Christlike Award

Austin won the Christlike Award today at Upwards Basketball which is what they all strive to receive as it is the highest honor.  The coach was asking the boys if they knew what perserverence meant as that was in the message at half time.  All the boys through out something but not correct answers.  Austin never said a word.  So the coach asked him if he knew what it meant and Austin said "to always work together and try your best and keep on trying"   So, Austin was listening at half time and had it correct.  He was then told he would receive the award and being that he shows little emotion he gracefully took his white star and sat back down while saying Thank You!  He then gave the coaches a thumbs up!  Which they said was most awesome display of emotion for him and were thrilled with it!  As were we proud parents today.

He was funny at one point during the game he was under the basket and got smashed in the face with the ball.  He quickly fell to the ground and looked like a limp rag doll that had been knocked out cold!  Jon and I never moved knowing that he was faking bit time!  Next thing we know the coaches and refs and a couple of parents were up and out running to him....  of course he got right up! 

He made a basket today and two steals! YEAH AUSTIN!

What it is like to live with Autism.

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability – to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this…

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip – to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum, the Michelangelo David, the gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!" you say. "What do you mean, Holland?" I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy.

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to some horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy a new guidebook. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around, and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills, Holland has tulips, Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy, and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life you will say, "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

The pain of that will never, ever, go away, because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss.

But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland.

Written by Emily Perl Kingsley

Austin - Taxes Continued

Austin earned a dollar for being nice to his sister (yes this is a BIG DEAL)! - "Mom, that is just a dollar! Where is my tax you owe me?!?!?" Austin I don't have to pay you tax! His response: "well make it a kids tax and not an adult tax that will make it easier on you!" -- this tax thing is getting out of control! :-)

Austin For President!

Austin: "I am going to be President when I grow up and stop all the taxes!"

Mom: "Great, where will you get money to run the government?"

Austin: "I am not sure but I will figure something out!" -- He has my vote!

p.s. this came about because he is upset about paying sales tax on his toys because I won't cover it for him any longer. He thinks he is giving away free money and doesn't like it one bit.

Austin's 1st day at Parish School - 97% Good!

Austin said his first day at the Parish School was 97% good. I asked what the problem was with the other 3% and he said that he had to paint a cylinder purple and he didn't like that color. Plus he only had one helper and he got bored with it and something about it taking 33 tire pieces to cover up the cylinder. That accounted for 1% and the other 2%, according to Austin, was that he had to go to the restroom while outside and an older boy took him in and showed him the bathroom but he refused to go in it because it said adults only. He said the boy told him to go anyway and he was mystified why an older boy didn't know what an adult was and why he wasn't following rules. :-)

For Mother's of Autism

Someone sent me this from another blog for Mother's Day and I thought it was cute. I would like to add no frustrating sessions of screaming probably as my number one request! :-)

10 Things Every Autism Mother Wants

To all the autism mothers, Happy Mothers Day! You deserve a day all to your self. From our "random sampling," here are 10 things every autism mother wants:

10. About 1,000 less nasty stares when your child has a meltdown.
9. Insurance that covers autism treatments.
8. A doctor that knows more about autism than you.
7. Sleep.
6. A winning lottery ticket so you can break even on autism treatments.
5. Healthy food your autism child will eat.
4. A week at the spa -- without the kids.
3. One less random person telling you that they know the cure for autism.
2. The school called. Your child is Valedictorian. Again.
1. To hear, "I love you Mommy!" on Mothers Day.

So Much for the Worship Leader

Go forward 15 mins from the previous post:

Mattie is teasing Austin bad.

Jon: Mattie quit tormenting him
Austin: Yeah you are mean to me
Mattie: That is what sisters are for "TO BE EVIL!!" ha ha ha {evil laugh}

Mattie the Worship Leader

I think Mattie might become our little worship leader. She is all the time talking about Jesus. Today in her room she had the microphone and was singing praise and worship music. Before one song she said "Hello Ladies and Gentlemen we are going to worship Jesus, talk about Jesus, and praise Jesus and this one is for my dad because he is alive again!" Then she proceeded to sing. I so wish I had a camera hidden in her room for that one!

But I'm Addicted

We have had a little problem with Austin disobeying us this week. If we say no and he wants to do it anyway he just sneaks and does it. He has begged and begged for chocolate pop tarts. Something I rarely get but he has begged a lot that he needed them bad. Sooo, against my better judgment I bought him some. He had a package yesterday morning and one after school. At bedtime I told him NO, no snacks, no pop tart, just go to bed. About 20 mins later Jon went back into the kitchen and realized someone had sneaked a pop tart. So, he went upstairs to get him in trouble for not listening to his mom and this is what he had to say.

Jon: Why did you sneak a pop tart Austin after you mother told you no?
Austin: I had to
Jon: No you didn't
Austin: calmly and very serious stated "but dad I am really addicted to these things and I just can't help myself so if you don't want me to have one you are going to have to hide them!"

Jon came back down and I asked what privelage he lost and he told me nothing because he couldn't do it with a straight face and Austin did have a great explanation. AYKM!

Austin at TPS

Austin went to school at the Parish School yesterday. He had a great day and really seemed to enjoy it. He went for an evaluation into their summer program to learn coping and social skills which will be awesome for him. I was really worried about him as he didn't sleep much the night before because he was up and stressed out about going some place new. Needless to say he asked to go to bed last night which he NEVER does. But he had a good time.

Quotes from Austin about TPS:
1) told his teacher he went to "school in England"
2) told Courtney that he really thought "everyone there wanted to be his friend"
3) told mom that he liked it and wanted to go to school there because it was "quiet"
4) told mom that he wanted to learn his school lessons there because "he wasn't different there"
5) told mom he really like "quinton"

Aaahhh! I need to pray about him some more and where he needs to be and how I would ever afford him going to school there during the school year itself. What a sweet, sweet boy!