Ever since Colin's race in the Summer Games on Saturday, he hasn't stopped talking about it.  He is able to string together some phrases like "I running fast", "put medal on head", and "I did it".  He will occasionally put his medal on and walk around wearing it.  He is really proud of what he did and so are we.  I honestly haven't stopped thinking about it and have watched my own montage video several times.  I really enjoyed being on that side of the fence cheering on my child as he ran his little heart out to the finish line.   

Chris and I are really thankful for how involved we have become in the Special Olympics of NJ because of Colin.  You can walk around at the summer games, or any SO event for that matter, and have a conversation with anyone.  There is such a feeling of camaraderie and everyone is so supportive of all of the athletes.  It's pretty neat too because Colin has become pretty well known and it still makes me laugh to have people come up and say hi to him when Chris and I have no idea who they are.  He just eats it up.   

I know that the Special Olympics is going to be a pretty big part of our lives for many years to come, and we are proud of that.  While we will always encourage Colin to participate in activities with his typical peers, I appreciate what the Young Athlete Program has provided for Colin and look forward to all that is still yet to come with his involvement in the Special Olympics.  

2013 Summer Games

This weekend, Colin participated in his 2nd Special Olympics of NJ summer games.  Although we were very disappointed because the opening ceremonies were cancelled due to the weather, we still had a fantastic time watching Colin participate.  We are so proud of Colin for how well he did this year running in his race.  He did it all by himself and was so proud of himself for the medal that he earned.

There is nothing quite like the feeling of being at an event like the summer games and watching your child participate.  I really enjoyed being on the "spectator" side of the fence and cheering on Colin.  Words cannot express how thankful I am for ALL of the people whose hard work and commitment make for one special weekend.

We are so proud of you Colin!

Noodles!

Today was a really big day in our house because Colin ate dinner WITH us, as in, actually ate the same thing we did!  He has been increasingly more interested in trying noodles in sauce when we are eating them so I thought tonight I would ask him and have him try some.  He actually said yes and then ate two whole bowls of it!  We are really, really proud of the progress he has been making so far in feeding therapy.  We are slowly starting to see little things interest him and creep into the picture.  Big day for us!

THIS one, had her moments today but was overall a bit better than yesterday.  Thank goodness!

Possessed

I'm not quite sure I know my child this week.  I swear, at times I think she is possessed by the way she acts and carries on. I especially feel this way on days like today when I was told at school by the teacher Kailey LOVES that she had something along the lines of an epic meltdown.  This has been going on off and on for a few weeks now where we honestly don't know what to do for her but then the next day she wakes up as sweet as can be.  

Today was a possessed kind of day...

We do the best we can to still follow through and stand our ground (when she won't accept no for an answer and tries to throw a fit) and try to distract her with other activities.  I'm sure part of this is her age but I think a lot of it is the fact that some of her gum areas in her mouth show that teeth are on the move.  I hope it's something that's over soon!

Colin, on the other hand has his short, brief moments but they never last.  Their personalities sure are different!

Let's just hope Miss Sassafrass gets these teeth to pop through soon and we can get our normal sweet daughter back and say goodbye to the possessed one we are dealing with now.  

Evolution of a Relationship

Colin and Kailey's relationship is something that literally ebbs and flows with each minute of the day that they are together.  One minute you are standing there admiring this beautiful lovey bond they share and the next they are at it leaving Kailey crying and Colin frustrated/mad.  I caught a perfect example of this today.

I was in the kitchen getting together the finishing touches of dinner when I heard them laughing hysterically at one another.  I quickly got my camera because the sounds were so sweet, but also knowing, this laughter would be short lived.  As I expected, Colin always takes it one step too far and Kailey will without a doubt cry.

However, over the weekend, we didn't quite have this same turn of events and both kids were sitting really nicely singing songs, saying our letters and numbers.  I caught that for you too...




It's not always rough and tumble but no matter how nicely they play together, it often evolves VERY quickly!

Summer Weekend

This was the weekend that no one would really look at the camera.  I snapped away, but never really got quite what I was looking for.  However, this weekend DID give me a taste into the summer ahead and I can't wait!  

The next series of pictures makes me laugh.  It is a photo shoot gone wrong...

Finally, we finished the weekend off with a "dip in the pool", the baby pools that is....Hoping to get the bigger one up and running soon!

I refuse to look at you Mom!

Can't wait for the next one!

Unique Opportunity

We had a really neat opportunity recently to take Colin into New York City and participate in a photo shoot for Toys "R" Us and their Differently-Abled guide.  The guide was created initially when the founder of Toys "R" Us heard from employees and customers that there were sometimes challenges for finding appropriate toys geared towards children with special needs.  The founder spearheaded the introduction of the Differently-Abled guide which has been around for many years since.  You can read more about it by clicking here. 

We heard about the opportunity through the Special Olympics of NJ and decided to give the casting call a whirl since it was being held at the Special Olympics facility.  We found out some weeks later that Colin was selected to be one of the participants for a specific toy on the inside of the guide.  We were really excited to have Colin participate!  

We used the train to get in and out of the city and Colin LOVED it.  

Shortly after arriving, Colin was dressed in an outfit to fit his toy (he was going to be playing with a basketball and net) and then had to sit for "makeup".  He sat perfectly still and thought it was the greatest thing to get powder put on his face.  

Once he was dressed and ready and his "shoot" was set up, Colin got into "star mode" to shoot his pictures.  

The photo shoot was a tad bit challenging because Colin wanted to play basketball but in most of the photos while playing his arm blocked his face.  They were trying to "pose" him more which proved to be a bit difficult, however he was a trooper and they got some cute shots.  It was a bit difficult too because they sort of wanted us to take a "back seat" and have the helper be the one to elicit smiles and such.  He kept looking for us so we were just trying to get him to smile and pose the way they wanted to.  They let us sit in the shoot area with him and started doing some "close up" photos of him and once he eased back in again, they got some really great shots.  

It was certainly an exciting opportunity and we can't wait to see it come out in September!