I believe I heard Gage yell for his Mommy on this ride. Couldn’t quite make it out though over the shrilly girl scream.

Here is the link to all the photos:

He ‘hated’ those dogs of his

And last but not least my favorites:

A few weeks ago the thought hit me that it was time to start doing things a little different. Sometimes I’m like a robot feeding, dressing and keeping my kids alive but sometimes not really living or being in the moment. After a not so normal (but typical for my life) shopping trip at Walmart, I decided enough is enough, whatever that means. I had just made it to the checkout and was about half way through buying my 2 weeks worth of grocery’s, when Hailey starts shouting she has to go potty. I tell her to hang on we’re almost done but of course she doesn’t listen and took off for the bathroom. There was a long line of people waiting behind me and the bathrooms are almost directly across from the checkout so I as patiently as I could waited for the cashier to finish scanning the rest of my groceries. Well Hailey apparently needed to go the big number 2 (yippee for me). Any normal person is thinking big deal she’s almost 11 Well as most of you know she has Autism and this type of stuff is really hard for her. For quite a few years we as well as her Occupational Therapist have been trying to teach her to wipe when she goes the BIG 2! Just haven’t mastered that one. So anyway she starts screaming for everyone behind me, in front of me, pretty much the whole store to hear ” MOM WIPE ME”!!!! You know I’ve pretty much learned to have tunnel vision put on a smile and everything and everyone else around me just goes blury. (If I can’t see them they can’t see me, That’s my motto)!!! I turned to the cashier and said hang on I’ll be right back. I ran in there wiped her and you can imagine what everyone was thinking as I escort a 10 year old out of the bathroom and back to gathering my groceries. You know I pretty much have no problem with the whole “pride goeth before the fall” thing. Really I have NO PRIDE. I don’t even get a chance of thinkin I’m (somethen else) I’m tripping before I even get a chance to feel prideful.
I’m happy to report that one week from Hailey’s 11th birthday I am wipe free. I still hear “MOM WIPE ME” at 4:00-5:00 A.M. but now I just yell right back “wipe yourself remember, you know how now” without so much as getting out of bed. Awwwww pure bliss what more could a gal want.

Wow! this really is theraputic I’m feeling much better thank you very much. Now let’s see if I actually publish this.
In our home NORMAL Is just a setting on the dryer.

A few points about this video.

1. Apparently, the only question I really knew how to ask was, “Are you excited?”
2. I apologize for the orientation of the beginning of the video. Rookie mistake.
3. Sorry for the length, but it was so stink’n adorable that I added pretty much every video I had taken.

Other than those items, enjoy!

More is coming regarding our adventure on the way home. Let’s just say the flight was the only good traveling part of the trip…

The picture is from yesterday in Central Park. I will write about this trip when we get home. Just wanted to say hi and that we are still alive. We’ve only been mugged twice so far.

To commemorate, I made a quick video on Juli’s phone. Sorry to inundate you with home video. It will end once the novelty of the iPhone 4 wears off.

Juli says that the music in this video is bad and cheesy but I say it’s great. It’s a song from the movie The Patriot. Quite timely, if you ask me. What do you think?

2 of my favorite pics: