Cole's school project

Cole had his first EVER homework assignment last night! At school, he decorated an "All About Me" box. He put construction paper, glitter and all sorts of drawings on it. He task was to put things that he likes inside the box so he can show and tell about it at school today.

So we found a small John Deere tractor, put a chocolate chip cookie in a baggie, added in the empty Toy Story 3 DVD case and an empty package of "pink gum". I decided there are so many more things Cole loves that just wouldn't fit inside the box. So I went to google images and our photo library to put together a small collage of just some of the things Cole likes: bonfires, his green razor scooter, Nick Universe, a picture of him tubing and playing at the beach, an iTouch, a picture from a play date with his best friend, Marc, YouTube (a favorite pastime for Cole!), his team hockey photo and pictures of him at the Noble Farm and driving a pontoon boat.

I printed out the collage and Cole saw it. He was SUPER excited and rattled off everything on the page. Pat and I looked at one another, happy and so proud- for SO many reasons.

Most of all, because Cole has so many things he loves in life. He is such a happy fella and knows what makes him happy in life. This didn't come easy for him. It has taken countless hours of ABA therapy and hard work for Cole to learn how to enjoy age-appropriate activities. Just two short years ago, Cole was newly potty trained and still liked to watch Baby Mozart DVDs. Now we are able to reason with him and tell him he's too old for them. He knows that big kids don't wear diapers and they don't watch baby movies. He has learned to play his Nintendo DS and he navigates both the iMac and iTouch with ease. When kids come over to play, he can hang with them and play the Wii or other fun stuff. Up until the last 18 months, we never had kids over the play unless Cole wasn't home. Now THAT is progress.

Progress is not all about Cole learning to read, looking at me in the eye or learning not to make funny sounds at inappropriate times. It's also about him enjoying life and being happy. As his mom, that is what I care about most. I love that every single morning, he asks me to snuggle and "get my neckie". Even thought he's ten, he still lets him shower him with countless kisses and hugs every single day. Cole tells me all throughout the day that he loves me. He tells us he will miss us and always wants to know where Connor is at and when he's going to be home. He loves to have Pat wrestle and tickle him. The sound of his belly laugh is the best.

I love hearing him laugh at YouTube, or now even ask me to come in so he can show me the cool lawn tractor video he found. Just last night he called me in to show me a video. He said, "Watch Mom, they will get the Toro started. It will start soon." The tractor back-fired and Cole laughed and laughed and laughed! I love to see the boys snuggle on our big bed, ask for popcorn and lay together to watch a movie. A movie they BOTH enjoy. I love that Cole wants to help our neighbors mow their lawn- even if at times, he tries to do it when they are enjoying dinner on their deck. He knows their tractor is broken and he has saved them many hours by helping them out. I love that Cole can knows who sings songs on the radio. He hears one note and can tell me who the artist is. If he likes the song, he'll ask me to put it on his iTouch. His favorites come and go but he can always tell us what he wants to hear. And I love that for the first summer EVER, Cole wore shorts all summer long. He finally understands that it's more comfortable to wear shorts when it's warm and sunny. Now we're actually having a challenge to get him back to wearing jeans.... we never thought that would happen!

I could go on and on with things I love about Cole. And I could have added many more things to Cole's "What I Like" list. But there was a time when I couldn't write about all of this progress and I wouldn't have had many things to put on that list. As parents, Pat and I were simply overcome with pride last night as we listened to Cole chat about all of the things he loves, us included.

We are so blessed.

a new goal

My mom reminded me last night that it has been 5 months since my last blog post- WHAT... how did that happen? I can summarize it one simple word; LIFE.

I set a goal for myself to update my blog much more frequently. Selfishly, I know it will be a great tool to look back in the years ahead and accurately recall many of the moments along this journey.

A lot can happen in five months...

Cole has continued to make remarkable progress and is spending his last day at full time ABA Therapy today. He will start at the new MAC School on Tuesday. It will be 1/2 day of ABA therapy and 1/2 ABA-taught academics. We toured the school last night and Cole could not be more excited. It's very rewarding to move on to this next phase.

Pat has a new job! Congrats to him on his promotion to VP of Sales and Marketing. He has worked incredibly hard and I couldn't be prouder of him.

Baseball season flew by (Connor's team won the championship!) and now we are weeks into football. Connor's hair is now bright blonde- a sure sign summer is on the way out!

5 months ago I was nearly 30 pounds heavier. Yes, with the help of Weight Watchers, protein shakes, support from family and friends and countless visits to the YMCA, I've shed close to 40 pounds since January! Woot woot!!! Now my goal is to maintain, which is 10x harder than losing the weight. When you're trying to lose, you have the motivation of seeing the scale go down. Now I need the scale to say where it is. Wish me luck!

We've had a really great summer. We packed A LOT into those 10-12 weeks. Here are the highlights:

JUNE

Cole went to Camp Dodge. It was a camp for Autistic children that was held at a nature center/farm. He loved it and made a lot of new friends. He continued his full-time ABA throughout the summer and particularly enjoyed water days! We also met his best friend, Marc (a friend from MAC), at Como Town for a play date. It went really well and now we meet once a month.

Connor spent a lot of time playing baseball. Pat coached his team this year and they had a lot of fun. He also moved up a level in gymnastics and practiced 3 days a week, all summer long! He and I spent a lot of afternoons at Bunker Beach where we often met up with family and friends. Oh how we love that place!

As a family, we went down to the Noble Family Farm in Austin, MN. It was so much fun! We rode dune buggies, the 4-wheeler, moved the lawn and rode the big tractor. The kids all played in the sprinkler and also spent time swimming at the hotel pool. Cole loved going up and down on the elevators in the hotel! We are fortunate to be going back tomorrow for another memorable stay.

Sadly, on June 28th I lost my Grandma. She was 98 years old. It happened very quickly and although she was ready to go, we weren't ready to let her. I'm so thankful we were all there to say goodbye, hold her hand, give her kisses and be with her as she passed away. She was an incredible woman and the boys miss her terribly. Cole knows that GG is living above the clouds and he wants to go see her. I keep telling him he needs to wait for a really long time before that happens.

JULY
We started out the month with both the Schusted and Cooney extended families heading up for a week at Cabin O Pines (COP). COP is the resort in Orr, MN which is owned by my sister-in-law's family. It's our second time up there and we all love it! It was really nice to have the Schusted's up there as well. We had remarkable weather and spent a lot of quality time at the beach, boating, fishing, playing yard games, going on scooter rides, biking, hiking and enjoying each other's company. Cole was there from Sat - Wed. He was really excited for the 4th of July fireworks on the lake and he loved having all of his cousins there to share in the fun! We can't wait to go back again next year.

Connor's baseball team played in the Tier II tournament. After only winning two games all year, they came together in the end (in that horrid 100 degree heat), to win the championship game! It was really exciting. Although I think the kids loved the water balloon fight and pizza party just as much as winning that last game.

Cole also closed out his baseball season. He played in the Miracle League again this year. It was great to see the progress he made from last summer. He really started hitting the ball hard. He thought it was hilarious to run to the base and purposefully fall as he approached the base. What a goofball! He also loved spending time on the boat and swimming in Coon Lake. He loved to tube behind the boat and tells Pat and I we are "too old" to tube! ;-)

AUGUST
After a week of football camp, Connor headed up north with his cousin Max, to go to their first overnight camp. The boys spent 3 nights/4 days at Trout Lake Camp. It was amazing! They had a great time and can't wait to go back next summer. When I asked him what his favorite thing was about camp, he had one word: EVERYTHING!!!!!

The boys went to Target Field with Grandpa Denny and I. Neighbor friends of ours graciously gave us free seats right behind home plate. Connor and I went to the game right away and Grandpa and Cole showed up an hour later. It was really hot, but we had a lot of fun. Cole loves to ride the elevators. And after being there only one time before, he knew exactly where to go to find every one!

Pat and I had our 20 year High School Reunion in August. It's hard to believe 20 years have flown by. It's nice to have gone to the same high school. We have a ton of mutual friends and had a great catching up with them. It's incredible to reflect on how much our lives have changed since graduation... isn't it interesting where life takes you!

The highlight of the month was hands down my brother, Brendan's wedding. He married his wonderful wife, Brittany on August 27th. Everything about the day was perfect. Cole's in-home therapist and I did a lot to prepare Cole for the "dance party" portion of the wedding. We had him practice wearing his dress clothes and showed him several picture stories about what would happen that night. We knew the wedding would be too much for Cole, but we made plans for a PCA to bring him to the "dance party" and then back to the respite house. Like I said, it went perfectly.

The wedding was amazing. I had the once-in-a-lifetime honor of officiating the ceremony. It was one of the best experiences of my life and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to marry off my younger brother to such an incredible woman. Cole showed up around 8pm. He had just enough time to make an ice cream sundae, take family pictures, say hello to everyone and check out the mansion. After that, it was time to watch the first dance and mother/father dances. Cole waited so patiently. Finally it was time to party. He walked right up to his cousin Elle, took her arm and brought her to the dance floor. The kids all had a ton of fun doing breakdance moves, handstands and even some gymnastics. Cole danced with Brittany. He held her hands as they danced but kept his eyes closed- not sure what that was about but it was super cute! When another slow song came on, Cole snuggled up to me and we shared a slow dance. It was the BEST. Shortly after that, Cole said he was ready to go. Pat walked he and his PCA out to the car, where we had a few presents for Cole. He did such a great job that we had to reward him!!

The entire wedding weekend was so memorable and fun. Brendan married a truly amazing woman and she has a wonderful family. I couldn't be happier for the two of them!

SCHOOL
Cole is about to start SCHOOL!!!! He hasn't officially been in school for almost 3 years. He has been in full-time ABA therapy since January 2009. It is bittersweet for him to move on from MAC and full time ABA, but he is ready!!!! We are incredibly thankful to all of the amazing therapists as MAC, who worked so hard with Cole. They have done things with Cole I didn't know would be possible. In his last ITP (therapy plan), he had 17 PAGES off mastered objectives. That is incredible!!!! We will especially miss his lead therapist, Jen, who has worked with Cole from day 1. She has spent one day a week in our home for years and is responsible for teaching us behavior and discipline techniques which literally saved our family. When Cole started at MAC, Cole's aggression was so severe that Pat and I weren't sure how long we would be able to keep him in our home. Now the tantrums and aggressive outbursts are under control and only happen a few times a month. Jen treated Cole like he was her own. She was often moved to tears during our therapy sessions and told me she often wakes up during the night, thinking of new ways to challenge and help Cole. I'm not sure why or how we were so blessed to have her in our lives, but we will never forget or under-appreicate everything she has done for our family and son.

Last night we got to visit the MAC School for the first time. It exceeded my expectations more than I could have hoped for. The facility is beautiful. It's nestled among trees, plants and tons of flowers. The play area is all fenced in and there are three different play sets. Inside the school is beautiful. It's immaculate and painted in all kinds of vivid colors. There is a cafeteria, a gym, music room, library, OT/Speech rooms, Computer rooms and a WII ROOM! Cole impressed everything with his razor scooter skills at open house last night. He also remembered several of the kids from when he was at MAC Minnetonka. He went right up to them and started conversations. At one point, he held hands with Marc and led him out to the playground. This is where he needs to be.

In Cole's 5th grade classroom, there are 7 children, including his best friend, Marc. There are two "teachers" in the room. One is a special ed teacher and the other is a lead ABA Therapist. Cole will spend the first half of his day with the special ed teacher, focusing on academics. While he's there, supporting ABA therapists will be by his side (in place of a para). After lunch and recess, Cole will spend the afternoon doing one-on-one ABA therapy (like he's been doing for the past 3 yrs). Cole will only have 2 other kids with him during the academic and ABA time. That is a pretty amazing teacher to student ratio! They have two huge classrooms to use and areas for individual instruction if it's necessary. The classrooms have huge windows, so there is a ton of natural light.

Cole will start school on Tuesday. We are SO proud of him. He has worked incredibly hard for the past 7 years to get to this point. I'm thrilled for Cole. He will be in an environment where he will be completely accepted for who he is, he will receive individualized educational instruction and make friends who aren't going to care if Cole is more interested in knowing what kind of tractor they have vs what sports they play.

I'LL BE BACK
Thanks for reading this monster of an update. I promise I'll be back more often.

Enjoy what's left of summer!

So what should I say?

I read the following Facebook status update recently from another Autism mom I know via FB.

"I dislike when people tell me I have a special needs child b/c God knew I could handle it. BS...I don't have a special needs mom gene that makes this easier for me than it would be for the average person. That is just what people say to make themselves sleep better at night. I am just as selfish as the next person. I wish I had been given a special gene...it would make it much easier. I am the same as you."

I couldn't help but read some of the responses to her posting. One of which was, "not being antagonistic at all-just really curious. What is the right thing to say?"

It got me thinking, what IS the right thing to say and what do I think of her posting?????


Certainly I've had many people say things to me like, "God doesn't give you more than you can handle. There is NO WAY I could do what you do. There is a reason why God gave Cole to you., etc." For the most part I agree, God doesn't give you more than you can handle. Somehow, even on the roughest of rough days Pat and I manage to make it through. Dealing with Cole when he is struggling is incredibly difficult. Even our families are surprised at his behavior at times. And yes, there are times when I hear another parent say, "Oh, so and so had such a tantrum last night. It was awful." and I want to ask, "well, has so and so ever broken a window in your home, has she put her head through the sheetrock or punched you so hard it takes your breath away? Has your child slapped you so hard that your arm stings for the rest of the night and bruises the next day? Has he ever had to be carried out kicking and screaming from a hockey arena after throwing water bottles at the crowd, punching, scratching, hitting you and then slamming his head off concrete? Oh and don't forget the popped blood vessels in his face from screaming so intensely." Now THAT'S a tantrum. And yes, it's coming from a ten year old boy who has a disability you can't see. Imagine the looks you get from people.

Autism is very humbling. But that's ok. I've gotten to the point where I can let the public tantrums, the nasty looks and comments roll off my back. I know I'm a great mom and Pat is an AMAZING dad to Cole. We are doing a fantastic job with our son and he is working incredibly hard to cope with the numerous struggles that come with his disability. And the people I love and care about most know that, too. I'm not worried about the lady who gave me a dirty look last night at Jam Hops when Cole continued to kick the indoor fence after I asked him not to several times. I am not a bad mom who does not discipline her children. In fact, I'm damn good at being a mom. I know that, my husband knows that and so do our families and friends. At the end of the day, those are the people I care about. They see how deeply we love our son, they know the mountains we have climbed, the hoops we've jumped through and the daily struggles we overcome. My energy is better served focusing on my family verses worrying about what some person at the gas station thinks.

As I said above, many people have said, "I don't know how you do it. I couldn't." YES YOU COULD and you WOULD. It all boils down to one absolutely wonderful thing: unconditional love. I love Cole with every single cell in my body. It is this overwhelmingly powerful unconditional love for Cole that motivates Pat and I to make his life the very best it can be. It's that simple. We are not special people and we are not any better equipped to handle our situation that anyone else.

SO WHAT IS THE RIGHT THING TO SAY?
That is a tough one. For me, it's not what you say but how much you cherish all of the little things. I see so many people who take the little things for granted: being able to take their children to another siblings hockey game, deciding last minute to go hiking in the woods, eating dinner together as a family, being able to change plans last minute and have your kids go with the flow, not seeing one of your kids in tears at family gatherings because the other child can't handle being there anymore, sometimes spending holidays alone because one of your children refuses to go at all, not having to play outside for 45 minutes in 8 degree weather because your child doesn't feel heat/cold the same way you do, having a home that will need $10K+ in repairs before you could possibly sell it, etc., etc. etc.

For me, I want to know that you aren't taking your life for granted. I want you to know that taking your dog for a walk while your 11 and 9 year olds stay at home for 15 minutes is a privilege. Having the flexibility to go where you want to go, when you want go- even if it is running errands and going to 2 soccer games and a dance practice, is a privilege. Having a child that can function in a neuro-typical classroom and play regular sports/activities is a privilege. Watching your children learn and helping them with homework is a privilege. The ability to reason with and discipline your children is a privilege.

Maybe a good response is something like, "You are doing a great job with your child. Kids sure have a way of making us cherish what really matters in life."

ENOUGH OF THE SOAP BOX, what have we been up to?

We are thrilled to see spring peeking around the corner. The sun has been out for the past several days and it feels great. I think we all have a little more pep to our steps these days. Pat and I just got back from vacation in warm, delightfully sunny Ixtapa, Mexico. We are so very fortunate to have wonderful family who help out with the boys while we take time for ourselves. This year, my parents and older brother, Sean, also were in Ixtapa. We overlapped by three days and got to spend some time together. The guys went deep sea fishing and had a great time catching lots of fish. We had some really fantastic meals together and loved watching the sunsets from their window-filled condo. Pat and I thoroughly enjoyed our time together and appreciate everyone who helped with the boys so we could indulge in some major relaxation!

Cole had a great time turning 10!!! He loves to tell you how old he was in each year. He'll say, "Mom, how old I was in 2005? I was 4!!!". Language might not be perfect, but he's trying hard and selfishly I see that as him figuring out simple math. :-) We celebrated with a bowling party at Ham Lake Lanes. Cole loved bowling with his cousins and family. He also had a great time singing karaoke. He walked around with the mic and everyone got a chuckle when (as he was ready to go), he announced to everyone in the bowling ally, "This is Cole. The party is over. Bowling is closed. It's time to go." Did I mention we love his sense of humor???Although in his eyes, he wasn't trying to be funny. He was a man on a mission, after all, it was time to go home.

The highlight of Cole's winter was him getting to ride on the zamboni during the U of M Women's hockey game!! For those who don't know, Cole is obsessed with zambonies. A friend from high school arranged for him to ride the zamboni between periods. He was thrilled. He waved to his family in the crowd and got excited when they announced his name on the loud speaker. He even wore his U o M jersey! Check out the video below.

Connor had an exciting winter! He is turning into a fine gymnast. We were excited to travel to Iowa City in February for his first out-of-state meet. It was so much fun! Two weeks ago, Connor and his team competed in the MN State Gymnastics Championship. His team took 1st place and Connor was the top overall gymnast for all kids at his level!! Connor has developed into a real leader on his team who, even after being at home with Influenza for a week, said, "Mom I really want to try to compete. I'm not trying to brag or hurt feelings, but I usually score high and my team needs me." Needless to say, his team took 2nd that day and Connor again placed 1st in his age group! Connor also had a great time in hockey this year. His skating and stick-handling really improved and he scored a fair amount of goals throughout the season. Now we're moving on to baseball season. Pat is coaching him this year and Connor is excited to have a lot of his close friends on the team.

We are so proud of Connor. He continues to be an empathetic, proud and loving brother to Cole. They have a ton of fun together and both have already been out riding their scooters and bikes! Connor loves school. He has a lot of friends and likes to talk to everyone. He's a great a speller, he's only missed 1-2 words the entire year!! He excels in reading and math and loves science, too. He's a huge snuggle-bug, just like his brother. And he's pumped that his bangs have finally grown out after he gave himself a haircut back in October!!

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I hope it gives you a snapshot as to what life is like when someone you love has Autism. And I hope it makes you cherish all of the little things in life and the freedoms and flexibility that come along with it.

Can 2+ months really fly by this fast?

Apparently yes, two months CAN fly by this fast! I knew I was a little behind on my blog, but I was blown away to see my last post was pre-Halloween! Maybe that's a good sign... winter is nearly half over already.

But first let me back up a bit. Cole had a fantastic Halloween. He was thrilled to be Luigi from Super Mario. He wore that costume with so much pride and was even more thrilled when he saw a neighbor boy who was dressed as Mario! Cole got lots of practice wearing his costume. MAC had a Halloween party and he also wore it plenty around the house. Cole just couldn't get enough of himself, he was constantly checking himself out in the mirror. This was the first year Cole picked out his costume and wore it without hesitation. He did awesome while trick-or-treating. We pulled a trailer behind our 4-wheeler and had several of the neighborhood kids and family on it with us. Cole knew exactly what to do and loved running to the houses with his brother and friends.

November is always a time to reflect on our blessings. We got some great news from one of Cole's therapists. His Occupational Therapist informed us that starting in January, Cole would no longer need OT services! This is great news. It means Cole has mastered nearly every objective in his therapy plan. The only things left are tying his shoes and clipping his toe nails; two things that are extremely difficult for him. I think back to where he started years ago and there are so many things he's accomplished: tooth brushing, buckling, zipping, snapping, holding a pencil, typing, clipping his finger nails and so much more. We also had a very positive and encouraging meeting at MAC for Cole's 90 day plan update. He continues to blow through his objectives and challenge the therapists to pave a different road for his therapy. It's so rewarding to look over the report which shows pages and pages of mastered objectives. And I love how dedicated the MAC therapists are at researching, brainstorming and challenging themselves to come up with countless ways to challenge Cole and increase his skills. We are blessed.

December came and went in a flash. The boys loved all of the snow we got and had a blast playing outside. Cole was especially thrilled when Pat brought home a new snowmobile (new to us at least). I got part of Cole's reaction on video, but not all of it. He was over the moon and his grin went from ear to ear. Cole loves anything that goes fast and snowmobiles are no exception. Pat and the boys have had hours of fun riding the trails that are only a mile from our house. Pat's also taken them up to the ice fishing shack on Coon Lake. The highlight from that trip was when Pat got pulled over by the Sheriff. Pat didn't have all of the proper stickers on his snowmobile and got a warning ticket. Cole said to the guy, "Give him a ticket. We want a ticket!". He also asked to sit in his police car and go for a ride. Good times.

Christmas was very nice. Cole did exceptionally well at Pat's parent's house on Christmas Eve. He loved sledding outside with his cousins and showed so much patience and good manners when opening presents. Cole had fun when we hosted Christmas day at our house. He loved brunch and opening more presents. It was so exciting for him- everyone went in together and got him a refurbished iTouch! We got him a custom skin for the outside that is John Deere colors and has a picture of Cole on a tractor. He loves his iTouch. He takes it with him on the transportation van every day. Cole can listen to his favorite music (Leona Lewis, Kelly Clarkson, John Mellencamp and holiday tunes), and watch his favorite movies (Toy Story, Monsters Inc and Finding Nemo). He's done very well following the laminated directions on his backpack that remind him to put his iTouch in it's case after every car ride. Never did I imagine we could give him this responsibility! Although we have staff, drivers and us parents who make sure it's in the case before the van leaves.

Pat and I got to do something exciting. We got to travel to Dallas for a quick weekend trip. Pat's company has an office down there and we were fortunate to be invited to their holiday party. It was a lot of fun and really nice to breathe 60 degree air and soak in the sunshine. We spent some quality time with one of the other owners, ate at a true Texas BBQ and had fun shopping at a huge mall. We both loved the city and left wanting to go back again soon!

Cole had a few extra days off over the holidays. As good as he did on the actual holidays themselves, there were a few really tough days as well. Cole gets extremely thrown off when even the littlest thing changes in his routine. He acts out by being defiant, aggressive and non-compliant. It can make those extra days at home unbearable at times. The good thing is that now we know what to expect and we mentally prepare for these tough times.

January has been going well for us. Cole loved having his cousins Brady and Elle sleepover. Brady was first. Typically Brady will stay in Connor's room. On this particular night, Cole insisted Brady stay in his room. It's only fair, I suppose. It was really cute. Cole wanted Connor to sleep in his (Cole's) bed and Cole made a "sleeping bed" on the floor for him and Brady. He layered piles on blankets and placed two pillows at the top. Cole told Brady, "Cole's never slept in a sleeping bed. Lets catch some zzzz's." and when Pat told Cole he couldn't snuggle Brady, Cole turned to Brady and said, "Don't worry Brady, I won't bother you". Needless to say, when we checked on the boys ten minutes later, they were all sound asleep. The same thing happened the following night with cousin Elle. It's so nice to have Cole take part in activities that we used to only do when he was not around. :-)

Cole had the stomach flu twice in the past six weeks. The first time, it happened on the night of Pat's company holiday party. He was pretty sick that day and I ended up staying home while Pat went to the party. The second time was just yesterday. Cole threw up a few times in the morning, but then started firing on all cylinders. It was like any other day. Cole was so proud to tell Pat, ""Daddy, I threw up in the bucket all by myself!!!!" And when he asked me for muffins, I told him he couldn't and that his tummy might not like it. Cole then pointed to his belly and said, "Tummy, you want muffins???" I love how literal he can be at times.

I can't stop writing without some news about Connor. He's such a fantastic kid. He really is. Connor loves school, excels at it and has tons of friends. He still runs to me with a huge hug when I come in to visit him at lunch or volunteer in his class. He adores his teacher and loves to share what he's learning about. He's full of interesting facts, just like his dad. This winter, Connor is playing hockey and still competes in gymnastics. He had his first meet a few weeks ago. We knew Connor could hold his own, but he ended up placing in all six events and he took first place in the all-around, amongst 68 other gymnasts! We had so much fun staying in a hotel with his team and competing the next day. We are looking forward to traveling to Iowa in February for an out-of-state meet! Connor also has taken a liking to snowboarding. He's had a few lessons with Brittany's brother, Ross. Lucky for him, there are eight foot tall snow banks in our yard for him to practice on. At the last lesson, I was chatting with Ross and looked up to see my 7 year old riding on the chair lift by himself. That's our Connor.

Connor continues to be an incredible brother to Cole. I always tell him that God placed him in our family for a reason and there is no one who could be a better son and brother than he is. Connor is so proud of Cole and likes to involve him in his play dates. They love to play the Wii together, wrestle, color and play outside. It's wonderful to watch.