They often play on the bear in Owen’s room, so he brought it downstairs tonight! Oh what fun they had!
Katie is there behind Owen. He’s got his face in hers. 🙂
Owen loves jumping into the bear. He usually says “To infinity and beyond!” (thanks to watching Toy Story and Toy Story 2 recently)! I caught him mid-jump!
Owen and I went to the movies this morning (Frozen!) with friends of ours that are moving next week—Ruth (the one who helped me put up the lights and tree) and her daughter! We’re really going to miss them… Owen did pretty well at the movie—it was a sensory-friendly version which I don’t think he really needs anymore, but it’s at least $3pp less so we do go once in awhile. I think with the lights up and the sound down, he is actually more fidgety and doesn’t get as involved. I know I don’t get as involved because I hear the constant murmuring of all the other kids that aren’t paying attention and talking and running about…
But anyway, after the movie, they came over for sushi lunch (well, the kids had pizza bagels!) and then we went outside. Ruth just happened to have a pink baby swing in her car that she was getting rid of, so we hung it up! (I actually had one I hadn’t put up yet, so I just traded her for the pink one!) Katie liked it. Not loved it, but liked it. For a few minutes. 🙂
Owen getting tackled! He LOVED every second of it and was having a ball. He kept saying “Emily! I’m over here! Come get me!”
Emily tackling and then Katie attacking Owen once he was down!
Then he wanted to play Candyland so we got it set up and just let them play while we were in the other room talking. It apparently went well and soon we heard Owen saying “Congratulations!” 🙂
As if the kids didn’t already have enough toys—and with Christmas right around the corner—I unearthed two big boxes of Owen’s old toys that I’m guessing we put away for Katie…or maybe just put in boxes temporarily because ironically, I had been wondering where some of the things had gone to…
Of course I can’t let Owen see them because he’d HAVE TO keep them all. But I can’t just get rid of everything because there are some good toys in there… So I think I’ll wrap up a few for Katie and hand pick a few for Owen to have. His school might get some donations as well.
With Aquazookas this time. 🙂
It took about 50 pictures to capture this without blurriness—they were having a blast!
I tried to have a talk with Owen about getting rid of some of his toys to donate to kids who don’t have as much as he does—especially since Santa will surely be bringing him some new toys for Christmas.
He seemed to really think about it and agree that would be a good idea.
Me: So what toys do you want to give away?
Owen: My costumes…my blocks…my guns…my swords…my trains.
Me: All of those things? You know you won’t get them back, right?
Owen: Yep.
That’s pretty much a list of ALL his favorite toys. I’m thinking he didn’t quite understand and was more concerned with the tower he was building at that moment. 🙂
So of the items he listed, I picked the toys he played with the least. I asked what specific trains he will donate and asked him to separate them into piles. I figured this would be interesting since he RARELY plays with them.
He picks out the Ikea trains to give away and his Owen train letters to keep. Okay, not bad. Then I dig for the Thomas trains he hasn’t even seen in at least six months and ask about those. Nope. HE LOVES THEM ALL AND THEY’RE ALL SPECIAL TO HIM! Of course they are. 😐
So it looks like I’ll be doing the toy purge by myself.
“Blue’s in trouble! Super Green, Super Red, Super Yellow to the rescue!”
“Mama, Super Red is a really good runner and skater.”
And it went on and on from there for a good 10 minutes. 🙂
So he asked to watch TV and I said no (Why? Why mama why?) and I asked him if he remembered what happened last night and he said yes, he was being snotty. And then he decided ON HIS OWN to put away toys! I said I liked that decision and would help him once he got started. It lasted about three minutes before his attention was elsewhere. But I was fine because he was playing with Katie and I hadn’t asked him to do it.
Fast forward about an hour and there was a toy he wanted to play with but it required floor space so I said we needed to pick up first. I only had to remind (prompt) him twice and it was done. EASY PEASY!
Color me flabbergasted. And happy.
So he got to play with his toy. And then later he asked to watch a show so I said yes. And we had a talk at bedtime about how I was very proud of him and he made me very happy tonight (as opposed to last night) and he seemed excited. I hope it continues.
PLEASE let it continue.
One last game of Candyland with Gramma before they leave tomorrow!
Owen: Mama, is it okay to go outside and play?
Me: Yes.
Owen: Cool. Is it okay to wear my Crocs?
Me: Yes.
Owen: Cool. Mama, is it okay to take Gramma Jean outside?
Me: Laughing. Well I think you need to ask her.
Grandpa: Just wait until we get her harness. 🙂
Playing guns with Gramma:
Gramma put a pair of Katie’s old socks on her hands—and she loved it!
Sibling love.
Gramma wanted to see just how good Owen really was at hitting the ball. She was impressed!
Owen could even hit the balls like this!
After raining all night, the field was pretty much underwater so the game was held indoors at the rec center gymnasium.
They wanted the kids to sign eight baseballs as gifts… Owen did one and was done. 🙂
We had a special guest in attendance today —Reggie Sanders of the World Series Champions Arizona Diamondbacks (2001). (Of course not being a sports person, I had absolutely zero idea who he was, but everyone seemed excited and I know it was a big deal.) He started the Reggie Sanders Foundation in 1992; his younger brother was diagnosed with autism.
He would help some of the really little kids bat and handed Owen his bat.
Getting his gold medal, autograph, and signed baseball:
Then enjoying pizza and cake!
There was also press there from the local paper. I know they took a picture of Katie and they asked for her name (and our information) so who knows if her picture will be included or not.
I was amazed at how fast the eight weeks went by. At the start, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to do it and eight weeks seemed like FOREVER…but before we knew it it was over. The best part, of course, is how much Owen enjoyed it!!
Since the doctors office was less than helpful or even remotely sympathetic, they didn’t get Owen’s physical form to the school, so Owen had to stay home today. I never told him that he wasn’t going to school—I just didn’t get up early and told him today we were staying in our PJs and watching a movie. He never even asked about school. (Today would have been Spirit Day: Pajama Day.) So we all watched The Lorax.
Then when Katie went down for her nap, we went out to play frisbee. After a little coaching he wasn’t half bad.
Owen also found this super cool colorful leaf:
Then he came in and now we’re watching Shrek. 🙂
She’ll grab it and haul it up into my lap…chewing on the blanket.
The day I pick to try and consolidate all of Owen’s Lego minifigs is the day I swear I will never buy him another one. He starts off thinking it’s going to be fun…then fizzles out about 20 minutes in and just wants to play.
This happens every few months. 😐
The top layer are fully-assembled figs; the bench holds figs that are missing something (could be just a knife or could be arms, legs, hair, hat, and a base). I am always flabbergasted at how many pieces are missing…and the number continues to grow.
FYI: Day 6 (last week) was cancelled due to rain.
It was quite a difference weather-wise this morning. A few weeks ago it was 85° and humid by 9am…this week we’ve had a cold snap so there was frost and it was maybe 42° by the time we hit the field.
In the outfield playing third base. Well, playing catch AT third base. 🙂
I didn’t edit anything out of the videos so you can see all that goes on. The boy in the red coat with Owen? Just running along for the heck of it (one inning they had to remove him from the field no less than eight times). And I have no idea why he pulled him down.
Running free while brother is in the outfield.
While Owen was in the outfield, he actually took it upon himself to retrieve most of the balls and threw them back to the pitcher. He was much more involved today! Of course, there’s only one week left!
I requested Lin’s apple pies for the freezer, so that was today’s project…and Owen was “helping.” Lin said he was very patient the whole time. 🙂
Owen was playing with Stuffy (the blue dinosaur from Doc McStuffins) and was attaching him to the apple peeler using a rubberband as a safety harness.
Papa got Owen a football tee so he could practice kicking. The grass was a little too soft so they had to start in the driveway.
Fumble recovery!
Practicing setting it up.
Papa’s turn!
He actually asked yesterday…but it was dead. So I charged it overnight and it was ready to go when he got home from school today. It was Katie’s first experience. She liked it okay at first…but then Owen jerked it a little and she wanted OUT.
Rocking Owen’s shades:
Left to her own devices…
Tom sent this as a reward for Owen being a good boy and future pooping in the potty. Which he sometimes does after you MAKE him…or when he knows there’s a big new toy on the line.
He did pretty good following the instructions (with a little of my help) and he only got sidetracked a few times. His attention would start wandering and he wasn’t really paying attention and I told him he was losing his train of thought. He asked what that meant. I told him his brain was moving along like a train, but then when he stopped paying attention it was like the train was off the tracks. So then he would drag his finger across his forehead saying “This is where the train goes.” 🙂
Owen came up and told me he needed to put his cars in water (he has Cars cars that change color in water)…but the one he was holding was already wet. Hmmm… I asked if Amy got out water for him. No. He told me he would show me.
This is what I saw:
Me: Owen, cars don’t go in the water bowl.
Owen: Why not?
It’s like he’s 14 months all over again…until I realized that he was actually doing a good thing because I’ve told him he can’t play in the bathroom sink (because it has a leak) and he couldn’t play in his water table (because it needed cleaning). 🙂
Katie was having a ball outside.
Okay, so I’m REALLY having second thoughts about this Special Needs Baseball thing. It starts tomorrow.
Every one I’ve told about it is like “…Uh…why??? Owen isn’t special needs…” Which, well, technically he is (the autism diagnosis) but realistically, he’s probably not in regards to this baseball thing.
I still think it has the potential of being good for him—there are supposed to be three different levels of play (from needs LOTS of help to needs little help) and it’s good for him to be around other kids—but part of me thinks he may do just as well with “normal” baseball as this might just confuse him since there really are no rules and it’s all just for fun. And, if I’m being honest, part of me just doesn’t want to do it because I’m lazy and it’s a lot of prep work and energy to take two kids places. Of course, I also learned from the website that it’s religious-based, with “fellowship and food” after. Uh, thanks, but that’s not really my scene. So we’ll see about that.
Owen is somewhat excited—which is good—but he honestly doesn’t even really know what baseball is. He’s never watched it or played any version of it (I’m not even sure how he knows what it is—it must have been via osmosis or it’s just a boy thing). I’ve told him if we really don’t like it, we don’t have to do it (which is completely against my usual mantra of you wanted to do this, you’re going to do this)…but if he likes it, we can definitely go again.
It shall be interesting.
This was a bear Tom got from the USO’s Comfort Crew for Military Kids deployment package. It had two matching dog tags included, so we’re sending one to Tom…
We tried to give it to him before but he wasn’t interested. Until today when he saw the box sitting there and said “Oooh, what’s in the box?” 🙂
Owen has been through two dollar store punching bags, so this time I went premium with the Eco-Bonk Grizzly Bear. Since it cost 10x as much, I expect it to last 10x as long…and seeing as how the other ones lasted about a month, I think we’ll be good. 🙂
Technically the bear’s name is Jackson (he’s wearing a name tag) but Owen has named him Boppy, like the similar inflatable punching bag on Doc McStuffins.
And introducing him to Katie…
