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.

Pinewood Derby

Our Scouts Pinewood Derby was two weeks ago. I can't believe it, I failed as a Mother, but we got there and I had forgotten my camera. Last year my friend had done the same thing so I took pictures for her so when I saw she had hers I asked her to snap a few pictures for me. Vincent took 3rd place this year. He was pretty excited and enjoyed watching the cars race down the track and jumped up and down as the did.

A Day To Take A Breath!

Last week I will admit was not a great week in my books. Life was very busy and full, the situation at my kids school shook me up a bit, medical health things with me, and just life in general. By the end of the week I felt like I had been busy all week with nothing to show for it. On Saturday I got up at 5am and made myself a fun bucket list on my computer with clip art and such, and then printed it off and hooked it onto my fridge. Got my MP3 player and went to work marking things off my list. By 10am the kids were all up and getting into things and wanting things, John was still sleeping since he had been up until 4am, and I was getting frustrated to say the very least. Addison was wanting Thomas and LJ to come over and play war with him again and ride bikes, and I was trying to point him in another direction. I think it is great that he looks up to these older boys, they are great boys, however, I don't want them feel obligated to play with him or for them to start feeling like Addison is an annoying little kid who is constantly calling them to come over. After awhile I let him call them and ask them if they could come ride bikes. I figured if they came over and took him for a bike ride Nicholas and Eliza may follow and Vincent would do his own thing and then I would get something done. Addison called and asked them and then came and told me that they would ask their moms and call him back. Thomas called back a little later and said his mom wanted to know if we wanted to go out for a picnic or something. I talked with Charlotte and she expressed a lot of frustration herself of feeling like all she had been doing was cooking, cleaning, and working and just wanted a break and get out of the house. I couldnt agree more so we planned a trip to Springville to our favorite park that has picnic tables, a basketball court, and two playgrounds on different levels hooked together. Two hours later both families along with Vincent's friend Erik and LJ were heading to Springville for much needed break. We spent close to 4 hours there. We had lunch, played Apples to Apples Disney Version, the kids played frisbee and catch, and then they played tag and hide and go seek on the play structures. It was a much needed break! Hope to do it again soon.


Addison and Nicholas playing frisbee with Brother Nebeker.

















Vincent and Thomas on the Swings












LJ After chasing Nicholas.













Thomas showing my kids something that is not a good idea to do!

War Wilder Style

After what happened at the kids school you can say my nerves were a little shot to say the very least. When I got home I had piano students waiting for me. My kids were so excited to see Joe, Kira, and Thomas. On Wednesday they are here for an hour and a half by the time each of them takes a turn for a half hour lesson. They decided to have a war and were having the time of their lives. They at first were running through my house but that was getting a little to distracting to poor Kira who is so quiet so I kicked them all out to the front yard to have their war outside. Eliza wanted to join them but a was a little concerned as with two teenage boys and my Addison they are ruff, and I didn't want her to get hurt. She got ready and instead of a sword she got her "Magic Wand" as girls don't carry swords she was going to "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo Them" in he words. Not quite sure what the bear was for.

Thomas and Addison's idea of armor....okay I guess that works.

One of the last times they came running through my house before they were banned to the outside. Yes it is blurry but they were running and wouldn't stop long enough for me to take a better picture.

Let's Give A Mom A Heart Attack!

I was at home working on laundry when I heard a lot of sirens and then heard a helicopter flying over head. Was wondering what the heck was going on. My phone rang pretty quick after all the sirens started and it was the school with an automatic recording letting me know that all students were safe but the school had gone into Code Black and the school was locked down due to gun fire at the storage facility across the street. my friend then called at this point and said she was already at the school and there were cops everywhere and they weren't letting any parents into the school and no kids out. I got in my car and went over too. Even though I knew all the kids were safe inside their classrooms, all I wanted was my boys in MY possession. At a little after 1pm the lifted the lockdown but still had every teacher outside with the pickup and handoff to parents.
After I got the boys in the car I asked them if they were okay and with a very excited voice Nicholas said, "Mommy we had a code black and so Mrs. Kehoe gave us all a treat and turned on a movie. It was a lot of fun!" The child had no clue what was going on and I was so impressed with his teacher to handle it like that so none of the Kinder kids get scared. In a Code Black the teachers have to lock their doors, pull the shades down on all windows, turn off the lights and move the kids to the farthest corner away from the door. Since her TV is over in that corner she just moved them over there and had them watch a movie.
Here is the article from our newspaper this morning along with two pictures from the newspaper.




*ARTICLE FROM PORTERVILLE RECORDER*
Three westside schools were locked down for a few hours Wednesday as Porterville Police officers searched for several parolees who were believed to be armed, through the schools’ neighborhoods.

The incident started at approximately 11 a.m. when police went to a storage facility located on Mathew across from Summit Charter Academy due to reports of gun shots fired, and men fleeing the area. It then lead them to a house in the 15000 block of Road 223, also known as Dogwood Street, to arrest three wanted parolees, Ricardo Lucio, Clem Underwood, and Luke Hulstine.

Upon arrival, one of the men — Underwood — was found in a vehicle and arrested, along with another man on warrants. During that stop, officers saw three other men flee, which prompted the search.

Because of the close proximity of Jim Maples Academy, Burton Elementary and Summit Charter Academy, all three schools were put in lockdown for the safety of the children. That lockdown lasted until about 1 p.m.

“We got word that a couple of parolees were in the area. An officer got here to check and made initial contact with three subjects,” Adminstrative Sgt. Ron Moore said. “The subjects ran — fled on foot. They were believed to be armed.”

At the residence, officers and detectives located Lucio and Hulstine.

Also at the residence were, David Sanchez, Sharon Moya and a 14-year-old juvenile, all of which were arrested for accessory to commit a crime, as they were harboring the wanted parolees, said police.

Detectives were then led to a nearby residence where one of the wanted parolee’s vehicle was located. At the residence in the 22000 block of Avenue 154 were Gerardo Sanchez and Lisa Torres. Both were arrested for possession of a controlled substance, being under the influence of a controlled substance and being in possession of controlled substance paraphernalia.

In the end, nine people were arrested, three of which were wanted parolees who were booked at the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department where they are being held without bail.