April 23, 2011

And so the Lessards went out of Connecticut to Pennsylvania, where they sojourned for a while...

We had another fun year celebrating Passover with Susan and Jonathan (and Jeremy and Joey and even Uncle Aaron for one night).  It was super nice that this year happened to coincide with school vacation so we didn't have to cut out early and stayed an extra day on each end.  

We headed down on Sunday.  A mostly uneventful trip with the exception of too many bathroom stops (even though I swear I gave everyone like NO liquid for 24 hours!).  Josh particularly enjoyed the ride because I was playing my ipad the whole way (finally found a sudoku app I like) and so he got to listen to a book on tape.  We managed to get unpacked AND take a dip in the pool before heading over to Susan and Jonathan's for dinner and to search the house for bread crumbs to sweep into a paper bag with a feather.  The kids taught grandma and grandpa that when mommy says they are (way) below average at listening to and following directions, she's not just being humble, she actually means it.

Monday I went into the Blue Bell office for my annual visit with about 20 staff or so that I have there.  While I was gone, Josh took all 4 kids to the breakfast buffet AND swimming!  I got back in time for another swim, and then we showered and headed over for the seder.

Ok, I'm not going to lie to you, the first seder got off to a bit of a slow start.  Timothy's reading in actual hebrew this year was rather impressive of course, but the little ones were constantly up and down and up and down and up and down and I was definitely getting a bit overstimulated.  I think we caught a groove around the time dinner was served, by which time Morgan was asleep, as usual.  Jocelyn and Timothy made it through the whole seder - Jesse fell asleep in Josh's lap about 10 minutes before it was over (which was 15 seconds past midnight).

Tuesday night Josh switched my seat with the bench that Jocelyn and Jesse sit on and that was MUCH better because I didn't have to scoot my chair every time they wanted to get up or down.  We also seemed to have a somewhat better pace and certainly the kids were keeping the energy level up!  We were all having such fun at dinner that the seder actually went later than the first night, but all four kids stayed up the whole time!  (I think this may have been a first for Morgan).

After lunch on Wednesday we hung out and played basketball and sat in the sun - it was a beautiful warm day.  Susan got some great pictures, as did Jesse (who insisted on fetching his camera from my purse every time Susan got hers out).  I'm off to edit them now and will post them up later.

We made it back on Thursday with somewhat more whining but fewer bathroom stops, so we made better time.  Not sure about the trade off, it's a toss up.

April 10, 2011

Jocelyn is the tallest in her ballet class.  Doesn't really mean much right?  Well, what it means is that, in yet another example of how tall is actually a trait that biases one for success (ever met a short CEO?), she gets to be in the center for her ballet recital.  

Yesterday after her normal ballet class was the first recital rehearsal.  I really can't imagine being the teacher in charge of herding these 9 cats into something that appears to be a routine.  Makes the $20 rehearsal fee plus the $50 costume fee seem more than reasonable.

One extra cute thing from ballet class.  There was a break between the regular class and rehearsal where the girls all got to have a snack (if we brought one from home).  I had received the head's up via email earlier in the week and had thrown a granola bar into my purse.  As the teacher was excusing the girls, she explained that it was ok if they didn't have a snack because maybe their parents didn't know, and they could just bring one next week.  So Jocelyn came out to the waiting room and said to me, "Mom, next week we can bring a snack!" (insert big smile).  I whipped the granola bar out of my bag and she jumped up and down and clapped.

In other Jocelyn news, we got her report card this week.  I would summarize it as she'll be lucky to graduate kindergarten, primarily due to having the attention span of a jumping bean.  Good thing she's tall!  She just can't process anything she hears.  So she'll sit there appearing to be paying attention, and then have absolutely no recollection of what just happened and not know what she's supposed to do, so she just sits are her desk trying to remember and then doesn't finish whatever it was she was supposed to do.  I figured during my parent teacher conference I'd ask for more picture cues, but when I showed up in class there were picture schedules everywhere!  

The kids are in 4 groups and each group has its own picture schedule for the day and each kid's name is written on a clothes pin and clipped to the applicable schedule.  The there a larger picture schedule that applies to everyone in less detail.  So really, she has 2 primary ways of knowing what to do - look at the schedule, or look around and see what her friends are doing.  Also the teacher explained they pretty much do the same general things in the same general order every day.  Well geez, I can't really ask for more than that.

But the teacher was not concerned.  Despite generally being a silly heart and lolligagger, she's academically on target and keeping up fine.  I must say she's been writing a lot at home.  For example, the most recent picture of princesses that she drew had the following written on it: "I LOVE PRESASIS FurAVR AND AVR."  Yeah, the whole uppercase lowercase thing hasn't quite taken hold.

I also had Morgan's IEP meeting this week, which I was very excited about because I bought the classroom an iPad as a thank you for 6 years of wonderful service and brought it to the meeting.  They were VERY excited (several autism organizations have really gotten behind the iPad as a fantastic learning tool for kids with autism, and have even given trainings on using it and lists of which apps are the best and for what).  

He'll be moving on to the regular junior high next year, as sort of a guinea pig for a new program able to deal with his level of function.  The teacher will be one of the women that's been his para on and off over the past years and she's super, so we're pretty excited about that. 

Timothy started golf club this week, and had a dentist appt on Thursday and a school dance on Friday.  Josh, who continues to be dismayed by the skinny jean look, said he had a really hard time figuring out which kid was Timothy when picking him up from the dance because every kid was dressed exactly the same.

Jesse says he has three girlfriends.  I asked how he managed to snag 3 girlfriends, and he said he just told them they were his girlfriends.  Josh says when he picks Jesse up each day, Jesse says goodbye to each kid by name and generally plays the roll of big man on campus.

April 3, 2011

Jocelyn started combing her own hair today.  She was quite proud of herself and periodically ran off to the bathroom during the day to "freshen up".  She also watched the Kids Choice awards yesterday and kept running in to tell us who had won what.  I helped her clean her room today, which means I cleaned it myself while she picked things out of the trash and asked me why I was throwing them away.  Her room is so gorgeous when it's clean.

Jesse hasn't felt well this week.  He went to the nurse on Thursday and then Josh went and picked him up.  He had a fever which lasted until today, and became quite addicted to tylenol and advil during that time.  The saddest was during the middle of each night when he would wander either into the living room or into my bedroom. "What's wrong?" I'd ask.  "I don't know," he'd cry, and then break into tears.  He seems to be feeling better today.

I finally got around to cutting Timothy's hair today.  It had gotten quite shaggy!  Looks pretty cute I think.

And Morgan, well, Morgan managed to find and eat an entire pizza while we were sleeping.  Oy!

March 13, 2011

Today was a very special day.  Today Morgan went to his very first friend birthday party ever!  The invitation arrived home on Wednesday and I almost cried just getting it.  I called to RSVP right away and explained I would stay with him.

So today was the day.  We had to leave about 1:15, so I didn't tell Morgan until 12:45 and even that was too early since he spent the next 30 minutes asking for his coat and shoes.

We managed to find the right lanes in the zoo they call a bowling alley here - my goodness.  The kids all greeted him - "Hi Morgan!" "Gimme 5 Morgan!" "Are we going to have fun today Morgan?"  Nine other boys, all anxious to start bowling and having fun but each taking a few seconds here or there to include Morgan.

Morgan was anxious to get onto the lanes as well, and was not so good at waiting his turn.  I managed to get him into the rental shoes, which he instantly didn't like or understand, and was taking itty bitty mini steps in them, slowing down an already slow Morgan-walk.

Then came the challenge of showing him how to bowl.  Hmmmm.  I got him a ball and put his fingers in it, but he wouldn't hold it.  So I put it back onto the ball return and put his fingers in it and told him to pick it up.  Nope.  Hmmmm, ok.  I picked up the ball and walked up to the foul line and put the ball down in the middle and told him to push it hard.  He did.  ok, that worked!  I went back to get another ball and we repeated the process.  The next turn, I managed to hand him the ball and he would bowl between his legs by himself.  Progress!

After his third frame I was watching the other kids bowl (they were pretty good!) and glanced down to make sure Morgan was ok and noticed his shoes and socks were on the floor beside his feet.  Ack!  I quickly put them back on him.

After his fourth frame, the party beside us was served pizza.  Oh dear.  Now every 3 seconds he asked for pizza.  

I had him sit at a table in between turns because otherwise he wandered.  Every now and then a friend would come by to check on him.  When it was his turn, some kid or a few would say "Morgan's turn!" to him and hand me a ball while Morgan shuffled up to the foul line.

After his 9th frame the pizza was delivered.  Clearly the highlight of the party for him, he sat there happily and inhaled 3 pieces of pizza.  I gave him water, which he had to pick the ice cubes out of before drinking (oy).

Once everyone was done eating we finished up the last frame, on which he got a spare and therefore an extra throw.  After his turn he asked for more pizza and I could see from the look in his eyes he was about to walk around and eat everyone else's half eaten pizza.  I tried to get him to sit but he was fighting me.  So it seemed time to call it a day before we launched into meltdown mode.  I thanked the birthday boy's mom and grabbed his coat and shoes quickly since he was headed to the door without me.  I dragged him back to the shoe return and was changing his shoes when a few boys, including the birthday boy, came up to tell him he won the game!  I told him to say thank you and happy birthday, which he did without looking up, and we headed home.

We drove home with him reciting some tv show I didn't recognize.  A few minutes in to the drive I realized my face was wet with tears.  Was I sad to think that all these wonderful friends gave and gave and gave kindness to him, while he returned nothing, not even eye contact?  No, quite the opposite.  These children gave to him after years of learning they would get nothing back.  They greeted him and befriended him and were kind to him.  Had this been drilled into them at school?  Perhaps.  Perhaps all 9 little boys have been raised so well as to know it was the "right thing to do".  It felt like something more, something I can't put in to words that speaks to the very epitome of generosity.  And they therefore restored my faith in the goodness of humanity.  

In the end Morgan had a wonderful day.  He had looked forward to it, been excited to go out in the car, took all his turns despite the funny shoes, and came home smiley and energized from the day.  The other kids never got to see that, never got to see what a difference one can make without knowing it, never got to know that they had filled my heart and made it overflow through my eyes.

March 6, 2011

Big week this week - mostly a big negative for my bank account, but still.

First off - our carpeting was installed!  Yay!  That means that this summer will mark the first since Spike died that the living room won't smell like cat pee all summer.  Whoopee!  Oh, and this was funny.  When Morgan got home from school the new carpeting was in and the room was completely empty, so he immediately yelled "help me help me!" and started running around the room in circles.  I have no idea where that came for, but he can run for a surprisingly long time without stopping or getting out of breath.  Of course Jocelyn and Jesse had to join in so there's a circular rut in the carpet now, but no matter.

Second, and I blame this on Uncle Jeff (aka Uncle Jebbs), we got an xbox 360 with Kinect.  It's pretty awesome!  Ok, it's made by microsoft and has the accompanying irritations, but if you can learn to just expect that part, then it's pretty awesome.  As I always say, the secret to happiness is low expectations.

The best part about the xbox is that because it doesn't need a remote, Morgan can do many of the games.  For a few I've had to stand behind him and hold his hands in the right spots to teach him, but he's mostly got the hang of it.  He's especially fond of Reflex Ridge, which is where you're on a rail going through an obstacle course.  He doesn't understand that you're supposed to AVOID the obstacles, so he hits them on purpose, but hey - exercise is exercise.

Timothy's favorite, of course, is Dance Central.  He's a bit competitive (wonder where he gets that from?!) so I catch him practicing the various songs from time to time and then he challenges me to a dance battle.  Being at least marginally smarter than the average bear, I just make sure to choose songs he hasn't practiced.  Even still, we're roughly an even match and I can mostly hold my own.  I'd like to think neither of us looks quite as comical as Jocelyn and Jesse, who are downright hysterical.

Both Morgan and Jocelyn have xbox 360 and Dance Central in their gym classes. Jocelyn says they takes turns getting to be at the front and the rest of the class stands behind and all do it together.  Jocelyn said when she got to be in front, she did Brick House, which happens to be Morgan's favorite.  Jocelyn is constantly surprised that she doesn't beat me.  I will say she tries REALLY hard and often does a fairly good job.  Jesse can't quite keep a beat.

This week at ballet class the parents got to go in and watch (usually we're in a separate waiting room).  With the exception of the warm up time when Jocelyn did a little too much chatting, she did a pretty good job of paying attention and trying to do what the teachers are doing.  She's clearly a visual learner and does much better imitating (like in Dance Central) vs. following oral instructions.  At times she can be rather graceful.  At the very least she looks really super cute in the leotard!

I was listening to Temple Grandin speak on NPR on the ride home one day this week.  I guess she would be the extreme of a visual learner, going as far as being a visual thinker.  Until I watched the movie, I didn't really realize that not everyone thinks in pictures.

February 12, 2011

I have read before that spoiling your kids means giving them things when you don't want to give them, where as when you give them lots of stuff because you want to, that's not spoiling.  Maybe true, maybe not, but if that's the definition, it's just not possible for me to spoil these kids, because it is so much fun to buy them things or take them places.

Josh called a dance studio this week to find out about signing Jocelyn up for ballet class.  They said we were welcome to come this morning and try a class out for free and then register if it turned out to be something she liked.  So last night I put out tights, a leotard, and the new ballet slippers that Jocelyn got for her birthday from Susan and Jonathan.  This morning she got dressed and I put her hair in a bun and off we went.

She vibrated out of excitement the whole way there.  We went inside and she went straight in.  There were hoola-hoops all over for the kids to play with while the class was gathering.  Jocelyn is quite good with a hoola-hoop and was happy to show off. The class was about up through kindergarten age, so she was on the older side (and definitely the taller side!).  It was a really comfortable place - the kids wore various styles of Target brand tutus (another place we had called required black leotards and pink tights, but this was more casual).  The owners were super nice.  The class was very kid-centric.  Jocelyn had SO much fun.  

On the way home, she jittered on about how she wanted to go back every day.  She finally sighed and said "it was just the awesomest day EVER."  So she is now registered for Saturday morning pre-ballet classes and has 2 new leotards and 2 pairs of tights on the way from Target.com.  She may not have any particular natural talent, but boy does she look the part with long skinny legs and a bun in her hair.

In other Jocelyn news, I was explaining to her this week that I was not going to be able to attend her Valentine's Day party at school.

Jocelyn: you have to work?

me: yes

Jocelyn: do you just like to work EVERY day?

me: well, I don't LIKE to work every day.

Jocelyn: then why do you sign up?

Josh also signed Jesse up for Little Kickers soccer this week.  Last time he pretty much just sat on the sidelines and didn't participate, but according to him, he's all about soccer now.  He did ask if it's ok to take the ball away from someone if it's during a game, which I thought was just too cute.

The snow and icicles are finally all off the house, which means we have something like an extra 4 feet of snow in a circle around the house.  I don't remember if I also mentioned that our dishwasher exploded a few weeks back, but we finally got someone out here to replace that as well.  And in another home renovation note, we are FINALLY replacing the carpet in the family room.  Spike peed on it before he died a couple years past and despite my best cleaning efforts and every urine-away product known to man, it still smells every summer when it gets humid.  So the goal was to replace it before we hit another summer.  I looked around for the most stain resistant carpet I could find and found some stainmaster on special at Lowe's.  It's ordered and they should be out here beginning of March.

Everyone is coming next weekend for February birthdays and we have tentative plans to go duck pin bowling in Manchester, but the alley has had some roof leaks and so we have to call Monday to make sure they'll be open (or if the roof has caved in, which is surprisingly common around here).

February 5, 2011

What an eventful week!  Our one room leaking ceiling expanded to 3 rooms leaking and it took us until Thursday to get someone out here to get the 4 feet of snow off the roof (and I won't even tell you what it cost us!  oy the laws of supply and demand).  But 2 1/2 days of 2-4 guys at a time later and we're definitely snow free and not quite ice-free.  And leak free too!  The head guy is coming back with some kind of heat gun for the rest of the ice.  

While 1-2 senior guys were up on the roof at a time, there were two 18 year old kids with shovels doing the deck, the walk, and carving out the mailbox.  The mail lady was very pleased and we were able to take the hold off our mail.  This is rough snow though, mostly ice at this point, at least the first several inches down, so those kids were working pretty hard.

So anyway, Friday was Jocelyn's birthday.  I left her baby bunk beds in her room so she could get them when she first woke up.  We had planned to have a dinner party and then for the two of us to have a sleepover in my room.  When she walked in the door from school at noon she screamed "but where at the balloons?!" and started crying.  oyoyoy.  Finally talked her down and she ended up in a better mood for the rest of the afternoon until the festivities began.  Once we were in party mode she was all giggles and smiles.

We all nibbled on fruit from an edible arrangement that came with a princess crown and then opened presents.  She got 5 barbies in all - 3 knock off imitation barbies that came with lots of spare dresses, 1 princess from princess and the frog, and 1 quite done up Belle.  Then a set of princess crayons.  Then we had the dinner she requested:  meat, perogies, and salad.  She's crazy about salad.  Maybe she's just crazy period.

Then it was time for our girl sleepover.  First - a bubble bath with bubbly grape juice in champagne glasses.  I told her about the day she was born.  I said how I was screaming and yelling and she asked why:

me: because it hurts when you have a baby

Jocelyn: oh yeah, I saw a picture of Auntie Mandy screaming when she was having a baby

me: well it didn't hurt me as much as Auntie Mandy because I had some medicine to make it not as bad

Jocelyn: why didn't Auntie Mandy have medicine?

me: because Auntie Mandy is one tough lady

Jocelyn: does she wrestle?

Then I braided her hair while we watched this week's episode of Teen Mom 2 and then did her nails while we watched this week's episode of I Used to be Fat.  Then we fell asleep to Time Traveler's Wife.  Josh slept in Timothy's room, and so did Jesse, so they had their own little sleepover.

Today was Jocelyn's party at Chuck E. Cheese's.  We had our 4 kids plus 6 friends (2 boys and 4 girls).  The first hour where the kids just ran off and played the whole time was super!  Morgan loves this motion coaster they have - these reclining seats thing that shake and move like a roller coaster while you watch a video of a roller coaster.  I like it ok, but was dizzy when I stood up!  

When it was time to sit for pizza Jocelyn started freaking out about Chuck E. coming out and by the time he did she was pretty much hysterical.  Then he left and she ate her pizza and cake.  

The real fun was the ticket blaster.  She was wearing a dress so the hostess handed me a velcro belt to put around her to keep her dress from flying up.  Then she got safety glasses and was wearing her blow up crown and in she went.  Then the air goes on and the tickets start going all around and she grabs all she can.  It was hilarious and she really loved it.

So we're exhausted but she's happy and had a great birthday, so yay.