Disneyland Day 2

As we walked through the front gate of Disneyland on the second day we ran into Goofy. Nicholas of course was not interested in any of the characters and Vincent and Addison were more concerned about getting to Indiana Jones that they didn't want to stop and have their picture taken but Eliza and Thomas were up for it. :) Then we went to the jungle cruise. I was more worried about Nicholas panicking on the ride but it was Eliza that got very concerned on the ride and started crying at the end to get off.



The kids then enjoyed climbing Tarzans Tree House with Thomas and John



Eliza and Nicholas' favorite ride....we rode this more times then I can count!




Keep Trying Addison

Thomas' new favorite ride...He was singing the song for hours after we got off the ride ;)



Toon Town Square



Meeting Mickey at his house. Nicholas did so good. He walked right up there and smiled. I was so proud of him!

Autopia


Innoventions (sorry the rest of the pictures of the evening are blurry..the battery in my camera was dying but I wasnt going to miss out on some pictures so continued to take pictures until it died)


Eliza wanted to ride Dumbo but Nicholas had, had it for the evening and did not want to ride it. So Eliza, Vincent, Addison, John, Thomas and I went on Dumbo and Nicholas went with Uncle MyViet while we rode the ride. He had fun hanging on the stationary Dumbo's nose. :)


As we were leaving for the day we stopped and had our picture taken on Main street with all the lights of Main Street and the Castle behind us.

Autism Awareness Day 4/2/11

I know I haven't finish blogging about our Disneyland Trip, but because today is Autism Awareness Day I wanted to blog about it first. Last year Vincent was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome which is an Autism Spectrum Disorder

Vincent is still Vincent, but this diagnosis have opened some doors for us in getting him and us the help we need to work through some of his tendencies, some of his and our frustrations, and mostly an understanding. The Therapist gave John and I the assignment last month to educate ourselves in the area of Aspergers. This month he gave us the assignment to educate our close friends and family about Aspergers.

Asperger's Syndrome
Asperger's syndrome, also called Asperger's disorder, is a type of pervasive development disorder (PDD). PDDs are a group of conditions that involve delays in the development of many basic skills, most notably the ability to socialize with others, to communicate, and to use imagination.

Although Asperger's syndrome is similar in some ways to autism -- another, more severe type of PDD -- there are some important differences. Children with Asperger's syndrome typically function better than do those with autism. In addition, children with Asperger's syndrome generally have normal intelligence and near-normal language development, although they may develop problems communicating as they get older.

Asperger's syndrome was named for the Austrian doctor, Hans Asperger, who first described the disorder in 1944. However, Asperger's syndrome was not recognized as a unique disorder until much later.

What Are the Symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome?
The symptoms of Asperger's syndrome vary and can range from mild to severe. Common symptoms include:

Problems with social skills: Children with Asperger's syndrome generally have difficulty interacting with others and often are awkward in social situations. They generally do not make friends easily.
Eccentric or repetitive behaviors: Children with this condition may develop odd, repetitive movements, such as hand wringing or finger twisting.
Unusual preoccupations or rituals: A child with Asperger's syndrome may develop rituals that he or she refuses to alter, such as getting dressed in a specific order.
Communication difficulties: People with Asperger's syndrome may not make eye contact when speaking with someone. They may have trouble using facial expressions and gestures, and understanding body language. They also tend to have problems understanding language in context.
Limited range of interests: A child with Asperger's syndrome may develop an intense, almost obsessive, interest in a few areas, such as sports schedules, weather, or maps.
Coordination problems: The movements of children with Asperger's syndrome may seem clumsy or awkward.
Skilled or talented: Many children with Asperger's syndrome are exceptionally talented or skilled in a particular area, such as music or math.
What Causes Asperger's Syndrome?
The exact cause of Asperger's syndrome is not known. However, the fact that it tends to run in families suggests that a tendency to develop the disorder may be inherited.

Disneyland Trip Day 1

Waiting as patiently as they can for Thomas to get to our house so we can go. After Thomas got to the house we had Family Prayer, loaded up and headed down to Los Angeles.



We first went to the California Science Center. What a fun place. I went with Addison's class a few months ago and had a lot of fun there and knew it was a place I wanted to take Vincent (and of course the rest of the family). The first thing they did was attempt to lift a truck. It was a group effort but they did it.




We then enjoyed the next several hours wandering around the museum. What a wonderully fun place it is!








After we left the California Science Center we went out to lunch and then to DISNEYLAND! YEAH WHAT FUN!

We met up with our friends the Hunters and went on the train and Pirates of the Carribean.




Nicholas on the Tea Cups

The end of a very fun day!

Lunch With Grandpa and Grandma

For our trip to Disneyland we borrowed my parents car and so they drove it over two days before we left. They took us out to lunch at Burger King before they took our car and headed home. The kids had a fun time teasing grandpa.