Taking the Scenic Route

It is nice to be looking forward to the weekend instead of dreading it. When you are unemployed, the weekends stink because you have no hope of being called for an interview, and no money to do anything.

I am SO SO VERY ready for respite care to resume tonight. I really missed it over the holidays.

Swimming across an area over her head.  Go girl!

Gymnastics Again. He is in a class by himself, literally. Next week there will be another kid, but she moved to another class when we chose to take a break in December. He lasted 45 minutes, which is pretty good considering how intense it is when it is one on one.

“Zora, will you please play with me?” Never thought I would hear that phrase unprompted, but it was said today, several times. Zane was enjoying the DSi feature of allowing the systems to sync up and play a game together. Zora was thrilled until she started getting frustrated at always losing the game.

The last day of the year was one of those days were the kids were picking at eachother all day.  So, in the evening, when they went downstairs to play before bed, I was happy to note that they seemed to be getting along better than they had all day.  Then Zora came upstairs to get a drink of water, and she was covered from head to toe in little white balls.  We followed the trail back to the downstairs bedroom and found Zane on the floor, making “snow angels” on the floor in the bajillion balls of a broken oversized bean bag chair.  It was obvious, from the indentions, that Zora had been doing the same thing.  It was well over 6 inches deep in places, and static electricity meant they were E.V.E.R.Y.W.H.E.R.E

So, we brought the new year in with a vacuum cleaner.

Some day we will laugh.  Some day.

Zane had to wait for Oma and Opa to unwrap the gifts.  It was worth the wait.

And Uncle Steve & Nora, who gave Zora her heart’s desire (bike) for her birthday, came through with Zane’s heart’s desire for his birthday.

Then Oma & Opa’s gift:  A trip to Chucky Cheese.  Much cheering ensued.

You know the sweet part?  Zane didn’t really want anything, so he happily gave Zora  his tickets to get what she wanted.

Than back to the house to meet up with Robert’s family, who came to join us for cake.

Zane decided that he didn’t want a Mario themed cake, and for a while he wanted a pirate ship cake.  Then, being a sucker for TV advertising, he begged for this for his birthday cake:

He wanted it with chocolate chip cookie layers instead of the pictured cake, notable for a very literal kid.  We chose chocolate frosting to go in between the layers.  It doesn’t look fabulous, but it was SO GOOD.  There was not a bite left, and that never happens.  We remade it a few days later just to have leftovers. lol.

Those are trick candles, they keep reigniting, amusing Zane.

By the end of the evening, he was “Peopled out” and went back to the corner, found his new book, and got lost in that.

Perfect day.  The days events would have been turning him into a crazy person a short time ago, but he not only handled it, but enjoyed it.  So proud of my boy.

Santa came!

Club Penguin membership that he has been asking for since summer

And the “WOW” gift, my parents got each of the kids a DSi, Zora’s was the regular size one, blinged out by my mom, Zane’s was the XL one, which means that motor issues are lessened with games that require writing/manipulating with the pen/stick.  Zane’s old DS died and we had been unable to replace it, and it was Zane’s constant companion.  The kids were THRILLED!

Zora and Oma had a tea party

A huge thank you to friends and family this season.  After nearly a year of unemployment, and the kids having to go without, we were very worried about how we were going to be able to afford Christmas.  We were blessed with friends and family that really went the extra mile, sending presents, sending giftcards, and especially my parents, who spent more than usual getting the DSi for each kid.  We were very blessed.  It was a happy season because of others who cared about our family.  We were humbled by the generosity.

Mommy! My cake smells like BUTT CREAM!
Zora, it’s pronounced “Buttercream”

Although we will have my parents over on Christmas day, this is the official family celebration, including Grandma and Steve & Nora.  Since Steve & Nora won’t be there on Christmas they brought along the kid’s gifts.  They really made a huge impact with their gifts this year, and we are very thankful because we didn’t have the ability to do it ourselves.

How to drive a (almost) 5 year old crazy.  Tell her that the big box is hers, but don’t let her open it *right now*

First glance under the big box (after pulling off all of the wrapping paper and then realizing that she just had to lift it up…we are so mean)

Zane was also very pleased with his gift.  It was a building toy that Nora loved as a kid.  She helped set it up and they played with it together for a while.

Grandma and Zora talking about her jacket (the pattern)

The other thing he got was the connect four game he has been asking for the last few months.  He was quite happy.

After building with Zane, Nora (and Steve) went outside to help Zora learn to ride the bike.

Great day, great food, wonderful family.

Today Zane was driving Zora crazy singing “Frosty the Dirtman” and “Rudolph the Blue Nosed Reindeer”, and she was insisting “That just isn’t right Daddy/Mommy!”

That just seemed backwards to me.

In the waiting room, before the sessions.

It was the last semester with both of the kid’s student therapists this fall.

Zora & Michael, reading a story

sequencing it

retelling, with props

They had a lot of fun together this semester.  Michael following Zora’s instructions to “do a silly photo”.  Thank you Michael for letting yourself feel the silly.

Now, Corrissa has been with our family for a few semesters, and was Zora’s student ST for a while before she became Zane’s student ST.  She is somebody really special, both because of the length of time, and the quality of her work.  She is going to be a rockstar therapist in short order and who ever hires her is going to be very lucky.  I tease her that if I win the lottery, I am buying her services for life.  lol.

Goofyness was in the air I guess.  I seriously LOVE this series of photos.  Zane doesn’t often connect with somebody on this level.

And, the best for last: