Mother's Day...

What a nice day it was! Flowers, hugs, handmade gifts and a book... what more could a girl ask for?! The day began with Lowell's first t-ball game. He is on the St. David's Cubs Miracle League team. He was the team captain for the first game. Go Lowell!!What a slugger! With Bobo by his side, it was a very fun morning.
The afternoon was spent with Nana and Bobo. We had a great grilled meal and took a walk through their neighborhood looking at all the flowers. What a lovely day!

Spring has sprung!

We are overjoyed with the wonderful spring weather we've been having!The kids planted their seeds last week. We start them indoors and then plant them into the garden when they're ready.So once the seeds starting growing, we began preparing the garden. We turned over the soil and made the garden a bit bigger.Can't wait for planting day!

We're continually amazed by Lowell's comprehension and vocabulary! He seems to understand what we're asking and wants to know more and more about the world around him. In the next post I'll tell you all about the Miracle League baseball team he's on...the St. David's Cubs!

Wishing for spring....

The weather has been gorgeous here the last few days and we've taken every opportunity to get outside with the kids and enjoy it. This kind of weather makes you just ache for spring. It's like once you get a taste, you're hooked! Looking forward to our annual spring wildflower walk. Looks like we usually don't go until May. Do we really have another two months before the flowers start to bloom?!

I enjoy looking for signs of spring with the kids. Now that Lowell is talking a lot he is asking all kinds of fun questions:) It's fun to put on my "naturalist's hat" when we're outside and teach the kids about the natural world. They really enjoy it...and so do I.

This weather is definitely something to smile about.

Enjoy the season! One quick thing related to Autism. This article appeared in the New York Times yesterday. It is about Autism and the Somali community specifically here in Minneapolis.

Happy *~heart~* Day!

It's been a cold winter here in Minnesota, so we haven't been able to get out as much as we normally do. This past weekend we had some warmer days and so we got out and enjoyed the Fire and Ice Festival at Parker's Lake nearby. Lowell got a kick out of this ride (below) because it was called "Captain Lowell's trolley ride". Basically we were pulled across the ice by a man (apparently his name was Lowell) on a tractor. We also saw dog sleds, Norwegian fjord horses and ate s'mores.Valentine's Day is coming up and Lowell had some of his class parties. He made handmade collage heart cards and passed them out. He got his face painted for the first time. He wasn't sure what to think of it, but he went along with it and didn't wipe it off.
We also made it through kindergarten "round up". We were pleased that Lowell did pretty well. Our proudest moment is when they had the kids leave with a teacher that had a certain color balloon that corresponded with the color balloon on their name tag. The woman with the blue balloons came and we said, “ok Lowell, go follow the lady with the blue balloons.” It took every ounce of our being to not follow along since we thought he may stop at any random door and go inside and look for the scotch tape (a current obsession). He followed along and we sat with tears in our eyes (yes, it’s the little things!) as he walked away with the kids. He did make it to the room and we didn’t hear anything from the classroom, so no news is good news. Kindergarten here we come. Yikes!!

Happy New Year!

Some thoughts on the holiday's from Lowell...

I made: Christmas cookies, peanut butter blossoms, New Year's Max's (glitter) worm cake.

I got: new lego set, a calendar kit, a racetrack, robo-bugs, new pj's.

I went: Sledding (several times)....wheeeeee!!!!!

I saw: the biggest snowman ever at Nana and Bobo's neighbor's house. The arms are made from rakes and the buttons are apples, to give you a feel for it's size.

I went to: Cottage Grove to see grandpa and cousins on dad's side. Nana and Bobo's house to see cousins Annika and Lars several times.

I talked: a whole lot. Yay!!!

Happy 2009!

Fantastic Fall...

Hello! We have had such a great fall. The weather has been fabulous, the colors on the trees were magnificient and we've been outside more than I can ever remember with the kids. We've been playing in the leaving, romping through the woods, picking apples and pumpkins and generally having a great time!Lowell has adjusted to his "inclusion" class very, very well. He is coming up with some incredible words, and spelling and reading to our amazement. He is still extremely stubborn and doesn't like to take no for an answer, but at least he can now verbalize that!Tonight we took the kids trick-or-treating and Lowell did so much better than last year. He really understood the process and seemed to enjoy it! He even came home and did a little trick-or-treating scenario with his stuffed animals. We had an IEP meeting with his team and he is on track to be in a typical kindergarten class next fall, with some additional support. We are thrilled with the direction he is headed.

Happy Birthday Lowell!!

On Sept. 14th we celebrated Lowell's 5th birthday with a party and a Max and Ruby "worm cake". It was so fun to see Lowell really get that it was his special day and enjoy it with friends and family.

We have had a busy fall. Lowell does not have school on Friday morning's so we've made a really fun routine of getting together with my parents and enjoying the glorious fall-time weather here in the twin cities. We've enjoyed trips to the farmer's market, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, several apple orchards, the Minnesota Zoo. The kids have fared well and really enjoy our field trips.On Saturday, September 20th we particpated for the second year in the Autism Speaks Walk Now for Autism fundraiser. Our family raised over $1600. A sincere thank you to those that donated.
The walk took place on the horse track at Canterbury Downs.
Lowell is doing very, very well with his new schedule. After graduating from his Autism Day Treatment program, he is now in an inclusion room three mornings a week at St. David's. He seems to be fitting into the class very well and continues to make great strides. He also attends an integrated preschool room in the afternoons. Great reports all around so far. We are thrilled!

Hope you've having a great fall!

The graduate!!!

Well, after a bit over 2 years, yesterday was the day that Lowell graduated from his Autism Day Treatment program. Wow, we are so very, very proud! He has come so far with the help of so many wonderful people. This week was one of celebration and extreme emotions saying good-bye to this program that has been such a big part of all of our lives over the last several years. He is now moving on to a typical classroom with a respite teacher for added support and his integrated pre-school through the school district that he was in last year and made remarkable progress. The future is looking bright for little Lowell:)

Here are some other summer highlights.

Bobo with his buddy Lowell at the wildflower garden.

Lowell drawing pictures in the sand at the cabin.

Being goofy on the dock.

4th of July parade in Cannon Falls.

Graduation day! Lowell reading his diploma.

Some of Lowell's best friends:)

Early summer...

We went to the Farmer's Market today downtown Minneapolis. Lowell did pretty well in the busy market. Lots of people and things to look at.I think he enjoyed looking at the bees the most. Pretty cool.
Lowell is talking up a storm and we're thoroughly enjoying having more meaninful conversations with him. His latest obsessions are keys and garage door openers. Looking forward to a fun filled summer with more time at home with Lowell. He still has his Autism Day treatment program in the morning, but now has his afternoons "off". He loves to be outside and loves to "help" daddy build a new shed.
Sometimes it's nice to have a few mellow moments just strumming the guitar. Lowell is starting one-on-one music lessons with the music therapist he has in his treatment program. I think he'll really enjoy it.