October in July?

We've been quite busy here at the Schusted household. After the fourth of July, it was time to prepare for our annual Cooney Family Vacation up north. We rent a huge cabin at a lake near Grand Rapids. It takes a lot to plan meals for 13 people, do the shopping, wash clothes, pack for our family and prepare to be gone for a week. 

Connor and I left with everyone on Saturday the 11th. Pat stayed behind with Cole and they came up on Tuesday with my brother Sean. A week is just too long for Cole to be at the cabin. The first 2-1/2 days brought beautiful weather. We spent a lot of time outside; boating, swimming, playing yard games, etc. When Pat arrived on Tuesday afternoon, the weather had taken a bad turn. It rained that whole day and the high temp was in the low fifties. 

Cole was so excited to be at the cabin. Despite the cold weather, he was content being inside and checking things out. We had a shrimp boil that night and the kids thought it was cool to eat the food off newspaper on the table, using our hands. He went to bed quite well and loved being on the top bunk. 

On Wednesday morning, Cole woke up at 5am. He was so excited and had lots on his cabin agenda. The huge bummer was the weather. It wasn't raining, but it was still 50 degrees with 25+ MPH winds and clouds...YUCK. Cole doesn't understand that you can't swim when it's 50 outside. So after breakfast, Pat and I walked down to the beach with him, inflatable boat in tow. There were people literally walking around the grounds in parkas and here we are at the beach! We tried to redirect Cole and give him other things to do, but like I said, when he goes to the cabin there are certain things he must do. Crummy weather isn't going to stop him. 

This weather went on all week. It was so hard on Cole (and Pat & I). Cole didn't get to go on boat rides. He didn't get to tube or play outside much. It was so hard to keep him entertained and calm. Cole was mad, frustrated, bored and full of anxiety about what we were going to do. Last year the weather was a little more cooperative and I recall it being so easy to watch Cole. We all sat outside and watched the kids play. We went to the beach and on boat rides. This year it just wasn't possible. Instead, Pat and I had to constantly take turns being within 5 feet of Cole because he became so mad and aggressive. He slammed doors and even threw his scooter while at the play area with other kids. Thank God it didn't hit anyone. 

I felt really bad for Pat. I at least got two nice weather days; days filled with relaxation. He did not. Even the chartered fishing trip we got for all the guys as a gift was not a success. The weather that day was 51 degrees, rain and mist, with strong winds. They couldn't fish Lake Winnebigosh. The guys froze and only caught a handful of fish. It wasn't what we were expecting. 

We got creative doing things with Cole. We took him into town to see Craftsman tractors at the Sears store. Cole was so excited. He walked in and said, "Ta da... Merry Christmas!". We also went to the local YMCA and attended open swim (for the 1 hour it was open!). On our last night there, we found a fun pizza place that had lots of fun games for everyone to play. We really did make the best of it, but it was a huge challenge for Pat and I. We vowed that if the weather forecast is like this next year, we won't bring Cole up. It was too hard. 

We left the cabin a day early. We worked our way home on Friday afternoon and followed my parents and brothers. We stopped in Aitkin at the DQ. It became apparent that my dad was very sick. He was unusually winded the past few days of our vacation and more notably so while packing up to leave. By the time we got to Aitkin, he could barely walk from the truck into the DQ. We were all very concerned. It was decided to take him right to the Mercy hospital when we got into town. 

The doctors determined that my Dad had pneumonia. He was admitted to the hospital, given antibiotics and fluids. They talked to him about a nutrition plan and urged him to stop smoking. The doctors were very thorough, giving him a CAT scan, ultrasounds and many other tests. Luckily everything came back good except the pneumonia. Slowly Dad started to feel better. He also made the decision to stop smoking. We have all been hoping for this for years. My Dad has smoked since he was 15 years old, going on 50 years! It is obviously the years of smoking have taken their toll and it's time to stop. We are so thankful Dad came to this decision and we fully support his decision. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he takes on this highly difficult task.

This week, we are so glad to be back in routine. Cole needs it. He functions so much better when curve balls aren't thrown at him. He needs MAC, swim lessons, time with his PCAs and time at home. 

We had a really rough weekend with him after we got home from the cabin. It was another three days of no plans and no PCAs. Even though we tried to do lots of fun things with him, we eventually our bag of tricks was empty. Cole reacted and it was one of those weekends when he broke the inside door of our truck, he resumed to being VERY physically aggressive with us and it was a "just get through this hour" type of weekend. We couldn't go to our nephews championship baseball game and we couldn't visit my dad when he got out of the hospital (we tried but Cole wouldn't stay). These weekends are incredibly hard, especially when you look around the neighborhood and see families walking their dogs, kids making up dance routines in the front yard and having play dates. There are so many things we can't do. On weekends like the one we just had, seeing those reminders really hits home.

Cherish the little things in life. Even if it's riding down the road with your kids staying in their car seats or pushing your child on a swing. Appreciate the flexibility you have, the fact that you can reason, discipline and explain things to your children. Listen to their voice as the tell you about the bird nest they saw under the deck. Watch them as they form friendships. Take pride in seeing them learn from their mistakes. Appreciate going with the flow and not having to worry about the ramifications. Take it all in and cherish it with all your might.

4th of July, Cole's favorite holiday

Cole waits all year long for the 4th of July. He LOVES fireworks. This past weekend was no exception. 

We had a great time on the 4th. We hosted a get together for our families. Everyone brought food and drinks to share and we enjoyed a gorgeous afternoon and evening together. Cole did really well having 15 people at his house. He played with the kids on the new water slide (more about that later) and spent time mowing the grass and using our blower to clean off the paths around our yard. Cole loved it when Pat did his mini-fireworks show in the back yard. And Cole was giddy with excitement at the caravan of cars who followed us to the fireworks. 

Cole sat on the blanket and snuggled us for 40 minutes while we waited for the show to start. He did amazing. Never once did he get upset or even ask when they were going to start. He sat on the blanket and took turns snuggling with various family members. He ate his Doritos and drank his grape juice box- happy as could be. When the show started he was thrilled. He loved the John Deere green fireworks and sat and watched in delight. It was so fun to see him so happy and just loving the show. He waits all year for this day.

The day didn't start out as well. As I've said in previous posts, days off from Cole's regular routine are always a challenge. Cole needs a consistent routine. He needs to know what to expect. If you deviate from that, there are always ramifications. 

Cole had the day off from MAC on Friday. We had a great morning together. I took him to Home Depot to see tractors and to CostCo to buy things for our get together. He was so well behaved and loved spending time with me. I even surprised him by taking him to Sears so he could sit on the Craftsman tractors. He was elated. I don't think he knew how to tell me just how excited he was, so he said, "ta da.... Merry Christmas!!". It was so cute. He checked out every single tractor they had, engine and all. I love seeing him smile like that. After our shopping excursion, he spend a few hours with Auntie Katie, who had just returned home from six months abroad.

At 8pm that night, Cole really wanted to go to the park. He wanted Connor to come and to bring their scooters. We tried hard to persuade him otherwise, but it didn't work. The anxiety level was way too high. We hurried and got things in the truck and I took the boys to Lions Park. It was fun, with the exception of me having to run through the trails chasing the boys in my flip flops and skirt. Clearly I was not prepared for this! Luckily Connor was with me. He is such a life saver for me. He did an awesome job keeping up with Cole and getting him to slow down or stop so I could catch up. Somehow we made it through safely and ended up having an ice cream treat before heading home.

The next morning was the 4th. Cole woke up and wanted to use his water slide. The boys have one of those inflatable water slides that you attach the hose to. They climb it and slide down. It has given them hours of entertainment over the past four summers. Pat got it down from the rafters and set it up. It usually inflates in about 30 seconds. Not today. Pat found several holes from critters. He patched them but there were still countless tiny holes from the vinyl getting stretched over the years. It soon became evident the water slide was done. Cole was irate. I mean really irate. 

We calmed him down and told him we would try to find another slide. Great... nothing like buying an inflatable slide after writing a huge check to fix the Tahoe this week! Isn't that how it always goes!?!? After trips to several stores and a lot of anxiety on Cole's part, we finally found a new water slide. Cole was beyond excited! We set it up and the boys had a wonderful time playing with it. We kept it inflated all day and the cousins were able to enjoy it, too. It is so nice to have an activity that Cole enjoys with other kids.

The get together we hosted went really well. Cole was happy to see everyone and he did a great job at finding things to entertain himself when he needed time alone. Typically when Cole is at a family gathering, he'll play with everyone for a while but then take time to himself. On this day, he mowed the grass and used the blower all over the yard! Later on in the evening, everyone sat in the back yard while Pat set off fireworks in the back yard. Cole loved it. 

Soon enough it was time to go to the fireworks. Cole could not contain his excitement. Everyone got in their cars and we headed to the fireworks. Cole loved the line of cars that followed us. He was waving out the window to his relatives, it was so cute! Everything about the show was great. Cole was incredibly well behaved. He was patient as we waited for 40 minutes. He just wanted to snuggle with Pat, Katie and I. He loved the fireworks and simply sat and enjoyed himself. What a night! 

July also brings the anniversary of Cole's Autism diagnosis. July 1st was the 5 year mark. It's hard to believe five years have passed since we learned of Cole's disability. It brings with it many mixed emotions. As difficult as it is to think back to that sad day and what it means for our family, I reflect on how much progress Cole has made and it gives me so much hope for his future. I plan to dedicate a blog entry to this subject later in the month. I've been looking over old video of Cole and it's been pretty amazing. 

We are getting family pictures taken tonight. Pray that things go well. We have only one family photo from the past eight years. We hope the session goes well. I just want one decent picture of the four of us together. Cole doesn't have to be looking at the camera, as long as you can see his handsome self with the rest of us I'll be a very happy mom.

I hope you enjoy the video below. It was taken this past week by Cole's PCA, Haley. Haley takes Cole to the Mall of America where he meets one of his friends from Fraser Academy. They have so much fun together. I'm so proud of Cole and the play date he went on!!!