Lil Ball of Energy!

Summer is flying right by! I can't believe we are at the end of July already. So my step son is staying with us for a few weeks. LJ is on cloud 9. "Bubby" is his idol! Its adorable. What is NOT adorable is the excess amount of energy LJ seems to have. He is ALWAYS hyper, like he has a motor in his little butt that keeps him going. Hard to imagine he has been worse! I don't understand it. Every day we are swimming, then in the evening he is outside riding his bike, playing with the neighbor kiddos. Yesterday was the worst!!!! We were house bound due some funky weather (CLICK HERE for some pics around our area) Liam was NOT having it. He was off the wall. B-O-N-K-E-R-S!!!!!!! Its not as if there are a lack of things to do in our home. He has a TON of toys, none of which he plays with anymore. So my first diversion was some Dr. Dreadful fun.....

sippin' some zombie barf :P

Josie had to get in on the fun!

Zombie brains! Funny how other things make him gag, but not zombie brains, lol.

BUGS!!

So this diversion lasted all of 30 minutes, and we were back to off the wall insanity! B then distracted him with the Xbox. Another 30 minutes of quiet while I attempted to clean this hog hole. Then Liam decided it would be more fun to beat on his brother. UGH!!!!! I broke that up and got out his peanut. Maybe some input would calm him down??????

First I rolled it over him....

time for some bouncing...

He loves to bounce!!!

now its a "horsie!"

this is how he occupied himself afterwards. He sat and lined up shells :) (yes, my antique table needs a nice refinishing, its on hubs T.D. list :D)

So this gave me another 30 minutes peace. Afterward he also settled down. Praise the Lord!!!! He was calm the rest of the day until the storms came in. He handled that pretty well too, but was out of sorts last nite. He discovered two new stimming words. In the car last nite, it was "arrow" over, and over, and OVER again! Then before bed it was Galifinakis????? (From a  new movie) Apparently he likes the sound of that word, lol. I don't, not after 30 times!!!! Anyway, its Friday!!!!! Busy day and weekend ahead! Hope you all have a great one. 

<3<3<3<3

Note: For more info on the benefits of a peanut, check out Fun and Function.

Autism and a High Five to the Face!

 Let me start by saying that those of you who know me, or follow my facebook page A Legion for Liam know that for the most part, I am totally Pro Autism. I choose to see the positive side of our life, because I don't have time or energy to let it get me down. Also, Liam is mildly autistic, so it is with greater ease that I can see the positive side. HOWEVER, Autism certainly has a way of sneaking up on us and high fiving us in the faces.
 I have taken a mini break from my blog for the summer. Today I am back, with an autism vengeance! The summer has been going great so far. Less meltdowns, more socialization, LJ is trying new things, its been great, with only a few minor bumps in the road. Until recently. I have seen my son regress when it comes to ruminating. For those that may not know, (I didn't when I was first told the term, I had to look it up, lol) Ruminating is a constant reflection on something. To think it, and think it, and think it, and THINK IT!!! My lil guy is a ruminating king! Lately though, his ruminations are getting the best of him. Though I am usually always open about our life, I am choosing to keep the exact details of these ruminations to myself. Too many people are quick to judge and I don't want my handsome man judged for something he has no control over. I do believe I know the root of the ruminations, and hubs has called the therapy office to up LJ's mobile therapy hours. Hoping this can be fit into her busy schedule as they have this woman all over Timbuktu, I am surprised her head isn't spinning by the end of the day!
 I just wish I knew why Autism thrives on sneaking up on us all and ruining a good run?!?!? Why must my 6 year old be plagued with thoughts that are too much for an adult to handle, let alone a little man? Why him? Why us? I know I will never know, and letting it get me down is like letting it win. So KMA Autism! You will NOT get the best of my son or my family! We are Autism warriors, and be prepared for a fight!!!!!

Taking a stand against Autism and Ruminations!!

FOR THOSE LOOKING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT RUMINATION, HERE IS A LINK TO MY NOTE WITH INFO.

CLICK HERE

We are Ausome

Yesterday I finished my video. I am so thankful to all the families who shared with me pics of their ASD loved ones. Without them, this video would not have been possible. My goal now is to share, share, share the video, and spark some awareness for our kiddos <3

I have gotten replies from a few people that missed the pic deadline for this one. I will make another video, I am just not sure when I will do that. I will let everyone know though, in case they missed being in this one.

ENJOY <3<3<3<3

Warning: this video induces crying :)

Holy Heat Wave Batman!

 Wow! I know I complained all winter I couldn't wait for summer, but wow!!!!! It has been killer hot here. Unless we are swimming somewhere, we don't go outside until at least 6 pm. Liam and I both have asthma, and its so hard to breathe in this humid heat. I can't complain though, I will take this over a foot of snow any day!!!!

Just realized "outside" is missing the "e" lol

 Our week has been pretty good. The Fourth was fun. Liam did pretty well. He only took one sensory break in the car, and was able to return to sit on my lap for the fireworks. He spent more time hanging with adults, than playing with the kiddos, typical for Liam though. He is my old sole.

Liam taking his "break" in the car :)

"happy 4th of July, now leave me alone!"

 The school meeting was postponed. Liam has been ruminating alot regarding school. So much so that hubs called his Mobile Therapist yesterday and had her come out. She tried like hell to get him to open up. All he would say is, "I don't want to go to school! Too many people! Too loud, too stinky, I am done talking, thats it!" WELL!!!! She thinks we need to consider cyber charter school, as he may not be emotionally ready. I kinda figured that, but hubs really wants him mainstreamed. I understand, but I am not one to push.  So I guess I will start doing some research on cyber schools.
 Next week is our trip to CAR in Philly. Got a massive amount of paperwork in the mail yesterday. I have to fill out the VABS and BRIEF questionnaires before we go. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so sick of paperwork, lol. Its for a good cause though. Not only will we be helping research into autism, genetics and social skills, but we will get all the info from the visit for our records. Complete with more recommendations for how to further help Liam. Win win to me!
 I also got an AUSOME email. Lisanne from Rockin' & Ridin' for Autism contacted me about purchasing some Autism paracord bracelets for their non profit group. I was stoked!!! She ordered 10! I have gotten a lot of requests for them as well. Hubs and I are looking into making a bunch, so we can sell them either on our facebook page, or maybe even start and Etsy account. This is great because after we pay for the supplies, the over head can be used to buy Liam therapy items. Another win win for us!
 Thats it, our week in a nutshell. Nothing impressive :) So without further ado, here are my Ryan's.

Can this be a spectator sport????

GAH!!! I belong BEHIND the camera Ryan, NOT in FRONT of it :D

Happy Friday everyone! Make it a great day and great weekend! Stay cool!!!!

<3<3<3<3