He is so wise.

This morning was hectic...It's Monday, the first day back to school since Hurricane Ike.

I rushed through our morning routine---urging Christopher to hurry every few minutes as he took his time leisurely eating his oatmeal and drinking his milk.
We flew out the door and jumped into the car. We were 3 minutes behind our normal schedule. We usually show up about 5 minutes earlier than need be so that any traffic or distraction will not cause Christopher's morning routine to be thrown out of whack...So we weren't late...just not early.

While we're driving, I have Christopher read one of his AR stories to me...never hurts to refresh and get a jump on the school-mentality for the day. He reads the story without much gusto...because he's already read it at least 20 times. He knows it cold.

After the story, we start reviewing for his geography test...mostly because I have *no* idea where his teacher is going to start up her lesson plan at this point. I want him to be prepared.
He calmly answers my questions and tells me that he is going to do all of his work today...He wants to make us proud. Right now "us" happens to be me, Beau and Santa Claus.

After the geography review, we talk about behavior expectations for the day. I don't know how it is for neurotypical children, but for little Auties...FREQUENT reviewing helps for better performance. (haha)

Traffic has delayed us a little bit and I want to keep him busy...so I ask him to go over the geography work with me "one more time."

My beautiful son had been looking at the sun glowing over the street. Without a pause or stutter he turned to me and said, "Let's just enjoy this moment, okay?" And then he turned his face back to the sun and enjoyed his last moments in the car before school.

I CRACKED UP!

And then I thought, "WOW. What a reminder to slow down and drink in the sun and the calm!"
With one sentence, he totally made my day.

I am perpetually amazed by Christopher. He is so funny and smart. Thank you God for making that moment possible and for my brilliant little guy!

It's a beautiful day...

I want to start off by saying that I am so grateful for this beautiful Sunday afternoon. Thank you, God.

I am sitting here enjoying a moment of quiet. This "quiet" is a relative term. The sounds around me are actually quite loud...but none of them are being aimed in my direction. I will take what I can get.

I am very much looking forward to the great and fantastic peace of tomorrow. Christopher returns to school, Beau will be at work, and I *hope* that Delaney will choose to take at least a 3 hour nap in the middle of the day.

Instead of using that time PRODUCTIVELY, I plan to squander that time playing with my paints and listening to the traffic drone by...maybe listen to some music with swearing and adult content without fear of a little one repeating the lyrics or asking me questions.

All of that being said, I love the sounds of my family being content in the moment. Christopher running from room to room drumming and singing...Delaney cooing and her slurpy way of nursing...Beau watching and commentating on football. Good things, for sure.

This upcoming week will have some unpleasantness. Not the least of which being the fact that my husband has to work SO hard to give us the life that we live. The most unpleasant part of the week is something that I have dreaded for months. Christopher's annual ARD.

I despise sitting in the room surrounded by people who are (at times) ready to put Christopher's future in a tiny little box...ready to ship him off to a future less grand and more narrow than what he deserves. Granted, not all of them are FOR that plan...but they all acquiesce so easily.

So, I end up becoming aggressive and angry at these people who act as if they know my child better than I do. For them, he's just a job. For me, he is my world.

The end result will be worth the anguish in between...at least, I hope that it is.

The responsibility of shaping his future is almost more than I can bear at times. I know that every child depends on their parents for this careful planning...but having to fight the entire world and all of the preconceived notions that everyone has about Autism....while pushing him to be all that he can be...having to think around the corners inherent in his condition...finding the best way to encourage him to become the independent man that I know he COULD BE if I don't let the district have their way...their way being a self-contained classroom where he learns little more than "life skills"---like how to wash dishes and clean up after himself----instead of reading, writing, math, and important social skills...On top of that I am charged with keeping him safe from the world and himself ALL of the time.

And to that responsibility, I have welcomed a new baby, a new puppy, and a new business venture....

What was I thinking?!?!?!

Oh yeah, that God is good and He will make me strong enough. I have faith in Him and His faith in me. Both of my children are unexpected miracles...wonderful and amazing in their own ways. I can not wait to see what God has in store for us, because I *know* that it is fantastic.