May is for Mother's Day!

Wow, it's May already. Although the weather we've been having makes it feel like it's May, in reality, it just doesn't seem possible. Connor told me this week he only has five weeks left of school. There is no way my baby can be almost done with 1st grade. I saw an old friend this week and he asked if Pat still had his job selling highway advertising signs. I can barely remember when he worked there. It was nearly ten years ago when I was pregnant with Cole... that makes me realize just how fast time is passing by. In a few short months, it will be six years since Cole's Autism diagnosis. So much in our lives has happened, so much has changed, goals are becoming reality, visions of the future are suddenly the present.

I always wanted to be a mom. I knew I would love it. And it is by far the most rewarding, enjoyable and important job I've ever had. Connor made my day this week when he told my Mom that I do such a good job because I've had "lots of mommy training classes". It will be fun when Connor realizes years from now that children don't come with any kind of handbook. His comment got me thinking about how and why I parent the way I do. It was easy. I've had an incredible "mommy trainer". My mom did an outstanding job raising her children. She worked outside the home, always had dinner for us (even if she wasn't going to be home), our home was clean, she seldom missed any of our sporting events and even though she was crazy busy, it felt to me like she was a stay at home mom. She was full of good advice and loved each of us four kids unconditionally. Even now, I can count on her no matter what. Most of the time, she offers her help before the words come out of my mouth. She understands and praises the hard work I'm doing as a mom and tells me I'm doing a good job. I feel like she loves my children as they were her own and she's always listens to the countless "proud mommy stories" I share with her. I'm so fortunate to have such a wonderful mother and "mommy trainer".

Cheers and Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful moms out there, who wake up each day and give all they have to make the lives of their children as pleasant and love-filled as they possibly can.

Now for an update on one of my scariest mommy moments. As many of you know, Connor broke his arm in two places on Easter morning. He had surgery on it almost two weeks ago. The doctor made an incision and placed two pins to hold the bone in place. Connor got his permanent cast on Monday and the xray showed everything is healing well. We go back a week from Monday to possibly get the cast off and pins removed. Connor has been wonderful throughout the ordeal and hasn't complained one bit. He's very excited to get back to gymnastics and join his baseball team. As you can imagine, Connor has managed to have a lot of fun regardless. There isn't much that slows him down.

We had friends in town last weekend from Sioux Falls, SD. Our friends came to visit with their two children. We prepared Cole as well as we could, but we just didn't know what to expect. The last time they were here (about 3-4 years ago), Cole got so worked up we had to call my parents and bring him there for the remainder of the weekend. This time, we did have a back up plan in case things didn't go well, but we didn't need it! Cole loved having our friends here. He talked with all of them and played with the kids throughout the weekend. The kids even put on a mini-Prom in the basement. Cole loved watching Pat and I dance in the basement and had a blast playing Rock Band with everyone afterward. Everything went so smooth and Cole was happy the entire time. You'll see the pictures I posted and how happy Cole was. The best part came when Jim said goodbye to Cole. Cole looked at him and said (without prompting), "You can come back any time". We were so proud of him. Cole has been talking about the Rysavy's every day. He wanted them to come back this weekend. It's a good thing they are coming in July so he has that to look forward to!

Cole has been doing a lot of testing with our school district. He is being evaluated by a team of specialists to determine where the best fit is for him. The past three testing sessions have gone so well. All evaluators said he worked very hard and stayed on task. In talking with them, it seems Cole cooperated very well and they were able to get the information they needed. The only glitch we had was last Thursday. I was about to take Cole up to McKinley for testing, when Cole heard the garbage truck. He LOVES the garbage truck and seldom gets to see it. I tried to get Cole to leave, but I just couldn't make him get in the truck. He was so excited to see the garbage man and I wasn't going to burst his bubble. I called the school to let them know we would be late and we waited for a half hour until the garbage man made it through the entire neighborhood and finally arrived at our house. Cole jumped up and down and waved in excitement. It was well worth it.

He is making progress every day. His speech is blossoming and his behavior is very manageable. Pat was in Toronto last week for work and I can honestly say it did not give me one ounce of stress. It has taken A LOT of time and hard work to get to this point, but we are here and it feels wonderful. What a wonderful mommy moment. Then again, I have many wonderful mommy moments. And I look forward to countless more.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!!!

Lots going on!!!!

It's been a crazy few weeks for the Schusted household! I'll start back almost a month ago...

Pat and I enjoyed a wonderful time in Ixtapa. It was our sixth time there and we were fortunate to have my parents and six neighbor friends there with us for three of the seven days. Once again, Pat got to deep sea fish with my Dad and Santos. They had a successful day on the water and both caught a lot of fish. We had a fun time at the Emporio Pool with our neighbor friends. We are all so busy with our families, that it was nice to get quality time together. We spent the last four days of our vacation lounging around by the pool, taking in loads of sunshine and relaxing. The weather was perfect the entire week and we had countless delicious meals, as usual.

The boys did quite well while we were gone. Cole came to pick us up at the airport with Grandpa Denny. He was so excited. Once he saw us and we left the airport, all of his emotions from the past week came rushing out. He cried, got angry and wanted "The Penguin Game". Cole was really out of sorts and it was pretty hard on us. We stopped at Target to look for the game; not having any idea what it was, a board game, a Nintendo game, a book, a movie?!? Even with the help of a Target employee, we could not locate the game. Cole was really mad. Pat had to carry him out of the store kicking and screaming. Luckily, once we picked up Connor and stopped to get ice cream, Cole settled down and life returned to normal. We've come to expect this from Cole. He does an amazing job while we're gone, but when we get home, he wants us to know it was not easy for him.

Pat was able to search around the internet and find The Penguin Game. We ordered it from Amazon and had it delivered the next day, to Cole's surprise. He was thrilled and thankfully, the episode on the way home from the airport was all the rough behavior he had after we got home.

We came home to incredible spring weather. As you all know, Mother Nature has blessed us this spring. Cole has been able to spend a lot of time outside, doing the things he loves most: riding the tractor, using the tiller, raking, riding his bike, etc. We've had so much fun with him and his mood has been really upbeat.

The thing Cole has been most excited about is our new boat. We traded in the 16' Alumacraft in March and got a 20' Crestliner. Cole has been sitting in it while it has been parked in our garage. He's claimed his spot in the passenger side comfy captains chair. He loves to open and close the windshield and look in all the compartments. When he saw the motor, he told Pat, "Daddy the motor is HUGE!". As soon as the ice went out on Coon Lake we were there. Cole was beyond excited. He was moving his hands and the smile on his face went from ear to ear. I let him sit in the big chair and he loved it. We went really fast and he couldn't get enough of it. Needless to say, we've been out on the boat at least four times since, in fact, he and Pat are taking Tim, Max and Zack on a ride as I write this! We are so glad to have this boat. We spent a lot of time boating and letting the boys swim at the lake. Our old boat didn't have enough room for us to move around and now we have plenty of space and a big motor to push us around the lake. Soon it will be time for tube rides!

Shortly after we got back from vacation, Cole went to his cousin Max's birthday party. It was at Pump It Up with about 15 other kids. We were not sure how Cole would react to this, but we tried it anyway. It went so well. We got there after Cole's swim lesson, so we missed some of the play time. At first, Cole was unhappy about this, but we asked the staff to open the play area and Cole was able to spend some time jumping around. Soon he joined the big group for cake and the birthday song. It was so fun to see him get excited and mingling with the kids. He sat amongst them like any other child and sang the birthday song. A few years ago we would not have attempted this, so to see it be successful was a proud moment for us.

On Easter morning, the bunny threw us a curve ball. Connor fell off a plastic table as he was getting off our trampoline. He broke two bones in his arm. It took me a few minutes to realize what happened and when it did, chaos broke loose. Pat had to run to get Cole and I immediately packed up Connor and brought him to the ER. My Dad met me there and stayed until Pat arrived. Poor Connor did a number on his arm. He broke both the radius and ulna and he broke them bad. He was put under at the ER so the doctor could reset his bones. He was SO brave. We went to the specialist on Monday and his initial thought was that even though the bone was attached "by a thread", it would heal together and be strong enough for a full recovery. He left Connor in a splint/temporary cast for a week and had us come back in this Monday. Connor and I went in and they put a permanent cast on. After that, they did another xray and determined the bones were not lining up properly.

Unfortunately Connor would need surgery the following day. So yesterday we took him to Mercy Hospital for surgery. Dr Pittman put made an incision and put two pins into Connor's bone to hold them in place. Connor did really well. He was scared and crying when he woke up from the surgery, but slowly the medications wore off and he was more like his old self. He has been taking pain medication and slowly things are getting better. We go back to see Dr Pittman on Monday and hope things still look good. If all looks good on Monday, the plan is to put the permanent cast on the following week. It has been an eventful 10 days for our family. Luckily Cole was at the respite house from Sat - Wed, so we were able to care for Connor without any interruptions. It's funny how things work out sometimes.

There is so much more I could write about and I wish I wasn't so far behind on my blog. Sometimes life just gets in the way. I did get an email this week from a woman I've never met. She has been following my blog and asked for insight on a few things regarding her Autistic son. It was so nice to hear from her and more importantly to share our experience and hopefully have a positive impact on their journey.

HAPPY SPRING EVERYONE!

My little daredevil

Cole had quite an exciting Wednesday last week. The morning started off with a visit to the dentist. Part of me can't believe I'm actually typing this, but Cole had been looking forward to this appointment for months.

For those who don't know, the dentist and dental hygiene have been one of our most challenging things with Cole. It is hard to put the intensity of his dental fear into words. We have tried medications, picture schedules, Velcroe body jackets, books, etc. to get Cole comfortable with the dentist. It got so bad that we couldn't drive down the road that lead to our former dentist and the last time we got Cole into the building, he was so full of anxiety that he smashed his head into the inner brick walls of the building. We lost all hope until we got the recommendation of Dr King.

Dr King is a wonder-worker. Actually, the bulk of the credit should go to his amazing hygienist, Marlene. Wednesday was our third visit with Dr King. The first time, Cole went to the office and just looked around. He took a ride in the chair and that was it. At that time, the decision was made to put Cole under general anesthetic to clean his teeth and do any necessary work. The second time we visited Dr King's office, Cole got to perform a teeth cleaning on a teddy bear. He loved it and even sat in the chair himself. He let Marlene count his teeth and "polish" his two front teeth with her special tool. Dr King also got a quick exam in.

This time around, Cole was super excited. He could not wait to work on the bear and turn up the music in Marlene's special room. When it was Cole's turn, he sat right down and Marlene went to work. He let her clean, polish and floss all of his teeth. We had to take a few breaks, but he made it. When Dr King came in, he let him examine his teeth. The only time Cole had anxiety was when it was time to paint his teeth with fluoride. He didn't like it at all and we had to restrain him slightly. It stressed him out, but in the end he survived and had white shiny teeth to prove it! When I think back to our troubles related to this, I'm amazed at the tolerance and progress Cole has shown. The true test will be in September when he knows what he's in for. He's already told me, "only bear in September, not Cole". Something tells me he will do just fine.

That night, we rewarded Cole by taking him to Nick Universe at the Mall of America. Cole was beyond excited and so happy to have his family there with him. He, Pat and Connor went on almost every ride. It was so much fun to see Cole leading us around the park. He knew where everything was; from the Gatorade machine to the ferris wheel entrance and the mini golf course to Dairy Queen. It was like we had our own tour guide. The boys had a great time and I was amazed at how much they loved the "crazy" rides!! We would take Cole there a lot if it weren't so darn expensive- although it's worth it to see the grin on his face.

Tonight we told Cole about our upcoming vacation. Pat and I will be leaving Thursday for Ixtapa. It will be our 6th year in a row. We are incredibly blessed to have wonderful family members who help with the boys while we are gone. They understand how important this break is for us and just how much we need a reprieve from our often hectic home life. Cole was quite sad when he glanced at his picture schedule. He crumpled it up and said, "Mommy and Daddy aren't going on vacation. They are not going on a plane." Tears came to his eyes and he was truly sad. Slowly, as the night wore on and after slamming a few doors, Cole came to grips with the situation and appears to be ok. As much as he adores his grandparents, this coming week will be hard for him. He'll miss us as much as we miss him. Keep him in your prayers.

SURPRISE!!!!

We have had so much fun with Cole over the past few weeks. He's been in a great mood and now that we've gotten over the hump with the increased difficulty of his stand up, sit downs, things have been going well with him. He is talking in more complete sentences and keeps surprising us with his progress. He shows us so much love and affection. We know he adores us and his brother, Connor. The two boys are the perfect match for one another. Cole has such strong admiration for Connor. He looks up to him and wants to be a lot like him. Connor is truly amazing with Cole. I wish there is a way I could give him the credit he deserves. Connor is mature far beyond his years and the intuition, empathy and compassion he shows for Cole inspire me. It's so wonderful to see Connor enjoy Cole's increased play skills. There are so many more age-appropriate activities they play together. They are great pals and have so much fun playing the Wii, sledding, playing games, wrestling, skating and doing homework together. The other day Connor said to me as the boys were playing at the table, "Mom, I just love Cole's smile. See, there it is again." I mean seriously, how many brothers say that about one another. And this happens nearly every day with Connor. He has the most positive, supportive attitude when it comes to Cole and his Autism. It's amazing... he's amazing.

Cole turned nine on February 28th. I can't believe I have a nine-year-old. It seems like just yesterday when we were putting together his nursery and here he is wearing size 10 jeans and weighing over 70 pounds. Our journey with Cole hasn't been exactly what we signed up for. Someone said to me this past week, "it's like planning a trip to Italy but when you land, you are in Russia." It's still a wonderful trip, but it's not what you planned. In our case, we did spend close to 3 years in Italy and then one day, our tour guide said, "You thought you were in Rome? You guys have been in Moscow for three years. Does that explain why some things haven't made sense?"

We hosted a surprise party for Cole on Saturday. He had absolutely no idea. It was the day before his actual birthday, so he wasn't expecting a party that day, nor had he asked about one. We had all of our immediate family over and waited anxiously for his PCA, Alli, to drop him off. We crowded into the living room, hidden from sight. Everyone, even seven little kids, kept very quiet as Cole came home. He walked up the stairs and everyone yelled, "SURPRISE!!!!". Cole's reaction was priceless. He covered his ears and looked very shy and excited at the same time. He kept saying, "Wow... wow. It's a surprise party for me!" He took time to process what was going on. Cole would walk into his room and talk to himself about what was happening and then he would come out and show his excitement to the crowd. This process took about five minutes. He had so much fun and was so proud to turn nine.

We also had a lot of fun at hockey this week. Cole had practice on Sunday. He was so happy to have Connor skating with him. Connor did an outstanding job leading Cole through practice and the drills. It brought us so much joy to see them skating together. Cole is so athletically gifted and to see him skate so well after 6-7 times on the ice is impressive. Sadly the hockey season comes to an end next week. I'm in the process of signing him up for Special Olympics. I just need to decide which of the spring sports suits him best. In a few months, he'll also start Miracle League baseball and just this past weekend, the boys started an adaptive bowling league together as well. You can check out a neat video of Cole and Connor skating together at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-B2_Nfz1T0

We are looking forward to this weekend. Cole will have his first "friend birthday party". We invited 10 kids to come celebrate at the bowling alley with Cole. I can't wait to see his reaction and to see the joy on his face. He might not have a lot of friends, but the ones he does have are kids he cares for very deeply. We are blessed to have some very special cousins and friends in Cole's life.

Life is full of surprises. Whether you land in Germany when you thought you were headed for Peru or if a crowd of adoring people shout "surprise" to you, embrace life and all the unexpected blessings. We have been on quite a detour for the past six years and there have been countless things to be thankful for along the way. And yes, we'll get to Italy some day but for now Russia is where we need to be.

Look what I can do!

As the mom of a special needs child, I often need to remind myself of that reality. I see Cole as the little boy I adore and often look past his numerous challenges. I have to stop and tell myself that Cole has special needs. Yes, we live it every single day but at the end of the day, Cole is our son and the only thing that matters is our deep love for him.

I do admit, however, there are times when I assume there are things he can not do. And most often, Cole is able to prove me wrong. I try to "let out the rope" and give Cole the independence and opportunity to do the things boys his age do. Many times I find myself overly cautious and concerned for his safely and well-being.

A few years ago, an old school friend suggested we have Cole play in the special hockey league at Schwan's Super Rink. I quickly dismissed it. I couldn't imagine Cole learning to skate, let alone wearing the necessary equipment. Last year, Connor got skates for Christmas and began skating himself. Cole took interest to it and this year, we decided to give it a try. So every Sunday at 4:20, our family heads off to the Super Rink for MN Special Hockey. It has been the best experience. Cole LOVES putting on the pads and equipment. He has his own jersey (#19) and he loves going to see Coach Chris and his hockey friends. One week there is practice and the next is a game. It is so fun to see Cole skate around the rink. He skates really well and loves to go fast and slide on the ice. He's also known to shoot on his own goalie... oh well! It's so nice to have a safe environment for Cole and young adults with disabilities. Cole loves that we are there for him and he's made us very aware of that. It really made me stop and think. He wants affirmation and a sense of belonging just like we do. And it's our job to provide that for him.

Cole is also learning some age-appropriate play skills. He's been playing his favorite game, Guess Who, with us. It's a game where he has to ask questions about our secret person to determine who our person is. He does an amazing job asking questions correctly and asking questions that allow him to use his deductive reasoning. He has beat me fair and square countless times. It's fun because Connor loves to play as well.

We also had a close friend give a used Nintendo DS to Cole. He was so excited and with a little help from Connor, he figured out how to use it and now plays Mario Kart on the DS. It will be so nice to bring with us when we are out and about. The other day we brought Cole to Connor's hockey game. Cole got a little antsy, so we let him play the DS. It was nice to have something fun for him to do while watching the game. It also helps him sit still (and safe) in the truck. Thanks so much Mel!!!!

He's also mastered Mario Kart on the Wii. With the help of MAC and Connor, Cole has learned how to play Wii games and now gets 1st or 2nd place in nearly every race he's in. The boys enjoy playing together and it's so nice to have an activity for him that other kids his age are playing. And it's wonderful to have something fun to do inside during these cold winter months!

We are working on plans for Cole next school year. Right now, we are thinking he will attend McKinley (his home school where Connor goes) starting in September. He'll go there in the morning and then head to MAC for the remainder of the afternoon. Cole is SO excited to go to school where Connor, his cousin and friends go. Cole has never been in a main-stream school, so I think the part-time transition will suit him well. I'm starting the process of many, many meetings to get things underway. Lots of meetings, assessments, paperwork, more meetings and other important things. Managing Cole's care is a tremendous amount of work, but I get so much joy from seeing things fall into place for him.

Cole is really looking forward to his upcoming birthday. He will turn NINE on February 28th. We are so excited for him. He loves birthdays and surprises. We are planning a family surprise party for him and I'm in the midst of planning his first-ever friend party. I can't wait for that!

Speaking of birthdays, I just celebrated mine this past weekend. I'm so fortunate for all of the people who came out to celebrate with me. We had so much fun at Tanners and POVs. I shared a picture taken at Tanners with a few of my high school friends. It was such a fun night and made turning thirty-something a little easier.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. I even get requests and questions as to when I'm going to post another entry. I love to hear those comments. It's hard to know if people read this and to get feedback is very reassuring. Cole is so fortunate to have so many people on his team. We all have a part in helping him and it's paying off in a big way... after all, look what he can do!!!

Countless blessings

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. If you're anything like me, you love it while it's here but are just as happy to see it go. I like to get back into routine and reflect on the many blessings of the past year.

I'm most thankful for is being able to stay home with my kids. Yes, they are both at school during the day, but managing Cole's care is a full-time job alone. I love getting the kids ready, seeing them off to school and working productively throughout the day until my loved ones get home. It's something I have longed for since Cole was born and I'm extremely grateful for the past 18 months. I haven't take one hour of it for granted.

December brought a lot of fun to our house. As you know, there was a lot of snow over Christmas and Cole was in heaven. The boys and Pat spent countless hours plowing, shoveling, sledding and playing in the snow. Pat put the plow on our yard tractor so Cole could plow the snow. Pat would hop on his 4-wheeler and Cole on the "Husky". I'm not sure who was having more fun! Cole plowed our driveway (and the street) like a pro. During one snowfall, he was outside while Pat was working in the garage. Pat called me out to look at how perfect Cole had plowed the driveway. He had to turn the direction of the plow and everything. Pretty amazing!! I think I see a business possibility in Cole's future.

Christmas went pretty well for us. The snow saved us to some extent. Cole had an outlet for those times when being inside was too much for him. He loved opening presents and tore them open as fast as he could. He got a new John Deere backpack that quickly replaced his old one and many other fun things. Cole understood Santa and was super excited to see he left lots of presents by the fireplace. He had a great time visiting Santa a few days before Christmas. He sat by him, rang bells and talked to him about Christmas. It sure made us proud.

One great thing for Cole was learning to ice skate!!! His Aunt Katie took him to the Depot downtown where Cole skated for the first time. Not surprisingly, he picked it up with ease. After all, this is the boy who taught himself how to ride a bike without training wheels at age three. Cole and Katie skated for more than two hours and Grandma Eileen said she has never seen Cole smile so big. Just this week we signed Cole up for MN Special Hockey; a league for children with disabilities. He'll start next weekend and we can't wait for that.

We are seeing a new challenge with Cole. It goes without saying that he adores his brother, Connor. Now Cole wants to be doing everything Connor does. And he wants Connor to do whatever he wants to do. There are a lot of things they love to do together: play the Wii, wrestle, sing, play Candyland, Lincoln Logs and go outside. But there are many times when Connor doesn't want to do what Cole wants him to do, or furthermore, it might not be possible. Connor has his own life, places to go and friends to play with. Cole doesn't understand that concept and it's bringing on some very challenging situations for our family. I've talked to Cole's therapist at MAC and she is brainstorming ways we can work through this.

All in all, it's been a good winter and we're having a wonderful time seeing our kids enjoy it. It brings back memories of jumping off my roof into the snowbank with my siblings and skating in our backyard ice rink. It's so fun to be a kid and there isn't anything more rewarding than creating memories for your own children.. what a blessing.

Check out these videos. One is of Cole skating and the other is from the our visit to Santa.

So much to do, so little time

My last post was a month ago already. "Update blog" has been on my to-do list for weeks now. You know how this time of year is, way to much to do with not nearly enough time. So we prioritize and use our time wisely. And frankly, I can honestly say I have no guilt when things wait for tomorrow. I check off plenty each day on my to-do list and that is good enough for me.

Cole has been doing awesome. For the most part, we've had a few really good weeks with him. He seems to be past the tough fall/winter transition and is now elated that he can plow snow with our tractor. Cole loves Christmas and this year he did an awesome job decorating the tree. He pretty much did it himself. He even brought a chair over so he could place ornaments on the top part of the tree. He was so proud, as were we.

Cole is also doing great at swimming. After three years of private lessons at Foss, he is starting to catch on. He has come so far. Not long ago, half of the lesson was spent trying to get Cole to keep his goggles on for more than a minute and getting him used to putting his face in the water. Now he wears his goggles the entire lesson, dives for things under water, jumps off platforms and is learning all kinds of swim strokes. He still has a ways to go, but we are pleased that he is learning how to be safe in the water. That is what is most important for Cole. (see video below)

Cole is also making progress with some of his activities of daily living. He is now brushing his teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. It has taken months and months of therapy at OT, but Cole is finally over his "Bear" non-fluoride toothpaste and he knows not to swallow the regular stuff. He is also doing a thorough job. I remember back a few years ago when it was nearly impossible to get him into the bathroom. Between teeth brushing and potty training, you would have thought our bathroom was a jail cell. He avoided it at all cost. Ahhh... progress!!!

I have also been able to take Cole to the YMCA and put him in Kids Stuff! This is something we used to be able to do as a family, but for the past 3 years Cole has refused to cooperate. We worked on it for weeks with his therapist from MAC and just last week I was able to take him by myself! To top that, I also took him to Target without Cole putting every toy in sight into our cart. Target was something I avoided with Cole at all cost. He did not understand that he could not buy everything he saw and that you could not ride bikes in the aisles. Thanks to Jen at MAC for helping us conquer that as well!

And to top all of this off, my Mom surprised me a few weeks ago with an amazing gift. At Cole's last benefit, the "team" went in and got me a gorgeous handmade silver Autism pendant. It is very special to me and something I truly cherish. A few years ago, my Grandmother gave me her wedding ring. It didn't fit and I'm not one to wear a lot of rings. My Mom had the idea for me to take the diamonds from the ring and put them onto the Autism pendant. My Grandma liked the idea and after a few months, I finally got around to asking our jeweler about it. My Mom went with me to meet him and I asked him to call me with an estimate. A few days went back and I get a message from my Dad asking me to stop by. I did so and my Mom brought a box for me to look at. I assumed it was something she purchased from the jeweler, so I was completely surprised when I opened it and saw my pendant with the diamonds from my Grandmother's ring!! It was beautiful. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful family and support system. Next to my wedding ring, the Autism pendant is the most precious piece of jewelry I own. It is sentimental for so many reasons and I'm so blessed to have been given it.

I hope you all enjoy this busy holiday season. We are all time-pressed but I want you to take time to enjoy your family and friends. Focus on what is most important. Spend quality time with the people you love and don't sweat the small stuff... chances are it will still be there tomorrow.