hard, there is a flying object}

My Neil

This little guy.

This is the 2013 version of Neil Armstrong.

Little Man accepted the award for Famous Astronaut in the Famous Americans Play in school today.

No nerves.  Just smiles.

I love this kid.

We found the costume online for cheaper than I could make one.  Little Man, against all comments of "you can wear that for Halloween", has informed me, "We don't wear bought costumes for Halloween, we MAKE them."

I've taught him well.

Perhaps too well.

Neil appears at the 31 second mark, unfortunately this presenter is very hard to hear.

My Bracket

If you know anything about me, you know how I've never been a basketball fan. Neither professional, nor collegiate. I think it may be a Buffalo thing. We are more of a cold weather town with hockey and football being the sports of choice. It obviously has much to do with our lack of big name college basketball teams in the area and no major league basketball team in the area.

If basketball was the only thing on TV, the TV would turn off.

This all changed last year. At the office, we did a NCAA Basketball bracket on CBS Sports.

I was hooked. This year, without an "office", I made my own bracket and invited family to join.

It is now 11:24 pm on Sunday night and I'm SO tired, but I have to watch this game! After a disappointing Illinois loss to Miami, my hopes for a Duke win are high.

Frankly, I feel a bit ridiculous. Perhaps I will just go to bed.

Duke is ahead.

Sleep is important.

My bracket is too.

Sleep.

Basketball.

Slumber.

What happened to me?

Only a couple more minutes.

Open Book

 

One thing that bugs me about blogs is when life is perfect for the blogger.

Life is never perfect. As a reader, I want the joys and the heartache.

Today, I'm here to tell you about both of mine these past couple weeks.

Big Boy said it was okay for me to write about this today. He doesn't feel any different, so not even sure of my question.

In February, as a result of BB's IEP preparation, we met with a Nueropyschologist to work with Sam for nearly six hours over two days. She tested, talked, questioned, and became confused and charmed by our boy.

Two weeks ago, we got a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome for our son.

This is not shocking to me, as I often questioned the ADHD diagnosis that was made by a doctor that believed everything that came from BB's mouth was honest. I still cringe at the mention of his name.

The joy I share with you today is immense. We have so much more support with an Autism diagnosis than we did with an ADHD diagnosis. I am joyful that when BB behaves undesirably, I am a bit more patient and understanding. I am very grateful for my patience. It's come in handy the weeks following the diagnosis, so many left messages and emails, so much waiting.

And this of course holds a bit of heartbreak as well. I wanted the best for my boy. I didn't want him to have to struggle. I wanted him to always fit in and be the "cool" kid. I wanted him to be willing to try anything.

Don't get me wrong, I know he can do many things. With the additional services he is now receiving, he will show me that all my dreams for him will not only come true, but I will be astounded with what he will accomplish.

Stitching Away

I must write more here. I definitely miss the routine of sharing little parts of my life here.

With every stitch on this Alphabet Sampler, I think of my great grandmother, Ghee. She was always stitching something. I've talked about her often in this blog. She was so talented and resourceful. My Mom tells me stories of Ghee tearing old wool coats in strips to make her hooked rugs.

I guess you could say she was recycling before it was cool.

A special Happy Birthday to my Mom today. I love you!

{this moment}

The Trip That Launched a Thousand Dreams

Last week, my husband and I woke our kids at six a.m. and took them to Florida.

We visited LegoLand and Walt Disney World.

We explored. We discovered. We ate.

We had meltdowns. We had timeouts. We had frustrations.

We laughed. We encouraged each other. And we celebrated our family.

It was the most amazing week we have had as a family, ever. You see, we've struggled. We have struggled with money and time and opportunity. After 13 years of marriage, lost jobs, relocations, two beautiful baby boys, a husband in college for a total career change, we finally had the opportunity.

And it was the best opportunity.

This trip has made me realize how important vacations are to one's well-being. This was the very first vacation (other than camping) that we have gone on as a family. Hotel life and eating out every meal is so rewarding. It rejuvenated me.

But now, I want more. The boys want more. Tom wants more, minus the airplane. He is much more relaxed in a car.

I have a thousand ideas of where to vacation next. It's important for us as individuals and as a family. It creates memories and ties us together.

Those thousand dreams start now.