You can tell it's summer by the fact that it's been nearly 2 months since I've posted last! It's been a pleasant spring and summer. I hope you've all been able to enjoy it to it's fullest.
Cole's summer is off to a great start. The highlight so far was the trip we took to the Noble Family Farm in Austin, MN. We were so thankful to be invited to the farm from our close friend, Jason and his family. Running a farm would be Cole's dream job and to say he saw a slice of heaven in Austin is an understatement.
The ride down was a little hairy. It was only a 2 hour drive, but Cole's excitement got the best of him. Well that, and the rain. He struggled in the truck and screamed for it to stop raining. He would ask, "where is the farm?" We would reply, "we'll be there in 40 minutes." Cole would reply, "No, 4 minutes." I wish it were that easy. We made it and Cole was SO excited once we got there. The rain let up a little and he was amazed at the farm. We played for a while, riding the tractors, mowing the lawn, buzzing around on the go kart and checking things out. Then it started to rain. Luckily we were planning on staying at a hotel with a pool. We loaded up the kids and headed to town. Cole was equally as excited about the hotel. It was his first time and he thought it was the coolest thing. He kept saying, "We'll sleep HERE tonight." "Connor, I'm going to sleep with Dad, you sleep with Mom." He took it all in and loved snuggling on the "new" bed. Soon Jason and his kids arrived. Everyone swam for a few hours. Cole did awesome. It was loud in the pool area and there were a lot of energetic kids. Cole played it cool and blended right in. After a while we looked up and the sun was shining. So off to the farm we went.
It only got better from there. Cole mowed every blade of grass at the farm. He was in heaven and the constant smile on his face gave me goosebumps. He interacted with the kids and took turns on all of the fun things to do. He got to ride a dirt bike with Pat. It was so fun to see. Cole desperately wanted to drive it by himself, like Breyden, but he settled for Pat's help. Cole even got to ride in an old-fashioned tractor. It worked perfectly and the guys needed to use its scoop for some heavy lifting around the farm. Jason let Cole and the kids come up by him and ride it around the farm. Cole got to ride it a few times and it was just awesome!!
Finally at 10:30 we decided it was time to go back to the hotel. We got ready for bed and all was quiet in the room. All of the sudden, I hear Cole whisper to Pat these exact words, "Dad, thank you for taking me to the farm." It was music to our ears.
We enjoyed breakfast at Perkins the next morning and loaded up our stuff. We headed back to the farm for a few more hours of fun and then Cole was ready to go home. It was a HUGE success. Words can't express how thankful we are to the Noble Family for giving us this wonderful experience. Cole talks about Jason's kids and asks to go back to the farm every single day.
OUR GETAWAY
Last year we started an annual tradition of taking Connor on a fishing trip up north. While Cole was at the respite house this year, Pat and I took Connor to Ely and Biwabik. We had a fantastic time. Connor caught his first walleye! He thoroughly enjoyed his one-on-one time with us. We played games, fished, swam, ate, explored, snuggled, hiked and did so many fun things. We even got to tour the Soudon Ore Mine. It was fascinating. After a 3 minute steel elevator ride down 1/2 mile+ into the ground, we learned so much of what it was like to be a miner and how they went about mining the ore. Connor loved the experience and took it all in. He loves learning about things like that and takes in all the details, just like Pat does. They are so similar in that way. Pat is full of tid bits of information about a wide array of things and I can tell Connor is going to be the same way. It was hard to see the time come to an end, but we have next year to look forward to. It's so important for Pat and I to give Connor time all his own. He makes so many concessions and there are numerous things we can't take part in as a family. We try hard to give him unique experiences and our un-divided attention. He deserves it.
MIRACLE LEAGUE and PLAY NET
Cole took part in Miracle League baseball this year. It was another successful season. He enjoyed playing on Thursday nights and met a lot of new friends. This year was the first time he didn't hit off the tee. We were so proud of him. He was especially excited to have Connor's help in the field on the last night. He is so proud of his brother and loves him so much. I love seeing these kids play baseball, no matter what impairments they might have. The league brings priceless joy to these kids and we wouldn't miss it.
Cole is also taking part in a play in the park summer "camp". He goes every Monday and Wednesday for 2-1/2 hours. Staff from MAC meet him there and work with him on his social skills and other objectives of his programming. Cole has done wonderfully. He walks up to the staff and says, "Hi, my name is Cole" when it's time to check in. I don't stay and watch, but MAC staff have said he needs minimal assistance to learn the games and blends in very well with the
neuro-typical kids. Pretty soon we are going to let him bring Connor as his guest. That should be fun!
TUBING, TUBING, TUBING!!!
Cole absolutely loves our new boat. Pat has taken him out countless times. Cole has learned how to turn on both motors, hook things up and steer the trolling motor. He even helps Pat back the boat in by copying me as I tell Pat how many feet he has left in the garage. We've also been able to take the boys tubing a few times. The first time we went with Brendan and Brittany. We had a blast. Just yesterday we took Cole's cousins, Brady and Cooper, on the boat. Cole was really excited! The three boys tubed for a long time, laughing and bouncing about. After that, we took them to the sandy lake shore and played in the water for a while. Cole loves to go fast and smiles constantly. The faster, the better for this first mate.
HARLEY RIDE
This past week, Cole took his first ride of the summer on Grandpa Denny's Harley. Right after he got his helmet, he ran to Grandpa and said, "Grandpa I'm scared." I think he was more excited than anything. Grandpa took him around the block and back to the house. That wasn't enough for Cole, he wanted a longer ride. So off they went, two peas in a pod. Cole loved the motorcycle and wanted to go faster than Grandpa would allow. It's fun to see Cole experiencing such fun things. He lives life to the fullest, that's for sure.
THURSDAY, JULY 1st
This day will be bittersweet for our family. It marks the six year anniversary of Cole's Autism diagnosis. When I think about it, the only sad thing about it is looking back to that particular day and how profoundly sad, scared and alone we felt. Our family has come a long way since then and we have so much to be proud of.
That night will be special for Cole. It will be his first experience at the new Target Field. A former co-worker of mine generously donated four tickets to our family. Cole is super-excited! He woke up this morning and said, "Mom, Thursday is July. I'll go to the city." He also says he's going to have a "fancy dinner in the city". I'm not sure how pizza and ice cream at the ball park qualify, but we'll take it. We are looking forward to this momentous occasion and hope it turns out to be a rewarding reflection on just how far Cole has come.
