October 2012

So October is in full swing...and, as usual, so are we. Life has been so hectic around here lately, and it seems the harder I try to keep up, the more things go haywire and leave me further behind. Yesterday was one of those days. I got locked out of my car while pumping gas, making me over an hour late to pick up the kids...Then, less than a minute after leaving the school parking lot, my car got slammed into from behind. Days like these make it hard to slow down and just enjoy life. And usually I make an effort...especially this time of year. This has always been my favorite time of year. The shift of the seasons, the football, the food, the smell of apple cinnamon and pumpkin candles burning, and the anticipation of everything to come...Its a great time of year, and it holds the promise of so much to look forward to.

 We've been pretty busy around here. We've had birthday parties for the past 3 weekends in a row. One of those was Mason's.


 


My little guy turned 6 this year, and we celebrated it with a dino party.

 

He's into all the things you would expect. Just one look through the mountain of gifts tells me just how much he's growing up... Buzz and Woody have been replaced with light sabers and dart guns, and Little People sets are traded out for Hot Wheels and Angry Birds. My guy is getting big....fast. He is loving Kindergarten and all the glory that comes from being the "big kids" of the school.

 


Maddie is enjoying preschool, and has adapted well to the ever-changing parade of therapists she now sees. We recently had our second IEP. to discuss the findings from her re-evaluation. This time around, she qualified for both PT and OT, which was a huge victory for us. The downside is she only gets 7 minutes per week! LOL This translates to a once-a-month check in for about 30 minutes from PT and OT. So basically, they are tracking her...Period. I'm still glad for the extra eyes on her, even at such a minimum. Our schedule is nuts, so really, unless the therapies would have occurred within her school, I'm not sure how we could have fit anymore in. Between APE, swimming, hippotherapy, and Mason's soccer schedule, we are pretty booked up. This weekend Maddie will ride in her 2nd Garden Party at Summer Grove Farms...a huge fundraiser for New Heights Therapeutic Riding Center. This week I saw the invitations that went out to hundreds of people...

 


Crazy, huh?!

 I couldn't be more proud of this little girl. I love that people remember her more for her personality than anything else. She is such an amazing example of all the incredible kids out there making the most of the hand they were dealt. October means alot of things to alot of people, but for us it is Spina Bifida Awareness month. And although most of the time I try to keep the special needs stuff pretty low-key, during this month I do my best to let people see that side of us. Mainly because these kids are amazing, and they work so very hard to do the things most of us take for granted, yet often their needs don't get the attention that other special needs get. And because of the lack of information out there, people also have a lack of understanding about what SB is and what it means. Many of my friends have been posting tidbits of SB information every day this month, to better educate others....and I wish I could do the same. Instead I will recommend checking out http://www.spinabifidaassociation.org and, as always, feel free to ask me! We really are just a normal family, with a little extra on our plates...Extra challenges, extra worries, extra fears, as well as extra triumphs, extra joys, extra blessings, and extra appreciation for what really matters in life. Those who really know us can tell you, our family is not defined by SB, and neither is Maddie. She is known more for her sassy cowboy boots, than the little pink braces she wears beneath them. And that suits us just fine.