Let me introduce you to this world of autism… Feel free to keep scrolling if you like, but I invite you to stay. You see, I might be writing about someone you know, like a friend a daughter a son a parent or a neighbor down the street. This world we live in is not a glamorous one. This world we live in is filled with sleepless nights, aggression, self-injury behaviors, broken furniture, favorite toys torn apart, and the screaming and tears of an emotional child trying to communicate. The media likes to glamorize autism by portraying them as a mathematical genius, a musical savant, or a med ..read more

This is a heartfelt thank you from a mom with a special needs son. Collin’s autism makes it difficult to take him to theme parks. A range of things come into play between crowds, long lines, noise, and visual processing make it difficult to take him to a theme park. While waiting for my husband to purchase tickets in a long line, Collin and I took a seat by an employee who was checking guests into the park or back to the resort. He picked up on Collin’s behavior and politely asked if he has special needs. I told him yes and told me all about The Hero Access Pass. It basically works like a Fast ..read more

I took Collin with me to Publix on Saturday. We have 2 stops that we always make before shopping… bakery and then over to the bananas. He’s requesting to make banana bread. Oh yes! He wanted to bring Forky with us!! . The post Publix first appeared on ..read more

“Woody goes to school!” That’s what Collin told me this morning. I’m like sure!! I mentioned this to my friend this morning, and she reminded me that Woody went to school with Bonnie. At pick-up this afternoon, Collin’s therapist told me about all the fun they had together. She told me how Collin pushed Woody in the swing on the playground and he sat Woody next to him at his desk. After Collin got into the Jeep, his therapist said bye to him, and he then grabbed Woody and put Woody’s arm out the window to say bye and a high-five to his therapist. He buckled up Woody in the backseat…safety firs ..read more

Ahhh… back to school, shopping for Jonah. We met Nina, (my mom) over at Target, to finish up back to school shopping for the boys. Mostly, all of Jonah’s school supplies have been purchased, but he’s been eyeing this Camo backpack at Target. Collin did okay. He was patiently waiting for Jonah to pick some new clothes, but was not interested in shopping for himself. Sometimes the stores are too busy for Collin. I didn’t push it too much. I’ll take him when it’s just the two of us. We ordered Collin’s backpack online from Disney. His backpack that he carried for 2years and I really mean 2 years ..read more

This is the 3rd night in a row that Collin has woken up between 12 am and 3 am and either stayed awake or maybe fallen asleep for an hour or two. He wakes up giggling and laughing, but I know at 7 am he will be grumpy and tell me no school. The last week of school before Christmas break is exciting. In fact, Jonah asked if I could drop him off at 7:30 am because it’s game day at school. I’ve been up late the past 2 nights baking Christmas cookies for teachers and once I go to bed, it’s usually for an hour or 2 and then Collin is up. He’s perseverating a lot this early morning, (looping) scenes ..read more

So, this was a wonderful time, and no sarcasm here! This was hands down, one of our best experiences visiting Santa. One afternoon while hanging out with our friend Jaime’s house, she showed me her Christmas pictures of her kids with Santa. She told me how awesome it was and all she had to do was make an appointment online…no long lines!! I was sold on the fact you could make an appointment. In the past 4 or 5 years, we went to the same place, and it was great, but the long line was a little to be desired. We would wait anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half. Richard and I would take turn ..read more

Happy double digits to my sweet boys!!! I can’t believe how the past 10 years have flown by. We are truly lucky to have these cuties in our lives Going through all their pictures reminded me how many fun times we have had together and how much they have completed our family. I love you both!!! To infinity and beyond!!!. The post Double Digits! first appeared on ..read more

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!!! Collin loves Christmas time and not for the obvious reason most kids like Christmas…for the gifts. Collin doesn’t quite understand the concept of gift-giving and receiving. He loves the lights, the music, the trees, and the decorations. There is something completely innocent about it I can’t completely put into words. And secretly, this makes me happy. My other little guy has been asking questions about Santa. Who are the Santas in the mall and the ones we see around town? You know, just those friendly reminders he’s growing up. I know this is probab ..read more

Took the boys to Sea World for their birthday!! Thank you, Kelly! We are not the family that is there when the park opens and leaves when it closes. We’ve learned with Collin he does better when we go in the afternoon and spend a few hours. He enjoys Sea World loves the whales and penguins. Once again, we had him walk throughout the park. In the past, we would bring a stroller or rent one. He asked, but I ignored the request and kept him moving. We ended the day at Rudolph’s Christmas Village, which was beyond cute!! We met a couple of our friends Yukon Cornelius and Bumble!! Collin was done ..read more