safely home

at 09/14/09 4:32PM

My son-in-law is back from Iraq, but only on leave. They will all be leaving here on Sunday to return to Texas.

So glad he has some time in the states. So thankful he is safe!

by aleta at 09/14/09 5:10PM
YEAH HE IS HOME !!!!!!!

by tpalevich at 09/15/09 7:32AM
How long is his leave? I'm glad he's back!

by holly_ann at 09/15/09 11:18AM
Hope he has a good long leave. I don't know Paul Blake but I hope you get the chance to go hear Dad. I'm undoubtedly prejudiced, but I do think he does a good job! :)

by themother at 09/16/09 1:30PM

It's Brettrby's birthday!!!

at 09/06/09 6:47AM *

Brett is three years old today. He got a musical card a couple days ago and was soon "singing" the birthday song. He picks up tunes so easily. His words are getting clearer. He was singing "Elmo's World" yesterday.

Tuesday - ok so I am a couple days late getting his picture on here.

:)

by split_rock at 09/06/09 7:10AM
and today he has been signing the birthday song over and over!!!!!!!

by tpalevich at 09/06/09 11:30AM
Yay for birthdays! Beth decided to close this account on pleo. She is on facebook and has lots of pictures there, which I appreciate. They are doing ok.

by tucksmom at 09/06/09 4:25PM
Hi. : ) I'm doing okay. How about yourself?

by singforjoy at 09/07/09 2:48PM
Its so good to hear about his progress.

by linda_g at 09/08/09 7:30AM
You're still with me. :)

by alp1926 at 09/08/09 4:53PM
I like your quote. And I love the picture - those little cheeks need to be kissed alot.

by linda_g at 09/08/09 7:10PM

Books by Brothers and Sisters in Christ

at 08/31/09 7:58AM *

Curlie just gave me an idea for a new post by wishing there were more books written by our brothers and sisters in Christ. For my part, I am thinking not about commentaries, etc. Those are out there. But a lot of Christians have had experiences that would be interesting and helpful, if shared.... (even if used as a basis for fiction). I know there are some biographies, etc., out there. Please share any info you have on any such books. (wow... I am NOT communicating my thoughts well this morning. If you feel as we do, you may understand my thoughts anyway.) Does anyone remember when true loves stories (like Aleta's) were posted here? It was so much fun. And Martha's grandmother's journal. I love things like that! I have always loved reading about families that adopted lots of kids. How much better if there had been the added element of bringing them up in the "nurture and admonition of the Lord". So many things I have thought SOMEONE must have walked this road before if only I knew... Another area is the "Why I left .....(insert denomination)" type books which would be helpful when trying to teach others.

Update- I was just checking out such books and found a book I had heard was in process, then forgot about. David Lanphear and Wilson Adams wrote a book "A Life Lost... and Found". David is now an elder at the same congregation where I met him in 1972. I was a junior at Western, fresh from FC, and thrilled to find a great group of (mostly local) young people at West End. When I, on impulse, detoured through Bowling Green in 2003, I searched the phone book for long-lost friends. Then it dawned on me to check the yellow pages to see if David had "made it". Oh, how I hollered when I found the full page ad! And now he is not only an attorney, but a published author. LOL

And on another subject - I have forgotten what little I once knew about linking so if you would kindly just go to my friends list and click on Scott and Shannon to read the latest there. There are several families in area churches whose children attend school in the district under discussion.

You might enjoy reading Marlene Smelser's story, told by her husband after her death -- It's Just Been Glorious.

by split_rock at 08/31/09 9:06AM
Oooh! I have that one on my wish list and just need to order it sometime. I have been using the library mostly for my book reading, since we have to buy the kids' school books. ;) Another good one I've heard of is Just Get a Ham, which was written by a woman who was a preacher's wife in the Church; apparently it's really funny. :D

by curlie at 08/31/09 9:40AM
Thank you for posting this; I'm always looking for good books to read!

by mladyman at 09/01/09 4:44AM
Here's another you might enjoy -- I have it but haven't had time to read it yet. In fact, there are several books from Spiritbuilding Publishing that you might enjoy.

by split_rock at 09/01/09 5:37AM
The story about that school district is really sad. Keep us updated!

by holly_ann at 09/02/09 4:16PM
Thanks for the tip... I hadn't heard of that one. I went to their website and it shows they are open weekends in Sept/Oct (if its the same one you are talking about). We may not be in the 1700's before winter, so I may still wait until spring to go... but we will definetly make a trip there. Just reading up on the website, it looks very intersting. Thanks.

by jenancar85 at 09/05/09 9:20AM
I would love to see what you have for history. Maybe we can try to get together in the next month or so...
thanks..

by jenancar85 at 09/05/09 9:24AM
School is going great. Sad for me but great for my girls!

by cdillman23 at 09/05/09 5:46PM

quiet evening

at 08/15/09 9:50PM

I am currently sitting by an open window, listening to the crickets and thinking back on the afternoon. Alicia and I have had Brett the biggest part of the day, while Tris took Thomas and Abby to a birthday party at a park with a lake.

We started with a brief stop at the library, where he played quietly at on of those bead on wire blocks (Is there a name for them?) and unknowingly reminded me to search for books on autism. Opening the second one randomly, the first paragraph talked about praying for guidance! Yes!!!!)

After much discussion, Alicia and I finally decided to go to the Rainforest at the Cleveland Zoo. I was not sure how much Brett would enjoy it, but knew I could always take him outside if he didn't.... HE DID!!! Then we got done at what we thought was closing time for the zoo, only to discover we had two more hours! We took the tram to the aquatics and primates building and spent the whole time there. It was so different from our usual visits, having lots of people trying to keep track of each other and trying to see everything in one day. Zoo passes are such a wonderful idea! (An awesome gift for a young family!)

In the car, I made up a song for Brett, who loves it when I write his name on his drawings and spell it aloud... (tune: Bingo)
There is a boy with big blue eyes and Brett is his name.... B-R-E-T-T...etc.
Then I'd add other verses like "with a big smile" or "who loves the zoo". He loved it!

One other time at one of the zoos, when he was approaching meltdown, I started walking my fingers up his leg and ad libbing, "I'm starting at your toes and climbing up to your knees... and your belly...and your nose." Should have known better! I was stuck doing it for probably half an eternity! (Oh, I remember now, Tris had taken Thomas to the first aid station to get a splinter out!) He laughed so hard and there was an older gentleman on the other end od the bench who must have gotten awfully tired of hearing it!

This has really been a learning experience for a Grandma who is used to kids who were practically born talking!

You're a good grandmother!

by aleta at 08/15/09 10:16PM
You are making good memories! Good for you, being such a good and patient grandma!

by mladyman at 08/16/09 8:18AM
Glad you all had such a good time. It's nice to visit with grandchildren and have some quality time with them.

by w3jl at 08/16/09 9:50AM
thats cute

by sissy12 at 08/17/09 1:08PM
Sounds like you had fun! Probably nice to have a little one-on-one time...

by masschaos5 at 08/17/09 4:09PM
Hi. Thanks for the advice I really appreciate it.

by dawsonlover10 at 08/17/09 7:16PM
What a special grandma you are!

by linda_g at 08/18/09 12:16AM
One-on-one time is always so special! And I can't imagine someone getting tired of hearing a happy child laughing!

by themother at 08/18/09 12:09PM
Yes, Lois Glass.

by split_rock at 08/19/09 3:10PM
Hi Mary Jo... we are doing ok, just a little hot. Our a/c is out, so it's been quite uncomfortable around here lately. Enjoying the cool mornings and evenings though. I'm just getting stuff ready to start school here in a couple weeks. Kids are doing great (they are staying cool with the small pool and slip n slide we have in the back yard). How are you?

by jenancar85 at 08/20/09 6:37PM
I took my grandkids there last year and they had such a good time. They both want to go back

by friedaj at 08/22/09 8:33AM
That would be great but I really don't think I will have the boys this year while I can still take them. Maybe in the spring.

by friedaj at 08/24/09 9:36AM
What a great day at the zoo! And sounds like a lovely evening. Cute song :)

by holly_ann at 08/24/09 11:17PM
I just read your post on my page ... I am so sorry it has taken me so very long to get back to you. I am sure that I have missed a great deal of opportunity to be of help. But if you still have questions that you would like to ask about autism that I can answer, I would be more than happy to help. I will do my best to remember to check my pleo page more often...I am a much bigger Facebook fan and had forgotten about Pleo for a while. I will do better! Love your grandmother story above --I had read it on the Autism group first.

by stefferweffer at 08/26/09 12:36PM
First, if we are going to be chatting, I'd like you to know my name is Stephanie. You should know too, that my son Justin is on the severe side of the spectrum, will likely never be able to speak on his own, nor be able to care for himself. I've accepted these things long ago, but I wanted you to know where I am coming from. I will tell you some of the books that I have read, but it has been a very long time ago that I have read them, so I do not know if I would "recommend" them per say, I think each of them had their usefulness in some ways. I have yet to read Ms. McCarthy's book. OK: there are a series of mini-books by Kathy Labosh with various titles all that start with "The Child with Autism..." does something like "Goes to Town" or "at Home" or "Goes on Vacation". There are several. There is even one on "Learns the Faith", though I think that has a decidedly Catholic flavor, and one on going to Disney World! This is a neat little series on very practical tips on how to SURVIVE each of these experiences with an autistic child. I believe they can only be purchased on-line through www.laboshpublishing.com.
I have also read also read "1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders" by Veronica Zysk and Ellen Notbohm...you should be able to find that one pretty much at any major book store I think, but Amazon also has it. I've also read "Toilet Training for Individuals with Autism or Other Developmental Issues", 2nd Edition by Maria Wheeler. Unfortunately, my son is not yet toilet trained. He seems completely oblivious to that function. I also read "Let Me Hear Your Voice: A Family's Triumph over Autism" by Catherine Maurice, a compelling tale about the ABA approach (Applied Behavior Analysis, in its early years). Unfortunately our son was not able to get much of that.

Well, that's a lot right there, isn't it? I've read quite a bit over the years (my son is 9 now). Maybe you have read some of that already...maybe your daughter already has. I would certainly recommend at least the Labosh guides..they're relatively inexpensive, I think they are going out of print too soon, and they are very practical. I like practical. It's a lot more handy.

As for the stroller you mentioned in your post--that was an issue for us as well. It is a major safety issue too. Note, Justin is not very good at "listening" or "minding" per say when he gets his mind set on something and if we're in a crowded place or on a street--not a good idea to not have constant control over him. HE HAS A STROLLER. How? We have a disability stroller for him. It will fit until he is over 100 lbs! Then we may have to get another. This is because he qualifies for medicaid and through our insurance and medicaid and with the help of his therapists we were able to procure him a disability stroller. This was most definitely not something we could have done on our own, but we thank heaven above that God led us to be able to get this! Without it we would be in a much more dangerous situation with him. Now we can take family outings in safety. He might still get antsy and upset (which we do not ignore by any means), but he is safe! He likes his stroller though! He hops right in, when we say, "Justin, do you want a ride?" Something to think about as your grandson gets older. I don't know if he can qualify for medicaid or not in his home State, but perhaps his insurance would be willing to help with the cost of a disability stroller. But his therapists (assuming he has them) would have to make a medical case for the need.

Let me know if you have further questions...obviously I enjoy taking time to answer them!

by stefferweffer at 08/27/09 8:39AM
I just remembered...The Chapman name sounds familiar, but I do not recall them specifically. I have only been to the Norfolk area once. I ALSO have a ROTTEN memory. Both short term and long term, so that doesn't help either, unfortunately. If you are ever in the mood for a visit to VA again, feel free to drop by our city of Rke! Love to meet you!

by stefferweffer at 08/27/09 8:45AM

08/06/09 5:12PM

I miss those who have defected, but I have no desire to go to facebook!

:-) I have both but I like pleo better!

by butterfly at 08/06/09 5:14PM
Me neither :-)

by gorfad at 08/06/09 5:21PM
Yeah, I had to cancel my gold too. Sad face. : (

by singforjoy at 08/06/09 9:06PM
I like Pleo better

by linda_g at 08/07/09 12:09AM
I like Pleonast better -- I'm still learning my way around Facebook, but I don't think I'll change my mind.

by themother at 08/08/09 5:00PM